Freshmen Faces: Dan Villari

Quarterback Dan Villari was a late addition to Michigan's class but has some juice to him.

Coming out of Massapequa (N.Y.) Plainedge, Dan Villari was considered a three-star prospect, the No. 1,223 overall player nationally and the No. 42 pro-style quarterback in the country according to the 247 Sports Composite. Villari wasn't highly recruited coming out of high school but he's got a swagger about him and doesn't seem to be intimidated by the big stage that is Michigan football. As a senior at Plainedge, Villari passed for 1,306 yards and 13 scores with just one interception and rushed for 1,522 yards with 25 touchdowns. He's listed as a pro-style passer, but obviously has plenty of ability as a runner with numbers like that.

Recruitment

Michigan had a commitment in place from four-star pro-style quarterback JD Johnson but after learning about a medical condition, Johnson decided to retire from football before his college career ever got going. Because of that, Michigan was left scrambling a bit but ultimately found, scouted, offered and landed Villari. He committed to the Wolverines on Dec. 18, 2019 right before the early signing period.

The athletic quarterback didn't have many big offers to choose from so picking U-M was easy once he had a committable offer in hand. Albany, Buffalo, Central Connecticut State, Fordham, Kent State and UMass made up the rest of his offer list.

Player Breakdown/Player Comparison

Villari is a big, good-looking athlete at 6-4, 215 pounds. He obviously can run the ball as evidenced by his rushing numbers in high school and he has a solid arm as well. When you watch his highlight tape and take into account how big he is, it makes you wonder why he didn't have some other bigger offers. He seems to check every box when looking at a high school quarterback with his combination of size, athleticism and throwing ability.

Throw his physical attributes in with what appears to be solid leadership skills, confidence and a chip on his shoulder, and you have the making of someone who could far outperform his rankings. 

Because of his size, running ability and overall arm strength and accuracy, he reminds me of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz.

Like Wentz, Villari is labeled as a pro-style quarterback but he's a high level athlete who can definitely run the ball. Also like Wentz, Villari wasn't heavily recruited in high school despite having all of the measurables and skills to play the position at a high level. Wentz is described as having a strong arm and very good feet, which Villari seems to have as well. Obviously Wentz has outperformed his high school rankings and I think Villari has the framework in place to do the same.

2020 Outlook

Villari is going to redshirt in 2020. With a heated battle going on between Dylan McCaffrey and Joe Milton, there's not much room for an incoming freshman who still has work to do to be ready to play at the Big Ten level. Throw in Cade McNamara who's already been at U-M for a year and Villari just has too steep a hill to climb in year one.