Michigan Football Signee Bio: DE Luiji Vilain

• At Nike’s The Opening New Jersey camp, Vilain ran a 5.06-second 40-yard dash and a 4.35-second 20-yard shuttle. He also recorded a 30.4-inch vertical jump and a 39.5-foot power throw. Vilain earned a Nike+ Football Rating of 94.2.

• Episcopal went 14-2-1 in the two years while Vilain was there (no playoffs for private schools).

• Recorded 45 tackles and eight sacks as a senior and also recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown.

• Scored one touchdown as a receiver, on a 40-yard pass play in a 27-13 win over Bullis, Oct. 14, 2016.

• 2016 USA Today All-USA Virginia first-team defensive lineman.

• 2016 Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association first-team All-State.

• 2016 Washington Post All-Met first team.

• 2015 USA Today All-USA Virginia second-team defensive lineman.

• Participated in the Under Armour All-America Game Jan. 1, and had three tackles and three quarterback hurries, but really impressed during the week of practices.

• Attended Nike’s The Opening regional camp in New Jersey in 2016.

• Attended the Rivals Camp Series New Jersey in 2014 and 2016.

• Attended Sound Mind Sound Body camp in Detroit in 2015.

• Committed June 11, 2016.

• Pledged for U-M after a weekend-long unofficial visit in June and never wavered despite having offers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Penn State, Tennessee, UCLA, USC, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin, among many others.

• Official visit to Ann Arbor on Dec. 10, 2016 was the only one he took.

• Head coach Jim Harbaugh, defensive line coach Greg Mattison and defensive coordinator Don Brown were all instrumental in landing Vilain.

• Born March 10, 1998, in Ottawa, Ontario.

• Moved to the United States from Canada prior to his junior season.

Vilain showed during Under Armour practices and in the All-America game that he can hang with and beat the best of the best. He’s long, lean, athletic and quick, and is also stronger than he appears. Michigan’s starting defensive line should be solid, but Vilain is a different kind of athlete than most of U-M’s current edge rushers. He could get a look in 2017 if the coaches want a change of pace on passing situations.

Rivals.com Mid-Atlantic Recruiting Analyst Adam Friedman: “Vilain will be a great pass rusher at Michigan, but at the Under Armour All-America Game he showed that he's not a one-trick pony. He played with more power than ever before and had lots of success in practices. Vilain's presence in the backfield during the game showed he will have success against elite competition.”

Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Mike Farrell: “Michigan has been looking for a long, outside speed rusher since Jim Harbaugh arrived and Vilain could be that guy. I’ve liked guys like Phidarian Mathis, Tylan Wallace and Russ Yeast, but for me I’ve been most pleasantly surprised [at Under Armour All-America Game practices] by Vilain, who could turn into a monster pass rusher under Don Brown in Ann Arbor.”

Alexandria (Va.) Episcopal Head Coach Panos Voulgaris: "Luiji has been tremendous as a pass rusher. His technique is good and his first step is as quick as I've seen at the high school level. He will continue to get better and better as an overall defensive end, especially as he gains more confidence. To go along with his talent, the things that stand out about Luiji are his work ethic and his strength and explosiveness. He has a clear desire to keep learning and growing; he will do what it takes to continue his development as the competition level around him increases. Luiji is an excellent teammate, too. He has a modest leadership style in which he helps his teammates every step of the way. He sets a great example and his teammates at Episcopal look up to him more and more."