Mark Snyder

Detroit Free Press

With all the attention on the last-minute decisions on National Signing Day, Michigan’s most important signee may have been overlooked.

Valor Christian (Colo.) quarterback Dylan McCaffrey committed in February 2016, one of the first players in the class and a four-star recruit who never wavered.

Landing a quarterback is crucial and personal to coach Jim Harbaugh, and McCaffrey at 6 feet 5, 196 pounds, had room to grow, along with athletic genes.

McCaffrey's father, Ed, played 13 seasons in the NFL as a receiver. His mother, Lisa, was a college soccer player at Stanford. His older brother, Max, was a receiver on the Green Bay practice squad and his brother Christian, a running back, will likely be a first- or second-round pick in this year’s NFL draft.

“I definitely like our quarterbacks a lot and Dylan will be a great addition, big, tall quarterback who has great stature in the pocket, also very athletic, is going to be able to move, great to work with, very talented," Harbaugh said on Signing Day. "Comes from a great bloodline of athletes: dad, mom and his brothers. Everyone knows how good they've been."

Related:

Recruiting: QB Dylan McCaffrey says Michigan's offense a natural fit

McCaffrey committed and made regular visits to U-M. In the summer, he came to Michigan’s A4 quarterback camp. He returned for his official visit in the fall and stayed with the Wolverines even after his primary recruiter, quarterbacks coach Jedd Fisch, left for UCLA.

When McCaffrey committed, there was a logjam of quarterbacks in front of him. Just a year later, that path has thinned considerably.

He’s likely to redshirt this year with redshirt junior Wilton Speight as the starter and fifth-year senior John O’Korn and redshirt freshman Brandon Peters battling for the backup job.

Alex Malzone is also on the roster but played very little.

So Speight, if he returns for a fifth year, and Peters would be the biggest obstacles for McCaffrey in 2018, which makes the situation very appealing.

Though his older brothers are spread across the country — Max went to Duke and Christian to Stanford — Dylan’s younger brother Luke, a receiver/backup quarterback at their Colorado school, may consider the Wolverines.

He received an offer in December and visited with Dylan and their mother Lisa last summer.

Related:

Dylan McCaffrey is naturally quiet but still recruits for Michigan

Recruiting: New Jersey a priority for Michigan yet again in 2018

Contact Mark Snyder: msnyder@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mark__snyder. Download our Wolverines Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices!