Michigan has another four-star commit for its 2017 class. Paramus Catholic (N.J.) linebacker Drew Singleton committed to the Wolverines Friday evening, picking them over a long list of suitors that included Clemson and Michigan State.
Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan has turned a New Jersey high school into a pipeline of elite recruits
The Wolverines’ newest blue-chip commitment marks the continuation of a trend.
Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
It’s great news for Michigan, which has the No. 4 class in the country and has been racking up four- and five-star commitments over the last two weeks. It’s also not a surprise, because the Wolverines have turned Singleton’s school into a pipeline that’s already been helping them for years. Singleton’s just the latest example.
In 2013, when Brady Hoke was still Michigan’s coach, the Wolverines got a commitment from a five-star Paramus Catholic safety named Jabrill Peppers. That turned out decently. Peppers is now an All-American and became a Heisman finalist this year, helping Michigan at positions all over the field. Also under Hoke, Michigan signed three-star Paladins offensive lineman Juwann Bushell-Beatty, now a reserve.
Last year, under Harbaugh, Michigan landed another Paramus Catholic star. Defensive tackle Rashan Gary, the top overall recruit in the country for 2016 and an absolute terror of a lineman, picked Michigan over everyone. Gary’s only played in spots this year, but he’ll be a stud for Michigan for the next two or three years.
Now the Wolverines have Singleton, who tore an ACL early in his senior season but has long been regarded as a top talent in the 2017 class. It’s not fair to expect Singleton to be Peppers or Gary, but he’ll probably be really good. He’s the No. 3 outside linebacker in the country and the No. 66 player overall, per the 247Sports Composite.
It’s not a coincidence that Michigan has kept landing these players.
College teams put a lot of effort into building relationships at specific high schools. Historically and now, the sport is littered with pairs, trios, and quartets of high school teammates who have gone on to play together at the next level. Sometimes the players come from the same alma mater at different times.
But what Harbaugh’s done to entrench Paramus Catholic as a Michigan pipeline is noteworthy, even in the high-intensity world of recruiting. Consider what Harbaugh’s done over the last few years to shore up this relationship.
When Harbaugh got to Michigan for 2015, he hired away Paramus Catholic head coach Chris Partridge to be Michigan’s director of player personnel. His job was ostensibly to oversee the Wolverines’ entire recruiting operation, along with Harbaugh.
Last January, Harbaugh promoted Partridge to be Michigan’s linebackers and special teams coach, a position that allowed him extra recruiting privileges.
Gary and other stars signed about a month later, and Patridge was named Scout’s recruiter of the year shortly thereafter. Maybe Michigan would’ve landed Gary without Partridge, but the new assistant was clearly an enormous part of closing the sale:
“I can say I know (Gary) better than any other college football coach in the country, I think that’s a fair statement,” Partridge says. “The sky’s the limit. I think (fans) will be pleasantly surprised when he shows up here. There are certain players who just have something. A work ethic on the field and in the classroom and a love for the game where they’ve got a bounce in their step when they hit the field.”
Harbaugh’s relationships at Paramus Catholic don’t stop with the football offices. He gave the school’s commencement address last spring, which was cool for the school because Harbaugh is a celebrity and cool for Harbaugh because Singleton and other football players were still yet to pick colleges.
“Commencement is an academic ceremony. It’s not connected to athletics,” the school’s president said. “But I have gotten to know Coach Harbaugh pretty well. I’m not a football guy, but I know a great educator when I see one, and he always impressed me as a great educator and great leader.”
Singleton wasn’t in the 2016 class at Paramus Catholic, and Gary had already signed on the dotted line. But Harbaugh made himself highly visible, and he kept building a relationship with a school that’s happened to have a handful of elite players.
That relationship is pretty deep now. Paramus Catholic traveled to Ann Arbor to play a game at the Big House in September. Harbaugh had also gone to Paramus to host a satellite camp last offseason, which became part of an ongoing beef with Rutgers. (The Scarlet Knights don’t love that a divisional opponent recruits so well in New Jersey.)
Players make their own decisions, and recruiting is difficult.
But Harbaugh (and Hoke before him, to some extent) have done a lot to help their chances of landing elite players when Paramus Catholic has them. By showing up often and having the school’s former coach on staff, Harbaugh has bred familiarity there. Peppers’ success has to look great to current prospects, as will Gary’s when he works his way into more playing time and starts bullying offensive linemen.
Paramus Catholic has more players on the way. For now, Michigan’s one of the schools that’s reportedly offered three-star 2017 defensive tackle Corey Bolds. Michigan had also offered 2018 four-star quarterback Allen Walters, a former Paladin who’s since transferred elsewhere. The Wolverines might land more Paramus Catholic prospects later, even if they’re not as high-profile as Peppers, Gary, or Singleton. When those players exist, Harbaugh’s positioned himself to just about always be in the picture.
Lots of factors go into a college choice. Most players aren’t picking a school because of one staff member, or because they liked a speech, or because the stadium looked nice when they played there one time in high school. But Harbaugh’s pursuit of Paramus Catholic hearts and minds is a good case study in recruiting relationship-building. It’s already helped Michigan, and that’s not about to stop.
