The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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52 THE WOLVERINE OCTOBER 2016 PREP PROFILES Biff Poggi built a dynasty in the 19 years he spent coaching at the Gilman School in Baltimore. He led the Greyhounds to 13 Mary- land Interscholastic Athletic Associa- tion A Conference championships, and his success earned him a role as an associate head coach for Michigan football and a special adviser to head coach Jim Harbaugh. Poggi coached a special young tal- ent in his final season at Gilman — 2018 defensive tackle Taron Vincent. The four-star recruit transferred to Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy before the start of his junior season. "Just sitting down and talking to him about life," Vincent said on what he misses most about playing un- der Poggi. "He was more than just a coach, he was a role model." Michigan was the first program to take notice of the Baltimore product, offering him back in August 2014. It wasn't until the following March that other programs, including Alabama, Ohio State and Texas, among others, offered the 6-3, 285-pounder. Vincent is expected to enroll early at the college he chooses, but he won't make that decision until he takes of- ficial visits next year. The fact that Michigan has his former high school coach on its staff has caught his eye. "Coach Poggi helped me learn the game and build up my foundation for football and helped work on my technique," Vincent said. It's reported that Ohio State is the leader for Vincent. The son of former NFL Pro Bowler Troy Vincent told Bleacher Report that he has been in extensive talks with OSU's defensive line coach Ron Johnson. Vincent's older brother, Troy Jr., was another recruit that Johnson at- tempted to bring to Columbus, but he ended up signing with North Caro- lina State, before transferring to Iowa State. Vincent has also had multiple discussions with Michigan defensive line coach Greg Mattison. Both Florida State and UCLA are also in the race for Vincent. The Bru- ins are the lone program of the three frontrunners that doesn't have a de- fensive tackle commit in its upcoming 2017 class. The Buckeyes have two, while the Seminoles have one. Vincent has yet to pick a date for a visit to Ann Arbor this fall. Other Big Ten teams that have offered Vincent are Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State, Penn State, Rutgers and Wisconsin. — Zach Libby Artur Sitkowski had a busy summer, taking advantage of the long offseason to visit schools and increase his stock. His last visit came in July for a two-day stay at Miami. Sitkowski's most recent trip to Ann Arbor was for Michigan's quarterback camp in June, where he spent time with quarterbacks coach Jedd Fisch. "It was a great experience," Sit- kowski said. "I learned a lot from all the coaches, tips that I use to this day. That includes a lot of footwork drills about five- and seven-step drops and a lot of mental things." That was a day after Sitkowski par- ticipated in Ohio State's camp and a week before attending Rutger's seven- on-seven event. The Scarlet Knights were the first program to offer him, making the tender during the summer of 2015. The Big Ten interest for the 6-5, 205-pounder is strong — he's collected offers from Maryland, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin and the Buckeyes. And Sit- kowski has even seen coaches from those schools take the initiative to visit him in his hometown. When Michigan linebackers and special teams coach Chris Partridge visited Sitkowski this past April, two days prior to U-M offering, OSU of- fensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tim Beck also met with the ju- nior less than a month later. In August, Sitkowski said that he plans to commit before his final season at Old Bridge (N.J.) High commences. He also has not planned any visits so far this fall. The four-star pro-style quarterback is looking at the Florida-LSU game in October as a potential out-of-state visit. The Gators are the latest offer for Sitkowski, giving the notice two days after he attended their camp in July. He's also hoping to take another visit to The Big House for the Wiscon- sin game (Oct. 1) or the Indiana contest (Nov. 19) this season Sitkowski has confirmed that Michi- gan, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Miami, Rutgers and Wiscon- sin are high on his list of interested schools. He hopes that the Wolverines share a similar liking, telling The Wol- verine that he can definitely see himself playing at U-M. The No. 3 pro-style quarterback and No. 35 overall prospect in the junior class, Sitkowski was 95-of-185 passing for 1,436 yards with 16 touchdowns last season. He led Old Bridge to a runner-up finish for the Central Jersey, Group 5 Championship. — Zach Libby Top Junior Defensive Lineman Has Michigan Connection 2018 New Jersey Quarterback Likes The Wolverines ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ IMG Academy Bradenton, Fla. Class: 2018 Position: Defensive Tackle Ht.: 6-3 • Wt.: 285 Rivals.com Rankings: No. 3 defensive tackle and No. 59 overall player in the nation Taron Vincent ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Old Bridge H.S. Old Bridge, N.J. Class: 2018 Position: Quarterback Ht.: 6-5 • Wt.: 205 Rivals.com Rankings: No. 3 pro-style quarter- back and No. 35 overall prospect in the nation Artur Sitkowski Vincent on Biff Poggi, his former prep coach and the current U-M associate head coach/special advisor to Jim Harbaugh "Coach Poggi helped me learn the game and build up my foundation for football and helped work on my technique." Sitkowski on his trip to Michigan's quarterback camp last June "It was a great experience. I learned a lot from all the coaches, tips that I use to this day."