Former Michigan Wolverine Receives Massive NFL Extension

Now in his fifth NFL season, Rashan Gary has proved to be one the best pass rushers in football — the Green Bay Packers must agree. Early Monday morning, Gary announced on social media that he signed a huge extension with the Packers. Both sides reportedly agreed on a four-year $107 million agreement.

Gary tore his ACL in early November last season, but Gary came back from the injury stronger than ever. Through seven games this season, Gary has 4.5 sacks to go along with 15 tackles.

The former Wolverines’ best season came back in 2021 with Green Bay when he recorded 9.5 sacks. In four whole seasons and seven games in 2023, Gary has 63 tackles and 27 sacks in his young NFL career. The former five-star recruit played three years with Michigan before declaring for the 2019 NFL draft. He was a two-time All-Big Ten player with Michigan and started 21 games at defensive end. He had 136 tackles and 10 sacks during his Michigan career.

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ANN ARBOR – Former Oak Park four-star defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny watched Michigan State come into Michigan Stadium in October 2020 and pull off a 27-24 upset over the Wolverines.

One month later, Benny verbally committed to the Spartans over Michigan, citing his relationship with then-MSU head coach Mel Tucker and close connections to the program.

But Jim Harbaugh overhauled his staff that offseason, and Benny took notice. He had a change of heart during the February signing period and flipped to Michigan.

The 6-foot-4, 296-pounder has won two straight Big Ten titles with the Wolverines and is now a key piece of the team’s defensive tackle rotation for this year’s 7-0 quad.

“I definitely thought about it before and seeing like, ‘Wow, dodged a bullet there,’” Benny said earlier this month when asked if he still reflects on his college decision. “But I’m just happy with where I’m at. I’m happy I made the right decision.”

The two programs have had several head-to-head recruiting battles in recent years., especially for top in-state prospects. Both teams have picked up notable wins on the recruiting trail, but with the success of the Wolverines the past two seasons and with Tucker getting fired mid-season, Michigan likely will have an advantage for the foreseeable future.

The Wolverines won last year’s matchup 29-7 and are more than a three-touchdown favorite heading into Saturday’s showdown in East Lansing.

“Just to win it general benefits recruiting, right,” Michigan linebackers coach Chris Partridge said Wednesday. “But a rivalry win, it benefits for the state, the surrounding states, just understanding the intensity of these games and having these kind of epic showdowns that everybody is watching. This is a game where, even if you’re not a football fan but you attended Michigan or Michigan State and someone says, ‘hey Michigan-Michigan State this weekend,’ you’re going to be like, ‘oh, I’m going to keep an eye on that game.’

“Just one of those (games) that magnifies (recruiting), so yes, it does have an impact. State championship for us. Need to win the state.”

In the meantime, here are four other recent recruiting wins for the Wolverines over the Spartans.

The Spartans appeared to have the inside track for Beasley given that his brother, Maliq Carr, is a tight end for MSU. Beasley is the sixth-ranked prospect in the state this cycle, per the 247Sports Composite rankings, and would have instantly became one of the top recruits in the Spartans’ class with an opportunity to see the field early.

But the 6-foot-1, 210-pounder continued to push back his decision date, allowing the Wolverines to continue their pursuit. He took several unofficial visits to Ann Arbor before taking an official in June during one of the program’s biggest recruiting weekends of the year.

The visit helped Michigan take pole position in his recruitment, and Beasley committed later that month.

Oden is one of three in-state prospects committed to Michigan this cycle, and all three players are ranked inside the top 350 nationally. The 6-foot-1, 188-pound safety is a Michigan legacy, with his father, Rod Oden, being a former walk-on. But Rod also served as a camp director at Sound Mind Sound Body Academy, which connects high school recruits with colleges across the country. Jacob said his father wanted him to explore all his options before making his decision, and he strongly considered the Spartans, naming them in his top five.

But once the Michigan staff quelled his concerns about Harbaugh potentially leaving for the NFL and the pending NCAA investigation, Jacob pulled the trigger on his decision in February.

“I just feel like I couldn’t get no better than at home,” Oden told MLive after he committed. “I felt the most comfortable and was just like, ‘it’s time.’

“They are a great football team. They are doing their thing right now. They have great coaches, a great environment, a great school. They check all the boxes.”