Aymeric Koumba, Wolverine

 

Aymeric Koumba (far right, image via Twitter)

Paris (France) Pionniers de Touraine outside linebacker Aymeric Koumba committed to Michigan on Friday. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Buffalo, East Carolina, Vanderbilt, and UConn.

Koumba is listed at 6'4" and 230 lbs.

RANKINGS
ESPN: N/A
On3: 3-star Edge, 88 grade
Rivals: N/A
247 Sports: N/A

Hit the jump for more.

I don't understand the French school or football systems, so I'm not going to pretend. Koumba has been playing American football in France, which means most of his opponents are really bad at stuff relating to American football. He traveled to the United States and participated in a camp at Mercer, which is where defensive line coach Mike Elston saw him. He visited Michigan and picked up an offer, and Elston supposedly wanted to get on him before any other big-time programs really notched up their pursuit.

I'm tempted to throw up my hands and say, "Who knows?" when it comes to scouting Koumba, but you pay me the big bucks for analysis, so that's what I'm going to give you.

Koumba is long and lanky on film and has a lot of physical growth to go. He plays as a blindside pass rusher, and he's better than everyone he faces. Still, he takes false steps coming out of his stance, sometimes loses momentum from being indecisive, and seems to slow up instead of going for kill shots. In general, he's got a lot to learn.

However, what I expected to see from him is a near inability to use his hands, and he's actually pretty good with his swipe move. Sometimes he uses a one-handed move but doesn't incorporate his opposite hand to really create separation between himself and the blocker, but I think that can be improved with reps. He has good closing speed, change of direction, and bend.

Overall, Koumba has a lot of good qualities. His film is actually kind of similar in some ways to the film on Collins Acheampong . . . from Acheampong's freshman year. If you asked what year Koumba was on film, I would probably guess he was a high school sophomore. But since he's a 2023 prospect, his film is the equivalent of a high school junior. So maybe he's one more year away from reaching his potential than another guy in the same class, but if he's patient and buys into the coaching and S&C program, he could be very good.

Michigan now has twelve commitments in the class of 2023, and they've picked up three edge defenders in the past week: Koumba, Acheampong, and Enow Etta. As I mentioned in the Etta post (LINK), I like the way Michigan is filling out its front with long, athletic linemen.

As far as I know, Koumba would be the first French football player to sign with the Wolverines.

TTB Rating: 73