The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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2015 RECRUITING ISSUE igan, rather than the Golden Bears. He pledged to Cal defensive backs coach Greg Burns just a week before making the switch (and had even been briefly committed to Duke over the summer prior to his senior year). "I actually was talking to Michi- gan two weeks before I committed to Cal," Washington explained. "I was talking back and forth with Coach Wheatley and Coach Harbaugh, building a little relationship. They decided to offer me only three or four days before I committed to Cal." Picking the Wolverines instead of the Bears was just one change com- ing for his football career. An even more important one is his position. An accomplished high school quarterback — he passed for more than 1,700 yards and 17 touchdowns, plus ran for 1,200 yards and 20 scores — Washington will be making the switch to the defensive side of the ball when he heads to Ann Arbor. That will be quite the change, after he saw hardly any time at cornerback during his senior campaign. Fortu- nately, he's spent his offseasons mak- ing sure his skills are tuned up on that side of the ball. "Most schools actually were re- cruiting me and projecting me as a DB/safety," he said. "I had a couple schools recruiting me as a receiver, but the main part was the defensive side of the ball. I had been playing and on both sides of the ball my whole football career until this past year at Prattville. I also played DB at Prattville in seven-on-seven tourna- ments, too. "I feel like I can lock anybody down man to man. I have the ability to run up and hit guys. Mainly, my thing is to lock down big tall receiv-