Harbaugh Making Early Inroads With Yet Another Elite 2021 Midwest O-Lineman
Even though the Michigan coaches are likely focusing the majority of their attention on the 2020 recruiting cycle, it’s clear they have their eyes on some of the nation’s best offensive line targets in 2021 as well.
The staff hosted Clarkston’s outstanding tackle duo — Garrett Dellinger and Rocco Spindler (both of which are shaping up to be two of the nation’s best in the 2021 class) — two weeks ago for the annual spring game, and this past weekend hosted another tackle who will likely be tabbed as one of the country's finest in Lititz (Pa.) Warwick’s Nolan Rucci.
Like Dellinger and Spindler, Rucci doesn’t yet have a star rating from Rivals, but holds an offer list that isn’t second to many, with inquiries already from the likes of Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State and Texas.
Rucci may also just be the biggest prospect — literally — in the entire 2021 class, already standing 6-8, 268, although it’s impossible to know for sure without individually checking the height of every recruit in America.
“I got to Michigan on Saturday morning around 10 A.M. and spent the whole day there,” he recalled when asked to recap his visit. “We received a quick tour of the facilities and got to talk with Coach [Ed] Warinner for a little bit.
“After meeting with him, we went down to the weight room and I spoke with their head strength coach [Ben Herbert] — it went great, and was actually one of the longest interviews I’ve ever had with a strength coach.
“He was so in-depth with his players, and it was great to see the individuality and the care he takes with each guy. They have such a great system going on in that area, and it would allow anyone to succeed if they really wanted to.
“There was then a positional meeting with Coach Warinner, my family and myself, and we talked for about 30 minutes about recruiting and about each of our offenses.
“My school actually runs a lot of the same things Michigan does, so it was cool to see the similarities between them and the plays we call. We then went to lunch down at the Brown Jug, and I got a double bacon cheeseburger there and wolfed it down — it was awesome.
“Coach [Jim] Harbaugh then came in with some of the other recruits and I had a blast talking with them. I enjoyed speaking with Coach Harbaugh not only about football, but about everyday stuff as well — I love how down to earth he is.
“After we got done eating, we took some tours of the academic facilities and talked with tutors about majors and how every student is taken care from the day they step on campus.
“I love how much attention and care they put into that aspect of it. We met with Coach Warinner once again to talk about football, and that wrapped up the day.”
Rucci explained that although he had met Harbaugh once before, Saturday’s trip to Ann Arbor gave him an opportunity to see the U-M head man in a light he hadn’t necessarily witnessed before.
“I was also there this past winter for a weekend visit during Michigan’s junior day, and I met Coach Harbaugh back then for the first time,” Rucci recalled.
You must be a member to read the full article. Subscribe now for instant access to all premium content.
-
Members-only forums
-
Predict prospect commits with FanFutureCast
-
Exclusive highlights and interviews
-
Exclusive coverage of Rivals Camp Series
-
Breaking recruiting news