Devery Hamilton, Wolverine

Baltimore (MD) Gilman offensive tackle Devery Hamilton (image via Scout.com)

Baltimore (MD) Gilman offensive tackle Devery Hamilton committed to Michigan on Wednesday. He chose the Wolverines over offers from Clemson, LSU, Maryland, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Stanford, and Wisconsin, among others.

Hamilton is roughly 6'6", 290 lbs.

RATINGS
ESPN: 3-star, 79 grade, #33 OT
Rivals: 4-star, #26 OT
Scout: 4-star, #13 OT, #144 overall
247 Sports: 4-star, 92 grade, #24 OT, #215 overall

Hamilton was offered late in the Brady Hoke era, just a couple weeks before Hoke was fired. Hoke had already developed a relationship with Gilman, which had produced defensive end/tight end Henry Poggi in the 2013 class (Gilman's head coach is Biff Poggi, Henry's father). He visited Ann Arbor in late April and obviously enjoyed the visit. He is not a prospect who talks much to the media, so it was difficult to keep track of exactly how he was feeling. When it came time to decide, the three finalists were Maryland, Michigan, and Stanford.

Hamilton has a good frame for playing offensive tackle or guard at the next level. He is already near 300 lbs. and should be able to carry enough weight to play at the next level without sacrificing too much of his athleticism. He moves well in a straight line for a guy his size, and he also shows some good lateral agility in his pass set as well as when moving up to the second level. He has the ability to bend at the knees and drive block, and he keeps a wide base when doing so. He also uses his hands well to control defenders, or to disengage from blockers on defense.

On the negative side, Hamilton frequently pops up too high when run blocking. This is absolutely the #1 concern I have about him going on to the next level. He needs to learn to roll his hips, and he needs to continue to get stronger in both the upper and lower body. I have some concerns about the lack of pass blocking shown in his highlights, because that indicates to me that he might be a little rough in that area and there wasn't much to highlight. I would also like to see him get a little better at his hand placement, because he tends to let his hands slip to the outside and will get called for holding if that continues.

Like a lot of high school linemen, Hamilton is raw and inconsistent. He can stay low, but he doesn't do it enough. He can drive people off the ball, but he should do it more. He has the feet to pass block on the edge, but for some reason that doesn't show up much in his highlights. I mentioned the other day that Ben Bredeson could potentially play all five positions on the offensive line, and I think that Hamilton could play just about anywhere but center. He's a high-level prospect who has the potential to be an all-conference guy. He also plays some on defense, but he would probably be limited to a 3-tech tackle and I think his upside is considerably higher on offense.

The Wolverines now have nineteen commits in the 2016 class, and Hamilton is the fourth lineman, joining Bredeson, offensive guard Michael Onwenu, and offensive tackle Erik Swenson. Terrance Davis could the next and last lineman to be added to the class, although the coaching staff will probably continue to try to add an offensive tackle just in case.

As for recruiting from Gilman, Michigan also had an offer out to offensive guard Stephen Spanellis, but there does not seem to be much mutual interest at this point. Gilman also features 2017 quarterback Kasim Hill, who camped at Michigan last week and already holds a handful of FBS offers. This commitment bodes well for the way that the program is perceived from within the inner circle, since Hamilton's head coach has an inside look at what's going on with the players.

TTB Rating: 76 (ratings explanation)