The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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98 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW DEFENSIVE LINE for the 6-5, 287-pounder, especially after he ran a blazing 4.56 40-yard dash this spring. He was the No. 1 player taken in the spring draft and will be called upon to dominate in all facets of the game, the way he did at Paramus (N.J.) Catholic two years ago. "Based on what Michigan has told us with his 40 time and some snippets of his athleti- cism, all his measurables are off the charts for a guy of that size," Skene noted. "It's rare to have a guy that big, fast and athletic, and able to move so well laterally right and left. "He's just got the ability that makes former players and fans say, 'Now, let's see it on the field.'" He had some freshman moments last year when he wasn't flying to the ball as fast as he can, but that's not uncommon in a first-year player. Skene said he'd be surprised if that were the case this year. "That's got to be 100 percent gone from his game," Skene said. "If he wants to be great, he has to have that motor running 100 percent, all the time. It sounds like he's saying the right things, and I know Greg Mattison will have reviewed film with him 1,000 times. "You've got the recipe there for a great de- fensive lineman. When they do slide protec- tions his way and double team him, he still has to find ways to get pressure. You've got to get there. "He is legit, and the expectations are high. I don't think he'd want it any other way." Michigan signed eight defensive linemen in last year's recruiting class, and Rivals. com rated the group the second-best haul nationally behind Florida State. Several figure to play this year, and some could even make the two-deep. The most highly rated is defensive tackle Aubrey Solomon of Leesburg (Ga.) Lee County. The 6-3, 305-pound five-star prospect chose the Wolverines over Alabama and had offers from just about every school in the country. "He's a bruiser," Rivals.com Midwest recruiting analyst Josh Helmholdt said. "He's a guy that can definitely enforce his will upon opposing linemen. He's quick enough to get inside and make offensive linemen react faster than they want to, which usually gets them off balance. "He's a big, barrel-chested kid, and you have to be on your game as a lineman to really handle his array of tools." When he turns it up to full gear, Helmholdt said, Solomon is as good as anybody in the 2017 class. Toledo (Ohio) Central Catholic defensive end James Hudson is similar in that respect, according to Helmholdt, a guy capable of dominating games when his motor is running full tilt. The 6-5, 294-pounder is Rivals.com's No. 8 strongside end and No. 240 overall player in the country. "Physically, he lacks for nothing," Helmholdt said. "I first saw him in the state title game as a sophomore playing offensive tackle. He has the size, the athleticism, the quickness. The one concern — and I've probably covered his games four or five times in his career — is he'll show up for a quarter and dominate. One time he had seven tackles in a quarter and several behind the line of scrim- mage. Then he disappears. "Consistency is going to be key. The tools are there, and if he brings it on a more con- sistent basis, the sky is the limit." He could compete for early playing time, and so could Flint (Mich.) South- western's Deron Irving-Bey. The 6-5, 271-pounder — Rivals.com's No. 18 strongside end nationally and a three-star prospect — is versatile. "He could play more like a five technique defensive end or he could be a defensive tackle. That gives Michigan options on how to utilize him," Helmholdt said. "He's able to do that because he's quick enough off the ball to pressure the pocket, but strong enough to be able to hold up at the point of attack and battle with interior guards. "He's just a well-rounded lineman who I think is going to be very serviceable, maybe even in his freshman year. He's not Rashan Gary, but he is very well rounded and has very few weaknesses." End Luiji Vilain is another who fits the bill as a potential early contributor. The 6-4, 238-pounder, Rivals.com's No. 5 weakside end and No. 74 senior nationally, is explosive off the edge. "He's a guy that came to football a little later in life because he grew up in Canada," Helmholdt explained. "As soon as he got immersed, he got caught up in his class. As a freshman he was long and gangly, but it was impressive how quickly he picked things up. He's a quick learner and a very coachable kid. "From a skills standpoint, he's very explosive off the edge. He's going to be able to put pressure on the pocket. He needs to be mindful of his weight. There were times he got a little too heavy and that affected his explosiveness … he's not a huge-framed kid." Yet another end, Saint Joseph (Mich.) High 6-3, 245-pounder Corey Malone- Hatcher, missed his junior year due to injury, but he came back strongly. Rivals. com's No. 12 strongside end impressed everyone last season. "He showed right away he was going to be a big-time talent and picked up a lot of offers," Helmholdt said. "By the time he got to his senior year, even though he missed so much time, his progression was very noticeable. … He's not the tallest or longest kid, but he has a great work ethic and motor, and he's a plus athlete for the position." Malone-Hatcher was an early enrollee who missed much of spring due to injury, but he's expected back in the fall. Another January arrival, tackle Donovan Jeter (6-3, 260, Rivals. com's No. 13 defensive tackle nationally) of Beaver Falls (Pa.) High, made an impression this spring. "I think his arrow's pointed straight up in the air," defen- sive coordinator Don Brown said. "He got better every day, and he's a hard worker. He came in with some technical scenarios to work through, but he's worked hard." Brown also went hard after weakside end Kwity Paye of Warwick (R.I.) Bishop Hendricken School after noticing his athleticism. Paye, Rivals.com's No. 35 weakside end nation- ally, once ripped off a 90-yard touchdown in high school, and the former Boston College pledge is just scratching the surface. "He has a great blend of size, speed, strength and raw athleti- cism," TheWolverine.com's Brandon Brown said. "This blend allows him to terrorize quarterbacks off the edge and even renders him very effective as a running back. He's the real deal when it comes to natural abilities. "Like many high school prospects, Paye still needs to work on his hand placement, angle, bend and overall technique. … He has all of the abilities to be a good pass rusher in college, but he's not at that stage just yet." Two-way prep lineman Phillip Paea, an in-state addi- tion from Berrien Springs, rounds out the group after earning All-State Dream Team honors from both the Detroit News and Detroit Free-Press. Although he might not impact as early as some of his classmates, Helmholdt liked what he saw on the prep level. "He'll translate no matter what position he plays," the analyst noted. "He's a very talented kid and has a lot of potential. In my opinion, he was a no-brainer offer for the in-state schools." — Chris Balas The Freshmen Should Provide Depth And Maybe More Beaver Falls (Pa.) High tackle and early enrollee Donovan Jeter was part of an eight-man U-M defensive line class that was rated No. 2 nationally by Rivals.com. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM