Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Taking a look at Michigan’s latest pick-up on the field.
On Thusrday, Michigan picked up a commitment from in-state defensive end Corey Malone-Hatcher, ranked as the 247th recruit in the 2017 class and the 6th best recruit in the state of Michigan, according to the 247 Sports Composite.
He chose Michigan over Alabama, Notre Dame, and Wisconsin, and had offers from many of the top programs in the country, including Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Tennessee, and UCLA. He also had an offer from Columbia, one of the most prestigious academic institutions in the United State.
As far as things on the field are concerned, Malone-Hatcher projects to the defensive line in college, though there is a chance he could play standing up, as well as with his hand in the dirt. He plays middle linebacker now, along with lining up outside the tackle. Standing at 6’3″ and somewhere between 240 and 250 pounds right now, he definitely has the size to play weak-side defensive end, and that’s most likely where he will end up.
While watching Corey Malone-Hatcher’s film, there are some things that jump out immediately. First of all, he is all over the field making plays at every position he plays. He is a jack-of-all-trades for his team, and he’s pretty good at most positions he plays.
When he lines up at linebacker, he reads the field and gets downhill to make plays on runs. When he lines up at defensive end, he shows great burst and hand technique to get to the quarterback. On offense, he will line up at a traditional in-line tight-end spot and make plays and throw springing blocks, or line up out-wide to run a fade in the endzone.
He does it all for his high school team, and that versatility always helps by him just being a flat out football player. It’s something that Jim Harbaugh most assuredly loves about him.
Malone-Hatcher does a great job of getting off the ball and getting his hands into the chest of the offensive tackle, and dictates how the play is going to go. It normally ends with him blowing by his man and getting to the quarterback, and delivering a big time blow when he does. He is also very good at making plays down the line when runs head away from him, as he takes pretty good angles and ends up making the play on the other side of the field.
Overall, Malone-Hatcher was a very important get for Michigan, both for need and for Michigan further putting a strangle hold on the state of Michigan, giving the Wolverines three of the top six in-state recruits, while they have a heavy lead in the other three recruitments.
Malone-Hatcher will be someone who takes a redshirt to better deal with the physical and mental parts of the game, but he should have a very productive career at Michigan. Especially in a defense that is as rush-oriented as Don Brown’s defenses have been.