Signing Day Capsule: Elliott Mealer

High school tight end that projects into an offensive lineman at the next level. Has good physical size and received early interest from several major programs before committing to Michigan. One of the early Michigan commitments. Was a key element in U-M securing a commitment from tight end Kevin Koger.

Elliott Mealer
Offensive Tackle 6-6/280/5.2
Wauseon HS (Waueseon, OH)
NR: **** - Position Rank: 28

His Recruiting Story
Elliott Mealer became the third member of the 2008 class when he committed to Lloyd Carr on April 23, 2007. Receiving an offer from the Wolverines just 10 days prior to that, Mealer hadn’t considered the possibility of suiting up for the Wolverines. Why would he? As a boy in Wauseon, Mealer, who also had early offers from Michigan State, Purdue and Northwestern, grew up a fan of Ohio State.

“All my life I’ve grown up saying I’m going to play for Ohio State, even when I was a little kid. I’ve always been a huge Buckeye fan as long as I can remember. We’ve been going to one of my uncle’s house and watching the Bucks since I was 6 years old,” Mealer said a week and a half before his Michigan commitment.

But with Ohio State it was going to be a waiting game. With the “Block O” talk heating up, Mealer decided not to wait for an offer from the Buckeyes to come through, and, after a lot of long hard deliberation, and an uneventful trip to the Ohio State spring game, Mealer called former U-M offensive coordinator Mike DeBord to pledge to the Wolverines.

"I actually went down to Ohio State for the spring game and things down there didn't go great for me," Mealer told GoBlueWolverine moments ago. "They went pretty good, but I think it was just more of a sign that Michigan was the place for me. I just got done committing to Coach Debord. I just told him."

"I told the coaches up at Michigan that I'll be sleeping in a room tonight that has Ohio State stuff painted on the walls," Mealer continued. "I've got posters and everything. That's just how I was raised. Everyone in my family is the same way. It was definitely a hard choice for me, but more and more I prayed about it the more it seemed like the right choice. I just prayed and prayed and prayed to God about it. I just felt like I was getting signs from God.”

Mealer then cemented his place in the Michigan class by helping the Wolverines lure four-star tight end, and AAU buddy, Kevin Koger to the Wolverines class.

GoBlueWolverine Commentary
Elliott Mealer was one of the first members of the 2008 recruiting class. He helped get the ball rolling if you will. Unfortunately, any hopes of an early contribution on the field may have been damaged when Mealer was in a horrific Christmas Eve car accident that resulted in the death of both his father and girlfriend. Mealer and his brother also both suffered serious injuries, and it isn’t unrealistic to expect Mealer to need time to heal both physically and emotionally.

Once healthy, Mealer provides a viable option at offensive tackle in the future. With a good frame, and good feet to boot, Mealer can provide the offensive line with steady pass protection as well an ability to get down field and block for the spread option that Rodriguez likes to run.