Minnesota Football Recruiting: Jonathan Celestin Commits

Another delayed Scroll because having a real life sucks.

Adding more linebackers is cool though.

I'm committed to The University of Minnesota #Ski-U-Mah #Gophers

— Jonathan Celestin (@JonC_4) January 26, 2014

Jonesboro (GA) Mundy's Mill HS linebacker Jonathan Celestin committed to Minnesota on January 26th, joining his current and future Gopher teammate Rodney Smith in Dinkytown. Like Jared Weyler, Celestin took an official visit on the weekend of the January 24th; Jonathan received his Golden ticket on that trip and immediately pledged to Coach Jerry Kill.

Celestin is rated as a 2 star prospect according to 247Sports' Industry Composite, listing offers from Valdosta State and Western Carolina. Celestin is the 5th prospect from Georgia to sign with the Gophers in the last two classes, a recruiting area of increasing importance to the staff.

Quotables

Gopher247's Kyle Goblirsch with a commitment article ($):

"We were in a positions meeting, so I was with Coach Bill Miller. Coach Kill stopped by and told me they were offering me. I was so excited. This was what I been waiting for all my life. I called my mom after and we agreed that I should commit, she knows I’ve been waiting for this and how important this is to me. I gave Kill and the staff my verbal that night and they were excited."

ESPNU Evaluation ($):

Celestin displays average height and a leaner build for the linebacker position. Although a bit lighter, shows good playing strength, particularly as a tackler. Shows above average straight-line closing speed. Has the burst to chase backs down from behind. Can get caught up in traffic at times but generally angles are sound.

(Likely Fraudulent) Measurables

Height: 6'0"-6'1"
Weight: 210-215 lbs.
Fake 40 Time: 4.58s - 5.05s electronic

Highlights

Senior Year (all QB highlights), via Hudl.

Thoughts

For a while there, I wasn't certain the staff was going to take another high school linebacker after Everett Williams and Cody Poock committed. Coach Kill and Miller were in dogged pursuit of Tegray Scales but unfortunately had too much ground to catch on the Hoosiers, whom Scales had already built a strong relationship with.

With two linebackers lost to graduation and a host of youth at the position, however, the staff decided adding to the cache couldn't hurt. That's especially true when the pick-up is such a sure tackler.

Celestin is all about the short area pop. When he recognizes and breaks down the play, he shoots out of a cannon towards the ball carrier and can lay the wood with authority. For a shorter linebacker with a build more befitting an NFL safety, Jonathan plays extremely physical and can get underneath and around blockers to make the tackle. He doesn't "wow" you with any one thing, though he's solid all-around and develop into a productive player who can aid the team in several ways with increased bulk, lower body flexibility and speed training.