Michigan's 2015 recruiting class has taken some major hits in recent months, with a slew of de-commitments leaving the Wolverines with just six players left.
Quite a few of these de-commitments came as the Wolverines struggled through a brutal 2014 season, and several more jumped ship when Michigan fired Brady Hoke earlier in December.
While the outlook is pretty grim at the moment, one thing could change that in a hurry - if Michigan hires Jim Harbaugh, as we've heard they will, the Wolverines could see a number of high profile players get back on board. The respect Harbaugh commands can't be understated - and it could help Michigan turn their 2015 class from a dud into one of the nation's strongest.
1. TE Chris Clark
Clark announced his de-commitment in the wake of the Hoke firing, but still has a lot of love for Ann Arbor and the Michigan football program. A four-star tight end out of Avon, CT, Clark is considering UCLA, Texas, Michigan, Ohio State, North Carolina and USC, but hasn't been in a hurry to pick a school after re-opening his recruitment. If Michigan hired Jim Harbaugh, that could change his tune in a hurry.
Really hope coach harbaugh takes the michigan job
— Chris Clark (@Clark8Chris) December 17, 2014
2. RB Mike Weber
Weber is a four-star RB prospect from Detroit's Cass Technical High School, and he piled on the misery for Michigan fans when he announced his de-commitment during the fourth quarter of Michigan's home loss to Maryland. Weber has since committed to Ohio State, but seeing Harbaugh at his former #1 choice will give him plenty to think about.
3. WR George Campbell
Campbell, the #6 WR in the class of 2015, first committed to Michigan back in July 2013. The Florida native de-committed that December, and received over a dozen offers from powerhouse programs before eventually settling on Florida State this past September. There are some scouts out there who aren't sure how solid Campbell's commitment to the Seminoles is, and FSU has a laundry list of top WR recruits he'll have to contend with for playing time.
High school friend and teammate Mason Cole will be in Campbell's ear telling him to come to Ann Arbor and make an impact like Cole did as a true freshman - Cole was Michigan's first opening game true-frosh starter at LT in program history. The opportunity to play for Jim Harbaugh - and start right away - might be too much to pass up.
4. RB Damien Harris
Harris is a four/five star prospect (depending on which recruiting service you ask), but he's ranked as the #2 RB in the country across the board. Like Campbell, Harris committed to Michigan in the summer of 2013, only to reopen his recruitment following the 2013 season.
Harris, a Kentucky native, plans to announce his final decision on January 9th, with his hometown Wildcats reportedly leading the race at this stage. Seeing Michigan upgrade to Jim Harbaugh would definitely give him a lot to consider, though.
5. A California QB...
There are two high-profile class of 2015 QBs from the state of California who Michigan has been interested in for a while...and while they're currently committed to rival schools in Los Angeles, Jim Harbaugh could throw a wrench in that situation by coming to UM.
Josh Rosen (pictured five-star UCLA commit, #1 QB in the class of 2015) and Ricky Town (five-star USC commit, #2 QB in the class of 2015) grew up seeing Jim Harbaugh as a coaching god in California - first at Stanford, then with the 49ers. They hold him in extremely high regard, and while Jim Mora and Steve Sarkisian are both very good coaches, neither can match Harbaugh's resume or star power. Rosen has already told reporters he's interested in restoring a program like UCLA to glory...and Michigan would give him that same opportunity, along with the chance to work with a coaching legend.
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