New Michigan Man: 2019 DE Stephen Herron Commits to Michigan

The Michigan coaching staff kicked off the 2017 BBQ at the Big House with a commitment from a top 100 offensive lineman in the 2019 class. And now they’ve backed that up with a commitment from a top 35 recruit in the 2019 class as five star Trinity (KY) DE Stephen Herron has committed to Michigan.

Commitment 

Scouting Report 

Though only about to go into his junior year, Herron is one of the best defensive ends in the class. He’s a bit raw still but his mix of size, quickness and athleticism has scouts really excited about his potential at the next level. He clearly has room to grow as he matures through the rest of his high school career and collegiate career but he shows off that nose for the ball instinct that you just can’t coach as well as a rip move that works on the regular in both padded game and non-padded camp settings. Always looking to add dynamic pass rushers to the depth chart, Greg Mattison has to be ecstatic about this addition.

Recruitment 

With five star recruits normally comes drama. However, Herron decided to make his decision a year and a half before National Signing Day and it was something I expected to eventually happen sooner or later. After his first visit to Ann Arbor over the winter and his strong, early relationship with Coach Mattison, I decided to put my Crystal Ball on the Wolverines for Herron.

Though he had a heavy Ohio State prediction list and made several visits around the country, including to both Alabama and Mississippi State, he ended up deciding to end his recruitment and choose the school he connected with both. And that happened at the BBQ at the Big House recruiting event.

  • Height: 6’4”
  • Weight: 235lbs
  • Hometown (School): Louisville, KY (Trinity)
  • Notable Offers: Stanford, Ohio State, Alabama, Texas, Oregon, Georgia
  • RankingsScout (4*, #41 overall) – Rivals (4*) – 247 (4*, #34 overall) – ESPN (N/A)
  • Composite Ranking: Five star, #34 overall, #4 WSDE, #1 in Kentucky

Highlights 

As for the Rest of the Class

Herron is the 3rd commitment of the 2019 class, the first defensive end, the first commitment out of Kentucky and the first five star commitment. But I don’t believe he’ll be the last. Michigan is in fantastic shape early on for at least one of the top players in the class, DE/OT Chris Hinton, and is in very good shape with the top quarterback, QB JT Daniels, the top running back, RB Quavaris Crouch and one of the top wide receivers in the class, WR Kyle Ford. There’s also in-state five star and the top offensive tackle in the class, OT Devontae Dobbs, who the staff has some room to make up but should be a main contender throughout the cycle.

Photo Credit: Scout.com

Garrett Fishaw