The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1184078
46 THE WOLVERINE DECEMBER 2019 BY EJ HOLLAND M ichigan will always recruit close to home, but the Wolverines have proven to be a true national recruiting force. Just this cycle alone, Michigan holds commitments from 12 differ- ent states. From Hawai'i to New York, head coach Jim Harbaugh and company have put an emphasis on finding the best talent regardless of location. That attitude has opened doors in some interesting states. The Wol- verines had success in Colorado a few years back, landing former four- star recruits Carlo Kemp, now a se- nior defensive lineman, and Dylan McCaffrey, a junior quarterback, in back-to-back cycles. Now, Colorado is becoming a bit of a recruiting powerhouse, especially for its size. The trajectory of the state is rising exponentially. Colorado is literally producing double-digit Power Five recruits — not just Foot- ball Bowl Subdivision — every cycle. "Coming from Arizona, Colorado is where Arizona was 10 years ago," Aurora (Colo.) Regis Jesuit head coach Dan Filleman said. "It's just coming on the map. "There have always been good players in Arizona. Now, you see the abundance of those guys. It's the same thing with Colorado. I don't know if it's the altitude or what, but Colorado has big kids with height. "We have size in Colorado, and the skill positions are catching up. It's not over recruited. I think Arizona is over recruited. But Colorado is a hid- den gem, and more and more schools are coming by." Former Denver Mullen High and University of Miami quarterback Ryan Clement, who is now an as- sistant at Aurora (Colo.) Smoky Hill and Team Full Gorilla, a top seven- on-seven club team in Colorado, had a few ideas on the uptick in talent. "The first one is pretty simple and obvious and doesn't have much to do with football," Clement said. "The population increase. Colorado is the most popular place to move, and the growth has been amazing. "The second one is people are em- bracing seven-on-seven and some of the summer stuff that wouldn't otherwise happen. Colorado has em- braced that. They go out and play good competition and travel. "They're willing to go jump on a bus and go to Utah and travel to other states in months that would have been reserved for other sports. Those are reasons for the jump in the talent. "Back in the '90s, you had your local paper, Tom Lemming and Blue Chip. With the rise of the Internet, there is a lot more focus on kids in places that wouldn't have gotten eyes on them before. "There are a lot more guys being seen by Rivals, etc., that may not be recruiting coordinators for schools but that recruiting coordinators for schools are following." Michigan's success back in 2016 and 2017 with the Kemp and McCaf- frey has opened the door for those top-level recruits that Colorado is starting to churn out. This cycle, the Wolverines are squarely in the mix for offensive lineman Andrew Gentry, the No. 59 overall prospect in the nation, out of Littleton (Colo.) Columbine and hold a commitment from Centennial (Colo.) Eaglecrest offensive lineman Reece Atteberry, the No. 5 player in the state. Michigan is also the early front- runner for elite 2022 Aurora (Colo.) Regis Jesuit quarterback Nicco Mar- chiol and a player for Highlands Ranch (Colo.) Valor Christian wide receiver Gavin Sawchuk. Both have the potential to be top-100 players nationally. Needless to say, Michigan is taking advantage of the work they've put into recruiting Colorado. "It seems like they are" Filleman said. "They've done a really good job getting in here and getting on the ground floor of it. I've had many conversations with Coach [Ben] McDaniels. "In all my years coaching, he's one of, if not the top, recruiter I've dealt with. This is just a shout out to Coach McDaniels, Coach Har- baugh and the way they run re- cruiting. Coach McDaniels is great with communication. . "He's thoughtful. If he invites Nicco out, he wants to make sure it FOOTBALL RECRUITING Michigan Is Having Success in Colorado Aurora (Colo.) Regis Jesuit standout Nicco Marchiol, one of the top quarterbacks in the 2022 class, will be making his second trip to Ann Arbor this fall for the Michigan-Ohio State game Nov. 30. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM