During the Wolverines offer spree last week, Michigan made a big move in the eyes of one junior cornerback. Last Wednesday, Michigan's defensive coordinator, Greg Mattison, patrolled the Florida area on a mission to offer a rising 2015 prospect-- Rashard Causey.
"I met the defensive coordinator and he came to my school," said Causey. "He seemed like was very excited to see me. You know when you just have a feeling about something? About something good? He was very excited to see me. He pulled me out of class and I went into the office and he said he wanted to talk to me. It's a feeling when I walked into the room and he was smiling and I was like 'yeah, cool'. I really liked him."
Rashard's offer came one day after his exciting visit from coach Mattison. Rashard could not have been happier to hear the news straight from Wolverines head coach Brady Hoke the next day.
"The next day one of the coaches followed me on Twitter and told me to call him," said Causey. "So I had a free period so I called him, then the head coach got on the phone to talk to me. He said he liked my film and he wanted to offer me a full scholarship."
It is understandable why Michigan chose to pursue Causey, as the 6'0", 180 lb. cornerback boasts many skills that the Wolverines are targeting in their future defensive backs. The Wolverines' defensive scheme is heavily dependent on defensive backs being able to shadow their assignment well down the field, and Rashard excels in both types of coverage.
"If I had to break my game down, I would say I play very aggressive," said Causey. "I'm not going to let a receiver beat me on any play. He can work the whole game. My zone coverage I feel like has come a long way. I'm comfortable in both zone and man because my coach has developed me to play either. We run both, so I'm comfortable with both."
Hailing from the Sunshine State, Causey is not overly knowledgeable about the Wolverines. Given his upbringing in the heart of SEC country, Rashard has only picked up bits and pieces so far, such as star players and the rich history of the program.
"I'm not that familiar with it, but I know Denard Robinson," said Causey. "I know him personally. He says it's family. There's a lot of family and tradition up there. That's all they preach is family and tradition up there. That's really a big deal for me. I always loved Michigan. I don't know why, but I always did. There's just something about the program."
Going off of this knowledge alone, Rashard has seen enough to decide that Michigan is worthy of an official visit. This is a good sign for the Wolverines, as Causey already received an offer from 22 schools before Michigan entered the picture, but they have done so in swift fashion.
"I told the coach already that I'm going to take an official visit there," said Causey. "It will probably happen sometime during the football season. I don't have any idea yet."
With many quality schools competing for his signature, Causey has already begun to focus on a more narrow group of schools for the time being. This group is more than capable of changing in the next few months, but it represents his top group at the moment.
"Miami (FL), Florida, UCF, UCLA, South Carolina, Michigan of course," said Causey. "I can't forget Michigan. I can also say Arkansas. Miami (FL) and South Carolina are my top two right now. I've been talking to USC and they're planning on offering me during the summer. Hopefully that comes soon, then they'll be in the top five. Then from there I will just work my way into coming up with a top 10. In the summer I'm going to narrow it down to five then make my decision. Michigan will be in that for sure."
Since Michigan is receiving strong consideration from Causey, it is apparent that the three-star prospect is not overly focused on staying close to home. However, Rashard hasn't quite figured out what other factors will influence his decision-making process.
"Distance isn't really a factor," said Causey. "When it comes down to it, it's a business decision. Whichever school is the best benefit for me is what I'm going to go with. I was going to start looking more at schools after Signing Day. Right now I'm just staying open and letting everything happen."