My recruiting story started when I was six years old. I attended my first Michigan game with my dad. I still remember where we were sitting and the feelings that I had in that stadium. These feelings lasted from pee-wee football throughout my senior year of high school. I knew I wanted to play football at Michigan, but I was unsure how to get there.
My dream started to become realistic in tenth grade when I began receiving camp brochures and admissions material from various colleges throughout the country. These brochures led me to Michigan’s camp the summer before my junior year. Still unsure of how to really catch their interest, I thought camp could be a good opportunity. I worked hard during camp and ended up not only gaining Michigan’s attention, but that of other schools as well. From that point on I was recruited heavily by many different colleges throughout the mid-west and east coast. I knew that Michigan was interested in me as well, so nothing else really mattered at the time.
I had a solid junior-year season, as my recruiting process continued to progress. More schools, more phone calls, more mail….but the only information that I looked for was from Michigan. I received some important information going into my senior year: Michigan told me that it was going to be tough because there were only seventeen scholarships available. Jake Long (former two-time All-American and 2008 Number 1 Overall Draft Pick) had already committed, meaning they would likely only take one or two more offensive linemen.
I began to wonder if I had made mistakes in my recruiting process because I hadn’t paid much attention to other schools. The thought of not getting an offer from Michigan was something that scared me. Nobody I knew had been in the position that I was in. This made it tough because there were some questions for which I struggled to find answers.
I made unofficial visits to Notre Dame and Michigan State my junior year. Mid-way through my senior season, Michigan offered me a scholarship. After an official visit to Purdue my senior year, I made my official visit to Michigan, where I committed. I ended up being in a class that included: Jake Long, Lamarr Woodley, Leon Hall, Shawn Crable, Garrett Rivas and Prescott Burgess, to name a few. It ended up being the best experience of my life.
To have somebody who could have guided me along in the recruiting process based on their experience would have been very helpful for me as a seventeen-year old. It’s one of the biggest decisions one can make in life.