2002 8
2003 11
2004 14
2005 10
2006 9
2007 7
2008 14
2009 14
2010 7
2011 4
2012 16
2013 18
2014 10
2015 6
2016 13
2017 21
2018 7
2019 17
2020 15
2021 12
2022 10
2023 4
2024 12 and counting with only about 60% of the class full...
Mean: 12
Median: 10
Highest: 21 (2017), 18 (2013)
Lowest: 4 (2011 and 2023)
*Data is from the composite rankings
Notes:
This class will be, at worst, our second best in terms of highly rated talent, and could potentially reach that 2017 benchmark of 21.
It's not a coincidence that the first time we hit double-digits four years in a row (2019-2022)... we're going into the following season as national championship contenders.
The 2017 class had a good number of good outcomes, but also came to Michigan at a time when Don Brown was about to be figured out and Harbaugh was struggling to maintain the culture. DPJ, Collins, Ruiz and Ambry Thomas were all 3 & done. Black was an attitude problem and left, while Hudson & St-Juste made the NFL from other schools. None of the hyphenated names (Irving-Bey, Malone-Hatcher, Kelly-Powell) worked out. Nor did that class' QB (McCaffrey) or the class' second 5* (Solomon). But 3 of this class (Ross, Hawkins, Stueber) were starters as 5th-years on the 2021 B1G champs, along with Robbins, while Jeter and Honigford played roles. Also, this was a HUGE class (30)... and 16 of them ultimately made it to the portal, which speaks to the the link between attrition and program health/stability. The program gradually destabilized in 2018/19 and then wasn't built to deal with the 2020 COVID year, when things bottomed out for a season.
Those soft 2006 and 2007 classes as Carr was gliding into retirement really blew back on Rodriguez's 2008 and 2009 teams... then those poor seasons hurt recruiting, which in turn bit the last two years of Hoke on the field.
Hoke's struggles in his third and fourth years (2013 and 2014) were traceable to Rodriguez's calamitous 2010 and 2011 classes. He got off to a good start, but in his last two seasons his upperclassmen simply weren't very talented.
But... that banner 2013 Hoke class were upperclassmen when Harbaugh arrived, and was the backbone of consecutive 10-win seasons. In fact, Harbaugh arrived on the heels of 44 in 3 years, so his early success had a big head start. There was a lot of talent in the cupboard. Hoke continued to recruit well even as things fell apart on the field, which gave Harbaugh the puncher's chance he needed early on.
2003 11
2004 14
2005 10
2006 9
2007 7
2008 14
2009 14
2010 7
2011 4
2012 16
2013 18
2014 10
2015 6
2016 13
2017 21
2018 7
2019 17
2020 15
2021 12
2022 10
2023 4
2024 12 and counting with only about 60% of the class full...
Mean: 12
Median: 10
Highest: 21 (2017), 18 (2013)
Lowest: 4 (2011 and 2023)
*Data is from the composite rankings
Notes:
This class will be, at worst, our second best in terms of highly rated talent, and could potentially reach that 2017 benchmark of 21.
It's not a coincidence that the first time we hit double-digits four years in a row (2019-2022)... we're going into the following season as national championship contenders.
The 2017 class had a good number of good outcomes, but also came to Michigan at a time when Don Brown was about to be figured out and Harbaugh was struggling to maintain the culture. DPJ, Collins, Ruiz and Ambry Thomas were all 3 & done. Black was an attitude problem and left, while Hudson & St-Juste made the NFL from other schools. None of the hyphenated names (Irving-Bey, Malone-Hatcher, Kelly-Powell) worked out. Nor did that class' QB (McCaffrey) or the class' second 5* (Solomon). But 3 of this class (Ross, Hawkins, Stueber) were starters as 5th-years on the 2021 B1G champs, along with Robbins, while Jeter and Honigford played roles. Also, this was a HUGE class (30)... and 16 of them ultimately made it to the portal, which speaks to the the link between attrition and program health/stability. The program gradually destabilized in 2018/19 and then wasn't built to deal with the 2020 COVID year, when things bottomed out for a season.
Those soft 2006 and 2007 classes as Carr was gliding into retirement really blew back on Rodriguez's 2008 and 2009 teams... then those poor seasons hurt recruiting, which in turn bit the last two years of Hoke on the field.
Hoke's struggles in his third and fourth years (2013 and 2014) were traceable to Rodriguez's calamitous 2010 and 2011 classes. He got off to a good start, but in his last two seasons his upperclassmen simply weren't very talented.
But... that banner 2013 Hoke class were upperclassmen when Harbaugh arrived, and was the backbone of consecutive 10-win seasons. In fact, Harbaugh arrived on the heels of 44 in 3 years, so his early success had a big head start. There was a lot of talent in the cupboard. Hoke continued to recruit well even as things fell apart on the field, which gave Harbaugh the puncher's chance he needed early on.
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