The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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JANUARY 2018 THE WOLVERINE 61 COMMITMENT PROFILE Braden River three-star defen- sive end Taylor Upshaw pledged to Florida in June, but coaching changes have a way of shaking a commitment's status up. The 6-4, 235-pounder noted that head coach Jim McElwain's firing, followed al- most immediately by a Michigan of- fer, changed his recruitment. "Michigan actually talked to me earlier in the year, but they weren't really in the picture at all," he ex- plained. "I wasn't even thinking about Michigan because I just never went there. I didn't know much about them at that time. "I knew about Michigan as a pro- gram, but I didn't know in depth what they had to offer. There were really two things that made me look into it. "One, was when Coach McElwain got fired. I knew how things usu- ally get squirrelly after that with new people coming in. "Two, when I talked to [defensive line] Coach [Greg] Mattison he was so knowledgeable about the game. He was talking about how many guys he coached who are in the NFL. I'm not saying I'm all about getting to the NFL, but there's a correlation with him. He knows what he's talking about because he's been coaching for so long. "Those are the two things that opened it up." Braden River head coach Curt Bradley was a part of Upshaw's re- cruitment, but didn't need to get overly involved. Upshaw's father, Regan, was a star at Cal and en- joyed a long career in the NFL, and Upshaw's older brother, Regan Jr., walked on Clemson. Bradley knew that Taylor would make the right choice. "He wanted to get his decision made and get it done with," Bradley said. "I didn't know how much he had been talking to Michigan, but I think he got the offer right around when Coach McElwain was relieved at Florida. "I knew he was planning to take a visit right after Michigan offered him. I was somewhat surprised when I saw that he committed while he was in town, but we leave all of those decisions up to the kids. "His family has been through it, so I think he knows what he wants." The No. 24 strongside defensive end in the nation has only been play- ing football for a short time, which makes Bradley think he's nowhere near his ceiling. "He's a very unique kid," the coach said. "His dad was an NFL player, but Taylor didn't start playing foot- ball until his junior year. "We were 9-2 last year and 9-2 this year, so he's only played in 22 games in his whole career. He has a very young football career, and he has a tremendous upside because of that. "He's long levered, he's extremely athletic and he has a great body con- trol. I think the sky is the limit as far as his ability on the football field." Upshaw is at about 235 pounds right now, but he'll bulk up — and it will happen soon. The senior is going to enroll at Michigan in early January and has already started preparing for it because of what his official visit host told him. "Carlo Kemp was my host, and he told me all about coming in as an early enrollee," Upshaw said. "He said you get thrown in right in. He was telling me about some of the workouts and I was like, 'Oh, okay — I guess I know what I have to do.' "I know that I'm going to start run- ning hard and getting in really good shape. I want to be in good shape when I get there." Upshaw has great genes as the son of former NFL first-round pick and also has a great support system, in terms of how he handles himself in the classroom and off the field. He seems like a perfect fit at Michigan and should thrive under the tutelage of Mattison and defensive coordina- tor Don Brown. — Brandon Brown Michigan Lands Former Florida Commitment Taylor Upshaw FILM EVALUATION Strengths: Taylor Upshaw has impressive strength and the frame of a college- ready prospect. He has enough speed to close on most high school quarterbacks and shows impressive athleticism as well. Areas Of Improvement: Upshaw is 6-4 and hasn't played a lot of football, so his pad level is still improving. There are many fine, technical aspects of playing defensive line that he's still learning, such as hand placement and using leverage. He's also still figuring out game flow and giving every ounce of energy on each snap as part of a D-line rotation. Michigan Player Comparison: Upshaw has a lot of tread left on the tires after only playing for two years, and he could end up being a James Hall type of player. Hall arrived at Michigan at 6-3, 245 pounds, was a three-year starter, earned All-America honors as a senior and played in the NFL for 12 years. Position-wise, they're a bit different, but in size and athleticism they're pretty close. — Analysis from TheWolverine.com Rivals.com ranks Upshaw as the No. 75 player in Florida and the No. 24 strong- side defensive end nationally. PHOTO BY BRANDON BROWN Braden River head coach Curt Bradley "He's long levered, he's ex- tremely athletic and he has a great body control. I think the sky is the limit as far as his ability on the football field."