With the early signing period in college football this year, there’s not a lot of drama expected for our local teams on National Signing Day today. The biggest storyline remaining was whether the Michigan Wolverines could hold on to their highest rated recruit in the class. Otis Reese was one of the first players to commit to Jim Harbaugh in the 2018 class. His commitment came all the way back on June 18th, 2016.
The pressure for Michigan to keep Reese in the fold has been mounting for months. The Georgia Bulldogs have been relentless in their pursuit of him. This morning Reese flipped his commitment from Michigan and signed with the Bulldogs.
BREAKING: #UGA flips four-star Otis Reese from #Michigan on #NSD18 https://t.co/KIIzPSEzOb pic.twitter.com/yIykbuTXiz
— Kipp Adams (@KippLAdams) February 7, 2018
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Class 6A Defensive Player of the Year had been mum publicly about his recruitment since last summer. This is a big loss for the Wolverines, who were hoping to add Reese to a young defense.
Reese and his teammate Aubrey Solomon from Lee County first came in contact with the Wolverine coaching staff at one of Harbaugh’s infamous Satellite Camps. The camp was held at their high school in Leesburg, GA. Solomon committed and signed with the Wolverines in the 2017 class. He appeared in 8 games as a true freshman this past season recording 16 total tackles including 2 tackles for loss.
Otis Reese quickly rose up the recruiting rankings this past season. According to 247 Sports, Reese is a top-100 recruit for 2018. He’s ranked No. 87 nationally. He’s also No. 5 in the country as an outside linebacker and is No. 12 for all Georgia prospects.
Chad Simmons, Rivals.com Southeast Recruiting Analyst had this to say about Otis recently:
“Reese is a monster. He is a very active defender who lined up all over in 2017. He plays fast, he plays physical and he is violent at the point of attack. Alec Ogletree is one that comes to mind when watching the Michigan commitment perform.”
Reese and Lee County won a Class 6A state championship in 2017. Lee County beat Coffee High, 28-21, in overtime. Reese and his teammates finished 14-1 and the state title was the first in program history.
Despite losing out on Reese, the Wolverines are looking to make Lee County High School a pipeline as they have offered scholarships to 2019 defensive back Tavian Mayo and 2021 recruits Chauncey Magwood and Baron Hopson.
Stay tuned to DSN all day for the latest on National Signing Day and any surprises for the Wolverines.
