2022 Quarterback Jaxon Dailey Recaps Michigan Visit, Talks Offer Reaction
After landing an offer from Michigan during an unofficial visit to campus earlier this month, Des Moines (Iowa) Southeast Polk quarterback Jaxon Dailey stayed in touch with the U-M staff and is anxious to get back to Ann Arbor.
“I’ve been talking to Michigan quite a bit,” Dailey told Wolverine Digest. “I’ve also been talking to Missouri, Iowa, Iowa State.”
At this stage in his recruitment, Dailey holds two early offers from Michigan and Iowa State, and both Iowa and Missouri are angling to host the 2022 prospect as well.
“I was planning on making a visit to Iowa and one to Missouri, and neither one of those was able to work out due to cancellations,” Dailey said. “Talking to coaches from both schools, it is something that we want to set up in the future, being able to go out to campus and meet the coaching staff.”
Once prospects are able to attend college recruiting trips once again, Dailey provided a preview of which schools he is most focused on visiting.
“I know I’ve been invited to a camp at Notre Dame that I wanted to make sure I got out to,” Dailey said. “I also wanted to make sure I got back to Michigan, Iowa, Iowa State and all the schools that have shown interest, I have wanted to go out to camps and show my interest back in them at this point.”
Dailey touched on the emotions he felt after landing his offer from the U-M coaching staff and reflected on his Michigan visit as a whole.
“It’s awesome,” Dailey said. “I took my junior day visit up there March 1st, and I loved it. I loved the atmosphere, the coaching staff and everything about it. I loved all of it.”
While in Ann Arbor, Dailey received a first-hand look at the Wolverines program and received a tour of Michigan Stadium with a host of other coveted recruits in tow.
“We got to walk onto the stadium, took some pictures out on the stadium, walked us to the locker room, the weight room and pretty much all the facilities they have,” Dailey said. “It’s beautiful.”
According to the 6-2, 190-pound pro-style passer, Dailey’s visit to Michigan received high marks as he had an opportunity to bond with members of the U-M coaching staff.
“That was my first time ever making a visit up there,” Dailey said. “It was pretty special being able to get to know the program and get to meet the coaching staff. I spent most of my day with Coach [Ben] McDaniels, who is the quarterbacks coach, so getting to know somebody that I would be working with on a day-to-day basis, being able to spend the day with him was pretty cool.”
Right now, Dailey is working to build on what was a successful sophomore season in 2019 as Dailey passed for just under 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns for Southeast Polk last year. While Dailey agrees that he is more of an aerial threat, the rising prospect is working to add a rushing element to his game as his development continues.
“That’s something I’ve been trying to work on, just getting my speed and agility up and things like that to make myself more of a versatile football player,” Dailey said. “I would say a lot of my game is based on making decisions and knowing what’s going on with the defense, so a lot of scouting and understanding the game.”
At this juncture, Dailey has not yet isolated what type of scheme he would like to play in at the next level, but he does know that his relationship with his future coaching staff is going to heavily dictate where he winds up at. In addition, Dailey is interested in pursuing the medical field from an academic standpoint, so that will be another key aspect as he continues his recruitment.
So far, Michigan has offered 11 quarterbacks in the 2022 cycle and none of those players have come off the board yet. Look for Dailey to continue building his relationship with McDaniels as the recruiting dead period continues for several more weeks.
What type of quarterback would you prefer Michigan target in 2022, a more conventional, pass-first player or a dynamic passer that can move the chains with his legs? Let us know!