Michigan Football: Rashan Gary turned down $300K to play for Wolverines

Michigan football fans have had a mixed opinion of Rashan Gary and his time with the Wolverines, yet they should know what he turned down to come.

For a number of different reasons, Rashan Gary probably isn’t as popular among Michigan football fans as some might think he would be.

Gary, who was the key commit for the Wolverines in the 2016 class and played three seasons in Ann Arbor before getting picked in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft, came to Michigan football with an incredible amount of hype.

He was the top player in the 2016 class and over three years, the defensive lineman played well for the Wolverines with 119 tackles, 23 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks, however, some wanted more.

Gary was questioned for his lack of sack production and was also assigned blamed for the team not winning more. Yet, he got the most flack for his decision to skip the Wolverines bowl game, as well as the Michigan State game when coaches said he could have played.

Obviously, we don’t know everything about Gary’s injury status during the season, but when he was on the field, he was very effective. Truth be told, he was underrated and his time at UM could have been more productive if the staff used him more effectively.

But for those that question his passion about playing at the University of Michigan, should check out what John Bacon had to say Friday. The long-time Michigan expert and well-respected author reported on The Michigan Insider radio show that another school offered Gary $300k to go there.

Of course, with the high stakes involved in recruiting, it’s not a shock and with Bacon’s reputation, if he says it, you can believe it. He wouldn’t report it if he didn’t have it on good authority.

While Bacon didn’t say what school it was, he did reply to a tweet saying that it was not Ohio State and so that leaves the door wide open as to who it could be. Heck, maybe it was even Rutgers trying to get him to stay home. You never know.

We may never get the answer to that question. But the first thing it brought to my mind was, man, Gary was more dedicated to Michigan than people realize. There is a lot of hate towards Gary among fans and it’s somewhat confusing.

Yes, he left early and the team didn’t meet expectations during his tenure, but he was a solid player, who did a lot of dirty work for the Wolverines, such as taking on double teams constantly. His run defense was dominating and if he was given more one-on-one chances, he could have gotten more sacks.

Unfortunately, the attention paid to him by opposing offenses limited what he could do. But his career was still a very successful one, even if he doesn’t get the recognition he deserves.

And for those that question his dedication, turning down $300k to play for Michigan football seems like he was plenty dedicated to me.