6A — Thursday, February 2, 2017
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

‘M’ hosts second “Signing of the Stars”

While last year’s inaugural 

“Signing of the Stars” was a 
celebrity-laden showcase, the 
2017 edition of the event simply 
featured 
Michigan 
coaches, 

players and alumni.

That 
may 
seem 

underwhelming. 
Yet, 
when 

softball coach Carol Hutchins 
took the stage, the entire crowd 
rose to applaud her. And when 
former wide receivers Braylon 
Edwards and Devin Funchess 
appeared on stage with former 
quarterback Jake Rudock, the 
crowd stood again to cheer.

It 
was 
a 
ceremony 
that 

showcased the Wolverine fan 
base’s support, no matter the 
sport.

“It was just a thought that I 

had — we had — to make it more 
about Michigan,” said Michigan 
coach Jim Harbaugh. “From 
the band, the cheerleaders, the 
drumline, 
coaches, 
players, 

parents — make it about the 
family. Make it about the family 
that we are at the University of 
Michigan.”

The 
choice 
may 
have 

also been a reflection of the 
recruiting 
pitch 
Michigan 

gave this year’s recruits. The 
Wolverines secured their best 
recruiting class of all time, and 
for some of the commits, the 
family-feel of the event was 
exactly the reason they came to 
Ann Arbor.

“That feeling of home, that 

feeling of family at Michigan, 
that’s the reason why I’m here 
right 
now,” 
said 
incoming 

freshman 
defensive 
back 

Benjamin St-Juste. “A lot of 
schools were offering me a bunch 
of stuff like Michigan — playing 
time, all that stuff. But like, you 
want to wake up in the morning 
and feel comfortable with where 
you’re at. And Michigan offered 
that. You feel like home, you feel 
like family. That’s what’s great 
about Michigan.”

The feeling of family was 

most evident when Michigan 
invited Larry Prout Jr. to the 
stage at Crisler Center. Prout 
— who was born with spina 
bifida, cloacal exstrophy and 
massive omphalocele among a 
multitude of other illnesses that 
have 
required 

more than 90 
surgeries 
in 

his 
15 
years 

— 
has 
been 

championed by 
the 
Michigan 

football 
program. 
He 

was 
made 

an 
honorary 

member of the 
team in October 
and received a trip to watch the 
team play in the Orange Bowl.

On Wednesday, Prout took the 

stage with his family, danced a 
little bit, held up the block ‘M’ 
gloves he was wearing and used 

the moment to promote C.S. 
Mott Children’s Hospital.

The crowd rose for Prout, 

and once again, a family-like 
atmosphere 
engulfed 
Crisler 

Center.

“It means so much to me,” 

Harbaugh 
said. 

“Never has that 
resonated 
more. 

We 
brought 

home our seventh 
child a day ago. 
… 
There’s 
no 

better word in the 
English language 
to me than family, 
and this is this 
family 
of 
ours: 

the University of 

Michigan.”

Of course, the event still 

retained much of its pomp from 
last year. Between the marching 
band, a University group of 
drummers and the comedy of the 

emcees — Jason and Randy Sklar 
— there was a somewhat raucous 
atmosphere throughout.

At the end of the event, 

Harbaugh took the microphone. 
After all the incoming freshmen 
had 
been 
announced 
and 

discussed, after all the past 
Michigan 
players 
had 
been 

given their proper recognition 
and after the countless standing 
ovations had been given, he 
put an exclamation point on 
the event with his now-famous 
catchphrase.

“Who’s got it better than us?” 

Harbaugh asked.

The 
crowd 
responded 
in 

unison: “Nobody!”

Based on the on-field product 

in past years, it’s a sentiment 
that could be argued. But to 
the players and coaches within 
the Michigan football program, 
after today’s celebration, it’s 
obvious they believe it’s true.

EVAN AARON/Daily

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh sought to develop a family atmosphere at the second edition of “Signing of the Stars”.

MIKE PERSAK
Daily Sports Editor

Solomon, Collins choose Michigan on National Signing Day

Tom Brady was in Houston 

preparing for the Super Bowl. 
Migos and Jim Leyland were 
nowhere to be found. And then, 
over an hour before the ceremony 
even started, Michigan’s top 
remaining target picked the 
Wolverines on national television 
and faxed his letter of intent to 
Ann Arbor.

So while this year’s “Signing 

of the Stars” might have had less 
star power and suspense than its 
predecessor, National Signing 
Day — a day that has become like 
a holiday for those who follow 
recruiting — was no less sweet 
for the Michigan football team 
as it closed out its best class since 
recruiting rankings began.

Unlike last year’s class, which 

also ranked among the best in 
the nation, this year’s class came 
together much more smoothly 
for Michigan.

In 
2016, 
the 
Wolverines 

received a flurry of commitments 
in the final few weeks of 
January before sweating out the 
signatures of Rashan Gary, Devin 
Asiasi and Lavert Hill. This 
year, though, Michigan’s class 
was nearly full before National 
Signing Day. But once again, Jim 
Harbaugh 
and 

the rest of the 
coaching 
staff 

waited on pins 
and needles for 
the decisions of 
several recruits.

The 
day 

got 
off 
to 
a 

slow start for 
Michigan. 
In 

the 
span 
of 

fewer than 30 
minutes, two of the remaining 
four targets went off the board 
when Mekhi Becton and Willie 
Gay 
picked 
Louisville 
and 

Mississippi State, respectively.

The 
Wolverines, 
though, 

would close strong. At 10:30, 
Aubrey Solomon pulled out a 
white Michigan hat on ESPN, 
punter Brad Robbins committed 
during the event, and later in the 
afternoon, Nico Collins tweeted 
out a video of his commitment to 
the Wolverines.

Solomon’s final decision ended 

what 
had 
been 

a 
long-winding 

recruitment. 
The 
five-star 

defensive 
tackle 

from 
Leesburg, 

Ga., 
originally 

committed 
to 

Michigan 
during 

an unofficial visit 
in the summer. But 
he 
decommitted 

shortly 
after, 

citing a recruiting letter in 
which his name was misspelled. 
In the world of college football, 
recommitments 
very 
rarely 

occur, and it appeared Solomon 
would end up with a different 

team when he named Alabama as 
his leader in early January.

Yet the Wolverines came out on 

the right side of Solomon’s second 
choice of the process, beating 
out the likes of the Crimson 
Tide, Southern California and 
Georgia. In doing so, they added a 
crucial piece to next year’s team, 
as 
Michigan 

lacks depth on 
the interior of 
the 
defensive 

line, 
and 

perhaps earned 
a 
symbolic 

victory as well. 
Solomon’s high 
school, 
Lee 

County 
High 

School, was the 
site of a satellite 
camp hosted by Harbaugh and 
the coaching staff in June. 
Solomon 
was 
also 
heavily 

pursued by Nick Saban and 
Kirby Smart, two coaches who 
spoke out early and often against 

satellite camps.

“For two years, he’s been one 

of the top guys on the board,” 
said defensive coordinator Don 
Brown on ESPNU. “It will be 
nice to see (Solomon) and Rashan 
(Gary) play next to each other at 
times, so we’re very, very excited 
about it.

“We 
think 

we’ve addressed a 
number of needs, 
but it was a nice 
gift today, that’s 
for sure. … We’re 
excited, 
there’s 

no 
question 
… 

he’s going to be a 
great compliment 
in our four-down 
system.”

Collins was a 

victory for Michigan’s staff in the 
same vein. The 6-foot-5 receiver, 
ranked as a four-star recruit, 
is from Pinson, Ala. and was 
considering Alabama, Georgia 
and Louisiana State in addition 

to the Wolverines. Michigan 
rarely signs recruits from the 
deep south that are wanted by 
teams like the Crimson Tide or 
Bulldogs, yet on Wednesday, 
they got two that rank amongst 
the nation’s best.

Many of Michigan’s mid-year 

enrollees spoke Wednesday about 
recognizing 
the 
opportunity 

they have to play early in their 
careers, especially considering 
the Wolverines graduated most 
of last year’s team that finished 
just short of making the College 
Football Playoff. They will be 
significantly younger next year, 
and there will be growing pains 
along the way as inexperienced 
players find their way onto the 
depth chart. 

But as Brown pointed out 

Wednesday, those inexperienced 
players are talented. And after 
Michigan 
put 
the 
finishing 

touches on its bumper crop 
of a recruiting class, Brown’s 
assertion only rings truer.

EVAN AARON/Daily

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh managed to reel in an impressive recruiting class, signing two five-star recruits, 19 four-star recruits and eight three-star recruits.

“It was just a 

thought I had ... 
to make it more 
about family” 

ORION SANG

Daily Sports Editor

“For two years, 
he’s been one of 
the top guys on 

the board”

“We think 

we’ve addressed 

a number of 

needs”

TOP OF 
THE CLASS
the 10 best signees of 2017

Donovan Peoples-Jones
WR, MI

Aubrey Solomon
DT, GA

Cesar Ruiz
C, NJ

Luigi Vilian
DE, CAN

Drew Singleton
LB, NJ 

Ambry Thomas
DB, MI

Jordan Anthony
LB, MD

Chuck Filiaga
OT, TX

Tarik Black
WR, CT

Dylan McCaffrey
QB, CO

Design By Alex Leav

