Coffee House: Michigan Making Recruiting Mark In Colorado

Just this cycle alone, Michigan holds commitments from 12 different states. From Hawaii to New York, Jim Harbaugh and company have put an emphasis on finding the best talent regardless of location.

That attitude has opened some doors in some interesting states. The Wolverines had success in Colorado a few years back landing former four-star recruits Carlo Kemp and Dylan McCaffrey in back-to-back cycles.

Now, Colorado is becoming a bit of a recruiting powerhouse, especially for its size. The trajectory of the state is, well, rising exponentially. Colorado is literally producing double digit Power Five recruits — not just FBS — every cycle.

“Coming from Arizona, Colorado is where Arizona was 10 years ago,” said Aurora (Colo.) Regis Jesuit head coach Dan Filleman said. “It’s just coming on the map. There have always been good players in Arizona. Now, you see the abundance of those guys. It’s the same thing with Colorado. I don’t know if it’s the altitude or what, but Colorado has big kids with height.

“We have size in Colorado, and the skill positions are catching up. It’s not over recruited. I think Arizona is over recruited. But Colorado is a hidden gem that more and more schools are coming by.”

So what’s contributed to the uptick in talent?

Former Denver (Colo.) Mullen and University of Miami quarterback Ryan Clement, who is now an assistant at Aurora (Colo.) Smoky Hill and Team Full Gorilla, a top 7v7 club team in Colorado, had a few ideas.

“The first one is pretty simple and obvious and doesn’t have much to do with football,” Clement said. “The population increase. Colorado is the most popular place to move and the growth has been amazing. The second one is people are embracing 7v7 and some of the summer stuff that wouldn’t otherwise happen. Colorado has embraced that. They go out and play good competition and travel. They’re willing to go jump on a bus and go to Utah and travel to other states in months that would have been reserved for other sports. Those are reasons for jump in the talent.

“Back in the 90s, you had your local paper, Tom Lemming and Blue Chip. With the rise of the Internet, there is a lot more focus on kids in places that wouldn’t have gotten eyes on them before. There are a lot more guys being seeing by Rivals, etc. that may not be recruiting coordinators for schools but that recruiting coordinators for schools are following.”

Michigan’s success back in 2016 and 2017 with the aforementioned Kemp and McCaffrey has opened the door for those top-level recruits that Colorado is starting to churn out.

This cycle, the Wolverines are squarely in the mix for Rivals100 offensive lineman Andrew Gentry out of Littleton (Colo.) Columbine and hold a commitment from Centennial (Colo.) Eaglecrest offensive lineman Reece Atteberry.

Michigan is also the early frontrunner for elite 2022 Aurora (Colo.) Regis Jesuit quarterback Nicco Marchiol and a player for Highlands Ranch (Colo.) Valor Christian wide receiver Gavin Sawchuk. Both have the potential to be national Top 100 players.

Needless to say, Michigan is taking advantage of the work they’ve put into recruiting Colorado.

“It seems like they are” Filleman said. “They’ve done a really good job getting in here and getting on the ground floor of it. I’ve had many conversations with Coach (Ben) McDaniels. In all my years coaching, he’s one of if not the top recruiter I’ve dealt with. I’m not just saying that because you’re a Michigan guy. This is just a shout out to Coach McDaniels, Coach (Jim) Harbaugh and the way they run recruiting. Coach McDaniels is great with communication. He’s thoughtful.

“If he invites Nicco out, he wants to make sure it doesn’t interfere with anything going on with us. He wants to make sure he doesn’t supersede what we do. Michigan is great with that. Other programs haven’t been in the past. I can’t say enough great things about Coach McDaniels going about this the right way.”

Clement added:

“Colorado is a Denver Broncos joint. Colorado, Colorado State and Air Force don’t own the state like Michigan owns the state of Michigan. Your local schools that should be landing local talent may not have the emotional and mental hook that a Michigan has. I think Michigan, Notre Dame and the traditional powers still have that reach.

"I went to the University of Miami in 1994. I was recruited by the local schools here, but I wanted to go to QBU. When you have the brand that Michigan does with Coach (Jim) Harbaugh, they are going to be successful anywhere, especially at a place like Colorado.”

As Clement alluded to, skill position players are now getting extra work in with club 7v7 teams. Even offensive linemen are getting groomed in the offseason. Atteberry works with former Denver Broncos offensive lineman Matt McChesney, while Gentry trains with former Denver Broncos offensive lineman Ryan Miller.

The state of Colorado is investing in high school football, and the results are major recruits going to major college football programs. It’s no longer an anomaly. It’s in the process of becoming an expectation.

Colorado has a legitimate chance to be a must-stop state for coaches recruiting nationally. Michigan has and will continue to recruit the state hard and maybe even harder from here on it.

When it comes to Michigan and ‘The Box State,” perhaps Atteberry said it best.

“I think Colorado kids are starting to appeal to Michigan, and I think Michigan is a hell of a school,” he said. “Especially at the offensive line position, we’ve had a positive fluctuation. I had two DI tackles with me last year. We have talent, and Michigan sells itself. I think it works both ways.”

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