Michigan Commit Giudice Shows Tenacity, Non-Stop Motor
Last year, Freehold (N.J.) Mater Dei three-star defensive end and recent Michigan commit Dominick Giudice led the state of New Jersey in sacks with a whopping 24 quarterback takedowns.
After compiling a similarly impressive sophomore campaign, Mater Dei defensive line coach Shannon Hoadley says that the secret on Giudice was out heading into his junior season, making his uber-productive 2019 campaign all the more notable.
“To do what he was able to do last year was exceptional,” Hoadley told Wolverine Digest. “That’s a tribute to Dom’s work ethic in the offseason and in-season work of what he does to always get better. In my 21 years of coaching high school football, and I’ve coached kids that have gone on to Boston College, Notre Dame and All-Americans, he’s probably one of the best defensive linemen I’ve ever coached. In all aspects of football, film study, workouts, leadership characteristics, he is a coach’s dream, a real once-in-a-lifetime type of kid that a high school coach would come across.”
From a schematic standpoint, Giudice is strong enough to maintain the interior defensive line while remaining speedy and agile enough to apply pressure on the edges. This versatility has acted as a sizable advantage for Mater Dei throughout Giudice’s high school career.
“Dom’s sophomore year, Dom played five-tech / weak-side defensive end for me,” Hoadley said. “He was able to come off the edge and really wreak havoc. Last year, I moved him over to our seven-tech / strong-side defensive end, which obviously he played between tight ends and tackles as a lot of the run strength with us, and still on pass rush downs be able to take on double teams.”
At 6-4 and 262-pounds, Giudice has worked over the offseason to pack on more muscle to his long frame. As Giudice continues to grow physically, so too does the New Jersey prospect improve on his game from a technical standpoint, and Hoadley broke down the strong points of Michigan’s newest commit in the 2021 class.
“Dom’s leverage is probably his best attribute,” Hoadley said. “He has great first jump off the ball with the snap of his punch through his hips and through his hands, to be able to extend out and launch, to be able to get vision to understand what’s going on in the backfield. Then again, he’s so good at his football acumen of game film study to understanding what formations are going to present a play with a higher percentage of what’s going to run, he’s already looking at what is going on while his hands and feet are still moving… That’s where he really succeeds.”
Ranked as a three-star prospect by 247Sports.com, Giudice will be relied upon as a consistent contributor for Mater Dei in 2020. However, Hoadley highlighted that the future Wolverine is working steadfastly to prepare for his senior season.
“Dom is going to probably end up playing my strong-side defensive end again this year,” Hoadley said. “He’s going to be 99% of the time playing both ways on the offensive and defensive line, so stamina and strength to be able to withstand the division and out of conference schedule. We have been in the state championship the last four years, so having his body hold up over the season is one thing. He’s really doing a phenomenal job over this offseason of putting muscle mass on the right way, the correct way, to be able to withstand the punishment. I think he realized that he needed to get bigger and stronger going into the season.”
While Giudice is starting on both offense and defense at Mater Dei, the athletic recruit is also a crucial element to the team’s special teams unit. Giudice handles the long-snapping duties for the Seraphs as well. In fact, Hoadley rates Giudice’s snapping ability as “one of the best” in their conference.
In order to excel in so many areas of the game, Hoadley says that Giudice is a meticulous student of the game and really hones his focus in during film study. This approach allows for Giudice to be prepared for whichever situation unfolds on the field.
“He is so game-ready to break down film that when he goes to the next level, he will be able to succeed,” Hoadley said.
As a testament to the work ethic of Michigan’s newest commit, Giudice is continuing to work on his craft from home during the coronavirus situation.
“He’s posting Twitter videos to me, showing me that he’s working out with his brother who played college ball,” Giudice said. “He’s working on his hand slaps, hand movement and edge rushing.”
Giudice has shown to possess a motor that never stops or slows down, and this tenacity will be utilized in Ann Arbor as well.
What stands out to you about Giudice’s game? Where would you slot the talented pass rusher along Michigan’s defensive line? Let us know!
