william mohan

Backup safety Hunter Reynolds, who started last year when Brad Hawkins wasn’t available, announced he’ll be looking to use up his eligibility elsewhere.

Forever Go Blue pic.twitter.com/ut4ETarrDK

— Hunter Reynolds (@hunt_xxvii) April 5, 2021

A former walk-on, Reynolds flashed advanced anticipation, though Michigan’s secondary as a whole struggled.

Reynolds was perhaps more beloved around here because of the leadership he took in representing the players’ interests on a national level as the NCAA floundered about its response to the pandemic. He doesn’t have to be at Michigan to continue to have that kind of influence, but it was point of pride for Michigan fans.

[Hit THE JUMP.]

Previously: The Story. Podcast 12.4A, 12.4B, 12.4C. Quarterback. Running Back. Wide Receiver. Tight End. Interior OL. Offensive Tackle. Defensive End. Defensive Tackle.

This is awesome! Just don't look past the starters. The starters are a guy who played at an all-conference level in his second year and a guy who almost played at an all-conference level in his second year. Josh Ross is his brother plus 30 pounds. Cam McGrone is Devin Bush* plus four inches. Josh Ross and Cam McGrone are awesome.

Their backups are true freshmen. DO NOT GET COVID.

*[-ish!]

INSIDE LINEBACKER

RATING: 4

balki-ass dancing is a bonus [Patrick Barron]

It was weird watching CAM MCGRONE [recruiting profile] emerge into Michigan's starting middle linebacker midseason. He was supposed to be Devin Bush, and he was a lot like Devin Bush except for one thing. He made mistakes. This isn't a McGrone problem. He was a redshirt freshman tossed into the most complicated spot on defense. It is a people looking at Cam McGrone problem: our expectations have been so warped by Bush that even a guy who did stuff like this in year two…

…gets an owlish glance because he also did stuff like this:

MLB #44

This happened for a few games and then largely stopped. Giddyup.

[After THE JUMP: also there are vipers]

Last year I did a What I Learned post about the 2019 class after that set of recruiting profiles was completed; now that 2020 is done let's reprise. I've gone over every scrap of information and highlight video; I've even scouted a couple full games when information on a prospect was frustratingly thin, or used Adam and Dave's Future Blue Originals/Derivatives.

These are my takeaways.

It's a B+ class

There's a lot of consternation about the lack of truly top-end prospects in this class, and it's understandable. It's nice to have guys like Rashan Gary and Jabrill Peppers around. This class does not have a single composite top 100 prospect. 2019 had 3, including two five stars; 2021 has 3, including a five star. I don't think it says a whole lot other than it was a weird year.

On the other hand, there are almost literally no fliers. If JD Johnson had not been forced to retire, thus paving the way for Dan Villari to get a Signing Day offer, the lowest-ranked guy in the class would be #513 Kris Jenkins. That's just outside the 3.5* range we use to designate players who are high three stars pursued by a large number of mid-to-upper-level P5 teams.

The previous class, which ranked first amongst Big Ten teams, had seven guys ranked lower than Jenkins. Five of them were below 750th. The 2021 class also has some deep cuts. So while the 2020 class doesn't have much of a top end it is uncommonly deep.

This is something I said on Signing Day. Doing the profiles reinforced that take because various guys in the back half of the class jumped out as good bets. Jeffrey Persi is a Greg Frey tackle. Cornell Wheeler has Ron Bellamy travelling the state to yell at people about how good he is. Matt Hibner's composite ranking is held back by ESPN and Rivals, who missed his incredible fitness montage. Roman Wilson… yes, he is in the back half of this class. I know.

This isn't a class that's going to shift the paradigm against Ohio State but what does that even look like? If we judge it by the standards of other recent Michigan classes it's solid.

[After the JUMP: stocks up, down, and shruggie sections]