Hello: Devin Gil
Gil (right) at The Opening Miami regional [Photo via 247]
It didn't take long for Pembroke Pines (FL) Flanagan S Devin Gil to join teammate Josh Metellus in Michigan's 2016 class. Metellus, also a safety, committed on Wednesday, and Gil followed suit this morning. Four-star linebacker teammate Devin Bush Jr. is also strongly considering the Wolverines, who already have five Florida prospects committed in the class.
Gil is the 17th total commit in the class and the second at safety.
GURU RATINGS
Scout | Rivals | ESPN | 247 | 247 Comp |
3*, #93 S | 3*, NR S | 3*, 78, #33 S | 3*, 83, #79 S |
3*, #63 S, #961 Ovr |
Gil is universally regarded as a three-star recruit, and ESPN is the only outlet that places him close to four-star territory (their #29 safety is a four-star). He has a solid frame for a safety, listed at either 6'0" or 6'1" and 200-205 pounds; several scouting reports suggest he could grow to be a linebacker at the next level.
[This post has been updated. Hit THE JUMP for the rest of the informative portion.]
SCOUTING
While Gil and Metellus are a safety duo at Flanagan, both are closer to strong safety types, and in Gil's case there's a good chance he ends up as a weakside linebacker. That would play more to his strengths while mitigating some athletic weaknesses, if Scout's evaluation is accurate:
Evaluation
When talking size, Gil has it for a big safety. Could even get a look at linebacker down the road depending on how he grows. Loves to mix it up physically. Does not shy away from contact and makes plays in the box and behind the line of scrimmage. Can shed blocks and strike the opponent. When the ball is in the air, he tracks it and makes plays on it. Has very good hands. Always around the ball and makes big plays.Strengths
- Hands
- Size
- Toughness
Areas to Improve
- Burst Out Of Breaks
- Change of Direction
- Recovery Ability
That's not to say Gil couldn't necessarily be a big strong safety. Rivals lauded his pass defense last year after seeing him at the IMG 7-on-7 Championship ($):
Florida Fire had plenty of offensive weapons, but it was Gil who paced their defense, especially in early game-play. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound safety has a good-sized frame for the position, but what stood out on Saturday was his range in coverage. Gil has a good break on the football, but he also showed the speed to break on passes down the sideline and nabbed an impressive interception in his team's first game that most safeties would not have reached.
ESPN, which finally evaluated a three-star, is a big fan of his run support and aggressiveness when playing in the box, but his evaluation notes he doesn't have great speed, and they have one major concern about his coverage ($):
Has a nose for the ball when in zone coverages. Keeps his eyes on the ball and looks to position himself and adjusts to flight of football very well. Good eye/hand coordination with the ability to track the ball into his hands. Physical defender who can disrupt and reroute. Does not show effective man coverage skills at this time.
In their conclusion, linebacker is again thrown out there as a possibility:
He is a bigger safety with a solid, muscular build. His size, speed and skill set would indicate he may be suited for a Strong Safety or perhaps even an Outside Linebacker position. He is a good line of scrimmage player, can defend the flat and hook/curl zones and has the physical make-up to match-up with TEs/H-Backs
This spring, Gil worked out at linebacker at the RCS Miami camp, and Rivals' Woody Wommack named him the #2 overall performer on defense ($):
The Miami commitment is listed in the Rivals.com database as a safety, but worked out on Sunday at linebacker. Gil has added some bulk during the offseason but hasn't lost the quickness that allows him to run with most running backs and tight ends in space. During pass coverage drills he not only won reps, but came away with the ball on multiple occasions, including a one-handed highlight-reel interception. Another early evaluation by Miami, Gil looks as if he has a bright future.
As long as Gil can pack on the requisite pounds, he looks like he could become a solid weakside linebacker who can be a plus against both the run and the pass; his coverage ability should play much better against running backs and tight ends.
OFFERS
Gil was a Miami (YTM) commit until last weekend's visit to Ann Arbor. He also holds offers from Colorado, FAU, FIU, Louisville, Marshall, NC State, South Florida, Temple, and UCF, among a handful of others.
HIGH SCHOOL
From the Metellus commit post:
Flanagan's history of producing Division I prospects is relatively short and undistinguished until the present. Bush, Gil, and Metellus have obviously all earned Michigan offers; 2017 CB Stanford Samuels is a potential five-star. This is a pretty good time to develop a strong connection to the school, which Michigan has accomplished with the satellite camp.
STATS
According to 247, Gil had 64 tackles and three interceptions as a junior.
FAKE 40 TIME
ESPN lists a 4.69 40 time, which is taken from a SPARQ combine and therefore gets zero FAKEs out of five. That isn't great speed for a safety, but it's plenty fast for linebacker.
VIDEO
Junior highlights:
Sophomore highlights and single-game reels can be found on his Hudl page.
PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE
I'll join the consensus and say Gil likely ends up as a WLB. That would put him in position to potentially see the field early on in his career. Ben Gedeon is projected to start there in 2016, when Gil will likely redshirt; once Gedeon graduates, the field is wide open, with Jared Wangler and Dytarious Johnson the only other WLBs currently set to be on the roster. (Other inside linebackers such as Noah Furbush and Dele Harding could potentially factor in there.)
UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS
Michigan is now at 17 commits in a class with, yes, 14 open spots currently. The post I said I'd write about the scholarship situation this week is getting bumped to next week, but here's the short version: between unrenewed fifth-year seniors, inevitable attrition in the first year under Harbaugh, and potential attrition from within the class, I don't think Michigan is threatening to do SEC-style oversigning.
Meanwhile, Devin Bush Jr., who planned to announce his commitment at the Under Armour All-American game, just happened to tweet this shortly after Gil dropped for Michigan:
I will not be committing in the UA Game
— Devin Bush Jr.™ (@_Dbush11) June 19, 2015
I've also heard word, unrelated to the above, that Michigan may not be done with commits today; it's not a certainty, but there's a chance they add another before the day is done.
If your name is Devin, you will be a Wolverine.
Battle dong punch now slightly abaited
You might even say we lost the battle but won...something else.
Welcome aboard Mr. Gil!
Are we going to fill all 25 spots? it seems like we are.
It's only June 19, what gifts will we receive over the next 8 months? Can't wait to find out!
Hopefully these Devins like statistics.
I don't want to be a downer, but aren't we doing what we have criticized other schools for doing in accepting commitments from guys that we don't, strictly speaking, have room for at the moment?
But to go from 14 available schollies to a 25 man class is usually outside of the norm. Either Harbaugh knows who won't come back or already knows who is is not going to ask back for a 5th year. Or a mixture of both.
One reason this is not a normal year for attrition is the high retention from Hoke's 2012 class, which by my quick check of the depth chart shows around 15 guys going into 2016 as redshirt seniors. If Harbaugh has a clear idea of players that will not be given a fifth year, than a large pool of open schollies will come from that group.
I heard that Harbaugh plans on using the open Tyus Battle slot.
Too soon?
I understand attrition is certain to occur between now and signing day, but wouldn't the morally pure option be to wait for said attrition before making an offer? Obviously that would hurt the class, and I'm not in favor of it, just pointing out the hypocrisy.
Agreed. No video games allowed in the locker rooms anymore . . . that wiped out half the roster right there.
What's next, no chicken and beer?
This would be a rather unintelligent way to run a recruiting board. You are making assumptions without complete information, just like the rest of us. It is very well possible the coaches know they will have 25 spots available in 2016 and are recruiting for that possibility. The fact none of us precisely how that will happen does not mean anything hypocritical is going on.
I think it's also motivation for these guys. You wanna keep your scholie for a 5th year? You better earn it. Young guys who are gonna replace you are already signed up.
Harbaugh can say, first day of camp this year, to the seniors: "Look around, see your class mates? Most of you won't be back. Only those who work hard enough will be."
Morally pure? What are we, Buddhist monks? Michigan might be better than some but we are absolutely playing the game. Aspiring to moral purity is ludicrous in the context of profitable NCAA sports.
You must be a fan of Kirk Ferentz!
Morally pure you say, hmm. JH went to Michigan, he also knows that there is something unique and wonderful about this place in the ways things are done. I trust JH knows who will be back, who will leave, and what 5th year guys he does not need. So until there are validated claims of forced departures and false medicals, I completely trust JH and how he wants to run the program.
Signing more people on NLOID than you have open spots = a form of oversigning that users of mgoblog have consistently critisized other schoools for.
Accepting verbal commitments from more students than there are slots currently open = a normal, necessary part of recruiting that every school does every year.
Correct, except its not "slots currently open" but "slots known to be open to the public."
JH is not taking more students than there are slots open for next year. There are definitely more slots available at Michigan next year than are known to the public today.
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That's our new motto: "Those who replace those who don't stay will be Champions."
but from what we've heard, there are a number of things in motion within the team. I presume that the coaches are aware of some other areas where we can expect attrition. I see your point and I think it's something to absolutely monitor but at this stage of the game I don't think we are quite to the "Oops, sorry you committed and signed a LOI and are actually on campus but, um, we don't have room for you so Gray shirt or GTFO."
Not literal signing, then, but it's still accepting a commitment and ostensibly guaranteeing a spot. ,(Obviously the word commitment in recruiting doesn't really mean commitment).
And you have no idea of the actual available scholarships for the 2016 class, just like the rest of us. That number won't be known for sure until next August.
Relax.
there are posisbly 3 or more medical hardships coming, plus a 5th year SR or two not returning, plus a couple transfers they likely know about. Just because we don't know all the details, doesn't mean they don't.
Something not brought up much but its a high possibility is that a handful of these early commits won't stick. Some may jump up in ranking/have good senior seasons/perform well at local university camps and get noticed by major schools near them. If you grew up in Alabama and Auburn or Alabama come calling, it may be hard to turn them down. I wouldn't be surprised to see Michigan lose 3-5 of these guys by the signing day.
oversigning complained about here pertains to dudes like saban and meyer carrying 90+ players from signing day until spring or summer / fall when they use questionable means to drop numerous players.
if michigan has more than 85 kids in march, then let loose with righteousness
Think he's a WILL at the college level, especially in an under front. Plays safety and LB in high school. Would be limited athletically at safety, but projects well athletically for a LB. Can have sideline to sideline speed. Already picks through the wash fairly well, should be able to be a plus in coverage, though I don't think he'll ever be a great cover guy (another reason I don't see him as a DB). Will have to add a bunch of weight, will be a bit undersized in terms of height, but think he can play in the 230 range. May struggle taking on blockers a bit, that will have to be learned. Seems to have a nose for the football though and likes to hit. Was hoping he was a little bit longer and had a little more burst in his game, but those attributes are fairly average.
He could potentially be a flex/loose SAM as well, a guy that plays a little further off the LOS and a little further outside the box, more of a hybrid role.
It's going to come down to technique and instincts for Gil. If he can improve technique and get comfortable playing the position, I think he can have a fairly high ceiling at WILL because he has the athletic tools to be a good player, but he's a project.
Question for you:
Gil has similar measurables to Jabrill Peppers from a height/weight perspective. Obviously Jabrill is a freak athlete but are there other reasons (from what I'm reading it's mainly speed?) why his skillset makes more sense at the LB position when his size is going to be a detrement there?
He looks like he could comfortably carry at least another 35-40 pounds, especially once he hits our weight room. Carries 200 surprisingly well for a 6 foot nothing kid. They could have more faith in him adding the muscle over adding the speed and reactions needed for safety
Don't think he has anything above average speed for a safety, whereas at LB, his speed becomes an asset. He's also not extremely fluid in space, making DB a more difficult position for him to play. If he can add a little more suddenness to his game, he has the athleticism you look for in a WILL (think James Ross).
To top it off, he already plays a lot at the LB level. Moving back in the defense is much more difficult than moving forward.
Is in complete agreement with mine. The James Ross comparison is spot-on; plays with the same great leverage and good instincts which is why I think he'd make a darn good weak side linebacker.
Not a surprise, but happy it's official. Welcome aboard.
you're excited about Harbaugh laying pipe??? Good to know!
/s
Go Blue! :)
Always possible Harbaugh has told a player or two that he may want them to greyshirt based on how the numbers work out.
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