The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1520409
JUNE/JULY 2024 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 49 ❱ MICHIGAN RECRUITING NOTEBOOK know each other. It's weird to say bond- ing time, but that's really what it was like." Of course, there was some football talk as well. Smith was able to get a glimpse of life as a quarterback at Mich- igan and also was on hand for the annual spring game. "Coach Campbell and I went through how they operate offensively and what their prep looks like," Smith said. "We looked at some of the plays they ran through during the season. It was good to see them throw the rock a little bit at the spring game. It's tough when you split the teams up, but it was nice to see the offense a little bit." Overall, Smith feels like he is a great fit at Michigan. And this visit only re- affirmed his verbal pledge to the Wol- verines. "I was able to talk to the quarterbacks when I was around the building," Smith said. "They are all great dudes. I'm lucky to be part of a quarterback room like that. The culture hasn't changed much. Coach Moore is going to put his twist on things, but they are going to keep that Michigan football culture alive. I'm excited about that. I'm more of gritty football player, and that's how Michigan is." Smith had a sensational junior sea- son at Fort Myers (Fla.) Bishop Verot that saw him pass for 2,223 yards and 29 touchdowns with just 4 interceptions. A true dual-threat quarterback, Smith also added 715 yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground and earned Gatorade Player of the Year honors in the state of Florida. Smith has drawn comparisons to for- mer Michigan quarterback J.J. McCar- thy thanks to his playmaking ability and charisma. The two were able to briefly connect during Smith's April visit. "It's cool to be compared to someone like that," Smith said. "I don't even have words. He's going to be a first-round pick and is probably going to spend a lot of time in the NFL. The vibe he gives off is something I would want to take on myself. He's a genuine, happy dude." Like McCarthy was for his class, Smith wants to be a vocal peer leader on the recruiting trail. The spring game of- fered an opportunity for Smith to work on a few top targets. "It was fun to recruit them," Smith said. "We got Nate Marshall, which was a big pickup for us. I was recruiting Av- ery [Gach] pretty hard. I was able to talk to Phillip Wright and his dad, too. Those two are some special players, so it would be great to get them onboard." Gach, the nation's No. 19 interior of- fensive lineman according to the On 3 Industry Ranking, committed to Michi- gan in early May, and the Wolverines appear to be leading for Lousiana's Wright, the county's No. 48 wide re- ceiver, per On3. Smith is set to return to Michigan for an official visit on June 21. At 6-foot-3, 180 pounds, Smith is ranked as the No. 15 quarterback and No. 199 overall prospect nationally, per the On3 Industry Ranking. He is also ranked as the No. 28 overall recruit in Florida for the next cycle. FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED AFTER SPRING PRACTICE VISITS The Wolverine provides its biggest Michigan takeaways on the recruiting trail following spring practice visits. 1. Sticking To The Plan There was continuity at the helm with head coach Sherrone Moore when Michigan head man Jim Harbaugh left for the NFL in January. However, the subsequent departure of multiple staff members from last season's national championship team led to an array of new faces that will lead Michigan in the 2024 season. This not-insignificant transition meant a loss of momentum for U-M with many elite targets. Thus, this spring has been all about those prospects using this spring to garner comfort and familiarity with the new U-M coaches while determining whether their fit with the Wolverines would carry over into the program's new era. Patience and persistence were the foundation of its most significant win on the trail of the offseason in Nate Marshall, the No. 40 overall player and No. 4 defensive lineman nationally, and that has elevated the program's mo- mentum moving forward. 2. One Commit Flips The Narrative The doom-and-gloom fan reactions on U-M's recruiting because of the ex- tended time frame between commit- ments were exchanged for a major dose of optimism in late April. It began the day of the spring game when a long list of high-level visitors returned to The Big House. Then, April 22, Marshall chose the reigning national champions over Miami, Alabama and Auburn and shut down his recruitment following his third visit to Michigan. His pledge gives the Wolverines a commit from Chicagoland in seven straight recruit- ing cycles. Two weeks later, in-state offensive lineman Avery Gach followed Marshall's lead and committed to U-M on May 3. The notion of one person or event making a difference is indeed true re- garding recruiting. In this case, Mar- shall's pledge immediately sparked an increase in optimism heading into the late spring and summer. 3. Lou Esposito Picks Up The Pieces After Two Turnovers In the winter, Michigan lost former defensive line coach Mike Elston to the NFL's Los Angeles Chargers. His replacement was Greg Scruggs, who didn't last long. Scruggs' abrupt res- ignation following an off-field incident resulted in Moore bringing in Lou Es- posito as the new position coach. Esposito was immediately tasked with making connections with top tar- gets on the board in a short time frame. The new assistant coach didn't have preexisting relationships with the ma- jority of them, so it was a matter of making consistent contact on a regular basis with the U-M targets. MICHIGAN'S 2025 COMMITMENTS Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown/High School Avery Gach IOL 6-4 270 Franklin, Mich. / Wylie E. Groves Bobby Kanka DL 6-4 263 Howell, Mich. / Howell Nate Marshall EDGE 6-5 265 Oak Park, Ill. / Fenwick Eli Owens TE 6-2 230 Alcoa, Tenn. / Alcoa Carter Smith QB 6-3 180 Fort Myers, Fla. / Bishop Verot