Hello: Josh Uche

Equipped with death stare. [Photo: 247Sports]

Michigan added two commits recruited by new defensive coordinator Don Brown last night. Miami (FL) Columbus OLB/DE Josh Uche joined ILB Elysee Mbem-Bosse (written up yesterday) in a dual Twitter announcement to become the 23rd and 24th commits in the 2016 class.

Uche is a one-time Miami (YTM) commit with an impressive offer sheet for a three-star prospect. He projects as a hybrid pass-rusher, and in that role he has a ceiling much higher than his rankings suggest.

GURU RATINGS

Uche is regarded as a three-star on all four recruiting sites, though Rivals has him only one position rank away from a fourth star.

His size is likely a big factor in his rankings; he's listed anywhere from 6'1" to 6'3" and 212-217 pounds. He's going to have to add quite a bit of bulk, which always makes a player more difficult to project. Making projection more difficult—and more promising, in this case—is that Uche is a year younger than most of his classmates:

Uche took up football in sixth grade, and age-wise he's a sophomore - he skipped kindergarden.

"I was so big for my age, they couldn't keep me with those other little kids," Uche said.

247's Steve Lorenz notes Brown holds Uche in very high regard, and because he's pegged for a very specific role, the rankings might mean less than normal in this instance:

When we reported last month that Don Brown was very high on Levi Onwuzurike, the idea was that he is going to focus almost fully on guys who show extreme explosion and can get to the quarterback with ease. Uche fits that bill to a tee, and we see him as an outside linebacker/defensive end hybrid eventually that will be used primarily to get to and hit the quarterback. It's why he was identified, evaluated and offered almost immediately by Brown.

For that reason, Uche is a player whose ranking I would completely ignore as far as him being a middling three-star type player. We've talked about Don Brown getting the keys to a Ferrari after driving (insert solid, dependable sedan) at BC for the last three years, and Uche is the kind of player he would have never had a chance with at any of his last stops. Instead, he's been the catalyst behind a nice pull straight out of SEC country.

Uche will come in as a pass-rushing specialist and look to round out his game from there.

SCOUTING

The trait that stands out in both Uche's film and scouting reports is his explosiveness. Uche committed early to hometown Miami, and while Rivals still had him listed as a three-star wide receiver, he won D-line MVP honors at Al Golden's camp last June. Uche opened up his recruitment when Golden was fired and found no shortage of quality programs in pursuit.

While still at Boston College, Don Brown came calling with an offer last fall, which spurred Rivals' BC site to evaluate Uche's fit in Brown's defense:

There's no doubt he'd be considered an undersized defensive end. The good thing is that Uche's certainly fast enough to play as an outside linebacker that can either set the edge or get after the passer.

Boston College's coaches have demonstrated that they're not so much worried about players with the 'tweener label. While that might worry some schools and coaches, that's added versatility and a higher likelihood of a player contributing, at least in the eyes of the Eagle coaching staff -- and Don Brown in particular.

Brown made Uche a priority once he got to Michigan; it's clear he still feels the same way even at a program with a much higher talent level.

Scout's Corey Bender gave Sam Webb a quick evaluation after Uche's commitment:

“Uche, who's boasts a time of 4.59 in the 40-yard dash, is explosive off the line of scrimmage and certainly utilizes his speed and quickness to his advantage against bigger, heavy-footed lineman,” said Bender.

“He played his first full season of high school football just last year and is a high-character young man who's just tapping into what he can become over the next four to five years. He's a hybrid that can stand up or shift down and put a hand in the dirt at defensive end.  There's no doubting his ability to wreak havoc in the backfield.”

“His best football has yet to come for him.”

That is a SQARQ-verified 4.59 40 (spoiler alert, I guess), which is a phenomenal time for an OLB/DE.

247's Clint Brewster came away very impressed with Uche's pass-rushing ability after waching his senior film:

Uche is a explosive speed rusher coming off the edge. Really productive getting to the quarterback with 14 sacks last season. He’s got the ability to dip around offensive tackles and beat them to the quarterback. Gets his shoulders turned when he rounds corner as pass rusher, gaining the leverage advantage. Uche has some toughness and physicality to him when he finishes and makes contact. Uche isn’t the biggest or the longest defensive end but he’s got outstanding agility and the strength of a much bigger prospect. He doesn’t miss tackles. Uche really plays well out in space. His ability to close on ball carriers is special. I like how physical he is with his hands and he’s got a really good motor. Uche doesn’t get tired and he will get everything out of opposing offensive tackles with his speed and aggressiveness coming off the edge. Not a player that is going to really hold the edge and anchor down against the run.

That bend around the corner is tough to teach. The Wolverine's Tim Sullivan noted Uche has the frame to add 50 pounds, called him a "terror off the edge," and said he likes Uche's potential ability to play in space:

Uche will have to improve his technique and variety of pass-rush moves to be a more well-rounded player in college. As long as he can do that and add weight without reducing the speed that makes him so dangerous, he can be an outstanding defensive lineman.

He's also athletic moving side-to-side, and more comfortable playing in space than many high school linebackers - to say nothing of defensive linemen. While he'll have to add levels of complexity to his knowledge of the game in order to maintain that level of success in college, he has the ability to do it.

Speed-rushing around the edge was enough for him to be very productive at the high school level; if he develops a full pass-rushing arsenal then he could be special.

OFFERS

Uche held offers from Alabama, Auburn, Boston College, Bowling Green, Florida, Florida Atlantic, Louisville, Marshall, Miami (YTM), Minnesota, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Florida, and Syracuse.

HIGH SCHOOL

Columbus has produced six four-star prospects since 2002, including two 2017 four-star with Michigan offers, CB Trajan Bandy and DE Guy Thomas. They made the Florida 8A state title game in Uche's junior season before falling to Flanagan, home of three Michigan commits (Devin Bush Jr., Devin Gil, and Josh Metellus).

STATS

Per 247, Uche had 34 tackles, 8.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles as a junior, then followed that up with a 14-sack campaign as a senior.

FAKE 40 TIME

Uche has a verified, zero-FAKE 40 time of 4.59 seconds. His speed is his most outstanding trait for his position.

VIDEO

Senior highlights:

Junior highlights and single-game reels can be found on his Hudl page.

PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE

Uche is a lock to redshirt at his size. His deployment after that will depend on his physical development—he has to bulk up while maintaining that speed/quickness, which can be tricky—and how often Michigan utilizes a hybrid pass-rusher in Brown's defense. He's explosive enough in that role to potentially see the field on passing downs early in his career, though it's more likely he takes a couple years of seasoning before he's ready to make a significant impact. When he's ready, he's got a ton of potential.

UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS

Michigan sits at 24 commits in a class that looks increasingly likely to include 30 players. From Mbem-Bosse's post:

Top remaining targets include DT Rashan Gary, ATH Jordan Fuller, CB Lavert Hill, DT Boss Tagaloa, TE Devin Asiasi, WDE Connor Murphy, S Khaleke Hudson, TE Chase Allen, WR Eddie McDoom, WR Donald Stewart, NT Michael Dwumfour, WR/DB Pie Young, and K Quinn Nordin. It looks very likely DT commit Jordan Elliott ends up at Texas, and with other attrition still expected, Michigan could have as many as 10-11 spots to fill to wrap up the class.

Michigan coaches are visiting Elliott today, so that battle is far from over.

Here's the class as it currently stands: