The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/641955
2016 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE His recruitment developed into a Michigan versus the field situation, with most of the competition com- ing from the South. SEC programs Auburn, Ole Miss, and — to a lesser extent — Alabama and LSU, and the ACC's Clemson were the strongest contenders to knock Michigan off its perch atop Gary's recruitment. Throughout the fall, though, Michi- gan remained a constant presence in his top couple schools. That may have made it seem like picking the Wolverines would be a foregone conclusion, but by the time National Signing Day rolled around, it was anything but. The official visit to Clemson just days before gave the Tigers a real chance to steal him away from the longtime favorite. "Clemson was very impressive," said Jen Coney, Gary's mother. "When we had been there [for an unofficial visit] in April, it was Easter weekend and a lot of the staff wasn't there. "We went and met with the aca- demic staff. The academic advisor was there, and we sat with her and she gave us the full gamut of every- thing." When he got home from Tigertown Jan. 31, Gary had been impressed enough by head coach Dabo Swin- ney's program that there was a real chance he'd pull a late shocker and pick the Tigers over Wolverines. With family close to campus (Coney's brother lives in the area), Gary had a family connection at Clemson to counteract what Michigan had built over the course of his visits and with several of his friends headed to U-M. Gary dominated at the Under Armour All- America Game, earning MVP honors after he notched six tackles, three sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss in his team's 27-0 victory. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM