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Yesterday, Michigan didn’t disappoint its fans.

The Wolverines announced the signing of 22 recruits at a press
conference yesterday morning at Crisler Arena. The class has been
ranked as highly as third nationally.

Michigan coach Lloyd Carr will welcome a class that includes
athletes from 15 different states, including six from Michigan.

“We always start with a base of 200 or 250 miles from
here,” Carr said “I think you have to be strong in your
home area. I think we’ve been able to do that.”

Headlining this year’s class is quarterback Chad Henne
from Wyomissing, Pa. The 6-foot-3, 215 pounder is ranked as the No.
7 overall recruit nationally by ESPN expert Tom Lemming.

Henne was pursued heavily by Penn State, but Carr said that
Michigan’s tradition of producing successful NFL quarterbacks
— like recent Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady — and academic
reputation helped win over the recruit.

“Offensively, those kids who play quarterback (at
Michigan) understand that they’re going to get the
preparation necessary to help them succeed at the next level
— if that’s something they want to do — and have
the ability to do,” Carr said.

Michigan also signed receivers Adrian Arrington (Cedar Rapids,
Iowa) and Doug Dutch (Bowie, Md). Both Dutch and Arrington played
in January’s U.S. Army All-American game in San Antonio.

Dutch, who runs a 4.3 second 40-yard dash, is ranked No. 49
nationally by Lemming.

“(Dutch) can really run well,” Carr said. “He
could play more than one position. When we looked at him, we liked
his toughness and we liked his competitiveness.”

Arrington — an all-state football player — is also
considered one of the top basketball players in Iowa. Carr said
that the 6-foot-4, 180 pound recruit could also play multiple
positions at Michigan.

The Wolverines also signed Michael Hart, a 5-foot-9, 185 pound
running back from Syracuse, N.Y. Despite his small stature, Carr
believes that Hart can develop into an impact player for the
Wolverines down the road.

“You can’t assume that a guy who is 185 pounds
can’t be a great back,” Carr said. “I don’t
think there is a mold at his position. People make a real mistake
when they think there is. You take a guy for what he can do. Any
time a guy has limitations, you do things to take advantage of his
strengths.”

Michigan missed out on commitments from two highly-touted
Californians — defensive lineman Eugene Germany and wide
receiver Cameron Colvin. Michigan was on both players’ short
lists.

Unfortunately for the Wolverines, both recruits signed with West
Coast schools.

Germany announced at a press conference yesterday afternoon at
his high school in Pomona, Calif., that he’d be attending
Southern Cal. next year. Colvin, who was ranked as the No. 4
receiver by Lemming, announced his decision to attend Oregon on
ESPN’s SportsCenter last night.

“It was a tough choice,” Colvin said on
SportsCenter.

He indicated that he wanted to play with many of his De La Salle
high school teammates, who had already signed with the Ducks.

Overall, Michigan signed 12 offensive players: four linemen,
three backs, three receivers, a tight end and a quarterback. The
Wolverines added five linemen, two corners, two linebackers and a
safety on the other side of the ball.