

photo via 247

Groton (MA) Lawrence Academy running back AJ Dillon is the grandson of former Notre Dame All-American Tom Gatewood. He made multiple visits to South Bend throughout the recruiting process, including one for their Junior Day within a couple weeks of his planned decision. According to Steve Lorenz, even the Irish had an uphill battle heading into Dillon's most recent round of visits, and Michigan had work to do as well:

Going into his visit last week, I posted that it was going to be a good barometer visit for both Michigan and Dillon, as we had the Wolverines possibly running fourth on his list. Wisconsin was the favorite, he was a Notre Dame legacy prospect, and Florida State was his childhood favorite. However, this visit turned into somewhat of a home-run for both parties, as Michigan was really impressed with Dillon and what he brought to the table from an on and off the field standpoint. The same could be said on the other side, as we were told that the strong visit to Ann Arbor caught Dillon and his camp off-guard. A good indicator of this is the quick commitment not only post-visit, but also when seeing Wisconsin and Notre Dame after he saw Michigan last week.

A few days after Dillon's ND visit, he made his way to Ann Arbor, and that was enough to convince him to blaze his own trail and attend Michigan:

"I got that feel of the atmosphere, the people, and everything was clicking," Dillon said. "It's just a place I could see myself in the next three to four years. I know I'll develop as a young man, as a student and a great football player at the University of Michigan."

Dillon is the seventh commit in the 2017 class—AL S J'Marick Woods has since become the eighth—and the second at running back, joining Georgia three-star Kurt Taylor.

GURU RATINGS

Scout Rivals ESPN 247 247 Comp 3*, #41 RB 4*, #16 RB 3*, NR RB 4*, 91, #18 RB,

#207 Ovr 4*, #19 RB,

#248 Ovr

Dillon's rankings are split between solid four-star (Rivals, 247) and generic three-star (Scout, ESPN), which isn't unusual at this stage for a prospect from a state not known for producing a ton of football talent. Michigan fans have seen this before with Massachusetts prospects; Mo Hurst's rankings belied his ability that was apparent on tape, the same could be said for incoming freshman Sean McKeon, and after watching his film I'd say that's the case with Dillon.

There's far less discrepancy in the listings of his size. Dillon is listed at 6'0", 228 on the low end (Rivals) and 6'1", 235 on the high end (Scout); he's got the build of an every-down back and could even be a linebacker if Michigan so chooses—though they've told Dillon they want him as a RB.

[Hit THE JUMP for scouting, video, and more.]

SCOUTING

Rivals released a post-commitment video that gives a nice overview of Dillon's game:

The biggest point of contention in Dillon's evaluations is whether he possesses top-end speed. The video above asserts he does; his 4.64 electronically timed 40 (spoiler alert?) provides solid supporting evidence. As Scout's free evaluation shows, even when scouts doubt Dillon's speed, it doesn't seem to affect their opinion of his ability:

Evaluation Dillon is a rugged, tough, between-the-tackles runner who is difficult to bring down on first contact. He is thick and strong in the lower body, and tackles often bounce off of him. He has good vision and quick feet. He is able to make subtle moves and change direction in short space. He is best moving up the field and is a downhill runner. He secures the football well and he can break tackles. He does not have breakaway speed, but that does not matter. His ability to find the hole and get through it, and to run in traffic, stand out. -- Brian Dohn Strengths Balance

Change-of-Direction

Foot Quickness

Hands

Power

Size

Tackle-Breaking Ability

Toughness

Vision Areas to Improve Acceleration

Breakaway Speed

Cutback Ability

Elusiveness

ESPN provides a similar take:

STRENGTHS: Big, strong back with good speed. Possesses great vision and is very effective cutting. Runs with a low center of gravity and has the power to push the pile and break tackles. Very capable and effective receiver. Tough kid who fights for extra yards. ... AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT: Does not have a second gear or elite top end speed. Lacks the wiggle to consistently make people miss in space. ... BOTTOM LINE: Dillon has a very impressive blend of size, speed and athleticism. He is a prototypical power back and could develop into a bell cow at the next level.

Dillon reminds Tim Sullivan of a current Michigan back with a power mushroom:

Dillon will remind Michigan fans of a more physically imposing version of senior Drake Johnson. He has a similar running style, with cuts that aren't necessarily on a dime, but set each other up well to find open space. Going along with that, he has the vision to create and exploit that space on his runs. Where Dillon is more impressive is breaking tackles. He has a fine combination of a stiff-arm and high-step that seems to find plenty of defenders grasping futilely at his ankles. Once he's through contact, he has a good knack for re-orienting upfield and heading toward the endzone.

247's Steve Wiltfong thinks Dillon is an ideal fit for Jim Harbaugh's offense and posted some tantalizing combine numbers after his commitment:

Perfect for the style of running game the Wolverines want to play, the 6-foot-1, 230-pound Dillon can pound it, he has good feet, he’s tough between the tackles and he can absolutely carry the load in Ann Arbor. ... At last year’s Nike Football New York The Opening Regional, Dillon posted the top Nike Football Rating of the day with a score of 114.12, Dillon measured in at 6-foot-1, 229-pounds and ran a 4.64 electronically time 40-yard dash, a 4.39 shuttle, a 38 ½-0 power ball toss and 36-6 inch vertical. Other top running backs on the field that day included Wolverines freshman Kareem Walker and fellow 2017 D’Andre Swift.

After watching Dillon's junior film, Clint Brewster has a similar sentiment:

Dillon has college-ready size at 6-foot-1, and around 230-pounds. He's got a nice frame and a chiseled body type. Dillon's a hard-charging downhill running back that really pounds the rock. He doesn't waste time hitting the hole and can move the pile. He plays with an old-school ruggedness that would fit well in a downhill running scheme like Michigan's. Dillon's got a real fluid jump-cut and nice maneuverability to get skinny through the hole when he needs to.

If he reaches his potential, Dillon could be a very productive every-down back at Michigan. He's got great size, advanced vision, the physicality to excel in Harbaugh's scheme, the athleticism to break big plays, and the versatility to stay on the field.

OFFERS

Dillon holds offers from Boston College, UConn, Florida State, Illinois, Iowa, UMass, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple, Villanova, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Wisconsin. For a Massachusetts prospect, that's a strong offer sheet.

HIGH SCHOOL

Dillon is the highest-ranked prospect to come out of Lawrence Academy in the Rivals era (2002-present)—he's the first four-star from the program, which has produced a few BC signees and a couple three-stars who ended up in the Big Ten, most recently 2016 Illinois OT signee Eddy Fish.

STATS

According to 247, Dillon rushed for 1887 yards and 27 touchdowns on 187 carries as a junior (10.1 YPC) after carrying the ball 161 times for 1368 yards (8.5 YPC) and 21 scores as a sophomore.

FAKE 40 TIME

Dillon has a very real, zero-FAKE electronic 40 time of 4.64. While that's not elite speed, it's quite impressive for a 230-pound power back.

VIDEO

Junior highlights:

Sophomore highlights and single-game reels can be found on his Hudl page.

PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE

With De'Veon Smith and Drake Johnson set to graduate following this season, Dillon will get the opportunity to compete for carries right away, albeit in a crowded backfield that is slated to include Ty Isaac, Wyatt Shallman, Karan Higdon, Kingston Davis, Kareem Walker, and fellow 2017 commit Kurt Taylor. While I like Dillon's chances at making an early impact, that depth may afford him a redshirt year.

By 2018, I expect we'll see him on the field; his combination of size, balance, vision, and athleticism is tough to find, and pending Walker's development I'm not sure there's a back on the roster that provides his upside.

UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS

Steve Lorenz doesn't expect Michigan to be done at running back even with two commits in the class already:

With Dillon on board, we expect the staff to continue to pursue elite targets at the running back position, with Los Lunas (NM) four-star O'Maury Samuels, Fontana (CA) Summit four-star and USC commit Stephen Carr and Nashville (TN) Montgomery Bell Academy four-star Ty Chandler being among those targeted hardest. The staff will also continue to pursue versatile athletes like Philadelphia five-star D'Andre Swift and New Jersey four-star Bo Melton as well.

We have Michigan at 17 open spots for 2017 as the roster stands right now, with the expectation that the class with grow closer to 25 players by the time Signing Day comes around—Freddy Canteen is included in our current scholarship count even though his status looks to be in doubt and there's usually a wave of attrition as the depth chart grows clearer following the spring.

Here's the class as it currently stands: