Michigan lands five-star QB Jadyn Davis in biggest acquisition of decade
For all of the criticism that Michigan endured last season on the recruiting trail, the last few weeks have most definitely put an end to that.
After multiple visits to Ann Arbor, with the most recent appearance coming this weekend, and meetings with both Jim Harbaugh and new QB coach Kirk Campbell, five-star quarterback Jadyn Davis has announced his commitment to the Wolverines.
Michigan's pursuit of Davis has been ongoing, and while it felt like there have been multiple times Davis was going to commit dating back to the BBQ at The Big House last summer, Davis has finally made the announcement.
"The kid is so mature," recruiting consultant Tori Gurley told Maize & Blue Review. "It's scary to be around a young man who sounds like an adult when you talk to him over the phone. The way he presents himself and the habits that he has falls back on the structure that he has at home. His mom and dad so a great job of training their six kids. He's a product of a military home with morals and values."
The addition of Davis gives Michigan its future leader on offense after back-to-back misses on Dante Moore to Oregon and CJ Carr to Notre Dame. While the perception of failing to land two in-state prodigies was hard to swallow for fans, it can be said that the Wolverines picked up the better of the three in Davis, who didn't need much time to find the school that met his needs.
Georgia and Clemson were reportedly the other front runners to land Davis. The former, especially, after they were unable to earn a commitment from Arch Manning for this year's cycle. Davis also took visits to Tennessee and his hometown North Carolina.
The result of Davis' verdict could mean a budding pipeline between Michigan and Providence Day. Jordan Shipp and Channing Goodwin have thoroughly expressed to M&BR in the past their wishes to remain on the same team in college. So given that their quarterback has bought in as well as knowing that the elder Goodwin graduated from Michigan, the dominoes are starting to fall in the right direction.
Davis will head north with the reputation as a fearless leader, whose desire to make others around him better shows the abundance of maturity for someone his age. A quick learner with an incredible awareness to read the field, the six-foot, and nearly 200-pounder has the ceiling of All-American status and Heisman Trophy finalist.
"(Davis has) been blessed with the ability to spin the ball just like any other quarterback who's a five-star," Gurley said. "So, when you put that together with the ability to play and leadership, every college coach is going to knock down the door and want to bring him in. He can be a kid who can get you to the playoffs and the opportunity to bring home a national championship."
Davis also becomes the second five-star pocket passer to ever pledge to the Wolverines dating back to 2006 when this network introduced the Rivals250 ranking system.
While several four-stars have come and left or remain in the program like J.J. McCarthy, Dylan McCaffrey, Shane Morris, Devin Gardner, and Tate Forcier. But in those 16 years, only Ryan Mallett finished high school with a five-star rating in 2007.
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