Previously: Last year’s profiles, K Adam Samaha, K James Turner (Tr), S Brandyn Hillman, CB DJ Waller, CB Cameron Calhoun, CB Jyaire Hill, HSP/LB Jason Hewlett, LB Hayden Moore, LB Semaj Bridgeman, LB Ernest Hausmann (Tr), OLB Breeon Ishmail, DE Aymeric Koumba, DE Enow Etta, DE Josaiah Stewart (Tr), DT Brooks Bahr, DT Cameron Brandt, DT Trey Pierce, OT Evan Link, OT Myles Hinton (Tr), OT LaDarius Henderson (Tr), OG Nathan Efobi, IOL Amir Herring, OC Drake Nugent (Tr), TE Deakon Tonielli, TE Zack Marshall, TE AJ Barner (Tr), WR Semaj Morgan, WR Fredrick Moore

Phenix City (Central), AL – 5'11"/175
		247: 5'11/175                              3.85*	4*, 90, NR overall #50 WR, #19 AL
		On3: 5'11/174                              3.86*	4*, 90, NR overall #53 WR, #19 AL
		Rivals: 6'0/182                              4.27*	4*, 5.9, #170 overall #31 WR, #16 AL
		ESPN: 5'11/180                              4.57*	4*, 85, #80 overall #14 WR, #9 AL
		Composites                   4.27*/4.21*	4*, #189/#203 Ovr #26/#28 WR, #16 AL
		MGoAverage                              4.10*	4*, #325/798 Ovr #44/85 WRs since '90
		YMRMFSPA	Jeremy Gallon
Other Suitors	Kentucky, Auburn, Half-Bama
Previously On MGoBlog	Hello by yours truly.
Notes	Auburn decommit. UA AA.
Film:
Senior Highlights: Hudl. vs IMG (4th down TD). UA-All America, UA Atlanta. Pylon 2021. RCS Atlanta 2021.

How's everybody's receivers week going? I'm so used to picking through underscouted Midwest prospects this cycle that it's a bit jarring to get to the type of guy the recruiting industry is over-covering when they're ignoring the lanky guys from Missouri. Karmello English played for a giant program in Alabama, the kind that has a five-star at his position in the classes to either side of him, a game against IMG Academy, and a former Miami OC as head coach who's also Bo Nix's dad. Yes, That Miami.

English was no five-star but he was the top-ranked receiver in the state. He was all the 7-on-7s and camps. He spent most of the cycle committed to Auburn, had an offer from the Crimson Tide that was evidently committable until another guy on his level filled them up, and had to be dissuaded from a compelling "NIL" pitch from Kentucky on Signing Day. The only thing separating him from football industry standard is he nearly gave up the sport to play basketball in 10th grade. To the guy who talked him out of that: thank you.

No, he is not related to Michigan's former DC. Neither is he originally from Michigan or anything. Like Bellamy, English was born and raised in Louisiana, does not know how to drive in the snow, and comes with more contradictions than Thomas Jefferson.

[After THE JUMP: Go Go Gadget?]

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The Biggest Tiny Possession Receiver

If you saw 5'11"/175 and thought slot receiver, you've got the wrong idea. English comes off as the most 6'4" guy in the history of sub-6 receivers. Quote roundup!

• On3's Charles Power: Advanced in his ability to locate and track the ball. Has a large catch radius with the ability to win in contested situations. Coordinated and nimble in the air.
• 247's Cooper Petagna: Wins with physicality and explosiveness at the catch point. Flashes some excellent 50/50 ball skills. Shows some production after the catch but more of short to intermediate route runner with possession ability. Plays bigger than his size dictates, has some edge to his play style.
• 247 scout Andrew Ivins: Strong hands and a good route runner, English is advanced in the finer points of the game and that makes him hard for high school defensive backs to deal with in single coverage or more than one player trying to cover him.
• Rivals national analyst Ryan Wright: There is a no fear attitude English brings to the field. … catching machine despite opponents keying on him.
• and Sam Spiegelman: flashed exceptional hands and the ability to make grabs away from his body in traffic.
• Mike Farrell: Always plays bigger than his size.
• On3 Auburn guy Cole Pinkston: If you only look at English’s size (5-11 185), you wouldn’t think he’d be use to win jump balls
• 247 Auburn guy Jason Caldwell: He is a competitor. … great ball skills .. not afraid to be physical.
• Lucas Reimink, Maize&BlueReview: He plays bigger than his listed height and weight, as he’s not afraid to go up and get a ball at its highest point or take a hit over the middle of the field while still retaining concentration on catching the pass.
• Al Borges: Will do dirty work in the middle of the defense.
• Sam Webb, TMI: …5-foot-11 and 175 pounds, do not let that fool you. English is a tough and gritty receiver who wins with his physical strength … reliable receiver who can go up and catch the 50-50 balls.
• EJ Holland, On3: Natural pass catcher, has terrific body control and uses his athleticism to his advantage.
• Touch the Banner: He shows some decent body and hand strength at the catch point and can make some tough catches in traffic.

Magnus in particular struggled to find something to grump about other than the usual thing for freshmen.

There aren’t many negatives to his skill set. He could afford to add some size and strength to his frame, but that’s the case for everyone.

This is a rather unusual way to describe a smaller guy, but nobody sounds too broken up about it. Borges, extended:

He’s a hands catcher. I did not see a ball … that got into his body. … They list him at 5-11, 175 but he has the ability to body defenders out of the way if the ball is tight. That Terrell Owens thing, who was a big guy, but could actually stick his body between the defender and the ball, and with strong hands take the ball from the defender. Not all the new receivers can do that, and not all receivers are good at 50/50 balls … I think if you're asking him on 3rd & 12 to go and run a dig... if the defender gets there at the same time as the ball, I think English will catch the ball.

Holland argues it's a skillset that's not necessarily on the team already.

You look at Tyler Morris, who's a terrific possession receiver; you look at Darrius Clemens who's a taller wide receiver that can stretch the field; I think English is kind of a mix of both. He has the speed to get vertical, but you can also create a lot of havoc on crosses, drags, and underneath routes. He's the kind of guy who can be JJ McCarthy's best friend.

I also liked this case made by Pinkston, whose film review you should read before Gfycat goes offline in about a month:

While there may be other more polished receivers out there, a rule of thumb is that you never pass on a playmaker. You can get those small nuances fixed, you can’t teach play making.

Stiff Open Field Nightmare

The way they say he was so productive was, um, kind of the 5'11" guy style? Holland has been enamored with English for years from the 7-on-7 circuit.

…consistently one of the top pass catchers, even getting the best of last year’s Michigan cornerback signee Myles Pollard. English is a dynamite weapon that can play in the slot or on the outside. He’s not a true burner, but he’s explosive with the ball in his hands.

The production was indeed incredible. Auburn reporter Jason Caldwell said English accounted for 45% of QB Caleb Nix (yes That Nix)'s yards in 2021, with 70 catches for 1,059 yards and 18 TDs. Playing slot as a senior he had another 850 yards and 11 TDs on 75 catches, giving him the school record in all three categories.

Cooper Petagna is 247's Deep South guy so I don't get to read him enough to know if his takes always appear to be as passive as this one:

Appears to have an athletic build with an explosive lower half. Appears to have above average short area quickness and change of direction ability. Possesses some slight hip and ankle stiffness that inhibit separation ability but overcompensates with his ability to play big and utilize his frame.

247 Southeast analyst Andrew Ivins reported English "consistently got open" at Atlanta Pylon and again at the UA camp:

..consistently got open once 1-on-1s started. He made arguably the catch of the day when he hit the breaks on a vertical route before turning around and snagging a ball that was thrown his back shoulder over a defender. … was a weapon this past fall … reactively polished wideout that likely is only going to keep getting better.

Caldwell described a “knack for making the big play” who becomes a running back as soon as the ball’s in his hands, comping him to Ben Obamanu, a 6’1”/205, 4.45 former 5-star who had a decent NFL career as a slant merchant, then went to law school.

Reimink however listed agility and flexibility as weaknesses (along with route-running) while not saying that.

…solid agility, which he uses to plant his foot in the ground and create separation in the short and intermediate areas of the field and he is smart enough to read zone coverage and sit down when necessary. He is a little stiff in the lower half, which limits him to being only solid in his agility due to some flexibility limitations and can hold him back some when coming in and out of breaks. He’s also only a solid route runner, as he currently relies more on athletic gifts to get open as opposed to really knowing the nuances of the position to help him create space for himself.

Pinkson called English an "open field playmaker" while agreeing with Reimink point-for-point.

He’s not a wasted motion kind of player. … The broken tackle with a stiff-arm is reminiscent of a running back. When you combine the ability to break tackles with WR speed and hands, you’ve got something special. A rare combination. … Do his routes need some work? Yes. Are there other finer points he hasn’t mastered yet? Yes. Is he a threat to take it to the house with the ball in his hands? Absolutely.

For Auburn fans, the comp he gave was Eli Stove, who…

wasn’t the fastest guy on the team, nor was he the most complete WR, but they wanted the ball in his hands. He always made something happen.

Note those might be older takes. After he committed Borges called him "shifty, very quick … Very smooth on double moves."

He loses very little speed when he's got to stop and go. … Very good run after catch, physical, quick feet.

Touch the Banner saw a "powerful, speedy route runner who has some good quickness in and out of breaks."

He also has some good short-area quickness to make people miss in space, and then his acceleration is solid to blow past defenders. I really like his ability to come in and out of breaks with speed, and he should be a good target on corner routes, out routes, digs, and posts.

TTB, who gave the other two WRs in this class scores in the 60s, went with Antonio Brown as a comparison and gave English an 82. He likes.

Farrell caught English versus IMG and thought English a "bona fide playmaker"

…electric with the ball in his hands and is a true speedster. Karmello is a threat to score anytime he touches the ball, and whatever university he commits to will have a weapon on their hands at WR and even in the return game. He finished the game with two touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving. ..

English's insane acceleration was on full display in his three-TD performance against IMG Academy.

Kind of Slow for a Fast Guy

Nobody’s calling him slow but Holland says English is not a true burner. Petagna called it “adequate to above average play speed”. Reimink thought it one of his best assets.

His best assets are his speed and toughness, at which he rates as good in both categories. His speed is an asset while running routes, especially down the field where the slower and even average speed DB’s have trouble sticking with him as he runs down the field.

The Rivals national recruiting analysts had no speed complaints. Ryan Wright claims English “has the speed to be a vertical threat” and Spiegelman thought him a “crafty route-runner that separates at the top of his routes consistently.”

When he committed I posited that 247 was waiting for some athletic testing that never materialized, but ESPN's Craig Haubert justified his site’s high ranking with “excellent top-end speed” and, uh, nothing more.

I don’t know how much to make of this, but there are only two reps here from the UA All-America 1v1s, and English was pretty well shut down in an event that's supposed to favor receivers. This was reflected in a slight drop in his rankings afterwards. Both times English was beat by a cornerback who didn't bite on a downfield step, which suggests a lack of fear. Again: two reps, but I tend to believe the guys you play against know your game better than anybody.

Outside Guy Who's Best at Slot

English was an outside guy who moved to slot because there’s a 2024 five-star (committed to A&M) on his team, said trainer Adrian Steele.

He didn’t have as many flash plays, but once he goes back outside, you’ll see that. He can do it all.

Reimink claims English has the speed and toughness to play either—and if you play for Michigan you have to—but seemed to focus his writeup on slot things, including the greater emphasis on blocking:

has the requisite toughness you like to see in a WR who can stay on the field because he is a solid blocker. He has solid physical strength for a WR which he uses to drive the smaller DB’s backwards. He also has solid agility to stay in front of most DB’s and wall off his man from making the tackle. He isn’t afraid of blocking a safety or a LB either, which is always encouraging to see from a WR.

Auburn reporters insisted the Tigers saw English as a guy to play outside, but they were also desperate for those. A sample:

Measuring in at 6-foot, 182 pounds during his visit, Auburn is looking at English as someone that can play on the outside even if his size might not instantly stick out as an outside receiver. English feels like he can play on the inside or the outside.

Sam Webb says English “shines most” in the slot and should rise up the depth chart quickly. Head coach Nix was like “either way.”

He’s an extremely good player, very versatile. Karmello has a good football IQ and can play everything. What makes him so good is he can play in the backfield, he can play inside receiver or outside receiver. That versatility is what separates him from a lot of players and makes him extremely unique.

Steve Lorenz noted on our podcast that Michigan wouldn't have recruited a guy they don't think can play inside and out, and English in particular was a guy they felt comfortable putting outside. Holland described the way the three guys they got are likely to fit together:

Morgan is a true slot, while Moore is lanky body with long arms. Both Morgan and Moore are a bit on the underrated side. English is rated appropriately and has the best chance to see the field early. Like the consensus, I also have English graded as a Top 175-200 player nationally.

Etc. Was a D-I caliber PG in basketball until he decided to focus on football. Held down a job at a sporting goods store in high school. Born & raised in Louisiana. Wants to study Physical Therapy or Broadcasting.

Why Jeremy Gallon? How many somewhat stiff playmaking possession receivers who look like running backs and win lots of jump-balls do you know? Gallon was another Southern 4-star who wasn't ranked higher because he didn't stand higher, was billed as an immediate playmaker, but needed a year and change to get the routes down before setting the Big Ten single-game receiving record thanks to an array of Inspector Gadget tools. Gallon was listed at 5'8" and didn't have any site listing him close to top-50, but ESPN wasn't trying to shove the top nine players in Alabama into their top-50 yet.

Guru Reliability: Exacting. Started for three years for a mega-program in the most scouted part of the country, went to camps, 7-on-7s, and hung out with all the best athletes. Other than ESPN overrating guys from Alabama so they can write articles about how much more talent there is in Alabama, everybody described the same player. Rivals and ESPN think he’s fast while the other two sites think he’s just fast enough, which accounts for the rest of the rankings differences.

Variance: Low. Nobody’s a sure thing, but English is far along the development path, and isn’t getting a whole lot bigger than he is now.

Ceiling: High-minus. Without take-the-top off speed this type of player is more reliant on earning the trust of his quarterback. That’s enough of a thing to set a Big Ten single-game record against Indiana, so it’s nothing to sneer at, but it’s also not going to completely unbalance a defense unless Michigan suddenly goes to a more pass-happy system.

Flight Risk Level: High. English made it clear during his recruitment that he chose Michigan in part because he saw an opportunity to play right away. Distance and climate were the biggest negatives in that recruitment, and the former at least is correlated with greater attrition. FWIW he said the cold was a positive in case he gets drafted by the Eagles.

General Excitement Level: High. Baseline 5; +1 for already developed athlete, +1 for did it against excellent competition, +1 for Playmaker, +1 for DAWG across the middle, –1 for do we throw across the middle here?, +1 for on 3rd down we do, –1 for size limitation.

Projection: Here’s the Catch 22 with an English-type player: they’re the kind who can put up incredible numbers for bad offenses, and tend to get lost in good ones. Any RPO-heavy outfit would love to be throwing slants to a guy who can consistently catch the ball while a safety is trying to thunk him, and often turn that thunk into a broken tackle and a chunk. But Harbaugh’s offenses have historically been comically averse to actual reads.

English does have a direct path to the field right now with AJ Henning gone, Sainristil on defense, and the main competition for a dedicated slot receiver his classmate Semaj Morgan, who’s underrated but not so much that even his early enrollment is likely to put him immediately ahead of a prospect of English’s pedigree. I think English slots in behind Tyler Morris as the dedicated slot and 3rd down target.

What English can do however is lock himself to Jadyn Davis the minute that guy gets on campus until they can think for each other better than their respective smartphones. He’s not a boom-or-bust, but I don’t think English is interested in hanging around as a 4th option for years, so career-at-Michigan-wise I don’t think there’s much middle ground between highly memorable career and forgettable transfer who’s very productive for a crappy someone else. Given the state of the WR room, I see no reason not the redshirt and see what we’ve got.