The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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COMMITMENT PROFILE It had seemed like Oak Park (Mich.) High junior offensive tackle Ja'Raymond Hall was leaning toward Michigan for a while. During several o f f s e a s o n c a m p s leading up to his ju- nior season, the 6-5, 255-pounder could be seen decked out — head to toe — in maize and blue. A f t e r g o i n g through the ringer during a training session with DGA Developing, Hall dis- cussed his low-key decision to go from just a target in Michi- gan gear to a future Wolverine. "Today is about me committing to Michi- gan," he said matter- of-factly. "I'm committed to Michigan as of this morning. I called Coach [Ty- rone] Wheatley and told him that I was committing. I didn't talk to Coach [Jim] Harbaugh yet, but that's pretty much it." Wheatley, Michigan's running backs coach, will never be in position meet- ings or run drills for Hall to partake in, but their relationship blossomed to the point where the youngster knew Michigan was the place for him. As a Dearborn native, Wheatley is familiar with the landscape in the Detroit area and has been putting in a lot of work recruiting the city and surrounding suburbs. It paid off in the form of a pledge from Hall. "It just felt right with Coach Wheat- ley," Hall said. "Ev- erything about Mich- igan felt right, from the atmosphere to the academics. The aca- demics are first and that part is great. It's all just right." The Wolverines were Hall's first Power Five offer. Even though Ten- nessee, Ole Miss and Penn State came along after, the three- star prospect felt like Michigan was the place for him for a while. He's just now making it pub- lic, but he admits that he knew pretty early. "I knew I always liked Michigan," he said. "I was wearing the gear at Sound Mind Sound Body [in June] and it felt normal. They were always high in my mind." Rivals.com Midwest recruiting ana- lyst Josh Helmholdt has seen Hall, the No. 9 junior in Michigan and No. 33 offensive tackle nationally, in person for a couple of years now and thinks Michigan snagged an unpolished gem. In-State Junior Offensive Tackle Ja'Raymond Hall Picks U-M Rivals.com ranks Hall as a three- star prospect, the No. 9 player in Michigan and the No. 33 offensive tackle in the class of 2017. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM