Michigan Wolverines Football Recruiting: U-M In Top 2021 Lineman's Top Four
Four-star rising junior tackle Hayden Conner isn't your typical lineman. The Texan isn't even the usual football recruit in that he is genuinely an academics guy first.
Conner received his Michigan offer months ago, and the Wolverines immediately moved into his top group.
"It meant a lot, school that's so up north offering a guy down south," he said. "It's really exciting because I had been looking at Michigan before that."
The cooler weather in the late fall is actually a selling point, he insisted, but it's the academics that really have his attention. He took an unofficial visit for a game last year and also got to interact with some of the fans.
"They're top 10 in aerospace engineering, and obviously that's No. 1 for me," he said. "I just got to see how the fans reacted to the whole aura ... I saw fans saying 'let's go' to the offensive linemen. That's awesome that people know how important we are."
Insisting it wasn't in any order, Conner gave top four of Texas, Texas A&M, Michigan and Stanford. He's toured the aerospace engineering facility at Texas and would like to see more of U-M.
"I don't have any visits planned this summer, but in the fall I plan on going to Michigan for a home game," he said. "I'd love to go back up.
"[Michigan line] Coach Ed Warinner ... I haven't talked to him in a while, but I'm thinking about calling him. He was like comforting [on my visit]. He was welcoming me, very easy to get along with. It was like coming home, basically.
Conner is thinking about committing after his junior season, probably January so he can help recruit the class. Academics will make the difference.
"I know it's a cliche thing to say, but I actually mean it," he said. "I"ve gone to NASA competitions and competed at that level, so I fully mean it when I say it."
From Rivals:
While Conner denies that it's a Texas vs. Texas A&M battle for his services, the two in-state teams both covet the four-star offensive tackle and each battled to get him on campus earlier this summer.
Michigan and Stanford both have unique educational selling points, which have Conner's attention. We'll have to see where Conner elects to visit this season for games.
Conner is eyeing a commitment date after his junior season. That means upcoming visits carry a good deal of weight. In his words, he "wants to be done with" the recruiting process, but cautioned that it's still a difficult call.
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