The Wolverine

March 2017 Recruiting Issue

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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76 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2017 2017 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY BRANDON BROWN Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Acad- emy four-star center Cesar Ruiz committed to Michigan in late December and became Michi- gan's highest-rated offensive lineman pledge. The 6-4, 336-pounder — the top center and No. 41 overall prospect nationally according to Rivals.com — was a huge get for Michigan at a position of need. Ruiz spoke about how it felt to finally be done with the process just about two weeks ahead of enrolling early at Michigan. "It feels great," he said. "It's the right fit for me. I've always liked them going to back to when they offered me on my first visit. That's just home for me. Michigan has been a long- time favorite in my recruitment, going back to my sophomore year when I almost committed on my visit. "I've had a chance to visit a lot of different schools all over the coun- try, but no place could compare to Michigan. It's a weight lifted off of my shoulders. It's finally good to of- ficially say that I'm committed to the University of Michigan." The Wolverine coaching staff has had great success recruiting in New Jersey recently and with Ruiz origi- nally being from Camden the mo- mentum continued in the 2017 class. Being able to link back up with some of his closest friends after playing his final two years of high school ball in Florida was a big reason why Ruiz selected the Wolverines. "My brother Ron Johnson is there," he said. "Brad Hawkins is on his way there. I'm cool with Rashan Gary, Ka- reem Walker, Mike Dwumfour and all those guys. "They did a really good job making me feel comfortable there." Once the commitment was out of the way, Ruiz suited up one last time as a high-school student and played in the Under Armour All-America Game and stood out all week during practice while in Orlando, Fla. Rivals. com Southeast recruiting analyst Rob Cassidy couldn't say enough about how well Ruiz performed. "The rare polished high school cen- ter, Ruiz is a natural fit for the posi- tion," Cassidy said. "He shined at this year 's Under Armour All-America Game, where he displayed impres- sive extension and solid power. "The fact that he's spent his high school career snapping the ball from the center spot is a bonus for Mich- igan, which could use him at both guard and center early in his time in Ann Arbor." IMG Academy head coach Kevin Wright agrees that guard could be in Ruiz's future, but strongly believes that center is the spot where Ruiz will flourish and thinks that it might just start during his first year on campus. "He definitely has the ability to play guard, but I also think that if Michigan has a guy playing center who isn't a full-time guy, Cesar is go- ing to win the job. That's just what he does," Wright said. "It's so natural for him that he's going to snap the foot- ball, step correctly, and call out the fronts and do everything you need him to do at a high level. "The center has to be the most ath- letic and smartest guy up front, and Cesar will be that guy in almost any case. I definitely think he can play guard, but when it all plays out and he learns everything it's going to be hard to keep him out of that center spot." Ruiz also believes he can play early and has already talked with Michigan offensive line coach Tim Drevno about doing just that. "Coach Drev told me that I have everything it takes to come in here and play early," Ruiz explained. "He told me that he recruited me as [a center] and wants me to play center. He tells me I'm very mature for my age, for a freshman coming in. He tells me that I have what it takes to get on the field early." At this stage of Ruiz's career, it doesn't just sound like early playing time is a recruiting pitch or lip service either. Per Ruiz himself and Wright, the two years Ruiz spent at IMG really helped shape him into a college-ready offensive line. "I've gotten bigger and a lot faster," Ruiz said. "When I went there my max bench was probably 275 and now it's up to 405. My squat was 375 and now I can do almost 600. It re- ally helped me all around, I'm more flexible. "On the football side, I'm going against really good players every day. A lot of talented guys did a good job of bringing the heat in practice, and it made me better." "The football and the daily regi- men is tough, but he's been great in every arena," Wright said. "From the classroom asking for help, to asking for help on football schemes, in the weight room, everything that we do is based on preparing guys for col- lege. He's been tremendous. "I think as a result everybody saw his raw talent, but they also saw his development. You could see it on film, but then he'd go off and do a Rivals camp or whatever it is and compete against some of the best, and that's how people really saw his im- provement on the field." Ruiz appears to have everything it takes to lead what could be a domi- nant offensive line in the future. ❏ Cesar Ruiz, The Nation's Top Center, Is Ready To Compete For Time After impressing observers during practice and playing in the Under Armour All-America Game Jan. 1 in Orlando, Fla., Ruiz enrolled early at Michigan and will take part in spring practice. PHOTO BY BRANDON BROWN

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