The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/603303
MICHIGAN RECRUITING of their national title victory over the University of Oregon. The 6-1, 208-pound five-star had been a cor- nerstone of their class ever since, but he no longer plans to be a Buckeye. "It is after much consideration, thought and meeting multiple times with my family and coaches that I'm rescinding my verbal commitment to Ohio State," he posted on his Twitter account Nov. 3. "At this point the relationship has changed. I've wrestled with this for a few months and truly wanted this to work out. However, I do not think it is fair to Ohio State or myself to remain committed when my heart is telling me otherwise." Walker 's decommitment came on the heels of an official visit to Ann Arbor for the Northwestern game Oct. 10, and the Wolverines are now considered the favorite for the na- tion's top running back and No. 21 overall prospect. While he took a Nov. 7 official visit to Alabama — and will take postseason trips to Arizona State and Ole Miss — those schools will have to make up ground on the Maize and Blue. Helping Michigan's case is the newfound recruiting prowess the Maize and Blue have shown in New Jersey. Five-star sophomore Jabrill Peppers is "like a brother" to Walker, and U-M also has three 2016 commit- ments from the Garden State, with a good shot to land the only player from New Jersey ranked ahead of Walker, Paramus Catholic defensive tackle Rashan Gary, the No. 2 overall prospect in the nation. Should Michigan win out during the second go-round of Walker 's recruitment, it would be not only a huge commitment, but a shot directly across the bow of U-M's biggest rival. MISCELLANEOUS NOTES • Michigan landed 17 commitments from April to July, and when landing that many early verbal pledges, attrition is bound to strike the recruiting class. A pair of 2016 commits are already not expected to matriculate to Ann Arbor. The prep coaches of Elkton (Md.) East- ern Christian Academy linebacker Dele' Harding, one of the class' first scores under then-head coach Brady Hoke, have been told by the new coaching staff their player might be best-served exploring his other options. "At this point, he's not going to end up there," Eastern Christian head coach Dwayne Thomas said. Harding won't be the only loss. Four- star Southfield (Mich.) running back Matt Falcon has seen three of his four varsity seasons ended by knee injuries, and the U-M coaches asked him to at- tend the University but consider not playing football for his own sake. He will not take them up on that oppor- tunity, deciding to pursue a chance to continue playing football. Farmington (Mich.) three-star line- backer David Reese may be on his way out for other reasons — many more college options have appeared. Though the 6-1, 238-pounder is still committed to Michigan, he has taken an official visit to Nebraska, and will also see Texas and Florida late in the season. The hang-up for Reese is his planned