Michigan has been casting a wide recruiting net out West.
The Wolverines recently dipped into the Las Vegas metro and offered a pair of high-level 2021 prospects in Moliki Matavao, the nation’s top tight end for next cycle, and Rivals250 offensive tackle Tiaoalii Savea.
I made my way out to the city of bright lights and shows to see both prospects in action.
My first stop was at Las Vegas (Nev.) Desert Pines to see Savea. Unfortunately, Savea was out due to a concussion. Physically, Savea is an impressive looking prospect with the body to be a right tackle or defensive tackle at the next level.
Savea actually has offers at both positions, but his future is likely on the defensive side of the ball. Savea also prefers to play defensive tackle, which should make college defensive line coaches happy.
Michigan offered Savea back in May and has been in contact with him as of late. However, landing him will prove to be extremely difficult. Getting him on campus for a visit is a must to have a legitimate chance.
By the way, Desert Pines is loaded with talented underclassmen. Some names to know are 2021 wide receiver Michael Jackson, 2022 running back Jovantae Barnes and 2023 athlete DeAndre Moore. All have big-time offers and are on the rise.
On Friday night, I had an opportunity to watch Matavao in-person as his Henderson (Nev.) Liberty team took on Foothill (Nev.) in what was supposed to be an exciting homecoming matchup. Liberty, however, won in a blowout.
Matavao showed a flash of why he’s the No. 1 tight end in the nation as he made an effortless one-handed grab for a first down on the game's opening drive.
Matavao was quiet for pretty much the remainder of the game. He didn’t see a ton of targets come his way and was limited by game script. His only other catch came in the fourth quarter when the contest was basically out of hand.
What I liked the most about Matavao was his height and athleticism. Matavao is a towering target and a natural pass catcher. He spent most of his time at flex end but also moved around and lined up as an ‘H.’
Matavao reminded me of a guy like Jace Amaro, who was a prolific pass catcher at Texas Tech and a second round NFL Draft pick. Matavao can be a monster receiving threat at the next level. My concern is that he doesn’t reach that ceiling. He was underwhelming as a blocker and obviously didn’t have a ton of production.
Don’t get me wrong, he’s the nation’s top ranked tight end for a reason, but I think a lot of that is based on projection. He has a very high ceiling but also a low floor.
The best player on the field, in my opinion, was actually 2022 Henderson (Nev.) Liberty wide receiver Germie Bernard. If Michigan is looking to get into Vegas more often, offering Bernard would be smart.
Bernard is fast, explosive and took over the game in the first half. He’s an athletic pass catcher and can stretch the defense on the outside. Bernard has early offers from Hawaii, Utah, Washington and a couple of others.
Another underclassman to keep an eye on is 2021 Henderson (Nev.) Liberty linebacker Zephaniah Maea. Linebacker is a premium position, and Maea will be a very solid inside backer at the next level.
Maea is a fearless striker and plays with reckless abandonment. While undersized, he fills gaps quickly and lives for contact.He has early offers from Hawaii, Nevada, Utah and a couple of others.
Overall, Las Vegas is a city with growing talent, especially coming up through the ranks. Michigan should continue to get an early jump on the underclassmen talent the city has to offer.
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