Hello: Eddie McDoom

Obligatory edit.

Michigan landed a commitment this morning from Winter Garden (FL) West Orange WR Eddie McDoom, whose name, again, is EDDIE MCDOOM. This is important for many reasons, including that I get to post some MF Doom on the blog:

As you either enjoy that or hate it (this is MGoBlog, after all), let's continue. Eddie McDoom is the 25th commit in the 2016 class, joining Dylan Crawford, Brad Hawkins, and Nate Johnson among receivers. We expect ATH Ahmir Mitchell to play safety and Johnson's spot in the class is tenuous—he's technically a commit but will make a NSD decision between Michigan, Notre Dame, and Miami, and the Irish look to be in the best spot for him. APB Chris Evans is a potential slot but he should also get a chance to make an impact in the backfield.

As Steve Lorenz mentioned on the MGoPodcast a week ago, this was quite the recruiting coup by Jim Harbaugh. McDoom initially committed to Oregon in December, which allowed Michigan to land Crawford—Oregon has been their biggest competition but were full at receiver with McDoom. Michigan held their Citrus Bowl practices at McDoom's high school and never stopped pursuing him; when McDoom wanted to visit Ann Arbor, Oregon's policy required he decommit, and the Wolverines ended up getting both receivers they coveted.

GURU RATINGS

When it comes to McDoom, ESPN is your favorite scouting service. Given McDoom's impressive offer sheet and film, ESPN appears to be more correct in this instance than the other three sites, which peg McDoom as a middling three-star.

McDoom is slot-sized. ESPN probably has the most accurate listing since McDoom participated in the ESPN-sponsored Under Armour game; they list him at 5'11", 178 pounds. Every other site lists him between 5'11" and 6'1" at 170 pounds.

SCOUTING

ESPN has easily the most detailed scouting report on McDoom. They praise his game speed, ability to separate with quickness and technical prowess, and ball skills; here are their sections on his big play ability and the overall conclusion:

This guy is sneaky good in his ability to create separation and make plays when the ball comes his way. Sometimes he can look flashy and sometimes he doesn't, but the end result is productive. He is very good at navigating zone coverage from the slot position. Understands the moving parts and can settle into open spaces. Is just fast enough quick enough to win one-on-one on the outside, but may not have a consistent edge at the next level if matched up against elite personnel. This is the type of player that can come out of nowhere and make a huge play but at the same time be a role player if need be.

McDoom is a polished and versatile target. Can be used as a utility weapon in the spread, a fulltime slot and an outside target that's capable of winning vertically. We like his natural feel for the game and he plays with a lot of confidence. He possesses some readymade traits for the next level as he is already a fairly precise route runner. A good player for power five conference programs.

McDoom emerged onto the scene in the summer prior to his junior season, when he'd already garnered offers from the likes of Clemson and Miami. His coach cited both his speed and his route-running as reasons for the early attention:

”This kid is a stud,” said Bob Head, West Orange’s coach. “He will go wherever he wants to. Eddie is a track kid and run the 400-meters. That’s a grown man’s race and he’s one of the best in the state. He made the finals. He’s a leader. He’s a polished route runner. He had great film last year and ever was in the shadow of Garrett Johnson (signed with Kentucky). He’s a very hard worker as well.”

Oddly, none of the sites have much on McDoom from a scouting perspective from that point until the recent UA game, for which McDoom was a late addition. He earned mention among the top Team Highlight practice performers for allthreedays by 247, which praised his big-play ability and route-running, though they did mention he dropped a few balls on day one. Scout's Corey Bender came away from the week quite impressed with McDoom's game:

McDoom was a late addition to the Under Armour All-American, but he definitely belonged with the best of the best in nearby Orlando. He's a quick-twitch athlete that consistently created separation off the line of scrimmage and kept defenders on their toes. McDoom has battled drops at times in the past, but he was consistent and made the most out of his opportunities. Really did a good job of sticking his foot in the grass and running crisp routes.

McDoom caught a 12-yard touchdown pass in the UA game itself; afterwards Rivals' Mike Farrell named him honorable mention for his own "Lightning In A Bottle" award for the week's most exciting and dynamic player.

In the wake of McDoom's commitment, 247's Clint Brewster provided a free film evaluation:

McDoom is a natural wide receiver with reliable hands and a good feel for the game. He’s got the ability to win off the line of scrimmage with his footwork and get open enough to snatch a pass. He’s really comfortable running all the patterns in the route tree and shows he can get open vertically although he’s not a 4.4 speed type of wide receiver. McDoom’s a savvy player with a nice feel for coverage and he knows how to stem his routes and set up opposing cornerbacks to think he’s running a different pattern. There's some nice subtleties to his game that stand out no film.

The Wolverine's Tim Sullivan also evaluated McDoom's potential impact:

McDoom is a slippery, quick-twitch inside receiver who is at his best getting upfield after the catch. He's not a juke-inside-a-phonebooth slot, but has adequate moves to get past one tackler, and the mentality to gain yardage afterwards. He has a solid understanding of how to get open against zone and man coverage, and uses his feel for the game to set himself up for that yardage after the catch.

He can be a screen or end-around merchant thanks to that YAC mentality, and although he doesn't have the physical makeup to be a great blocker yet, the mentality is there to return the favor when his teammates need a block, as well.

Sullivan mentioned McDoom lacks elite speed and occasionally lets the ball get into his body instead of plucking it right out of the air.

McDoom has the ability to play inside or outside and his route-running is advanced for a high school prospect. His film also shows a player who can make a big plays with the ball in his hands; I'm have no concerns about his game speed after watching it. His ability to consistently catch the ball will determine just how much he resembles Steve Breaston; the hope here is he'll be able to track and catch the deep ball better.

OFFERS

McDoom holds offers from Alabama, Boston College, Cincinnati, Clemson, FIU, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisville, Miami (YTM), Michigan State, Mississippi State, Mizzou, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Pitt, Rutgers, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. Not a bad list for a three-star to say the least.

HIGH SCHOOL

West Orange has produced one four-star prospect since 2002, according to Rivals: 2015 Notre Dame RB signee Dexter Williams. The program has also sent a handful of three-star players to SEC and ACC schools over that span.

STATS

While I can't locate senior stats, 247's profile lists impressive junior numbers: 47 catches for 854 yards and 15 touchdowns.

FAKE 40 TIME

McDoom's Hudl page lists an unverified 4.48 40, which gets three FAKEs out of five. While he's plenty fast, that would be an elite electronic time.

VIDEO

Senior highlights:

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

PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE

While Michigan is all set for 2016 at outside receiver, McDoom will get the opportunity to compete for snaps in the slot, where sophomore Grant Perry is the only returner who's seen significant game action—while Perry had a breakout of sorts in the Citrus Bowl, he didn't have a big role in the offense. McDoom, Dylan Crawford, and perhaps Chris Evans will battle for a chance to see the field early, either in a starting role or subbing in for Perry while preparing for a bigger role in the future.

After Amara Darboh and Jehu Chesson graduate following the 2016 season, the competition opens up considerably on the outside, and McDoom could also factor in there. Even if he redshirts, he'll have a shot to see the field in year two on campus.

UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS

McDoom is the 25th commit in the class and the fifth from Florida. Michigan is still in pursuit of a couple receivers, especially with Nate Johnson commitment in serious doubt. Paramus Catholic three-star Donald Stewart should stay on the board; he's a true outside receiver in a class currently lacking one. Florida three-star Pie Young could join the class as either a slot or a cornerback.

Johnson and Jordan Elliott are looking likely to flip to other schools (ND and Texas, respectively), and we know of one other current commit who won't end up in the class for academic reasons and another who's been told all along he'll be taken as a grayshirt. That leaves Michigan with as many as nine spots to fill in a class that could reach 30.

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 Donald Stewart, WR/DB Pie Young, and K Quinn Nordin. Hudson will announce his decision at 3 pm today; Michigan looks to be in very good position.

Here's the class as it currently stands: