The Wolverine

December 2016

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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48 THE WOLVERINE DECEMBER 2016   COMMITMENT PROFILE The Michigan coaching staff hosted six official visitors from the 2017 class for the home game against Illinois Oct. 22, and one of them decided to pledge to the Wolverines almost immediately. Beaver Falls (Pa.) High four- star defensive tackle Dono- van Jeter had been previously committed to Notre Dame and opened up his recruitment just before visiting Ann Arbor. The 6-5, 255-pounder went in with an open mind, but had already hinted that he might end drop- ping for the Wolverines. "I wanted to see Michigan as an uncommitted player," Jeter said. "I told myself that if I liked Michigan more than I liked Notre Dame I was going to com- mit to Michigan. And to me, it was better than Notre Dame." Michigan and the Irish check many of the same boxes when it comes to pitching recruits. Both schools are deeply rooted in tra- dition, have high academic standards and share similar geography. How- ever, Jeter saw a couple of major dif- ferences that made Michigan a better match for him. "Life at Michigan just seemed to be on another level, and obviously Coach [Jim] Harbaugh made a differ- ence too," Jeter said. "At Notre Dame it kind of feels like a small, private high school. At Michigan everything just seemed more free and flowing. There are 40,000 people there, and you can tell. "When we were riding around be- fore the game there were people ev- erywhere and parties going on. There was so much more activity and en- ergy. It just felt like where I wanted to be. I'm not trying to bad mouth Notre Dame, but it just felt kind of dry there. I just loved the way Michigan felt." Spending time with Harbaugh was also a big deal for Jeter. "It was like being around a person who doesn't know that they're fa- mous," Jeter said with a laugh. "He acts like he's not important — it's crazy. He's so down to earth and humble, and I really love that about Coach Harbaugh." Michigan's head coach clearly had an impact on Jeter's decision but so did defensive line coach Greg Matti- son. The veteran coach sold Jeter on all of the right issues, and the No. 6 player in Pennsylvania and No. 14 defensive tackle na- tionally immediately felt like he could play for Mattison. "Coach Mattison wants me to play strongside defensive end, but he thinks I could also slide in and play the three technique," Jeter explained. "I told him that it didn't matter to me at all. I'll line up wherever he wants me to and try to make plays." Rivals.com Mid-Atlantic re- gional analyst Adam Friedman appreciates all that Jeter offers. "I like what he can do across the entire defensive line," Fried- man said. "He's got a lot of ver- satility. He can play in a pass- rushing situation on the edge, and he can play inside as a de- fensive tackle and stuff the run if you need him to. "Right now we have him listed as a defensive tackle, but he has a lot of versatility to him and I really like that. That will pay off for him in college." As for the rest of his recruitment, Jeter will finish out his final prep season, graduate early in December, and enroll at U-M in January. Other schools aren't done pursuing the tal- ented lineman, but Jeter has already informed coaches that he's all Blue. "I'm completely done," he said. "I've even straight up turned down Al- abama. Their coaches were still talking to me and texting me, and I was like, 'Coach, I'm committed to Michigan.' "When I was committed to Notre Dame I was still talking to other coaches, but since I've been commit- ted to Michigan I've been done with all that. I'm not going anywhere." Jeter was a Pittsburgh-Post Ga- zette's Fab 22 selection and a Class AA Pennsylvania Sports Writers All- State pick as a junior. Before choosing to focus solely on football, Jeter shined on the basketball court, averaging 17.5 points per game as a sophomore. During his junior sea- son, he averaged 16.8 points per game, helped lead Beaver Falls to a WPIAL state championship and earned Class AAA third-team all-state honors from the Pennsylvania Sports Writers. — Brandon Brown FILM EVALUATION Strengths: Donovan Jeter's main asset is his versatility. He has the size and strength to play on the inside, but also possesses the speed and athleticism to bend the edge and get pressure on a quarterback. He fits into the same mold of several of Michigan's current defensive linemen, including senior Taco Charlton and fifth-year senior Chris Wormley. Areas Of Improvement: The biggest knock on Jeter throughout his prep ca- reer has been his consistency of effort. That can be an issue with large, interior players at the high school level. He'll have to keep his switch permanently flipped once in Ann Arbor. Michigan Player Comparison: Jeter is quite a bit lighter than Wormley was coming out of high school, but the two of them have a similar game. Both pos- sess the bulk to play inside, but can use speed and quickness to get pressure from the edge. — Analysis from TheWolverine.com Rivals.com ranks Jeter as the No. 6 player in Pennsylvania and the No. 14 defensive tackle in the country. PHOTO BY NICK LUCERO/RIVALS.COM Former Notre Dame Commit Donovan Jeter Liked What He Saw At U-M

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