After an up-and-down recruitment that confounded the paid services and depressed a Michigan fanbase that would largely give up a finger for a four-star defensive tackle recruit, Michigan finally has one of their top targets in the class. No, he’s not a 300-pound monster who can anchor a 30 front, no he’s not a 290-pound pulsating slab of beef like Mike Martin, nor is he a first step that instantly ruins any plans to block him like Mo Hurst. He isn't even a guy you can plug into the lineup on day one, or at least not on the inside.

But Rooks is a four-star who's projected to defensive tackle, and that's a thing this class needed like the 2015 class needed a Tyree Kinnel. If he's a defensive tackle, that is.

GURU RATINGS

Rivals	ESPN	247	247 Comp
4*, 5.8, #227 OVR, #14 SDE, #5 NJ	4*, 83, #206 OVR, #24 DE, #28 East, #2 NJ	3*, 88, #30 DT, #7 NJ	4*, 0.9066, #263 OVR, #19 DT, #4 NJ
4.12*	4.21*	3.88*	4.07*

Bottom row is my conversion of the above to a 5-star scale. Links are to profiles.

That 4.07 places him in a dead tie on my all-time list with Alan Branch and Deron Irving-Bey, with Donovan Jeter (4.05) right there.

While Rooks is a composite four-star, he's not a consensus one, since 24/7, the only site that ranks him at tackle instead of end, sees more of a top-400 than top-200 player. I can already read your thoughts here: is Rooks really a tackle, or did we just get another Don Brown anchor? For that we’ll have to go the scouting.

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

SCOUTING

It's a lineman so there's going to be a lot of hand-waving. In this case it's because everyone is blown away by Rooks's hands.

Since we’re back to New Jersey, we’ll start with 247’s Brian Dohn, who could be describing any Wisconsin DE/DT in the last decade here:

One of the biggest areas of improvement Rooks showed during his final high school season was with his hands. He was able to keep offensive linemen off him with more regularity, and he showed an ability to get off blocks. He was quicker and more purposeful with his hands.

As a senior, he lined up a lot as a five technique, and also extended to a nine technique. He showed a nice move set with a swim and club. His body control was evident. He shows an ability to stack and shed. He consistently holds gap integrity and plays to the assignment.

Rooks has to continue to work on his explosion in firing off the ball and getting up the field. Increasing his flexibility will allow him to play lower at the snap and fire off the ball with more burst. His quickness stood out the most when he was attacking the B gap.

He has to work on his ability to chase a play down.

Final Analysis: In a 4-3 defense, Rooks is best suited to move inside and anchor the middle of the defensive line. He can take on blocks and hold the point of attack for the linebackers to make plays. In a 3-4 defense, Rooks can play as a 5 tech and take on the blocks and allow the linebackers to make plays. His length and frame is suited for a 3-4 defensive end.

Dohn was more complimentary in the profile:

Wide-shouldered frame and lean. Carries 260 pounds like 240. Can play 3-technique in 4-3 or defensive end in 3-4. Natural athlete. Fires off low. Gets upfield quickly. Has refined swim move. Upper body flexibility allows him to turn and get though gaps. Can re-direct down line of scrimmage. Able to stack and disengage to make tackle. Strong work ethic. Being consistent with his burst at the snap is a needed. Has to work on backside pursuit. Adding upper body strength important. Sometimes gets upright too quickly. Has to work on staying low against run. Multi-year starter at Top 20 program.

Ah yes, pad level. I do recall this was a thing back in the heady days when Michigan recruited defensive tackles, wasn’t it? The 247 analysts were looking at Rooks for a fourth star last May but ultimately stuck with their thinking.

Some of their older scouting makes it clear that his upside was contingent on remaining at end. This is from an ND guy, Kevin Sinclair, who’s been money on a lot of ND-UM battle evaluations, just prior to Rooks’s junior season:

As a sophomore, I felt George Rooks was a future three-technique who could possibly play some defensive end in limited situation. But with how he’s coming together physically and athletically, my take has shifted.

As a junior, Rooks proves to be a truly versatile defensive lineman who may realistically play both inside and on the strong-side edge. This is unlike so many interior linemen out of high school who project to play both roles but ultimately end up at defensive tackle exclusively.

Aside from his position fit, this is a very appealing athlete in a number of ways. The St. Peter’s Prep junior has an excellent frame to build upon, great body control and balance – why defensive end could be a situational role in college – and pure playmaking ability that you’ll see in his junior season film.

And Sinclair again in a 2021 recruiting primer from July 2019:

If there’s one skill that stands out most, it’s the quick hands shown in the way Rooks evades blocks. This is a slippery athlete at around 6-foot-4, 250-pounds, a unique talent who should rise in the rankings as his career develops.

They also named him the top defensive line performer at a camp the summer of 2019:

Top Prospect: George Rooks St. Peter’s Prep 2021
Rooks has seen his profile rise after a strong sophomore season and it carried over in the showcase. Rooks who can also play in the interior is a difficult matchup for most high school OL as he has improved the use of his hands while having the size, flexibility and quickness that colleges covet.

This coincides with the moment Rooks appeared headed for a top-150 ranking that never materialized. After that season 247 downgraded Rooks from an 89 (on the cusp of 4-star) to 88 (a very good 3-star).

He also had an interesting rankings history on Rivals:

Often a site that changes its mind on a prospect they had in the top-150 doesn’t drop them far enough; we're always on the lookout for early growth spurt guys who appear in a super-early top-25 and sink to low 4-star range over the course of the cycle (see: Quintin Somerville). That may be the story with Rooks, but in this case the drop seems more specifically tied to the question of whether Rooks can remain outside. Here’s Adam Friedman with their final thinking:

Rooks is a powerful and savvy defender who takes advantage of opportunities when matched up with inferior offensive lineman and when he is not double teamed. He does a good job of using his hands to fend off offensive linemen and excels at disengaging and pursuing the ball carrier. Rooks has a versatile frame that colleges look for and he can play in an odd or even front at the college level. Expect him to undergo lots of physical development once he gets to college.

Friedman mentions Rooks was seen as possibly growing into an offensive lineman earlier in his high school career, before knocking Rooks as an athlete and admitting his future is in the interior. That’s been a theme of the Rivals coverage, where even the people writing the headlines were saying DT while the rankings left him at DE. Their Boston College guy:

Rooks does a great job using his hands to disengage from blockers. He's a difference maker against the run and shows the ability to rush the passer from the inside." At his size Rooks could be a versatile defensive lineman who plays end or rotates to an interior position.

As of last fall the conversations with Michigan included Anchor:

With Coach Nua, we’ve been watching a lot of film. We’re seeing where I fit in the system. He’s said that I’m a multi-role guy. I can be a strong-side end or slide down to a three if I get a little bigger. I really appreciate what they are doing and how they are approaching me.

…but by now I hope we all realize that means he’s ticketed for 3-tech. Notre Dame too was talking about a DE/DT tweener.

Magnus’s take echoes the sentiments above while helping to shape some of the incongruity of this prospect:

He has a thick lower body and a somewhat undeveloped upper body…

…has a nice, compact swim move, which is probably his best pass rush move at this point in his career.

Rooks has plus athleticism for his size. He can sink his hips to change direction and is swift enough to take advantage of inside pass rush lanes when offensive tackles overset. …On the negative side, Rooks does not display heavy hands. He does use his hands – sometimes to good effect – but he needs to strike and lock out better rather than playing patty cake. I also believe he needs to improve his aggression when taking on and defeating pullers. He has a tendency to open up his chest, stop his feet, and catch blockers rather than trying to be the aggressor.

So we’ve got a guy with legs like tree trunks and not a lot of upper-body strength who relies too much on hand quickness. That OL talk, which dates back to 2018, refers to that same commentary on the shape of Rooks’s body. By 2019 he was an Under Armour All-American and the #7 high school player in New Jersey regardless of grade, two spots behind 5-star Tywone Malone, and between current Michigan safeties RJ Moten and Jordan Morant. A year later he was an okay DT with a ceiling and the same body shape. It doesn’t take the deductive reasoning of Batman to figure out they expected him to grow this year and he didn’t, but since I’m here I’ll add there might have been some exigent circumstances to explain why weight training might have been interrupted in 2020.

OFFERS

Rooks was adamant along the way that academic prestige was a qualifying factor. Michigan, Penn State, dad’s alma mater Syracuse, and Boston College were involved the whole way; Jeff Hafley recruited him while at Ohio State. Pitt got in there for a time. Miami took a shot but the pandemic killed any chance of a visit. Alabama offer of questionable seriousness received no follow-up, and interest from Auburn, Louisville, and Nebraska went similarly nowhere. Notre Dame came calling, which means we get to frame this delightful crystal ball from Tom Loy:

I put in a 247Sports Crystal Ball prediction for Notre Dame to land a commitment from Jersey City (N.J.) St. Peters Prep four-star defensive tackle George Rooks way back on Nov. 29, 2018. Irish Illustrated and 247Sports want to take a look at where things stand regarding this prediction and whether we should “Like It, Love It, Leave it.”

Leave It.

The reason is simple — I don’t see another defensive tackle landing at Notre Dame.

Also in rival schadenfreude, this one was so close to the vest that Rivals was predicting Penn State yesterday morning.

HIGH SCHOOL

Saint Peter’s Prep is in New Jersey, but as the crow flies the school is closer to the World Trade Center than the Empire State Building is. They’re a major player in the NJ Catholic League; Rooks played in front of 4.5* hybrid OLB Cody Simon, a touted 2020 Ohio State recruit who cracked their OLB rotation this year, and the younger brother of ND star Shayne Simon. Other names you’ll recognize from Peter’s Prep: Mikah Fitzpatrick, Brandon Wimbush, Will Hill, and Jayson and Justin Ademilola. You’ll note a lot of those guys played for Notre Dame.

STATS

Rooks had 41 tackles and eight sacks in six games as a senior. His junior season he has 71 tackles and 9.5 sacks, and he had 48 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, four-and-a-half sacks, five hurries, and a pass deflection as a sophomore.

FAKE 40 TIME

No 40 time listed.

VIDEO

Senior highlights:

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

ETC

Wants to major in business, but is also interested in football coaching. Is a September birthday, so he’s old for his grade. Sister Taylor played basketball at Michigan, Stanford, and Harvard.

PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE

I am interpreting the ratings drop as a question of immediate playability at strongside end in a four-man front. They're saying if Rooks has the athleticism and precision to play defensive end, well, he's already 260 and you can put him between a tight end and a tackle right now. That's a top-150 prospect. Any projection to 3-tech, on the other hand, brings up the big question of development; you never know if a guy can add 20 pounds, and how much of his wiggle he'll maintain then. That's a Ryan Van Bergen, a very good college player of limited use to the NFL since the few 3-4 teams have access to all kinds of freaks who don't quite fit at DT or DE. When it comes time to turn that into a number, Rivals is saying "Yeah, you can put him at 5-tech today and he'll be a run-stopper but not Kwity Paye," and 24/7 is saying "You can put some meat on this guy and get a very good 3-tech but not one the NFL is going to value." (ESPN isn't saying anything, and I am starting to think I need to devalue their ratings in my composite).

Translate all of that to Michigan's needs and "four-star defensive tackle" describes it, IE we've got a reasonably good shot at a solid off-tackle in a couple of years. I know we bring up Van Bergen as a comp all the time, but RVB was a balance maven who never gave up his chest, moved between end and tackle in systems that made little distinction between the two, and went undrafted after a highly appreciated Michigan career.

That kind of 3-4 DE might be a better fit for what Michigan wants to do under Macdonald than the defense Don Brown was running. Rooks will need some time in the weight room and development of his oomphier characteristics, and will have to get used to life in the interior after a high school career spent outside. Once he does, he seems ideally suited to the off-tackle position, in the mold of a Ryan Van Bergen.

We’ll see how the build-a-bears of recent classes develop, but Rooks has a fairly clear path to playing time as one of the few defensive tackle-shaped recruits of recent years. Hopefully they can him to get up to 285-290 in a couple of years, and Rooks can find his way into the rotation as a 3-tech or 3-4 defensive end. There's also the possibility of a Ryan Glasgow-like NT in a four-down system, if he can stand up to constant doubles. Odds are if Michigan's still a four-man front they'll have someone else for that job. But given the way college football is going and the history of their new coordinator, the greater odds favor Michigan being a base odd front that uses two Rooks-like ends on most downs.

UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS

It has a DT in it, the second from New Jersey if you’re counting 2-star Dominick Giudice there. He’s not a nose prospect—at least not for some years—so Michigan could still really use a bear or two, especially if they’re planning on more 30 fronts in a post-Don Brown world. They’re going to do their best to flip MI 4* DT Rayshaun Benny from a Michigan State pledge, and have a good shot to flip Texas 3* Ike Iwunnah, a pure nose, from a Colorado commitment.