Lou Esposito finally reveal deep long-time relationship with Four-star Damien Shanklin

New Michigan defensive line coach Lou Esposito has his sights set on several Midwest defensive linemen including Top 50 national recruit Damien Shanklin.

Indianapolis (Ind.) Warren Central EDGE Damien Shanklin is one of the Midwest defensive line prospects new Michigan defensive line coach Lou Esposito has locked in on.

Shanklin (6-4, 230 pounds), a Top 50 prospect per 247Sports, says he has been in contact with Esposito recently, but had an existing relationship that dates back over a year.

NCAA Tournament 2024: Final Four roster breakdowns, preview and predictions

Here’s what you need to know about every top rotation player, the key angles and of course, the prediction for the Final Four.

No Final Four better illustrates the mantra, “old teams win” than this one. Ken Pomeroy, arguably the Godfather of all things college basketball analytics, started tracking experience ahead of the 2006-07 season. This is the first time in the last 17 Final Fours that all four teams are also the 70-most experienced teams in the country, per KenPom.

Of course, college basketball is older through and through thanks to the fifth year of eligibility awarded to the COVID-impacted, 2020-21 season. But that experience rating is a year-by-year metric.

This year, four of college basketball’s oldest, most experienced teams made the Final Four.

No. 11 seed NC State rated 14th in experience. It has seven upperclassmen in its rotation. Alabama checks in at No. 63 with its band of mid-major transfers. Purdue, a development-first squad, is No. 67. It has just one true freshman who garners slim minutes. UConn just slips inside the top-70 threshold at No. 69 with three seniors being part of the top-six rotation.

Let’s dive into everything you need to know ahead of Saturday’s Final Four with starting lineup breakdowns, keys to win, and predictions. Are we truly rocketing toward a UConn-Purdue, winner-take-all showdown?

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