Fairfield (OH) tight end Erick All was the first of Michigan's three Sunday commitments. The coaches moved quickly on All after their top target at tight end, Luke Deal, dropped to Auburn a month ago. Despite his current three-star ranking, All checks a lot of boxes. He camped at Michigan last week, impressing tight ends coach Sherrone Moore enough to get an invite back for a visit this weekend, which ultimately prompted the commitment. All picked the Wolverines over Florida State, Notre Dame, and Wisconsin offers that all came in quick succession last month—the Irish, in particular, looked to be in hot pursuit after also losing out on Deal.

There's also 20(!) minutes of junior film, which we'll get to later in the post.

All is the only TE in the 2019 class so far, and given recent TE recruiting the coaches can afford to be very selective in targeting others at the position.

GURU RATINGS

Rivals	ESPN	247	247 Comp
3*, 5.7, #23 TE, #20 OH	3*, 78, #13 TE-H, #20 OH	3*, 88, #22 TE, #16 OH	3*, #22 TE, #19 OH #504 Ovr

Once again, we need to discuss recruiting rankings in the summer before a prospect's senior season, especially given the current state of the industry. ESPN has All well off the four-star pace; they haven't posted a scouting report on him yet, and since it's ESPN in 2018 who knows when or if that will occur. Rivals gives him a better grade but also doesn't have him on the verge of a fourth star; none of their articles on him contain an evaluation.

247 has actually posted scouting on All, they like him the most among the three sites, and their recent scouting gives the feel they'll move him up in the rankings before long.

Recruiting rankings are predictive—in February, when they're done. Right now, film and offers are probably more useful, and by those standards All looks like a very nice get.

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

SCOUTING

At 6'4", 225, All has the potential to play as a jumbo wideout, flex TE, or H-back—he lines up at all three spots, as well as in-line TE, in his junior film. His upside is movable mismatch, which is how 247's Steve Wiltfong described him when naming him the top TE among prospects at the Army Bowl underclassman combine:

TE Erick All Jr.: The Fairfield (Ohio) High 2019 recruit with offers from Cincinnati and Syracuse among others was a mismatch for linebackers because of the combination of speed and catch radius.

All also caught Wiltfong's eye the next month at the Under Armour Cleveland camp, earning a spot among the top five offensive performers:

After Bowen, it was Fairfield (Ohio) High tight end Erick All that was the next best reliable target, a regular playmaker in this setting, incredibly smooth and dependable. All caught the ball all over the field. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound All created separation but he also used his frame to box out defenders for receptions as well.

He also "made a bunch of plays" at the Ohio regional for the Opening, though he's yet to receive an invite to the finals.

The most detailed report comes from 247's Ohio guru, Bill Greene, who's seen All several times. He posted a lengthy evaluation (thank you based Greene) after All's commitment yesterday—here's a chunk from the (many) positives:

Knows how to get open and has great hands catching the football. All is also a very willing blocker, and plays in an offensive system where he has been asked to do a lot of blocking in the running game. Have seen Erick All live a lot, and love the way this kid can get off the line and go up and get the football. Was very impressive earlier this year in Cleveland at the Under Armour camp, where he was nearly impossible to cover. He can make the tough catch, but maybe more importantly, All does not drop the easy ones. He is a very solid, consistent, and steady performer, and one that you know what you're getting from day to day.

Greene's main hangup is top-end speed, though with a caveat: "he does possess game speed, but the reported forty times would be the only knock on his game." All's coach is unconcerned:

“There are some 40 times out there that are a little deceiving. He runs better than the numbers show. I also think he has tremendous ball skills. We went to the Toledo 7on7 this weekend and won the whole thing. The last three games all we had to do was throw it up to Erick All and he was going to go get it. It was almost comical in the semifinal game, balls behind him, one-hand catches, even the other team was laughing saying ‘you’re kidding me, how can we stop this guy.’ Those are the ball skills he developed.”

I really like All's film. His athleticism doesn't look like a negative; quite the opposite, in fact. He's quick off the line and smooth in and out of his breaks. He's a physical player who executes a lot of excellent blocks from several different concepts on film—he should be more prepared than most players to learn the offense early. He's reportedly added 30 pounds since his senior season, which coincides with the spike in interest from big-time programs. If he maintains most of the in-game athleticism he shows on tape while continuing to add good weight, he's an exciting prospect and a great fit in Jim Harbaugh's offense.

OFFERS

As mentioned, Florida State, Notre Dame, and Wisconsin joined Michigan in offering All in May. Michigan State joined the party in mid-June. All also holds offers from Indiana, Iowa, Louisville, Maryland, Pitt, Purdue, Boston College, Cincinnati, Duke, Minnesota, Rutgers, Syracuse, and Wake Forest, as well as much of the MAC. Ohio State and Penn State have shown interest but have yet to offer.

HIGH SCHOOL

While Fairfield doesn't have a long history of putting out football prospects, they've been a program worth watching of late. Their 2017 class featured cornerback Josiah Scott, who contributed as a freshman to Michigan State. The 2018 class contained five-star Clemson OL Jackson Carman and four-star Cincinnati DE Malik Vann. Fairfield plays in Ohio's Division I and faces some difficult competition; they went 6-5 last year, losing to powerhouse St. Xavier in the playoffs. 

STATS

From Cincinnati.com:

As a sophomore receiver, he caught 15 passes for 248 yards for Fairfield. Last year, at roughly 190 pounds, he caught 28 passes for 336 yards and three touchdowns, plus he rushed the ball once for 34 yards.

FAKE 40 TIME

The number that evidently scared Greene: All has a combine-verified, zero-FAKE 40 time of 4.75, which is fine for a tight end but not great when said tight end still needs to add 20-30 pounds or so. While his top speed looks good on tape, he can't afford to lose too much burst as he adds weights.

His other combine numbers are encouraging; his 4.27 shuttle is best among TE-H prospects this year, per ESPN, and he also boasts a 34.5-inch vertical.

VIDEO

Junior highlights:

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

PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE

Given the glut of tight ends projected to be on the roster, All should be afforded a redshirt year, though depending on his physical development he could see the field early—Harbaugh does love him some three-TE sets. All should be a movable piece and the coaches have told him as much:

“He went to their camp last week,” Krause recapped. “Coach (Al) Washington called me about him not just being a tight end but they wanted to take a look at him as a big receiver. That sparked Erik’s interest. He went up there last week and camped and loved it.["]

He projects as a better blocker than Zach Gentry and Jake Butt; if he can provide similar receiving upside, watch out. Even if he doesn't reach that level as a pass-catcher, he should be a useful weapon as a smart blocking H-back who can slip out of the backfield for solid gains.

UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS

According to 247's Steve Lorenz, All's commitment wraps up tight end recruiting this year barring what looks like a pretty improbable pull:

247Sports learned on Sunday that Michigan is almost certain to stand pat at the position going forward with one potential exception: Concord (CA) De La Salle four-star Isaiah Foskey.

Foskey, whose recruitment has become a borderline mystery at this juncture, is reportedly planning to visit Ann Arbor next month for their BBQ at the Big House. He is high on Clemson, but the Tigers may be full at tight end. He also holds most of the necessary offers out west to stay home and play at a great school.

Stranger things have happened; either way, All is a good get for 2019 after the coaches landed Mustapha Muhammad and Luke Schoonmaker at the position in 2018.

Here's the class as it currently stands: