The other catchup Hello we need to get to is 4* Elias Rudolph, from Deerfield Beach, Florida (well... sorta). He offered his commitment to Michigan on July 3 and is the third EDGE prospect in the 2024 class, joining Devon Baxter and Dominic Nichols. Let's give Mr. Rudolph a Hello: 

 

GURU RATINGS 

RATINGS BY SITE
247: 6'4/205	On3: 6'3/200	Rivals: 6'4/210	ESPN: 6'4/220
4*, 90, NR Ovr #19 DE, #39 FL	3*, 89, NR Ovr #38 DE, #51 FL	4*, 5.8, #219 Ovr #37 WDE, #13 FL	4*, 81, #239 Ovr #29 DE, #35 FL
4.07	3.87	3.96	4.06
COMPOSITE RANKINGS
247 Composite	On3 Consensus	MGoBlog
4*, 0.9059, #291 Ovr #23 DE, #44 FL	4*, 89.99, #304 Ovr #21 DE, #46 FL	3.5*, #402/797 Ovr #47/89 Edges since 1990
4.06	4.00	3.99

Rudolph is a consensus 4* prospect, right around the cut line for the top 300. On3 is the lowest on Rudolph, the only site to deem him a 3*, while 247 and ESPN are on the high side. The 247 composite has Rudolph at 291st nationally, while On3's Consensus, which weights its own ranking heavily, clocks him in at 304th. On the five-star scale, this grades out with Rudolph right about at 4.00. In our database dating back to 1990, Rudolph ranks 47th out of 89 in EDGE prospects Michigan has recruited, so right near the middle. Measurables are largely consistent on Rudolph, 6'3 or 6'4 in height and between 200 and 220 in weight. 

[AFTER THE JUMP: references to a North Korean ideology]

 

SCOUTING 

There isn't a crazy huge amount of scouting on Rudolph, even though he's been on the radar of Michigan for some time. EJ Holland gives us an introduction into Rudolph and what he does well ($): 

The Wolverines recruited (Rudolph) as a pure pass rusher. Michigan sees him as a guy that’s at his best when he can pin his ears back and get after the quarterback. A high upside prospect, Rudolph is viewed as an ‘athletic freak’ with great length and speed off the edge. 

All things that you like to hear about an EDGE prospect. Given that he's right at four star status, there are probably some obvious downsides that have to accompany "athletic freak" status: 

While Rudolph has a high ceiling, he also has a low floor. Rudolph is very, very raw from a technical standpoint and will need to be a student of the game under the guidance of Michigan defensive line coach Mike Elston.

Oh, right. Sharpening up his technique is needed and I assume time in the weight room is needed too, given the measurables?:

He also needs to hit the weight room hard. Rudolph is light at just 200 pounds, which means his work with Ben Herbert in the U-M strength and conditioning program will be key for him moving forward

Yep. A familiar profile over the past couple cycles and one that Michigan is certainly comfortable working with given their development staff. Touch The Banner, what say you?: 

The first thing that stands out is just his overall athleticism. Also a basketball player, his burst off the ball and his closing speed are going to be assets. He also shows off a spin move in his pass rush that is so quick that high school offensive tackles can’t handle it. 

TTB is a fan of the athleticism, but it actually wasn't what he liked most about Rudolph: 

After a few clips, though, the thing I like most is his ability to get low, get on the legs, and dip his shoulder to turn the corner.

Herbertization? Needed:

The obvious glaring question mark is his bulk. Rudolph is listed at 205 pounds, and he probably needs to add at least 40 pounds before becoming a feasible option on the field in the Big Ten. He’s a beast on the high school field, but he doesn’t even look imposing against central Ohio 17-year-olds.

And the comparison (emphasis mine): 

Rudolph is probably more Uche than anyone else; Uche was listed at 6’2″, 212 lbs. coming out of high school, and his quickness and ability to bend indicated he could be a successful edge rusher ...  Rudolph will probably end up playing outside linebacker at Michigan, using his quickness to rush and occasionally drop into coverage

The Uche comparison is one that came up in Alex O'Brien of Last Word on Sports' rundown of Rudolph: 

Nichols and Baxter are bigger, longer prospects that Michigan typically covets, but Rudolph brings more explosiveness in a similar mold of former Wolverine and current New England Patriot Josh Uche

The overview from O'Brien is along the lines of everything else we've heard: 

Rudolph (6-4, 205) needs to bulk up to play on the edge in the Big Ten, but his explosive athleticism will certainly translate. He has good get-off with the combination of speed and bend to disrupt opposing backfields and get after the quarterback. He also displays good hand usage with a quality spin move. Rudolph may be the most pure pass rushing prospect in Michigan’s class so far.

Pretty consistent guru reviews here today. 

OFFERS 

Rudolph held offers from a chunk of the B1G, Purdue, MSU, Iowa, and PSU, but the top suitors were consistently Michigan and Ohio State. Miami was rumored to make things close at the end ($), and Rudolph did hold offers from such SEC schools as Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Texas A&M, and Arkansas + other southern schools FSU and Georgia Tech. Pitt, Cincy, and WVU were on the periphery before you get into the MAC schools who also extended offers. 

HIGH SCHOOL 

Rudolph is listed as attending Deerfield Beach HS in Deerfield Beach, FL, which Michigan fans may recall as the alma mater of one Denard Robinson. However, he only recently transferred to the school and has yet to suit up for the Bucks on the football field (there is also talk he may transfer back to Ohio for his senior year?). He originates from southern Ohio and to this point has attended Taft Information Technology High School in Cincinnati [fun fact: their mascot name is the Senators, because they were named for US Sen. Robert A. Taft, not his father William H. Taft... President Taft was never a US Senator, nor an Ohio State Senator]. So this wasn't a case of Michigan procuring talent from the south/Florida, so much as adding another Ohioan to their recent recruiting collection. 

Taft HS has been a good team during Rudolph's time there, 10-3 in 2021 (6-0 in conference) and 11-3 (4-1 in conference) in 2022. They're not a huge school, with a listed enrollment of just under 600 from a few years ago but they got a brand new football stadium a few years ago when FC Cincinnati wanted to build on the site of their old stadium. The list of notable alumni in football is not gigantic, but former OSU DT Adolphus Washington is on the list. 

As for Deerfield Beach, they're a much bigger high school (enrollment over 2,000) with a long list of football alumni. Besides Denard there's Jerry Jeudy, Aaron Robinson, Jason Pierre-Paul, and ex-Detroit Lion Stockar McDougle. Last year was rough for Deerfield Beach, 3-8 (0-3 in district!), but a much stronger 2021 suggests a bounceback in '23 is likely. We shall hope so if Rudolph does indeed play for the Bucks this fall. 

STATS 

I have been unable to find concrete stats for Elias Rudolph from Taft HS. Their MaxPreps page from 2022 has stats listed for two games but that is not useful in any particular way. The 2021 stat page has nothing listed at all. The team's home page from the high school itself has nothing in the way of stats either. So uhhhh go figure. 

FAKE 40 TIME 

Rudolph's Hudl page claims a simple "4.6", in addition to a 4.3 shuttle and 315 squat, with a listed height/weight of 6'5, 215. At face value, that's very fast for an EDGE, but the weight has to be taken into account. Josh Uche, his oft-used comparable, ran a 4.59 at the combine at 245. Rudolph is somewhere between 200-215 most likely, so a 4.6 isn't crazy for him at that weight, especially if the athleticism is comparable to Uche. It's still an unverified time on a Hudl page so there's a lot of reason for inflation, but it's not "Kevin Hart claiming to be 7'2"" levels of inflation. We'll give it 2.5 FAKES out of five. 

VIDEO

Junior year highlights: 

More available on his Hudl page.

ETC 

Also a basketball player. Father has already been converted from Scarlet and Gray to Maize and Blue. 

 

PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE

Elias Rudolph is a nice piece for this 2024 EDGE class given the way that he complements the players already committed. He's raw like Devon Baxter, but perhaps not as far away, and a bit more explosive/athletic than Dominic Nichols. Given all the comparisons, the closest piece to Rudolph in the class may well be Jaden Smith, who also profiles as someone who could be an heir to the Uche throne. Rudolph will need a proper Herbertization and plenty of time in the pass-rushing classroom, learning more moves than just his spin move. But if he can maintain the explosion and get-off as he bulks up to 250-260, there's a very exciting player here. It will take years to get there, if it happens at all, but nothing wrong with taking a shot on a guy like this. Michigan's track record with these sorts of players and developmental staff means they will have as good of a shot as any team to turn Rudolph into a stud. 

UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS

Rudolph is the third EDGE prospect Michigan has committed for the 2024 class and are in pursuit of one more: 4* Jacob Smith. Twin brother of Michigan DT commit Jerod Smith, Jacob has been cautious and slow in making his own decision, but the Wolverines continue to hold predictions for him. It's a two-team race with Nebraska as the other suitor, which certainly feels winnable for the Maize & Blue, so long as Jacob doesn't go all-in on the "forging my own path in life" line of thinking. There aren't too many other EDGE prospects on the board so if they can't land Smith, some re-evaluating would have to be done. That said, HSP-ish players Jaden Smith, Mason Curtis, and Cole Sullivan all could hypothetically play EDGE at Michigan. Jacob Smith doesn't have a timeline, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him set one soon ($). 

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
RB	Micah Ka'apana	NV	3.7⬆	Well-balanced accelerator
WR	I'Marion Stewart	IL	3.9⬇	Ronnie slick/quick, #1 WR to M
WR	Channing Goodwin	NC	3.8	Chain-moving son of Jon
TE	Brady Prieskorn	MI	4.4⬇	Colston Loveland Midwest
TE	Hogan Hansen	WA	4.1⬆	Colston Loveland West
LT	Andrew Sprague	MO	4.2⬆	Basketballin' grow-a-Long
RT	Blake Frazier	TX	4.2⬆⬆	Athletic son of Steve
RG	Luke Hamilton	OH	4.0	Midwestern mauler
LG	Ben Roebuck	OH	3.8⬇⬇	Bigger Midwestern mauler
C	Jake Guarnera	FL	3.8	Mauler but center
DEFENSE
Pos	Player	State	Stars	In a nutshell
DT	Manuel Beigel	CT	3.5⬇	Lengthy German via Choate
DT	Owen Wafle	NJ	4.0⬇	Little nose with bite
DT	Ted Hammond	OH	4.0	Cincy build-a-bear
DT/DE	Jerod Smith	CT	4.0⬆	Low-pads, high-motor big twin
Edge	Dominic Nichols	MD	3.8⬆	Mike Morris-ish SDE
Edge	Devon Baxter	MD	3.8⬆	Super long 4-3 grow-an-edge.
Edge	Elias Rudolph	FL	4.0⬆	Former Ohian OLB type
OLB	Mason Curtis	TN	4.2⬆	Long athlete moving up
LB	Jeremiah Beasley	MI	4.0⬇	Explosive hitter from Belleville
LB	Jaden Smith	NC	3.9⬆	Underscouted Uche
HSP	Cole Sullivan	PA	3.8	Hybrid LB with crazy athleticism
S	Jacob Oden	MI	4.1	Tall son of coach