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
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