The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/787035
MARCH 2017 THE WOLVERINE 85 2017 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE MEASURABLES • At N ike's The Opening Finals, St-Juste recorded a 4.58-second 40-yard dash and a 3.86-second 20-yard shuttle, second-best at the event. He also recorded a 36.6-inch verti- cal jump and a 39.0-foot power throw, all of which combined for a Nike+ Football Rating of 123.72, which ranked 25th at the finals. STATISTICS • Had 30 tackles, two inter- ceptions, one forced fumble and 18 passes broken up as a senior in nine games. HONORS • Recognized as a Division I (highest division) All-Star at cornerback by CanadaFoot- ballChat.com, who lists him as the No. 7 player in the country. • Finished No. 25 in The Opening Ratings Champion- ship in 2016. ALL-STAR GAMES AND CAMPS • Attended Nike's The Open- ing regional in New Jersey May 1. St. Juste also attended The Opening Finals in Oregon July 7-10. • Attended the Exposure U camp in Ann Arbor in June of 2015, where he earned his Michigan offer. RECRUITMENT • Committed to Michigan June 23, 2015. • Michigan was his first offer after camping at U-M during the summer of 2015, and he committed soon after. • Head coach Jim Harbaugh and defensive backs coach Mike Zordich identified St-Juste during U-M's on-campus camp. Defensive backs coach Brian Smith has also been involved in St-Juste's recruitment. • Virginia Tech is the only other school that offered St-Juste, and he took an official visit there Nov. 25, 2016 before reaf- firming his pledge to U-M. • He is an early graduate and is already enrolled at Michigan as a freshman. NOTABLE • Born Sept. 8, 1997 • St-Juste's native language is French. • Began playing football at nine and started playing hockey the previous year. • Reclassified as a 2017 recruit because of differences be - tween the Canadian and U.S. school systems. 2017 PROJECTION Because of his length, natu- ral athleticism and early enroll- ment, St-Juste will have a shot to work his way into the rota- tion as a freshman. With Jour- dan Lewis and Channing Strib- ling exhausting their eligibility in 2016, some of the young corners will have to step up. St- Juste brings natural attributes and an early start on learning the system to the table with a chance to compete. THEY SAID IT Rivals.com Mid-Atlantic Re- cruiting Analyst Adam Fried- man: "St-Juste has the look of a special defensive back. The Michigan commit has great height and length, and really flies around the field. Big- ger wide receivers are not a problem for St-Juste, and it is surprising how well he covers smaller, quicker receivers." Rivals Camp Series Defensive Backs Coach Don Cox: "He plays corner right now, but I think he probably ends up at safety. He has that build of a kid who can fill out and be a great safety. He plays corner in high school, and he can do it. You don't have the elite wide receivers who can get by him in high school. In college, he has the range to be a free safety though. He's also the type of safety you can roll up on a slot receiver, and he can use those corner skills in man coverage on him." Former Michigan Cornerback Todd Howard (Coached St-Juste At Exposure U Camp): "He's ridiculously coordi- nated for his size, and that's the thing I kept saying for his height — he's got good feet for a 5-7, 5-8 kid. It's something to watch him move." Secondary Coach Michael Zordich: "He's a big kid who can go up there and get the ball, and he can be aggressive playing press-man coverage. He has good feet for a guy his size, and he can turn and run with receivers. "Ben is a great kid from a good family, and I am looking forward to working with him, as is the rest of our staff. He is extremely long, very talented, has great hips, great move- ment, and we are excited to have him at Michigan." BENJAMIN ST-JUSTE CORNERBACK 6-3 • 188 VIEUX ROSEMERE, QUEBEC RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 229 20 — ✪ ✪ ✪ — 39 — ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 94 13 — ✪ ✪ ✪ — 84 2 Despite St-Juste's 6-3 frame, he was able to post a 3.86-second 20-yard shuttle at Nike's The Opening Finals, which was the second-best mark at the event. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM RIVALS.COM MID-ATLANTIC RECRUITING ANALYST ADAM FRIEDMAN "St-Juste has the look of a special defensive back. The Michigan com- mit has great height and length, and really flies around the field."