Michigan beats out Notre Dame for Christian Turner
Michigan made noise in Georgia last week when cornerback Myles Sims committed to the Wolverines and Jim Harbaugh has done it again in the Peach State. This time the commitment comes from Buford (Ga.) running back Christian Turner.
During spring break last week, the 5-foot-10, 180 pound playmaker visited Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Northwestern, Tennessee and Wisconsin. He has seen enough. He doesn't need anymore visits.
"It really came down to Michigan and Notre Dame, but I just feel Michigan was the right school for me," said Turner. "I took the visit to up to Michigan last week and I knew I wanted to take it all in, see everything that I could and not let my emotions take over.
"The coaches up there even told me to go back home, see how you feel, think it over, so I did that and I then called Michigan on Saturday to tell them I was committing. It was pretty exciting."
Harbaugh got the news from the No. 26-ranked running back in the country. Haurbaugh thought it was Christmas.
"When I told coach Harbaugh about my decision, he got so excited. He was ready for it and he told me he felt like it was a holiday when I committed.
"I also talked to coach [Chris] Partridge (recruiting coach/linebackers) and coach [Tim] Drevno (offensive coordinator) and they were excited too. Coach Harbaugh was probably the most excited though."
Although the visit to Ann Arbor (Mich.) went very well, it wasn't just that trip that pushed the Wolverines to the top. Michigan offered Turner on Feb. 23 and it was then that got things going between the two parties.
"Michigan has been one of my favorites for a while now," said Turner. "The visit was important and it showed me a lot, but the communication two or three times a weeks since they offered played a big part of it.
"A big part of my commitment was relationships and I just have a great feel around the coaching staff. That really pushed Michigan over Notre Dame for me."
Turner had a pretty long checklist when evaluating schools, but there were three critical boxes that needed to be checked. The Wolverines had exactly what Turner was looking for.
"Michigan has everything I want in a school. I was looking for great academics, strong relationships and a great atmosphere. The combination of all that, that Michigan offers made them the school for me."
Michigan now five verbal commitments for 2018 and the new one has no plans to changing his mind.
"I did not want to commit until I was 100-percent sure," said Turner. "Now that I am committed, I do not see myself visiting any other schools. I am strong to Michigan."
