Georgia hosted a long-time Michigan pledge over the weekend. The blue-chip prospect has decided to reopen his recruitment after spending time in Athens.

Chris Ewald, a 4-star defensive back out of Florida, backed off his pledge to Michigan after more than a year of being committed to the Wolverines. He shared the news via On3’s Hayes Fawcett.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Hayes Fawcett (@hayesfawcett3)

A standout of Hollywood (Florida) Chaminade-Madonna Prep, Ewald is listed as measuring 6-feet and 160 pounds. On the 247Sports Composite, Ewald is rated 4-stars, the No. 11 cornerback prospect, No. 11 player in the state of Florida and No. 86 prospect overall in the Class of 2025.

Ewald has picked up scholarship offers from 34 programs during his recruitment. He had been committed to Michigan since Dec. 16, 2022.

What led to Ewald’s decommitment?

Those who follow recruiting know well that for many prospects, especially those in the top 100 like Ewald, recruitments can go all the way to signing day. That said, it’s a bit surprising for Michigan to lose a commitment just days after winning the College Football Playoff National Championship.

Some might point to Jim Harbaugh’s situation. Ewald’s decommitment comes on the same day that the Los Angeles Chargers announced that they interviewed the Michigan head coach.

Harbaugh, though, has interviewed for NFL jobs before and remained at U-M. If Harbaugh ends up leaving, it would make sense for Wolverine pledges to wait and see how the next staff shakes out. Ewald and other 2025 recruits are 11 months out from signing with a team.

Social media activity suggests there’s more to Ewald’s recruitment than Harbaugh’s future in Ann Arbor. Ewald has two recent posts on X (formerly Twitter) about the Georgia Bulldogs. He also posted about a new offer from Deion Sanders’ Colorado program.

Ewald reposted Georgia’s announcement that Travaris Robinson has joined Kirby Smart’s staff as co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach. Robinson is from Miami, which is just down the road from Ewald’s Hollywood stomping grounds. Robinson was recruiting Ewald to Alabama before making the move to Georgia.

Georgia had Ewald on campus in Athens for a visit over the weekend. Ewald posted a photo showing he was at the Georgia-Tennessee basketball game.

Dawg fans will be following closely to see if Smart and Robinson can turn the decommitment into a flip. In the meantime, highlights from Ewald’s junior season offer a preview of what he could potentially bring to Athens: