7 — Friday, April 3, 2020 Sports The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com With vision in place, Gattis’s offense ready for next step in 2020 At this time last year, Josh Gattis fielded questions for the first time since joining the Michigan football team two months earlier. As the Wolverines’ newly-minted offensive coordinator leaned on a glass timeline of the program’s history at the Towsley Museum, he prepared to speak to reporters about modernizing Michigan’s traditional offense. But before unveiling his plans to revamp the Wolverines’ system, Gattis told of a different assignment. After luring Gattis away from his previous role as a co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at Alabama in January 2019, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh brought him on a two-week road trip. “That (trip) was really valuable,” Gattis said in March 2019. “That really developed our relationship. ... It was just two guys in a rental car going across the country to see recruits. In that time, we were just sitting back in the car, joking, and it really enabled us to develop a friendship and really gave us a chance to get to know who we are from a personality standpoint.” More importantly, it was during that trip when Harbaugh handed Gattis the keys to Michigan’s offense, relinquishing control to a full-time offensive play-caller for the first time since returning to Ann Arbor in 2015. Even with a clear vision in place, Gattis’s first season calling the shots was anything but a smooth go-around. There were kinks to work through and an identity to find, and Gattis needed to experience the ups and downs to figure them out. After it took his unit 43 minutes to score in a three- possession blowout loss at Wisconsin, he moved down from the coaches box to the sideline the next week. For him, calling the shots from there felt more natural than watching through a glass panel overhead. But by now, that learning curve is in the rearview mirror. And coming off a season in which Michigan finished seventh in the Big Ten in total offense, there’s reason to believe the 2020 Wolverines can take a step forward in that department. With a system now firmly in place, the roster has taken upward of a year’s worth of reps and the focus on the recruiting trail has shifted toward bringing in speedy players that fit Michigan’s new mold, such as incoming freshman receiver A.J. Henning. And even while learning new dimensions of the offense on the fly a season ago, the Wolverines showed flashes. In the four games leading up to Thanksgiving, Michigan averaged 41.5 points and over 400 yards of total offense in blowout wins over Notre Dame, Maryland, Michigan State and Indiana. Now that Gattis has a feel for play-calling, he’s more equipped to ensure his weapons are optimized. Proof of that lies in the evolution of how Gattis used pieces like sophomore receiver Giles Jackson, whose progression from kick returner to downfield threat unlocked a new dimension of the offense. By November, Gattis had designed jet sweeps and wheel routes specifically for Jackson’s open-field speed. This fall, Gattis will have a speedster in Jackson, vertical threat in senior wideout Nico Collins and junior slot receiver Ronnie Bell at his disposal to break defenses down in different ways. In the backfield, he’ll look to maximize two proven returners in sophomore Zach Charbonnet and redshirt sophomore Hassan Haskins, while mixing in senior Chris Evans’s pass- catching ability. The Wolverines have not yet named a starting quarterback for 2020, and with all spring practices canceled due to the COVID- 19 outbreak, it’ll be a long time before they do. But redshirt junior Dylan McCaffrey and redshirt sophomore Joe Milton will both be duking it out for the right to lead a unit that’s more than capable of breaking through. At the center of it all lies the man with the keys. DANIEL DASH Daily Sports Writer MILES MACKLIN/Daily Offensive coordinator Josh Gattis will be in his second year at Michigan in 2020 after an up-and-down 2019. Breaking down Michigan football’s 2021 recruiting class Sports are on hold for the foreseeable future. The NCAA has established a recruiting dead period, banning both campus visits for recruits and in-home or school visits for coaches until May 31. Yet, the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 hasn’t stopped recruits from committing to their preferred schools. In the past two weeks, Michigan has secured four commits in the class of 2021 — defensive lineman Dominick Guidice, offensive lineman Greg Crippen, tight end Louis Hansen and punter Tommy Doman — giving the Wolverines a total of six in the class. The Daily breaks down Guidice, Crippen and Hansen and how they could add to the team. Defensive lineman Dominick Guidice Guidice, a three-star defensive end from New Jersey, was a bit of a surprise. Most of his previous offers were from service academies, the Ivy League and MAC schools. Competing for Mater Dei Prep, a small school in Monmouth County, Guidice is the current New Jersey sack leader. However, Guidice told Rivals that Michigan sees him as a likely three-technique at the next level. According to Rivals, Guidice grew up a Michigan fan but has not yet taken an official visit. Last Tuesday, he was offered a scholarship on a group FaceTime call with head coach Jim Harbaugh, defensive coordinator Don Brown and defensive line coach Shaun Nua. After a brief discussion with his parents, Guidice committed that same night. “I was really happy because Michigan was my dream school,” he told Rivals. It is unclear how much playing time Guidice will get with the Wolverines given the presence of better defensive line prospects on the roster, but Michigan has a good history of finding underrated East Coast players, and presumably its coaches think Guidice is next. Offensive lineman Greg Crippen Crippen is a four-star offensive lineman from IMG Academy in Florida. He was previously committed to Notre Dame before re-opening his recruitment on Mar. 4. Crippen is a big get for the Wolverines, having held offers from Alabama, Auburn, Ohio State and USC among others. He is likely a guard or center in college and is ranked as the No. 11 guard in the country by 247Sports. According to 247Sports, Crippen has already been on campus, visiting for last year’s Middle Tennessee game while still committed to the Fighting Irish. He appears to have been swayed by offensive line coach Ed Warinner’s recent work in developing his unit. “You can see from this year’s (NFL) combine for Michigan, he will get you there with hard work and dedication,” Crippen told 247Sports. Crippen is the Wolverines’ second offensive line commit for 2021, joining four-star tackle Giovanni El-Hadi of Sterling Heights. Both could be big contributors at a position group that appears to be stacked for the near future. Tight end Louis Hansen Hansen is a four-star tight end from Needham, Mass., a suburb of Boston. He is ranked as the No. 8 tight end overall and the No. 2 prospect in Massachusetts by 247Sports. He chose Michigan over offers from Florida, Georgia, LSU and a host of Big Ten foes. “Something I like about the offense is the way they utilize the tight ends,” Hansen told 247Sports. “They often have multiple (tight ends) on the field at once, which provides an opportunity for early playing time. And they do a good job getting them the ball in space and allowing them the chance to make plays. … They have a great chance at being a very dynamic offense.” Both Hansen and Crippen cited wanting to study in the Ross School of Business as playing a role in their decisions. Hansen is just the latest big New England pickup by Brown, who is well known for his prowess at recruiting the area. Additionally, tight ends coach Sherrone Moore assisted with Hansen’s recruitment. With the graduation of fifth-year senior tight end Nick Eubanks after the 2020 season, the Wolverines will need new contributors at the position. Hansen likely won’t get immediate playing time given the presence of sophomore Erick All and redshirt sophomore Luke Schoonmaker, but he has all the tools to step into a starting role later on. ALLISON ENGKVIST/Daily Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has five commits in his 2021 recruiting class, with three committing this week. By contrast, Ohio State has 15. ARIA GERSON Daily Sports Editor I was really happy because Michigan was my dream.