The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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DECEMBER 2016 THE WOLVERINE 49 COMMITMENT PROFILE Warwick (R.I.) Bishop Hendricken School three-star weakside defensive end Kwity Paye committed to Bos- ton College in December 2015, but as soon as the Wolverines offered him a scholarship in late September he re- alized that the opportunities at U-M would be hard to pass up. "I've known since Michigan of- fered me that I would probably want to go there," he said. "I waited it out a little bit because I didn't want to hurt any feelings or anything. "Me and my family and my coaches all talked. My parents told me that it wasn't going to get any easier — it's only going to get harder. If I knew where I wanted to go I should just make the choice and be done with it. They just told me to go where my heart told me to go." His heart had been saying Michi- gan for a while, but his commitment to Boston College had been in place for such a long time that he didn't want to upset the staff at BC. He knew that decommitting was going to be tough, but he manned up and made the necessary phone call. "I called Coach [Steve] Addazio and let him know that I was going to be decommitting," Paye explained. "It was hard to say the words. He was obviously upset, but he wished me good luck and we were on our way." After making a very difficult phone call to Addazio, the 6-3, 225-pound Paye made a very enjoyable one to Michigan's head coach. "Coach [Jim] Harbaugh was pumped," Paye said. "He said that they were very excited to have me in Ann Arbor. He said that I was a perfect fit in their scheme, and they were really excited that I decided to commit." The scheme fit under defensive co- ordinator Don Brown was something that Brown identified when he was still at Boston College. The impact that Paye made on Brown never faded, and that's ultimately a big reason why Paye is now a future Wolverine. "I'm a fast guy, and they like me rushing off of the edge," Paye ex- plained. "They want to use me as a hybrid type of guy. Athletically they think I can play all along the defensive line and put pressure on the quarterback with my speed. They like the idea of being able to move me around." Rivals.com Mid-Atlantic regional analyst Adam Friedman agrees. He believes that Paye's athleticism and versatility are an excellent match for Brown's aggressive scheme. "He's one of those special players who can be a defensive end or an outside linebacker," Friedman said. "I like his potential a lot. You can move him around and create mis- matches and chaos because of his abilities. If he bulks up a lot he could even play on the strongside or maybe even on the interior. "He's very physically talented and can really run for a big, built defen- sive lineman. Don Brown will find a lot of fun ways to use him." Paye's head coach is also having a lot of fun using him. As of Nov. 7, Bishop Hendricken was 9-0 and Paye is a big reason why. Through nine games, he had 45 tackles, 10 stops for loss and 4.5 sacks. On offense, he has carried the ball 27 times for 473 yards (17.5 yards per carry) and seven touchdowns. As soon as he picked up his offer from the Wolverine he said he'd only be considering U-M and BC moving forward. Now that the flip has taken place, he's shutting his recruitment down. Paye is considered the No. 40 weakside defensive end in the coun- try by Rivals.com. — Brandon Brown U-M Flips Versatile Boston College Pledge Kwity Paye FILM EVALUATION Strengths: Kwity Paye has a rare combination of size, speed, athleti- cism and strength. He puts it all to- gether to make violent hits on de- fense and even plays running back. Areas Of Improvement: Paye is going to need to sharpen his tech- nique and learn how to compete at a much higher level once he gets to Michigan. Big Ten football is going to be a massive jump from what he's seen in Rhode Island, and that will require a lot of patience, hard work and football intelligence. Michigan Player Comparison: Paye has a chance to be similar to former Wolverine Frank Clark. Coming out of high school, Clark was a little smaller than Paye at just 6-2, 210 pounds and slightly more fluid and rangy. He turned into a solid pass-rushing end at U-M and is now flourishing in the NFL for the Seattle Seahawks. Paye could develop in a similar way be- cause of his raw abilities. — Analysis from TheWolverine.com As a junior, Paye recorded 65 tackles and seven sacks, ran for eight touchdowns, helped lead his high school to its sixth consecutive state title and was named to The Providence Journal All-State first team. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM Rivals Mid-Atlantic recruiting analyst Adam Friedman "He's one of those special players who can be a defensive end or an outside linebacker."