The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/447116
FOOTBALL RECRUITING Tight end — 2007 signee Coby Fleener, now with the Indianapolis Colts, and 2009 signee Zach Ertz, n o w w i t h t h e Philadelphia Ea‑ gles — is another position that Har‑ baugh identified w e l l a n d p re ‑ pared players for the NFL. Defensive ends and linebackers have also walked the trail from Palo Alto to the NFL Draft during Har‑ baugh's tenure. For a college program to succeed at the highest levels, both ends of the recruiting spectrum are important. A program must be able to reel in the top recruits that everyone wants, as well as find players that nobody wanted — but should have. Dur‑ ing his time at Stanford, Harbaugh proved to be a master of each. THE FUTURE It's the high‑profile recruits that draw the most attention from fans. It took Harbaugh a while to ramp up their interest in Stanford, but he shouldn't have the same struggles at Michigan. For starters, the Wolver‑ ines' program is one of the country's most storied, whereas the Cardinal — despite stretches of success — have not been on that level. Addi‑ tionally, Harbaugh can point toward the past eight years of his coaching tenure — four at Stanford and four with the San Francisco 49ers — and tell recruits that they'll be able to win big if they join him in Ann Arbor. " W h e n y o u look at what he did last time he was in college, and then more importantly how s u c c e s s f u l h e was in the NFL, there's not a re‑ cruit in the coun‑ try who won't pick up the phone to talk to Jim Har‑ baugh," Rivals. com national di‑ rector of recruiting Mike Farrell said. "He's been successful, and he loves Michigan. From a recruiting per‑ spective, it's the grand‑slam hire that Michigan needed after the struggles toward the end under Brady Hoke." While the 2015 class, with its lim‑ ited timeframe, may not be the block‑ buster that Michigan fans are hoping for, the future will certainly be bright for the Maize and Blue. Harbaugh's staff includes several coaches from the NFL, as well as proven recruiters at the college level. With high school prospects increas‑ ingly focused on using their college career to get to the next level, that's the perfect mix for recruiting. If an offensive lineman wants to get to the NFL, who better to help him reach that goal than former San Francisco 49ers offensive line coach and new U‑M offensive coordinator Tim Drevno? So too with running backs, DIGITAL BONUS: CLICK THE ICON TO PLAY OR STOP THE PODCAST Blue and Gold Illustrated recruiting reporter Andrew Ivins joins Tim Sullivan on the podcast to discuss Harbaugh and recruiting updates from the Under Armour All-America week in Orlando.