Elijah is one of the more physical defensive backs in his class, but I still absolutely love his ability to cover in man. Whether it’s short out routes or deep posts and go balls, Elijah stays in lock step with his man throughout. When the ball is fired his way, he uses his elite athleticism to knock balls away or jump routes. He has worked incredibly hard over the last year or so and it is paying dividends. I am confident that Elijah is a P4 talent.

I was able to watch Goins against Romeo in-person and again against Romeo online.

There’s a reason why he’s a blue-chip prospect in Michigan’s class of 2027. Elijah is a near-elite athlete with phenomenal play speed and physicality. He stops the run as well as any DB in the Midwest, and he’s willing to go sideline-to-sideline to make it happen. He’s also proven himself as a pass defender, sporting good man-to-man coverage when needed, but also exceptional range in zone.

I hope to see a jump in production for Elijah this season. This week 1 tape makes me optimisitc that he’s on his way to his best season yet.

The first highlight is a great hit on the receiver running a comeback. Elijah first stays back in his zone, but once the QB cocks his arm, Elijah takes off and pops the receiver. I like the play recognition and hit. 0:56 is another defensive highlight- a good run stop. There are also a couple of coverage highlights, which I appreciate.

At 0:10, (WR) Elijah does a nice job sitting in the opening, bouncing off a few tackles, and earning great YAC. That’s the best instance of YAC that I can remember from Elijah. Love the week 1 highlights!

Another great week for Elijah Goins Elijah Goins 6'0" | 160 lbs | DB/ATH Dakota | 2027 State MI . His first two highlights showcase a great tackle in addition to a great coverage play at Safety. That second play, in particular, was impressive- reacting quickly to the deep out route, sticking with his receiver, and executing a perfectly-timed PBU.

His final few highlights show a couple more tackles. I haven’t always been a huge fan of Elijah’s run-stopping ability, but he’s shown some improvement in that regard this season.

Elijah left his mark on the Dakota win. Offensively, he flashed that same speed-in-space ability I saw in their loss against IKE. One big moment came in the 3rd, where Elijah took a screen pass, juked a man, and gained 20 yards before fumbling. I really don’t like the fumble- have to carry the ball in the correct arm and hold it TIGHT. On the other hand, everything leading up to the fumble was phenomenal.

There were a few other quick things I noticed. First, Elijah had a couple of blocking opportunities. Most of the time, he whiffed or overall showed poor technique. That’s an area to clean up. Second, a little more physicality and effort in stopping the run would be appreciated.