Five-star QB Bryce Underwood flipping from LSU to Michigan made major waves in college football. Recruitment often has lots of drama, excitement and anticipation. Here’s a look at some of the most dramatic Michigan recruiting sagas.
Bryce Underwood’s announcement on Thursday, flipping from LSU to Michigan, made major waves in college football. Recruitment often has lots of drama, excitement and anticipation, especially with all of the changes in the sport.
Michigan has been no stranger to recruiting drama, winning some major battles and losing some heartbreakers. With all of the excitement of this week, we took a look back at some of the most dramatic recruiting sagas the Wolverines have been a part of.
5. Isaiah Wilson
Michigan football has sure seen its fair share of dramatic recruiting endeavors, and many of them resulted in an unfavorable outcome. Five-star recruit Isaiah Wilson, a 6-foot-7, 350 lbs. offensive tackle in the 2017 recruiting class is a good example of that.
The highly coveted prospect had narrowed his list down to three schools: Michigan, Alabama and Georgia. It goes without saying that when players visit prospective schools they fixate on things like coaching staff, players, campus, academics. Wilson initially committed to Alabama, but reopened his recruitment inexplicably; in the end, Wilson settled on Georgia. Wilson likely took those all aspects into consideration, but the logic behind his final decision had some peculiar make or break moments.
It had less to do with what Georgia did right in the recruiting process and more to do with what Alabama and Michigan did wrong. Wilson’s reasoning for decommitting from Alabama was because Nick Saban didn’t give him a hug; Wilson put his arms out for a hug, but Saban merely extended his hand for a handshake. Just like that, Alabama was out. Michigan suffered the same fate when Jim Harbaugh visited his family home and wouldn’t take his cleats off, walking around on the hardwood floors in them.
Who knows what would have happened if Harbaugh had just left his cleats at the door.
4. Rashan Gary
Prior to Bryce Underwood’s announcement Thursday, defensive tackle Rashan Gary was Michigan’s biggest recruiting pickup in the modern era. The No. 1 player in the 2016 draft class didn’t necessarily have much drama in terms of his path to choosing Michigan, but simply being the most elite player in his class makes it dramatic.
Gary narrowed his list down to Michigan and Clemson, but struggled to make his final decision. Eventually he did, announcing his commitment to the Wolverines live on SportsCenter. It was later revealed that another school offered Gary $300,000 during his recruitment, thankfully to no avail.
Gary was the first No. 1-overall recruit for Michigan since this recruitment structure was implemented, and the first No. 1-overall recruit to sign with a team outside of the SEC since 2008, when Terrelle Pryor committed to Ohio State .
3. Dax Hill
Many Michigan fans remember exactly where they were when Dax Hill flipped his commitment from the Wolverines to Alabama. A five-star recruit and the No. 1 safety in the 2019 recruiting class, it certainly stung and left fans in disbelief.
Hill’s change of heart didn’t deflate Michigan’s coaching staff, though. Instead, they put everything they had into getting Hill back. Those efforts were clearly effective, as 11 days late, Hill flipped back, decommitting from Alabama and signing his letter of intent with the Wolverines — just two days prior to the end of the early signing period.
The path of Hill’s recruitment was certainly not linear, and for fans it was quite the rollercoaster.
2. Najee Harris
Revisiting running back Najee Harris’s recruitment is about as dramatic as it gets. Make some popcorn and get comfy, because the No. 2 overall prospect in the 2017 class captivated heaps of media attention and provided little-to-no hints on where he was going.
Harris committed to Alabama two years prior, but as the enrollment date neared he began exploring other options, most notably going to Michigan for an official visit. Shortly after, Harris went to the All-American Bowl in San Antonio, where the drama reached new heights.
The media became restless and rumblings and gossip spread. A photo leaked of a post-it note with Harris’ name, Michigan dorm number and keycard on it, sparking palpable buzz toward the Wolverines. Still, Harris was silent, keeping everyone wondering.
Unable to get clarity from Harris himself, people shifted their focus toward flight information in hopes of uncovering Harris’ choice — he could fly back to California, or straight to Alabama or Michigan. Ultimately, Alabama outlasted Michigan.
Ironically, Harris commented on how much he hated the recruitment process and the attention.
1. Bryce Underwood
There may be a bit of recency bias with this, but Bryce Underwood flipping from LSU to Michigan is groundbreaking for the Wolverines’ recruiting. Rumors and reports ran rampant for quite some time about the potential to flip Underwood, but there’s a big difference between rumor and reality.
Underwood’s prolific talent and stardom alone make this recruitment monumental. The No. 1-overall recruit, a 6-foot-3 quarterback from Belleville, MI is a tremendous get — especially for a team that’s current quarterback situation is so bleak.
What makes this recruitment saga so special and unique to the past dramas is the element of NIL. Michigan has worked tirelessly to bolster its NIL efforts in order to secure elite players like Underwood. For Underwood specifically, many of the school’s major donors came together and the Wolverines offered him a reported $12 million over four years.
For so long, college football was chained by the NCAA’s rules of amateurism. Until July 1, 2021 players couldn’t accept any compensation. Three years later, players are securing an eight-figure payout.