TAMPA, FLA. —He hasn’t played much football, and he wasn’t on many teams’ radars this past season, but German defensive end Julius Welschof is no project, Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown said Friday.
Brown, speaking from Berkeley High in Tampa, Fla. following practice in preparation for the Outback Bowl, said he and his staff did plenty of homework before offering the three-star prospect. Welschof signed Dec. 20 in the early period after de-committing from Georgia Tech.
“Be careful with the project statement,” Brown said. “Brandon Collier, who’s his coach, played for me at UMass. It’s not like we were taking a flyer and just taking this guy. This guy is big, and he can run.”
He’s also got ball skills. He put them on display at some camps during drills in which he impressed.
“Has anybody seen his little trickery thing? He’s an athlete,” Brown continued. “He’ll have the best defensive line coach in the country to tutor him. He’s so long, can run and is athletic. I just don’t know how many stars he’s got.”
He was being sarcastic, of course, in alluding to the recruiting ranking system.
“He’s 6-7, 255 pounds and he runs sub 5.0 flat (40-yard dash). That’s a lot of upside,” he said. “When he reaches his arm out to get a sack, it’s not like me. It’s a grown man. Length is a wonderful thing. But he’s been coached too, by Brandon Collier, a defensive lineman by trade who was a four-year starter for me. He ran 11 flat in the 100 meters and kind of knows what he’s looking at.
“Julius is a talented guy. Were excited about him. We liked him in camp … we really did. Then when we were having discussions about guys that may fit into your spectrum, your class at the end, Coach Mattison was excited about him, and he’s going to be tutored by the best defensive line coach in country.”
And perhaps have him ready to play much earlier than many might expect.
“We don’t think it’s a project,” he said. “We think we can get him ready at a pretty quick pace.”
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