For the time being, at least, Jim Harbaugh and Michigan have lost one of the two players in the 2019 recruiting class they expected to sign this Wednesday.
Three-star athlete Amauri Pesek-Hickson, who originally committed to Michigan in November, has withdrawn his pledge due to Harbaugh's request that he take a post-graduate year at a prep school and reclassify into the 2020 recruiting class.
Pesek-Hickson has reopened his recruitment with the announcement that he is "open to any and all schools that are interested in me."
Psalm 62:1-2 "My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I WILL NEVER BE SHAKEN." pic.twitter.com/aMJAL8Hvyg
— Mauri-- (@amaurihickson) February 4, 2019According to multiple reports, Harbaugh encouraged Pesek-Hickson to reclassify to free up a scholarship for a graduate transfer. Michigan apparently expected to have more scholarships to offer based on players departing for the NFL Draft, but ultimately only four decided to leave school -- Rashan Gary, Devin Bush, David Long and Zach Gentry.
Pesek-Hickson's father, Shermaine Hickson, said Harbaugh sent mixed signals over the last couple months. First the pending scholarship was an issue of Pesek-Hickson's grades. When Pesek-Hickson got his grades up to Michigan's standards, it then became an issue of open spots.
"They want to use the remaining scholarships that they have. They want a couple of defensive linemen and a graduate transfer running back," Shermaine Hickson told MLive on Monday.
Harbaugh visited the family last week at Pesek-Hickson's basketball game at his high school in Kansas, and Shermaine Hickson said things took a "weird" turn.
"It went from the phone conversation we had on Jan. 16 -- there's still a possibility that he comes in the fall -- to 'Ehh, it's really less than 10 percent now.' Then, in the middle of the basketball game, he puts me on the phone with the prep school coach. I was like, 'You have got to be kidding me right now,'" he told MLive.
As for the academic side of things, Shermaine Hickson said his son did everything Michigan asked.
"We're trying to be as up front about this as possible," Hickson said. "We heard the rumors about Amauri's academics being an issue, and it's not. It's the numbers game. And again, how Michigan is going about it is a little dicy.
"We're committed to Michigan, but we're not signing anything on Wednesday."
Pesek-Hickson himself shed some clarity on the situation in a direct message he sent to TheWolverine.com, posted by the Detroit News.
"What kept me from signing in the early national signing day period was Coach (Jim) Harbaugh and (Michigan's director of recruiting) Matt Dudek wanted me to get a 3.0 my first semester of my senior year and if I didn't then I would have to go to prep school.
"I got a 3.1 GPA last semester and I have a 30 on my ACT, so IT IS NOT ACADEMICS. After the players that declared for the NFL draft date passed, Harbaugh called me and told me that "we might have to go to plan B." I asked why, and he told me that the spots they have open for the 2019 class they want to fill with DT and DE grad transfers and he wants me to reclassify and come in as a 2020 prospect."
With the decommitment of Pesek-Hickson, four-star safety Quinten Johnson will be the only player to sign with Michigan on Wednesday -- 2019 national signing day. The Wolverines' 26-player class ranks No. 7 in the country, according to 247 Sports.
