His Michigan football tenure was but two seasons, and his sample size wasn’t exactly very large.
Hailing from New York, Dan Villari was a late add for the Wolverines, and was expected to be a dual threat for the maize and blue. Jim Harbaugh spoke of Villari as a potential Taysom Hill-type threat who would get some play for Michigan in 2021, but he only had three pass attempts, completing one for 26 yards, in his time in Ann Arbor.
Villari didn’t see any action in 2020, either, and he made the decision to transfer this offseason. And on Tuesday night, he made his transfer destination known, staying in the Power Five.
According to Villari’s Instagram, he’s chosen ACC school Syracuse as his new college.
While Michigan football is in good hands at signal caller, the room got just a little bit thinner.
With starter Cade McNamara and phenom J.J. McCarthy returning, and two quarterbacks coming in via the 2022 recruiting class in Jayden Denegal and Alex Orji, an incumbent quarterback appears to be on his way out.
According to the Detroit Free Press’ Rainer Sabin, second-year QB Dan Villari — a late add to the 2020 class after J.D. Johnson had been medically disqualified — is seeking other options, and has entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal. He’ll have a full four years of eligibility remaining at his school of choice.
Michigan reserve quarterback Dan Villari is in the NCAA transfer portal, @freepsports has learned. The former three-star recruit is a member of the 2020 class.
Villari attempted three passes in 2021 and completed one for 9 yards. He also had 9 rushes for 35 yards.
While it didn’t really come to fruition, Jim Harbaugh had spoken of Villari as a potential weapon in the offense, likening him to being in a Taysom Hill-type role as he comes in as a special option for the New Orleans Saints.
Michigan football changed things up significantly this offseason, with a complete defensive staff revamp and a few changes on the offensive side of the ball. No matter which way you stretch it, in 2021, the team will feature something of a new look, not only with a complete defensive overhaul but some new pieces leading the charge offensively.
One of the changes that Jim Harbaugh made was dismissing quarterbacks coach Ben McDaniels in favor of former Balitmore Ravens running backs coach Matt Weiss, who has extensive experience working on both sides of the ball at several different positions.
“You want healthy competition,” Weiss said. “You want guys, obviously they’re gonna compete, but you want them to support each other. There’s gonna be enough people outside that room or outside this building that’s obviously trying to tear them down, and it’s really important that the people around them are supportive. I know you know from the best offensive line rooms you’ve been in, you want the other guy to succeed, genuinely. And that goes a long way to how people perform. It’s something that we definitely had in the running back room in Baltimore with a bunch of guys sharing the carries, which you alluded to. Just something that you work hard to build, whether it’s getting the guys to go out to dinner every week or the running backs in Baltimore take a trip together every year, they vacation together, which is pretty unique. Just encouraging that type of stuff to make that bond strong. There’s enough for everybody. A rising tide raises all ships. It’s not a zero-sum game. Our cups can overrunneth. You look at the history here at Michigan with multiple great quarterbacks being in the room, obviously, that’s well-documented. Hopefully, they’ll get to the point where they all feel that way and we can have the best of both worlds.”
One of the things that Weiss shared was why he’s particularly drawn to the quarterback position. Having switched to offense after several years on defense in Baltimore, Weiss says that the unique thing about quarterback is that they’re the last ones to adjust, and they can change the game on every play, because they’re not playing a reactive brand of football like some other positions must.
“I think the other part of the draw is the quarterback has the chalk last,” Weiss said. “That’s one of the unique things about football, there’s so many awesome things about football that are better than any other sport, but if you’re playing defense, it really is reactive. You gotta be able to adjust any formation, you have to be able to adjust a reroute, you’ve gotta be able to fit any run, you don’t really know what the offense is gonna present. You’ve got to react. You play offensive line, as you know, it’s reactive in that way, too, in a lot of ways. You’ve gotta be able to block any front, you’ve got to be able to pick up any blitz. And you’ve gotta react to whatever the defense presents. But quarterback gives you that opportunity as a coach, you hold the chalk last. Your players can adjust in a drop or change the protection or even an audible of where you wanna go with the ball. It’s an opportunity to teach those things and have the chalk last. That’s one of the things that’s really fun about football, the strategic element of it.”
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From there, Weiss broke down what he saw from each of his signal-callers in spring ball. Here’s what he had to say about each:
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — For yet another year, as spring progresses into summer workouts, fall camp and eventually the 2021 football season, all eyes in Ann Arbor will be on Michigan football’s quarterbacks.
Since the departure of Shea Patterson, there hasn’t been an obvious answer at the position. It’s been something of a revolving door. Last offseason, Joe Milton appeared to have won the job over Dylan McCaffrey, which led to the latter’s decision to transfer. Milton got the nod at the beginning of the 2020 season, but as he started to struggle down the stretch, Cade McNamara took over, which led to Milton’s decision to transfer.
In spring ball, there’s a number of quarterbacks battling it out, between the aforementioned McNamara, entering his third year with the program, second-year signal-caller Dan Villari and former five-star early enrollee J.J. McCarthy.
At the moment, it appears McNamara is taking the lead, but, naturally in a Jim Harbaugh-coached team, it’ll be a while before that position is earned by the starter.
“The quarterbacks’ competition and level of play has been really interesting to see,” fifth-year offensive tackle Andrew Stueber said. “Cade’s finally starting to take a more commanding role. It’s different, because last season he obviously played for us a little bit, but it’s obviously different when you think you have the starting job and now you have command of the offense. You take much more pride in it, much more intent in it.
“He’s been doing great so far. I love his poise in the pocket, the decisions he’s making. His confidence, too, is growing, so it’s great to see.
“Obviously, we have J.J. coming in. He’s still learning the playbook. But he’s shown some really impressive stuff, scrambling out of the pocket, making people miss. I know he’s known for that, so it’s really great to see that. And we also have Dan Villari, too, who is really impressive with his read option, so far. It’s been pretty nice seeing him run out of the pocket, making some moves.
“All of the quarterbacks we have right now, I’m really impressed with all of them. I hope it keeps going.”
“It’s always cool watching how talented our quarterbacks are,” senior wideout Ronnie Bell said. “I always feel lucky because I feel like if I’m in the game – if it’s Dan and I’m in the game or it’s J.J. and I’m in the game – there’s never any type of hesitation as a receiver (when) you’ve got a quarterback with that type of skill next to you. So I always just feel lucky. It’s just fun watching those guys compete, because all of them are just very, very good.”
That’s where the competition stands this spring, but come fall, a new challenger will enter the ring. Former Texas Tech starter Alan Bowman opted to transfer to Michigan this offseason, and he has 5,260 yards under his belt in just under two-and-a-half years of play.
Still, McNamara, the presumed starter at this moment, will not shy away from having such a challenge, given his mental makeup, his teammates say.
“Cade’s always had a little kick to him from a standpoint of command or lead or like a swagger,” Bell said. “He’s always had that, even when he got here as a freshman, a long time ago. For me, whether he won the job or didn’t have the job before, it was never nothing new to me about Cade. I knew Cade, I know how he attacks every day. That’s just always the kick he’s always had to himself. And that’s one thing that makes him special is that he’s never scared or shy of that.”
“Cade’s definitely a huge competitor,” Stueber said. “Obviously there’s gonna be no starter named yet. Coach Harbaugh likes to leave it up to competition with a meritocracy. But there is huge competition at the quarterback position. Obviously, you have to be a high-level competitor. Each quarterback takes great pride. At the end of each practice, we have a ‘move the ball’ drill, and each quarterback takes one drive. They each take tremendous pride in it. It can affect their mood for the rest of the day into the off-day. It’s something that they take huge pride in, they’re fighting it out in there. And it’s something that’s great to see, all the young quarterbacks battling to get out on top. It’s been amazing to watch.”
While that might be the status quo, many wonder if the Wolverines will make an early turn to McCarthy considering his high school accolades. When you come in as a five-star, the expectation is that you’ll play relatively early, even at the quarterback position.
As far as what he’s doing in spring ball, Stueber notes that McCarthy is still a work in progress, but he’s liked what he’s seen from a willingness to learn standpoint.
Though he might not be ready out of the gates, he’s doing everything he can to prepare for when his name is called.
“One time, J.J. had to throw – he still learning how to read defenses, he doesn’t know double-covered, single-covered, single high,” Stueber said. “So, he’s still learning that. Sometimes, he’ll throw it off and just seeing everyone pick him up, carry him along, then watching him in meetings learning – it’s always something great to see young players learn.”
We’re scouting Michigan ahead of “The Game” with Ohio State. Some positives, some negatives, and some questions for the Wolverines.
*UPDATE: The Ohio State vs. Michigan game has been canceled, but there are still ways the Buckeyes could get to Indianapolis to play in the Big Ten Championship Game. In the meantime, feel free to read some of our content we put out prior to the game.
Well Ohio State football fans, it is the week everyone waits all season for, “The Game” against Michigan. The season started well for the Wolverines by beating Minnesota, although quietly Minnesota put up 326 total yards. The season has not gone well for Michigan and a looming contract decision on Jim Harbaugh creates a tough game against Ohio State.
Going back and looking at the Wolverines this season it is fairly easy to see where the problems arise. The defense has not been good at all this season and the offense has had moments but is wildly inconsistent.
It should all make for a decisive advantage for the Buckeyes, but we’ve seen funnier things happen in rivalry games, so it’ll all be settled on the field.
As we do every week, let’s scout the Wolverines before all the action this weekend.
Massapequa (N.Y.) Plainedge three-star quarterback Dan Villari joined Michigan football in the NCAA early signing period.
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Dan Villari is the lowest-rated Michigan quarterback signee in the Jim Harbaugh era.
And Villari – ranked No. 1,370 overall in his class – is well aware.
“I see it all over Twitter,” Villari said. “I’m going to prove them wrong.”
The Massapequa (N.Y.) Plainedge three-star prospect also understands he wasn’t Michigan’s first or second option.
The 2020 quarterback was supposed to be Phoenix (Ariz.) Pinnacle three-star JD Johnson until he medically retired due to a heart condition linked to a congenital heart defect called coarctation of the aorta.
Johnson, who was ranked No. 446 in the nation, spent three seasons as the backup to Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler before taking over at Pinnacle as a senior.
Michigan countered the situation by turning its focus to Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) 2020 four-star CJ Stroud, who took a two-day official visit from Dec. 6-7. Students at Crisler Center for U-M’s basketball game against Iowa chanted his name while he watched the 103-91 victory over the Hawkeyes.
But the scheme to get the nation’s top uncommitted quarterback didn’t work, as Stroud picked Ohio State over the Wolverines on Dec. 18, the first day of the NCAA early signing period.
After the retirement of Johnson and losing out on Stroud, Villari entered the picture.
“We began looking for another quarterback, and Dan Villari stood out at the time,” Harbaugh said on his “Attack Each Day” podcast. “He does everything offensively – runs and throws, and that’s how he came onto our radar.”
Villari received an offer from Michigan, committed on the spot and signed – all occurring immediately following Stroud’s decision.
“I was in school and on my phone like the whole time,” Villari said. “I don’t think I paid attention to a thing in class.”
Michigan quarterback signee Dan Villari watches the Dec. 14 basketball game against Oregon at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor. (Isaiah Hole / WolverinesWire)
‘If CJ goes to Michigan, I’m out’
Michigan’s No. 1 option at quarterback – following the news of Johnson’s retirement – was Stroud. Led by quarterbacks coach Ben McDaniels, the coaching staff pushed hard for the 6-foot-3, 194-pound pro-style quarterback from California.
Villari was the backup plan.
Without having firm confidence in where Stroud was headed, Michigan told Villari he’d be offered at a different position if Stroud committed to the Wolverines. The coaches liked the 6-foot-4, 215-pound quarterback’s athletic ability but didn’t want to give up on the press for Stroud’s pledge.
That offer wasn’t enticing to Villari, but he still took an official visit from Dec. 13-14 – exactly one week after Stroud’s trip.
The night before the early signing period began, Villari spoke with McDaniels, who told him he would be calling after Stroud made his decision.
“If CJ goes to Michigan, I’m out,” Villari recalled telling McDaniels.
When Harbaugh reached out the morning of Stroud’s signing day festivities, Villari began to feel at peace.
“He said, ‘Inside sources say he’s going to pick Ohio State,'” Villari said of his conversation with Harbaugh. “He asked if I was in if he went (to Ohio State).”
Of course, Villari was all in on the Wolverines if he could commit on scholarship as the No. 1 quarterback option for the 2020 class.
Expecting Stroud to pick the Buckeyes but knowing nothing was etched in stone, Villari struggled to pay attention in school that Wednesday. He spent the entire morning on his phone, patiently waiting for the West Coast prospect to sign his letter of intent.
“I was anxious,” Villari said.
Villari’s phone eventually died, and he asked to use his teacher’s charger during class. While Villari’s phone was charging, Stroud announced his decision to attend Ohio State at 12:36 p.m. ET.
McDaniels, just as promised, called Villari roughly one minute later.
Villari didn’t answer. He wasn’t near his phone and was unaware Stroud had picked the Buckeyes.
“The next period I had off, so I went out to my car and gave (McDaniels) a call,” Villari said. “He offered me over the phone.”
Villari committed, signed and sent his national letter of intent at 9 p.m. that day, solidifying himself as Michigan’s quarterback in the 2020 class.
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If Stroud would’ve picked Michigan, Villari said he was planning to wait until National Signing Day on Feb. 5 to see if three schools – Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Syracuse – would give him a scholarship offer.
“That day, while I was waiting to see where CJ committed, Virginia Tech had two coaches hit me up and send me paragraphs about how they liked me and wanted to get started with the recruiting process,” Villari said.
Knowing the impact of Stroud’s impending commitment, Villari waited until after McDaniels delivered the news of his offer to send a text message back to the Hokie coaches.
“I’m locked in with Michigan,” he later said to them, “but I appreciate it.”
Jim Harbaugh smiles before Michigan’s 38-7 victory over Maryland on Nov. 2 at Maryland Stadium in College Park, Maryland. (Isaiah Hole / WolverinesWire)
‘He obviously had no idea who I was’
Plainedge coach Rob Shaver was suspended one game for a 61-13 victory Oct. 25 against South Shore. The reason for his suspension was due to a “lopsided scores policy” set in place by Nassau County. Both teams on Long Island were undefeated entering the contest.
Ultimately, Shaver’s suspension led to Michigan’s interest in Villari, who scored five touchdowns in the win.
“If I had to go through what I went through just for Dan to do this, then I’m in,” Shaver said. “You can run my name through the dirt. Obviously, it’s a ridiculous rule.”
Michigan assistant recruiting coordinator Nate Crutchfield noticed the story on Twitter and got Shaver’s contact information for Harbaugh to call the high school coach.
Harbaugh stuttered in an incorrect attempt to pronounce Villari’s last name on the first reference.
“He obviously had no idea who I was,” Villari said.
Despite the mispronunciation, Harbaugh’s conversation with Shaver led him to Villari’s cell phone a few days later.
“I’m sitting in my room and got a call from a random number from Ann Arbor,” Villari said. “I picked it up thinking it was going to be a recruiting coordinator, but it was him.
“I was like, ‘Woah.'”
Harbaugh brought up a preferred walk-on deal where Villari would spend his first season in Ann Arbor as a walk-on quarterback before taking a scholarship for the 2021 season.
Already with offers from UMass, Fordham, Albany, Buffalo, Central Connecticut State and Kent State, Villari told Harbaugh he would be taking the scholarship route out of high school.
“Kent State came in, saw him make three throws and offered him on the spot,” Shaver said. “UMass watched us in warmups and said, ‘Holy crap. This kid isn’t taken yet?’ They offered him right on the spot.”
As the season continued, Villari continued sending Michigan his game film.
Harbaugh called back to explain the preferred walk-on was the worst-case scenario. Villari didn’t budge.
A week before Villari’s Dec. 13-14 visit, Harbaugh went to Plainedge with McDaniels and offensive coordinator Josh Gattis to see the quarterback.
The three coaches were impressed and named Villari as the second option to Stroud, eventually leading to him being appointed as the top choice.
“In my mind, they were probably thinking, ‘How did anyone miss this guy?'” Shaver said. “When Harbaugh and those guys came here, they were taken aback at how Syracuse, Boston College and those schools missed out.”
‘He looks like an NFL quarterback’
When Villari began working with Long Island area quarterback trainer James Brady as a freshman, a football wasn’t used for four-straight private sessions. Instead, Brady worked with Villari on his confidence, a piece of his character that was severely lacking at the time.
“We had conversations about things that were going on in his life, his approach to the game and his attitude about himself,” Brady said. “He put in a lot of time, like journaling, to help make him realize he can do anything he chooses if he puts in the work.”
As Villari’s confidence grew, he went from a 5-foot-10, 160-pound freshman to a 6-foot-4, 215-pound senior. He worked relentlessly on himself off the field from an internal standpoint, resulting in the creation of the person he always wanted to become.
Villari carried the ball 121 times for 1,522 yards and 23 touchdowns along with completing 67-of-113 passes for 1,306 yards with 13 touchdowns against one interception during his senior season.
The Red Devils finished the 2019 campaign with a 12-0 record.
Shaver said Villari’s size gives him an advantage as a quarterback. His favorite exercises are the squat and deadlift.
“Most kids like curls and bench presses, but he’s not like that,” Shaver said. “He looks like an NFL quarterback.”
How tight the football spins, how straight it flies and his ability to put different tempos on the ball were the most common aspects of Villari’s quarterbacking abilities that impressed college coaches.
Over the past year, he’s made progress in the fundamentals of his footwork, which has helped him with his anticipation.
Brady compared Villari to Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, who threw for 3,273 yards and 41 touchdowns against three interceptions as a sophomore in 2019.
“His size, athleticism, arm talent, confidence, the way he plays the game,” Brady said. “Occasionally, Dan will have a tendency in his mechanics to get a little long, meaning he drops the ball below his elbow as he brings the ball back. Justin Fields does the same exact thing.
“That’s just something guys that have elite talent can sometimes get away with, but it can affect the flight of the ball, and we want to clean that up.”
Villari is locked in as a member of the Wolverines, and he’s prepared to start his journey to discredit the doubters that only view him as Harbaugh’s third option.
As a two-year starter at Plainedge, Villari finished with a 23-1 overall record.
“Everything I do, I have to win,” Villari said. “I’m the ultimate competitor. They’ll see I’m going to do whatever it takes to win games and championships.”
Focusing on his self-esteem with Brady as a 15-year-old has officially paid off. Even when the world seems to doubt him, Villari is as confident as ever in his potential to lead Michigan to new heights.
Shaver – the coach whose suspension helped lead to his quarterback’s offer from the Wolverines – also thinks Villari has a bright future ahead.
“If he prepares himself, which I think he will, and gets an opportunity,” Shaver said, “then I think all the people are going to stop doubting.”
Villari believes at least half of his critics haven’t watched his film, instead only focusing on stars and rankings, so he doesn’t worry about what those people have to say.
He’s only concentrated on his growth as a Wolverine.
“I know coach McDaniels is going to develop me,” Villari said, “so I’m blocking out the noise.”
What the Wolverines coaching staff sees in its 2020 quarterback signee from Long Island, New York.
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It all happened so fast.
On December 14, as Michigan basketball faced a top ten Oregon team, a skeleton crew of staff members hosted a small number of recruits and commits. Much of the staff was out of town, recruiting for the future while securing there’d be no surprises come Early Signing Day that upcoming Wednesday. But there was one uncommitted prospect in town from the 2020 class: quarterback Dan Villari.
Villari, from Massapequa (NY) Plainedge, was under-recruited, as his region isn’t exactly a hotbed of Division I-level college football prospects. He sat in the stands at Crisler Center without an offer, but getting his first taste of Ann Arbor, seeing if it was a fit. After all, Michigan was still hopeful that now-Ohio State signee C.J. Stroud — who had visited the week prior — would choose to be a Wolverine, and this was all in the wake of J.D. Johnson — who had been committed for nearly a year — announced he wouldn’t be able to play football any longer due to a congenital heart defect that was recently detected.
Villari took it in, and hoped for that offer. It soon came, on Signing Day. It took all of a few hours for him to make that decision, to become a Wolverine and sign the papers making it official.
We know what went into Villari’s choice, but what about Michigan? What did it see in him? After all, he was unheralded, a three-star ranked well below most of the Wolverines’ 2020 signees and commitments.
Naturally, he wasn’t just a consolation prize, as some might suggest. Speaking with Jon Jansen on the Learfield IMG weekly Inside Michigan Football radio show, Michigan director of recruiting Matt Dudek shared some traits of Villari that piqued the team’s interest, and how the staff went about finding him after Johnson announced his retirement as a football player.
“Watching Dan – and we obviously had the unfortunate circumstance of our quarterback committed being medically DQed for us – we love him, can’t say his name right this second but everybody knows,” Dudek said. “It’s one of those deals where we’re honoring his scholarship. We were put behind an 8-ball because of that – not his fault.
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“You recruit quarterbacks typically two years in advance. So now we’re three months out, two months out from signing day. So we went through, my staff – Nate Crutchfield, Jerret McElwain – we went through and scrubbed everything. Not just main commitments, main school commitments – we went back on all the guys we already evaluated, and we stacked Dan Villari up against all the guys that we watched, and there’s something special about him. He is a big guy – so a little different than what we have – than Cade. Nothing against Cade. Cade’s a little bit shorter guy at 6-foot, and I can’t talk about the other guy I was thinking about now that may be coming at a later date, at a later class (Ed. note: presumably J.J. McCarthy). The difference is he’s a little bit bigger. He’s athletic, he can move. He’s a lacrosse player, so he has that competitive nature in him. Throws a really good ball, but that being said, he cannot even play in the second-half of even most of his games.
“In November, his coach was suspended for a game for running up the score, quote-unquote, so he didn’t even play in the second-half. So he has a lot of growing to do. We’re really, really excited about Dan.”
The 2020 Michigan signee shares what made him pick Michigan.
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He might not be the most heralded quarterback to come to Ann Arbor, but it says something when you get an offer to play QB at Michigan.
On Wednesday, Early Signing Day, the Wolverines extended an offer to Massapequa (NY) Plainedge pro-style quarterback Dan Villari, who visited Michigan last weekend for the Oregon basketball game. It didn’t take him long to get a coveted offer, and he made his pledge to wear a winged helmet shortly after.
Speaking to News 12 in Long Island, Villari shared his thoughts on why he picked Michigan as his school of choice, noting it has everything a school could offer.
“It’s a top notch university educationally and athletically,” Villari said. “So it was a no-brainer. I love it.”
Some might point to a lack of Power 5 offers and say Michigan was reaching. But when the head coach, Jim Harbaugh, as well as other staff members fly out to pay a QB like Villari a visit, it shows otherwise.
Villari was blown away when the staff arrived in Long Island, sharing what that experience was like.
“It was crazy. He came down to visit, see what I’m about, went out to dinner with me,” Villari said. “Went out to lunch, me and my dad and the coaches went out to lunch. We had a great time.”
Villari is rated a three-star by both 247Sports and Rivals, but does not have an evaluation from ESPN.
Everything you need to know about new Wolverines signee Dan Villari.
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Stars
Overall
Position
State
247Sports
3
1243
#40 QB
#14
Rivals
3
–
–
–
ESPN
–
–
–
–
247Sports Composite
3
1369
#49 QB
#13
Vitals
Hometown
Massapequa (NY) Plainedge
Projected Position
Quarterback
Height
6-foot-4
Weight
215-pounds
Recruitment
After longtime commit JD Johnson announced that he couldn’t participate in football any longer due to a congenital heart defect, Michigan turned its attention to longtime Ohio State lean CJ Stroud. But, in case Stroud didn’t see things the same way, the Wolverines hosted Villari, a little known and under-evaluated prospect from Long Island, in Dec. 2019 for the Oregon basketball game.
When Stroud committed to OSU, as anticipated, Michigan offered Villari on Early Signing Day. Villari committed to the Wolverines a few hours later.
Readiness Level
Redshirt barring absolute disaster. Could contribute in garbage situations in year 2-3, contend for significant playing time in year 4. Potential starter in either year 4-5, barring injuries and transfers, considering current QB depth.
Prep
• Attended Plainedge High School (2020) coached by Rob Shaver
• Led the Red Devils to a 12-0 record and the Long Island Class III state championship, the school’s first
• Helped Plainedge win the Rutgers Award as the top team in its league
• Key reason Plainedge won consecutive Nassau III league titles in 2018-19
• Went 23-1 as a starter in his career, state championship game MVP
Key Statistics
• As a senior, passed for 1,306 yards and 13 scores with just one interception and rushed for 1,522 yards with 25 touchdowns
• Threw for two touchdowns and added 144 rushing yards with four touchdowns in Plainedge’s 56-20 win in the Class III championship game
• Passed for over 1,100 yards with 12 touchdowns and ran for 1,104 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2018
Honors and Rankings
• Three-star prospect according to 247Sports, ranked as the No. 40 pro-style quarterback and the No. 14 player in New York state
• 2019 Elite 11 Regional participant
• First-team All-State and All-Long Island selection
• Received the 78th Annual Thorpe Award from the Nassau County High School Football Coaches Association as the top player in Nassau County
• Also won the Don Snyder Award as the top quarterback and MVP for Conference III
Personal
• Daniel Hunter Villari was born June 29, 2002
• Son of Tim and Maria Villari
The Wolverines offered the NY pro-style QB and he committed later in the day.
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It certainly didn’t take long, but Michigan finally got its man in the 2020 class.
With JD Johnson unable to participate due to a congenital heart defect, the Wolverines were without a signal caller in the 2020 class. Much of the efforts — once he was identified — were centered around California signal caller CJ Stroud, but he committed to rival Ohio State on Wednesday afternoon.
Would the maize and blue go after a quarterback in the class? Turns out, yes.
Massapequa (NY) Plainedge three-star QB Dan Villari visited Ann Arbor for the Michigan – Oregon basketball game this weekend, but he still didn’t have an offer. That changed later in the day on Wednesday, as the Wolverines extended him a scholarship.
Hours after reporting said offer, Villari made his pledge official, committing to the Wolverines.
Villari is listed by 247Sports as 6-foot-4, 215-pounds and is rated a 3-star in the proprietary rankings at 1,242 overall, the 40th-rated pro-style QB and 14th-best player in the state of New York.
