Name: Giovanni El-Hadi
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 305 lbs.
High school: Sterling Heights (MI) Stevenson
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #58
Last year: El-Hadi was a senior in high school (LINK).
TTB Rating: 84
El-Hadi committed to Michigan over two years ago now, and he's finally wearing a Michigan uniform. He was selected for the Under Armour All-American Game (even though it was never played due to COVID) and finished as a top-100 player (#87 overall) in the 247 Composite rankings. I did not give him a TTB Rating because he committed so early, but after watching him as a senior, I gave him an 84.
El-Hadi has a good frame, is powerful, and finishes blocks. I think he is most likely to play offensive guard at the next level because he lacks a little bit of length and can get his feet crossed up while trying to move laterally. He also needs to work on his hand placement. All of these things can be improved, but they show that he's probably not ready to play immediately. I like him as a prospect but he needs to clean some things up with more reps and some college-level coaching.
Prediction: Redshirt
Guard does seem more likely, but I appreciate taking a highly ranked local kid. Let's keep & develop him
ReplyDeleteNormally I'd think a highly regarded recruit should be higher than this, even at OL where most don't play, but I still think that Harbaugh, Drevno, Warriner and company have done a great job building depth back up across the OL. El Hadi probably won't be called upon.
ReplyDeleteEven with a few departures it was encouraging that Willie Allen got here, saw no path to playing time, and summarily left. Michigan's OL isn't in an ideal situation where there are lots of proven players returning but they do have solid depth and a lot of positional versatility to work with.
It will be on Moore and Gattis to translate that into production in the pass and run game. Good play from the OL is critical to the team success. We have plentiful talent at RB and WR and, supposedly, we can expect accuracy and reliability from our QB. The OL is make or break.
-LANK