In April of 2019, 247Sports went across the pond to Amsterdam for a joint combine with PPI Recruits, where a young German defensive end in Maurice Heims was one of the prospects on the field that caught our eye.
Heims hadn’t even been playing football a year at the time.
“Has a chance to develop into a Power Five level recruit with the right work over the next two years,” 247Sports Director of Scouting Barton Simmons wrote coming out of the event. “He showed some natural athleticism and pass rush instincts.”
That ended up being on the money as just a little over a year later the 6-foot-5, 240-pound Heims secured his spot among the Power Five ranks Friday announcing his commitment to Washington.
In retrospect, it’s been a bit of a whirlwind for Heims, who was discovered two years ago by Brandon Collier of PPI Recruits, an organization not only trying to build the game of football in Europe but also provide a pathway for these European prospects to land at Division-I schools in the United States.
1000% committed☔️☔️☔️ @UW_Football 💜💛 pic.twitter.com/NeiEfNVIN2
— Maurice Heims (@Maurice_hms) June 20, 2020
“He had three things you can’t coach,” said Collier who played professionally in the NFL and in the Canadian Football League. “Length, natural athletic ability and toughness, so after that day I knew he would be a Power Five kid!
“I helped another kid on the team he played for Robert Lachmann who now plays for Albany and he introduced us. His dad and him came to meet me in Wiesbaden, Germany five hours away from his home in Hamburg and I had him working out with three other Power five kids (Alexander Ehrensberger who went to Notre Dame, Joseph Darkwa – Penn State, Sylvain Yondjouen – Georgia Tech) and you could see he can do some things naturally.”
From there Heims was part of a group Collier took to the United States in June 2019 for camps, including Clemson and Penn State. The Nittany Lions offered two days after seeing him live.
Under normal circumstances, PPI prospects stay in Europe as Collier wants it known “these kids can make it from their home countries,” but with Heims living those five hours away from him, he thought in this case a move to the United States would be beneficial. Collier had a buddy in Anthony Rouzier who just took the defensive coordinator position at Santa Margarita (Calif.) Catholic and linked the two up. By August Heims was in the Golden State pushing for his dream.
“First impression when you see him is man, that dude is long and bouncy,” Rouzier said. “With last year being his second year of football you really have an open canvas to work with, and his ceiling is extremely high. He’s like a one-year old pup that is almost full grown, just figuring out how to move in his body, but full of tons of energy. We are excited to see him combine growth in the mastery of his technique and fundamentals with his motor this season. He has a number of different talents and skill sets to attack an offense.”
Last fall Heims was a man amongst boys on the junior varsity team because California has a rule where international kids have to sit out a season of varsity upon their arrival. With that, Rouzier said there were games Heims would have six tackles for loss and multiple sacks.
“Which was to be expected with at his size and speed,” he said.
“He brings it every single play,” 247Sports National Analyst Greg Biggins said. “Pretty raw, doesn’t really know how to use his hands yet but he’s a big athlete and I think he has some upside for sure.”
So does just about the entire Pac 12. Washington State and Arizona State offered in November and Jimmy Lake and Washington entered the mix in January. He ultimately landed offers from Colorado, Oregon State and Arizona as well. Helms is tabbed by the Top247 as the nation’s No. 32 strong-side defensive end. The folks at Santa Margarita Catholic are expecting a big season this coming campaign.
“He has gained almost 20 pounds and added a ton of strength,” Rouzier said. “He’s also done a great job of understanding our emphasis on leverage and the ability to bend, so he has worked hard on his flexibility. He can squat toes pointed straight ahead and feet shoulder width apart with a good amount of weight on his back — not a lot of guys can do that- let alone big guys.”
“He is a kid that hasn’t come close to reaching his ceiling,” Collier added. “He’s 6-5, 240 now and carries his weight very well. He loves football and I believe his hands and hips have gotten a lot better. He has a very good initial punch and his motor I would say is his best attribute.”
Helms shares the defensive front with four-star defensive lineman Derek Willkins and is clearly one of the leaders on his team.
“We emphasize being a DAWG on our defense and have an acronym for it — so it’s almost serendipitous that he ended up at U Dub,” Rouzier said