The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/641955
2016 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE one of the country's hottest coaches when Jim Harbaugh, just a couple years removed from a Super Bowl appearance, mutually parted ways with the San Francisco 49ers and re- turned to his alma mater. Gary was one of the first prospects Harbaugh reached out to in order to reiter- ate that his opportunity to play at Michigan would remain, despite the coaching change. That helped keep the Maize and Blue in the mix, before Harbaugh even took the process to the next level. There were natural connections be- tween Garden State prospects and Michigan that were a positive in Gary's eyes. Although he transferred to Paramus too late to play alongside defensive back Jabrill Peppers and offensive lineman Juwann Bushell- Beatty, he was familiar with the class of 2014 Michigan duo thanks to the connections that naturally develop (through camps, training facilities and more) between top prospects from the same area. Playing for the same head coach as they did, Chris Partridge, made for another connec- tion between them. Harbaugh kicked things up a notch when he filled out his staff in Ann Arbor. Gary's coach, Partridge, wouldn't be around to lead him during his senior year at Paramus Catholic because he was picked up as director of player personnel for the Wolverines. By the time National Signing Day 2016 would roll around, Partridge had been promoted to a full coaching position (linebackers), allowing him to hit the road as a re- cruiter, as well. "I think all the kids in New Jersey — not just at our school — saw that Chris was a very successful coach here," Paramus Catholic assistant coach Steve Kanoc said. "He took a program from the lower tier to the highest tier right away. "I think just with Chris, they saw that, 'Here's a guy that knows how to win.' They all knew that our players really loved him." Though Gary would be unable to play his final high school season for the coach that led him to transfer to Paramus Catholic, the opportunity to reunite with Partridge at the college level suddenly became an option. That would ultimately be an impor- tant factor in his recruitment. BUILDING PIPELINES Partridge's connection to Gary no doubt played a role in his becom- ing a serious option for the Michigan coaching staff (he was a hot target for several schools, rebuffing Rutgers before ending up at U-M). However, his strong reputation among other prospects from the Garden State was important, as well. For a student body that has sig- nificant representation from the New York/New Jersey area, Michi- gan hasn't had much football team representation. New York sends the second most students to U-M of any state, behind only Michigan, while New Jersey is eclipsed only by Il- linois and California in addition to that pair. Despite that, the Maize and Blue