New Blue, Jon Runyan Jr.

Michigan's class of 2015 grew from zero to two this past week when the staff got calls from kicker Andrew David and offensive lineman Jon Runyan Jr., whose father played tackle for Michigan in the early '90s before playing for the Tennessee Titans and Philadelphia Eagles for several years. Runyan hails from St. Joseph's High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he plays the right tackle position.

Whether or not Runyan would commit to Michigan when offered was never a question, rather a question of if he'd ever receive an offer altogether. He doesn't project to be as long or strong as his father, but he proved doubters wrong when he received his offer at Michigan's camp. He camped at Ohio State beforehand and was receiving interest from a handful of other schools, but Runyan's recruitment was over about as soon as he got his Michigan offer.

Runyan isn't extremely impressive off of the hoof. He stands around 6'3" and weighs close to 250 pounds, so he has a long way to go in terms of weight gain. His father stands at a solid 6'7", giving him a real chance of growing an inch or three over the coming years, especially considering that he's only going to be a junior in high school. Jon already has a frame long enough to hold 300 pounds, and he has two years to grow into that frame before lining up against scholarship defensive lineman. He has upside no matter where he plays; whether or not he plays guard or tackle might depend on how much he grows in the next two years, if he grows at all.

Jon is a young technician on the field, showing consistent footwork and hand use despite being a teenager: watching dad throw lineman down for years on end has that kind of effect on young men. He received his offer at Michigan's annual football camp because of a great showing in one-on-one drills against defensive lineman looking to earn scholarship offers from Michigan. This leads me to believe that his pass pro abilities are ahead of his skills in the run game, but the ability to plow through lineman and linebackers will come with added weight. He doesn't show much of a mean streak on the field; I expect that to shine through when he starts pushing 280 pounds and really begins to toss kids.

Overall, Runyan is a solid offer and could go on to be valuable down the line. Michigan stocked its fronts with talented young lineman in '12 and '13, allowing it to take projects on the offensive line in the '14 and '15 classes. Runyan won't look like that much of a project once he gets to campus–he'll probably be pushing 6'4", 300 by then–so the offer should look that much better in two years time. I see him as a future right tackle given his above average athleticism and long arms, but don't rule out any of the non-center positions on the line.