Of the nine commitments Michigan has picked up since last Saturday, none have been rated higher than Frankfort (Ill.) Lincoln Way East four-star running back A.J. Henning.
At No. 84 nationally, he is the highest-rated player in U-M’s entire 2020 recruiting class and is a large reason the Wolverines’ haul has climbed all the way up to No. 4 in the country.
Henning revealed what all went into his decision to pledge to the Maize and Blue, and why this past week was the perfect time to pull the trigger.
“Throughout the entire recruiting process, my family and I just kept looking at which school would be the best wholistic fit for me,” he began.
“We wanted a place that had the best academics and would allow me to be the best player I could be on the field. When we took a closer look at it, Michigan checked all of those boxes.
“I actually committed on Sunday during my official visit and then announced it publicly this past Wednesday. I made a video with my commitment, so that explains the delay because it needed to be shot and edited first.
“I spoke with a lot of people who had been through the recruiting process before, and they all said they all had that feeling each time they found their school.
“I realized Michigan was the place I needed to be while I was on campus last weekend, because it just felt like home to me.”
Several of the prospects who have pledged within the last seven days admitted that it wasn’t their plan to commit going into last weekend’s visit, and Henning was among that group.
“The plan was actually to take all of my official visits and then take two weeks to decompress and think about everything,” he revealed.
