Markel Dabney, Wolverine

 

Markel Dabney (image via Instagram)

Richmond (VA) Huguenot linebacker Markel Dabney flipped from SMU to Michigan on Saturday. He picked the Wolverines over other offers from Florida State, Miami, Notre Dame, Penn State, Pitt, Tennessee, and Virginia Tech, among others.

Dabney is listed at 6'1" and 205 pounds.

RANKINGS
ESPN: 3-star, 79 grade, #10 LB
On3: 3-star, 88 grade, #54 LB
Rivals: 3-star ATH, 5.6 grade
247 Sports: 3-star, 86 grade, #108 ATH

Hit the jump for more.

Dabney somewhat surprisingly committed to SMU in mid-May. While SMU recruiting has picked up in recent years, Dabney had other suitors - including Michigan - that were interested at the time. Unsurprisingly, that commitment lasted only about six weeks before he flipped to Michigan following an official visit to Ann Arbor on the weekend of June 13th.

Dabney is a little bit difficult to pinpoint because of his mix of physical talents at this point in his career. Similar in some respects to the likes of Josh Metellus and Khaleke Hudson in the past, Dabney is a little bit too stiff in the hips to project to safety . . . and perhaps a little too small to project at inside linebacker. Both Metellus and Hudson ended up playing essentially the nickel position under Don Brown, and Metellus eventually moved to being a safety at Michigan before embarking on an NFL career as a safety - and a captain at that - for the Minnesota Vikings.

The most impressive highlights for Dabney come on the offensive side of the ball, though, where he plays receiver, makes some nice catches in traffic, runs through tackles, and outruns people. The stiffness aspect is still a thing, and he doesn't change direction well to get separation, so I don't see receiver as his destination, either.

Overall, I don't really see where Dabney fits with Michigan's current defensive system. He would have been a SAM under Don Brown, like Peppers and Metellus and Hudson. He might even have grown into a WILL. But with the variety of coverages that Wink Martindale throws at opposing offenses, I don't think he can play man coverage at the nickel spot and he doesn't really seem to fit what Michigan wants at inside linebacker. It seems like Michigan recruiting a couple guys like him a few years ago who didn't last, including R.J. Moten (transferred to Florida) and William Mohan (transferred to Tennessee). I think Dabney has potential as an athlete, but he looks like more of a backup or special teams player.

Michigan now has 16 commitments in the class of 2026. Presuming Dabney ends up at linebacker, he's the first linebacker in the class. He would be the second Michigan player from Huguenot, following wide receiver David Terrell, who played in Ann Arbor from 1998-2000.

TTB Rating: 68