Dominick Giudice’s path to Michigan, outlook for 2023

If there’s one thing we know for sure about Jim Harbaugh. it’s he thoroughly relishes in the cultivation of the offensive line. This is why it came as a shock to absolutely no one that sophomore Dominick Giudice found himself at right guard last season during the Wolverine’s walloping of the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors.

Giudice allowed one pressure and one quarterback hit during his time on offense against Hawaii. Following his performance, Harbaugh spoke highly of the New Jersey native’s performance during an episode of the “Inside Michigan Football” radio show.

“Tuesday, he makes the switch, and by Saturday night he’s pulling, he’s making calls from the right guard,” Harbaugh said. He also recalled watching Giudice play center during the his recruitment process and took a moment to joke at his own expense for not thinking of the move earlier on.

“Then we went to the practice field and in one day it was like, man, I’m not a very smart guy,” Harbaugh joked. “It took me a year to think of this. I’d never seen a guy pick it up that fast and then play.”

Giudice joins a short list of two-way players on Michigan’s roster. Mike Sainristil is Harbaugh’s latest shining success story, while Kalel Mullings and Amorion Walker continue their offseason training as newly converted weapons as well. But before we project the junior’s 2023 outlook, let’s rewind a little bit further.

The story so far

Giudice committed to Michigan as a three-star edge prospect from Freehold, New Jersey, where he played heavily along both the offensive and defensive lines at Mater Dei High School. He finished his senior season in impression fashion on defense, totaling 46 tackles, seven tackles for loss, six sacks and 42 quarterback pressures.

The 247Sports composite had Giudice as the No. 100 weakside defensive end and the No. 42 player in the state of New Jersey. As a junior, the former Monarch flashed an even higher ceiling, during a campaign that saw him complete the season as the No. 1 in New Jersey, ranking as highly as 11th nationally.

As a true freshman at Michigan, he contributed in two games along the defensive line. He followed that up in 2022 with playing time in three games, with the aforementioned Hawaii game potentially being the most telling for his future.

Outlook for 2023

All things considered, Giudice seems to be in as good a position as any. The former three-star prospect seems primed for a healthier workload following multiple appearances in 2022. What separates him from others is his versatility. Last year, we saw the Wolverines utilize him in a variety of different roles at all three phases.

The coaching staff seems intent on finding a place for Giudice. He’s had the developmental time on the field. We will see if it culminates in a 2023 season that sees him position himself as a solid rotational piece, and possibly more in the future.