Review of 2008 Recruiting: Defensive Tackle

THE ROSTER

• Will Johnson (RS Sr.)
• Terrance Taylor (Sr.)
• Jason Kates (RS So.)
• Renaldo Sagesse (So.)

THE RECRUITS

Mike Martin
High school: Novi (MI) Catholic Central
Ratings: 4-star, #14 DT, #213 overall
School: Michigan
Other notable offers: Michigan State, Notre Dame, Penn State
Scoop: Martin was an immediate-impact guy in Ann Arbor. He made 20 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks as a true freshman. He was consistently good and highly productive for the Wolverines, totaling 172 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, and 10 sacks through 2011. He was a 3rd round pick (#82 overall) of the Tennessee Titans in 2012, but his career slowly faded. His best year was his rookie season (22 tackles, 3 sacks), he barely played in 2015, and he ended up signed with the Eagles in 2016 but didn’t play during the regular season.

Hit the jump for more.

THE TARGETS

Reggie Ellis
High school: Washington (DC) Dunbar
Ratings: 3-star, #26 DT, #365 overall
School: Illinois New Mexico
Other notable offers: Maryland, Penn State
Scoop: Ellis transferred out of Illinois after one year and sat out the 2009 season due to NCAA transfer rules. He 48 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks over three seasons for the Lobos and was not drafted.

Garrett Goebel
High school: Lombard (IL) Montini Catholic
Ratings: 4-star, #6 DT, #80 overall
School: Ohio State
Other notable offers: Illinois, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Wisconsin
Scoop: Goebel redshirted in 2008 and then spent 2009 and 2010 as a bit player. He had solid years in 2011 and 2012 and finished his career with 86 total tackles, 9 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks. He spent a little time with the Rams but never played in an NFL game.

Lawrence Guy
High school: Las Vegas (NV) Western
Ratings: 4-star, #11 DT, #171 overall
School: Arizona State
Other notable offers: Arizona, Oklahoma, Oregon
Scoop: Guy played immediately, making 44 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks as a true freshman in 2008. He would make 122 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, and 8 sacks over three years in Tucson. He was a 7th round pick (#233 overall) by the Green Bay Packers in 2011. In a ten-year career with the Packers, Colts, Ravens, and Patriots, he (as of this writing) has 285 tackles and 9.5 sacks.

Chris Henderson
High school: Harrisburg (PA) Bishop McDevitt/Harrisburg/Milford Academy
Ratings: N/A
School: Akron
Other notable offers: N/A
Scoop: Henderson was offered in the 2008 class but ended up going to Milford Academy, a prep school. He ended up signing with Akron in 2009, but I do not think he ever qualified.

Omar Hunter
High school: Buford (GA) Buford
Ratings: 5-star, #2 DT, #17 overall
School: Florida
Other notable offers: Auburn, Notre Dame, USC
Scoop: I thought Hunter was going to be the next big thing because of his quickness off the ball, but that never transpired in college, for whatever reason. After redshirting in 2008, he had a relatively quiet career with 111 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and 1 sack through 2012. He was not drafted and never played in the NFL.

Damion Square
High school: Houston (TX) Yates
Ratings: 4-star, #16 SDE, #259 overall
School: Alabama
Other notable offers: Tennessee, Texas A&M
Scoop: Square redshirted in 2008 and played sparingly in 2009. Over his final three years in college, he finished with 93 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, and 7.5 sacks. He went undrafted in 2013 but has 94 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and 9 pass knockdowns over a seven-year career with the Eagles, Chiefs, and Chargers, the last of which has been his most successful stop by far.

CONCLUSIONS

Biggest miss: I didn’t pay much attention to Lawrence Guy back in the day, but I guess he must hae been pretty good to burst onto the scene the way he did in 2008 and then embark on a 10-year NFL career.

Biggest bust: Omar Hunter. Aside from Chris Henderson (whose rankings I couldn’t find, anyway), Hunter had the most forgettable career. He turned out to be an okay player, but he didn’t enjoy the kind of success one expects from a 5-star and the #17 player in the country.

Best in class: Marcell Dareus, out of Birmingham (AL) Huffman, was probably the best defensive tackle in the class of 2008. He was rated as a 4-star, the #14 strongside end, and #233 overall, but anyone could see that a guy listed at 6’4″, 306 lbs. as a high school senior was probably not headed for defensive end. Instead, he went to Alabama and became the #3 overall draft pick of the Buffalo Bills in 2011. He has 358 tackles and 37.5 sacks through nine seasons, eight of which were with the Bills and now one with the Jaguars.

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