The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/703389
COMMITMENT PROFILE Saint Joseph (Mich.) High strongside defen- sive end Corey Malone- Hatcher did not surprise many when he announced at his high school that he had committed to the Wolverines. The longtime U-M lean became a big- time Alabama target in the spring of 2016. Insiders were calling the Crimson Tide a real threat to taking the Michigan native down south, but western Michi- gan's best prospect stayed home. "My main reason for committing is that my family and I are just so c o m f o r t a b l e w i t h t h e staff," Malone-Hatcher said. "The way they interact with each other and the players — the level of energy — just led to a cer- tain level of optimism for us. We're excited to see where they are taking the program. "They consistently show us they are hungry to get better and perform at a high level." The 6-3, 246-pounder is a perfect fit for the new-look Wolverine de- fense behind defensive coordinator Don Brown. His explosiveness off the edge combined with his mix of size and speed are exactly what Brown is looking for in his athletic unit. "We've watched him progress throughout the course of his high school career," Rivals.com Midwest recruiting analyst Josh Helmholdt said. "He could play defensive end or linebacker. Michigan has mentioned possibly even middle linebacker. He brings that versatility. Being on the scene for so long has helped him ma- ture and be ahead of the learning curve." Malone-Hatcher suffered an injury in his junior season and didn't play the latter half of the season. He also missed out on the camp circuit in the offseason of 2016, but if he recover completely from the injury the Wol- verines landed one of the state's best overall prospects. Malone-Hatcher 's high school Corey Malone-Hatcher Stays In-State At U-M Malone-Hatcher is one of five pledges among the Wolverines' first 18 2017 commitments that are natives of Michigan. PHOTO BY BRANDON BROWN