Dynamic Edge Rusher Chooses Michigan
Michigan has been hot on the recruiting trail over the past month. The Wolverines landed five prospects during the month of June, nabbed Gooding (Idaho) High tight end Colston Loveland yesterday and now have a commitment in place from Clearwater (Fla.) Gaither edge rusher Mario Eugenio.
The talented pass rusher reeled in more than 30 offers during his recruitment but it came down to two finalist — Michigan and Iowa State. The official visit to U-M in mid-June sealed the deal for the Wolverines and really put Eugenio's mind at ease.
"It just felt like home when I went there," he said. "I got to meet a lot of the players and a lot of the coaches. Me and Coach Oz [Ryan Osborn] and Coach [Shaun] Nua already had a good bond and I wanted to see them in real life and get to meet them. It was just a great experience all throughout the visit."
Obviously head coach Jim Harbaugh was involved too and he also made a solid impression. Eugenio was honest about Harbaugh's recent run on the field, but overall, feels good about his future head coach.
"I think Coach Harbaugh is a pretty great guy," Eugenio said. "I went to his house and we were able to talk a lot. I met his brother, John, from the Ravens.
"As a coach, he’s okay. Last season was like Michigan’s worst season in a long time. I think he’s a great coach overall, though. He played at Michigan and he coached and played in the NFL. I think he knows his stuff."
Part of what makes Eugenio feel like Harbaugh and his staff know what they're doing, is their plan for the versatile defender. He does a lot of different things in high school on both sides of the ball, so putting that athleticism to use is going to be key.
"They want me as an edge rusher so I feel like I’ll fit pretty good into their defense with the way they’re running it now and how they spoke to us about it," Eugenio explained. "I’ll be mostly rushing the passer but maybe on a down or two, dropping back into coverage a bit."
Eugenio is as solid as can be to U-M, but he admits that the decision was difficult for him. So many schools have so many great things to sell, and his top two really made him think.
"It was a real tough decision between Iowa State and Michigan throughout the whole process," he said. "There were times when I thought I was going to Iowa State. I love it there. I love the coach at Iowa State, but I wanted to keep an unbiased opinion. Then when I went to Michigan I started hanging out and loving it. I was like, ‘I kind of like it here.’ I really liked the college town. There were Michigan fans everywhere. It was just a loving city.
"My family loves it too. They didn’t know but they loved it. Between them, they liked Iowa State and Michigan too. They didn’t know who I should pick either. It was really close until I just felt like Michigan was the one after my visit. It felt like home there."
Now that he's committed to Michigan, Eugenio is going to do the right thing and let the Iowa State staff know of his decision. As he reflected on that call and the entire process, it was easy to tell that he's relieved.
"I’m going to talk to the Iowa State coach and thank him for his time and everything," Eugenio explained. "It was just a pretty hard, stressful time with every school texting me and calling me. To be honest, I’m just happy to get it over with. I feel like I finally found my home for four years after high school."