The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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2012 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE 6-6 • 275 • Tight End • Sycamore High School • Cincinnati A.J. WILLIAMS ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ star prospect, the No. 25 per- former in Ohio and the No. 22 tight end in the nation by Rivals. com … Rated as the nation's No. 11 tight end by MaxPreps.com … Listed as the No. 57 prospect in the Midwest by SuperPrep … Garnered the No. 2 spot on the Ohio Varsity list of the top 10 tight ends in the state … Rated as a three-star prospect and the No. 36 tight end in the nation by ESPN.com. Brady Hoke's Comments: "He's a very physical young lad at the point of attack, but at the same time, he's tremendously skilled running routes and catching the football. ball Report: "I have him ranked as one of the top tight ends in the country, but he may end up at tackle or guard. He's got the frame to be an offensive lineman or a blocking tight end. They didn't throw to him much in high school, but they used his ability as a blocker to their advantage. He's a very good athlete with great feet and great size. Tom Lemming of Prep Foot- " for 35 yards as a tight end and offen- sive tackle in a heavily run-oriented at- tack for Sycamore High … Performed for three varsity seasons as a powerful drive blocker. Senior Season: Played offensive Career Totals: Caught three passes " Williams was born on March 23, 1994, in Cincinnati … Has performed a maxi- mum bench press of 275 pounds and a maximum squat lift of 475 … Best 40-yard dash time is 4.8 seconds and best shuttle effort is 4.4 … Owns a top vertical jump of 30 inches … Comes from the same high school that pro- duced University of Michigan swimmer Dan Ketchum, a gold medalist in the 2004 Summer Olympics, along with Michael Matthews, who earned a Super Bowl ring as a tight end for the New York Giants in 2008. Rankings: Ranked as a three- Personal: Aaron Christopher Blake team that amassed only 489 yards through the air … Selected for All- Ohio first team in Division 1 … Cho- sen for the JJHuddle.com All-Ohio first team, covering all divisions … Named first-team All-Southwest District as an offensive lineman … Earned all-city honors. Junior Season: Played offensive tended the University of Cincinnati Se- nior and Overnight Camp … Attended the Ohio State Two-Day Camp. Other Sports: In his third season of All-Star Games And Camps: At- varsity basketball for Sycamore, av- eraging a team-high 11.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 0.8 blocks per game, while shooting 47.3 per- cent from the floor as a senior … Averaged 11.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game as a ju- nior, while shooting 49.2 per- cent from the floor … Led the Sycamore varsity in scoring and rebounds as a sophomore, av- eraging 11.1 points and 5.9 re- bounds per game, and shooting 50.5 percent from the floor. Planned Major: Undecided. Favorite Michigan Athlete: Senior tight end Kevin Koger. Favorite Pro Player: Miami Heat basketball star LeBron James. Other Schools Considered: Michigan State, Illinois, Indiana and Arkansas. Date Of Official Visit To Mich- igan: Dec. 10, 2011. Why Williams Chose Michi- While Williams caught only three passes for 35 yards in his senior campaign, he drew plenty of praise with his blocking. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM tackle and tight end for a 6-4 Syca- more squad that finished 4-3 and tied for fourth place in the Greater Miami 11 national championships, 42 Big Ten championships … that all speaks for itself, and it's something you really, re- gan: "The thing that made me decide was the relationship with the coaches. It felt like a second family up there. The school speaks for itself — it's one of the top schools in America. The tra- dition of Michigan football, with Sycamore Head Coach Scott Datillo "He's a big-bodied tight end that is a tremendous blocker. He'll fit really well into Michigan's power game, that I know they want to continue to build on. He's a big body at 6-6, 275 pounds. His strength is definitely as a run blocker." tackle for an 8-3 Sycamore squad that finished 5-2 and tied for third place in the Greater Miami Conference … Focused on blocking for a run-heavy Conference … Caught one pass for 13 yards in a run-oriented offense … Finished with second-team all-league honors. Sophomore Season: Played offen- sive tackle and tight end for a young 2-8 squad that went 0-7 in the Greater Miami Conference … Secured two catches for 22 yards. ally want to be a part of." tillo's Comments: "He's a big-bodied tight end that is a tremendous blocker. He'll fit really well into Michigan's power game, that I know they want to continue to build on. He's a big body at 6-6, 275 pounds. His strength is defi- nitely as a run blocker. Sycamore Head Coach Scott Da- " MARCH 2012 THE WOLVERINE 77