Looking back at the crazy summer for Michigan football recruiting, crazy in a good way, one of the most celebrated commitments was from four-star defensive lineman Alister Vallejo.
Out of Liberty Hill, Texas, the 6-foot-3, 310-pound defensive tackle chose to play for Michigan football over Notre Dame, Kansas, and others.
Sort of like Mason Graham back in the day, he felt like a hidden gem. That wasn't the only comparison to Graham though. When you watch the film it's hard not to seem a similar player.
That doesn't mean that Vallejo will be as good as Mason Graham. There might not be another tackle in Michigan football history better than Mason Graham.
But when you watch Vallejo, he has many of the same traits. He's got a similar body type, plays in a state (Texas) that's a recruiting hotbed, and seems overlooked.
Graham is from California but started to turn heads. Vallejo will do that this fall. Even before then, his ranking has improved a big way, starting with the recent update with Rivals/On3, which have essentially been merged into one ranking system.
Ranking of Michigan commitment jumping up in the rankings
Rivals, formerly On3, has him ranked No. 269 overall. He's also ranked No. 226 overall, according to the On3 Industry rankings. 247 Sports has him ranked 204th, while, ESPN, inexplicably, but not surprisingly, has him unranked.
ESPN isn't known for its evaluations. Landing Vallejo remains a key recruiting win for Michigan, especially because of how badly Notre Dame wanted him. The Irish thought they had him, until they didn't.
It was a bigger recruiting win than it seemed at the time. Michigan football fans knew it, and the rankings are finally catching up.