The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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FOOTBALL RECRUITING where Wolverine legend Tyrone Wheatley Sr. comes from a tenure with the Buffalo Bills (and it doesn't hurt that his son, Tyrone Jr., is a four‑ star recruit himself). Established college recruiters — new defensive coordinator D.J. Dur‑ kin was one of Harbaugh's best re‑ cruiters at Stanford and then took his game to another level during four years under Will Muschamp at Flor‑ ida, including a 2012 Rivals.com Re‑ cruiter of the Year award — bring an‑ other element. Durkin doesn't have the NFL experience, but has put to‑ gether strong defenses at every stop and reeled in some of the country's best talent along the way. One of Michigan's top recruiters on Hoke's staff will be retained as well, albeit in a different capacity. Greg Mattison was U‑M's defensive coordinator for the past four seasons and will be the defensive line coach under Harbaugh. He joined Durkin on Rivals.com's list of the 25 "Best Recruiters" in 2012, and was named the top recruiter in the Big Ten that season. During his four years at Michigan, Mattison has been the primary re‑ cruiter for five‑star 2012 offensive lineman Kyle Kalis and nine other four‑star prospects the Wolverines landed, as well as being a secondary recruiter for 2014 five‑star defensive back Jabrill Peppers. That blend isn't unique to Michi‑ gan. Alabama's assistants have reeled in the nation's top class every year since 2011, and are on pace to repeat that feat with the 2015 group. There's also NFL experience in Tus‑ caloosa, with offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin serving as the Oakland Raiders' head coach from 2007‑08, and defensive line coach Bo Davis, defensive coordinator Kirby Smart and tight ends coach Bobby Williams serving as assistants under Saban with the Miami Dolphins. Other coaching staffs (including at U‑M's top rival Ohio State) have a blend of college and NFL experience, making them hot commodities on the recruit‑ ing trail. The composition of Harbaugh's staff should put it into the conversa‑ tion as one of the top groups nation‑ ally, something that hasn't been the case in recent seasons. It's no surprise that the Wolver‑ ines' new assistants are highly re‑ garded, considering the competitive nature of their head coach. Harbaugh doesn't want his program to be sec‑ ond in anything. The 2015 class likely won't be one of the nation's best, but it would be a surprise if that were the norm going forward. The Wolverines' 2016 class already has three Rivals250 com‑ mitments, including Erik Swenson (No. 10 offensive tackle and No. 76 overall player nationally), Dele' Harding (No. 7 inside linebacker and No. 215 overall prospect in country) and Messiah deWeaver (No. 7 pro‑ On The Web For regular reports on Michigan football re- cruiting plus videos of U-M commitments and targets visit TheWolverine.com.