Name: Giovanni El-Hadi
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 310 lbs.
High school: Sterling Heights (MI) Stevenson
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #58
Last year: I ranked El-Hadi #33 and said he would be a backup offensive guard (LINK). He played in fifteen games.
TTB Rating: 84
It seems like El-Hadi has been around forever. It seems like he's been a backup forever. And it seems like a long time ago that he started three games in place of a banged up Trevor Keegan. But it hasn't been forever. He was a part of the 2021 class and started those three games in 2022. Normally it seems like a player with El-Hadi's recruiting pedigree and talent would have been playing by at least his second year, but Michigan has had the advantage of having a veteran offensive line room for the past several seasons. El-Hadi's PFF scores were higher in 2021 and 2022 than they were in 2023, but I wonder if that's a function of feeling a little stagnant while waiting his turn.
But the time has now come for El-Hadi to be a full-time starter. Keegan and Zak Zinter, both long-term starting offensive guards, have moved on to the NFL. Along with Myles Hinton at left tackle and Josh Priebe at the other guard spot, El-Hadi is one of three solidified positions on the offensive line. The battles have continued at center and right tackle, but El-Hadi was a shoo-in. Furthermore, Sam Webb has been touting El-Hadi this off-season, including saying he would take El-Hadi as the "breakout offensive player of the year." With the way Sherrone Moore has developed offensive linemen, it might be a good bet that El-Hadi turns into an all-conference lineman this season.
Prediction: Starting offensive guard; Second Team All-Big Ten
This is my dude. My brother is friends with family members, and I've heard nothing but great things about the whole family
ReplyDeleteOn the football side, I've been looking forward to him since his commitment, but it really is hard to gauge a mixed up OL in spring games or even garbage time. Might be our best OL this year!
Credit to the young man for his patience. He's got a ring to show for it. The recruiting pedigree, the buzz, the profile, the character displayed at interviews -- looks like a big year coming for El Hadi. You love to see it.
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