Michigan Football Recruiting: Saturday Rumors Roundup

It's been a historic week in Ann Arbor for the Michigan football program, with the inking of new head coach Jim Harbaugh to a multi-year deal bringing along with it a sense of anticipation that hasn't been present in years. As an added benefit, recruits are picking up on said excitement, giving the Wolverines a newfound edge when it comes to bringing the nation's best prep talent home.

Who'll be the next great Wolverines star to commit to this new era of Michigan football? What other pieces are primed to fall in place? We'll address that and more in this Michigan Football Recruiting: Saturday Rumors Roundup.

It's down to two for elite TE Chris Clark

It's down to the Michigan Wolverines and UCLA Bruins for Avon (Conn.) Old Farms four-star tight end Chris Clark, who has already committed and decommited twice in what has been an off-the-wall recruiting process.

"According to Clark, UCLA is the leader in the clubhouse with Harbaugh to play the X-factor come later this month. I got UCLA as my leader,” said Clark, via Irish247. “The last couple of days, I’ve been talking a lot to [head] Coach [Jim] Mora and I just have a really good feeling about coach, his staff and UCLA. I just need to get out there for a visit. And with Michigan, I don’t know too much about [head] Coach [Jim] Harbaugh. I need to meet him in person to get a good feel about him. There’s a part of me that feels UCLA is going to be the place for me, but I need to take both visits and see what happens. It’ll definitely come down to just these two. I’m not 100 percent sure on the dates, but I’m pretty sure I’ll be at UCLA Jan. 16 and then Michigan on Jan. 23."

One of the first calls Harbaugh made upon coming to Ann Arbor was to Clark, so expect a full-court press when the coveted tight end comes to town later this month.

Harbaugh has plenty of name value for four-star DE Kyree Campbell

Jim Harbaugh's name value alone is already paying dividends for Michigan on the recruiting trail, with Woodbridge (VA) Freedom four-star defensive end Kyree Campbell indicating that the hire itself is enough to push Michigan back in the running for his services.

"It was a big deal for Michigan to hire him," Campbell said, via Steven Lorenz of Wolverine 247. "It's going to help their recruiting big time. He's a great coach without a doubt. It's going to be fun to watch what he does against Coach Meyer at Ohio State as they may be the two best coaches in college football now. I'm definitely considering Michigan with a Harbaugh hire."

Ohio State is still considered a major favorite for Campbell per most recruiting analysts, but the Wolverines now have a legitimate chance to woo 247Sports' 192th overall ranked player in the Class of 2016 to Ann Arbor.

Swenson Chats With Harbaugh

2016 four-star offensive line commit Erik Swenson (Downers Grove, IL/South) is the latest of the team's current commitments to hear from new head coach Jim Harbaugh, and he appears to like what he heard.

"I'm incredibly excited," Swenson said. via Wolverine247. "I think getting Coach Harbaugh was the best possible scenario after they let go of Coach Hoke. I have no doubts he's going to turn the program all the way around. I'm definitely 100% to Michigan and that isn't going to change at this point. Coach talked about trying to recruit as well; they're really going to push hard for Mike Weber, so I am going to see what I can do in that area. I know Ohio State has done well, so we'll see."

Swenson holds offers from Ohio State, Notre Dame, and others, but has remained loyal to his commitment to the Wolverines despite the uncertainty that surrounded the coaching staff for months. He is ranked 125th overall in the country in the 2016 class and comes in as the 12th ranked offensive tackle in the cycle per 247Sports.

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