If there is one thing that Kyle Whittingham has proven he can do as the Michigan football head coach, it's close on the recruiting trail.
It seems once the Wolverines grab momentum, they can steer it toward a commitment. Four-star cornerback Darius Johnson from California was the latest example.
Johnson had a few different schools in the mix. Yet, on Sunday, things started to move in Michigan's direction. By the end of the day, three different recruiting experts from Rivals had logged expert projections for Johnson to be the next Michigan football commitment.
By Monday afternoon, it was announced.
The 6-foot-1, 170-pound cornerback is the ninth blue-chip commitment, out of 12, in the 2027 Michigan recruiting class. He's ranked No. 313 overall. His dad played in the NFL for the Redskins. He's got the bloodlines. He also tests well, being clocked with a 10.9 in the 100-meter dash.
UCLA and Cal were probably the closest contenders, yet USC, Washington, and Oregon each had offers on the table. Indiana, Oklahoma, Auburn, Arizona State, and Arizona were among the others, along with North Carolina.
Yet, pulling talent out of California is perfectly in Kyle Whittingham's wheelhouse. He did that a lot with Utah. Jay Hill, the defensive coordinator, surely played a role here, but cornerbacks coach Jernaro Gilford was the primary recruiter and deserves a ton of credit.
Fans wondered how Whittingham would recruit with Michigan's resources. That question seems to have been answered. The Wolverines are even making progress with multiple five-star recruits, especially after Joshua Dobson canceled a visit to LSU to come back to Ann Arbor in June.
Michigan's recruiting ranking has surged into the top 15 (15th). Tavares Harrington, another four-star defensive back, is expected to commit later this week. He will be great to pair with Johnson, who had 28 tackles, 10 pass breakups, and two sacks last season. He's got 22 deflections over the past two seasons.
And the best news is that Michigan's run of blue-chip commitments feels far from over.
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