The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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michigan recruiting Drake Harris Decommits From Michigan State M ichigan State landed a big recruiting blow against Michigan July 9, 2012, when Grand Rapids (Mich.) Christian wide receiver Drake Harris pledged to the Spartans. The 6-4, 180-pounder made a two-sport commitment to play football and basketball in East Lansing. The opportunity to play basketball for Tom Izzo and football with an MSU program that made a habit of throwing the ball all over the field made a big impact on Harris. What a difference six months can make. In early January, Harris swore of his plans to play college basketball and softened his commitment to the Spartans. He fully decommitted from MSU March 11. "I have been thinking about it for a while," he said. "Michigan State is a great place and they have great coaches — but I felt like if I'm going to play football, that's not going to be the right place for me. I'm just looking at some other schools and going on from there." Harris' decommitment was especially notable coming on the heels of three consecutive weekends spent unofficially visiting Ann Arbor. Both of his parents and his grandfather got the opportunity to see town, and U-M basketball games against Illinois, Michigan State and Indiana. "It was a great experience, just being Rivals.com rates Harris, a wide receiver, as a four-star recruit and the No. 56 overall prospect in the class of 2014. photo courtesy rivals.com with the coaches and everyone there," Harris said. "They're all great people, and I love the campus. My mom and my dad both got down there, and my grandpa has been down there. They have all liked it. With the academics there and all the players and everything, I had a great time." Although Harris maintains no favorites at this point in the process, it's clear that Michigan has made an impact. He plans to take unofficial visits to Florida, Alabama, Georgia and USC, along with possible trips to Ohio State and Notre Dame, this spring. Harris would like to make an early decision in October and wants to enroll at the school of his choosing for the winter semester.