Khalid Kareem: Decision, facts, observations
Four-star Farmington Hills (Mich.) Harrison defensive end Khalid Kareem will announce his decision on June 24. Here are the details to know going into Wednesday's announcement.
Where: Harrison High School
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When: 2:30 pm ET, Wednesday June 24
Total offers: 39, with South Carolina being the most recent.
Academics: Kareem holds a 3.85 GPA and scored a 24 on the ACT.
Measurables: 6-foot-4, 260 pounds
Position: Kareem is listed as a defensive end, but could move down to a three-technique defensive tackle role in college.
Rankings: No. 15 weakside defensive end and No. 9 prospect in Michigan for 2016.
Strongest contenders: Kareem has not listed a top group in some time, but the three schools expected to be in the best position are Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame.
Noteworthy
- Kareem pulled off the rare feat of holding an offer from all 14 members of the Big Ten, with Rutgers completing that group most recently. He also held offers from the ACC, Pac-12, MAC, SEC and Ivy League.
-Back in February Kareem made a commitment to Michigan State. He decided a few days later that he was too hasty with that decision and stepped back from the commitment. In the interim the Spartans have added four defensive line commits, and are no longer an option due to numbers.
-As the offers from Ivy League and top academic institutions suggest, Kareem is also a standout in the classroom. He is already on track to graduate high school in December and enroll in the school he chooses for second semester next year.
-Kareem has one of the deepest offer lists in the Midwest, if not the country, yet he did not pick up his first offer until his junior season was almost over. Bowling Green and Northwestern offered on the same day - Oct. 16, 2014 - for his first two offers of the process. Within just a couple weeks he had hit double-digit offers.
-One of the reasons for the surge of offers, even though they started relatively late, was a junior season in which Kareem totaled 85 tackles and 19 sacks from his defensive end position. He earned Special Mention all-state honors in Divisions 1-2 for his play as a junior.
Prediction: Most of the buzz this month has centered around Michigan, but in recent days the momentum for both Alabama and Notre Dame has increased. From what I am hearing, Kareem was still not sure of his choice heading into the week and may not make a final decision until announcement day. Michigan still looks like the team to beat, but if a choice is made for either Alabama or Notre Dame it should not be taken as a shocker.