FILE - Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) celebrates his touchdown catch against Georgia during the first half of the Peach Bowl NCAA college football semifinal playoff game, Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022, in Atlanta. Ohio State is No. 3 in The Associated Press preseason Top 25 poll released Monday, Aug. 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Danny Karnik, File)
Friday Discussion: How excited are you for the 2024 signing class?
Early National Signing Day came and went earlier this week, but you may not have noticed as Michigan’s recruiting class experienced no drama whatsoever. The same can’t be said for Ohio State, but that’s a whole different story.
According to 247Sports, Michigan’s class finished rated 15th in the country. There is still a chance that the Wolverines could add four-star wide receiver Gatlin Bair in February, but for all intents and purposes, this class is complete. Today’s discussion is simple: how excited are you about this recruiting class?
The class consists of tons of intriguing prospects. Quarterback Jadyn Davis was nearly a five-star earlier on in the recruiting process, but settled around the top 100 nationally. He may not have the flashiest arm in America, but he consistently makes the right reads and decisions. Running back Jordan Marshall may be the crowned jewel of the class; the Ohio Mr. Football chose the Wolverines over his hometown Buckeyes.
Elsewhere, Michigan picked up their top two tight ends on the board in four-stars Hogan Hansen and Brady Prieskorn. At this point, Jim Harbaugh should have no trouble recruiting tight ends due to how he uses them at Michigan. The Wolverines also picked up a virtual starting five on the offensive line, highlighted by four-star tackle Andrew Sprague.
On the defensive side of the ball, Michigan brought in size, size, and more size on the defensive line. The newest commit, Lugard Edokpayi, measures in at a casual 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds as a defensive end. Similarly, at least four commits have the possibility of playing nose tackle depending on how strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert changes their bodies in three-stars Owen Wafle, Ted Hammond, Manuel Beigel, and Deyvid Palepale.
In the back seven, cornerback Jo’Ziah Edmond was barely a three-star when Michigan offered. He has since exploded into a high four-star and the 14th-rated corner in the country. Four-star linebacker Jeremiah Beasley out of Belleville, Michigan was a big recruiting win for the Wolverines as well.
On the negative side of things, the Wolverines did swing and miss quite a bit this cycle. At wide receiver, they had quite a bit of interest in Ryan Wingo (Texas), NiTareon Tuggle (Georgia), and Jordan Shipp (North Carolina) but were unable to land any of them.
Perhaps most painful, Michigan tried their best to swipe the two best cornerbacks out of Ohio in four-stars Bryce West and Aaron Scott. Jim Harbaugh and company were certainly in the mix, especially for Scott, and believed they had a solid shot at landing him. Unfortunately, both stayed true to Ohio State.
In all, Michigan’s class is very solid but not spectacular by any means. However, the Michigan coaching staff deserves the benefit of the doubt when it comes to player evaluation. You could argue that no coaching staff in America identifies talent and develops it better than the Wolverines. Michigan swung for the fences a few times this recruiting cycle and missed. However, the prospects they were able to land have tantalizing intangibles and are oozing with potential.
My personal favorite signees are Andrew Sprague, Blake Frazier, and Owen Wafle. Who are yours? How do you feel about this class as a whole? Are you disappointed that back-to-back-to-back Big Ten Championships only resulted in the 15th best recruiting class? Do you trust the staff entirely at this point given their track record of evaluation and development?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
