Class of 2018 Post-Mortem
The ones who got away and those that we dropped. There are many other kids that we offered who I have not included in the below list. I have only included kids where at one point it seemed as though there was strong mutual interest and where we were among the prospect’s final handful of schools.
The Decommitments
Leonard Taylor DL/TE Springfield Ohio Two-way prospect who was a bit overrated but still a solid player. Monster senior season as a TE
Jalil Irvin OL Stone Mountain Stephenson GeorgiaAuburnSolid OG prospect originally from Michigan. Could have used him when all was said and done although his decommitment hardly caused a blip
Antwuan Johnson LB Dayton DunbarOhio Bowling Green Was overrated when he committed to Michigan and Partridge was never really a fan
Emil Ekiyor OL Indianapolis Cathedral IndianaAlabama Major loss when he flipped to Alabama
Kevin Doyle QB Washington St. John's D.C. Did not want to prep a year before entering U-M
Otis Reese DB Leesburg Lee County GeorgiaGeorgiaSigning Day flip to Georgia puts an exclamation point to perhapss Michigan's worst finish in 40+ years
Second/Third Place
Dorian Thompson-Robinson QB Las Vegas Bishop Gorman NevadaUCLA Dual-threat QB and mom an alum. Could also play WR
Tyler Shough QB Chandler Hamilton ArizonaOregonEarly on he looked U-M-bound but he wants to play soon. Flipped to Oregon from UNC
Ja'Marr Chase WR Metairie Archbishop Rummel Louisiana Staff was confident on him a few weeks ago. Then not so much
Jeremy RuckertTE Lindenhurst New York Ohio State Huge loss to Ohio State. A kid from Long Island who plays TE. Type of kid who would have gone to Michigan years ago
Will Mallory TE Jacksonville ProvidenceFlorida Miami Son of former Harbaugh teamate Mike Mallory. Surprised all my choosing Miami early on. Perplexing. Is there bad blood between Mallory and Harbaugh?
Brevin Jordan TE Las Vegas Bishop Gorman NevadaMiami Yep, Miami beat us out on two talented Tes
Tommy Tremble TE Johns Creek GeorgiaNotre Dame Lost him to ND despite staff feeling very confident about him a few days before committing. Promptly offered Van Sumeren in his stead
Nick Petit-FrereOL Tampa Berkeley Prep Florida Ohio State We were never the leader, but we practiced at his school, have a huge need for an OT, and the kid is Warde Manuel and Grant Newsome-like when it comes to character/academics. And he chose Ohio State??!!
Jarrett Patterson OL Mission Viejo California Notre Dame Notre Dame swooped in late to beat out UCLA for him. A few weeks ago we were reportedly his leader over UCLA and the staff felt confident
Jalen Goss OL Valdosta Lowndes GeorgiaFlorida State Teammate of Barrett. We may have liked him even more but we never were the leader. Grey Frey poached him to FSU. Just his team. Long, lean and athletic. Hurts a bit after losing out on JP and NPF
Verdis Brown OL Bradenton IMG Academy Florida Illinois Reportedly favored Michigan at one point but we felt we had bigger fish to fry. Would have been one to go after late as a Plan B if not for early signing period.
Eyabi Anoma DL Baltimore St. Frances Academy Maryland Alabama Possibly the best talent to emerge from a Henry Poggi program ever and he is headed to Alabama. Of course.
Jayson Ademilola DL Jersey City St. Peter's Prep New Jersey Notre Dame Twin brothers favored U-M very early in the process but high school staff was very much pro-ND and they were ofgf the board early
Tyler Friday DL Ramsey Don Bosco Prep New Jersey Ohio State Another blue-chipper where Ohio State swooped in late despite Michigan being the rumored leader for a long time
Shayne Simon DB Jersey City St. Peter's Prep New Jersey Notre Dame Mom attended U-M but another head-to-head lost to ND (high school staff very pro-ND)
Justin Ademilola LB Jersey City St. Peter's Prep New Jersey Notre Dame Twin brothers favored U-M very early in the process but high school staff was very much pro-ND and they were ofgf the board early
David Reese LB Vero Beach Florida Florida Long OLB who was heavily considering us but was a tough pull from Florida
Joshua Jobe DB Cheshire Academy Connecticut Alabama Both Alabama and Michigan were confident that they could flip him from Miami. Alabama won out.
Bryan Addison DB Gardena Serra California UCLA Tall and rangy safety who was always going to be a tough pull from California
Christopher Smith DB Atlanta Hapeville Charter Georgia GeorgiaClose to Myles Sims. Reportedly leading early but he committed pretty early to Georgia
Top Handful
Treshaun Harrison RB Seattle GarfieldWashington Oregon
T.J. Pledger RB Bradenton IMG Academy Florida Oklahoma Michigan was involved with him early, I mean back when Wheatley was still coaching at U-M
Markese Stepp RB Indianapolis Cathedral IndianaNotre Dame Same program as Ekiyor and we would have had a chance if we offered earlier
Amon-Ra St. Brown WR Santa Ana Mater Dei California USC Blue-chipper who visited but was always a longshot
Kamryn Babb WR St. Louis Christian Brothers Missouri Ohio State A kid we really liked. He kust liked Ohio State a lot more
L’Christian Smith WR Huber Heights Wayne Ohio Ohio State
Shyheem (Shocky) Jacques-Louis WR Fort Myers Dunbar Florida Tennessee
Jahan Dotson WR Hightstown The Peddie School New Jersey Penn State I think he is overrated. But we wanted him
Chris Olave WR San Marcos Mission Hills California Ohio State the kid dropped u back in December and went to, of course, Ohio State
Kyle Philips WR San Marcos California UCLA
Luke Ford TE Carterville Illinois Georgia
William Barnes OL ApopkaFlorida North Carolina
Jayson Oweh DL Blairstown Blair Academy New Jersey Penn State Michigan-type student-athlete. We offered too late in the process andcould never catch up with Penn State and Ohio State
Taron Vincent DL Bradenton IMG Academy Florida Ohio State Used to play for Poggi at Gilman. At least we got Spanellis.
Ronnie Perkins DL St. Louis University CityMissouri Oklahoma Those St. Louis linemen are headed to Oklahoma
Rick Sandidge DL Concord North Carolina Has a great Michigan unofficial and for a time there was confidence here. But South Carolina pull was always tough to beat
Alim McNeill DL Raleigh Sanderson North Carolina North Carolina State
Michael Thompson DL St. Louis Parkway NorthMissouri Oklahoma Those St. Louis linemen are headed to Oklahoma
Dallas Gant LB Toledo St. John's Jesuit Ohio Ohio State Raw talent but we waited way too long to offer. Very poor in recruiting Ohio past couple of years, something current staff is well aware of
Ovie Oghoufo LB Farmington Hills Harrison Michigan Notre Dame Cousin of Ojemudia who committed early to ND
Isaac Taylor-Stuart DB La Mesa Helix California Early on we were mentioned prominently among his faves. 2017 seasonn hurt here
Talanoa Hufanga DB Corvallis Crescent Valley OregonUSC Always a tough pull from the west
Olaijah Griffin DB Mission Viejo California USC For a split second there he was going to visit Ann Arbor
Julius Irvin DB Anaheim Servite California Washington
Jamien Sherwood DB Jensen Beach Florida Auburn
We Cooled On
Artur Sitkowski QB Bradenton IMG Academy Florida Rutgers
Allan Walters QB Hightstown The Peddie School New Jersey Vanderbilt
Dillon Spalding WR Lorton South County VirginiaWest Virginia
Marquan McCall OL Oak Park Michigan Kentucky Another Plan B type who we may have come back to if not for Early Signing Period
Daniel Faalele OL Bradenton IMG Academy Australia Minnesota Huge but raw. May have been a mistake to not go after him. Early Signing Period hurt here
James Ohonba OL Stockbridge Woodland GeorgiaMichigan State
Jerome Carvin OL Cordova Tennessee Tennessee
Curtis Dunlap Jr. OL Bradenton IMG Academy Florida Minnesota Huge but raw
Antwan (A.J.) Reed OL Saginaw Michigan WMU Former PSU verbal. Academic an issue here
Dorian Hardy DL Montvale St. Joseph Regional New Jersey East Carolina Character issues led to his being dropped by Penn State
Nikolas BonittoLB Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas Florida Oklahoma Raw but great talent who favored Michigan early. For some reason we were never hot on him. Mistake?
Brian Asamoah Jr. LB Columbus St. Francis de Sales Ohio Oklahoma Talented ILB but a bit short as per measurables michigan likes to see
Jacquez Jones LB Northport Tuscaloosa County Alabama Mississippi
Kolin Demens LB Beverly Hills Detroit Country Day Michigan UCLA
Kalon Gervin DB Detroit Cass Tech Michigan Michigan State Top-rated prospect in state per some just didn't have length Michigan is looking for
James Graham DB Fitzgerald GeorgiaGeorgia Tech
A few comments:
Head-to-Head Battles
Ohio State (0-8):
Wins: None
Losses: Jeremy Ruckert, Nick Petit-Frere, Tyler Friday, Kamryn Babb, L’Christian Smith, Taron Vincent, Chris Olave, Dallas Gant
Notre Dame (1-7):
Wins: Cameron McGrone
Losses: Tommy Tremble, Jarrett Patterson, Jayson Ademilola, Justin Ademilola, Shayne Simon, Markese Stepp, Ovie Oghoufo
Penn State (0-2):
Wins: None
Losses: Jahan Dotson, Jayson Oweh
Georgia (1-3):
Wins: Myles Sims
Losses: Otis Reese, Christopher Smith, Luke Ford
Alabama (0-2):
Wins: None
Losses: Emil Ekiyor, Eyabi Enoma, Joshua Jobe
Late season Recruiting Dive
Another thing that is clear is that as the season started to head south, so did our recruiting. We did not land a Rivals four star prospect after Mustapha Muhammad committed on October 20 (Just before the Penn State loss when our only loss was in the monsoon against MSU). Here are the commitments we landed after Muhammad:
Hassan Haskins (3 stars): October 29, 2017
Taylor Upshaw (3 stars): Late November 2017
Ben Van Sumeren (3 stars): December 17, 2017
Ronnie Bell (2 stars): December 18, 2018
Julius Welschof (3 stars): December 20, 2017
Vincent Gray (3 stars): January 21, 2018
Michael Barrett (3 stars): January, 2018
Moreover, four star Emil Ekiyor flipped to Alabama on October 29 and four star Otis Reese flipped on Signing Day. So, net/net we signed TWO FEWER four star prospects than we had committed before the Penn State loss.
Of course, there was positive news in December with the transfer of super QB Shea Patterson to Michigan. His transfer alone more than makes up for losing a couple of young four stars, but one can argue that one of the reasons he transferred to Michigan was because of our poor play in 2017, especially at QB.
The Class of 2018 from a historic perspective
I much prefer talking about how incoming classes rank among the great Michigan classes of the past. However, given how this recruiting season played out we need to see where this class compares to some of the weaker classes over the past forty years.
Lets start with the 1983 signing class. Michigan finished second or third on numerous prospects in this class and took a lot of second-tier in-state plan B and C prospects. The class was fairly large though and included prep all-americans from Florida in Glenn Mogle and Dwayne Freeman who did not pan out. Another all-american from Florida, Gerald White, had a solid career. The two QBs in the class, Russ Rein and Chris Zurbrugg, were ineffective in replacing an injured Jim Harbaugh. Among the top players in the class, when all was said and done, were Long Island OT John Elliott, Ohio DB Garland Rivers. The class was 25+ so numbers helped more than in 2018 and this class looks to be superior to our 2018 prospects.
The 1999 signing class was the year after we won the national title and seemingly finished second of third for virtually every blue-chiper out there, including Travis Johnson, who infamously went to bed a Wolverine and woke up a Seminole. Not a very top heavy class. Tony Pape was a consensus all-american at OT. Some decent players in the class, such as Jeremy LeSeuer, John Navare, B.J. Askew, Norm Heuer, Shantee Orr, Dave Pearson, Ron Bellamy, Grant Bowman, Charles Drake, Carl Diggs. The class produces 13 players who started regularly out of 24 signees, a pretty good hit ratio. Most of those kids, however, were not NFL caliber as there were only two third round picks and three seventh round picks in the class. Ther 2018 class will not be nearly as deep as this class but could end up being stronger on top.
The RichRod years:
2008 Class: 24 signees, ranked 10 in the nation
https://michigan.rivals.com/commitments/football/2008
Much more highly ranked than our current class. The top-rated kids (6.0 rating) though (Dann O’Neill, Darryl Stonum, Boubacar Cissiko) and the 5.9 rated kids were mostly busts.
Class of 2009: 22 signees, ranked 8 in the nation
https://michigan.rivals.com/commitments/football/2009
Much more highly ranked than our current class. About a 50% hit rate on 4our star plus kids (Denard, Craig Roh, Schofield, Gallon, Toussaint panned out, others mainly did not).
Class of 2010
The absolute worst class in modern Michigan recruiting history. Amazing in that it was also one of the largest, with 27 signees. Even with that large number the class was only ranked 20 in the nation. The class had only 6 four stars (Demar Dorsey, Richard Ash, Culen Christian, Ken Wilkins, Marvin Robinson, Devin Gardner), of whom only one panned out (Gardner). In fact, perusing the entire signing list, other than Gardner the only other kids to make major long-term contributions among the 27 were Jake Ryan, Wil Hagerup, Courtney Avery, and Drew Dileo. That’s it five kids out of the 27 signed. The 2018 class will most certainly outperform this abysmal class.
https://michigan.rivals.com/commitments/football/2010
Class of 2011
The RichRod to Hoke transition class had 20 verbals and was ranked just 21 in the nation. This class actually seems to be closest in terms of numbers and talent to the 2018 class. Only six four stars (Chris Barnett, Chris Bryant, Raymon Taylor, Blake Countess, Justice Hayes, Brennen Beyer). The two big-ime talents in the class wound up being three-stars Frank Clark and Thomas Rawls (albeit it not at Michigan).
https://michigan.rivals.com/commitments/football/2011
Class of 2014
This was a very small class and comprised our current fourth year seniors. Just 16 players signed and the team was ranked just 31, our lowest Rivals ranking up to that point. This despite signing all-everything five star Jabrill Peppers. Four stars had mixed results. Maso Cole and Chase Winovich have stood out. The others have not. One of the reasons why the 2017 season was a difficult one for the Wolverines. Frankly, the 2018 class could be even worse.
https://michigan.rivals.com/commitments/football/2014
Class of 2015
The Hoke to Harbaigh transition class. A puny 14 signees resulted in an all-time low Rivals ranking of 49 (not a typo). About 7-8 early Hoke verbals, including the likes of Mike Weber, Damien Harris, George Campbell, Shawn Crawford, the DT who went to NC State and the LB who went to Tennessee ended up decommitting. Of the six four stars Gentry and Kinnel were major players this year. Newsome was injured. Karan Higdon and Grant Perry are the best of the sub-four stars. Another huge reason why 2017 was so bad. The class of 2018 should be better than this class, not because it is much more top-heavy but because, because it is not, but because it is larger in numbers (19 compared to just 14).
https://michigan.rivals.com/commitments/football/2015
The ones who got away and those that we dropped. There are many other kids that we offered who I have not included in the below list. I have only included kids where at one point it seemed as though there was strong mutual interest and where we were among the prospect’s final handful of schools.
The Decommitments
Leonard Taylor DL/TE Springfield Ohio Two-way prospect who was a bit overrated but still a solid player. Monster senior season as a TE
Jalil Irvin OL Stone Mountain Stephenson GeorgiaAuburnSolid OG prospect originally from Michigan. Could have used him when all was said and done although his decommitment hardly caused a blip
Antwuan Johnson LB Dayton DunbarOhio Bowling Green Was overrated when he committed to Michigan and Partridge was never really a fan
Emil Ekiyor OL Indianapolis Cathedral IndianaAlabama Major loss when he flipped to Alabama
Kevin Doyle QB Washington St. John's D.C. Did not want to prep a year before entering U-M
Otis Reese DB Leesburg Lee County GeorgiaGeorgiaSigning Day flip to Georgia puts an exclamation point to perhapss Michigan's worst finish in 40+ years
Second/Third Place
Dorian Thompson-Robinson QB Las Vegas Bishop Gorman NevadaUCLA Dual-threat QB and mom an alum. Could also play WR
Tyler Shough QB Chandler Hamilton ArizonaOregonEarly on he looked U-M-bound but he wants to play soon. Flipped to Oregon from UNC
Ja'Marr Chase WR Metairie Archbishop Rummel Louisiana Staff was confident on him a few weeks ago. Then not so much
Jeremy RuckertTE Lindenhurst New York Ohio State Huge loss to Ohio State. A kid from Long Island who plays TE. Type of kid who would have gone to Michigan years ago
Will Mallory TE Jacksonville ProvidenceFlorida Miami Son of former Harbaugh teamate Mike Mallory. Surprised all my choosing Miami early on. Perplexing. Is there bad blood between Mallory and Harbaugh?
Brevin Jordan TE Las Vegas Bishop Gorman NevadaMiami Yep, Miami beat us out on two talented Tes
Tommy Tremble TE Johns Creek GeorgiaNotre Dame Lost him to ND despite staff feeling very confident about him a few days before committing. Promptly offered Van Sumeren in his stead
Nick Petit-FrereOL Tampa Berkeley Prep Florida Ohio State We were never the leader, but we practiced at his school, have a huge need for an OT, and the kid is Warde Manuel and Grant Newsome-like when it comes to character/academics. And he chose Ohio State??!!
Jarrett Patterson OL Mission Viejo California Notre Dame Notre Dame swooped in late to beat out UCLA for him. A few weeks ago we were reportedly his leader over UCLA and the staff felt confident
Jalen Goss OL Valdosta Lowndes GeorgiaFlorida State Teammate of Barrett. We may have liked him even more but we never were the leader. Grey Frey poached him to FSU. Just his team. Long, lean and athletic. Hurts a bit after losing out on JP and NPF
Verdis Brown OL Bradenton IMG Academy Florida Illinois Reportedly favored Michigan at one point but we felt we had bigger fish to fry. Would have been one to go after late as a Plan B if not for early signing period.
Eyabi Anoma DL Baltimore St. Frances Academy Maryland Alabama Possibly the best talent to emerge from a Henry Poggi program ever and he is headed to Alabama. Of course.
Jayson Ademilola DL Jersey City St. Peter's Prep New Jersey Notre Dame Twin brothers favored U-M very early in the process but high school staff was very much pro-ND and they were ofgf the board early
Tyler Friday DL Ramsey Don Bosco Prep New Jersey Ohio State Another blue-chipper where Ohio State swooped in late despite Michigan being the rumored leader for a long time
Shayne Simon DB Jersey City St. Peter's Prep New Jersey Notre Dame Mom attended U-M but another head-to-head lost to ND (high school staff very pro-ND)
Justin Ademilola LB Jersey City St. Peter's Prep New Jersey Notre Dame Twin brothers favored U-M very early in the process but high school staff was very much pro-ND and they were ofgf the board early
David Reese LB Vero Beach Florida Florida Long OLB who was heavily considering us but was a tough pull from Florida
Joshua Jobe DB Cheshire Academy Connecticut Alabama Both Alabama and Michigan were confident that they could flip him from Miami. Alabama won out.
Bryan Addison DB Gardena Serra California UCLA Tall and rangy safety who was always going to be a tough pull from California
Christopher Smith DB Atlanta Hapeville Charter Georgia GeorgiaClose to Myles Sims. Reportedly leading early but he committed pretty early to Georgia
Top Handful
Treshaun Harrison RB Seattle GarfieldWashington Oregon
T.J. Pledger RB Bradenton IMG Academy Florida Oklahoma Michigan was involved with him early, I mean back when Wheatley was still coaching at U-M
Markese Stepp RB Indianapolis Cathedral IndianaNotre Dame Same program as Ekiyor and we would have had a chance if we offered earlier
Amon-Ra St. Brown WR Santa Ana Mater Dei California USC Blue-chipper who visited but was always a longshot
Kamryn Babb WR St. Louis Christian Brothers Missouri Ohio State A kid we really liked. He kust liked Ohio State a lot more
L’Christian Smith WR Huber Heights Wayne Ohio Ohio State
Shyheem (Shocky) Jacques-Louis WR Fort Myers Dunbar Florida Tennessee
Jahan Dotson WR Hightstown The Peddie School New Jersey Penn State I think he is overrated. But we wanted him
Chris Olave WR San Marcos Mission Hills California Ohio State the kid dropped u back in December and went to, of course, Ohio State
Kyle Philips WR San Marcos California UCLA
Luke Ford TE Carterville Illinois Georgia
William Barnes OL ApopkaFlorida North Carolina
Jayson Oweh DL Blairstown Blair Academy New Jersey Penn State Michigan-type student-athlete. We offered too late in the process andcould never catch up with Penn State and Ohio State
Taron Vincent DL Bradenton IMG Academy Florida Ohio State Used to play for Poggi at Gilman. At least we got Spanellis.
Ronnie Perkins DL St. Louis University CityMissouri Oklahoma Those St. Louis linemen are headed to Oklahoma
Rick Sandidge DL Concord North Carolina Has a great Michigan unofficial and for a time there was confidence here. But South Carolina pull was always tough to beat
Alim McNeill DL Raleigh Sanderson North Carolina North Carolina State
Michael Thompson DL St. Louis Parkway NorthMissouri Oklahoma Those St. Louis linemen are headed to Oklahoma
Dallas Gant LB Toledo St. John's Jesuit Ohio Ohio State Raw talent but we waited way too long to offer. Very poor in recruiting Ohio past couple of years, something current staff is well aware of
Ovie Oghoufo LB Farmington Hills Harrison Michigan Notre Dame Cousin of Ojemudia who committed early to ND
Isaac Taylor-Stuart DB La Mesa Helix California Early on we were mentioned prominently among his faves. 2017 seasonn hurt here
Talanoa Hufanga DB Corvallis Crescent Valley OregonUSC Always a tough pull from the west
Olaijah Griffin DB Mission Viejo California USC For a split second there he was going to visit Ann Arbor
Julius Irvin DB Anaheim Servite California Washington
Jamien Sherwood DB Jensen Beach Florida Auburn
We Cooled On
Artur Sitkowski QB Bradenton IMG Academy Florida Rutgers
Allan Walters QB Hightstown The Peddie School New Jersey Vanderbilt
Dillon Spalding WR Lorton South County VirginiaWest Virginia
Marquan McCall OL Oak Park Michigan Kentucky Another Plan B type who we may have come back to if not for Early Signing Period
Daniel Faalele OL Bradenton IMG Academy Australia Minnesota Huge but raw. May have been a mistake to not go after him. Early Signing Period hurt here
James Ohonba OL Stockbridge Woodland GeorgiaMichigan State
Jerome Carvin OL Cordova Tennessee Tennessee
Curtis Dunlap Jr. OL Bradenton IMG Academy Florida Minnesota Huge but raw
Antwan (A.J.) Reed OL Saginaw Michigan WMU Former PSU verbal. Academic an issue here
Dorian Hardy DL Montvale St. Joseph Regional New Jersey East Carolina Character issues led to his being dropped by Penn State
Nikolas BonittoLB Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas Florida Oklahoma Raw but great talent who favored Michigan early. For some reason we were never hot on him. Mistake?
Brian Asamoah Jr. LB Columbus St. Francis de Sales Ohio Oklahoma Talented ILB but a bit short as per measurables michigan likes to see
Jacquez Jones LB Northport Tuscaloosa County Alabama Mississippi
Kolin Demens LB Beverly Hills Detroit Country Day Michigan UCLA
Kalon Gervin DB Detroit Cass Tech Michigan Michigan State Top-rated prospect in state per some just didn't have length Michigan is looking for
James Graham DB Fitzgerald GeorgiaGeorgia Tech
A few comments:
Head-to-Head Battles
Ohio State (0-8):
Wins: None
Losses: Jeremy Ruckert, Nick Petit-Frere, Tyler Friday, Kamryn Babb, L’Christian Smith, Taron Vincent, Chris Olave, Dallas Gant
Notre Dame (1-7):
Wins: Cameron McGrone
Losses: Tommy Tremble, Jarrett Patterson, Jayson Ademilola, Justin Ademilola, Shayne Simon, Markese Stepp, Ovie Oghoufo
Penn State (0-2):
Wins: None
Losses: Jahan Dotson, Jayson Oweh
Georgia (1-3):
Wins: Myles Sims
Losses: Otis Reese, Christopher Smith, Luke Ford
Alabama (0-2):
Wins: None
Losses: Emil Ekiyor, Eyabi Enoma, Joshua Jobe
Late season Recruiting Dive
Another thing that is clear is that as the season started to head south, so did our recruiting. We did not land a Rivals four star prospect after Mustapha Muhammad committed on October 20 (Just before the Penn State loss when our only loss was in the monsoon against MSU). Here are the commitments we landed after Muhammad:
Hassan Haskins (3 stars): October 29, 2017
Taylor Upshaw (3 stars): Late November 2017
Ben Van Sumeren (3 stars): December 17, 2017
Ronnie Bell (2 stars): December 18, 2018
Julius Welschof (3 stars): December 20, 2017
Vincent Gray (3 stars): January 21, 2018
Michael Barrett (3 stars): January, 2018
Moreover, four star Emil Ekiyor flipped to Alabama on October 29 and four star Otis Reese flipped on Signing Day. So, net/net we signed TWO FEWER four star prospects than we had committed before the Penn State loss.
Of course, there was positive news in December with the transfer of super QB Shea Patterson to Michigan. His transfer alone more than makes up for losing a couple of young four stars, but one can argue that one of the reasons he transferred to Michigan was because of our poor play in 2017, especially at QB.
The Class of 2018 from a historic perspective
I much prefer talking about how incoming classes rank among the great Michigan classes of the past. However, given how this recruiting season played out we need to see where this class compares to some of the weaker classes over the past forty years.
Lets start with the 1983 signing class. Michigan finished second or third on numerous prospects in this class and took a lot of second-tier in-state plan B and C prospects. The class was fairly large though and included prep all-americans from Florida in Glenn Mogle and Dwayne Freeman who did not pan out. Another all-american from Florida, Gerald White, had a solid career. The two QBs in the class, Russ Rein and Chris Zurbrugg, were ineffective in replacing an injured Jim Harbaugh. Among the top players in the class, when all was said and done, were Long Island OT John Elliott, Ohio DB Garland Rivers. The class was 25+ so numbers helped more than in 2018 and this class looks to be superior to our 2018 prospects.
The 1999 signing class was the year after we won the national title and seemingly finished second of third for virtually every blue-chiper out there, including Travis Johnson, who infamously went to bed a Wolverine and woke up a Seminole. Not a very top heavy class. Tony Pape was a consensus all-american at OT. Some decent players in the class, such as Jeremy LeSeuer, John Navare, B.J. Askew, Norm Heuer, Shantee Orr, Dave Pearson, Ron Bellamy, Grant Bowman, Charles Drake, Carl Diggs. The class produces 13 players who started regularly out of 24 signees, a pretty good hit ratio. Most of those kids, however, were not NFL caliber as there were only two third round picks and three seventh round picks in the class. Ther 2018 class will not be nearly as deep as this class but could end up being stronger on top.
The RichRod years:
2008 Class: 24 signees, ranked 10 in the nation
https://michigan.rivals.com/commitments/football/2008
Much more highly ranked than our current class. The top-rated kids (6.0 rating) though (Dann O’Neill, Darryl Stonum, Boubacar Cissiko) and the 5.9 rated kids were mostly busts.
Class of 2009: 22 signees, ranked 8 in the nation
https://michigan.rivals.com/commitments/football/2009
Much more highly ranked than our current class. About a 50% hit rate on 4our star plus kids (Denard, Craig Roh, Schofield, Gallon, Toussaint panned out, others mainly did not).
Class of 2010
The absolute worst class in modern Michigan recruiting history. Amazing in that it was also one of the largest, with 27 signees. Even with that large number the class was only ranked 20 in the nation. The class had only 6 four stars (Demar Dorsey, Richard Ash, Culen Christian, Ken Wilkins, Marvin Robinson, Devin Gardner), of whom only one panned out (Gardner). In fact, perusing the entire signing list, other than Gardner the only other kids to make major long-term contributions among the 27 were Jake Ryan, Wil Hagerup, Courtney Avery, and Drew Dileo. That’s it five kids out of the 27 signed. The 2018 class will most certainly outperform this abysmal class.
https://michigan.rivals.com/commitments/football/2010
Class of 2011
The RichRod to Hoke transition class had 20 verbals and was ranked just 21 in the nation. This class actually seems to be closest in terms of numbers and talent to the 2018 class. Only six four stars (Chris Barnett, Chris Bryant, Raymon Taylor, Blake Countess, Justice Hayes, Brennen Beyer). The two big-ime talents in the class wound up being three-stars Frank Clark and Thomas Rawls (albeit it not at Michigan).
https://michigan.rivals.com/commitments/football/2011
Class of 2014
This was a very small class and comprised our current fourth year seniors. Just 16 players signed and the team was ranked just 31, our lowest Rivals ranking up to that point. This despite signing all-everything five star Jabrill Peppers. Four stars had mixed results. Maso Cole and Chase Winovich have stood out. The others have not. One of the reasons why the 2017 season was a difficult one for the Wolverines. Frankly, the 2018 class could be even worse.
https://michigan.rivals.com/commitments/football/2014
Class of 2015
The Hoke to Harbaigh transition class. A puny 14 signees resulted in an all-time low Rivals ranking of 49 (not a typo). About 7-8 early Hoke verbals, including the likes of Mike Weber, Damien Harris, George Campbell, Shawn Crawford, the DT who went to NC State and the LB who went to Tennessee ended up decommitting. Of the six four stars Gentry and Kinnel were major players this year. Newsome was injured. Karan Higdon and Grant Perry are the best of the sub-four stars. Another huge reason why 2017 was so bad. The class of 2018 should be better than this class, not because it is much more top-heavy but because, because it is not, but because it is larger in numbers (19 compared to just 14).
https://michigan.rivals.com/commitments/football/2015
