The following is an excerpt from the latest book penned by New York Times best-selling author John U. Bacon titled, Overtime; Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines at the Crossroads of College Football. It releases September 3rd, the same day Bacon is set to appear at Hill Auditorium on the campus of the University of Michigan at 7 p.m. to give a talk, answer question, and sign books.

The venerable writer of critically acclaimed works such as Bo’s Lasting Lessons, Playing Hurt: My Journey From Despair to Hope, and Endzone: The Rise, Fall, and Return of Michigan Football is back with an incisive look at how Harbaugh runs his program in era where many view the result as what matters most regardless of how it is achieved.

“The Harbaugh era raised a question no one was asking,” said Bacon in the preface. “What would happen if Michigan followed Schembechler’s bible once again and ran the program the right way, but fell short of the national title? How much would the faithful value what had been regained? Would it be enough for them to feel the program was worth following, supporting, even believing in again?”

In this excerpt derived from Chapter 13, “The Victory After the Game,” and Chapter 39, “Hard Choices,” Bacon details the commitment, decommitment, and finally the recommitment of prized five-star recruit Daxton Hill.

CHAPTER 13: THE VICTORY AFTER THE GAME

A FEW DAYS after the SMU game Michigan received some good news.

The Wolverines had been in the hunt for five- star defensive back Daxton Hill out of Tulsa, Oklahoma. He and his parents had driven 12 hours in the spring of 2018 to see Ann Arbor for the first time and were sufficiently impressed to arrange an official visit for the SMU weekend.

Michigan’s coaching staff was impressed, too, and not just with Hill’s eye- popping game film. Michigan assigned assistant coach Sherrone Moore, who played at Oklahoma, to be Hill’s main contact.

“The football part was really important to them,” Moore told me, “but his parents were more focused on how we were going to prepare their son for life after football. We spent a lot of time with the academic support people— and that’s always a good sign.”

By the end of the summer Hill had eliminated Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, where his brother Justice played, leaving just Alabama and Michigan— and Moore was convinced Hill was “trending toward” Ann Arbor. The night before the SMU game the Hills’ plane was delayed, creating some other complications, but “they made the best of every situation,” Moore said. “Daxton is more of a shy kid, but he came out of his shell.”

Because Daxton’s brother Justice would be playing for Oklahoma State that day, recruiting director Matt Dudek loaned the parents an iPad to follow the Cowboys, and made sure the Cowboys’ score ran on Michigan’s big screen throughout the day.

“They thought that was huge,” said Moore, who carefully monitored their mood throughout the weekend. A few days after Daxton’s visit, he called to say he was committing to Michigan. Moore was predictably thrilled, while Daxton seemed relieved to get the decision behind him.

“He’s not the kind of kid who likes the attention recruiting brings,” Moore said. When Hill’s classmates wanted to put him up for homecoming king, he declined because he didn’t like the spotlight.

Sam Webb, who co- hosts The Michigan Insider on WTKA, flew to Oklahoma to meet with Hill and his parents.

“This quote from the father of Michigan’s newest commit, 5-star safety Daxton Hill says it all,” Webb wrote on his website: “ ‘Of course [Michigan] wants to win, but it’s about developing the person, not just the player . . . not winning at all or any cost. It’s about winning in every area of your life.’ ”

But as they say, after a player commits is when the recruiting really begins. Taking nothing for granted, a handful of Michigan coaches would call Hill every week throughout the fall. The value of a five- star player like Hill to the program was hard to overstate. He not only could help secure Michigan’s defense for several years but would immediately show the nation that Michigan could beat out Alabama for a top talent. And that, in turn, could result in more elite recruits coming to Ann Arbor.

For the long-term success of the program, recruiting Daxton Hill was probably more important than beating SMU.

CHAPTER 39: HARD CHOICES

BEFORE THE TEAM flew to Atlanta the coaches were busy making sure all their recruits remained committed through the December 19 “early signing day,” when almost all of their recruits would send in their National Letter of Intent.

On Saturday, December 8, Sherrone Moore and his wife were driving down I-94 to join Matt Dudek, Jim Harbaugh, some other coaches, and a few recruits at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, when Moore looked at his watch, which receives texts. Five- star recruit Daxton Hill’s name “flies up, and it’s a long message. I’m like, ‘Whoa whoa whoa!’ ”

When Moore pulled off the highway he read Hill’s message: “Sorry Coach to hit you with this over a text message, but I think I’m going to decommit. I think I’m going to go to Alabama.”

“I was just in complete shock,” Moore told me. “My wife was too. This has to be a joke. I’m texting Daxton, I’m texting his parents, and there’s no response. Not good. When we walk into the restaurant with a table full of recruits, I’m in the worst state I could be in, and I have to look brave.”

But Moore proved to be a poor actor.

“Sherrone came in with the most somber face I’ve ever seen,” Dudek told me. “And he’s the guy who lights up the office, so we knew there was something wrong.”

Moore whispered the bad news to Harbaugh and Dudek. While the others talked with recruits, they huddled, trying to think of a plan— but what could they really do?

Near the end of the meal Hill finally called Moore, talking in a slow, measured manner, as he if were a hostage forced to read a script.

“Come to find out,” Moore told me, “the parents wanted what we had to offer, but at the end of the day they wanted whatever Daxton wanted. They thought he wanted Michigan, but now he wants Alabama.”

Later that night Moore talked to Daxton and his parents and asked point- blank: What happened? Did we mess up? They could only say Daxton had a change of heart, and his parents were very apologetic.

“Daxton, I want you to come here,” Moore finally said, “but if you really feel in your heart that Alabama is the best place for you, I’ll give you all our blessings. Just know that if you change your mind, we’ll be here.”

Moore felt his message hit home with the parents. “It showed that we really cared. Lot of times in these situations coaches go the negative route.”

“Most of the time,” Dudek corrected him.

“When they do,” Moore added, “that actually confirms their decision to flip.”

When Hill tweeted his decision it attracted plenty of attention nationwide, but the next day Hill sent Moore a text: “I don’t want to talk about it right now but need to talk about something. It’s on my chest, and you’re the only person I can talk to about it.”

The next day Moore was in the Glick Indoor Fieldhouse when Hill called, as promised, and got right to it.

“Coach, I made a mistake. I apologize. I’m so sorry. I do not want to decommit. This is my home. I don’t know what I was thinking. I want to come to Michigan.”

Moore, an even- keeled man, was on the verge of tears. He asked Hill, “Can I tell Coach Harbaugh, and everybody else?”

When Hill said sure, Moore sprinted upstairs to share the good news. But how should Hill handle the switch back? If he announced it, he would generate even more attention— the last thing he wanted.

Michigan’s staff and the Hills decided to “let sleeping dogs lie,” Dudek recalled. “We’ve already taken the knock. No reason to put the wolves on Daxton and make it worse.”

They kept Hill’s flip-back a secret, leaving him to announce his final decision on signing day. In the meantime someone at Michigan talked to Hill every day, and Harbaugh and Chris Partridge flew to his home the day before signing day and stayed as long as they could.

They were taking nothing for granted.

When Hill faxed his paperwork in, Moore, Harbaugh, and Dudek were as excited as they were relieved. Their top recruit had been secured.

The future was a little brighter.