The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/641955
2016 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE trust each other, and they'll play so hard for each other. They both believe in each other's ability and trust that they'll be where they're supposed to be. There's a love there and it means something." Metellus is the third member of the Flanagan trio headed to Ann Arbor, and while he hasn't been around the other two since child- hood, he's cut from the same cloth according to Bush Sr. The three-star pros- pect is expected to get looks at both safety spots under Harbaugh's tute- lage, and at 6-0, 195 pounds he has a good frame to handle those re- sponsibilities. "He's a very v e r s a t i l e g u y, " Bush Sr. said. "He can play linebacker in the box. He can play deep safety and make plays on the ball sideline-to-sideline. He can play cornerback, and can turn and run with all wide receivers. "He's a track guy, and he's got great hips. He has pretty good technique at corner even though he might not play there. He's really aggressive and is great at blitzing off of the edge." Metellus himself is excited to con- tinue winning with his teammates and believes he'll be ready for any situation the coaches put him in be- cause of his high school experiences. "I don't like to lose, and I will not lose," he said. "That's going to be real big for us moving forward at Michi- gan. "I'll be exclu- sively playing in the secondary, at both free safety and strong safety. T h e c o a c h e s h a v e n ' t r e a l l y given me any spe- cifics or anything before I get to Ann Arbor. They just told me to be ready to do any- thing they ask." Both Metellus and Gil have been playing a blend o f s a f e t y a n d linebacker, while Bush Jr. is more the prototypical linebacker pros- pect despite being a little short. All three of them have a versatile, athletic skill set, and Bush Sr. said it's no accident. The Flanagan trio lined up all over the field in South Florida and may do the same thing at U-M. "All of them are versatile," Bush Sr. said. "They've been taught to learn linebacker, corner and safety so that they can understand how the whole scheme works. They understand the entire defense. Devin Gil played in the defensive backfield on the prep level at around 6-1 and 204 pounds, but he's already up to 225 and expects to play linebacker in Ann Arbor. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM