Michigan offer surprises Barajas

Merrillville (Ind.) Andrean 2015 linebacker Josh Barajas has seen the college attention shoot up since he was offered by Purdue in December, but his most recent offer caught him by surprise.

"My coach told me after school to call Coach [Curt] Mallory from Michigan," Barajas said. "I called him and he gave me the news [of the offer]. He said the defensive coordinator finally got to see my film and he liked what he saw. He said the next step is getting me down on campus so he can show me what Michigan had to offer."

Mallory had been through Andrean High School to check in on Barajas late last month, but the 6-foot-3, 210-pound linebacker was not expecting this afternoon's phone call to be about an offer.

"My mind was going 100 miles an hour," he said. "It definitely caught me off guard. I thought they were going to maybe [offer] when I went down there for a visit, but I didn't expect this."

The offer from Michigan follows previous offers from Purdue and Illinois and is one that has his attention.

"I feel like it is a big step," Barajas said. "The University of Michigan is huge. I just think things are going to be crazy from here on out."

Barajas plans to attend a junior day at Michigan later this month. He will attend Michigan State's junior day on Feb. 16 and Notre Dame's on March 1 as well.