The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/447116
FOOTBALL RECRUITING from the university's athletics compli‑ ance department. Then, Harbaugh had to formulate a specific plan of attack for closing out the 2015 class. Contacting all six 2015 commits to touch base and ensure the strength of their commitment to the Maize and Blue was most important. Harbaugh did just that, with the only seriously wavering recruit — Huber Heights (Ohio) Wayne 2015 safety Tyree Kinnel, a four‑star recruit and the No. 15 safety and No. 211 over‑ all prospect nationally according to Rivals.com — reaffirming his pledge. Just days after Harbaugh set foot onto campus, so too did two members of the recruiting class in Bloomfield Hills (Mich.) Brother Rice quarterback Alex Malzone and Saginaw (Mich.) Heritage wide receiver Brian Cole. Malzone was steadfast in his pledge throughout Michigan's 2014 season and subsequent coaching search, and the 6‑2, 205‑pounder is the No. 10 pro‑ style quarterback nationally, a good fit for the future U‑M offense. Cole, a 6‑2, 190‑pounder who can also play in the defensive backfield but is expected to line up on offense for the Wolverines, is ranked as the No. 4 athlete and No. 91 overall player in the nation. Cole took official visits to Nebraska and Purdue, among oth‑ ers, but did not plan to seriously re‑ open his recruitment. With those two officially in the fold, and the other four commit‑ ments solid, Harbaugh had to iden‑ tify Michigan's current targets — with help from director of player person‑ nel Chris Singletary, a holdover from Hoke's coaching staff — along with new players to pursue to finish the class. Many of the newly identified play‑ ers for Harbaugh and his staff (see sidebar) planned official visits to Ann Arbor, and the final three weeks be‑ fore National Signing Day are key in closing out the class. An NCAA‑ mandated recruiting dead period ended Jan. 15, giving Harbaugh and his assistants only three full weeks to host players on campus or to make in‑school and in‑home visits on the road to see the prospects in person away from Ann Arbor. Michigan has approximately 16 openings in the 2015 class (though the number could be lower with less than expected attrition from the cur‑ rent roster during the coaching tran‑ sition). With few top‑flight prospects still available on the board, U‑M can land as many of them as possible, without needing to fill out the class with lesser‑ranked players. THE HISTORY Although Harbaugh has never had the type of high‑profile college coaching job that he will at Michi‑ gan, he should be able to see major success on the recruiting trail in Ann Arbor, considering his recruiting his‑ tory at Stanford. When he arrived in Palo Alto, Calif., the Cardinal was on the heels of a 1‑11 season, the fifth straight without a bowl appearance for Stanford. Immediately, though, he led a turnaround on the recruiting front that paid dividends on the field. Some of the top players in the NFL