The Wolverine

March 2017 Recruiting Issue

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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MARCH 2017 THE WOLVERINE 37 2017 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY CHRIS BALAS I n most other families, Highlands Ranch (Colo.) Valor Christian quarterback Dylan McCaffrey would be the most celebrated athlete in the household. After all, he led Valor Christian to back-to-back 5A state championships in 2015 and 2016, and threw for 2,796 yards and 31 touchdowns with five interceptions while also rushing for for 579 yards and 10 more scores on his way to a U.S. Army All-America honors as a senior. Rivals.com rates him as the No. 7 pro-style quarterback and No. 131 overall player in the class of 2017, and his offer list included Arizona State, Colorado, Colorado State, LSU, Penn State, UCLA and Washington, in addi- tion to Michigan. But the McCaffreys aren't just any other family. McCaffrey's father, Ed, played 13 seasons in the NFL as a wide receiver, most with the Denver Bron- cos. His mother, Lisa, was a college soccer player at Stanford. His oldest brother Max is a former Duke wide receiver who was brought up from the Green Bay Packers' practice squad to their active roster during the playoffs. And his other older brother Christian was an elite running back at Stanford the past three years and is a likely first- or second-round pick in this year 's NFL Draft. If he's nervous about following in such prestigious footsteps, he hasn't shown it. The Denver Post honored him recently with the area's Gold Helmet award as the area's best player, and Valor Christian head coach Rod Sher- man said it couldn't have gone to a more deserving — or self-assured, yet grounded — player. "He is so humble and has such a teachable spirit about him," Sherman said. "It's not often that a guy has that many accomplishments and is so well liked by his teammates. His character is why his teammates love him and why his teammates are so excited for his success." He's also got a competitive spirit, ev- idenced by his play in the last two state title games. A dramatic 25-24 cham- pionship loss to Cherry Creek during his sophomore year in what The Post called "maybe the greatest high school football game ever played in this state" fueled his inner Tom Brady. The next season, McCaffrey fu- eled an unbelievable comeback in the championship game to win his first of consecutive titles. He threw for 245 yards and three scores this year to help Valor Christian repeat, remaining as humble as the former Michigan star, now a five-time Super Bowl winner with the New England Patriots. And for those who don't believe school ties mean anything on the re- cruiting trail — well, think again. "He's been a Michigan fan since he was 6 years old," Ed McCaffrey said. "He wears No. 12 [like Brady] … he's not the only quarterback to wear No. 12, and he's been a fan of [Brady's] and loved that school since he was a little kid. "He's obviously a big fan of Coach [Jim] Harbaugh, some of the wonder- ful things he sees. He saw his NFL, col- lege success and knows he's a competi- tor. He loves his sprit and knowledge of the game, hopes he'll prepare him and develop him as a quarterback." Harbaugh, meanwhile, is just as ex- cited to add McCaffrey to his growing stable of signal-callers. "I definitely like our quarterbacks a lot, and Dylan will be a great addition — a big, tall quarterback who has great stature in the pocket, also very athletic, is going to be able to move, great to work with, very talented," Harbaugh said on National Signing Day. "He comes from a great bloodline of ath- letes: dad, mom and his brothers. Ev- eryone knows how good they've been." THE NATURAL McCaffrey's mother was among those who wasn't at all surprised when, this summer, her son pledged to the Wolverines. He attended the school's A4 (Ann Arbor's Aerial As- sault) quarterback camp, loved his offi- cial visit in the fall and never wavered when quarterbacks coach Jedd Fisch took a coordinator job at UCLA. Their third time through the recruit- ing process wasn't any less exciting, Lisa McCaffrey said. After all, she and her husband are now three for three in not having to pay a dime for their kids' college educations. "Each one has been about their own unique experience, each one as good as the next," Lisa McCaffrey said. "Dylan had an incredible experience, and we couldn't be happier with his choice. He's loved Michigan since the time he was 6 years old. When he got that offer, I knew that's where he was go- ing to go. "We ultimately left it to the kids to let them make the ultimate decision, though we had some say in it. We helped narrow it down … then we let them pick their own school." Probably not coincidentally, they landed at three of the most prestigious academic institutions in the country. At Michigan, the second-youngest brother will likely have to wait his turn (yes, there's another — Luke, who is also on Michigan's radar, plays wide receiver like his father. He received a U-M offer in December and visited with Dylan and their mother last sum- mer). Redshirt junior Wilton Speight returns after a very good first year under center, and redshirt freshman Brandon Peters redshirted but had a great first season, as well. If he has to wait, so be it. Many be- lieved Peters would make a run at the starting job, and he was good after en- rolling early before redshirting. The Post reported following the Gold Hel- met presentation that McCaffrey was well equipped to handle whatever is thrown at him. "That's the thing about Dylan — he consistently remains level-headed and composed, and even then he knew such a championship setback wouldn't change his day-in and day-out ap- proach to the game," the newspaper noted of his championship game loss during his sophomore year. "That's why he applies equal focus to other ar- eas of his life, from academia [he holds a 3.71 GPA] to community service [he U-M head coach Jim Harbaugh "Dylan will be a great addition — a big, tall quarterback who has great stature in the pocket, also very athletic, is going to be able to move, great to work with, very talented. … He comes from a great bloodline of athletes: dad, mom and his brothers. Everyone knows how good they've been." McCaffrey was named Colorado's Gatorade Football Player of the Year following his senior season and also won the 2016 Denver Post Gold Helmet award that is given to the best high school football player, scholar and citizen in the state. PHOTO BY BRANDON BROWN

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