The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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JUNE/JULY 2023 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 57 ❱ COMMIT PROFILE BY ZACH LIBBY M ichigan linebackers coach Chris Partridge secured his first commit- ment since being rehired back in February when 2024 Pittsburgh Central Catholic linebacker Cole Sullivan announced his commitment on May 12. Sullivan, who's the second Pittsburgh area commit in the 2024 class alongside South Park (Pa.) High linebacker Zach Ludwig, became the 17th pledge for the Wolverines this cycle, the most across all of college football at that point. "Michigan is the best of both worlds, and that's why Cole is going there," his father, Roger Sullivan, told The Wolverine. "Academics are extremely important to him and playing at a super high level is important as well." Michigan offered Sullivan this past February, the same period in which the 6-foot-4, 200-pounder also picked up offers from Michigan State, Miami, Wis- consin, Stanford, Louisville, Northwest- ern and others. Sullivan and his family visited Ann Ar- bor twice during the month of March. Each trip featured individual meetings with Partridge, who projects Sullivan as a defensive athlete, where he could line up at any linebacker position or drop down to become an edge rusher. "Coach Partridge is a real person," Roger said. "He seems to be a teacher of the game. He told us that he has a plan to begin with. But once Cole's body changes, who knows where he'll end up playing? "He likes Cole because he's shown versatility on film. Cole has a frame that could change for the better, and we liked that perspective where 'We're not going to tell you that he'll play X because if he changes, he might have to play some- where else.' That honesty was something that we were attracted to." Notre Dame was considered a heavy fa- vorite for Sullivan up until the beginning of May, when industry analysts shifted their expectations for Michigan to land On3's No. 37 overall ranked linebacker in the country and No. 10 rising senior pros- pect in Pennsylvania. The Sullivan family's heightened inter- est in the Wolverines was strongly due to their conversations with Partridge, along with eye-opening presentations heard from director of strength and condition- ing coach Ben Herbert, who also has roots in Pittsburgh, plus the balance between academics and athletics at Michigan. "The institution is second to none in terms of football," Roger said. "And the people there are so down to earth. They were confident and welcoming from the get-go. They conveyed how bad they wanted Cole and showed us how he would fit in there." The elder Sullivan, who played college football at Kentucky in the mid-1990s, is confident that the impact his son will bring to Michigan will be felt on and off the field. "I'm very proud of him, and the sky is the limit for him," his dad said. "He's a very smart young man, and I think aca- demically, he'll do well. Whatever he puts his mind to, it's going to be good stuff. "On the field, I just can't wait to see when those changes come. I know he'll get to Michigan and compete, push his teammates and keep that train rolling there." Sullivan finished the 2022 season with 117 tackles, 2 sacks and 4 pass breakups. He's also a two-way starter for Central Catholic, lining up as an H-back on of- fense. Rising Pittsburgh Linebacker Cole Sullivan Picks U-M Sullivan, a 6-foot-4, 200-pounder from Pittsburgh Central Catholic, is rated as the No. 37 line- backer in the country and No. 10 junior prospect in Pennsylvania by On3. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER/ON3 PLAYER EVALUATION STRENGTHS: Cole is a very interesting pros- pect and a guy who has some developmental upside as a linebacker. He's just a phenomenal high school football player, and a guy who makes plays in a bunch of different facets. He plays on both sides of the ball, flies around and has good ball skills. He's a good basketball player and very coordinated. AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT: The biggest questions with him are how big will he get, and what's his developmental upside physi- cally as a linebacker? I don't have a ton of concerns with that though because of Michi- gan's track record with player development, especially with their strength and conditioning program. I looked at him in that high three-star, low four-star range. But he's a guy who could be a four-star if he has a strong senior season. Next fall will give us a better picture of how big he is and how big he can get. PLAYER COMPARISON: A good comparison for Cole will be Cody Barton from Utah, who was a third-round NFL draft pick and a do-it-all kind of athlete. He is a guy who was a two-way player in high school and was the same size as Cole back then. He ended up filling out to be an every-down type of linebacker and also made plays on special teams. — On3 director of scouting and rankings Charles Power