This top recruit for the Michigan football team will probably go elsewhere.
When Michigan football recruiting received some significant news in December after the Wolverines defeated No. 16 Iowa 26-0 in the Big Ten Championship Game, it was because star wide receiver Gatlin Bair of Idaho had decommitted from Boise State and was expected to choose the Maize and Blue. But that is no longer the case with Ben Herbert and Jim Harbaugh gone, and it appears that the Oregon Ducks are making a strong run.
Michigan football recruiting trending to miss on a top 2024 target
It was major news for the Wolverines when Gatlin Bair, a four-star wide receiver from Idaho and maybe the best target still available for Michigan football in the 2024 recruiting class, decided to decommit from Boise State. In fact, he mentioned the Oregon Ducks and the Michigan Wolverines as contenders for his pledge in his statement.
Naturally, Michigan football went on an incredible run through the College Football Playoffs in the ensuing weeks, defeating Washington in the National Championship and Alabama in the Rose Bowl; in the meantime, Oregon prevailed against Liberty in a Fiesta Bowl contest that was quite entertaining to watch. While Michigan did not lose in 2023–24, it did lose shortly thereafter when Jim Harbaugh left for the NFL. The Maize and Blue’s top recruit, longtime strength coach Ben Herbert, also went with him to Los Angeles.
With Jim Harbaugh gone, Gatlin Bair is likely headed to the Oregon Ducks
Jim Harbaugh and Ben Herbert were the two key recruiters Michigan football had pursuing Gatlin Bair for the Wolverines. It is not surprising that the four-star wide receiver is now projected to the Oregon Ducks rather than Michigan with both of them out of the picture.
Insiders, including as top recruiting analyst Steve Wiltfong of 247 Sports, who had previously predicted Bair to play for Michigan, have changed their minds this week and now support the Ducks. Although Sherrone Moore and his staff are probably still pursuing other big names, it seems like things have quieted down on the pass-catcher front, even though the Wolverines and Jaydon Davis could really use another top-tier player like Bair.
