Previously: Last year’s profiles. P Tommy Doman Jr. S Rod Moore. CB Ja’Den McBurrows. LB Jaydon Hood. LB Junior Colson. LB Tyler McLaurin. DE Kechaun Bennett. DE TJ Guy.

Freehold, NJ – 6’5", 275
[24/7]		24/7:             3.22*	3*, 83, #1598 overall #84 Edge, #27 NJ
		Rivals:             3.00*	2*, 5.4, NR overall NR SDE, NR NJ
		ESPN:             3.06*	3*, 72, #231 East #199 DE, #36 NJ
		Composite:             3.26*	3*, .8261, #1780 overall #95 Edge, #32 NJ
		Other Suitors	MAC East, Academies
		YMRMFSPA	Jacob Slade but
Previously On MGoBlog	Hello post by me. Pronounced “Ji-DEECE”
Notes	Twitter. The workout part 1, part 2.
Film
Senior highlights to metal: Junior highlights to 1980s workout video music:

In the early days of the pandemic, nobody knew how we were going to keep basic functions of the economy—like toilet paper—moving. People had to get creative. Birthday parties were held in parking lots. Parents created school lessons out of oranges and sharpies. Bloggers streamed old games in lieu of March Madness. Fryers took to the air. Sourdough was started. And Coach Harbaugh, so desperate for DTs they were using Kwity Paye in the B gap, took to scouting workout videos on Twitter, whence he discovered this Jersey meatball in the process.

That’s not quite how Michigan found Dominick Giudice, but in those days when Michigan’s 2021 defensive class didn’t have a single commit, and we were twitching out Burke/McGary games in lieu of X/Teske’s last run, it was good content. So were the workouts, especially because each ounce of muscle tissue gave us higher hopes of a defensive tackle.

Did we care that he was #1 in New Jersey in sacks (24)? Not even a little (watch the jr highlights; you’ll see why). Neither did we care that he didn’t move up after the Michigan commitment, or that TJ Guy, another “Anchor” prospect committed the same day. It would have ruined the vibe, that vibe being the kind of guy who takes his signing ceremony with another workout video.

Beyond proud of my guy @dom_giudice27 for signing his NLI to continue his academic and athletic career at @UMichFootball !Dom is the definition of a coaches dream ; true leader with great character and a work ethic like no other . @TimLangPhotos pic.twitter.com/nmFTcYhiB4

— Ryan Daly (@dalyperformance) December 17, 2020

[After THE JUMP: Riding high in April, shot down in May.]

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When no one cares. There is no such thing as a two-star anymore but this is a two-star. His offer list was the Ivies, half the MAC, and all three service academies. 24/7 actually moved him up, from an 80 (bottom of the three-stars) to an 83 (near the bottom of the three-stars). ESPN’s 72 grade is basically a notch below 24/7’s. No other power offers came, either. Rivals actually called him a two-star, leaving him a “5.4” and unranked in NJ and at his position, which they left as SDE. They didn’t really send anyone to look at Giudice except recruiting guy EJ Holland, who got to see…another workout.

Mike Farrell actually castigated Michigan for their three (at the time) defensive commits:

What's going on with Michigan in the Northeast? I know Don Brown is from the Northeast and helped find a ton of sleeper players from the area at Boston College, but this is Michigan, right? … Michigan is going on kids from Massachusetts and New Jersey and a few of them are reaches. Louis Hansen is a talent on offense but Casey Phinney, TJ Guy and Dominick Giudice? These are prospects I could see at Boston College, Rutgers and Syracuse, not Michigan.

Holland was like “are you serious?”

I kind of brushed it off and was going to confirm it with sources close to the program later on in the day … not the type of recruit Michigan usually takes at this stage in the process.

And gave a comp to Aaron Lewis, who transferred home because of the pandemic and actually played outside for Rutgers last year.

24/7’s profile page didn’t have much information either.

Dominick Guidice is a 6-4, 250-pound Weak-Side Defensive End from Freehold, NJ.

Why try to change me now? Those articles all include someone saying Giudice probably moves inside. The plan seems to have been to talk Anchor but lay the groundwork for a move to 3-tech from the beginning.

“Right now they are telling me they can use me as either a strong side defensive end or inside as a 3-tech,” Giudice said. “They are just going to see where they are going to mold me to play. I can play either.”

Brian Dohn talked to Sam Webb about all of Michigan’s commitments around Signing Day and they got to Giudice last, and Dohn opened up about maybe moving Giudice to offensive guard (he plays both ways):

The more I watched his tape, I thought he could be an interior offensive lineman. I think at the end of the day if you're going to bulk him up… and he's 6-4, maybe 260 now… if you're going to bulk him up to 290 and put him in the middle of the line and say ‘take on double teams and clear lanes for the linebackers to come make plays’… I could understand why you why you would do that. And if he's a kid that you're saying, ‘OK, you know what, he's got some athleticism.’ … And if you say, ‘listen, we want a cerebral guy who's going to work his tail off on the offensive line, and you want to stick him at the guard position, I could understand that too.

Touch the Banner viewed that junior film and thought--and I agreed--a lot of those 24 sacks and 40-something (reports vary) TFLs were

He has a good hand strike and can defeat pass protection with hand work adequately.

On the negative side, Giudice lacks the explosiveness one would expect from a next-level edge player. He reminds me of a very good local player who went on to an excellent college career . . . in the Ivy League. Giudice benefits from that occasional bout of luck we see where other teams appear to blow protections or whiff on blocks, and a Michigan commit happens to be the beneficiary. He lacks a second gear and does not change direction very well on a consistent basis unless he uses really good technique.

His comp is Jordan Paskorz. Josh Newkirk took in a senior game and also “came away with the impression that he may project better on the offensive line” but either way he’s an inside guy. Newkirk also used “hard-nosed” and “worker” and “tough guy” and “He may never play defensive end or let alone defense for Michigan. He’s a football player.”

I’ve heard that song before. The one repetitive theme is Giudice is an Effort guy.

I always pride myself in my motor and that I am relentless on the field,” Giudice said. “I am always chasing the ball. No matter what happens, I am always chasing the ball. I like my violence and intensity on the field is also something I show. I always want to smash somebody in the mouth, like I was saying before.

“My hand speed and violence is something I pride myself on and I am always working on that.”

He told EJ Holland “I just want to smash somebody in the mouth on every play.” Dohn thinks it’s a big positive that Michigan’s got a guy who cares about the program like you do.

And so with a kid like Dominick, he's a great kid. He's Michigan through and through. And so you hope he goes there and has this overwhelming success and proves everybody wrong. Michigan did their eval and said ‘we think he can play for us on the line of scrimmage. So we're taking him.’ So, I give Michigan a ton of credit for taking him.”

In his own words:

“I’m pretty fired up right now,” Giudice told 247Sports Brian Dohn at the time of his commitment. “I’m so pumped up. Michigan has always been my dream school growing up as a little kid. Since I was five years old, I’ve been working for this. I am so fired up.”

The cement’s just for the weight, dear. As the rest of us put on the Covid-19, we also closely kept an eye on Giudice’s slow gain toward tackledom. The sites quickly changing their 235s to 255/259 was cause for mild celebration. He told MLive 262 after he committed. Rivals updated his weight to 272 in the spring and there was some rejoicing. I about threw a triumph when they said 282. The 275 on Michigan’s roster was only a slight disappointment. Giudice is going to play tackle.

Etc. He’s Italian-American.

I faced it all and I stood tall and did it my way
~Frank Sinatra pic.twitter.com/pJXVh8JnsH

— Dominick Giudice (@domgiudice56) July 2, 2021

Also bakes. Michigan fan since he was five.

Why Jacob Slade but [pinched fingers emoji]? Michigan hasn’t recruited one of these guys in awhile, but Michigan State has a DT we’re either all familiar with or going to be. Slade was the composite 1127th player and the 57th DE in 2018. He pumped and pumped and pumped and pumped, and also developed crazy awesome hand technique, and is now 50 pounds heavier and one of the tougher objects to dislodge in the league, with some vastly underrated pass rush to go with it. He’s got sophomore eligibility thanks to Covid and a redshirt, and tore Michigan up inside last year.

Guru Reliability: Low. Literally the one guy who saw him play his senior year said “He’s a football player.”

Variance: Low. One site went two-star, the other two would have if they remembered how.

Ceiling: Low. Giudice is stiff and all that working out probably put him closer to his topping out weight already. His gaudy stats, evident love for Michigan, intelligence, and drive make him a worthy roster addition.

General Excitement Level: Low. If we’re going to have it, we might as well use it.

Projection: The best is yet to come. He’s going to redshirt, work out a lot, bring it, work out, grow a bit more, work out, keep working out, fill out some, post on the MGoBoard, develop a new kind of protein shake, work out more, and maybe down the road when Michigan is desperate for DTs again they’ll have a 290-pound team guy with violent hands and the 3-star mafia will whine that he’s not Walter Nolen while UFR quietly appreciates his positive contributions. Then he’ll graduate and put together a group of wealthy alumni to funnel money to Michigan recruits.