The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1123063
36 THE WOLVERINE JUNE/JULY 2019 BY BRANDON BROWN I t's hard to imagine that the recruit- ing machine at Michigan is in the best shape it's been in since Jim Har- baugh took over, but that's how it feels. Harbaugh and his staff landed back- to-back top-five classes in 2016 and 2017 before sliding quite a bit to No. 24 in 2018. Last year, they righted the ship, landing the No. 10 class in the country and the top group in the Big Ten. Despite all of that measured suc- cess, the staff feels more cohesive and energized on the recruiting trail heading into the 2019 season than ever before. Harbaugh has a stable of 10 assistants that seem to work very well together, as well as a fun-loving director of recruiting in Matt Dudek. It's really a testament to the kinds of guys Harbaugh brought in over the past year. New quarterbacks coach Ben McDaniels was promoted from within but is one of four new assistants. Outside linebackers coach Anthony Campanile, wide receiv- ers coach and offensive coordina- tor Josh Gattis, and defensive line coach Shaun Nua round out the rest of the new faces. Between them you have four guys in their 30s with very different and diverse backgrounds, which has brought a lot of new en- ergy to an already successful group. Old-school grinders Don Brown, Ed Warinner and Mike Zordich also have a way about them. Don Brown is Don Brown. There's really not much more that needs to be said about the veteran defensive coordinator. He's a legend in the Northeast and has such a zest for coaching that defensive players can't help but want to play for him. Meanwhile, Warinner is out there finding offensive linemen to pave the way for skill players. He knows what he's looking for and does a good job of bringing those types of players to campus, who are usually blown away by their one-on-one meetings. Finally, Zordich is cool, calm and collected. He has a "been around the block" vibe to him and really makes his targets feel wanted and confident. It's a formula that has worked for him for a long time. They're older than the new assis- tants, but bring an educated swag- ger to the recruiting trail that really resonates with recruits despite them being much older. The remaining three holdover as- sistants are on the young side, but are really getting settled in at Michi- gan. Running backs coach Jay Har- baugh is the youngest coach on staff at 29 years old, but obviously has a lifelong natural feel for what coach- ing football is about. He's been in Ann Arbor since 2015 and feels like a mainstay on the staff. Tight ends coach Sherrone Moore is only entering year No. 2 at Michigan, but has already been worthwhile by leading the way on five-star Daxton Hill's recruitment. At 33 years old, he's one of the nation's top young up-and-coming position coaches at a big-time program. Safeties coach Chris Partridge has also been great on the recruiting trail since joining Michigan's staff in 2015. He started off at U-M with a complete focus on recruiting as the recruiting coordinator, and he's re- tained that skill as a position coach. Now 38 years old and in charge of special teams as well, he does a great job in the South, specifically in Geor- gia, and also still has a lot of pull in New Jersey, where he coached Jabrill Peppers and Rashan Gary, among others, at Paramus Catholic. As of May 28, the 2020 class con- tained nine members, which ranked as the No. 14 class in the country. Each one of the assistants has his fin- gerprints on the 2020 pledges and a couple of commits in the 2021 class. When recruits talk about these guys, it's easy to understand why they do such a good job. FOUR NEW FACES GETTING AFTER IT Campanile is New Jersey personi- fied. He's been on staff at Rutgers and Boston College, but was a high school linebackers coach and of- fensive coordinator at powerhouse Don Bosco Prep before entering the college ranks. At 36 years old, Cam- panile brings a nice blend of young energy and solid experience to the sidelines. On the recruiting trail, his person- ality is infectious, and it definitely made a mark on West Bloomfield (Mich.) High four-star inside line- backer and Michigan commit Cornell Wheeler. The 6-0, 229-pounder lights up when talking about Campanile. "Coach Camp is that hype man," Wheeler said. "He's got that North- east swag but really he's a good guy. He knows his football." Harbaugh really shook up the off- season when he publicly stated that he'd be handing the entire offense over to the 35-year-old Gattis. Based on the spring game, that seems to en- tail a complete overhaul in scheme, tempo and the types of skill players FOOTBALL RECRUITING Michigan Has The Right Mix Of Old And New On The Recruiting Trail New defensive line coach Shaun Nua is one of four new hires who have not wasted any time impressing on the recruiting trail. He played an instrumental part in landing top target Braiden McGregor, a defensive end from Port Huron (Mich.) Northern. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN