Santa Margarita (CA) Rancho Santa Margarita defensive end Collins Acheampong committed to Michigan on Friday afternoon. He picked the Wolverines over offers from LSU, Miami, Oregon, Texas, UCLA, and USC, among others.
Acheampong is reportedly heavier than his listed weight and comes in at 6'7" or 6'8" and 254 lbs.
RANKINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 82 grade, #23 DE, #162 overall
On3: 3-star, 89 grade, #43 Edge
Rivals: 4-star, 5.8 grade, #21 WDE
247 Sports: 3-star, 88 grade, #35 ATH
Hit the jump for more.
Acheampong was an unknown to me until he visited Michigan in mid-March. Then I started doing some digging on him and found him to be pretty intriguing. Michigan has been recruiting internationally for several years - including David Ojabo, Daniel Fa'alele, Benjamin St-Juste, Luiji Vilain, Alessandro Lorenzetti, Patrice Rene, and Julius Welschof - and had some success, so when Ghana native Acheampong popped up on the radar, I was intrigued. Michigan offered him on his visit, things stayed silent for a bit, and then buzz started coming out that Michigan would be the pick. He took an official to Ann Arbor in early June, followed that up by visiting Miami, and suddenly had a July 1 commitment date that looked iffy. But he pushed it back a week, settled in with Michigan, and went public.
Scouting Acheampong is very difficult right now. He transferred from Ghana to Anaheim (CA) Fairmont Prep as a freshman, didn't play as a sophomore because of COVID, didn't play as a junior because weird stuff continued, and then is transferring to Rancho Santa Margarita for his senior year. His freshman year highlights show a long, lanky, athletic kid who was sometimes accidentally physically dominant, but largely looked like a basketball player who was afraid to really hit anyone.
I love legitimate basketball players who play football, because the athleticism really translates to the field. But the big question about Acheampong is whether he's ready to be physical and do some dirty work by taking on blocks and fighting 300-pounders.
From watching his basketball highlights, I think he's going to be a major problem for tackles to block because of his length, quickness, and explosiveness. If Michigan continues to play their edge guys like bats out of hell who have nothing to do other than terrorize the quarterback, I think Acheampong could be a star. If he has to play a more traditional defensive end role with his hand in the dirt, I'm not so sure that will work. Based on athletic potential, I think Acheampong could be a 1st round pick in three or four years.
Michigan now has ten commitments in the class of 2023 and the first edge rusher. He would be the first Rancho Santa Margarita product to sign with Michigan since Kekoa (a.k.a. Dylan) Crawford picked the Wolverines in 2016.
TTB Rating: 87
Freshman year Varsity football highlights🏈 pic.twitter.com/iHjhSyexOz
— Collins Acheampong (@collins_xi) December 20, 2021
Wish Coach Oz was still here.........
ReplyDeleteI think Michigan will be good on the edge, regardless. The only year Michigan couldn't generate a consistent pass rush since Harbaugh got to to Ann Arbor was 2015 when they didn't have much talent and 2020 when the whole team was bad.
DeleteI try to get myself past the idea that the great DE play since Jim H has been here is something other than Greg Mattison and then Ryan Osborn. But I'm having trouble doing that. I don't think I can with Mike Elston. No DEs at ND were drafted in the years he was coaching the D Line there. In 2016 two DEs were drafted from ND, but he was not coaching the DEs then. On the other hand, Oz coached Monteaz Sweat, Hutch, and Ojabo. All 3 would have been drafted in the 1st Rd if not for an Achilles.
DeleteWhat a world - we have one of the most accomplished DE coaches in college football and people are pining for an assistant/analyst who spent one year here. Shades of Jedd Fisch, Tyrone Wheatley, Greg Jackson, Jon Baxter, Ed Warriner, Mike Zordich and various other assistants who somewhat randomly get a ton of credit but leave with no ill effect and don't seem to ascend beyond what they were. Very meme-like.
DeleteI'm not trying to knock Osborn - he's an up and comer clearly, and he did good work his one year here - but Hutchinson and Ojabo are elite talents and Hutchinson was already excellent before Osborn got here. Michigan was in good shape before Osborn's 1 year in the program and they'll likely to be in good shape after.
6'8"?!? How's his bend?
ReplyDeleteThis was my second thought
"If he has to play a more traditional defensive end role with his hand in the dirt, I'm not so sure that will work"
He had good bend when he was a freshman, but he was shorter then. I think he'll be okay in that regard.
DeleteHe is 6'8". Have a look at him in this video:
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcNtIZH6xII
Seems too tall.
ReplyDeleteI think he's going to be good down the road. He's raw, but he's an athlete. I think he can learn how to play. Being too tall is less of an issue than inexperience, upper body strength, and hand usage, IMO.
DeleteStrength, technique, and experience are all part of development - no concerns there right now. I don't know that he can overcome being such a big target for blockers - he's even bigger than Welshof.
DeleteHope I'm wrong because it would be pretty fun if he's out there batting down passes and enveloping edge rushers.