Jim Harbaugh has already turned his recruiting attention to the Class of 2016, and there are quite a few very unique quarterback prospects drawing interest from around the country. Here are three players Jim Harbaugh is keeping an especially close eye on...
First, a quick note on Jacob Eason.
Jim Harbaugh made a personal visit to the #1 QB in the Class of '16 last month, but the fact is, Eason is going to be nearly impossible to pry away from Georgia. Even if he does defy expectations and de-commit from the Dawgs, there are quite a few schools ahead of Michigan in the pecking order right now...so while Harbaugh still sees Eason as his top target, he and the rest of the staff know it wouldn't be wise to count on him coming to Ann Arbor. If Harbaugh follows the pattern he started at Stanford, he and his staff will go hard at Eason over the next few months to see if his commitment wavers. If he sounds like he's having second thoughts, game on. If he doesn't, Harbaugh will quickly turn his attention elsewhere.
Regardless of Eason's status, these are the top three Class of 2016 quarterbacks Harbaugh is monitoring closely:
3. Brandon Peters
The #10 Pro-Style QB in the Class of '16, Peters hails from Avon, Indiana. Michigan's interest is all fairly recent - they offered him Monday - but they've quickly moved to the front of the pack for the 6'5 gunner. Peters gushed to 247 Sports that Michigan QBs coach Jedd Fisch told him he reminds Michigan coaches of Peyton Manning...so it's clear flattery is going somewhere.
2. Dwayne Haskins
The Maryland native is the #5 Pro-Style QB in the class of '15, and Harbaugh made sure to let him know that despite Michigan's coaching change, the Wolverines would still love to bring him to Ann Arbor. He had been offered by Brady Hoke's staff, but it sounds like things had gone quiet...so Harbaugh gave him a call and effectively re-offered him over the weekend. Haskins also has offers from Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, LSU, Florida State, Oklahoma and a laundry list of other top programs.
1. KJ Costello
The #4 pro-style QB in the class of '16 , Costello is a Southern California native who Harbaugh is having OC Tim Drevno go after hard. The USC Trojans are very interested, along with Stanford, Alabama, Notre Dame and several other SEC and Pac-12 powers. With so many big schools sniffing around, it's only a matter of time before Costello moves from a 4-Star to a 5-Star, and Harbaugh certainly won't have an easy time luring his top target to Ann Arbor. Still, he's already made an in-person visit to Costello's school in California (WR target Dylan Crawford is a classmate), and we don't see Harbaugh giving up on a top target until he's started at least five games somewhere else.
MORE:
Jim Harbaugh Says Starting QB Competition Will Be A "Meritocracy"
Michigan Football: 2016 Recruiting Needs Breakdown
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