Trieu: Chicago OT Pat Coogan taking a 'long, hard look' at Michigan
Since his junior season ended in November, Chicago Marist offensive tackle Pat Coogan has added 10 new scholarship offers.
Many of those were from major programs like Nebraska, Stanford, California, Tennessee and Michigan.
The Wolverines offered in January and he was able to get to campus recently for his first experience in Ann Arbor, one that helped further Michigan’s position as a contender in his recruitment.
“It is definitely one of the schools I am taking a long, hard look at,” Coogan said. “The relationships I have with them are great, and what they bring to the table academically, socially and athletically is amazing.”
Coogan has started to take more visits and begin going through his list of schools. The rush of interest in the winter months has made spring a good time for him to see some of the programs that joined the fray and begin to get more familiar with them.
“He has handled the process very, very well,” Marist head coach Ron Dawczak said. “He is very mature. He has not let the recruiting process get to his head. He is the same kid now as he was before the process started.
“He is in the info-gathering stage,” Dawczak added. “He has taken some time this month to go see a coupe different schools that he is interested in. He really wants to gather the information and develop a relationship with coaches at different schools and I think, for him, he would love to be very near to making a decision before our season begins, but he is not going to rush a commitment.”
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Dawczak and his coaches had an idea this day would arrive – when college coaches would be filing into the school to pursue Coogan.
“He started at right tackle for us as a sophomore. He came in as a freshman and was bigger than the average freshman. He was kind of lanky and tall and played offensive line and defensive line and we knew we would get a good player,” Dawczak said. “He got pulled up on the varsity as a sophomore and we let him compete for the starting job and he won the job, which is a testament to his skill and work ethic.”
Coogan played that season at 230 pounds. The following winter, as he was adding weight, colleges began to notice and offers began to trickle in. His full transformation to his now nearly 300 pounds has brought in all the programs that are recruiting him now.
“The thing that stood out to us when he was a sophomore was his love of competition,” Dawczak said. “He loved to compete. He had a nasty attitude once he got on the football field. For him to have that as a young, sophomore playing up on varsity, we knew he would be a special player whose body was beginning to develop at that time. He hit a growth spurt, worked incredibly hard on his craft – he does not just rely on his size and strength because he is bigger than most kids obviously. But he worked on technique, pass blocking, run blocking and ability to move side to side and pull.”
Beyond that, Coogan’s academic profile has allowed him to be recruited by excellent academic institutions. That is all part of the all-around package he offers as a prospect and person.
“I cannot say enough good things about him,” Dawczak said. “You wouldn’t be able to find anyone in the building with anything negative to say about hi. He is a high-character kid who works really hard in the classroom and wants to be the best at whatever he does, whether that’s in an English class or on the football field. He is a special kid. He is a great presence in the hallways. He is a conscientious kid that looks out for those around him. I can’t say enough about him.”
247Sports ranks Coogan as the No. 14 junior prospect in the state of Illinois.
Four-star safety offered
Bowling Green (Ky.) South Warren safety Jantzen Dunn was offered by Michigan.
Dunn, a 6-foot-1, 178-pound junior, was recently elevated to four-star status by 247Sports.
His recruitment has spiked in the last month with offers coming from Penn State, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Indiana, Florida State, Mississippi State and more.
He currently has one official visit set, to Oklahoma on April 17.
UM first to offer 2022 tight end
Atlanta (Ga.) Westminster School’s Holden Staes was offered by Michigan during a recent visit to Ann Arbor.
Staes (6-4, 220 pounds) was told of the offer by tight ends coach Sherrone Moore. This is his first offer of the process.
Oklahoma, Tennessee, Georgia and others have shown interest.
Staes was an All-Region selection as a sophomore in the fall.
More information
Allen Trieu covers Midwest football recruiting for 247Sports. He has been featured on the Big Ten Network on its annual Signing Day Show. His Michigan and Michigan State recruiting columns appear weekly at detroitnews.com.