Tag: Phillip Paea

2019 Season Countdown: #80 Phillip Paea

Name: Phillip Paea
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 296 lbs.
High school: Berrien Springs (MI) Berrien Springs
Position: Offensive guard/defensive tackle
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #58
Last year: I ranked Paea #70 (LINK). He played in two games.
TTB Rating: 68

Usually as a college football player, I don’t refer to you as a journeyman. Most college players play for one school or a maximum of two over up to five years.

I will make an exception for journeyman Phillip Paea. Not because he has played for multiple schools, but he leads a nomadic existence. One day he’s camping out with the big uglies that make up the offensive line, and the next day, he’s hanging out with the dogs on defense. Michigan’s coaching staff can’t decide where he fits best or what hole he plugs, so he constantly bounces back and forth between offensive guard and defensive tackle.

I am on the record as saying that he has the most potential on the offensive line, but the defensive tackle position lacks experienced bodies. Where he plays this season is anyone’s guess.

Prediction: Backup hog/dog

2018 Season Countdown: #70 Phillip Paea

Name: Phillip Paea
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 275 lbs.
High school: Berrien Springs (MI) Berrien Springs
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #31
Last year: I ranked Paea #88 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He redshirted.

Paea looked to me like an offensive guard coming out of high school, and instead he’s hanging out at defensive tackle. On the one hand, Michigan doesn’t have a ton of depth at nose tackle, which is where Paea might be able to make an impact. The Wolverines have a pretty good combo of Bryan Mone, Aubrey Solomon, and Michael Dwumfour they can roll out at nose tackle and 3-tech. Otherwise, it’s a crap shoot to see who will play on the interior of the line, whether it’s Paea, Deron Irving-Bey, Donovan Jeter, or others. I have heard the least hype about Paea and believe he has the furthest to go of the interior linemen. He’s probably at least a year away from playing a significant role.

Prediction: Backup defensive tackle

UPDATE: Commenters are saying Paea has already moved to offensive guard, which I had heard from one random message board poster on another site but hadn’t seen confirmed. As you can tell from my post above, hooray! I still wouldn’t expect him to play much this season.

2017 Season Countdown: #88 Phillip Paea

Name: Phillip Paea
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 280 lbs.
High school: Berrien Springs (MI) Berrien Springs
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Paea was a senior in high school. He made 53 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, and 2 pass breakups.
Final TTB Rating: 68

When Paea committed to Michigan, I assumed he would be an offensive guard. He had some solid technique and aggression as a blocker, and I thought things would go well. Instead, Michigan recruited him as a defensive tackle, where he really lacks technique. Ideally, I think he would redshirt at 3-tech defensive tackle (or, well, at offensive guard) and we could see what happens in 2018. Michigan has enough guards for this season, and while they’re thin at defensive tackle, there should be enough bodies for them to preserve Paea’s eligibility.

Prediction: Redshirt

2017 Recruiting Grades: Defense

Aubrey Solomon (image via Scout)

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I posted the 2017 offensive recruiting grades last week (LINK), so here are my thoughts on the defensive side of the ball. Click on the player names below for their commitment posts.

DEFENSIVE END: B+
Commits (4): Deron Irving-Bey, Donovan Jeter, Corey Malone-Hatcher, Kwity Paye, Luiji Vilain
Decommits (0): N/A
Why? Michigan went after some elite rush ends (Jaelan Phillips, K’Lavon Chaisson, etc.) in this cycle, but none showed much interest. Instead, Michigan got home-stater Malone-Hatcher, Boston College decommit Paye, and Canada native Vilain as weakside end types. I thought Vilain improved significantly over the last couple years since moving from Ontario to Virginia. On the strong side, Michigan got Irving-Bey and Jeter, both of whom could end up as a 3-technique tackles. I don’t see dominant players here, but it is a solid group and they’ll get high-quality coaching.

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Visitors: Michigan vs. Illinois

Starkville (MS) Starkville LB Willie Gay (image via Oxford Eagle)

2017

Martin Andrus – DT – Los Angeles (CA) Los Angeles: Andrus is a 6’1″, 280 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan, Nebraska, Oregon, UCLA, and USC, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #20 defensive tackle, and #350 overall. He announced he would take an official visit this weekend, but Michigan may not be actively recruiting him going forward.

Alonzo Booth – FB – Columbus (OH) St. Francis DeSales:

Eddie Brecht – OT – Lapeer (MI) Lapeer:

Willie Gay – LB – Starkville (MS) Starkville: Gay is a 6’1″, 215 lb. prospect who committed to Ole Miss in June; he also has offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, and Mississippi State, among others. The U.S. Army All-American is a 247 Composite 4-star, the #8 outside linebacker, and #124 overall. This is his official visit.

Matt Hankins – CB – Flower Mound (TX) Marcus: Hankins is a 6’0″, 160 lb. prospect who is committed to Iowa; he also has offers from Houston, Michigan, and Missouri, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #87 cornerback, and #863 overall. This is his official visit.

Hit the jump for more visitors.

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