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Michigan is looking to repeat history by obtaining the son of a defensive back who played for a Florida team in the ACC before becoming an NFL standout.
Such is the case for Fort Lauderdale (FL) American Heritage four-star cornerback Earl Little Jr., the son of former Miami Hurricanes, New Orleans Saints. Cleveland Browns and Green Bay Packers safety Earl Little Sr. While it seems unthinkable that the Wolverines could lure such a player, Michigan did end up winning the heart of Devin Bush Jr., whose father was a standout at Florida State.
However, more so than with Bush, there’s even heftier competition.
On Sept. 1, the first day that coaches could initiate contact with recruits, Little heard from Georgia’s Kirby Smart, Florida’s Dan Mullen and Alabama’s Nick Saban.
But he also got a call from Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, who laid out why he would be a good fit for the Wolverines.
Not afraid of cold weather, as he says it will help him prepare for life in the NFL, Little was receptive to Harbaugh’s pitch.
“He wants me to come up there, play some guys, obviously,” Little told WolverinesWire. “But most importantly, he likes the way I play, he likes that I’m a physical player. I like to stick my nose in there. Like to create tackles, I’m a ball hawk. He wants me to play in his scheme on the defensive side of the ball.”
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Rated a four-star and the No. 65 player in the 2022 class, regardless of position, according to 247Sports, Little is a hot commodity in the class.
While he’s hearing from some of the top coaches in the nation, he’s long been building a relationship with Michigan cornerbacks coach Mike Zordich and defensive coordinator Don Brown, with Zordich leading the charge in his recruitment.
“Coach Z? He’s a cool guy, straight-forward, cool personality,” Little said. “He calls, texts me every once in awhile. He texted me, too, the other day. He’s cool. We got it good, gotta build the start of our relationship even more now that he can text me. We got a cool relationship so far – him and Coach Brown.”
Little plans on taking his time in the recruiting process and intends to take it all the way to the wire, making a commitment to his school of choice on National Signing Day proper in 2022.
As far as what’s important to him, he’s looking for a school that makes him a priority — which right now Michigan, Miami (FL), Florida State, LSU and Alabama are doing.
“Just looking for a school that makes me their top priority, the coaches building a relationship with them,” Little said. “I don’t want to go to a school that’s not showing the love that I need, that feeling that’s gonna get me to go to that school. That’s pretty much it.”
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