Ahh, NSD is finally over, is anyone ready for a break? I didn’t think so. Michigan’s class finished just outside the top 5 according to Scout. A great finish for Harbaugh’s first full recruiting cycle. The impact of this class stretches just beyond just the field for many reasons, most importantly in the 2017 cycle.
As everyone knows by now, Michigan landed the consensus #1 recruit Rashan Gary, along with 14 other ESPN top 300 recruits. This is a pretty solid accomplishment for Harbaugh, granted he was just selling, “hope.” Now the impact comes with that statement. Harbaugh does not have to just sell hope now, Harbaugh can finally sell what coaches like Saban, Meyer and Miles sell…results.
When coaches land recruits like Gary and Devin Asiasi, it allows the coaches to show that the top recruits in the country believe in them. This goes a long way, especially when these now Wolverines can recruit new guys, like how Kareem Walker and Jabrill Peppers helped with Gary. These players can now go to the best players in the country supporting Harbaugh (Not that he needs help). It’s just reassuring for kids to be able to hear this from other guys that are their own age and have gone through the same recruiting hassles as them.
What is also going to greatly help is where Harbagh recruited the 2016 class. Harbaugh is taking players out of powerhouse football states now, something that Michigan has been lacking in years past. The best part about this is that he is taking top players out of these states like Asiasi and David Long (California) which are the 5 and 13 best players in that state, respectively according to ESPN. This shows that the people from the west coast do have a home at Michigan. That is not an easy transition to make for a 18 year old kid, but having people from your area definitely makes that transition easier.
After Michigan’s rough times in the past with missing out on top recruits, Michigan is finally starting to catch its stride with Harbaugh. Harbaugh has momentum heading into 2017 recruiting, that alone should be enough to scare other coaches but add in this class…It should be a fun 2017.
Photo Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
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