Michigan Football Recruiting: Harbaugh Swipes Northwestern Commit Grant Perry
By Tony Fischer
What could become the very powerful recruiting influence of Jim Harbaugh is already being felt in the Big Ten. The new Head Coach for the Michigan Wolverines is trying to catch up in the recruiting battle after the Brady Hoke debacle. Now it appears he is winning over the hearts of hometown recruits who may have been overlooked by the previous coaching staff.
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It was always Grant Perry’s intention to play football for the Michigan Wolverines. The 6 ft 185 lb wide receiver from Brother Rice attended football camps at Michigan with hopes of making an impression. After his unofficial visit to Michigan on June 16th, the program failed to make him an offer. So he turned his attention to Northwestern, who made him an offer November 21st. After a couple of visits to Northwestern he committed to the Wildcats.
Then came the phone call that would change everything.
"“I got a call from Coach Harbaugh a couple of hours before the Super Bowl,” Perry told The Detroit News on Tuesday. “I was kind of surprised and definitely excited when he offered. I talked things over with my parents and we all came to the conclusion I had the chance to fulfill my dream of playing at Michigan.”"
Perry’s decision to flip to the Wolverines from Northwestern on the strength of a single phone call from Jim Harbaugh speaks volumes to the affect he could have on the recruiting battle in this state and in the Big Ten.
Remember this is a player who attended Michigan football camps, worked hard on his game and was relatively ignored by the previous staff.
"Via the Detroit News:When he talked of his recruiting process the past few weeks, it was easy to tell he felt disrespected despite working hard during the offseason to become an elite receiver. He more than doubled his production from his junior year, going from 50 receptions during Brother Rice’s Division 2 state championship season in 2013 to 105 for 1,727 yards and 20 TDs as a senior."
The 11th hour call made all the difference for the Michigan Football program in this case. You can expect the Jim Harbaugh to make countless numbers of these calls in the next 24 hours. Whose to say how many more recruits he could swipe.
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