Michigan Wolverines Football Signee Bio: Safety Joey Velazquez

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Columbus (Ohio) St. Francis DeSales three-star safety Joey Velazquez is officially a part of Michigan's football program.

• As a senior, Velazquez made 76 tackles, including 20 for loss and two sacks, and forced six fumbles. He also ran the ball 160 times for 917 yards (5.7 yards per carry) and 13 scores, and hauled in 14 receptions for 103 yards.

• As a junior, Velazquez had 53 tackles, including 4.5 for loss. He also had two interceptions and four pass breakups. On offense, he had 72 carries for 356 yards and seven touchdowns. He also caught 17 pass for 148 yards and another score.

• As a sophomore, Velazquez recorded 32 tackles, including 3.5 for loss and two sacks. He also picked off three passes and broke up another. On offense, he carried the ball 22 times for 66 yards and a touchdown.

• Was named first-team All-Ohio as a senior, and was also first-team All-Metro and first-team all-district in 2018.

• Was first-team All-Central Catholic League both as a junior and as a senior.

• Was an honorable mention all-district player as a junior.

• Velazquez originally committed to Ohio State for baseball, but jumped at the opportunity to play both baseball and football at Michigan. He pledged to the Wolverines on June 22, 2018.

• Was recruited mainly by linebackers coach Al Washington.

• Chose Michigan over the baseball opportunity at Ohio State, as well as Air Force, Army and Yale, among others, for a chance to play football.

• Will enroll at Michigan next summer.

• Recorded the best single-season batting average in DeSales baseball history as a junior••• with a .545 mark.

• Enters his senior season with the second-most doubles in DeSales history with 16.

• Was widely regarded as the No. 1 overall baseball prospect in the state of Ohio.

• Was first-team All-Ohio in both 2017 and 2018 for baseball.

• Was also named the Central District Player of the Year in 2018 on the diamond, in addition to earning first-team All-Central Catholic League and All-Central District laurels in 2017 and 2018.

• Was named to the Columbus Dispatch All-Metro Team in 2018 and also was the Division II and PUKKA Inc. Player of the Year in 2018 for baseball.

• Attended the Rivals Camp Series in Columbus in 2018.

• Is considered a workout warrior and boasts impressive numbers because of it — benches 390 pounds, squats 570 and deadlifts 600.

Rivals.com Midwest recruiting analyst Josh Helmholdt: "Velazquez is a guy that I'm a bit surprised Michigan went after. I think he's probably more of a Group of Five type. He's a physical kid and he's athletic, but he plays a bit stiff.

"I think he's going to have trouble playing in space at the Big Ten level. I think he'll probably grow into a linebacker. He's definitely a guy you want to play north-south. If you ask him to go east-west too much I think he could struggle with that. He's more of a hard-nosed, mix-it-up type of a guy."

St. Francis DeSales head coach Ryan Wiggins: “He’s a winner, he’s a hard worker — that’s one of his best assets. Everything he does — drills, lifting, warm-up lap — he’s always trying to win. Just about anyone who has coached him would agree, he gives you everything he has. He’s very athletic, very versatile, he’s physical, fast and has long arms. He’s really athletic for a safety but big enough to be a linebacker; I think that’s one of the reasons that he’s had so much attention. He’s just a pure athlete.”

Velazquez likely won't be needed as a true freshman, giving him time to learn schemes, get comfortable, add some weight and hopefully increase flexibility, agility and even speed.

There is obviously a ton of time for moving parts to shift, but it's always fun to look at how the depth chart should/could look, especially at a versatile position like viper. Who will Khaleke Hudson pass the torch to? Velazquez could compete against Brad Hawkins, perhaps Cameron McGrone or Michael Barrett, and then within his own class, Quinten Johnson, for a pecking order at the always-important position in Don Brown's defense.

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