Mario Eugenio, Wolverine

 

Clearwater (FL) Gaither OLB Mario Eugenio (image via Twitter)

Clearwater (FL) Gaither outside linebacker Mario Eugenio committed to Michigan on Monday afternoon. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Miami, Mississippi State, Missouri, and Oregon, among others.

Eugenio is listed at 6'3" and 240 lbs. As a junior in 2020, he made 42 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, 17 sacks, 2 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, and 5 pass breakups.

RATINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 82 grade, #20 DE, #209 overall
Rivals: 4-star, 5.8 grade, #14 WDE, #24 overall
247 Sports: 3-star, 87 grade, #23 Edge

Hit the jump for more on Eugenio's recruitment.

Eugenio was offered by Michigan in February, shortly after National Signing Day. The Wolverines were his first big offer, and the coaching staff prioritized him, getting him on campus in mid-June for an official visit. He also took official visits to Iowa State and Indiana.

Eugenio is probably headed for an outside linebacker position at Michigan. He has an excellent motor and is a bit of a whirling dervish, like Chase Winovich without the hair. Eugenio will take on multiple blockers, chase down plays from behind, get his hands up in the air to bat down passes, scratch and claw to make a play. I am always partial to players who MAKE PLAYS, and Eugenio is the definition of that with 17 sacks and 4 defensive touchdowns as a junior. From making interceptions on deflected passes to grabbing pitches out of the air and returning them for scores, Eugenio has a knack for making an impact.

On the negative side, Eugenio lacks length and may struggle against longer, athletic offensive tackles. There are also some technical things to work out with his stance and footwork; he often takes a false step when coming out of his stance, and if his position coach can clean that up, Eugenio can be one step quicker off the ball. Eugenio can also dip his shoulder and get around the edge, but sometimes when he takes blockers head-on, he stands up too high.

Overall, I like Eugenio as a prospect. If he can approximate the energy Chase Winovich brought to Michigan's defense, that would be excellent. I think he should be able to see the field by year two and have a good career for the Wolverines.

Michigan now has 14 commitments in the class of 2022. He joins Californian Kevonte Henry as the two outside linebackers currently in the class, while in-stater Aaron Alexander is probably headed for an inside linebacker role. Eugenio would be the first player from Gaither to play for Michigan.

TTB Rating: 87