The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/465847
2015 RECRUITING ISSUE Some recruits love the spotlight and want all of the attention that they can get. Others can't stand the pro- cess and probably wish they weren't blessed with tremendous athletic ability at times. Brian Cole is some- where in between, but definitely closer to the latter. The 6-2, 190-pound athlete out of Saginaw (Mich.) Heritage has a quiet confidence about him and admits to not being a huge fan of the recruiting process. He humbly complies and talks with the media, but at times wished it would all just go away. "The interviews bother me the most," Cole said with a laugh dur- ing the interview. "I'm comfortable with them now, but at first I wasn't. It was mainly just the interviews all the time. "Taking visits also just gets a lit- tle annoying. When I was trying to narrow down my decision, going somewhere new every weekend was tough. Knowing I was graduating early, I wanted to spend time with my friends, but I had to leave every weekend to go to a new college to see what they were about. We were always traveling. "Having to go to camps all the time took up a lot of time. That part was fun, but it still takes up a lot of time. The recruiting process is just a lot. It's like another homework piece, out- side of school, that was my work. The whole recruiting process was like a separate life from everything else." Dealing with the media is one thing; keeping up with dozens of college coaches who are desperately trying to convince you to come and play for them is another. Aside from Michigan, he was most aggressively recruited by Nebraska, Ohio State, Purdue and Wisconsin. Traveling to these places took its toll on Cole, and when the coaches came to see him it also left a mark on him. Schools Went All Out, But Brian Cole Stayed Blue Rivals.com rates Cole as a four-star recruit, the No. 2 prospect in Michigan, the No. 4 athlete nationally and the No. 101 overall player in the class of 2015. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN