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It was late May, and the buzz was palpable.
Despite Don Brown consistently fielding Top 5 defenses — only 2019 saw the Wolverines dip below that to No. 11 — Michigan football didn’t have any commitments ranked as four-stars in the 2021 class. The fanbase was getting antsy. But there was considerable chatter that a big time linebacker from SEC country could make the call to wear maize and blue.
And on May 24, it happened. Brentwood (TN) Ravenwood four-star linebacker Junior Colson chose the Wolverines over offers from Auburn, Oklahoma, LSU, Florida State and hometown Tennessee.
For Colson, Brown leading the charge on defense played a big part. But so, too, did Michigan’s academic reputation.
“A lot went into making this decision,” Colson told WolverinesWire. “I felt like Michigan was the best fit academically, athletically. And I think I can reach my full potential with Coach Don Brown, which allowed me to make the decision very easy to pick Michigan.”
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But the coaching staff as a whole made the decision that much easier for Colson — an outside linebacker in high school, looking to play VIPER in Ann Arbor. It wasn’t just Brown, but also new linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary who helped Colson realize that the University of Michigan was the perfect fit.
However, the building of those relationships between the staff and the nation’s No. 87 player according to Rivals didn’t end once he verbally committed to the Wolverines. It’s continued to grow and blossom into friendships and mentorships that go beyond just football.
“It’s been amazing,” Colson said. “They’ve just become family to me. We’re all very close together, we’re all really tight. We talk all the time – we talk about random stuff.
“It’s been great getting to build that relationship about more than just football. They want to be more than just a football coach – they want to be a part of your life, like family. They (want to) know everything about you.”
When you’re an elite-level recruit, however, until you sign on the dotted line come either early or National Signing Day, you’re going to have other programs looking to whisk you away from your made decision. Such has been the case for the Tennessee standout.
Several programs have done their best to lure him away from Michigan. But Colson is steadfast in his choice.
While he won’t eschew them entirely, he lets them know: he’s going to Michigan, end of story.
“They all keep saying they have until (Signing Day),” Colson said. “Last year, if I ever committed to them, they wouldn’t want me to talk to other coaches. I try to tell them I’m 100% Michigan, but I’m not closing the door because you don’t know what might be in the future. I’m not gonna go their school – I’m 100% committed to Michigan. But you never know where they might end up in the future. They could end up with an NFL team. So you don’t want to close those doors, so I still keep good relationships with them. But also, I don’t give them a false impression — I’m like, ‘No, I’m going to Michigan.’”
The high school senior won’t get a chance to see his preferred school of choice play in person this year, as the Big Ten postponed the season — likely to winter. It’s a decision that still baffles him, as he can’t imagine watching the Wolverines run through that tunnel on fall Saturdays — especially since he’s strapping up for Ravenwood, with one game already under his belt.
While he can’t come to campus and visit the team — due to the NCAA extending the in-person aspect of the recruiting dead period — he’s still getting an eye on what Michigan is doing, as he’s seeing what the team is doing in practice remotely, learning the ins-and-outs of Don Brown’s defense as early as he possibly can.
“I was shocked, because they’ve got one of the biggest divisions of football,” Colson said. “I’m like, ‘The SEC’s playing, how come the Big Ten’s not playing?’ They’ve worked so hard to get to here, so (what’s) stopping them from playing? I’m still in shock they’re not playing, so I’m always like, ‘Maybe they’ll (still) come back soon and play in the next couple weeks.’
“But I’ve watched a couple of their practices. Coach sent me a couple of their practices and I love everything they’re doing.”
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