Saline junior defensive back Marquis Ray has 19 offers now and is thankful for all of them, but the newest one had a different feel to it.
Michigan offered Ray a scholarship following his day at one of their summer camps.
His father, Marcus Ray played at Michigan from 1994-1998 and was the starting safety on the 1997 national championship team. This does not make it a guarantee Ray will follow in his father’s footsteps, but just having the option is meaningful. This especially since he grew up in Columbus and spent his first two seasons of high school in the Pickerington School District before transferring to Saline for this season.
“I think for him, it was a relief,” Marcus Ray said. “The monkey was off his back because this kid is from Columbus, Dad played at Michigan, beat Ohio State three times and with him being in enemy territory, sometimes the question would come up as to where the Michigan offer was. Even from his own high school coaches. It was, ‘Where is your Michigan offer?’”
Marquis has been on the recruiting radar since eighth grade. That means Kyle Whittingham is now the third Wolverine head coach he has started a relationship with. Jim Harbaugh’s staff appeared to be close to offering when they left. His father’s message was go earn it. So Marquis kept working on his game, traveled around the country with the Sound Mind Sound Body program, and then made sure to get in front of this Michigan staff in June.
Marcus was able to look at legacy recruit Tommy Carr’s process last year as a sign to be patient. Carr was committed to Miami (Ohio) and did not have a Michigan offer until after his senior season was complete.Marquis’ offer came before his senior season, though, and it was the same camp day Michigan offered Mario Manningham Jr., a Class of 2029 legacy wide receiver. 2028 defensive end Asa Burch, whose father Alfie played at Michigan, was also at camp that day. Charles Woodson Jr. is committed in the 2027 class. Marcus shared a secondary with his father.
They have noticed Whittingham’s staff being more aggressive in their recruitment of prospects with Wolverine ties
“I did notice it. Charles and I actually talked about it at his event on Main,” Macus said. “Michigan has had a good success rate with legacy kids — Aidan Hutchinson, Will Johnson, Braylon Edwards, it’s a good track record. I think this staff has taken it to the next level, and it’s good to see Michigan not being afraid to do the legacy thing. This father-son thing at Michigan was special and the kids are good players who are deserving. But they’re bringing the Michigan brotherhood back together. Jeff Backus and his sons were at a practice, and we were talking about our sons maybe playing together at Michigan. It’s nice to see Coach Whittingham and the guys embrace the tradition.”
Marquis is a versatile, smart player. He ran 4.57 on a laser at Under Armour this spring, which was one of the better times at the event. Former teammates of Ray’s said the instincts and football IQ that Marquis shows is a mirror image of his dad.
“In today’s world, I think colleges now recruit the parents as much as they recruit the player,” Marcus said. “And if a former Michigan player has a talented son, then the player is most likely cut from the same cloth as the dad.”
Kentucky, Pittsburgh, Illinois, Louisville, Tennessee and others have offered. Other programs like Alabama have shown interest.For Marcus, he has noticed his son has a different bounce to him following the offer. The weight has been lifted, and he can now focus on winning a state title at Saline, something the Hornets are capable of competing for with their roster.
“He is staying humble, hungry and motivated,” Marcus said. “His confidence is back, and I think the Michigan offer solidified him and what he’s getting ready to put on tape this season.”Rivals has Ray rated a three-star recruit and a Top 20 junior in the state.
Allen Trieu covers Midwest football recruiting for On3. He has been featured on the Big Ten Network on its annual Signing Day Show. His Michigan and Michigan State recruiting columns appear weekly at detroitnews.com.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Trieu: Saline’s Marquis Ray gets offer from Michigan, where dad played
Reporting by Allen Trieu, Special to The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Allen Trieu, Special to The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
