Michigan LB Commit Tyler McLaurin 'Could Easily Play On Sundays'

"I saw him when his recruitment kind of broke open, which was at the Lindenwood Mega Camp in St. Louis about a year ago," Helmholdt said. "He just jumped off the field. He’s a guy that didn’t really have any looks, didn’t have a whole lot of attention. But, he immediately made you stand up and take notice — both with his length and athleticism.

"He’s a rangy linebacker who is going to be very adept in space, but the film also shows that he’s stout enough against the run. He doesn’t give up anything in that department either."

That athleticism is certainly one of the biggest reasons why there's reason for optimism regarding what kind of player McLaurin can become. His upside is high, but he will need to develop more before he'll get on the field for significant reps at U-M. If he does, he's a future pro.

"With McLaurin, right now, it’s really the whole is lesser than the sum of its parts," Helmholdt said. "He needs to pull it all together. His skillset is there, but it isn’t fully developed into what he can be as a football player.

"So, he’s a guy that definitely has, I think, very high upside and could easily play on Sundays if he’s able to make the most of his development and skillset and fine tune it to be able to get the most out of the gifts God has given him. He’s a guy that does have a very high ceiling, and how he performs this season will kind of tell us just how likely he is to reach that ceiling."

Current Michigan Player Comparison

A comparison to current Wolverine redshirt sophomore linebacker Cam McGrone is apt, Helmholdt said. McGrone broke out last season for U-M in his second year with the program.

"He reminds me of Cam McGrone, even though he’s a little bit taller than Cam," Helmholdt said. "Cam always played longer than his measurables suggested. And, when I watch McLaurin, I see a lot of the same movement skills."

That being said, he still has a little bit of a ways to go in terms of being where McGrone was entering his senior year as a recruit.

"I saw McGrone probably for the first time when he was a sophomore, and he was further along at that stage than when I saw McLaurin as a sophomore. I do think that McLaurin’s development curve is a little bit behind of where Cam was at the same stage."

At last glance, the development is well under way for McLaurin, Helmholdt pointed out.

"I saw McLaurin in January," Helmhold said. "And actually, he looked physically bigger than when I saw him in June. So, that’s nice to see, and he was still moving the same way. So, I’m encouraged with his development, and if he can continue that and what we see senior year is a continuation of that development, that’s going to be a really, really good omen that he’ll be a candidate to see his stock bump up."

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