@Louiehansen20 / Twitter
New Four-Star Michigan Tight End Commit Louis Hansen Breakdown
St. Sebastian’s head coach Dan Burke had spent more time than most with recent U-M commit Louis Hansen, and the prep football coach shared some insight on what Michigan fans can expect from Hansen.
“With Michigan moving more to the spread and getting a little more open in their offense, I imagine,” Burke told Wolverine Digest. “One of the big reasons a lot of people liked him was because of his skills as a ball catcher. He has unbelievable ball skills and what he can do with the ball after he’s made the catch.”
At 6-5 and 220 pounds, Hansen is a dynamic threat in the passing game who also helps out in run support to exhibit what Burke calls the game of an all-around football player.
“I think anyone who was interested in him, I am sure Michigan is this way too, wants to create mismatches," Burke said. "If he’s against a linebacker, he’s going to be quicker than they are. If he’s against a corner or a safety, he’s got a size mismatch. That’s how they want to use him, but also know he can do the in-line stuff. He’s got the willingness. He’s got the toughness and is excited about contributing to the run game too. He’s a team player.”
From a tangible standpoint, Hansen checks all the boxes of what Michigan is looking for in a tight end. As a mobile, tall, pass-catching option downfield who also digs in to provide run support, Hansen is a talented prospect that will further hone those talents later down the road in Ann Arbor.
Adding to his physical profile, Hansen has his priorities in line and is focused on his academics off the field as well.
“He is a special kid off the field,” Burke said. “He’s a dedicated student, bright kid, smart kid, never a discipline issue whatsoever. In fact, it’s actually the opposite. He’s a leader in the school, community and in the classroom. Every teacher, every student likes him, loves interacting with him. He’s a very personable kid. He’s got all those intangibles that coaches are really looking for beyond what he can do on the field.
In fact, Hansen is the type of prospect who not only fosters relationships with college coaches but goes the extra mile to keep them filled in every step of the way. As such, Hansen spent time on the phone with each of the coaches who pushed hard for his pledge to share the news of his Michigan commitment.
“After he made his commitment, he went around and he called every other coach that spent a lot of time recruiting him and delivered the news over the phone,” Burke said. “I think that went a long way to show the type of person he is. He formed a relationship with these people through the recruiting process. I heard from one coach who said that it speaks volumes about him, that he did that. I know that is not the case for a lot of guys when they are in that situation. It’s a tough conversation to have, but as a 17-year old kid, to have those conversations says a lot about him.”
But while Hansen may have carried out the mature decision yesterday, the four-star tight end also understands when to buckle down and concentrate on the task at hand, especially on the football field.
“He is a vocal guy,” Burke said. “He is not 100% in your face, screaming at you. He’s very funny. He’s humorous when it’s the right time to be humorous in practice. He keeps it light at times but definitely goes very hard. In games this year, even as a junior, we had a very good senior class, good leaders, but there were some games when it got tight and he knows it’s his time to step up vocally. He made his voice heard.
“We were down in a couple of games late, and he said this is not how this is going to go,” Burke said. “He knows the right times, and he just has a good social awareness to know just what the situation calls for. When it’s got to be light, it will be light. When people need to be pushed and motivated, he is the guy that is going to jump in and push and motivate guys too.”
With a junior season replete of leading moments in the books, Hansen has carried himself as a player that is expected to not only join Michigan’s team but to have success in Ann Arbor down the road.
“He’s going to be a leader,” Burke said. “He’s going to do things the right way. He’s handled every part of the recruiting process the right way, so it gives a lot of people confidence that he’s a really good fit at Michigan.”
At the moment, Hansen checks in at around 220 pounds, and Burke can easily see him putting on 15 or so more pounds down the line given his frame.
“We’ve used him more as a split receive just because of our offense and our personnel,” Burke said. “We needed to create some mismatches on the outside. We knew he was going to be a tight end, so that was his biggest focus- putting on some size so he can put his hand in the ground and block some defensive lineman as well. So, he’s made a lot of progress there, so that’s continued to be a focus. He’s also worked on his speed knowing that he will be at a Big 10, Power 5 conference, wherever he was going to go. He increased his speed by working with QBs and continuing to work on his route work. I think speed, strength, size, the typical stuff that football players work on, he’s been totally dedicated to doing all that.”
In order to pull Hansen to Ann Arbor, Michigan employed a family-first approach, and this strategy paid dividends with the accomplished tight end according to his coach.
“I think that’s something they did very well,” Burke said. “Michigan talked to the family and made a really concerted effort to make sure they made connections with not just Louie but his mom and his dad. They came to school frequently and put some time in there. I think when Louie chose to come to our school, he just got the right feel. He felt a strong connection with us, and he knew that that’s what it was going to take to choose his next school. It had to feel right. He had to feel connected to the people there and with the community, and that’s definitely what he felt at Michigan. I think a lot of it was because they connected with all of his family members too.”
Though many kids are on a break from school at the moment, Hansen is staying active and working on his fitness as one of the newest Michigan commits in the 2021 class.
As a talented prospect in both the passing department and run support, Hansen helps open Michigan’s options down the line. How would you like to see him best used? Let us know!
