Gatlin Bair - Michigan target and Boise St commit still getting attention
A friend at work alerted me to a story developing with Gatlin Bair who committed to BSU back in August. Per Maize and Brew, (https://www.maizenbrew.com/2023/10/19/23922158/recruiting-roundup-michigan-wolverines-college-football-gatlin-bair-ryan-montgomery-jack-lange) the lack of Bronco success this year is opening the door and other schools are keeping a close eye on the situation.
Michigan was his runner up https://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/4-wr-gatlin-bair-chooses-boise-st-over-michigan
According to my friend, a BSU recruiting beat writer is also hearing the same thing, so I'd be curious week by week if we don't see his recruitment open back up.
October 19th, 2023 at 8:59 AM ^
I can hardly bear the tension.
October 19th, 2023 at 9:42 AM ^
You and I may be polar opposites, but this right here is a good pun
October 19th, 2023 at 10:35 AM ^
Nope. You’re tracking. Too bad he’s not a QB, because I hear he has a gun for an arm
October 19th, 2023 at 11:29 AM ^
All his throws are bullets.
October 19th, 2023 at 2:06 PM ^
Always Mormon to choose from.
October 19th, 2023 at 8:59 AM ^
When are we ever going to stop losing recruiting battles to those schools in Idaho?!
October 19th, 2023 at 9:00 AM ^
IIRC, Mason Graham was a BSU commit and we wrestled him away.
See what I did there?
October 19th, 2023 at 9:04 AM ^
Colston Loveland is from Idaho but we made sure he was enamored with the soil in Ann Arbor.
October 19th, 2023 at 9:03 AM ^
In 2026 I’ll be excited to see him don the Maize and Blue whilst paying $400 for a bag of potato chips and watching the game in my flying self-driving car that I don’t own but instead pay separate monthly subscriptions for everything in it including being allowed to roll the windows down
October 19th, 2023 at 9:09 AM ^
I can only hope this comes to fruition, as I have holdings in Archer. I'll buy you the chips.
October 19th, 2023 at 12:01 PM ^
Nothing matters until his mission is complete, so none of this really matters for 2 + years.
October 19th, 2023 at 9:08 AM ^
Yeah, this is not surprising. Andy Avalos seems in over his head at Boise. I know they just won 10 games last season, but that was basically only achieved because they convinced Dirk Koetter to come out of retirement after firing their OC. I don't think they can do that trick again.
I don't think this one is over.
October 19th, 2023 at 11:41 AM ^
Boise is looking at a 5-7 season this year... Wyoming, Fresno St, and AFA should all handle them.
October 19th, 2023 at 9:09 AM ^
This one is tough, because he is potentially going on a 2 year missions so he's a 2026 recruit. It's possible if he commits, he doesn't even play with Davis and could be a target for the next QB (underwood please).
However, WR is a position that we need to constantly reload on. Look at osu churning out WRs, and not all of them were 5* prospects. A highly rated WR is something that would help this class, and it seems like the past few years we've been able to sneak a late commit from WRs. Clemons, English
October 19th, 2023 at 10:01 AM ^
It might be an unpopular opinion, but I'd like to see us lock Ryan Montgomery in. Kid is a baller and I think he wants to come to Michigan.
Would hate to lose out on Underwood because LSU/Colorado/some other school pays him a bunch of up front money to sign his LOI and we lost out on Montgomery in the process.
October 19th, 2023 at 1:18 PM ^
I kind of agree, however if we take Montgomery right now we all know Underwood will commit elsewhere. I'm hoping some of the Top 10 QB's start to commit to the bigger names so we don't have to worry about them. Osu, Oregon, Texas, and ND already have a top 10 QB that cycle, so I don't see them being the big threat. Seems like Georgia and Alabama are favorites on others, and I imagine one of the CA qbs will end up at USC.
To your point though, seems like we lucked out landing Jadyn Davis this class, especially after losing out on Carr. 2023 we went all in on Dante Moore and Wiffed, which is fine, but I really wish we had a true top tier second string guy for next year. The selfish part of me wants JJ to come back next year to solidify a Top 10 draft pick, as it's admittingly a big NFL QB class this year.
October 19th, 2023 at 10:01 AM ^
Double post....
October 19th, 2023 at 9:18 AM ^
I would be very surprised if we're able to pull very many top ranked WRs given our offensive philosophy. We dont throw the ball very often and when we do we generally spread the wealth making it difficult for any one player to amass NFL scout eye-catching stats.
And that's ok to be honest. Let OSU with Day & Hartline continue with their approach, we'll continue with ours. If recent history is any indication it would seem power is better than finesse when the two meet head on in the field.
October 19th, 2023 at 9:21 AM ^
Woody Hayes is rolling over in his grave...I'm sure of it.
October 19th, 2023 at 9:34 AM ^
As would Bo. But here's what's kinda ironic - they were right.
Since 2002, or the past 20 games in the rivalry, the team with the most rushing yards has won the game. 20-0 if you gain more rushing yards, at least in that game.
So again, power > finesse.
October 19th, 2023 at 9:43 AM ^
Powerful offensive line, strong running backs and a lot of tight ends = success Harbaugh style.
October 19th, 2023 at 10:16 AM ^
TOUGHNESS, the most important dynamic in The Game.
October 19th, 2023 at 10:56 AM ^
Send all the Amon-ra St. Browns to us!
October 19th, 2023 at 12:22 PM ^
You know its crazy that in those osu wins their QBs probably had 50% or more of their rushing yards. Miller, Barrett, Smith, Pryor, ect. Those guys and the style of offense they ran Michigan could never figure them out.
October 19th, 2023 at 10:18 AM ^
Just tell him that he will play the Roman Wilson role. (A speedster that gets a few deep shots per game and ALL the TD passes.)
Granted - just like at BSU - there is a decent chance that his OC, position coach, HC, and even offensive philosophy will be different by the time he enrolls. What will NOT be different is the trajectory of the M program…… plus who wants to pass up the chance to be on the first team to win game number 1050 for a program!?!
On a related note, I think JJ continuing to get National Heisman consideration/hype despite the lack of “numbers” is crucial to our pursuit of Underwood and/or other 5* QBs to this program. QBs like JJ and potentially Bryce will eventually lead to top WRs following ….though a 1st round NFL draft blow up by a transfer WR or a top recruit (XW…sigh, or Bair if he was a true 2024) would expedite the process. (I LOVE Roman and CJ but they are not the same level NFL prospects as Keon Coleman, MHJr, or Washington guys.)
October 19th, 2023 at 10:39 AM ^
The Heisman talk helps but what will really move the needle will be where JJ is drafted next year. If he goes 1st round, say as the 3rd QB taken, it will really solidify Michigan in the eyes of skill position players going forward.
October 19th, 2023 at 11:39 AM ^
Maybe it's just my homer perspective, but I think JJ could be the 1st pick with his skill set.
October 19th, 2023 at 11:47 AM ^
He wont. Caleb Williams is being described by virtually everyone as the best QB prospect since Andrew Luck. And Michael Penix isnt terribly far behind. Unfortunately, this ranking service has JJ 8th although I have seen him as high as 3rd. A LOT will depend on how performs at PSU, against OSU and then in our subsequent bowl game(s).
The two pick 6's in last year's Fiesta Bowl are still pretty fresh in the scouts minds.
October 19th, 2023 at 11:55 AM ^
Williams is almost certainly first, but I listened to a podcast this morning and scouts were noticing that he has a LOT of time to throw, and he won't have that in the NFL. So the questions for him is when he gets sped up, will he still be as effective. While most QBs are not as effective in the NFL, Patrick Mahomes coincidentally had the exact same amount of time holding the ball as Williams. But Mahomes went to Andy Reid, and sat behind Alex Smith before playing. Williams is going to a bad organization and will start from Day 1.
October 19th, 2023 at 12:51 PM ^
While I still believe that Williams will still go first, I agree that JJ has closed the gap significantly. As for Penix, I have been on his bandwagon for 2 years now, but he is more of a pocket passer. Yes, he is an athlete but not nearly as dynamic athlete as JJ. And JJ's accuracy is very much on par with Penix. Williams didn't help himself with the crap play in the ND game (he also did not play particularly well against AZ as well).
But I do believe at the end of the day, Williams will go 1, but I am calling it here...JJ will go #2 (God I hope it is NOT Minnesota or GB) and Penix will go 3 (Ditto on Minnesota and GB)...
So in regards to Michigan and recruiting, that should really solidify Kirk Campbell's and Jim Harbaugh's pitch... "What are you more interested in? Winning a trophy or... winning a Natty's here, cash in on a sweet NIL deal here, AND get paid in 3 years as a top QB pick in the NFL...." Lincoln won't be able to say that, neither will Deon or Kelly....
October 19th, 2023 at 11:51 AM ^
Roman Wilson seems to be doing just fine with the gaudy stats
October 19th, 2023 at 2:35 PM ^
WR blocking is an important part of our game that might be valuable to NFL scouts.
October 19th, 2023 at 9:41 AM ^
the lack of Bronco success this year is opening the door
The weird thing about this is that Boise State wasn't supposed to be good and Michigan was supposed to be good. Like shouldn't that "door" already been open? He chose to ignore that and stay close to home
October 19th, 2023 at 9:44 AM ^
He chose that in August. It is now October.
October 19th, 2023 at 10:03 AM ^
IIRC at the time, part of the hesitation for Bair was leaving home AND going to a such a big stage as Michigan, or that's what Sam Webb was saying. We had Colston talking to him on his visit about it, but it seemed like he was looking to stay close to home and felt more comfortable on the smaller stage at Boise State. Perhaps seeing them struggle, and putting their coach on the hot seat, has him open again, but I wonder if that initial hesitation has been overcome. Despite being an insane athlete from a family of incredible athletes, he seems like he's not aggresssively seekign the limelight.
Now for my money if you want to be a talented WR who isn't in the spotlight, playing at Michigan is a great idea, as you'll only get a few targets a game, while winning championships and playing in the CFP, but that's me.
October 19th, 2023 at 2:46 PM ^
His comfort level may change quite a bit in the 2 years he is away on his mission. And Michigan will have an opportunity to look at a lot of other talented receivers over the next 2 years.
October 19th, 2023 at 9:52 AM ^
I would love for this kid to play for the Maize and Blue but I don't think it warrants getting too positive or negative about his recruitment until he is coming off his mission trip in 2026..
By then, you could see new coaching staffs at various schools, changes to offensive philosophy, revenue sharing, impact of new playoff format, etc... If you think of how different the landscape is now from 2020, imagine how much different it could look heading into 2026.
October 19th, 2023 at 10:02 AM ^
Maybe he'll luck out and get located in the SE Michigan area for his mission...?
October 19th, 2023 at 10:27 AM ^
Although I was surprised to learn many (most?) Mormon missions were inside the US, I still think they can't do football and school and such while on a mission.
Probably tongue in cheek, but if so it went over my head.
If you were like me and almost all the church people I knew went to Costa Rica or Ecuador or Kenya or some such thing, it was somewhat surprising to learn Mormons go to... Atlanta....
October 19th, 2023 at 1:04 PM ^
My brother (Michigan Alum class of '87) is a Morman and lives here in SE Michigan. He would be delighted to assist in anyway. But to one of your point, they do have a busy schedule committing to their mission...
October 19th, 2023 at 9:52 AM ^
I was pretty sure, at the time, that he was committing to the home town program just to get the media and 'crooters off his back. I'm still convinced of that. I mean, who knows where he'll want to play in two years? But it won't be Boise...
October 19th, 2023 at 11:28 AM ^
That's largely the opinion here in Idaho. BSU is a placeholder. It allows him to keep in good graces with the locals and reduces the recruiting pressure for the next few years.
October 19th, 2023 at 10:02 AM ^
I do think this kid has a lot of upside but we are talking...2028(?) when he would be a contributor. Look at Gentry for example a class of 2020 recruit who went on a mission and he may end up being a contributor in 2024.
October 19th, 2023 at 10:11 AM ^
no surprise here, given that he will not hit campus until 2026. A lot could happen btw now and then.
October 19th, 2023 at 10:41 AM ^
His commitment is essentially for three years from now, after he returns from a planned mission. There will be a LOT of water under the bridge between now and then, with at least one experience that is intended to be life-changing. No one knows what will be best for Bair in a couple years, even the young man himself. If there is any news at this point, it's good to know he is keeping an open mind.
October 19th, 2023 at 10:42 AM ^
wow who would have thought michigan would out perform boise state on the field this year. no one could have season this coming!
October 19th, 2023 at 11:27 AM ^
I don't think it's so much that Michigan is outperforming Boise St, it's that Boise St seems to be on a downward trend. This is the 3rd straight year they've lost at least 4 games. From 2000-2019, they only had 3 seasons where they lost at least 4 games (and not many seasons where they lost 3 games).
They are 3-4 and still have games against Wyoming, Fresno St and Air Force. They might not even make a bowl game this year.
October 19th, 2023 at 10:56 AM ^
He's not going to be in college until 2026. Most of this current team, maybe even the entire staff depending on what Harbaugh does after this year, will be turned over by the time he'd show up.
No sense in worrying about that right now.
October 19th, 2023 at 11:18 AM ^
I hear he’s waiting for Staee to hire Urban.