osman savage

Michigan's latest four-linebacker class is already down to three.

Story on #Michigan freshman LB Osman Savage entering the NCAA Transfer Portal on Wednesday evening: https://t.co/XVsbXz3t81

— Steve Lorenz (@TremendousUM) October 1, 2020

Osman was one of the earlier pledges to the class in January 2019, the first of what became, for a time, a quadruplex of Michigan commits from Biff Poggi's mega-program in Baltimore. While 3* OG Micah Mazzccua didn't qualify and signed with Baylor, Savage arrived with touted RB teammate Blake Corum, and fellow St. Francis middle linebacker prospect Nikhai Hill-Green. Two more interior LBs, the high-ceilinged Massachusetts LB/RB Kalel Mullings, and high-floored West Bloomfield captain Cornell Wheeler were also in Savage's class.

Things began to look ominous this spring when Hill-Green, the least likely based on his recruiting profile, immediately began to earn high praise from insiders and teammates. Mullings started to pop in fall camp just before the season was postponed, and Wheeler, who was sidelined by injury (or illness?) for a time, was mentioned along with those other two today.

A certain generation is not going to take this well.

Three: linebacker with a nameplate that reads SAVAGE. It's been too long since nameplates like IRONS, STEELE, and GOLD roamed the Michigan defense. SAVAGE is not metallurgical. It is merely awesome.

Others will remember him as "Mosman Savagem." However with some pretty good prospects committed for 2021 and three other classmates now apparently ahead of him, this one's understandable and probably won't leave a mark. It presumably would take a lot more than this to damage Harbaugh's relationship with Poggi and his program.

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Previously: Last year's profiles. S Makari Paige, S RJ Moten, S Jordan Morant, CB Andre Seldon, CB Darion Green-Warren, CB Eamonn Dennis, VP William "Apache" Mohan, LB Nikhai Hill-Green, LB Kalel Mullings, LB Cornell Wheeler.

Osman Savage was an important commit for many reasons. One: he fits Michigan's fast shortish LB profile to a tee.

Two: he was Michigan's first commit from the loaded St. Frances program, which had been an unusually tough nut to crack for Michigan despite being coached by former Michigan TE Henry Poggi's dad Biff. Michigan's had a flood of St. Frances commitments since.

Three: linebacker with a nameplate that reads SAVAGE. It's been too long since nameplates like IRONS, STEELE, and GOLD roamed the Michigan defense. SAVAGE is not metallurgical. It is merely awesome.

[After THE JUMP: no the reason it's awesome is not "Brian is a huge Savage Garden fan"]

We're tracking how recruiting rankings of Michigan's commits move over the course of the recruiting cycle, because it's useful to have a record of this stuff, and because the way the rankings change often tell us more about the player's prospects than the rankings themselves.

Previously: Offense. July 2019 offense. Feb 2019 offense/defense, July 2018

DE Braiden McGregor

Committed: 5/24/2019. Current ☆ average: 4.43 (down from 4.53)

What it means: The huge jump last summer was McGregor getting Discovered at The Opening in late March that coincided with a tour de college football elite: Clemson, FSU, UF, LSU, Bama, PSU, ND, and another visit to Florida. That was a week before that delicious commitment and the subsequent Notre Dame "we never wanted him anyways"-freude. The summer camp circuit led to that 97 from 24/7, which is 5-star territory.

The injury that ended his senior season made sure he wasn't going to stay there, except to ESPN who hasn't redone their rankings. Rivals moved him up before the season (after moving him from OLB) and then dropped him a little after he went down.

The injuries probably won't hurt his long-term potential, but tearing the MCL, PCL, and meniscus is [checks notes] not good, and when sites give out five stars they expect that guy to be an immediate-impact player. He's already off crutches and slated to return for spring ball, for what it's worth. McGregor had some SEC suitors after him earlier this season to rub in the Wisconsin blowout, but they disappeared before he went down.

Outlook: He'll slide down more as the guys who weren't on crutches last month get evaluated and added to the lists, probably ending up in Aidan Hutchinson range.

Comp: While Aidan had the benefit of completing his senior season, there isn't another guy of recent enough vintage to flirt with a five-star after popping out after his junior season. Unless you want to count Tom Strobel.

[After THE JUMP: Risers, and interactive charts]