Tag: Giovanni El-Hadi

Alex Orji’s teammate confident in QB’s ability to ‘sling it’

Having his team’s confidence is what matters most. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan football fans might be skeptical of Alex Orji’s ability to throw the ball, but his teammates know better.

Of course, his teammates get to see the full complement of what Orji can do in practice. And as far as senior right guard Giovanni El-Hadi sees it, his starting quarterback can do a lot. But it’s up to the offensive line to do a better job in pass protection.

“Orji can sling it, just got to keep protecting him,” El-Hadi said. “Part of a playcall is called, we’re ready to go through it, ready to execute it. And we’re confident in Orji throwing the ball, running with the ball, everything.”

The offense might look notably different with Orji leading the charge compared to that of Davis Warren, who started the first three games of the season. Though El-Hadi is confident in whoever is under center, he notes there are things that Orji can do that should provide more opportunities to throw the football as the season progresses.

“We’re comfortable with whoever’s back there,” El-Hadi said. “And people are scared of Alex running the ball, so we’re passing. They’re gonna have an extra person in the box, and they’re free, more things open. So we’re ready for whatever a team has to put against us. We’re confident in Alex to do all that, and it just feels natural whoever’s back there.”

Thus far, the pass game has been subpar and though the team seeks more balance, El-Hadi doesn’t really care how the Wolverines get it done, just so long as Michigan has more points than the opponent once the clock hits zero.

“Just want to keep winning,” El-Hadi said. “Run the ball, pass the ball — whatever it takes to win.”

Along with ‘SMASH!’ Michigan football OL channeling poetry for unit identity

You’d never think poetry or Latin is tough, but this really is. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Move over ‘smash!’ the Michigan football offensive line has a new creed. But it may not be quite as fun to yell out.

Of course, the Wolverines still intend to ‘smash!’ especially given that the man who proliferated that as a slogan within the halls of Schembechler is now the head coach. But as this new offensive line is being forged, they’re channeling a Latin word popularized by 19th-century poet William Earnest Henley.

Invictus.

Right guard Giovanni El-Hadi explained more about the line’s new-look identity, how that came to be, and what it means.

“Building our own identity. We have to withhold the standard,” El-Hadi said. “But we don’t need five guys to play, but we need 10. And we all have to be on the same page. We all have to be ready whenever our name is called up because people are gonna get hurt. That’s how it goes, it’s football. And whoever’s up next, you got to go out there and play well.

“Holding that standard, building our name. Myles (Hinton) — we think about our name for ourselves, — and he brought up ‘Invictus,’ and none of us know what that meant! And then he told us a little bit about the word, being unconquerable, unbeatable. I feel like that’s what we are. ”

El-Hadi adequately described the Latin meaning of the word, but it was popularized by Henley’s poem.

Out of the night that covers me
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance,
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate
I am the captain of my soul.

The unit’s new position coach, Grant Newsome (who moved over from tight ends) loves this new creed and mantra and feels like it adequately suits the group mission. And it turns out, Invictus is the standard, not just an aspiration.

“I think it’s a perfect description,” Newsome said. “I think one thing that we’ve kind of embodied is the idea that, hey, we respect everyone we play. We’re not going to fear anyone. There should be no fear, especially in that room, especially at this place. Like I said, I think you’ve got a lot of guys who are hungry to prove that hey, we’re really good players too. Not tired of or not upset at the guys who came before them who did a great job and set that standard but excited and eager to live up to the standard that’s been set and try to exceed it.”

Sherrone Moore singles out two Michigan players who have made meteoric rises in fall camp

Not your usual suspects here. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Fall camp is about halfway over and eyes are focused on the Aug. 31 season opener against Fresno State.

Every year, you can count on a player moving from obscurity to viability in the preseason or early season. With months of development between spring ball and fall camp, the period is a prime time for players to hone the body and skills. Sherrone Moore sees two players who are stepping up; both are veterans who have bided their time.

WolverinesWire asked Moore on Tuesday which players have made the biggest jumps from the end of last year. The first player he mentioned is someone who received a lot of praise in the spring but hasn’t had much of an opportunity to see the field.

“The guy that really has been where he was in the spring and taken the next step in fall camp is TJ Guy,” Moore said. “He’s a guy that’s really taking that next step of — you got Josaiah, you got Derrick, and you got him, and you got other guys that are chomping at the bit, but he’s really taking that step to be an elite player and be that guy that — there’s not that much of a drop-off, like last year. So feel really good about TJ, and he’s changed his body. He’s done a lot of great things.”

Guy is a former three-star edge rusher who didn’t come to Ann Arbor with many accolades or much fanfare. Still, he saw the field a bit in his first season. He even notched a sack in the penultimate regular-season game at Maryland, taking down a threatening Taulia Tagovailoa.

The other player Moore mentioned is one who was a little more expected to make the jump.

“Another guy that just jumps out is a guy that has started games for us — Gio El-Hadi,” Moore said. “I mean, he’s changed his body, and I think being behind Keegan and Zinter the past couple years, he’s really done a really good job of learning. We always say watch, emulate, surpass and that’s what he’s trying to do.

“So those guys have all — the whole team’s been outstanding. But those two, I could think specifically — and ironically, they’re really, really close. I think they were roommates, so good to see.”

El-Hadi has had time on task for a few years and has, as Moore notes, started games when Trevor Keegan was injured. Moving from left to right guard this offseason, the former four-star from Macomb County has potential. He has had to wait until his senior season before he was able to earn that starting role.

Michigan needs both to step up; it needs an edge rushing rotation beyond Derrick Moore and Josaiah Stewart and bruising road graders on the offensive line. With Guy and El-Hadi potentially being the two most improved players, especially given the offseason accolades, that bodes well for the maize and blue.

Why Michigan football might have its best defensive line ever in 2024

Wolverines offensive players share what it’s been like to go up against the defensive line in practice and rotational players standing out.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan football has no shortage of game-wreckers up front on the defense. It may be the best defensive front the Wolverines have ever had, if it plays up to its potential.

You can look at it two ways when it comes to those up front on offense — they either have the misfortune of having to go up against the likes of Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, and the myriad edge rushers, or they have the pleasure of getting better due to the high-level competition.

As junior tight end Marlin Klein sees it, it’s the latter. As a result of facing high-end talent in practice every day, the games are easier than the brutality of facing off against his own teammates.

“I don’t recall like, a specific ‘Welcome to College’ moment, but I think it helps us a lot just going against the best defense in the country every single day,” Klein said. “That makes it easier on Saturdays. Guys like TJ (Guy), Derrick (Moore), like all those guys — Josaiah (Stewart), those guys are the best in the country. So going against them is going to help us a lot and make our job easier on the weekends.”

While those guys will be game-wreckers (and most of who he mentioned are starters), Michigan will need depth in order to continue the high-level of execution that we’ve seen the past couple of years.

Playing right guard, senior Giovanni El-Hadi has to face off against the interior defensive line all of the time, so who are the tougher players who come in via the rotation — outside of Graham, Grant, and Rayshaun Benny?

“Enow (Etta)’s been really good. Trey (Pierce),” El-Hadi said. “They’re both strong, quick, Enow’s got a lot moves in this bag. Trey, more bull with power, and he’ll do a nice counter.

“So the guys behind (Grant, Graham, and Benny), we have a really good D-line. They all could go out there and play, obviously. You know how (Grant) and Mason and Rayshaun are — they got everything in their bag.”

It sounds like Michigan has five defensive tackles that could rotate (as it did a year ago) and multiple on the edge — though that might be more of a mystery leading up into the season.

Regardless, there are a lot of players on the front who could start at just about any school in the nation. And the Wolverines, assuming all or most play up to their potential, could be much better for it, even after losing the two starting edge rushers and DT Kris Jenkins from a year ago.

Giovanni El-Hadi patiently waited for Michigan football turn, despite ‘opportunities’ elsewhere

He’s going to be a road grader up front! #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A few years ago, it became apparent to Michigan offensive guard Giovanni El-Hadi that he could play, and start, at the highest level.

El-Hadi’s number was called when incumbent left guard Trevor Keegan was battling injuries early in 2022, allowing the local product to find some early playing time. But when Keegan returned, he remained mostly healthy, and El-Hadi had to watch Michigan win Big Ten and national championships from the sideline.

Now El-Hadi will get his opportunity in earnest. Expected to start at right guard, he could have left Ann Arbor for just about any school in the nation and gotten playing time, given his caliber of play, but he stuck with it, waiting for this moment.

“Been very patient and trusting God,” El-Hadi said. “Didn’t want to leave (for) nowhere else. Didn’t want to go nowhere else. Had opportunities, but decided to stay over here. Be patient, and it’s my turn now.”

As El-Hadi says, he had other opportunities. If that’s the case, why did he stay with the Wolverines?

For one, it’s everything that Michigan has to offer — the school, the coaching staff, the competition. And that provides the best training for an offensive lineman, in his eyes.

“Michigan was the best place out there,” El-Hadi said. “One of the best O-line coaches we had, Coach Moore. Now, Coach Newsome, one of the best O-line coaches. I just trust in the process. So it’s about, we have a standard over here. We have to withhold that standard every day. That’s what it’s about. Keep getting better and better. Got the two best D-tackles in the nation, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

There really is little better than going up against arguably the best defensive tackle tandem in the nation in Kenneth Grant and Mason Graham. As El-Hadi sees it, it’s an iron sharpens iron situation for him and the elite tackle duo in practice.

“Good work. Good work. They make me better. I make them better. That’s what it’s about.”

What’s more, El-Hadi feels ready to go now that he’ll be a starter. He transformed his body over the past few seasons and

“I really took importance of my health, changed my body,” El-Hadi said. “No, I wasn’t really a chubby offensive lineman, but I really refined my diet, really — now I’m playing right guard, so really was working on the right side a lot this season. Even the left side too, but just every day, doing drills every day, bring another player, bringing the unit together. So we keep going over the place. Everybody’s better. So keep getting stronger, faster. That’s what it’s about every year. Keep getting better.”

Roundup: Meet Michigan football’s 2021 recruiting class

A full roundup of recruiting evaluations, facts, stats, film and everything else covering Michigan football’s signed 2021 class.

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It wasn’t a perfect signing day for Michigan football, as there were a few unhappy surprises, and a big great one — as well as a couple of smaller ones — so it was mostly good for the Wolverines. It took a minute for the letters of intent to start rolling in, but once they did, they came in with regularity.

We scoured the main sites for breakdowns and intel on all of Michigan football’s newest members, including the new bios from the program itself. Here’s everything you need to know about Michigan football’s 2021 recruiting class, in order of their signing.

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Dominick Giudice

From MGoBlue.com:

Prep
• Attended Mater Dei High School (2021) coached by Dino Mangiero
• Helped Mater Dei finish as the state runner-up after reaching the championship game as a junior
• Played all along the defensive line and offensive tackle in high school
• Selected to the Mater Dei Prep All-Decade Team (2010-19) on defense

Key Statistics
• Credited with 46 tackles, seven tackles for loss, six sacks and 42 quarterback pressures as a senior
• Totaled 43 tackles for loss and 24 sacks as a junior – total was No. 1 in New Jersey and ranked 11th nationally

Honors and Rankings
• Earned a 247Sports Composite ranking of three stars; the No. 1,958 overall player nationally, the No. 100 weakside defensive end and the No. 42 player in the state of New Jersey
• Three-star prospect according to 247Sports; the No. 111 defensive end nationally and the No. 43 player in the state of New Jersey
• Rated as a three-star prospect by ESPN, the No. 179 defensive end and the No. 35 player in the state of New Jersey
• Rivals.com two-star prospect
• First team All-New Jersey Defensive pick by USA Today as a senior
• Named the division’s Co-Defensive Player of the Year as a senior; first team defense All-Division selection
• Earned Jersey Sports Zone All-Zone Team as a junior and senior

Personal
• Dominick Giudice was born Sept. 12, 2002
• Son of Anthony and Maryann Giudice

The Wolverine’s EJ Holland:

He plays with a relentless motor and has shown improvement with the way he uses his hands. Giudice doesn’t bend all that well, and a clear lack of athleticism prevents him from going higher in my ranking. He also needs to work on his get off. Giudice fits the cliché billing as a lunch pail recruit with a chip on his shoulder. Overall, you’re getting a big, strong, mean kid that lacks athleticism but will be the hardest worker in the room.

Maize N Brew:

Giudice has said that the coaches plan to play him at the anchor position, which I agree matches his skillset the best right now. He doesn’t have the athleticism to be a pure pass rusher on the weakside, but can definitely take on tight ends and clog up running lanes. However, I think that eventually he’ll pack on 20 or 30 more pounds and slide inside to be a three-tech, where his pass rush skills will be more valuable.

Wolverine Digest:

2021 Outlook: Giudice is an underrated recruit, but does have some upside. At 6-4, 250 pounds, he has the type of frame and athletic ability that will serve him well at the defensive end position. He’s also been described as a kid who is moving fast at all times, making it difficult for offensive lineman to keep him in check. It’s unlikely that Guidice will become an impact player in year one, but the upside is definitely there for him to become one at some point.

Next: Michigan’s tight end of the future

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National Signing Day: Michigan Wolverines sign Giovanni El-Hadi

The first to commit in the 2021 recruiting class, the four-star offensive tackle makes it official with Michigan football.

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Ratings

Stars Overall Position State
247Sports 4 86 13 3
Rivals 4 90 13 4
ESPN 4 134 18 5
247Sports Composite 4 25 12 4

Vitals

Hometown Sterling Heights (MI) Adlai Stevenson
Projected Position Offensive Tackle
Height 6-foot-5
Weight 285-pounds

Recruitment

He’s the one who kicked it all off. El-Hadi was the first in the 2021 class to pull the trigger for the Wolverines in March 2019, and he never wavered on his pledge.

Since, he joined J.J. McCarthy in being a vocal leader to try and lure fellow recruits to Ann Arbor.

Readiness Level

A prototypical tackle, El-Hadi likely has to wait until his second year until he becomes an everyday contributor, as he’s behind both Ryan Hayes and transfer Willie Allen.

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Film

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqhnLAGInw8

Stories

Michigan commits make push for Donovan Edwards

Giovanni El-Hadi showcases dominance in highlight video

El-Hadi takes in Michigan vs. Iowa game (2019)

El-Hadi takes in Michigan vs. MTSU game (2019)

El-Hadi reacts to J.J. McCarthy’s commitment

Why El-Hadi chose Michigan

El-Hadi commitment story

Fab Four: Selecting Michigan football’s Mount Rushmore of all-time recruits

 

Michigan commits, signees make push for Donovan Edwards

With one major target off the board at RB in 2021, several prospective Wolverines took to Twitter to thy and lure a 4-star in-state tailback

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When Hopewell (VA) five-star RB TreVeyon Henderson committed to Ohio State without having ever visited Columbus, nearly all of Michigan’s hopes at tailback suddenly rest on an in-state talent in West Bloomfield (MI) four-star Donovan Edwards.

It seemed as if the Wolverines were trailing for the star player in Oakland County, with the Buckeyes, Georgia, Alabama and Oklahoma all in full-pursuit. However, reports indicate that Michigan has made a big push, including one from The Wolverine’s EJ Holland, who published a story on Friday about the maize and blue pursuit of Edwards.

Many of those already committed or even signed to Michigan took that as an opportunity to let Edwards know just how much he’s wanted in Ann Arbor, including commits J.J. McCarthy and Giovanni El-Hadi as well as signees Zak Zinter, AJ Henning, Kalel Mullings and Braiden McGregor.

Check out their pitches to Edwards below:

 

 

 

Michigan 2021 commit showcases dominance in new highlight video

The 2021 Wolverines football commit just released his junior highlight video showcasing his dominance.

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When Sterling Heights (MI) Adlai Stevenson offensive tackle Giovanni El-Hadi pledged to Michigan, he was a veritable unknown — which made sense given that the 2021 class wasn’t on everyone’s radar just yet.

Fast forward nearly a year from his commitment last March, and El-Hadi is both a regular feature in Ann Arbor and one of the nation’s top prospects, rated as a four-star, 49th in the country, regardless of position, by Rivals.com, and the 8th-best offensive tackle nationally.

Now, he’s a powerhouse, continuing to grow into his technique, body and ability. At 6-foot-5, 300-pounds, El-Hadi is still a work in progress, but his junior year showed just how little work he might need when it comes to his aggressiveness.

El-Hadi took to Twitter on Tuesday evening, finally posting his latest, a full highlight reel of him playing both offensive tackle as well as defensive end.

Watching it, you can see why not only Michigan coveted him, but also why a school like Penn State had the foresight to try to get in on him early.

Watch his new junior highlight reel below:

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Michigan ‘near the top’ for Detroit Country Day 3-star OT Caleb Tiernan

Detroit Country Day 2021 offensive tackle Caleb Tiernan went to Michigan to watch the basketball team take on Oregon at Crisler Center

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Livonia (Mich.) Detroit Country Day 2021 three-star offensive tackle Caleb Tiernan has Michigan “definitely near the top” in his college recruitment, and a recent trip to Ann Arbor has solidified his interest.

Tiernan went to Michigan to watch the basketball team take on Oregon at Crisler Center Saturday, which ended in a 71-70 overtime loss.

Since it wasn’t a football game, there were fewer recruits. That gave the prospect something similar to a one-on-one experience.

“I think I know everything about Michigan and how it works, so I’m just trying to build connections with the coaches and other commits to see if this is the place,” Tiernan told WolverinesWire.

The 6-foot-7, 265-pound lineman focused on what he was looking for in a football program, spent time with offensive line coach Ed Warinner and offensive line graduate assistant Josh Hendershot.

“More personally and less in a rush,” Tiernan said of his conversations with Warinner and Hendershot. “It was a lot more impacting because if I end up going there, they would be my coaches.”

Specifically speaking his relationship with Warinner, Tiernan said he was a “really nice guy” and showcased his caring attitude for all those on the roster.

Tiernan also had the opportunity to check in with 2021 four-star offensive tackle Giovanni El-Hadi, the 96th-best prospect in the country and a Michigan commit.

El-Hadi was the first in the 2021 class to commit to Michigan, and Tiernan wanted to find out what caused him to pledge so early.

The Sterling Heights (Mich.) Stevenson only had positives words regarding the Wolverines.

“It was the first time I’ve asked a commit about why he chose Michigan,” Tiernan said.

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Following the relaxing yet engaging visit to Michigan, Tiernan trimmed his list to four schools – Michigan, Northwestern, Ohio State and Penn State.

Tiernan doesn’t plan to set a commitment date.

“It will probably be whenever,” he said. “I don’t feel like I’m going to set a date.”

Ranked as the No. 451 prospect in the country, Tiernan is also No. 47 at offensive tackle and No. 12 in Michigan, according to the 247Sports Composite.

Contact/Follow @WolverinesWire/ @EvanPetzold