Photo Credit: Scout.com

New Michigan Man: DL Donovan Jeter Commits

Posted onAuthorGarrett Fishaw

Going into the Illinois game, it didn’t look very likely that Michigan would add a commitment from their visiting recruits. Well, that was obviously wrong as, just days after decommitting from Notre Dame, 2017 Beaver Falls (PA) DL Donovan Jeter has decided to commit to Michigan.

Scouting Report

Jeter is the 279th ranked player in the country and the #11 strong side defensive end in the class. And I believe that’s a very fair ranking. The talented lineman is a big, strong, physical player that has the size and the athleticism to play the 5, 7 and, with some more size, the 3 technique in Don Brown’s defense. He flashes his quick feet when pressuring the quarterback and his stout size and strength in the run game.

Jeter is an intriguing prospect because he has the length and frame. He is quick and explosive, and he plays physical and does a nice job of getting his hands onto the offensive lineman. He gets off the ball well and he can pursue a play down the field. He has good body control moving up the field, and can get around the edge. If he can stay a little lower at the snap, it will help him with leverage against bigger offensive tackles.” — Brian Dohn, Scout.com

Recruitment

As for Jeter’s recruitment, things were a little wild. He was a player that most, including myself, thought would end up staying home and committing/signing with Pittsburgh. However, he had other plans as he took a liking to both Michigan and Notre Dame. But it was the Fighting Irish that received his first commitment in mid-September after visiting South Bend for the first time.

That commitment looked to be very solid but with the struggles on the field and the rumors off the field surrounding the Notre Dame program, Jeter decided to decommit from the Irish. And it was just in-time for him to make his way to Michigan for his first trip to campus. That trip mixed with the Jim Harbaugh-factor ended up being more than enough for Jeter to join the Wolverines’ recruiting class. But it wasn’t the only positive for UM as he took a nice shot at Brian Kelly’s personality compared to Harbaugh in his post-commitment interview with Mike White of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette:

He doesn’t act like he’s important. He doesn’t act like he’s one of the best coaches in the country,” said Jeter. “He’s real down to earth and humble. He’s easy to talk to. Talking to Brian Kelly wasn’t fun. It wasn’t cool. You have to make an appointment just to go to his office. Coach Harbaugh has an open-door policy. Every one of Michigan’s coaches has an open-door policy.”

While there’s obviously some concerns with him possibly changing his mind again (happens with pretty much every recruit), I believe Michigan was the place he wanted to go for a bit now. With the coaching staff high on him and vice versa, his fit in the defense, and the early playing time available, it looks like it would take something big or crazy for him not to sign with the Wolverines.

  • Height: 6’5”
  • Weight: 250lbs
  • Hometown (School): Beaver Falls, PA (Beaver Falls)
  • Notable Offers: Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Michigan State, Stanford, UCLA, Pitt
  • Rankings: Scout (4*, #300 overall) – Rivals (4*, #14 DT) – 247Sports (4*, #237 overall) – ESPN (4*, #28 DE)
  • Composite Ranking: Four star, #279 overall, #11 SSDE, #8 in Pennsylvania

Highlights 

As for the Rest of the Class

Jeter is the 17th overall commitment and the 5th defensive lineman in the class. And though it seems like the staff may be slowing down their defense line recruiting and only focusing on their top target, DT Jay Tufele, the staff looks to have two more spots available, per Wolverine247’s Steve Lorenz. If that is the case, Tufele is joined by DL Deron Irving-Bey and DE Kwity Paye as the most likely to join the class. Former commit DT Aubrey Solomon also remains a possibility.

Photo Credit: Scout.com

Garrett Fishaw
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