The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/465847
2015 RECRUITING ISSUE Michigan pursued a number of nationally recruited quarterbacks early in the 2015 recruiting cycle. The nation's top passer (and ulti- mately, the No. 2 overall prospect) Josh Rosen, a five-star from Bell- flower (Calif.) St. John Bosco High School, heavily considered the Wol- verines before picking UCLA. Four- stars Blake Barnett (Alabama) and David Sills (West Virginia) also took a look at U-M before picking the schools they ultimately signed with. By the time May 2014 rolled around, the former Michigan staff was still searching for a quarter- back. They found him right in their backyard. Less than an hour away from Ann Arbor, Bloomfield Hills (Mich.) Brother Rice High School boasted one of the state's top junior pass- ers in Alex Malzone — he had led his team to an undefeated record and state title while completing 67.6 percent of his passes for 2,782 yards with 25 touchdowns. He got the chance to meet with the coaches of his childhood favorite, and didn't hesitate when he received an offer. "That Monday was the day," Mal- zone explained. "I sat down with Coach Hoke, and he mentioned what he thought of my throwing session. I felt like it was the right fit. Michigan's a great place, a great institution. I'm more than happy to be able to be able to play my college ball there." With his college decision made, it seemed like everything was smooth sailing for Malzone. He had his op- portunity to win his third straight state title for the Warriors (and fourth overall for the school), and then head immediately to Ann Ar- bor — something that he had to work out a special case for, since Brother Rice doesn't typically offer mid-term graduation. The best-laid plans often go awry, however. Malzone followed up his junior season with an even better Alex Malzone Never Wavered On Michigan Malzone committed to the Wolverines on May 12, 2014, and then made the effort needed to enroll early before hearing that Jim Harbaugh would be hired as U-M's new head coach. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN