Rashan Gary, the No. 1 ranked prospect in the ESPN 300, committed to Michigan on signing day over Clemson. Gary said the choice came down to the wire, and that he spent his morning and afternoon contemplating the decision before announcing on SportsCenter that he would be headed to Ann Arbor.
“It was very close,” he said. “Those are schools that I love and it was very hard to pick between them, but I feel like I did what was best for me. I was talking to the coaches the night before, and I just had a feeling before I announced it.”
Gary said the decision was in doubt until he stepped foot on the SportsCenter set. Sources told ESPN.com that neither Michigan nor Clemson was notified before the decision -- the coaches involved all found out as he announced it live.
Gary is the first No. 1-ranked prospect to choose a Big Ten school since ESPN started its rankings in 2006, and gives Michigan five of the eight ESPN 300 prospects from the state of New Jersey. The next-highest ranked prospect for Michigan was No. 2-ranked Jabrill Peppers, who hails from the same high school as Gary (Paramus Catholic) in the 2014 class.
Gary could be an immediate impact player for a defense that allowed just 1.44 rushing yards before contact last season, the fourth-fewest among Power 5 schools. His commitment and the attention surrounding it could benefit Michigan’s recruiting efforts as well.
The Wolverines currently have the No. 6 class in ESPN's class rankings.
