The Wolverine

March 2013 - Signing Day Edition

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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football recruiting issue Mike McCray���s Buckeye Roots Couldn���t Prevent His Signing With U-M Michigan has signed more than its share of highly rated recruits out of the state of Ohio under head coach Brady Hoke. None, though, have had the OSU ties that link Trotwood (Ohio) Madison linebacker Mike McCray Jr. to the school where his father, Mike Sr., served as a defensive captain in the 1980s. U-M beat OSU to the punch in offering the 6-2, 235-pounder nearly two months before his father���s alma mater did. The four-star didn���t waver, though, when OSU head coach Urban Meyer came calling with an offer several weeks later. Getting his father���s blessing didn���t hurt. McCray got the vibe he was looking for after a spring trip to Ann Arbor, but he wasn���t sure how his father would respond. ���After the visit I got the feeling that���s where I wanted to be,��� McCray said. ���My dad, he made it easy for me, said I didn���t have to go where he went. It was my decision to go where I felt best.��� McCray Jr. made it easy for his dad, as well, by telling him he didn���t have to stop rooting for the Buckeyes. Mike Sr. decided on his own to switch loyalties for a handful of seasons. ���He���s going to be a Michigan fan for the next four or five years before Although his father, Mike Sr., served as a defensive captain for Ohio State in the 1980s, McCray got the feeling that Ann Arbor was the place he wanted to be after visiting campus. photo by lon horwedel converting back to Ohio State,��� McCray Jr. said. Likewise, OSU fans will get a good look at what their program missed out on in the same span, many having already seen it during McCray���s career and in the 2012 state playoffs. McCray helped lead Madison to the state title game and was Rivals.com���s No. 5 performer in all Ohio state fi-

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