Belleville (MI) Belleville linebacker Aaron Alexander committed to Michigan on Saturday afternoon. He picked the Wolverines over an offer from Marshall.
Alexander is listed at 6'2" and 205 lbs. He reportedly ran in the 4.4's at a couple camps recently.
RATINGS
ESPN: N/A
Rivals: 2-star, 5.4 grade
247 Sports: 3-star, 86 grade, #78 ATH
Hit the jump for more.
Alexander wasn't really on my radar until a couple weeks ago when he camped for the Wolverines. He performed well and showed off his athleticism (reportedly include those 4.4 forties), and after those in-person evaluations, Michigan went ahead and offered. There was some immediate optimism on Michigan's end, and he committed during Victors Weekend.
There's not a lot of film on Alexander, who played a COVID-shortened junior season and also appears to have suffered an arm injury, resulting in wearing a cast to play a portion of the season. I can't say there's a lot to love about Alexander's highlights other than the aforementioned speed. He chases down a quarterback from behind, but that was after he blitzed A-gap out of control and flushed the QB out of the pocket. He looks a tad slow to diagnose plays, too.
Overall, I think the jury is out on Alexander and would like to see more film. I like his overall athleticism, but to get a scholarship offer from Michigan, it would be nice to have a little more than just pure speed. I was also under the impression that Michigan wanted to get bigger at linebacker, and at 6'2" and 205 lbs., Alexander doesn't appear to check that box. He seems like a good candidate to spend a few years in development.
This is Michigan's second commitment of the day, joining running back C.J. Stokes (LINK). The last time Michigan signed a Belleville product was in 2020 with defensive back Andre Seldon.
TTB Rating: 57
My hope here is that the Rona season of 2020 denied us more & better film. Perhaps the camp scene made up for it?
ReplyDeleteI saw some clips of him at camp, and the kid can run. I have no doubts about his athleticism being above average for a Big Ten linebacker.
DeleteYikes on rating. Hope you are wrong, but I love how you state an opinion that will maybe piss some people off and you back it up with why. You don't get personal you just give your take and why. You take the risk early and then let everybody come at you if you are wrong. That is why i love this site.
ReplyDeleteI hope I'm wrong, too, and some better senior film might bump up the rating. He's a very good athlete. He's just raw and undersized, at least for now.
DeleteEdge potential?
ReplyDeleteLank
205 is not a great starting point but I remember that Uche was 212 as a recruit. Our best edge rushers have mostly been on the smaller side as recruits.
Delete-LANK