The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/641955
2016 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE coaches, and second-team All-Amer- ica distinctions from Sports Illustrated and CBS Sports. Gary's considered an even better prospect, and the opportunity to step in immediately should be there. Michigan returns most of a defensive line that anchored the Wolverines' No. 4 overall unit in 2015, but loses versatile tackle Willie Henry to early entry for the NFL Draft. Gary is good enough that he would have seen the field in some capacity no matter who returned, but there's now an even more significant opening. If he manages to stay healthy in his first year up front for Michigan, the expectations will be sky high. An already outstanding defense adding the top freshman in the country can spur a huge year for the Maize and Blue. ❏ Michigan Wins Out Michigan led for Rashan Gary almost throughout his recruitment, but Clemson was able to make the decision very difficult in the final days before he made his commitment. A strong official visit to campus put the Tigers right in the mix — but the Wolverines won out in the end. "It really was very close," said Gary's mother, Jen Coney. "I always loved Michigan, and Michigan was always the frontrunner. There were other things in Clemson we liked as well, though. My brother is right there, so that was very important. We have a close family. "We have family in Detroit, too, cousins and stuff — because my mom grew up in Detroit — but none that Rashan had ever met. I always liked Clemson. For me growing up, there was something I always liked there. Rashan did, too. "In the end, I refused to have any input in the final decision, because I didn't want him to say, 'But Mom, you said…' if he ever questioned the decision down the road. He had to go make the decision by himself for now and the future." That choice wasn't final until the eve of National Signing Day, and if Gary had made it any earlier, it's possible the Maize and Blue wouldn't have won out for the top player in the country. However, the longtime relationship he'd built with U-M and the opportunity to restore a historic program back to its rightful place in the college football world were enough to return Michigan back to the top of his list. "I guess it was about the past and the future," Coney explained of the choice. Ultimately Gary 's relation- ship with the coaches at U-M and his desire to help restore a historic program back to its rightful place in the college football world swayed him to Ann Arbor. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM