Athletic Defensive Lineman Puts Michigan In Top Ten

Michigan has been great along the defensive line so big time prospects at multiple positions up front are paying attention.

Michigan defensive linemen have done well for themselves for several years now. Whether it was Mo Hurst, Chase Winovich, Rashan Gary, Bryan Mone, Kwity Paye, David Ojabo and Aidan Hutchinson, or more recently Mazi Smith and Mike Morris, multiple guys at multiple positions up front have gained national attention at U-M and earned an opportunity to play on Sundays. Even young guys like Kenneth Grant and Mason Graham, along with EDGE rushers Jaylen Harrell, Derrick Moore and others are starting to make a name for themselves. Because of that, prospects like Durant (Okla.) High defensive lineman Xadavien Sims are paying attention and giving the Wolverines a chance.

At 6-3, 275 pounds and with a phenomenal build, Sims looks like a special college-level player. He's got the kind of build that Michigan seems to like in terms of being big enough, strong enough and fast enough to develop at several different positions at the next level. Is he a super athletic interior guy who plays at around 300 pounds? Or is he a hulking end who can shut down an entire side of the line of scrimmage? He could go in either direction and that kind of thing has happened at Michigan in recent years.

Of course, nine other solid schools are also in the mix for Sims, as he recently released his top ten.

The Wolverines will now battle Arkansas, Miami, TCU, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Georgia Tech, Oregon, Vanderbilt and Michigan State for his services, and it actually seems to be the Spartans leading in the clubhouse at this juncture. Of course, the upcoming season will likely play a big part in what plenty of elite 2024 prospects do, and Sims is no different.

He will be taking at least a couple of official visits in June, as he intends to check out TCU and Oklahoma during the summer window. That means that other OVs will likely spill into the fall, giving him a chance to perhaps check out Ann Arbor for a game. If an official to U-M doesn't happen, that probably means that Michigan is in the bottom half of this top group and will end up on the outside looking in. Time will tell as U-M figures to have one of, if not the best season out of all the teams in his final group.