Henry Poggi Chooses Michigan over Alabama, Solidifies 2013 Defensive Line Class

Last week, the Michigan Wolverines' 2013 recruiting class had only one commitment from a defensive lineman, but that changed over the weekend when the Wolverines picked up a verbal pledge from 3-star defensive tackle Maurice Hurst Jr. (Westwood, Mass.) and 4-star defensive tackle Henry Poggi (Baltimore, Md.) picked Michigan over Alabama on Monday morning.  

Poggi is one of the most sought after defensive lineman in the country and he could play anywhere on Michigan's defensive line given his athleticism and a lot of room to add extra muscle to his 6'4", 240-pound frame. 

One of, if not the biggest factor in Poggi's final decision was Michigan head coach Brady Hoke along with the rest of the coaching staff, and the positive direction the Wolverines appear to be heading under. 

"Coach Hoke is a great coach, I think Michigan is ready to take that next step to being a national title contender and I really like Coach (Greg) Mattison and Coach (Jerry) Montgomery," Poggi told Rivals.com after committing.  

"The whole staff was great actually. I think they'll prepare me to be the best I can be. I'm going to start off as a five-technique for the first few years and then I'll eventually become a three-technique so I like the plan they have for me there. They really spelled out what they saw in me." 

Not only were Hoke and his staff able to completely amaze the nation's No. 52 overall prospect and No. 2 ranked defensive tackle, but they also made a strong impression on Poggi's mother when the family visited Ann Arbor in March. 

"(Henry's mother) sat with Brady [Hoke], she spent 40 minutes with him and he explained to her why he coaches," Henry's father Biff Poggi told Tom VanHaaren of ESPN.com. "He's passionate about impacting the lives of young kids, and she believed him and felt like that was deep in his heart. 

"The academic piece, she also thought in her mind is every bit as impressive and maybe more than Stanford." 

Hurst Jr., who is the son of former New England Patriots cornerback Maurice Hurst Sr., pulled the trigger two days before Poggi did. The two of them together give Michigan outstanding depth along the defensive line for the 2013 class with 4-star defensive end Taco Charlton (Pickerington, Ohio) already in the fold. 

There never seemed to be any doubt Hurst would eventually verbally commit to Michigan after he received an official offer from the Wolverines in May, even though he took a visit to Michigan State the day before he committed.  

"If (Michigan) were to offer, I'd probably have to start thinking about committing to that one within a week, a couple of weeks, or even a couple of days after I saw the school," Hurst said before Michigan's offer came through.  

Hurst and Poggi's commitments bring Michigan's class of 2013 verbal commitment total to 20 prospects. It is expected that the Wolverines will take 24 commitments in total. 

Michigan is likely done recruiting defensive linemen and will now focus on bringing in one more highly coveted wide receiver, another cornerback and a running back. What the coaches will do with the fourth and final available scholarship is unclear at this point.

Zach Dirlam is the Lead Editor of the College Basketball section as well as Big Ten columnist for the FOX Sports/MSN/YardBarker affiliate website Sports at Work. Check out his blog, Dirlam’s Dirty Dugout Sports Blog, which features this story, along with other articles and video reports on major sports.

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