The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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JUNE/JULY 2019 THE WOLVERINE 37 FOOTBALL RECRUITING that will be targeted moving forward. That grabbed the attention of quar- terbacks, running backs and wide re- ceivers, but only a 2020 quarterback has taken the plunge and committed to the Wolverines so far, and that was before Gattis was hired. Phoenix Pin- nacle four-star pro-style quarterback JD Johnson committed to the Wolver- ines about a month before Gattis was hired, but once he had a chance to spend time with Michigan's new play caller, he loved everything about him. That visit also included some bonding with the 38-year-old McDaniels, and the combination of he and Gattis re- ally won Johnson over, again. "Throughout the entire recruit- ing process, both Coach Gattis and Coach McDaniels were awesome," Johnson said. "You can tell that they are men with great character and plan to work with Coach Harbaugh to build a national championship- level program. "They also have a unique way of building relationships and relating to athletes. I feel fortunate that I will get to be coached by them." The new duo was also instrumen- tal in landing La Grange Park (Ill.) Nazareth Academy 2021 pro-style quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Gattis and McDaniels have to be excited about the young men that will be running the new offense, and their ability to recruit was a key factor in securing those pledges. Nua is also 38 years old and has the most diverse background in terms of where he's from and where he's been. He was born in Pago Pago, American Samoa, and spent most of his coaching time out west at BYU and Arizona State. He also played in the NFL for four years, giving him a lot of unique experi- ences to rely on. One of Michigan's top overall tar- gets throughout the process, Port Huron (Mich.) Northern three-star defensive end Braiden McGregor, was really tight with former de- fensive line coach Greg Mattison, but U-M never fell off because of Nua's style. The Wolverines landed a pledge from McGregor, who will be soon upgraded to four-star status by Rivals.com, May 24. "He's probably one of the most per- sonable coaches I've ever talked to," McGregor said. "I could tell he genu- inely cares about me. It's awesome." McGregor actually mentioned sev- eral of the new assistants unprompted when asked what made Michigan stand out to him through the process. "Every single hire at Michigan has been a great hire. I love all of them," McGregor said. "I sat down and talked with Coach Gattis, Coach Campanile is awesome, Coach Nua is awesome. I talked to them on the daily. I stayed in contact with them [throughout the process]." Even though they've only been on the job for about six months, the new assistants have definitely hit the ground running. Between landing top- flight recruits to implementing new schemes, they have certainly made an impact on the Maize and Blue. GRIZZLED VETERANS REMAIN STEADY Brown is the oldest coach on staff at 63, but he probably has the most energy. He seems to be fired up all the time and is the epitome of what you look for in a linebackers coach and defensive coordinator. Wheeler has bonded very well with Brown and loves the way the old coach con- nects with him despite being nearly 50 years his senior. "Don Brown — that's a real dude," Wheeler said. "He's a real good fam- ily man, but has such a passion for football. Me and him both want to be the best we can be. "He's very hardworking, wants to win Big Ten championships and most definitely wants to kill Ohio State." All of the U-M coaches want those things, but you tend to believe it a little more with Brown. Even during a press conference he'll have media members wanting to run through a wall. Six years younger than Brown at 57 years old, Warinner is more chill but just as effective on the recruiting trail. He was instrumental in landing Cam- bridge (Mass.) Buckingham Browne & Nichols four-star offensive tackle Zak Zinter and really focused on the family side of things with the 6-6, 300-pounder who is listed as the nation's No. 147 overall prospect by Rivals.com. "I developed a great relationship with Coach Warinner throughout the process," Zinter said. "While recruit- ing me he always stayed in constant contact through texts, direct mes- sages and phone calls. "He developed a great relationship with my family as well, both while on visits and also through texts and calls to them. He made many visits out to my school and always made sure I knew how important I was to Michigan. "Family is important to me, as it is to him. He introduced my family and I to his wife and daughter at my game-day visit and he did a great job making me feel like part of his guys and his Michigan family." The veteran offensive line coach definitely has a jovial personality, and it seems to work on recruits and families alike. Most probably wouldn't necessarily describe the 55-year-old Zordich as jovial, but he smiles a lot and definitely seems to win over recruits with his own brand of confidence. Belleville (Mich.) High four-star cornerback Andre Seldon loves spending time with Zordich on and off the field. "He's a real-life guy," Seldon said. "When we talk, it's not always foot- ball. He checks on me and my family and I like that a lot." Cornerbacks often have a very out- going personality and playing style, and Zordich's approach on the re- cruiting trail matches that. He, like all of U-M's coaches, has been doing it a long time and knows what works. ❏ Defensive coordinator Don Brown's passion comes through, which has made him a hit with recruits despite being the oldest assistant on staff at 63. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN