The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1490206
FEBRUARY 2023 THE WOLVERINE 59 BY EJ HOLLAND T he 2013 Michigan recruiting class was one of the highest ranked in the modern era, finishing with seven top- 150 prospects as well as notable names like Jourdan Lewis, Delano Hill, Maurice Hurst, Taco Charlton and Jake Butt. At the time, Michigan was coming off three straight bowl appearances and ap- peared to have reason for optimism under second-year head coach Brady Hoke, who made it a priority to keep top talent at home. The Wolverines aggressively pursued All-America offensive lineman David Dawson out of Detroit powerhouse Cass Tech and earned his commitment. Daw- son did temporarily back out of his verbal pledge to the Wolverines when Florida and Michigan State made runs. However, Dawson ultimately inked with U-M on signing day, marking a huge win along the offensive line. "Michigan was the hometown team," Dawson said. "I loved Coach Hoke. Coach [Fred] Jackson and Coach [Darrell] Funk were great recruiters. I had a lot of stuff happen personally, like my father passing. I actually decommitted from Michigan because I didn't know what I wanted to do. But the relationships were something I needed at the time. Plus, I had a lot of friends going there." Dawson endured the last two years of the Hoke era, which ultimately came burning down in flames before Michi- gan made a splash hire, bringing in Jim Harbaugh, who immediately led the Wolverines to back-to-back 10-win seasons. Dawson appeared in 16 games under Harbaugh before graduating with a degree in Afroamerican and African Studies. Dawson briefly landed at Iowa State as a graduate student before using his final year of eligibility at Grand Valley State. While the former prized recruit didn't quite live up to his billing, he still cher- ishes the time he spent at the University of Michigan. "I had a great time in Ann Arbor," Daw- son said. "I built a lot of relationships with people I'm still friends with today. [For- mer U-M linebacker] Mike McCray is my daughter's godfather and is going to be in my wedding. I'm thankful for all the relationships. The atmosphere in The Big House was always crazy. It's a blessing to say I played there in front of all those fans." Even before his football career came to an end, Dawson knew he wanted to get into coaching. Shortly after departing for Iowa State, he learned he would soon be a father. That news, coupled with an illness to his mother, prompted Dawson to return home in less than a couple of weeks. Dawson took a year away from the game he loved — as a player — and spent time assisting the Belleville (Mich.) High foot- ball team. After his lone season at Grand Valley State, he got right back into coach- ing. "I came back when I knew football was completely over and spent some time at Loyola in Detroit," Dawson said. "I've al- ways liked giving back. Even if I had made it to the league, I always said I wanted to give back to my community. I didn't, so I can't give back financially, but I can share the knowledge I've learned. I had three or four offensive coordinators at Michigan, so there is a lot of knowledge that I can share with these kids. I reach out to a lot of inner-city kids and try to mentor them." Dawson recently made a big jump in the coaching profession, landing a job at his alma mater, Cass Tech. He serves as the WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Detroit Native David Dawson Now Coaching And Paying It Forward At Cass Tech Dawson, a high school All-American, came to Michigan as a four-star offensive lineman in the program's top-5 recruiting class of 2013. PHOTO BY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY Dawson, on coaching at the high school level "Being able to relate to the kids and understanding where they are coming from is the thing I like the most."