Minnesota Football Recruiting: DT Elijah Teague commits!

(*Editor's note...What the heck does "Commitment to Eight" mean? It is our new recurring title for recruit commitments referencing a commitment to work towards the Gopher's Eighth National Championship.)

The Gophers received a big verbal commitment from Illinois native, Elijah Teague. What makes this early verbal fun is that Teague has legit offers from a number of schools the Gophers do not typically compete with for recruits.

Teague attended a Gopher camp last summer and dominated. The new staff was quick to be in contact and offer this highly sought after defensive tackle. And while on campus this weekend he pulled the trigger with an early verbal commitment.

As a junior Teague was the East Suburban Catholic Conference defensive MVP while leading his Chicago (Marist) team to a conference title and class 8A playoff appearance.

Quotables

Ryan Burns of GopherIllustrated ($cout) last summer after watching Teague at the Gopher camp.

The most impressive player of the day was hands down 2018 Chicago (Ill.) Marist defensive tackle Elijah Teague. The to be junior was an absolute force during one on one's today at Minnesota's camp as he was rarely, if ever, beaten on a rep against the OL. Teague has an explosive first step and has great power for his size. He's someone I think the Gophers staff will keep a very close eye on and I would think offer before Teague signs on the dotted line in a few years.

Scout’s Allen Trieu who gives his analysis on Teague to the Gophers

Teague is a naturally strong kid. For a bigger (6-2, 298 pounds) kid, he moves and redirects on the field well. We had a chance to see him live last season in a game and one play that still stands out is when he came upfield, then redirected and chased a play down to the sideline

Measurables

Height: 6' 3"
Weight: 290 lbs.

Big 4 Ratings:

Power 5 Offers - Penn St, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Tennessee, South Carolina, Indiana, Illinois and many others

Highlights

Junior year highlights:

TDG Analysis

In Two Words - if you have to remember just two things about this player...

• Powerful
• Explosive

Absurd Comparisons

I know that because they play the same position and are both from Chicago that comparing Teague to Steven Richardson is kind of lazy, but I think it is appropriate. Teague is bigger but the first step and then how he explodes to the ball or quarterback when he has a lane is reminiscent of Richardson.

Scheme Fit

Big and strong is what the staff seems to value in a DT. Teague has great size and is going to be very strong at the point of attack. But as I said above, when he gets by the offensive line, when he sees a lane to attack the ball, he takes off like a rocket to his target. With his strength, I would not at all be surprised to see him contributing on the field early in his Gopher career.

Impact on Other Prospects?

More than one DT will be taken in this class. My concern is not that he is taking a spot away from anyone else, my only real concern is that he may eventually change his mind. But it’ll be interesting to see how Fleck deals with programs trying to pluck his commits.

Recruiting Map

be patient