Michigan Football Recruiting Likely To Miss On Top Target

Back in December, following the Wolverines’ 26-0 victory over No. 16 Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game, Michigan football recruiting earned some major news: elite wide receiver Gatlin Bair out of Idaho decommitted from Boise State and was projected to pick the Maize and Blue. However, with Jim Harbaugh and Ben Herbert both gone, this is no longer the case, and it looks like the Oregon Ducks are coming in hot.

Michigan football recruiting trending to miss on a top 2024 target

When Gatlin Bair, a four-star wide receiver out of Idaho and arguably the top remaining target for Michigan football in the 2024 recruiting class, decommitted from Boise State, it was huge news for the Wolverines. In fact, in his announcement, he highlighted two teams as being contenders for his commitment: the Oregon Ducks and the Michigan Wolverines.

Of course, in the following weeks, Michigan football went on a magical College Football Playoff run, downing Alabama in the Rose Bowl and Washington in the National Championship; meanwhile, Oregon beat Liberty in a hard-to-watch Fiesta Bowl matchup. While Michigan did not suffer a loss during the 2023-24 season, it suffered one soon after with Jim Harbaugh leaving for the NFL; on top of that, he took long-time strength coach Ben Herbert — a top recruiting draw for the Maize and Blue — with him to LA.

With Jim Harbaugh gone, Gatlin Bair is likely headed to the Oregon Ducks

When it comes to the Wolverines’ recruitment of Gatlin Bair, Michigan football had two main recruiters on the trail: Jim Harbaugh and Ben Herbert. With both of them out of the picture, it should come as no surprise that the four-star wideout is now being projected to the Oregon Ducks instead of picking Michigan.

This week, insiders who had previously projected Bair to Michigan — including top recruiting expert Steve Wiltfong of 247 Sports — have flipped their picks, now favoring the Ducks. While Jadyn Davis and the Wolverines could certainly use another elite pass-catcher like Bair, it appears that things on that front have gone quiet under the team’s new administration; however, Sherrone Moore and his staff are likely still on the trail with other major names.

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