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What a journey it was — for Donovan Edwards and for Michigan football.
At one point in February, the Wolverines were essentially out, with rival Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia and Oklahoma all making a big — if not bigger — push for Edwards’ services. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, luminaries such as Crimson Tide headman Nick Saban made himself at home at West Bloomfield High School, be it in person or over the phone. Ryan Day frequently told Edwards he was their top player on the board, especially at running back, likening him to former Buckeyes standout J.K. Dobbins. Meanwhile, Michigan was confident that it could lure him into the fold by virtue of being the in-state school.
But it wasn’t that easy.
The Wolverines had to pick up the pursuit hard in order to stave off the other schools, adamant that it would retain one of the top in-state prospects. Though Georgia and Oklahoma could boast recent NFL draft picks, Michigan couldn’t, thus, it sold the family atmosphere and solidarity between recruits. Prized quarterback commit J.J. McCarthy was one of many Wolverines pledges who constantly let Edwards know that he was desperately wanted in Ann Arbor.
And on Wednesday, the first day of the college football early signing period, Michigan’s hard work came to fruition. Edwards appeared on ESPN 2 and announced that he’s committing — and signing — with the Wolverines.
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247Sports’ proprietary rankings lists Edwards as the No. 29 prospect in the class, regardless of position. While he’s currently marked as a four-star recruit, generally, the recruiting service offers five-stars to the top 32 prospects — meaning: he’s likely to earn that distinction in the near future.
Michigan had an all hands on deck approach in recruiting Edwards, with head coach Jim Harbaugh, offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, running backs coach Jay Harbaugh and recruiting coordinator Matt Dudek all making significant contributions.
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