The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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COMMITMENT PROFILE from year to year. Watching his devel- opment as a defensive end has been pretty impressive." Vilain shows excellent quickness to get to the ball carrier, hits hard and finishes tackles. "I really like, and everybody talks about, his athleticism. You have to love how he can get off the edge. I'm a big fan of just his ceiling right now," Friedman said. "He's just scratching the surface of his potential. His ability to get off the line of scrimmage and blow past opposing offensive tackles is special. "Michigan has done a great job re- cruiting on the defensive line, but they don't really have a pass-rushing spe- cialist at defensive end and Vilain fits that mold perfectly." At 6-4, 240 pounds, Vilain has the length and size potential coaches want in a defensive end, but he still needs to bulk up some and add muscle. Vilain is a solid candidate to see his ranking take a big rise during the fall if he keeps his momentum going. An opposing coach from the Wood- berry Forrest (Va.) School, Cliff Al- exander, touched on what it's like to play against Vilain and even compared the Rivals250 star to former NFL Pro Bowler Jevon Kearse. "He's certainly going to be an im- pact player," Alexander said. "He's ev- erything you're looking for in a college defensive end. "He's got all the prototype qualities, plus some speed. He's someone Michi- gan will be very happy with. "Without any disrespect to other teams we play, he's the first name that pops up in my mind when I think about defensive ends we'll play. I wouldn't say he has any flaws — just some size and strength to add, and Michigan will take care of that. "I think he's right where they want him to be. He's big enough where he can make an impact right away, like a third-down specialist. He's just too athletic to keep off the field." — Brandon Justice FILM EVALUATION Strengths: Luiji Vilain has an ex‑ plosiveness off the edge that stands out. Mix that in with his tackling prowess and ability to read plays well, and the result is a long list of strengths. Areas of Improvement: He defi‑ nitely needs to add some muscle — and Michigan's training program should take care of that. Michigan Player Comparison: Vilain looks and plays a lot like red‑ shirt sophomore Lawrence Mar‑ shall. The current Wolverine's 6‑4, 250‑pound frame is about as close as it gets to Vilain's 6‑4, 240‑pound body. The two are able to use their athleticism and speed with finesse moves to get around the blockers. Marshall still hasn't seen too much time on the field in Ann Arbor — he plays on a unit Athlon Sports tabbed as the second‑best defensive line in the country — but he should be a good role model for Vilain in his freshman season. — Analysis from TheWolverine.com