Michigan's third or fourth DT—depending on how you file Dominick Giudice—in the class is late flip Ikechukwu Iwunnah, who committed to Colorado just two weeks ago. Michigan has picked up a project with some upside.

GURU RANKINGS

(last row is Seth's conversion of the above to a 5-star scale)

Iwunnah is virtually unranked. He's a flier.

[After THE JUMP: scouting, video, and no otters]

SCOUTING

There's a decent amount out there for a guy with the above recruiting rankings, in part because his offers don't match the numbers. Texas had a long-term interest in him, and Texas is up there with Notre Dame as far as schools that will spit out a bunch of scouting on prospects. Mike Roach, the main 24/7 Texas guy, had him in their top 100 in-state:

91. Ikechukwu Iwunnah, DT, Garland Lakeview Centennial (6-4, 275)

 

Evaluations: Film, game, practice

 

Analysis: A raw but physically intriguing prospect, Iwunnah can be dominant at times with his size inside. Incredible length and good straight line speed stands out, and the way he uses his strength and fame on the bull rush is tough to defend. Iwunnah still has much to learn when it comes to playing the position, but the physical tools suggest a high ceiling.

Roach when Texas offered Iwunnah:

Film: Iwunnah has a massive frame with good length and a thick, muscular build. He’s raw from a technical standpoint but shows good straight line speed and strong skill in the bull rush. Iwunnah uses his length well and plays with a great motor up front. He does a good job playing with leverage for his size but could improve his consistency there. Iwunnah is still growing as player but has some strong tools to build with.

And 24/7 Texas guy Gabe Brooks:

…impressive functional strength at the point of attack. Iwunnah consistently shows stack-and-shed ability at the line of scrimmage to disrupt the running game. He gets good extension with his arms with the punch to jar blockers onto their heels. … impressive forward power in his bull rush. He will need to expand his move set.

…balance and body control can improve. He occasionally gets out over his feet and compromises his leverage and base, which saps his impressive punch power and shedding ability. Improving overall quick-twitch athleticism, especially from a lateral sense, will make Iwunnah that much more dangerous as a front-line defender.

FWIW, there's a conflicting take on his athleticism from Brian Perroni, who said he's "very quick for his size and gives opposing linemen fits." I tend to side with Brooks after watching Iwunnah's tape. He's a guy who should at least be a plugger who's a plus run defender even as a 3-4 DE.

There may be upside beyond that. Iwunnah's the kind of bonafide defensive tackle who is occasionally dragged into weird track and field exploits:

As a junior in Feb. 2020, Iwunnah recorded a discus throw of 131 feet, 3 1/2 inches, and his personal best from his sophomore year is 137-3. Iwunnah also competed at one Feb. 2020 event in the triple jump, which is quite unique for a player of his size and position. He registered a respectable 39-foot, 10 1/2-inch number in that event.

Roach noted that he's a fan of "finding athletic, big frames on the defensive line and developing them." Iwunnah fits that mold. His coach:

“[colleges] love the fact that he has a high ceiling. A lot of times kids once you get there, your ceiling might not be as high. Well, he has a high ceiling.”

FWIW, Iwunnah says he wants to be an engineer…

“The education,” he said. “I want to be an engineer when I grow up, so they’ve got to have a good engineering program. They’ve got to help me grow into a good man and a good football player at the same time.”

…and while I couldn't find anything about his family background his name is very Nigerian and I'd bet he's a first or second generation immigrant; as we often mention in these pieces Michigan's hit rate with immigrants is sky-high.

OFFERS

In addition to Michigan and Colorado, Iwunnah reported offers from Baylor, Texas, Boise State, Missouri, and Washington State. Texas rather jumps off that list; that offer came in late May and was probably not immediately committable since it didn't trigger an immediate commitment. Texas did keep up a courtship through the summer and fall, and at one point Iwunnah was down to Baylor and Texas. So: probably legit?

Iwunnah started looking around more after ChaosSeason saw his finalists stumbling, leading to this all-time great crootin quote:

Iwunnah told 247Sports in October that he was circling in on Texas and Baylor as his two top choices, but following rough starts to the season for each program, he was hesitant about saying if any other schools have gotten involved.

"No comment, not gonna lie," Iwunnah said.

Feel it wash over you.

HIGH SCHOOL

Lakeview Centennial also sent composite five-star RB Camar Wheaton to Alabama and four-star OL Ezra Dotson-Oyetade to Arizona State this cycle so Iwunnah wasn't overlooked because he was playing for a tiny, unscouted school. Prior to this year's bumper crop of P5 recruits Centennial sent a few three stars to in-state schools over the past decade.

STATS

Centennial's season lasted only five games.

FAKE 40 TIME

There is no 40 time I can find on the internet.

VIDEO

PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE

Iwunnah is a shot in the dark at a guy who may emerge into a contributor a few years down the road. He has the right kind of attributes for a flier: he's got an intriguing combination of size and athleticism. A lack of recruiting rankings pop is mitigated by the fact that he didn't have much of a senior season to overturn opinions and what looks like a genuine Texas offer.

Stick him in the weight room for two years and see what you've got.

UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS

There isn't an upshot for the rest of the class because Iwunnah is the last commit in it. With Rooks and Benny also in the fold, defensive tackle has gone from a program-crushing deficit to reasonably well stocked. It would probably behoove Michigan to grab a transfer for the upcoming season since nobody in this class is ranked in the immediate help range—which is restricted to five stars… some five stars.