Notre Dame Football Recruiting: Deeb Signs Letter of Intent
By Andrew Hall
Feb. 1, 2012; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly speaks at a press conference for national signing day at the Guglielmnio Athletics Complex. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Michael Deeb
Inside Linebacker
3-Star
Plantation, Florida
Commitment Date: 6/29/12
Michael Deeb is the lone Inside Linebacker commitment in the 2013 class. Deeb will look to replace the void left by Manti Te’o. He already possesses good size for a Middle Linebacker at 6’2” 237. He demonstrated a significant jump in his level of play between his Junior and Senior year. With Dan Fox, Carlo Calabrese and Jarrett Grace all returning. It may be hard for him to find his way on the field or even into the two-deep. But, having time to learn from Defensive Coordinator Bob Diaco will help in his development.
From the Slap the Sign Evaluation:
"The 34th ranked inside linebacker according to rivals.com has been committed to Notre Dame since the summer. With Anzalone leaving to follow his family’s orders in Florida, Deeb will have a very good shot at getting playing time in the next two years. Now is the time when all of the recruiting websites re-evaluate everyone’s rating. Many of the writers for rivals think that Deeb will be a 4 star before signing day. His attributes and performance during his senior season seem to agree, but regardless of his rating he will be a good player at Notre Dame.Listed at 6’2’’ 237 pounds he is a typical size for an inside linebacker. Deeb isn’t nationally ranked yet, but I have a feeling he will be in the top 250 before signing day even if he doesn’t bump up to a 4 star. After taking a look at his senior film it is pretty evident Deeb has improved in many areas as a linebacker. It starts with the initial step as a linebacker. Your first step should be forward and then react to the ball by shuffling so you don’t over pursue. Fills A and B gaps very well and keeps his shoulders square to make a textbook form tackle. The things Deeb needs to improve on are man coverage (but is very good in zone coverage) and using his hands to shed blockers. Speed is not an issue for this guy and is an all-around linebacker that could very well get his shot to play his freshman season. The main reason I say that is because Carlo Calabrese and Dan Fox are inconsistent with their pass coverage. Deeb could end up being a 3rd down and long type of linebacker to start his career. That is if he can outperform Grace who has been very good in practice."