U-M Football : Will Harbaugh pass his first test?

For the last few football coaches hired at Michigan, each has faced the challenge of salvaging their initial recruiting class.

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Like Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke before him, new Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh is facing that daunting task as National Signing Day approaches (Feb. 4).

All three coaches were given the assignment of completing their first class within a month.

Hoke could recruit but…

Sure, Rodriguez was able to secure eight prospects before signing day in a class that totaled 25. And Hoke, who only was given seven commits when he took the job in 2011, was able to attract 12 more in the final days.

While one might expect Harbaugh’s production to mirror his predecessors, what’s most important is not necessarily how talented they appear, but how coachable they are.

Hoke brought in top-10 recruiting classes in 2012 and 2013, but he never got the opportunity to see them play as upperclassmen. It will be interesting to see how Harbaugh molds them into a team this spring and fall.

Plenty of veterans

There are 10 juniors and 5 seniors left over from those classes hoping to earn or retain starting positions.

Even if the incumbants keep their slots, there are still a half-dozen spots which should expect tough competition in the spring.

While Harbaugh has ten verbal commitments, expect him to grab seven or eight more to complete the 2015 class in the 17-18 range.

Harbaugh snagged four commitments just this week. All four were “poached” or “flipped” from other schools which means the players were already verbally committed to other schools.

Malzone, Perry combo?

Pro-style quarterback Zack Gentry was flipped from Texas, defensive end Reuben Jones was flipped from Nebraska, offensive tackle Nolan Ulizio was flipped from UConn and wide receiver Grant Perry was flipped from Northwestern.

Perry, incidentally, caught 105 passes last season from Michigan early enrollee QB Alex Malzone.

Poaching isn’t a favorite practice among some coaches, and Ohio State’s Urban Meyer has the reputation as one of the best.

Hoke was not one to use the practice often, but Rodriguez sure was. When he poached wide receiver Roy Roundtree from Purdue, then-Purdue coach Joe Tiller called Rodriguez a hardly complimentary “snake-oil salesmen.”

Decision for Weber

Look for the NCAA to adapt an early signing period in the near future, just so coaches don’t have the chore of finding recruits then having to keep them.

Regardless of what the NCAA does, Harbaugh and Meyer are going to be battling for the same athletes. Meyer has slowly pushed open the door to Detroit Cass Tech, which has been quite a pipeline to Michigan in recent years.

Meyer was able to flip running back Michael Weber from Cass Tech when the Michigan coaching became uncertain, but Harbaugh and his staff have given up on the thought that Weber might switch allegiances again.

There may be a few more twists before National Signing Day begins Wednesday morning.

All but a few of Michigan’s commits will sign their (binding) letters of intent sometime Wednesday and we’ll have the list as soon as it’s made official.

Scroll down to view the 2015 Michigan verbal commits in addition to the remaining prospects.

2015 COMMITS

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2015 PROSPECTS

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Michigan Football Recruiting: Will Harbaugh pass his first test on National Signing Day

By Joel Greer | Feb 3, 2015