Emil Ekiyor Clears The Air On His Relationship With The Michigan Coaches
Indianapolis Cathedral four-star offensive guard and Michigan pledge Emil Ekiyor has been committed to the Wolverines since last October, but things appeared to be a little dicey between the two parties as recently as a few weeks ago. A lack of communication between Ekiyor and the Michigan coaching staff seemed to be the culprit, but the massive offensive lineman cleared the air a bit at the Big Man Camp inside the Big House last Saturday.
“Me and my parents got to sit down with Coach Harbaugh and Coach [Tim] Drevno for a really long time,” Ekiyor explained. “They just reassured things with us and we all got back on the same page. So it was definitely great getting back up here and just seeing how they feel about me, and getting a feel for them.”
Just as the name of the camp insinuates, the event was aimed at “big men” – AKA, offensive and defensive linemen. As a result, two of Michigan’s other linemen commits – Grand Rapids (Mich.) Catholic Central three-star offensive tackle Jalen Mayfield and Dearborn (Mich.) Divine Child four-star strongside defensive end Aidan Hutchinson – were in attendance, and Ekiyor talked about his relationship with those two.
“Me and Jalen really got to bond this weekend,” he explained. “We were just hanging out all the time. And me and Aidan talk in our group chat, so it’s just a real good feeling getting to know those guys, and it’s been a good experience.”
At one point during the camp, Ekiyor lined up at offensive guard, while Mayfield lined up next to him at tackle, with Hutchinson coming off the edge at defensive end.
“Just a glimpse of future practices,” Ekiyor said with a laugh. “It was kind of cool.”
Although Rivals lists the No. 145 overall player as a guard, he worked out some at center during last weekend’s camp. Was that Drevno’s idea, or did Ekiyor come up with that one on his own?
“It’s kind of a mixture of both,” he explained. “Coach Drevno asked me to be as versatile as I can.”
Regardless of where he ends up, Ekiyor spent some time on Saturday chatting with the Wolverines' potential center of the future – freshman Cesar Ruiz.
“We got to hang out a lot yesterday, and we’ve just been talking this whole weekend and getting to know each other,” he said. “Out on the field today, he was just telling me about the program and how much he likes it here.”
Currently living a little over four hours from Ann Arbor, the Indianapolis native said he’ll be back on campus at the end of July for the program’s annual barbecue.
Even though he has taken himself off the market, Ekiyor said he is still being pursued heavily by two of the nation’s powerhouses.
“I’m still hearing from Florida State and Alabama,” he revealed. “Those two are still recruiting me the hardest. But I’m pretty solid with Michigan right now, and I can’t see myself leaving here.”
Well folks, there you have it – it looks like the Ekiyor/lack of communication fiasco a few weeks ago that had so many fans in a panic was much ado about nothing.
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