After what has been an up and down week for Michigan Football on the recruiting trail, the Wolverines finished Thursday with a pair of commitments to its 2016 class.
The latest was 2016 offensive lineman Stephen Spanellis (Baltimore, Maryland), who announced he was flipping his commitment from the Virginia Cavaliers to the Michigan Wolverines.
Spanellis is a three-star prospect and the 61st-ranked offensive tackle in the class, according to the 247 Composite.
The Wolverines parted ways with long-time four-star commit Erik Swenson earlier this week, leaving a void that Spanellis has now filled. A knock on Swenson has been weak senior film, which looks like it played a role in his departure.
One of the interesting storylines moving forward will be how the careers of these two prospects play out and if the Wolverines went in the right direction or not.
The good news here is that Spanellis' senior film look promising and it is easy to see why he is a part of this class.
At 6-foot-5, 295 pounds, Spanelis already has good size and strength for a player his age. Most of the plays on his highlight reel end with him pancaking the guy across from him.
He has good first step off the snap of the football and fires out low with a good pad level and finishes his blocks using his upper body strength. He also has good speed and is a capable downfield blocker on screen plays.
Spanellis lines up at right tackle in most of his film, but looks like he may have decent enough footwork and lateral quickness to play inside at guard, as well.
Sometimes he gets caught standing up, but is still able to assert himself because he is just flat-out stronger than his high school competition.
Michigan has what appears to be a solid offensive lineman who certainly could be a starter in time.