Michigan Football's 2015 National Signing Day Wish List
Jim Harbaugh is on the march, filling his first Michigan recruiting class with players formerly committed to other schools. His first commitment, defensive end Reuben Jones, was headed to Nebraska before Harbaugh convinced him to join Michigan, and offensive lineman Nolan Ulizio had been on the way to Connecticut.
But Harbaugh’s biggest flip of the weekend was prying quarterback Zach Gentry from Texas. Gentry is the first quarterback commitment under Harbaugh and will join fellow recruit Alex Malzone in competing with Shane Morris, Russell Bellomy and Wilton Speight for the starting position.
Harbaugh has a little more than a week to make up ground but is undaunted by the challenge. According to 247sports.com he told commitment Grant Newsome that, “…we’re building an army and that it's going to be a great ride for all of us.”
Here are the players that Harbaugh has left on his wish list.
Linebacker Reagan Williams
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Harbaugh’s strategy is to target players who fit into his system even if they are already committed to other schools. If they made their decision before he came to Michigan, he wants a chance to change their minds.
Reagan Williams has the intelligence and athleticism to be a huge addition at Michigan. According to 247sports.com, the 3-star prospect is committed to Stanford, but defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin is working to flip him.
Linebacker Joshua McMillon
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Four-star linebacker Joshua McMillon is committed to Alabama, according to 247sports.com, but he was scheduled to take an official visit to Michigan. Whether he flips or not, it shows that Harbaugh can get the attention of a recruit from any program in the nation. Nick Saban can’t be happy that one of his commitments would even be considering an official visit to another school this late in the process.
Early last year, McMillon told maizenbrew.com that Michigan was one of his top schools, “…I’m looking at the academic standpoint and I'm going to be a student-athlete first and foremost. I am looking for a school that graduates a lot of kids and one that will have a family.”
Look for Harbaugh to make a run at McMillon by promoting Michigan’s superior academics.
Wide Receiver Cordell Broadus
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Cordell Broadus (son of musician Snoop Dog) has expressed interest in Michigan, but according to 247sports.com, he is leaning toward attending schools on the west coast. Snoop is pulling for him to attend USC but will let him make his own decision.
It’s hard to imagine Broadus passing up USC to attend Michigan, but it would be a major coup for Harbaugh if it happened.
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Defensive End Jake Pickard
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Nebraska isn’t the only Big Ten school Harbaugh is looking to flip recruits from. Three-star Wisconsin commitment Jake Pickard (per 247sports.com) has taken an official visit to Michigan and tweeted a picture wearing a Michigan jersey alongside coach Greg Mattison.
Michigan may be in the process of flipping another Big Ten school recruit.
Linebacker Roquan Smith
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Four-star linebacker Roquan Smith (per 247sports.com) is deciding between Michigan, Georgia and UCLA, according to mlive.com.
He recently tweeted out a photo from his visit with Jim Harbaugh in Ann Arbor and already has a strong relationship with defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin.
He told mlive.com that Durkin “takes care of his players on and off the field, he's a great guy at heart. He's great at developing guys and doing all he can for them, I know that,” increasing speculation that Michigan has a chance to land him.
Tight End Chris Clark
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Michigan is battling UCLA for 4-star (per 247sports.com) tight end Chris Clark.
Harbaugh has a history of utilizing the tight end in his offense and is working to persuade Clark to come back to Michigan after decommitting in December.
Clark is clearly a fan of Harbaugh, telling mlive.com that: “…He’s the best coach I think I've sat down with. I just think he's awesome…He’s committed into turning Michigan back into the best program in America, and I really think they'll get there. I've never met a coach who is that competitive and that intense.”
Harbaugh definitely has a fighting chance to have Clark be a member of his first recruiting class.
Defensive Back Iman Marshall
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Michigan is courting 5-star prospect Iman Marshall, who is the top defensive back in the nation (per 247sports.com).
Last week he took an official visit to Ann Arbor, and according to maizenbrew.com, Jim Harbaugh is scheduled for a home visit this week.
Marshall is leaning toward USC, and while Pete Carroll may be gone, Harbaugh would still enjoy taking a top recruit away from a school he battled earlier in his career. If Marshall comes to Michigan, he would join Jabrill Peppers (last year’s top defensive recruit) and declare a no-fly zone of their own in Ann Arbor.
Running Back Mike Weber
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It’s fine for Harbaugh to poach commitments from other programs, but can he protect his own backyard?
Mike Weber was a commitment who flipped to Ohio State when Michigan’s season imploded. Urban Meyer swayed the 4-star Cass Tech running back (per 247sports.com) in the wake of Brady Hoke’s dismissal, and Weber remained committed to Ohio State after Harbaugh's arrival.
Weber isn’t scheduled to take an official visit to Michigan, but the biggest test of Harbaugh’s recruiting power influence might be convincing the prospect to flip back to his original school.
Phil Callihan is a featured writer for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotations obtained firsthand
Follow @PCallihan
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