Why Alabama wants to flip Michigan commit Emil Ekiyor
Ekiyor is a one-man wall in the middle of the line.
The Opening is an elite recruiting showcase held every summer at Nike’s headquarters in Oregon. The event brings 150-some players to its finals, and the ones who garner the least attention are usually offensive linemen. But at this year’s event, Michigan commit Emil Ekiyor was so dominant, it was impossible not to notice him.
Time after time, Ekiyor stoned elite defensive line recruits in one-on-one drills. He did it with technique and smoothness one night, when nobody in the drills wore pads. And when the pads came on, he mixed in raw strength without sacrificing fluidity.
Ekiyor, a four-star guard from Cathedral (Ind.), solidified that he’s one of the handful of best interior lineman in the country, along with the uncommitted Jamaree Salyer and Trey Hill, both from Georgia. There’s a chance he winds up at center.
So it won’t come as a surprise that Ekiyor is a big flip target.
He has the usual array of scholarship offers from all over. Alabama’s particularly interested and hasn’t backed off since Ekiyor committed to UM in October.
"I feel like they've made me a priority lately," Ekiyor said. "I talk to Coach (Nick) Saban a lot, stuff like that. They've been recruiting me pretty hard."
He said his last chat with Saban came two weeks ago.
"Just that I fit in their program and I'll be able to play early, things like that to persuade me," Ekiyor said. "It was a nice place, nice facilities, nice people. It's 'Bama, so it was really nice."
The Indianapolis native said he’d flip if he felt it in his heart.
“I haven't had that feeling yet,” he told the paper.