No. 1 Recruit Rashan Gary Breaks Down Recruitment, Decision Timeline

BRADENTON, Fla. – With coaches from five of the schools he’s considering present at his last game, 5-star defensive tackle Rashan Gary—who is the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2016 class—caught a brief glimpse of what his future holds in the next few months.

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, as well as assistants from Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Ole Miss, were on hand to see the 6’5”, 293-pound New Jersey native match up against Florida powerhouse IMG Academy.

However, Gary took the scenery in stride, noting how the attention on him could ultimately benefit his teammates.

“It means a lot [seeing college coaches],” Gary told Bleacher Report. “It’s me helping to give that opportunity to my teammates to have a good game and get on that board. So that’s all my goal is.”

Gary, who took a visit to Michigan last month, still has four official visits left—with Auburn on Nov. 28 being the only one locked in on his schedule.

He admits he wants to focus on the rest of his senior season at Paramus Catholic before turning his attention toward recruiting. The rest of his visit schedule will take place either in December or January.

“Ole Miss, Georgia, LSU, Clemson, Notre Dame, USC and a couple of schools like that,” Gary said of the schools in the running for his remaining officials.

Of course, the Wolverines have plenty of connections with Gary. Former Paramus head coach Chris Partridge is on Harbaugh’s staff, and a couple of former teammates are enjoying their careers to date in Ann Arbor.

“Michigan is cool. I got Jabrill Peppers and Juwann Bushell-Beatty there and they went to PC,” Gary said. “My old coach, Chris Partridge, is there so I have a good connection there. It makes me feel like home because I’m around those guys.”

He’s also taking notice of how well the Wolverines are recruiting the state of New Jersey in 2016. Harbaugh and his staff already have three pledges from the Garden State, hope to land Gary and potentially flip 4-star running back and current Ohio State pledge Kareem Walker.

“A lot of kids [from New Jersey] are believing in the program,” Gary explained. “[Michigan] should be a problem in a couple of years."

Additionally, his mom accompanied him for his trip on Sept. 25 for the Wolverines’ impressive win over BYU.

“The food, education and the family atmosphere,” Gary noted of the things that impressed him on his visit to Michigan. “My mom got a chance to walk on campus by herself and everybody was friendly and everybody likes to talk. Up in [New] Jersey, you don’t get a lot of 'hi’s.' So everybody there was really friendly and answering her questions. They are very nice up there.”

Another school who has put the full-court press on Gary is LSU. Tigers defensive line coach Ed Orgeron is spearheading the charge, with Gary taking two trips to Baton Rouge during the summer. Orgeron and secondary coach Corey Raymond were on hand to see Gary vs. IMG.

“Seeing Coach O, it just shows that he has a lot of love for me,” Gary said. “Him coming to watch me play means he has a lot of care for me.”

Auburn is also on his list, and Gary admits he’s looking forward to his return to the Plains next month for the Iron Bowl. Gary, who plans to choose a major in the business field, said a few things stood out to him on his first visit to Auburn.

“The defense, and then when I went down there, the food because I like to eat,” Gary said. “Just the academics, my mom felt comfortable with me being there more as a student than as an athlete. That’s very key in my decision-making process.”

Gary said he hopes to make a decision at the Under Armour All-American Game in January. However, if he’s not ready to decide, he will push his announcement back to national signing day.

“It’s going to come down to how I feel like I can develop at that school, how close it is, how my mom feels and the food,” Gary said.

Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand and all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.

Follow @SanjayKirpalani