Gallimore follows his heart

When it came time to make a decision, Riverside (Mo.) Park Hill South four-star offensive tackle Brett Gallimore said he had to go with the school and the coach that he built a great amount of trust and comfort with. But the problem was that he had built that both with the coaches and team at Florida State and Michigan.

But in the end the Wolverines had their ace in the hole, and that’s why the four-star offensive lineman committed to the Wolverines last night.

“I liked coach Lilly quite a bit from Florida State, but in the end I just really fell in love with coach (Andy) Moeller and the environment at Michigan,” Gallimore said. “I learned that I can trust coach Moeller and know that he has been honest with me throughout the entire process.

“He’s also going to be my position coach when I’m up there at Michigan. It was really great to have the guy that’ll be coaching you every day come in and be your recruiting coordinator. I’ve built that trust with him already, and I know that he’s been honest and up front with me about everything.”

Gallimore, ranked as the nation’s No. 10 offensive tackle and No. 94 player on the Rivals100, had scholarship offers from more than 30 schools, and he ended up taking official visits to Florida State, Michigan, Ohio State and Purdue. He said the last few weeks the pressure was building up as he narrowed to his choices to UM and FSU.

“It feels like a big weight has been lifted off my shoulders,” Gallimore said.

“Once they found out I was down to just those two schools they both started to pressure me a little more to commit, but when I called Florida State and told them the news they were very professional. Florida State is good people and they understood. They weren’t mad at me and they said the appreciated the opportunity to recruit me and were glad I was honest with them when it came to let them know about my choice.”

Gallimore said he called coach Moeller last night and told him of his decision.

“He was really excited,” Gallimore, who is 6-foot-5 and 290 pounds, said. “You could really tell he was more excited than he usually is. He talked to me for a few minutes and then he got on with my parents and talked to them for a long time. He said he then had to call coach Carr and tell him the good news.”

Gallimore said he also relied on input from Michigan freshman offensive lineman Jake Long to help him make the ultimate decision.

“We struck a friendship up when I would go up there for games and on my visit,” Gallimore said. “I asked Jake a lot of questions about how the team works out in the weight room, and what the strength coaches were like. He was honest with me and told me about their great work ethic and how the weight coach will work you hard and make sure you’re doing your best.

“He also told me about what it’s like to live there in the dorms and be around the team. Those are all things that I wanted to hear about and he was honest.”

Gallimore’s father, Rich Gallimore, was also excited about the decision – especially since it means the rest of his family won’t have to return any Christmas presents.

“His brothers bought a whole bunch of Michigan gear,” Rich Gallimore said. “They didn’t know if he was going to pick Florida State or Michigan, but I’m glad they won’t have to take it back now. We’re all very excited and proud of the way Brett handled this recruiting process.”