Michigan held its Aerial Assault and Super Skills camp inside both the Big House and Glick Fieldhouse on Saturday, with hundreds of high school football players in attendance.
While the camp was obviously intended to help young hopeful athletes gain exposure, the event also benefitted several current guys on Michigan’s roster.
As many as 20 players assisted in a number of different ways throughout the day, helping to instruct, teach and aid in any way possible. Here are a few notable observations on some key Wolverines.
Nico Collins – Wide Receiver (Fr.)
First of all, Nico Collins does not look like a freshman – he’s tall, thick (he came in around 193 pounds, but said he's up to 208) and looks more like an upperclassman than a player who’s never played a snap in college. It obviously remains to be seen whether or not he’ll contribute this season, but if he doesn’t it won’t be because he’s not ready physically.
Chris Evans – Running Back (So.)
The knock on Chris Evans last season was that he needed to add weight in order to break arm tackles and not go down so easily on first contact. Well, he’s clearly added a lot of weight – it seems to be all muscle – which is why many think he could be in store for a 1,000-yard season.
Brad Hawkins – Safety (Fr.)
Jim Harbaugh recently confirmed that Brad Hawkins will indeed be playing safety this season, and like the aforementioned players on this list, he looks the part. In fact, Hawkins is so physically chiseled, one has to wonder if he could develop into a VIPER sometime down the road.
Grant Perry – Wide Receiver (Jr.)
Grant Perry was on the field instructing throughout the day, and appeared to be having a blast with his teammates. Harbaugh said that Perry will not play in a game until his criminal case is resolved, so at this point all he can do is wait and see what the verdict is.
Cesar Ruiz – Center (Fr.)
Perhaps Cesar Ruiz can be included as a dark horse candidate to start at wide receiver, as he was spotted several times hauling in passes from his teammates. That is a joke of course, but he actually did show amazing footspeed and quickness for someone who was listed at 313 pounds out of high school, a quality the coaches clearly love to have in their linemen.
Aubrey Solomon – Defensive Tackle (Fr.)
The temperature reached a high of 85 degrees in Ann Arbor on Saturday, and Aubrey Solomon showed up in long pants and a warm heavy hood with his hood up! What stood out most about him, though, was how much he was joking around with his teammates – he obviously hasn’t been on campus long, but already appears to be very acclimated with everyone.
Luiji Vilain – Defensive End (Fr.)
Other than Hawkins, Luiji Vilain may have been the most physically impressive specimen on the afternoon. He’s tall and lanky – Rivals has him listed at 6-4, but he’s every bit of that – and looks nothing like a freshman; he’ll probably see a decent amount of time this season, and with his size and length, has the potential to turn into an absolute monster off the edge sometime in the not-so-distant future.
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