Enow Etta, Wolverine

 

Enow Etta (image via Twitter)

Colleyville (TX) Covenant Christian Academy defensive end Enow Etta committed to Michigan on Wednesday afternoon, picking the Wolverines over offers from Alabama, LSU, Michigan State, Stanford, and USC, among others.

Etta measures in at 6'4 1/2" and 261 lbs. As a junior in 2021, he made 124 tackles, 41 tackles for loss, 22.5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries (1 for a touchdown), and 3 pass breakups.

RANKINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 82 grade, #25 DE, #189 overall
On3: 4-star, 92 grade, #19 Edge, #132 overall
Rivals: 4-star, 5.8 grade, #18 WDE, #239 overall
247 Sports: 4-star, 94 grade, #8 DL, #58 overall

Hit the jump for more on Etta's commitment.

Michigan expresses a lot of unrequited interest in the state of Texas, so when Michigan originally offered Etta in January, I shrugged my shoulders. Word bubbled out that he might be interested in the Wolverines, and I shrugged my shoulders. Then he scheduled an official visit for June, and I nodded my head. There were varying rumors about Alabama, Michigan State, and Stanford, too, so I didn't get my hopes up. And truth be told, I won't be comfortable that Etta will wear a winged helmet until he signs in December (or February). He seems to have changed his mind a few times, and there's nothing stopping him from doing that again.

Anyway, the first thing that stands out to me about Etta is his effort. He appears to be a high-motor player and you can see that in his play - pumping his arms, diving to make tackles, etc. Michigan has had good success with those types - such as Chase Winovich and Aidan Hutchinson - in recent years. Etta also gets low in his stance, fires out low, and can be a threat coming off the edge. While he doesn't have a great shoulder dip to get around the edge, he does a nice job of using leverage to at least push the pocket and get blockers off balance. He also has active feet and can change direction well to redirect and get after quarterbacks/ball carriers who change direction.

Etta does a decent job of recognizing cut blocks, but he needs to continue working on using his hands to keep blockers off his feet. Cut blocks can stymie him, but he's athletic enough to handle them better. Etta also could use his hands better to disengage from blockers. Sometimes his hands/arms seem to be afterthoughts rather than intentional weapons.

Overall, I like Etta as a prospect and I believe he will be successful. I think his high effort will translate well to the game field and the practice field, the latter of which will help him overcome some of his weaknesses. I am curious to see how his body develops. His speed is something that I think could translate to playing defensive end, but his thickness may necessitate a move to a 4i/3-tech position down the road. I think Michigan would be best off trying to keep him lean, get him a little bit stronger, and play him at an edge spot.

Michigan now has eleven commitments in the class of 2023, including three defensive linemen in Etta, Collins Acheampong, and Brooks Bahr. I like what the staff is doing by bringing in players with good size: Etta is over 6'4", Acheampong is 6'8", and Bahr is 6'6". It helps that they have athleticism, too. I don't think you can go too wrong recruiting a bunch of 6'5"+ players. This would be the third straight class with a player from the state of Texas, but no Michigan player has come from Covenant Christian Academy.

TTB Rating: 87