Previously: Last year’s profiles, K Adam Samaha, K James Turner (Tr), S Brandyn Hillman, CB DJ Waller, CB Cameron Calhoun, CB Jyaire Hill, HSP/LB Jason Hewlett, LB Hayden Moore, LB Semaj Bridgeman, LB Ernest Hausmann (Tr), OLB Breeon Ishmail, DE Aymeric Koumba, DE Enow Etta, DE Josaiah Stewart (Tr), DT Brooks Bahr, DT Cameron Brandt, DT Trey Pierce

Washington (Gonzaga), DC – 6'6"/290
		247: 6'6/290                          3.79*	3*, 88, NR overall #45 OT, #3 DC
		On3: 6'5.5/290                          4.51*	4*, 93, #124 overall #9 OT, #2 DC
		Rivals: 6'6/290                          3.98*	4*, 5.8, NR overall #26 OT, #3 DC
		ESPN: 6'5/290                          3.95*	4*, 80, #36 East #31 OT, #3 DC
		Composite                          4.10*	4*, #269/#285 Ovr #22/#21 OT, #2/#3 DC
		MGoAverage                          4.07*	4*, #336/789 Ovr #30/54 OTs since '90
		YMRMFSPA	Andrew Stueber
Other Suitors	PSU, Stanford, VT, Wisconsin
Previously On MGoBlog	Hello by Alex Drain
Notes	May be a package deal with Navi.
Film:
Senior Highlights:Junior Highlights:Hudl. EJ's game clips vs Nyckoles Harbor's team. Sam clips vs Harbor.

Maybe don't mention this one to your Penn State friend. Since James Franklin arrived, his Nits have recruited a dozen four-star tackle prospects in the hopes of maybe getting one of their five-star quarterbacks to the NFL with his ribcage intact. So far only one of those bookends—Olu Fashanu—hasn't been a disappointment. This explains why PSU folk were understandably excited to go back where Fashanu came from for another underrated, super-academically minded mauler.

Wisconsin was part of it too, but Stanford was the main threat. Evan Link made it clear from the outset that elite academics were his main priority, and his process made it clear this was more than the normal lip service. Michigan was hanging around, and had some connections—Grant Newsome's brother went to Gonzaga College, and Link worked with Mike Dillon, the trainer who had Tristan Bounds moving pickups when his COVID season was canceled. But after Link had to cancel his official visit to Ann Arbor for illness, and with Shaw's Stanford program on its last legs, the crystal balls flew in for Penn State.

The night before Evan Link's commitment announcement, the On3 prediction machine gave the Wolverines a six percent chance of winning it. Even now, the PSU recruiting people are lamenting the week they lost both Link to Michigan and their fallback plan to Michigan State. I'm not saying Drew Allar should get out of Happy Valley immediately—Fashanu is still there after all—but if their latest statue winds up as squishy as Christian Hackenberg, Trace McSorley, and Sean Clifford in a few years, you can know that Michigan's superior academics and Harbaugh's quoteboard are to blame.

After THE JUMP: There's always a contrarian.] 

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On3 Explain Yourself

As highlighted in the info box, one of the sites thinks Link is an Andrew Gentry-level prospect, two have Link near the bottom of the four-star pile (Rivals, ESPN), and one (247) calls him a nondescript 3-star. On3's Charles Power is aware he's an outlier, but didn't give us much of a reason other than "I saw the tape!" (emphasis mine)

“When we were going through the offensive linemen, I was impressed with his junior video. I thought he moved really well. Obviously, he’s pretty technical and well-coached and he’s doing this against top competition, too. I think he has a lot of positional versatility as well. He could be a tackle at the next level but could also play in multiple spots. But I really just thought his movement skills, compared to some other top offensive linemen, separated him from some others. He put together a really strong video. Honestly, he was a pleasant surprise when I got the chance to go through all of his junior video.

The bit about being well-developed already was something Power highlighted on Twitter, as EJ Holland recalled.

What stands out about Link right off the bat is his elite level technique. Link plays at one of the best programs in the DMV and has obviously been well-coached. He has great hand placement, a terrific kick step and looks extremely comfortable in pass pro and as a run blocker. Charles Power, who handles a bulk of On3’s ranking, actually quote tweeted one of my Link videos and explains that his ranking is high largely because of how technically sound he is.

Power also noted Gonzaga's weird 2020 season made it hard for sites to get a good sample size. Link didn't bother with the camps, which explains why he shot up the rankings in February then slipped 25 spots over the summer. By the end of the cycle Power had scaled back some of the adjectives but kept the ranking.

technically sound tackle who put together some strong junior video … functional mover and with advanced hand placement. He also has more than adequate length to stick at offensive tackle long-term.

There was also a reference to another OT that On3 was high on all cycle earlier in the article, where Power explained they like a lot of length and strength.

247 Explain Yourself

Yeah, there's your problem. 247 likes to get testing numbers from camps, and as best I can tell Evan Link only went to a few camps after his sophomore year—PSU's and WVU's. Sam Webb went to go see Link play against Nyckoles Harbor, but there is zero from the national or regional people who determine the rankings. Link was also reticent to discuss his plans (which was how he surprised all of Penn Statedom), which may have contributed to their lack of interest.

Frame: A Half-Body Problem?

Harbaugh mostly wanted to talk about Link's family and personality but when he got to the footballness we got "got a great frame, very athletic." Touch the Banner was relatively down (he gave Link a 72) but agreed on the "big body with a solid frame."

He’s rather lean, which I like because those guys seem to be able to put on good weight within a year or two, whereas it seems to take longer to reshape players with bad weight to begin.

Lukas Reimink also praised the "good frame with good arm length and good physical strength." The long arms and "how well-built he is in the lower half" were what stood out to EJ Holland.

He's a guy who's built really well in his lower half. He has the length. He could still add some good weight and strength in his upper half.

This was also the takeaway of everyone who saw this photo after Link's visit.

Smart and Ready

The main things to Harbaugh were the one thing.

Smart, intelligent. He wants to go into engineering or business.

Braininess is a big deal on offensive line, but with Link the writers tend to tie it into his readiness. Gonzaga HC Randy Trivers at the very least did a magnificent job of marketing Link this way.

"Offensive linemen needs to be intelligent and Evan is an intelligent guy. He'll pick up the system (at Michigan), learn it, and adopt the fundamentals that are hearkened back to the players. From a mental standpoint, o-linemen are so cerebral, and Evan will definitely bring that to the table. … Evan is committed to his craft and is a hard worker. He's also very competitive which comes naturally. He's got that drive that's inside his heart which is good. So when someone else wants to be great, he wants to be even better. We've coached, mentored, and taught him to be great. But he's gotten better at a faster clip because of the self motivation that he possesses.

Trivers then repeated this sentiment in different words, and everyone who wrote about Link did the same:

• Charles Power, On3: "Obviously, he’s pretty technical and well-coached, and he’s doing this against top competition, too."
• Adam Friedman, Rivals: "One of the more fundamentally sound linemen in this class" and "The Michigan commit is really solid from a technical perspective."
• Touch the Banner: "He has good basic technique. I like his initial kick set, and he does a good job in pass protection of keeping defenders out of his body. He uses his body position well to cut off players and work his butt to the playside, and he does a nice job of walling off second level defenders when climbing."
• Lukas Reimink: "good mental processing speed, which he uses to accurately determine likely blitzers and make adjustments to pick up the most dangerous man. He has good technique in terms of hand placement, as he has a strong punch that makes it difficult for pass rushers to get under his pads. That being said, he stands up too tall in his pass sets
• EJ Holland: "just his technique. He's just frustrating guys with his length and his technique, and his speed."

And so on. Holland went on to explain he think Link has the highest floor of any OL prospect he's seen.

Offensive line can be a tough position to evaluate, but I think Link, like fellow offensive line commit Amir Herring, is as safe of a take as you can get. He has one of the highest floors in the class thanks to his elite technique and high football IQ.

They didn't all agree that Link's a finished product of course. Reimink said Link "stands up too tall in his pass sets" which might be the issue that Link himself identified (via Sam Webb):

“I think (the biggest area of improvement) is still just working on my bulrush protection,” he later added. “That's not always been the strongest part of my game. I'm still kind of a bit of a longer guy, so I think working on getting a little bit better at that (and) getting better at sitting back. I'll be better off week two. “

Touch the Banner also had an interesting criticism, that Link has an intellectual understanding as opposed to an innate one.

He performs his initial assignment, but he does not react well to counter moves or defenders’ redirection. I like film of high school linemen to include pancakes or finishes downfield, and there’s not much of that on Link’s film. He tends to stop his feet and does not move well laterally once defenders react to where the ball is going. If Link were a musician, he would be good at playing chords but not so good at improvisational jazz.

How Well Can He Move?

The take from Power above makes it sound like Link was agile as a junior but less so as he got stronger. Reimink noted Link is able to get out on screens, which is hard to do. Al Borges talked about that at length while discussing Link and the rest of the offensive class with Sam Webb.

He's 6-6, 290 pounds, and I thought of all the linemen he was the best knee bender. And that's what you want. And none were bad knee benders, but I just thought he was the best. He's good at finishing by blocks. He plays with leverage darn near every snap. Very quick first step, which is critical not just in a run game, but also in pass protection. He runs very well. And the one thing that's always fun to watch with linemen (is athleticism). The pulling is always cool. I like that. But really if you want to see how athletic a lineman is, have him get out on a screen because those (defenders) are always juking them. ... (Link) was extremely good, I thought, at adjusting his body to block on quick screens, which showed up a couple of times. He looks athletic to me. And he played through the whistle. I never saw him stop.”

EJ Holland described "a guy who's athletic enough and quick enough, for being his size, to get to the second level," but also a guy who "looked extremely athletic" when doing so.

That "enough" wasn't for Touch the Banner, who thought Link's "upside is limited because of diffidence and a lack of standout athleticism." He also started to compare Link to the 11th pick in this draft and the 13th pick of 2021 before catching himself and going with the worst starter at Michigan in decades.

He reminds me of a lot of prototypical Northwestern Wildcat linemen, who are . . . you know . . . okay. If I had to name a Michigan lineman for a comp, I might go with someone like Nolan Ulizio, who started for a little bit before finishing his career at Pitt.

He wasn't the only one questioning Link's athleticism however. Josh Henschke just said it nicer:

Link was a great pickup and could turn into a core piece of the O-line with some continued gains in technique and overall athleticism.

And Reimink called it "only solid-level agility" before talking about what a drag it is.

…he will have trouble staying in front of the speed rushers he’ll face at the next level. With an improved base, he can mitigate some of these concerns, but the solid agility likely won’t improve much due to limited athleticism and may force him to be a RT at the next level. He has good reactive athleticism with the upper body, but the lower half lags behind, again due to an agility limitation.

His footwork in the run game is also solid, as he shows he can keep his body square to the defender he is attempting to engage with. When he gets to the second level, the reactive athleticism can be a bit of an issue for him as he can struggle to adjust to the quick movements of the faster LB’s he might have to block. In zone blocking, his limited agility will likely be a hamper on outside zone plays as he’ll struggle to maintain proper leverage against the quicker and faster defensive lineman at the next level.

Link's coach Randy Trivers said the kid "moves really well for a big dude" but was setting up a qualifier.

Michigan Lineman Mauls, News at 11.

Trivers:

“He moves really well for a big dude. He’s light on his feet but has an element of physicality. He’ll bite you."

I mean, we're talking about a lineman Sherrone Moore recruited. You knew this would be in the writeup. Mike Farrell used his eight words on "Big and physical kid who has elite footwork." Holland said Link "loves to get nasty in the trenches" and that it wasn't just him noticing.

Even those on the Carroll sideline took notice of him and the way he was mauling Carroll’s defensive line. While he’s a left tackle, Link loves to run block. He absolutely killed Carroll’s defensive tackles when down blocking and also served up a couple of pancakes. I also loved the way Link chipped guys and got to the next level. … I also loved the fact that he never wasted a snap. He was always looking for someone to block and put in the dirt. And yes, the guy FINISHES his blocks.

Reimink calls him "a true mauler."

So…Right Tackle?

Borges suggested starting at left tackle then seeing. Charles Power framed "positional versatility" as a bonus. Holland said he "has the potential to play right or left tackle" and will end up there regardless.

Eventually, though, he’s destined to be tackle due to his length, athleticism and footwork. Link had no issue with Carroll’s pass rushers other than the aforementioned Harbor. Link did give up a sack to Harbor at the end of the first half and got pushed back on a couple of occasions. However, Link also held his own and won a couple of reps.

Reimink made a comp to Stueber after reminding us he doesn't like to make comps.

Evan Link projects best as a RT at the next level in a power-based run scheme due to his good physical strength and mental processing, but also his limited agility. He already shows good technique and has a good frame, and with some gains in the agility department, he can turn into a Day 3 NFL Draft Pick as a RT. I don't love comparisons, but when watching his film I couldn't help but be reminded of recently departed starting RT Andrew Steuber

Our Alex Drain also thought the long-term ideal play is at RT.

Nobody thinks he's a guard at this point, however. When the PSU insiders lamented and rent their garments, it was over the loss of the one prospect who, according to Thomas Frank Carr, "has the size, mobility, and length needed to play on the edge." Trivers was actually the only one to even suggest inside.

He does have the versatility. For us, he plays left tackle. He could play right or on the inside. He has the frame, length and athleticism to be a very good tackle. But he also has the feet to play inside and be a puller in the run game. His body could go wherever you want it to go.

Etc. Has a brother at Harvard. Harbaugh attempts the apple/tree metaphor, Take 2:

Well, I keep saying—I’ll probably say it a lot throughout this conversation—but one thing I’ve learned throughout the recruiting process, having been doing this for as long as I’ve been doing it is the apple doesn’t fall too far from the branch. And each one of these players, they come from solid, solid upbringings, families. Evan Link comes from a military family. Both mom and dad attended a big-time high school in Gonzaga (D.C.) that played elite competition.

Why Andrew Stueber? Technically advanced A+ student/B- athlete with great measurements who was able to hold up against Ohio State as a redshirt freshman, start at guard as a redshirt sophomore, and get drafted after a career mostly remembered for the carnage. That was a Michigan-Notre Dame battle that the rest of the country largely ignored because it was taking place in Connecticut, and part of the reason for that was Michigan prioritizing smart run blockers who can get to a linebacker and bend him in half over trying to get the NFL's next blindside specialist. Stueber is becoming a popular comp, and it's going to happen next year too, because Michigan is actively seeking out Stueber-like objects.

Grant Newsome comes to mind too—super academic who's super huge—but Newsome was a pair of amazing feet who could pass protect like few in his class but needed to learn how to be nasty.

Guru Reliability: Low. I was hoping On3's take would be more than looking at the same film we got, but this is more about 247 treating Link like a fictional character out of Hyrule.

Variance: Very low. The floor is very high, the ceiling isn't.

Ceiling: Medium-plus. Stueber.

Flight Risk Level: Very low. Link was very deliberate in his school choice, and has his educational career mapped out much better than his collegiate one. Count on him being around at least until he has his engineering degree, and probably long after that since part of the plan they outlined included graduate school.

General Excitement Level: High-minus. Baseline 5, +1 for Already Technically Sound is a Stueber way to be, +1 for academic superstars tend to do well at OL, +1 for Length, –1 for questions about agility.

Projection: Redshirt, obviously, and whenever the Barnhart/Henderson/Jones/Hinton generation has gone Link has to deal with fellow Stueber comp Andrew Gentry, whose eligibility is just one year ahead of Link's. Hinton's goes only to 2025, and Persi and Bounds have to clear out by 2026, however, and that's it for OT prospects currently on their way up, so Link has a good chance to earn a two-year starting gig, and more than that if any of those guys leave early for the draft. If Michigan were to experience a mass exodus next offseason, Link might be a functional option as a redshirt freshman. It's more likely he's ready/needed by 2025, when the 2024s are still babies and Gentry/Persi/Bounds/Portal are battling for starting gigs.

Since Link's our first OL of the 2023 class, I want to address the narrative that the 2024 class is coming to render the relative struggles to recruit their 2023 OL moot. That's never been true, because a year for a big means a lot more than at other positions. Andrew Stueber came in a year ahead of Jalen Mayfield and Ryan Hayes, and see how that worked out? The portal might be the greater threat, since Michigan seems to be a destination for grad students who think their draft rating's too low to come and win an Outland.