Filiaga chooses Michigan at Army Bowl

SAN ANTONIO — Michigan added a big piece to its 2017 class and offensive line with the commitment of Rivals250 offensive tackle Chuck Filiaga at the Army All-American Bowl on Saturday.

Filiaga’s opinion of Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh was what really drove him to commit to Michigan. The work that he and his staff put in was enough to overtake the likes of Nebraska and Oklahoma.

“Coach Harbaugh is a crazy dude and he likes breaking headphones,” he said. “Coach (Tim) Drevno is a good dude that loves reggae and the players just love Harbaugh because he’s crazy.”

Harbaugh paid Filiaga an important in-home visit, but really made an impression with an impassioned pregame speech to his Aledo High team during the Bearcats’ run through the state playoffs this season. Another thing that was high on Filiaga’s shortlist of qualities he looked for when making his commitment was a top gameday atmosphere, which he got a strong feeling for while on his official visit.

“I can’t forget about the fans” he said. “They’re great too.”

Filiaga was the third-highest ranked uncommitted offensive line prospect behind Foster Sarell and Austin Jackson heading into Saturday. He is the third-highest ranked offensive tackle in Texas and finished his high school career with a 5A Texas state championship with Aledo.