The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1516256
2024 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ 36 THE WOLVERINE ❱ MARCH 2024 BY EJ HOLLAND Michigan's slogan for the 2024 re- cruiting class was Born2Play4Michigan. No one signee embodies that mantra more than On300 Austin (Texas) Vande- grift offensive lineman Blake Frazier. He is the son of former Michigan center Steve Frazier, who was part of the 1997 national championship team and won two Big Ten titles during his time in Ann Arbor. Steve shared his Maize and Blue pride with Blake since the day he took his first breath. It was all Michigan all the time. "It was drilled into me," Blake said with a laugh. "We call it the brainwash- ing. Obviously, the second I was out of the womb, I was a Michigan fan — that's been my whole life for sure. But 2010 [when U-M finished 7-6 in Rich Ro- driguez's final season as coach] was a rough year to be a Michigan fan. "I stuck with this program through a season as bad as that was. That's a big reason I committed, too. It's a legacy thing. It's an honor I get to continue it." While Blake was considered a Michi- gan lean for the majority of the process, he did his best to stay level-headed. As offers poured in from other major programs like Clemson, Florida, LSU, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Texas and USC, Frazier made visits and kept in consistent contact with several coaches. He eventually whittled his lengthy offer list down to five. At that point, he struggled with his decision internally. But all roads led back to Michigan. Shortly following an unofficial visit in March 2023, Frazier put an end to the recruiting process and gave the Wolver- ines a verbal commitment. "I went through the process as unbi- ased as I could," he said. "Having that background was a big thing. They were my third offer, which was huge for sure. I gave everyone a shot. I took as many visits as I could and learned everything from their academics to their NIL to their strength coach. I learned every- thing I could about every program. "At the end of the day, the Michigan fan part of me helped me make a decision so confidently. It's hard to suppress 16 years of being a fan, learning about the program and having a dad that tells you all the stories. Loving the program from a recruit side helped seal the deal for me." And yes, his father was ecstatic with the decision. "He told me 'It's about damn time,'" All Roads Led To Michigan For Legacy Offensive Lineman Blake Frazier Frazier is one of three legacy members of the 2024 class. He's following in the footsteps of his father, Steve Frazier, a former U-M offensive lineman on the 1997 national championship team. PHOTO COURTESY BLAKE FRAZIER STATISTICS • Helped Vandegri to a 10-1 record his senior year with a district championship and state playoff appearance in 2023. • Team reached the Texas Division II 6A state tle game in 2022 with a 14-2 overall record. HONORS • PrepStar Top 300 All-American (2023). • Unanimous selec on as the 25-6A All-District Offensive Lineman of the Year (2023). • Dave Campbell's Texas Football Whataburger Super Team (2023). • Honorable Men on Academic All-State (2023). RECRUITMENT • Pledged to Michigan on April 16, 2023, a er receiving an offer in June 2022. • Picked U-M over notable offers from Clemson, Oklahoma and Texas. • Recruited by U-M head coach Sherrone Moore. DID YOU KNOW? • Enrolled early at U-M. • Also le ered in track and field with personal bests of 58 feet, 4.25 inches in the shot put and 153 feet, 10 inches in the discus. • Son of Steve and Kim Frazier. • Father was a Michigan offensive lineman on the 1997 na onal championship team. • Born Dec. 20, 2005. THEY SAID IT On3 director of scou ng and rankings Charles Power: "Blake Frazier is a guy we've seen con nue to progress physically over the past year or so with a nice frame and a lot of room to con nue adding weight. He has very good movement skills, and it excites us to see how good he is at the shot put. The func onal strength and power through his core projects well. He could play mul ple posi ons along the offensive line — at tackle or he can slide inside. He's one player whose best football is definitely ahead of him." BLAKE FRAZIER OFFENSIVE TACKLE 6-6 • 275 VANDEGRIFT HIGH AUSTIN, TEXAS RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 164 11 27 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 216 19 34 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 208 19 35 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 289 26 45 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 82 6 13 INDUSTRY