Mason Curtis, Wolverine

 

Nashville (TN) Ensworth linebacker Mason Curtis

Nashville (TN) Ensworth linebacker Mason Curtis, a 2024 prospect, committed to Michigan on Monday. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Kentucky, Louisville, Ole Miss, South Carolina, and Tennessee, among others.

Curtis is listed at 6'3" and 205 lbs.

RANKINGS
ESPN: N/A
On3: 4-star, 90 grade, #12 LB, #164 overall
Rivals: 4-star, 5.8 grade, #14 OLB, #219 overall
247 Sports: 4-star, 90 grade, #15 LB, #233 overall

Hit the jump for more.

Curtis's dad (who passed away in December of 2021) played defensive end at Clemson, and his brother plays at Middle Tennessee State. Mason Curtis started picking up offers from his in-state schools last fall when Vanderbilt offered, followed by Tennessee and Memphis. Word started to filter out about him, and this spring he started to get more offers, including Michigan in April and Michigan State in May. He actually made a trip up to MSU in May, but I do not believe he visited Michigan at the time. However, he visited Michigan last week and liked it so much that he chose to become a Wolverine.

Curtis is a tall, lanky outside linebacker right now, and I think it's tough to peg him for a specific role because his body hasn't completely filled out. Based off his sophomore film, he looks like a guy who could be a tight end, H-back, outside linebacker, defensive end, or inside linebacker. He has good speed and lateral quickness for a linebacker, and his ability to use his long arms and shed blocks is a good quality. I like that he can bend at the knees and play low, which helps him at the point of attack and when tackling ball carriers.

The biggest question mark is about his size. He has apparently grown to about 6'4", and his body will likely take some time to catch up. If he sticks to the right eating plan and commits himself to the strength and conditioning program, he will eventually fill out. But will that be as a sophomore or will he have to wait three or four years?

Overall, Curtis is a good prospect who I would put in a category with Noah Furbush. Furbush was a linebacker/defensive end prospect who looked like an edge guy but really turned out to be more of a blitzer Michigan would find mismatches for inside, coming from depth. I think Curtis is a better athlete and is probably a true outside linebacker in the long run, at least with how Michigan is currently running its defense under Jesse Minter.

Michigan has done a good job of recruiting Tennessee in the past few years with Junior Colson, Myles Pollard, and Kody Jones, and this is another sign that cornerbacks coach Steve Clinkscale is doing a solid job of recruiting. Curtis is the first commitment in the class of 2024 and would be the first football player to come from Ensworth, which is a private school in Nashville.

TTB Rating: I am not assigning TTB Ratings to the class of 2024 yet.