The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/418536
FOOTBALL RECRUITING BY TIM SULLIVAN M ichigan's current coaching staff has recruited very well during their time in Ann Arbor. After a 2011 recruiting class (a joint effort with the previous coaching staff under Rich Rodriguez) that ranked No. 21 nationally, Brady Hoke and his as- sistants followed it up with a No. 7 group in 2012 and a No. 5 haul in 2013. The 2014 class didn't quite meet those lofty standards — with just 16 signees, the Wolverines didn't have enough numbers to rank higher than No. 31 nationally — but was still a star-studded group. Michigan's class of 2015 doesn't look like it will quite live up to the standards of the classes before it. With just eight commitments, the current group ranks No. 55 nationally. It has been hit hard by decommitments, with six players rescinding verbal commitments to the Wolverines. That's something of an anomaly un- der Hoke. The previous three classes combined lost just four total players to decommitments, thanks in part to a policy instituted by the coaches that players who pledge to U-M may not visit other programs, either of- ficially or unofficially. With the Wol- verines' 2014 season spiraling to a 5-5 record through the first 10 games, the coaches' leverage with that policy — that the spots would be up for the tak- ing by other prospects, meaning a lost opportunity at Michigan — is gone. While Michigan will likely finish with a strong class (half of the 16 spots are available at this late stage in the process) either way, the 2015 group will go down as the first of the Hoke era that was severely hindered by players changing their minds about attending Michigan. THE CLASS OF 2012 Hoke's first full class was the be- ginning of a new era at Michigan, and with its arrival came the implemen- tation of the no-visit policy. Despite that, the group lost three prospects during the course of the coaching change. FOOTBALL RECRUITING U-M Decommitments Under Brady Hoke Kentucky running back Damien Harris, the top prep ball carrier in the senior class according to Rivals.com, decommitted from Michigan last December. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM