The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1511544
48 THE WOLVERINE ❱ DECEMBER 2023 ❱ MICHIGAN RECRUITING NOTEBOOK "It came down to communication and relationships for us. I asked Coach Hart, 'What is your plan for Micah?' He said, 'I want to teach him. I want to mentor him.' He ended up locking us down." There was the understanding that Ka'apana wasn't the only Michigan tail- back target that could pair alongside Marshall in the class. It was brought up on the official visit and what Hart told the family was all that needed to be heard. "I asked, 'If Micah wants to commit, are you going to take him?'" George said. "That's all I said. Coach Hart said, 'Absolutely.' "Hart's conversations with us have been fabulous. I had a moment with him to talk about our experience on campus, and I told him I didn't know what to say. I've loved the guy ever since. He'd have to tell us that we can't go there for us not to go there." Through the remainder of the sum- mer and this entire fall, George and Hart have kept in contact just as much as Hart has with his future ball carrier. In one conversation, George inquired what the journey would look like for his son in Ann Arbor, and Hart's answer left nothing on the table. "Offensively, Coach Hart and I have already talked because I asked him the same question," George said. "He said, 'I'm going to teach Micah how to read blitzes, how to pick up blocks and how to fall forward.'" The history of Hart as a former Mich- igan player and now as a developer as- sures George that his son found the right environment. "On a graph that I saw once, Coach Hart is the number one running backs coach in the country at recruiting," George said. "He started all four sea- sons at Michigan. He's coached up Blake Corum, who's played all four seasons. Coach Hart and Coach Harbaugh have told us that they play three or four run- ning backs intentionally to not damage the body." George, Micah and their loved ones first met Harbaugh in Hawai'i years ago when the latter ran a youth camp. They all took a picture together, and that event was brought up on the of- ficial visit when Harbaugh met with the family individually. The physical photo couldn't be found, which was going to be shown to Har- baugh on the visit. But the memories are still vivid, and how Harbaugh presented himself at the camp was exactly how he made himself available in his office. "I'm almost 55 years old, so I'm pretty familiar with Coach Harbaugh," George said. "The guy has championship pedi- gree. I feel he has integrity. I love the guy because he's made time to talk to us. I felt like I was talking to a friend, not Coach Harbaugh. That was important." With his son locked in and having full trust of the coaching staff, George and the family are continuing to learn more about the non-football-related resources that Micah can pursue, par- ticularly with NIL. M Power was presented on the Ka'apanas' return visit in late July for the annual BBQ at The Big House. "I'm going to tell you, I don't know much about what Micah can do off the field," George said. "But I asked Coach Harbaugh, 'How can you make sure that my guy is busy?' He said, 'If he's in the right place at the right time and doing the right thing, he's going to get his NIL base.' That told me that there's some type of plan for the players. "When Coach Hart told me that Michigan will take care of Micah, that meant a lot. Jim said the same thing. ON3 2024 TEAM RECRUITING RANKINGS As of November 12 Rk. School Commits 1. Georgia 27 2. Ohio State 22 3. Florida State 23 4. Florida 20 5. Alabama 20 6. Oregon 24 7. Texas 20 8. Texas A&M 20 9. LSU 26 10. Oklahoma 27 15. Michigan 25 U-M commit Micah Ka'apana of Las Vegas Bishop Gorman is currently rated the No. 30 running back nationally and the No. 1 player in Nevada by On3. PHOTO COURTESY OF MICAH KA'APANA