The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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2015 RECRUITING ISSUE the visit was the bond the players had with the coaches, they were great to me. I could tell being there that something special was going to hap- pen for Michigan, and I could be a part of that." The Michigan coaches saw some- thing in Ulizio that not many other college coaches did. According to La- kota West head coach Larry Cox, it was the body of work he put together as a senior that allowed Ulizio to add the opportunities he did. "I think one of the problems with recruiting and early offers — there's going to be a kid like Nolan, and somebody's going to get a great find late in the process," Cox explained. "Until we got into the playoff run, Nolan only had offers from FCS schools — Indiana State, Youngstown State. UConn came to our playoff game against Lakota East and said, 'We can't believe this kid is left.' "He committed because that was the best offer he had. UConn said he was really special. He had a really good senior year. By then, most of the big-time schools were filled up. [Michigan defensive coordinator] D.J. Durkin has recruited our school before at Florida and Stanford. Har- baugh's been in our school, recruiting players from past classes. W.e have relationships with those guys. "D.J. looked at Nolan, and they were the same way as UConn: 'This kid's really, really good.' He had an amazing senior year. He did what he needed to do." Michigan will be happy with the player they've won, according to Cox. "Most big guys have always been told not to hurt anybody, but he plays with a chip on his shoulder," the coach said. "He plays to the whistle, and he finishes really, really well. "Secondly, I think Nolan does a