The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MICHIGAN RECRUITING 1,186 rushing yards and 20 touch‑ downs on 102 carries in 11 games. Should he choose Michigan, Kelly also has the opportunity to contrib‑ ute on special teams in the return game, giving him a chance to make an impact with the ball in his hands. Kelly plans to take all five offi‑ cial visits, with Michigan, Michigan State, and Minnesota three likely des‑ tinations on the trail for him. He will make a decision close to National Signing Day. GARRETT TAYLOR AND DARRIN KIRKLAND DROP U‑M It comes as no surprise that Michi‑ gan's coaching staff has struggled to hold onto commitments in the 2015 class. The Wolverines have struggled on the field — enough that the long‑ term stability of the coaching staff is drawn into serious question — and the players who pledged early in the process are hotly pursued by a num‑ ber of the country's best programs. What hurts more for Michigan is a decommitment followed by the decommitted player 's complete elimination of U‑M from the process. The Wolverines' two early decom‑ mitments in the 2015 class, five‑star running back Damien Harris and four‑star wide receiver Georgia Campbell, left U‑M on the list for a while before whittling things down. The next pair, four‑star defensive back Shaun Crawford and defensive lineman Darian Roseboro, decom‑ mitted to make almost immediate flips to Notre Dame and North Caro‑ lina State, respectively. The two most recent decommit‑ ments from Michigan's class, how‑ ever, are in a different boat. Both re‑ main open in the recruiting process, but have opted to keep the Wolver‑ ines out of the mix. Richmond (Va.) St. Christopher 's School defensive back Garrett Taylor is a 6‑1, 188‑pounder who is ranked as the No. 6 cornerback and No. 48 overall prospect nationally. He de‑ committed from Michigan Oct. 27 and immediately removed the Wol‑ verines from his list of top schools, despite a seven‑month relationship with the program. Indianapolis Lawrence Central linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. made a similar move. "I am officially decommitting from the University of Michigan and open‑ ing up my recruitment," he said. "I wanted to thank the university and especially the coaching staff for al‑ lowing me the opportunity to attend such a prestigious institution." Kirkland, a 6‑1, 233‑pounder who is ranked as the No. 7 inside line‑ backer and No. 167 overall prospect nationally, also does not plan to con‑ sider Michigan going forward. STATUS OF CURRENT COMMITS In a time of turmoil in the Michi‑ gan recruiting class, the remaining pledges — there are eight of them — have a variety of opinions about whether sticking to Ann Arbor is worth it. Some are locks to sign with the Maize and Blue come February, while others are evaluating options.