Milton (MA) Milton Academy linebacker Kalel Mullings publicly committed to Michigan on Thursday evening. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Boston College, Clemson, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Stanford, among others.
Mullings is listed at 6’1″ and 227 lbs. He has already been selected for the All-American Bowl and the Polynesian Bowl.
RATINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 82 grade, #14 OLB, #202 overall
Rivals: 4-star, 5.9 grade, #11 OLB, #103 overall
247 Sports 4-star, 91 grade, #15 OLB, #186 overall
Hit the jump for more.
Michigan offered Mullings back in 2017, so I’ve been writing about this guy for several years. He has visited Michigan numerous times, and he seemed like one of those early shoo-ins for the 2020 class . . . many of which don’t often come to fruition. And this one almost didn’t seem like it would. After being a Michigan lean early, the Stanford interest grew. We have seen players like Devery Hamilton and Stephen Herron, Jr. both ditch Michigan for Stanford, and I suppose there’s still time for Mullings to do that, too, but for now Michigan has won that battle after an official visit last weekend.
Mullings was a standout running back early in high school, but the kind that seemed too physical and stiff to stick on offense. He still plays quite a bit of offense in high school, and he often seems to be toying with his small-ish, less talented opponents. He has a little bit of wiggle on offense, but most he’s just too strong and too fast for them.
Defensively, he plays outside linebacker but doesn’t have a whole lot of nuance to his game. Mullings has a lot to learn about reading plays, using leverage, and winning battles with his hands. He looks destined for defense, but he’s a project.
Overall, I like the athleticism Mullings brings to the table. I see him in a somewhat similar vein to Michigan linebacker Jordan Anthony. There’s a lot of physical talent, but linebacker is a tough position to play in high school. I think it will take a couple seasons for Mullings to wrap his head around what to do in Michigan’s defense.
Michigan now has twenty commits in the 2020 class. The Wolverines have landed three of the top four Massachusetts players in this class (#1 Mullings, #3 Zak Zinter, #4 Eamonn Dennis) after nabbing the top guy in 2019 (Mike Sainristil). UMass must hate their former head coach now.
TTB Rating: 78 (ratings explanation)
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Is it fair to ask which of our OLB recruits doesn’t stick? Will someone get processed, or do we have a guy looking elsewhere?
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Of course it’s fair to ask. The other question is whether maybe there’s a guy on the roster already who isn’t gonna make it here, or is unhappy for whatever reason. You are never gonna get the answer to either until such time that it happens. That’s why speculating on recruiting numbers either by position, or in total, is a fool’s pursuit, aside from the fact that it’s kinda fun. That’s one area for sure where it’s only the staff that knows just exactly what is going on.
The other thing to consider in this case is that linebackers and safeties usually, disproportionately show up on special teams. Big guys that can run and tackle are valuable in general.
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Seems like too many true LBs for 2 spots that exist, not even counting the LB-types sold on being the next Viper (who may or may not end up moving inside).
Reminds me a bit of Brady Hoke.
Whenever a spot gets over-recruited you can expect attrition.
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A really good recruiting class needs balance just as much as talent. You need to have targeted recruiting of certain positions, rather than just hoping guys will grow into what you need.
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I’m not sure what to write so I won’t write much. I honestly can’t even begin to assess him based on his tape. He looks like a good athlete but nothing makes him stand out. I wish there was camp tape or something other than footage from the Goodyear blimp to look at. I can’t even rate the kid nor do I understand how someone can rate him the #1 overall player in a state. Whatever. Go Blue!
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I like him as a running back. He’s big.
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haha
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I remember clearly watching Khaleke Hudson’s high school tape. I thought he was going to be a RB at Michigan.
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