On Saturday evening, Shamar Arnoux, a three-star cornerback from Carrollton, Georgia, withdrew his commitment from the Tennessee Volunteers for the class of 2025.
The Michigan Wolverines have witnessed some delightful surprises and commitments on the recruiting trail over the years. From Dax Hill flipping from Alabama to the latest recruiting cycle when Jyaire Hill committed to Michigan, even though he didn’t include it in his top list.
Unfortunately, they couldn’t add another exclamation point to the list, as 2024 four-star wide receiver Gatlin Bair announced his commitment to Oregon.
The Wolverines extended a scholarship offer to Bair in June 2022. Despite an intense recruitment led by wide receiver coach Ron Bellamy, Bair chose Boise State over Michigan and one of his other finalists, the Oregon Ducks.
However, with Boise State dismissing head coach Andy Avalos in November before the season concluded, Bair reopened his recruitment on Dec. 1. In a statement on social media, he indicated that his decision would come down to Michigan and Oregon.
Coaches from both programs had in-home visits with Bair and his family before the early signing period and before his decision on Saturday. There was a point where it seemed like Michigan had the upper hand, but that changed after Jim Harbaugh and Ben Herbert departed for the Los Angeles Chargers. This development essentially sealed the deal in favor of the Ducks.
While this is undoubtedly a challenging loss for head coach Sherrone Moore and his team, the impact is somewhat mitigated by the fact that Bair is embarking on a two-year mission trip with his church, making him essentially a 2026 recruit. If he were immediately joining campus, this setback would have been a more significant blow on the recruiting trail.
The Wolverines have already secured commitments from two wide receivers in the incoming freshman class — four-star I’Marion Stewart and three-star Channing Goodwin.
Bair’s commitment elsewhere effectively concludes Michigan’s recruiting efforts in the 2024 class, shifting all focus to the 2025 class and beyond.
