LB Brayden Watson was a priority for Michigan and he has committed to the Wolverines

Michigan made Brayden Watson feel like a priority from day one. The Wolverines offered Watson near the end of January, and from that point forward, they pushed hard.

And it paid off.

The athletic 6-foot-2, 190-pound linebacker out of Buford (Ga.) gave Duke, Pittsburgh and Vanderbilt a lot of consideration, but Michigan landed his commitment.

“They really made me feel like a priority,” Watson told Rivals. “The relationships, the attention to detail and the experience in Ann Arbor separated Michigan from the rest.”

Linebackers coach Alex Whittingham led the way, but he wasn’t alone.

“The defensive coordinator, the head coach, the linebacker coach — everybody was reaching out. Even coaches I really had no business talking to were talking to me. The coaches at Michigan showed me that I was important to them.”

Whittingham’s approach stood out immediately.

“A lot of schools will come to your school and offer a bunch of players,” Watson said. “But Coach Whittingham called me personally and offered me. He made it different. Then the way he recruited after offering me stood out.

“He left the Kansas City Chiefs to coach for his dad at Michigan. He won multiple Super Bowls, so that showed me a lot. I really like what Coach Whittingham is about.”

That connection, along with the visit to Ann Arbor in April, put the Wolverines in a great position.

Watson spent multiple days on campus, watched practice at the Big House, toured the facilities, sat in meetings and got a full look at the program. Michigan also packed the visit with activities, meals and time around the staff and players.

“They showed me a lot more of their program than other schools did,” Watson said. “That visit was much different. After that trip, I did not visit any other schools.

“I saw a lot that I liked at Michigan. It is a top program with history, and the coaching staff is great. I left thinking I was going to end up there.”

Michigan has everything Watson is looking for

Not long after returning home, Watson quietly committed to the Wolverines internally before making the decision public later in the process.

“Michigan exceeded every expectation I had,” he said. “I heard a lot of hype around Ann Arbor, and it definitely lived up to it.

“Then the facilities, atmosphere and overall feel around the program all reinforced my decision. The staff and the facilities — all of it was top tier.

“Those things, then that personal connection made it different with Michigan. It didn’t feel like it was just business with them.”

Watson comes from one of the premier high school football programs in the country at Buford, and he said Michigan’s history matched what he wanted at the next level.

“They’re the winningest program in NCAA history,” Watson said. “It feels great going from Buford to a program like Michigan.”