TheWolverine.com was on the road Thursday night to see 2022 Belleville (Mich.) High two-star Michigan linebacker commit Aaron Alexander and his squad notch a 49-0 win over Dearborn (Mich.) High. Here are some thoughts on Alexander's performance, as well as some observations on a pair of underclassman targets who also play for Belleville.
*** Let's first talk about the good, because there was plenty of it. Alexander is known for his speed — he reportedly clocked a 4.4-second 40-yard dash at Michigan's camp this summer — and it showed Friday night, especially when he was going in a straight line.
Trailing for almost the entire game, Dearborn was forced to throw quite a bit, meaning Alexander — who plays inside linebacker for the Tigers — was dropping pass coverage quite a bit. He had hook-to-flat responsibility, it appeared and there was only one time we can recall that a receiver caught the ball in his area.
*** He wasn't around the ball a ton when it came to run defense, though he was able to come up and make some hits when the ball was run at him. He also knifed through the defense on a blitz and notched an impressive TFL at one point. When the action was near him, he was extremely physical with blockers working up to the second level (there weren't many times they actually got to the second level since Belleville's d-line was so stout) and laid the wood on the ball-carrier on multiple occasions. Physicality is a strength. Coupled with speed, those are a pair of some really good traits.
He came out of the game roughly midway through the third quarter.
*** One area in which we believe Alexander can improve is changing directions. As noted, his straight-line speed is impressive, but when he would drop in coverage and then have to turn around and chase the ball, it wasn't as smooth as we would've liked to see.
*** He brought the same aforementioned physicality to the offensive side of the ball when featured as a running back, running through arm tackles. And at one point, he carried a pile of about six guys an extra 10 yards. It was quite impressive.
*** Let's move on to 2025 quarterback Bryce Underwood, who was brought to our attention almost a year ago by top trainer and owner of QB U Donovan Dooley as one to watch and potentially the 'next great one' out of the state of Michigan. He certainly has all the tools, including arm strength — he can really let it rip. Decision making and accuracy, on the other hand, will surely improve as he gets older and continues to develop. He sailed a few balls and missed a couple open receivers, but he also made quite a few plays ... and throwing five (!!) touchdown passes speaks for itself.
He's one to watch ... like really, really closely. It'll be interesting to see his trajectory going forward.
*** Finally, we got a chance to see 2024 linebacker Jeremiah Beasley, who played alongside Alexander in the middle of the Tiger defense. While he's not as fast as Alexander, he's big for his age and is also physical. We actually had to check our roster an extra time after the first series to make sure we were watching the right kid — the 6-0, 200-pounder looks much more physically mature than you'd expect out of a sophomore. He was around the ball a lot on defense, and he ran with the ball offensively and is probably a more natural ball-carrier than Alexander. Very positive showing from Beasley.
*** Let's first talk about the good, because there was plenty of it. Alexander is known for his speed — he reportedly clocked a 4.4-second 40-yard dash at Michigan's camp this summer — and it showed Friday night, especially when he was going in a straight line.
Trailing for almost the entire game, Dearborn was forced to throw quite a bit, meaning Alexander — who plays inside linebacker for the Tigers — was dropping pass coverage quite a bit. He had hook-to-flat responsibility, it appeared and there was only one time we can recall that a receiver caught the ball in his area.
*** He wasn't around the ball a ton when it came to run defense, though he was able to come up and make some hits when the ball was run at him. He also knifed through the defense on a blitz and notched an impressive TFL at one point. When the action was near him, he was extremely physical with blockers working up to the second level (there weren't many times they actually got to the second level since Belleville's d-line was so stout) and laid the wood on the ball-carrier on multiple occasions. Physicality is a strength. Coupled with speed, those are a pair of some really good traits.
He came out of the game roughly midway through the third quarter.
*** One area in which we believe Alexander can improve is changing directions. As noted, his straight-line speed is impressive, but when he would drop in coverage and then have to turn around and chase the ball, it wasn't as smooth as we would've liked to see.
*** He brought the same aforementioned physicality to the offensive side of the ball when featured as a running back, running through arm tackles. And at one point, he carried a pile of about six guys an extra 10 yards. It was quite impressive.
*** Let's move on to 2025 quarterback Bryce Underwood, who was brought to our attention almost a year ago by top trainer and owner of QB U Donovan Dooley as one to watch and potentially the 'next great one' out of the state of Michigan. He certainly has all the tools, including arm strength — he can really let it rip. Decision making and accuracy, on the other hand, will surely improve as he gets older and continues to develop. He sailed a few balls and missed a couple open receivers, but he also made quite a few plays ... and throwing five (!!) touchdown passes speaks for itself.
He's one to watch ... like really, really closely. It'll be interesting to see his trajectory going forward.
*** Finally, we got a chance to see 2024 linebacker Jeremiah Beasley, who played alongside Alexander in the middle of the Tiger defense. While he's not as fast as Alexander, he's big for his age and is also physical. We actually had to check our roster an extra time after the first series to make sure we were watching the right kid — the 6-0, 200-pounder looks much more physically mature than you'd expect out of a sophomore. He was around the ball a lot on defense, and he ran with the ball offensively and is probably a more natural ball-carrier than Alexander. Very positive showing from Beasley.
