Michigan running backs coach Tyrone Wheatley on Sept. 23, 2015
In a few years, Michigan fans may see 2017 running back commitment A.J. Dillon (Groton (Mass.) Lawrence Academy) becoming the type of rusher most thought former Wolverine Derrick Green would be when he committed to Brady Hoke’s staff in 2013.
At 6-foot-1 and 232 pounds, Dillon was one of the top overall performers at Nike’s “The Opening” in Beaverton, Ore., recently. He ran a laser-timed 4.54-second 40-yard dash and followed it up by posting the ninth-best overall SPARQ score at the national event (SPARQ is a Nike-calculated score determined by various athletic drills).
247Sports director of scouting Barton Simmons saw Dillon at the event and says he established himself as one of the nation’s top prospects in every setting.
“Normally, the 7-on-7 no-pads settings don’t favor the larger running backs,” Simmons said. “Dillon was a different story though. He is a bigger kid, but has the speed and agility to make plays on his feet against smaller, quicker competition. He more than held his own throughout the week and is going to be an absolutely perfect fit for Jim Harbaugh’s offense in Ann Arbor. He’s a bruiser that has the ability to be nimble when he has to be.”
Dillon was so impressive, in fact, that he was recently named one of the top 100 overall prospects in the country by 247Sports, and is ranked the top player in the state of Massachusetts in the 2017 cycle.
The Notre Dame legacy, who committed to U-M over the Irish in March, says he felt like he belonged at the event and it’s pushed him to work harder going forward.
“I know that I’ve been working hard and it’s nice to see people taking notice,” Dillon said. “I still have a lot of work to do going forward though, and that’s been my focus the entire time. Everything I do from here on out is in preparation for the next level. Any kind of recognition behind how I perform is only more motivation for me to push harder and keep going.”
Other schools continue to recruit Dillon, who says he’s rock solid to U-M because they are a “perfect fit” for him. Based on what he’s shown over the summer, it’s hard to imagine the Wolverines don’t feel exactly the same.
Steve Lorenz is the editor and publisher of Wolverine247 of the 247Sports Network. You can follow him on Twitter @TremendousUM and give Wolverine247 a try with a free trial until Sept. 3.