The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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COMMITMENT PROFILE Henry Poggi Follows One Of His Brothers To The Big Ten ball coach at The Gilman School in Baltimore, is no stranger to sending his players on to Division I programs. Under his watch, at least one player from Gilman has signed with a BCS conference team nearly every year since 2006 (in 2009, defen- sive tackle Brandon Cope- land signed with Pennsyl- vania of the Ivy League). Among the high-profile signees out of his program in recent years were two of his sons. Class of 2007 line- backer Sam Poggi played at Duke, dad's alma ma- ter, and class of 2010 line- backer Jim Poggi will be a redshirt sophomore at Iowa this fall. In 2013, another Poggi Biff Poggi, head foot- technique for the first few years. and then I'll eventu- ally become a three tech- nique. I like the plan they have for me there. They re- ally spelled out what they saw in me." It's easy to see Poggi's will head to the Big Ten, and he has the highest pro- file yet of the three broth- ers. Henry Poggi is ranked as a four- star prospect and the No. 52 player in the country by Rivals.com. The 6-4, 260-pound defensive tackle is rated No. 2 nationally at his position. On June 2, he opted to become a Michi- gan Wolverine. "I feel comfortable there, and I Rivals.com rates Poggi as a four-star prospect, the No. 2 defensive tackle in the country and the No. 52 overall player in the class of 2013. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM Michigan's defense from one of the nation's worst in 2010 to the No. 17 unit in the country in 2011, and their ability to teach young men how to be successful both on and off the field made the difference for Poggi. "Coach Hoke is a great coach, I hope I will fit in," he explained. "I know that they have great players on their roster and great players at my position on their roster and in the incoming recruiting classes. I will do my best to compete, and hopefully I will make the team and help the team reach its goals. I know that I start at the bottom of the depth chart." Poggi on U-M's coaching staff "I think they'll prepare me to be the best I can be." coordinator Greg Mattison and de- fensive line coach Jerry Montgomery are sure to appreciate a player who is willing to put in the hard work necessary to see the field. Those three coaches, in fact, each Head coach Brady Hoke, defensive played a huge role in Poggi's deci- sion to pick Michigan. They turned 70 THE WOLVERINE AUGUST 2012 potential. He started on both sides of the ball for Gilman as a junior, play- ing nearly every down of every game. His contribu- tions at tight end had some schools — including Ala- bama, the runner-up for his services — considering him at that position. On defense, his 49 tackles, 11 stops for loss and 10 sacks showed that once he adds to his current 260 pounds, he'll be a force to be reck- oned with in the middle of the defensive line. Coming from the elite think Michigan is ready to take that next step to being a national title contender, and I really like Coach Mattison and Coach Montgomery," he said. "The whole staff was great actually. I think they'll prepare me to be the best I can be. "I'm going to start off as a five just about football. The son of two Duke grads (and the younger brother of another) knows the value of a top- notch education. That was another factor in Michigan's favor when it came time to make a choice. "A degree at Michigan has a lot Gilman school, Poggi made a decision wasn't of pull and means a lot," he said. "It will help me out down the line whether football works out or not. There is no guarantee with football, and knowing I will have that degree to fall back on is big. I'm happy I chose Michigan." — Tim Sullivan up field with balance. He shows the ability to use his hands with a high level of leverage. He has good ball awareness on the field, and gets rid of blockers while keeping an eye on the ball at the same time. Poggi tackles well by using his long arms to wrap up ball carriers. He shows a good sense of when the blocker is off-balance and quickly takes advantage of it. He shows a good motor by tracking down the ball and using good angles to make tackles. Areas of Improvement: Poggi plays too high at times. Good offensive linemen Strengths: Poggi has a nice defensive lineman's stance that allows him to move FILM EVALUATION will take advantage of his exposed chest and block him. He will need to use his quickness to get up field faster and dismiss blocks. He will also need to work hand to control blockers and gain leverage toward the ball. Michigan Player Comparison: Glen Steele played strong and tough for Michi- gan from 1994-97. He played several seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals and was a leader on the 1997 national championship team. Poggi has similar potential.