Trieu: Michigan sees commit Erick All as ‘like Devin Funchess’
Fairfield (Ohio) tight end Erick All attended one of Michigan’s camps last month. At that point the 6-foot-4, 215-pound senior-to-be already held an offer from the Wolverines, but his impressive MVP performance made him a must-have in the class.
All, a four-star prospect per 247Sports, committed to Michigan a week later.
“I think everyone really discussed using him exactly like we do,” Fairfield head coach Jason Krause said. “Even Wisconsin, who plays a traditional in-line tight end – but also plays a detached tight end – them along with Purdue and everybody said you can play that detached role. Michigan took that a step further and that last visit he made up there, they brought him up and evaluated him as a big wide receiver like Devin Funchess. That piqued his interest and was a big reason he wanted to take that last visit.”
Krause has coached many eventual college players during his career, notably offensive lineman Jackson Carman (Clemson) and defensive end Malik Vann (Cincinnati) a year ago. So when he saw a long, slightly uncoordinated, but generally athletic All as a freshman, he said he got the feeling he had a special player. As All began filling in that frame and physically maturing, the qualities of toughness and physicality he possessed were heightened by the addition of strength.
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“His sophomore year, he started at the X receiver for us,” Krause said. “He was very long, lanky, thin – but they changed the rule in Ohio about crackback blocks – that year, he probably had 15 knockdowns on outside backers and safeties. And he filed out at that time. As he continued to grow, going into his junior season, we had to change the offense a little bit to where he was up, down, an all-around tight end that can do a lot of things.”
That was when the college interest really increased.
Krause sat down with All and he echoed what college coaches were saying as well, that adding more weight was the key to his recruitment. All took that to heart. An accomplished baseball player who played for Fairfield as well as a travel team, he had missed lifting sessions with his team. It was time for him to focus more on football.
“It was hard for him to put on better body weight, so after his junior season, he did not focus on playing baseball as much last summer. He made a pact that he wouldn’t miss any football to play baseball last year,” Krause said. “This year, he took that a step further and did not play baseball for our high school in the spring.”
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That dedication is something Krause, and All’s teammates, have noted. With Vann and Carman now graduated, All is the most visible player on the team, and a leader now, a role he has embraced.
“Everybody who has come watch us practice or work out has made a comment regarding his work ethic, attitude and effort,” Krause said. “He wants to win every rep, and he is a great example. He is humble and works harder than anybody because he wants to be the best. That’s the first thing. The second is being a vocal leader. I’ve talked to him about that. He wasn’t a vocal kid to begin with, but he has placed higher expectations on himself and his teammates.”
All is one of 19 commitments for Michigan in the class of 2019. The Wolverines currently rank No. 1 in the Big Ten and No. 5 nationally per the 247Sports Composite Team Recruiting Rankings.
BBQ at the Big House
Michigan’s annual BBQ at the Big House is set to take place on July 28. The Wolverines will host many top targets that day, some in the 2019 class, but there will also be a good list of young prospects on campus.
Among them is Gibraltar Carlson’s Ian Stewart, a 6-foot-3 rising junior wide receiver who holds an offer from the Wolverines.
Belleville sophomore-to-be Damon Payne, a two-way lineman, is already one of the most highly-recruited players in his class in the region. He holds an offer from Michigan as well as several other major programs like Florida State and Georgia.
Detroit Renaissance quarterback Raequan Beal, a 6-foot-3 rising junior with a strong arm, does not have a Michigan offer yet, but is on the radar and will also be at the BBQ.
More information
Allen Trieu covers Midwest football recruiting for 247Sports. He has been featured on the Big Ten Network on its annual Signing Day Show. His Michigan and Michigan State recruiting columns appear weekly at detroitnews.com.