Climbing tree nets Harbaugh a new verbal commit

By Marcus Hartman
Published

Michigan picked up a new verbal commitment Thursday in California athlete David Long. 

Long is a consensus four-star recruit from Los Angeles who, according to Scout.com, was also considering Washington. 

He had previously told Scout that Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh had left a big impression on his family, particularly his mother, during a recent in-home visit. 

“My family loved the visit. Harbaugh is my mom’s favorite coach and she knows absolutely nothing about football. She just likes the way he conducts himself.”
That's quite a statement considering how things started off between the two.
“I’m pretty sure she hung up on him my junior year because he introduced himself and she didn’t know who it was,” Long said laughingly. “I may be a little off, but I’m pretty sure that’s what took place. It’s pretty funny, but they talk a lot, so she has built a good relationship with him now.”

That visit also made headlines because it included Harbaugh climbing a tree to get a ball that was stuck in it. 

Long's decision came the same day two players who committed last summer announced they were no longer part of Michigan's 2016 class.