The Michigan Wolverines’ football program signed a solid three-man offensive line haul in its 2020 recruiting class, highlighted by Cambridge (Mass.) Buckingham Browne & Nichols four-star offensive tackle Zak Zinter and San Juan Capistrano (Calif.) JSerra Catholic four-star offensive tackle Jeffrey Persi, as well as Centennial (Colo.) Eaglecrest three-star offensive tackle Reece Atteberry.
It's worth noting Persi and Atteberry took part in postseason all-star games in January as well, with the former playing in the International Bowl in Dallas and the latter the Polynesian Bowl in Hawaii.
Atteberry in particular has long been known for the versatility he possesses to play multiple positions along the offensive line front, but according to International Bowl offensive line coach Mark Martinez, Persi’s versatility up front is a trait that will make him valuable at Michigan as well.
“He moves well enough to also play inside and would do well there,” Martinez — who is also the offensive line coach at Scottsdale Saguaro High School in Arizona — explained. “You want your guards to be able to roam, but he’s a good space player as well.
"He’s athletic enough and physical enough for him to play on the inside with no issues. Persi will get into the weight training program there and they’ll start feeding him, so he’ll put on some good weight, even though he’s already a physical specimen.
"He’s not a chubby kid or anything. The sky is the limit for him in college and I think he’ll be a name people are going to remember. I see a lot of potential in him and think he’ll make it there as long as he stays healthy.
"He might be an All-American and a name to remember once he makes it to the league.”
The Under Armour All-American Game in Orlando and the All-American Game in San Antonio have gained a reputation for being the top postseason all-star contests for high schoolers, but the International Bowl possessed its fair share of high-level prospects this past January as well.
“When we did some of the 1-on-1 drills in practice, there were some dudes on the other side, including a kid going to Georgia, so we had a stacked roster,” Martinez recalled. “Persi did great in the 1-on-1s, with a beautiful kick step and really stood out from the others.
"He was one of the best linemen there, though all the guys we had were studs. I had never been around a group of guys like that who were all dudes. You’ll usually get one guy who’s a dude and the other ones are average, but this year’s were all dudes.
"I would take Persi on my line in a heartbeat.”
