Top College Football Recruit Rashan Gary Picks Michigan – New York Times

Derek Jeter and Tom Brady showed up as promised in Ann Arbor, Mich. Michigan Coach Jim Harbaugh, a onetime Wolverines quarterback, tossed footballs into the crowd seated in a campus auditorium. The former Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland appeared on stage with the hip-hop group Migos. Did they dab? Dab they did.

It was all part of Michigan’s self-proclaimed “Signing of the Stars,” a flamboyant national signing day pep rally streamed live by The Players’ Tribune and intended to build the hype around this year’s class of prospective Wolverines.

Michigan’s event was the most orchestrated bit of pageantry of signing day (not including the safety who announced for Ole Miss while sky diving), which in recent years has evolved into a sports carnival — Fat Wednesday? — as programs seek to rev up their fans and make one last pitch to on-the-fence prospects.

The biggest prize this year was Rashan Gary, a 6-foot-4, 280-pound defensive tackle at Paramus Catholic in New Jersey, who was deemed the top-ranked player in the country. In the early afternoon, after a long limousine ride, Gary announced his decision live on ESPN from Bristol, Conn. Surrounded by family members, he picked Michigan over Clemson, last season’s national championship runner-up.

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Gary’s former high school coach, Chris Partridge, joined Michigan’s staff last season as director of player personnel, and he was recently promoted to linebackers and special teams coach.

With commitments still coming in, Ohio State, Louisiana State, Mississippi, Florida State and Alabama appeared poised to haul in the highest-rated classes, with Michigan, Georgia and Clemson just behind.

Beyond Michigan’s antics, the story of the day was Texas, which leapt double-digits in the estimations of many recruiting sites after several prized high school players chose the Longhorns on Wednesday morning.

National signing days used to be joyous occasions for Texas, the flagship university of the country’s richest recruiting state. But the program has fallen on hard times of late. This year’s class will help the job security of Coach Charlie Strong, whose teams have struggled, as he enters his third season.

That and a winning record. The games still matter.

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