Throughout Tuesday, with National Signing Day nearing, rumors began circulating about there being a surprise commitment involving Michigan. The Wolverines' class appeared to be done outside of waiting for Jordan Diamond's decision (he will announce on Friday), but suddenly the Wolverines got back into the mix for an unknown recruit.
Early Wednesday morning, shortly after National Signing Day officially arrived, the identity of the mystery recruit was revealed to be Detroit running back Dennis Norfleet, who had been committed to Cincinnati. As first reported by Allen Trieu, Norfleet decided to decommit from Cincinnati and commit to Michigan in a move that came squarely out of left field.
In a Detroit News article that ran on Tuesday, when Norfleet was still committed to Cincinnati, he was asked why he didn't choose the Wolverines and said, "I didn't even get a look from Michigan." Something obviously changed from the time the interview took place to now, because Norfleet is set to sign with Michigan rather than Cincinnati.
Norfleet, who attends Martin Luther King High School in Detroit, is a four-star recruit on Rivals, Scout and 24/7 Sports. Only ESPN gives him three stars. Rivals ranks him as the fifth best all-purpose back in the nation, the 236th best player overall and the sixth best player in the state of Michigan.
According to Rivals, Norfleet's offer list includes Michigan, Cincinnati, Michigan State and Tennessee. By accepting Michigan's offer, Norfleet became the Wolverines' 25th commit for the class of 2012.
Michigan Football Recruiting Class Of 2012
- OT Ben Braden (Rockford, MI) - 6'6", 285 lbs., ***
- MLB Kaleb Ringer (Clayton, OH) - 6'0", 219 lbs., *** | Early enrollee
- OLB Royce Jenkins-Stone (Detroit, MI) - 6'2", 215 lbs., ****
- TE Devin Funchess (Farmington Hills, MI) - 6'5", 205 lbs., ***
- TE A.J. Williams (Cincinnati, OH) - 6'6", 260 lbs., ***
- OLB Joe Bolden (Cincinnati, OH) - 6'2", 225 lbs., **** | Early enrollee
- MLB James Ross (Orchard Lake, MI) - 6'0", 209 lbs., ****
- DE Mario Ojemudia (Farmington Hills, MI) - 6'3", 215 lbs., ***
- DT Matt Godin (Novi, MI) - 6'6", 270 lbs., ***
- CB Terry Richardson (Detroit, MI) - 5'9", 160 lbs., ****
- S Allen Gant (Sylvania, OH) - 6'2", 210 lbs., ***
- DE Tom Strobel (Mentor, OH) - 6'6", 245 lbs., ****
- OT Erik Magnuson (Carlsbad, CA) - 6'6", 275 lbs., ****
- S Jeremy Clark (Madisonville, KY) - 6'4", 205 lbs., ***
- OT Blake Bars (Nashville, TN) - 6'5", 275 lbs., ****
- S Jarrod Wilson (Akron, OH) - 6'2", 190 lbs., **** | Early enrollee
- OT Kyle Kalis (Lakewood, OH) - 6'5", 302 lbs., *****
- FB Sione Houma (Salt Lake City, UT) - 6'0", 211 lbs., ***
- DE Chris Wormley (Toledo, OH) - 6'6", 270 lbs., ***
- DT Ondre Pipkins (Kansas City, MO) - 6'3", 325 lbs., *****
- RB Drake Johnson (Ann Arbor, MI) - 6'1", 200 lbs., ***
- WR Amara Darboh (West Des Moines, IA) - 6'2", 190 lbs., ****
- WR Jehu Chesson (St. Louis, MO) - 6'3", 182 lbs., ***
- DT Willie Henry (Cleveland, OH) - 6'2", 270 lbs., ***
- RB Dennis Norfleet (Detroit, MI) - 5'7", 170 lbs., ****
(Height, weight and stars from Rivals.com)
For more on Michigan football recruiting, check out Maize n Brew. SBNation.com has more on National Signing Day 2012.