Gil (right) at The Opening Miami regional [Photo via 247]
It didn't take long for Pembroke Pines (FL) Flanagan S Devin Gil to join teammate Josh Metellus in Michigan's 2016 class. Metellus, also a safety, committed on Wednesday, and Gil followed suit this morning. Four-star linebacker teammate Devin Bush Jr. is also strongly considering the Wolverines, who already have five Florida prospects committed in the class.
Gil is the 17th total commit in the class and the second at safety.
GURU RATINGS
| Scout | Rivals | ESPN | 247 | 247 Comp |
| 3*, #93 S | 3*, NR S | 3*, 78, #33 S | 3*, 83, #79 S |
3*, #63 S, #961 Ovr |
Gil is universally regarded as a three-star recruit, and ESPN is the only outlet that places him close to four-star territory (their #29 safety is a four-star). He has a solid frame for a safety, listed at either 6'0" or 6'1" and 200-205 pounds; several scouting reports suggest he could grow to be a linebacker at the next level.
[This post has been updated. Hit THE JUMP for the rest of the informative portion.]
SCOUTING
While Gil and Metellus are a safety duo at Flanagan, both are closer to strong safety types, and in Gil's case there's a good chance he ends up as a weakside linebacker. That would play more to his strengths while mitigating some athletic weaknesses, if Scout's evaluation is accurate:
Evaluation
When talking size, Gil has it for a big safety. Could even get a look at linebacker down the road depending on how he grows. Loves to mix it up physically. Does not shy away from contact and makes plays in the box and behind the line of scrimmage. Can shed blocks and strike the opponent. When the ball is in the air, he tracks it and makes plays on it. Has very good hands. Always around the ball and makes big plays.Strengths
- Hands
- Size
- Toughness
Areas to Improve
- Burst Out Of Breaks
- Change of Direction
- Recovery Ability
That's not to say Gil couldn't necessarily be a big strong safety. Rivals lauded his pass defense last year after seeing him at the IMG 7-on-7 Championship ($):
Florida Fire had plenty of offensive weapons, but it was Gil who paced their defense, especially in early game-play. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound safety has a good-sized frame for the position, but what stood out on Saturday was his range in coverage. Gil has a good break on the football, but he also showed the speed to break on passes down the sideline and nabbed an impressive interception in his team's first game that most safeties would not have reached.
ESPN, which finally evaluated a three-star, is a big fan of his run support and aggressiveness when playing in the box, but his evaluation notes he doesn't have great speed, and they have one major concern about his coverage ($):
Has a nose for the ball when in zone coverages. Keeps his eyes on the ball and looks to position himself and adjusts to flight of football very well. Good eye/hand coordination with the ability to track the ball into his hands. Physical defender who can disrupt and reroute. Does not show effective man coverage skills at this time.
In their conclusion, linebacker is again thrown out there as a possibility:
He is a bigger safety with a solid, muscular build. His size, speed and skill set would indicate he may be suited for a Strong Safety or perhaps even an Outside Linebacker position. He is a good line of scrimmage player, can defend the flat and hook/curl zones and has the physical make-up to match-up with TEs/H-Backs
This spring, Gil worked out at linebacker at the RCS Miami camp, and Rivals' Woody Wommack named him the #2 overall performer on defense ($):
The Miami commitment is listed in the Rivals.com database as a safety, but worked out on Sunday at linebacker. Gil has added some bulk during the offseason but hasn't lost the quickness that allows him to run with most running backs and tight ends in space. During pass coverage drills he not only won reps, but came away with the ball on multiple occasions, including a one-handed highlight-reel interception. Another early evaluation by Miami, Gil looks as if he has a bright future.
As long as Gil can pack on the requisite pounds, he looks like he could become a solid weakside linebacker who can be a plus against both the run and the pass; his coverage ability should play much better against running backs and tight ends.
OFFERS
Gil was a Miami (YTM) commit until last weekend's visit to Ann Arbor. He also holds offers from Colorado, FAU, FIU, Louisville, Marshall, NC State, South Florida, Temple, and UCF, among a handful of others.
HIGH SCHOOL
From the Metellus commit post:
Flanagan's history of producing Division I prospects is relatively short and undistinguished until the present. Bush, Gil, and Metellus have obviously all earned Michigan offers; 2017 CB Stanford Samuels is a potential five-star. This is a pretty good time to develop a strong connection to the school, which Michigan has accomplished with the satellite camp.
STATS
According to 247, Gil had 64 tackles and three interceptions as a junior.
FAKE 40 TIME
ESPN lists a 4.69 40 time, which is taken from a SPARQ combine and therefore gets zero FAKEs out of five. That isn't great speed for a safety, but it's plenty fast for linebacker.
VIDEO
Junior highlights:
Sophomore highlights and single-game reels can be found on his Hudl page.
PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE
I'll join the consensus and say Gil likely ends up as a WLB. That would put him in position to potentially see the field early on in his career. Ben Gedeon is projected to start there in 2016, when Gil will likely redshirt; once Gedeon graduates, the field is wide open, with Jared Wangler and Dytarious Johnson the only other WLBs currently set to be on the roster. (Other inside linebackers such as Noah Furbush and Dele Harding could potentially factor in there.)
UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS
Michigan is now at 17 commits in a class with, yes, 14 open spots currently. The post I said I'd write about the scholarship situation this week is getting bumped to next week, but here's the short version: between unrenewed fifth-year seniors, inevitable attrition in the first year under Harbaugh, and potential attrition from within the class, I don't think Michigan is threatening to do SEC-style oversigning.
Meanwhile, Devin Bush Jr., who planned to announce his commitment at the Under Armour All-American game, just happened to tweet this shortly after Gil dropped for Michigan:
I will not be committing in the UA Game
— Devin Bush Jr.™ (@_Dbush11) June 19, 2015
I've also heard word, unrelated to the above, that Michigan may not be done with commits today; it's not a certainty, but there's a chance they add another before the day is done.