The Don of New England Football struck again.

In the 2020 class, Michigan is also heavily involved with Mullings and Shrewsbury (Mass.) St. John’s athlete Eamonn Dennis, who named Michigan his leader earlier this week, in the 2020 class.

“[Don Brown] is really good,” Dennis said. “He is best friends with our athletic director, so he checks on me a lot. He is really close with the coaching staff, so I hear about him a lot.

“He’s honest and he is just trying to help you any possible way. He feels like he can change a kid’s life.”

Eamonn Dennis was the first slot receiver type to drop after the huge visit weekend; he's since been joined by AJ Henning in the slot, and if Blake Corum commits this afternoon, Michigan will add another Speed in Space player who can line up at multiple positions. Don Brown may have been the primary recruiter but Josh Gattis' fingerprints are all over this one. If you watched freshman waterbug Mike Sainristil this spring, you have a good idea how Dennis will be utilized:

The Wolverines recruited Dennis for the same role as Sainristil, and the two spoke about it during the visit. During the visit, Dennis met with Gattis about his fit in the offense, and how he could be used in multiple roles.

“(Sainristil) was telling me that at Michigan, they are building something really special,” Dennis said. “He said me coming there, I could make a difference and help in bringing more guys in and build a great team.”

Dennis has lined up all over the field for St. John's offense. The first three plays of his junior highlights go (1) weaving touchdown on a slot screen, (2) running past everyone on a WR screen, (3) kickoff return touchdown. He also spends time at running back. He could be Sainristil, who he knows from high school ball; he could also be Chris Evans in an offense that actually utilizes Evans' versatility. He could even flip sides and play cornerback; Mike Zordich was his secondary recruiter. That said, he looks like a player you want to give the football one way or another.

GURU RATINGS

Rivals	ESPN	247	247 Comp
3*, 5.7, #5 MA, #73 WR	3*, 78, #5 MA, #44 ATH	3*, 88, #5 MA, #41 ATH, #505 Ovr	3*, 0.8756, #4 MA, #34 ATH, #481 Ovr

All three sites agree that Dennis is the fifth-best prospect in Massachusetts, which is enough to be a solid three-star but still a bit off from four-star range—not exactly a surprise given the talent level (and, often, lack of scouting) in the area. Rivals, the only site to list him as a wide receiver, is a bit more bullish than the other two; the closest WR in the overall 247 rankings is their #90 WR. His placement is consistent enough that he rises to #4 in the state in the composite.

247 and Rivals both list Dennis at 5'10", 173, which appears to be from a camp weigh-in. ESPN adds an inch and a couple pounds, but since they don't list his combine numbers I assume the camp numbers are more accurate. He's almost a carbon copy of Sainristil, who was listed at 5'10", 175 out of high school in Massachusetts and ranked within ten spots in 247's overall rankings (albeit as a corner).

[Hit THE JUMP for scouting, video, and the rest.]

SCOUTING

There's not a ton out there on Dennis and much of it focuses on his versatility and projected position. 247's Brian Dohn ranked him ninth among 2020 New England prospects in February and noted his potential impact on all three phases of the game:

Eamonn Dennis is fast and quick and a big play in waiting on the offensive side because of his ability to pierce a defense. He can play receiver, be effective in the return game and also play cornerback. He plays with elite speed and can run away from defenses.

Dennis told 247 that Syracuse looked at him primarily as a running back:

Syracuse is recruiting Dennis as a versatile athlete who can play both running back and slot receiver. He believes Syracuse likes him a little better at running back, but he's skill set means he could become a receiver as well. He believes that skill set that led to an offer from Syracuse fits the offensive system "perfectly."

Cuse coach Dino Babers has put together some electric spread offenses; Dennis is very much a spread weapon.

The Wolverine's Brandon Brown said last week that Michigan actually preferred Dennis at running back as well:

At 5-10, 173 pounds, Dennis is listed as a wide receiver but the Michigan staff actually likes him a little more as a running back type. He's spending time with freshman wide receiver Mike Sainristil this weekend, which is huge. The two are a lot alike and knew each other in high school.

247, meanwhile, maintains that Dennis is first and foremost a slot:

A 5-foot-10, 167-pound athlete out of St. John’s High School in Shrewsbury, Mass., Dennis committed to the Wolverines over offers from Duke and Syracuse, among others. He holds 15 reported offers overall. His primary recruiter at Michigan was defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Don Brown, while cornerbacks coach Mike Zordich also assisted in his recruitment. He is the 15th commitment for the Wolverines in the 2020 recruiting cycle. Though he’s listed as an athlete, he was recruited by Michigan as a slot receiver.

It's safe to assume he'll line up in multiple spots on offense—that's largely the point of taking that type of player—but it might take a little time to land on his primary position. On tape he displays excellent speed, cuts, and balance, and almost all his offensive touches occur near the line of scrimmage, whether they be screens, handoffs, or fly sweeps. One tackle is shown from his work at corner; much more is shown of his explosive work as a return man. I need to see more of his work downfield before determining whether he can be a true slot, McDoom-like gadget player, or Evans-like hybrid RB.

OFFERS

Dennis holds offers from UConn, Duke, Georgia Tech, Iowa, UMass, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Purdue, Rutgers, Syracuse, and Temple, among a few others. While there are some top-tier academic schools on that list, this article that ran in March from The Wolverine indicates he may need to make a push in the classroom to gain admittance:

Dennis has a couple of things to focus on going forward, both on and off the field. He’s got to focus on the field of course, but also in the classroom in order to be able to get into a school such as Michigan. However, it’s not something Dennis is afraid of and he’s willing to put in the work.

“They told me to continue working hard and keeping my grades up like always,” he said. “I expect for them to help me to get better and to graduate.”

That seems worth noting, especially in a class that should wind up with a couple similar players.

HIGH SCHOOL

Shrewsbury (MA) St. John's is a relatively typical Massachusetts football program when it comes to producing high-level prospects. Incidentally, the only four-star from St. John's in the Rivals era ended up as a hybrid player for Stanford under Jim Harbaugh—2005 four-star James McGillicuddy lined up at tight end, fullback, tackle, and guard as a 307-pound sixth-year senior.

The only three-star in the Rivals database is 2011 Cal three-star tight end signee Richard Rodgers, who was drafted in the third round and now plays for Philadelphia. There are a couple two-star Boston College signees before you drop into FCS and D-II territory.

STATS

Self-reported and lacking any figure for number of touches, but this gives you some idea of his ability to impact both the run and passing game:

“I had stats all around,” Dennis told The Michigan Insider. “About 500 yards rushing and about 300 yards receiving. I ended the season with 13 touchdowns and three kick returns. And defense was nothing really serious. (I had) one catch allowed on me, this season.”

FAKE 40 TIME

From 247:

At the Opening Regional in New Jersey, he posted a 4.52 40-yard dash, a 4.33 short shuttle, a 40-inch vertical and a 38-foot Power Ball throw, giving him a SPARQ rating of 110.16.

Excellent all-around performance with zero FAKEs.

VIDEO

Junior highlights:

Sophomore highlights and single-game reels can be found on his Hudl page.

PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE

It's difficult to say for certain given the conflicting reports and limited film. Until I see what he looks like when passes are thrown to him more than a few yards downfield, I like him in a role that primarily puts him in the backfield and also utilizes him as a McDoom-like sweep-and-screen slot bug.

Running back may be the quicker path to the field after Michigan loaded up on slots in the 2019 class and added another in AJ Henning, who's a more polished receiver, for 2020. Even if Blake Corum pledges to Michigan this afternoon, as many anticipate, there's less to sift through in the backfield; after a year of getting settled in, he could be an interesting change-of-pace behind Zach Charbonnet and Christian Turner.

UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS

Michigan is probably done with slots/hybrids given the haul over the last two classes unless Dennis doesn't qualify, and perhaps even then. As for the bigger picture, that'll wait until the dust settles from last weekend. For the moment, Michigan ranks ninth nationally and second in the conference in 247's composite team recruiting rankings.