Sting Factor: Raylen Wilson's decommitment from Michigan
When a major program loses a key recruit, Rivals.com takes a look at how big of a blow it is to the respective school, analyzing it from a local and national level. To quantify the “sting” of each decommitment, we assign a score from one to 10, with one being no big deal and 10 being a catastrophic hit.
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THE STORYLINE
Usually, prospects make their commitments after official visits.
For Raylen Wilson, he decommitted from Michigan shortly after a trip to Ann Arbor as Georgia, Florida and other programs continue to breathe down his neck.
After a commitment to the Wolverines that lasted since early December, the four-star linebacker from Tallahassee (Fla.) Lincoln is back on the market and there is definitely an SEC feel to his recruitment at this point.
Wilson picked Michigan over Georgia in December but it looks like the Bulldogs could have the last laugh here as they’re still involved, among many other programs.
Michigan is now down to six commitments, which includes a kicker, as the Wolverines find themselves in second-to-last place ahead of only Indiana in the Big Ten recruiting rankings even though it’s still early. It’s only one of two programs – along with the Hoosiers – to not have double-digit pledges in its class.
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LOCAL REACTION
"Wilson's decommitment has nothing to do with how the entire staff at Michigan has handled his recruitment throughout the offseason. Wilson's close relationship with Jim Harbaugh, Jesse Minter and George Helow have been well documented. The Wolverines continuously made trips to Tallahassee to show how much Wilson has been a priority figure in the class.
"The sting factor is solely based on how the university has yet to fully embrace NIL. For Michigan to pump out the 'transformational over transactional' experience is opposite of how to properly respond to the new age of recruiting. For naysayers to believe that NIL hasn't been a large effect on Michigan's 2023 class, then why aren't the Wolverines well within the top 10 nationally?
"If winning the Big Ten, beating Ohio State, and earning a College Football Playoff berth hasn't been enough, then what else can be blamed? Michigan needs to get with the program and play the game. Otherwise, the Wolverines might just stay outside the top 50 for 2023 like they are now." - Zach Libby, TheMaizeandBlueReview.com
Sting factor: 8
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NATIONAL REACTION
"Michigan needs to recruit the Southeast. It has done an admirable job getting elite players from there in the past. The Wolverines must continue to do it and move on from Wilson even though this one hurts. The team recruiting rankings and just the number of commits at this time should be concerning but there is still ample time for Harbaugh and his staff to load up.
"Coming off a win over Ohio State and a berth in the College Football Playoff has not necessarily brought riches along the recruiting trail – yet. Michigan should be just fine over the long haul, meaning into December’s Early Signing Period, but losing Wilson hurts because he’s a talented Southeast prospect who can run and make plays all over the field." - Adam Gorney, Rivals National Recruiting Director
Sting factor: 7