The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/465847
2015 RECRUITING ISSUE home and play for NC State. The final decommitment in the class will make the opposite move from Roseboro. Detroit Cass Tech running back Mike Weber will head a little far- ther from home, switching Michigan for Ohio State. The No. 7 tailback and No. 59 overall player nationally ex- pressed reservations about the Buck- eyes losing running backs coach Stan Drayton, but is still Columbus-bound. RECRUITING RIVALRIES? Michigan fans are used to seeing the Maize and Blue compete with Ohio State, Michigan State and Penn State for the top prospects in the Midwest, with occasional battles against other national powers for the cream of the re- cruiting crop. That was never more true than under Brady Hoke, when U-M focused on locking down the region, then expanding nationally. With Jim Harbaugh in charge, there are likely to be many changes on the way, with a key difference being a re- emphasis on Michigan as a national recruiting power. The Wolverines cast a wide net in the month they had to close out the 2015 class, expanding to a nation-wide scale. That led to some new recruiting rivalries that could be interesting to watch over the course of Harbaugh's tenure. Perhaps the nastiest rivalry is with fellow Big Ten member Nebraska. The Wolverines targeted a trio of Husker commits, flipping one (three-star de- fensive end Reuben Jones), while miss- ing out on two others. San Ramon (Ca- lif.) tight end Matt Snyder and Omaha (Neb.) Central defensive end DaiShon Neal, also three-stars, elected to remain with Nebraska. Neal, in particular, lobbed accusa- tions that Michigan coaches disre- spected his academic achievements during an in-home visit. Nebraska's new West Coast influence through head coach Mike Riley (formerly of Or- egon State) could lead to many battles in the years to come. The West Coast focus for Michigan should also lead to several battles with UCLA, and the 2015 class was no ex- ception. Five-star quarterback Josh Rosen and the nation's top tight end, Chris Clark, were both Michigan tar- gets prior to Harbaugh's staff arriving, but both ended up Bruins on Signing Day nonetheless. Clark hopped from coast-to-coast, with the New Jersey native (who at- tends Avon Old Farms Prep School in Connecticut) opting for Los Angeles over Ann Arbor, despite a former com- mitment to the Maize and Blue, and before that to North Carolina. Five-star defensive end Keisean Luc- ier-South picked UCLA before Har- baugh was hired, but even a top coach coming in couldn't lure him away from MICHIGAN'S AVERAGE STAR RANKINGS Year Avg. Stars 2015 3.3 2014 3.4 2013 3.6 2012 3.6 2011 3.3 2010 3.2 2009 3.6 Year Avg. Stars 2008 3.7 2007 3.3 2006 3.6 2005 3.5 2004 3.6 2003 3.8 2002 3.6