Four-star CB David Long commits to Michigan

David Long had his recruitment wrapped up early on but after reconsidering his options in recent weeks the four-star cornerback decided to open things back up.

That is when Michigan and Washington became serious contenders for the Los Angeles Loyola standout who played well at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. On Thursday, Long made his final decision.

The Wolverines won out as Long, rated as the ninth-best cornerback and No. 81 overall, made his announcement on national television.

“It’s just a great place,” Long said on ESPNU. “I sat down and thought about the decision, where would I want to be if football didn’t pan out and things didn’t go just how I thought they would on the field and Michigan is a place where I can build my relationships, network and experience school.”

Michigan made a significant play for Long especially in the last few days as coach Jim Harbaugh and several assistant coaches visited him. Harbaugh, now famously, attempted to climb a tree during that trip.

Long visited Washington in recent weeks, too, but it always seemed that Michigan held a slight edge in his recruitment after the four-star backed off his pledge to Stanford.

Harbaugh played a big role in Long’s decision.

“He’s a real loose guy, one of the most loose coaches out there,” Long said. “A lot of people think he’s going overboard by what he’s doing but I just think that’s him. You go in the office and talk and that’s just part of his personality.”

UCLA and USC were also in the picture but not in a significant way at least late in his recruitment and many others had offered.

For Long, this signals closure. He had been committed to Stanford for a long time but decided that would not work out.

Once Long reopened his recruitment, Michigan and Washington became the favorites once again and on Thursday he made his final choice.