Elliott Impresses, Solidifies Commitment
Houston Westside defensive tackle Jordan Elliott is modestly ranked as a three-star prospect but on the first day of practice for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, he looked like one of the best defensive linemen on the field.
Elliott took to the gridiron with his West squad on Monday and immediately stuck out. He was quick off of the ball, very disruptive, and confident in his play. At one point, one of the coaches said, "Let's just go about 50 [percent] here." Elliott quickly responded with, "I don't know 50 [percent] coach, I only go 100." The 6-5, 300-pounder wasn't kidding and routinely found himself in the backfield.
The No. 33 defensive tackle and No. 54 prospect in Texas would've won "Best Defensive Player of the Day" for the morning session had there been such an award, but early in the afternoon he tweaked a hamstring and sat out for the rest of the day.
"I'm just taking it slow right now," Elliott said. "I'm going to ice it back at the hotel and rest it and see how it feels – just taking it day by day right now."
If he is forced to miss significant time during the week, the West squad will certainly feel the loss based on his day-one performance.
On the recruiting side of things, Elliott committed to Michigan Nov. 27 but that hasn't stopped other teams from pursuing the three-star big man. Most notably Texas has been pushing hard to get the talented defensive lineman on campus but Elliott had a very clear message for everyone out there:
Aside from an unofficial visit to Michigan sometime this month, Elliott insists that he is done with the recruiting process. Elliott was committed to Baylor and Houston prior to his pledge to the Wolverines but this time around is different for him. He's more comfortable with Michigan than he ever was with the Bears or Cougars and, perhaps most importantly, so is his mother.
Elliott is the first recruit from Texas to commit to Michigan under Jim Harbaugh but certainly won't be the last. Harbaugh plans to recruit Texas, and the Houston area specifically, and Elliott is a nice springboard to being able to do that.