Michigan landed a commitment from their second 4* TE of the 2024 recruiting class today in Rochester Adams (MI) TE Brady Prieskorn: 

Prieskorn announced yesterday that he would be committing on Tuesday, a date that came out of the blue but his ultimate destination did not. As a program that loves themselves some TEs and Prieskorn being an in-stater, it always seemed extremely likely that Michigan and Prieskorn would end up together. Now it's time for his long-awaited Hello: 

GURU RATINGS

RATINGS BY SITE
247: 6'6/225	On3: 6'5/220	Rivals: 6'6/215	ESPN: 6'6/215
4*, 93, #95 Ovr #7 TE, #2 MI	4*, 93, #92 Ovr #5 TE, #1 MI	4*, 5.9, #67 Ovr #3 TE, #4 MI	4*, 84, #92 Ovr #1 TE-Y, #2 MI
4.42	4.47	4.55	4.60
COMPOSITE RANKINGS
247 Composite	On3 Consensus	MGoBlog
4*, 0.9687, #56 Ovr #2 TE, #2 MI	4*, 94.04, #66 Ovr #5 TE, #2 MI	4.5*, #129/784 Ovr #4/52 TEs since 1990
4.69	4.40	4.50

Not much disagreement here about Prisekorn being a highly touted recruit. All four sites have him between 67th and 95th overall in the 2024 recruiting class, among the top five TEs in the country and one of the very best prospects in the state of Michigan. Prieskorn checks in as a 4.5 star on our five star scale and ranks 4th out of 52 in TEs that Michigan has landed since 1990. In case you're wondering, the only TEs ranking higher than Prieskorn are Gordon Laro (1990), Tim Massaquoi (2001), and Devin Asiasi (2016). One note from Seth: Laro is a bit of an asterisk because 1990-92 era recruiting was "What did Tom Lemming think?" and Tom Lemming's process was to ask some coaches he knows who's good. 

[AFTER THE JUMP: we like tall tight ends who can run and jump]

SCOUTING

Prieskorn has been on Michigan's radar for long enough that the Michigan recruiting sites have already put out scouting reports of Prieskorn and his status as a national recruit means we get some scouting from the big boys too. Reading through these write-ups, there's generally broad agreement here between the scouts. The good? Well, Prieskorn is a long, lean, leaper who plays TE like a WR. Let's start with Allen Trieu of 24/7: 

Has played split out and can run routes and catch the ball like a wide receiver. Tracks the ball and catches passes away from his body very naturally.

That's a promising start. Big guy, 6'5" or 6'6" who can play the position like a WR? Cool. But how about the athleticism? Trieu thinks he's got the necessary burst and agility:  

Shows twitch and quickness off the line. Changes directions well for a big man and can create separation as a result.

All of this sounds a lot like what Touch The Banner had to say about Prieskorn: 

Tall, long frame with room to fill out ... Possesses both long speed and good acceleration ... Good balance after the catch ...  Uses basketball-type skills to box out defenders and high-point the football . . . Adept route runner with enough agility to use head fakes and jab steps to create separation.

Lucas Reimink of New Rivals has his own scouting report ($) which is mostly along the same lines, praising the speed, agility, hands/ball skills, and size: 

He has good speed, solid agility, runs good routes, has good hands, good ball skills, solid body control, solid leaping ability on jump balls, and marginal physical strength. He’s even athletic enough to play outside at WR for his high school team, which is impressive considering he’s 6’6.”

So we all agree he's big, long, agile, fast, and leapy, with natural ball skills. Two questions then... 1.) can the kid block? and 2.) how is he being used in HS? Let's start with the blocking. The general consensus is that Prieskorn is interested in blocking but at the moment he's not strong enough (and not being asked) to block DEs/OLBs. Reimink again: 

In the run game, Prieskorn shows a willingness to block and he played in a run-heavy offense in HS so he’s got solid technique as well. He has solid acceleration to fire off the snap and impact the defender initially, but due to his marginal physical strength, he lacks the ability to drive a college level DE or OLB off the line of scrimmage consistently. 

Everyone seems to agree he's going to need to add weight, something his brother (Caden Prieskorn, All-AAC TE at Memphis, now transferring to Ole Miss) did as well. Zach Libby of On3 ($) explains: 

But Prieskorn knows that his usage in college is going to thicken, particularly with more variety of who to block, so the next two years before his freshman season will involve bulking up in healthy weight. It’s a doable goal for Prieskorn because his older brother, tight end Caden Prieskorn, accomplished that feat with ease after arriving at Memphis in 2019. The elder Prieskorn had a mirrored frame in high school but is now pushing 260 pounds. The younger of the pair feels he can reach a similar physical built under a cherished collegiate strength and conditioning program. 

"Cherished collegiate strength and conditioning program"? Well, buddy, let me tell you about somebody named Ben Herbert. This leads us to a discussion of his usage in HS. Rochester Adams runs the triple option, and Prieskorn has been primarily asked to play standing up, generally blocking DBs. Libby again: 

The run-heavy style allows Prieskorn to concentrate on blocking but only occasionally is it done on opposing defensive ends or linebackers. It’s always a cornerback head-up on the outside or a safety creeping down to the flats. Against much smaller defenders, Prieskorn has zero drawbacks in locking up underneath the chest and driving forward five-to-ten yards. 

Both the Reimink and TTB scouting reports cited his positional usage in HS as a downside to his profile. Magnus: 

Weaknesses: Plays wide receiver and slot receiver in high school . . . Moving closer to the line of scrimmage will require learning new techniques . . . Does not show any clips of playing with his hand down as an in-line tight end 

Have to say, I am very willing to take an elite TE recruit whose only downsides are "needs to add some muscle" and "needs to learn the finer points of in-line TE" for a program coached by JIM HARBAUGH. 

Prieskorn's stats as a junior reflect a top-end receiving option playing on a triple option offense, not very many catches but the catches going for a lot of yards. Allen Trieu explains and finishes out our scouting section:

Did not post gaudy high school numbers based on his team's offensive system but has been a big-play threat for great program and does a lot of little things well. Has played more unattached and standing up than with his hand down but has the tools and and skills to really play in any role in a variety of sets.

Moving from one run-heavy offense to another... except Michigan doesn't run the triple option. 

OFFERS

As an elite TE recruit, Prieskorn had offers from just about everyone. His list of offers is a who's who of college football elite, as well as all the programs in the Midwest, down to the most minute like Toledo. Among the main contenders, it was a pretty local battle between Michigan and Michigan State, with Notre Dame, Penn State, and Ohio State sniffing around on the perimeter. The non-regional school to get the most most traction was Ole Miss, but no one saw them as a serious heavyweight in this battle. At the end of the day, it was largely between Michigan and MSU, with Spartan insiders trying to make the case but did anyone ever think an IN-STATE BLUE CHIP TIGHT END was going to escape Jim Harbaugh? Didn't think so.  

HIGH SCHOOL 

Prieskorn plays at Rochester Adams, the aforementioned triple option program. They're also a highly successful program, one of the very best in the state of Michigan. Playing in Division 1, Rochester Adams has been a regular sight in the later rounds of the MHSAA bracket, playing in the championship game at Ford Field back in 2021, when they were subdued by Belleville. The team was undefeated going into that title game, having eliminated Semaj Morgan and Amir Herring's West Bloomfield on the way to the final. 2022 wasn't as successful, a 10-2 record overall for the Highlanders and a loss in the regional final to Clarkston, but still a pretty good season in the grand scheme of things.

Rochester Adams alumni include Madonna(!), former US Representative Mike Bishop (MI-08), Olympian swimmers Alex and Peter Vanderkaay, and astronaut George D. Zamka. Among those names who attended Adams for some amount of time include former Stanford HC David Shaw and former Michigan Hockey (current New York Rangers) defenseman Jacob Trouba. 

STATS 

Prieskorn's junior stats from the 2022 season were a bit disputed based on source. 247 had him down for 24 catches, 648 yards, and ten touchdowns. MaxPreps had 19 catches for 516 yards and eight touchdowns. I am under the assumption that MaxPreps is missing a game or two, so we shall defer to 247 and assume those are correct. Prieskorn also played some defensive end and is down for a lone tackle on MaxPreps. 

FAKE 40 TIME 

I could not find a 40 time for Prieskorn listed anywhere. 

VIDEO 

Junior highlights: 

More (including basketball highlights) available on his Hudl. 

ETC

Also a basketball player. Per the "Personal Life" section of his On3 page, Prieskorn's favorite musical artist is Drake and favorite restaurant is Chipotle... you might think that sounds like "stereotypical teenage male athlete" until you read this: "Prieskorn plans on majoring in mathematics in college". Nerd! 

 

PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE 

Prieskorn is a high ceiling player whose natural comp. as a tall, lean, WR-like TE who also plays basketball is Colston Loveland. Given that we are all Colston Loveland fans, that is good news. Loveland was a late riser who crept onto the bubble of the top 300 of the composite by the time his cycle was finished, and to those paying attention he was much higher. Loveland happened to be playing in Idaho, Prieskorn is playing at a Michigan HS powerhouse with a brother playing FBS football, so he wasn't going to hide under the radar as much. Recruiting ratings have been adjusted accordingly, but there's every reason to be just as excited. Whenever you can get a tight end that size, who moves and jumps and has ball skills like Prieskorn has, that's a hell of a get. Other comps. thrown around by scouts include ex-Notre Dame TE Cole Kmet, now of the Chicago Bears, and Dallas Goedert of the Philadelphia Eagles. Both of those players were 2nd round draft picks, so lofty comparisons. 

Prieskorn will come to Michigan in the fall of 2024 and join a loaded TE depth chart. Loveland will be in year #3 and will be the far and away starter, presumably with Matt Hibner as the secondary option in year #5. Beyond that there will be Marlin Klein in year #3, Deakon Tonielli and Zack Marshall in year #2, and then Hogan Hansen in addition to Prieskorn as true freshmen. It will be busy. But look, as we saw with Loveland, if Prieskorn can come out and be a major threat in the receiving game as a true freshman, Michigan will have a role for him. That said, given the similarity to Loveland and a general tendency in scouting towards conservative projections, a more likely scenario is Prieskorn marinates for a year or two while Ben Herbert bulks him up and then sometime in 2025 or 2026 Michigan unleashes a fully operational monster, ready to block bigger bodies and dunk on DBs in the end zone. 

UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS

Michigan now has two of the top ten TE recruits in the country, per the 247 composite, in Prieskorn and Hogan Hansen. That may well give the Wolverines the best set of TEs in the 2024 class anywhere in America. Hard to complain about that! Like Sherrone Moore, Grant Newsome seems to be completing his recruiting assignments very early, which should free him up to help out with other positions now that Prieskorn and Hansen are locked in. Wide receiver is the only spot on the offense that needs to see significant dominoes fall, while the majority of the remaining recruiting for the '24 class overall resides on the defensive side of the ball.

One more note: with Prieskorn now on board, the fabled picture of him, Blake Frazier, Jadyn Davis, and Jordan Marshall is complete..

All are future Wolverines.

THE CLASS AS IT STANDS

OFFENSE
Pos	Player	State	Stars	In a nutshell
QB	Jadyn Davis	NC	4.7⬇	Smooth, accurate field general
RB	Jordan Marshall	OH	4.4⬆	Accelerates South-North
TE	Brady Prieskorn	MI	4.5⬆	Colston Loveland Midwest
TE	Hogan Hansen	WA	4.1	Colston Loveland West
OL	Andrew Sprague	MO	4.3⬆⬆	Basketballin' grow-a-Long
OL	Blake Frazier	TX	4.1⬆	Athletic son of Steve
OL	Luke Hamilton	OH	4.0	Midwestern mauler
OL	Ben Roebuck	OH	3.9⬇⬇	Bigger Midwestern mauler
DEFENSE
Pos	Player	State	Stars	In a nutshell
DT	Ted Hammond	OH	4.0⬆	Cincy build-a-bear
DT	Manuel Beigel	CT	3.6⬇	Lengthy German via Choate
MLB	Mason Curtis	TN	4.2⬆	Long athlete moving up
S	Jacob Oden	MI	4.2	Tall son of coach

Our 2024 recruiting board lives here.