The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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SEPTEMBER 2017 THE WOLVERINE 59 COMMITMENT PROFILE Michigan picked up a huge com- mitment July 29 during the BBQ at The Big House, landing the services of class of 2019 Louisville (Ky.) Trin- ity four-star defensive end Stephen Herron. The 6-4, 225-pound Herron was high on U-M throughout the pro- cess, but many folks saw Ohio State and Stanford as two of his potential favorites. After spending the day in Ann Arbor for the BBQ, he decided that the Cardinal and Buckeyes could not keep pace with the Wolverines. Along with Michigan, Ohio State and Stanford, Herron also held of- fers from Alabama, Georgia, Oregon, Tennessee and Texas, among others, but the Wolverines won out. A great student, Herron admitted that he was waiting on a Stanford offer — but even once it came, Michi- gan proved to be too much to turn down. "It's just a family here," Herron said. "It has such a family feel. I got to see a lot of the commits, so that was good. It's the whole family fac- tor for me. "I've been up here three times now — I was here for the spring game and everybody knew my name, as if I was already committed. I was think- ing how crazy that was, in a good way. I really like the city of Ann Ar- bor, and I also like the feel of campus because it's such a great place." Herron was certainly happy about his commitment, but according to him Jim Harbaugh might've been even happier. Michigan's head coach has truly created a family environ- ment at U-M and might like Herron's parents as much as he does Herron. "He loved when I committed," the four-star prospect said with a laugh. "He was shouting stuff like, 'Commit No. 2 or commit No. 4 or whatever it was.' "He likes my family a lot, too, and the fact that my parents are so close. He also likes how they act toward my football — they're very supportive." Herron has been a big-time recruit since entering high school so a lot of Rivals analysts have been keep- ing a close eye on him. Southeast re- gional analyst Woody Wommack has scouted Herron many times and sees a lot of talent in the Kentucky native. "We have been watching Herron since early in his freshman season, and the growth from the rising junior is definitely noticeable," Wommack said. "An early Rivals100 prospect for the 2019 class, Herron has always had the tools — great size and ath- leticism, first and foremost — and he is learning how to use them to a greater ability every time we see him. "He shows a great first step off the line and his quickness created prob- lems for bigger, slower offensive line- men. He can still learn to handle the point of attack better, but that will come with physical growth and fun- damental maturity." Now that he's a member of Michi- gan's 2019 class, Herron said he's going to try and get some recruits to join him in Ann Arbor. "I'm going to see if I can get some of my buddies to come," he revealed. Through Aug. 7, Michigan had four commitments in the 2019 class after Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy three-star outside linebacker Charles Thomas committed in June, Akron (Ohio) Hoban four-star offensive guard Nolan Rumler pledged just a few hours before Herron did, and Norcross (Ga.) Greater Atlanta Chris- tian five-star defensive end Christo- pher Hinton followed suit less than a week after that. As a freshman at New Albany High School in Indiana, Herron had 75 tackles, five sacks and three blocked kicks while being named to The Louisville Courier-Journal's South- ern Indiana all-area second team. As a sophomore at Trinity, Herron ranked fourth on the team with 37 tackles and led the squad with 16.5 tackles for loss. He also added 3.5 sacks en route to being named to The Louisville Courier-Journal's Kentucky all-state first team. — Brandon Brown Stephen Herron Is A Big Win On The Recruiting Trail For Michigan FILM EVALUATION Strengths: Stephen Herron is a very quick and explosive athlete from his weakside defensive end position. He's also extremely flex- ible around the edge, which makes him play even quicker than he actu- ally is. His overall athleticism is al- ways on display and makes him very tough to handle for even the best offensive linemen in the country. Areas Of Improvement: Herron is a bit light at just 225 pounds, but he has two years of high school left to fill out and bulk up. He'll have to get stronger in order to consistently beat hulking offensive tackles, but his speed, athleticism and balance make him hard to even get a hand on. Michigan Player Comparison: It's hard to predict just how big Herron can get, but he'll arrive at Michi- gan as a very athletic edge rusher just like Frank Clark (2011-14) did. Clark left high school at 6-2 and 210 pounds, but checked in at 273 pounds by the time he was selected in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft. Herron will be bigger than Clark when he gets to Ann Arbor and has a lot of the same skills that Clark did. Similarly, he could become a very effective pass rusher by the time he finishes his college career. — Analysis from TheWolverine.com Herron was named first-team all-state by The Louisville Courier-Journal after racking up 16.5 tackles for loss during his sopho- more campaign. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM