Jai Eugene Bonds With U-M Players, Team

Jai Eugene of Destrehan, La., High School is the top ranked player in the country at the wide receiver/cornerback position according to Scout.com. He was in Michigan on Saturday on the first of his five official visits. While he was there only a day, the experience made a lasting impression.

The biggest Michigan recruiting weekend to date for the 2006 recruiting season did not turn out perfectly for the Wolverines as they were upended by Ohio State 26-21 on Saturday. However, the day could not have gone better for the No. 1 wide receiver/cornerback in the country. "I just loved every minute of it, it was a definite 10 and would probably would be higher if I could have spent more time there," Jai Eugene of Destrehan, La., High School said. "Hanging out with the players was the best part, those guys are so much fun and really are great together. My hosts were Jamar Adams and Mike Hart, I love Mike Hart, he is a great guy."

The visit lasted only a day for the five-star prospect because his team is still in the playoffs and had practice on Sunday, Eugene said. Even so, he was able to see more of Michigan than just the game. "We got to look around campus and it is beautiful," he said. "I was really impressed with the new academic center for athletes."

Eugene said the size of the stadium and the crowd impressed him immensely, but the bearing of the team after the tough loss caught his attention as well. "The players and the coaches handled themselves very well after the loss," Eugene said. "You win some and you lose some, that's football, but I really appreciated how they all acted together."

The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Eugene said the weather was not as big a deal as people made it out to be. "It wasn't as cold as I thought it would be," he said. "Mike and Jamar said it gets cold in February, but then nobody is playing football so it's not a big deal."

The visit to Michigan will be the only one taken during the season for Eugene, who said he wanted to experience the atmosphere of the best rivalry in football, Michigan - Ohio State. He said he doesn't have any other visits set at this time, but will trip to USC, Miami, Florida, and Tennessee. He didn't name a leader, but said the Michigan visit moved the Wolverines up. "Coach (Ron) English and Coach (Lloyd) Carr were great, and I can see that there is the possibility of me getting playing time right away," he said. "Coach Carr told me that he and Coach (Fred) Jackson will be coming down to see me real soon."

Destrehan beat South Terrebonne 39-22 on Friday, and will face East St. John this Friday. "They are the only team to beat us this year, and we're looking to pay them back," Eugene said.