Grading the recruiting class
Overall I feel like this is a solid B+ class, which is remarkable given the circumstances of last season. Here are my grades, let me know if you agree or disagree with them. Also of note, my grades are partially based on need and the depth chart at that position.
QB: B-
*We are not Ohio State or Alabama so we do not stack five stars on top of each other. But I think that given the depth chart of McCarthy and McNamara starting for the next 2 to 3 seasons this was a pretty solid class. We got two guys with upside who can potentially provide some depth or starting down the road. Getting an elite QB next year is a must.
RB: C+
*Similar situation here. Stokes is a decent enough prospect but we have Edwards who is going to be a sophomore and Dunlap who will be coming off a redshirt season. Did not really need an immediate impact guy this year. Next year we will need to land a top running back.
WR: A
*Obviously a great class. Clemons could be Nico Collins but fast. Morris might have been a top 50 player if not for an injury. And Walker definitely has a high upside.
TE: A-
*Harbaugh loves tight ends and we got two of them with a lot of talent. Both seem to be in the mold of guys who can run and make plays in the passing game as opposed to just blockers.
OL: B+
*Given the number of young OL on the roster, I think three was the right number. And getting three tackles was equally important. I will count Gentry in this class and he moved the grade up a full grade. Getting Connerly would make it an A, but that is doubtful.
DT: B+
*I’m actually not too disappointed by missing out on Walker. We got Rooks and Benny last year and this year got two guys with huge potential no pun intended. For once it looks like we will have great depth at this position for the foreseeable future.
DE/Edge: B-
Would have been an A if we kept Burke and Henry assuming he does not sign with us. Getting Moore was huge and we are hoping Pollard turns into a Uche type, but we seem to be missing a natural pass rusher. Will definitely need to address that next season if we are unable to get anyone by February.
LB: B
*Rolder seems like the classic Big Ten thumper who will be an all conference guy by the time he’s an upperclassman. Spurlock is a guy with a lot of speed and athleticism that was very underrated. Sabb could end up here also.
Secondary: A
*I’m going to group them all together because a lot of these guys are versatile and could play either corner or safety. This was a haul. Even the lower ranked guys like Dent feel like they could end up being very good.
December 16th, 2021 at 1:12 PM ^
Wow, 3,635 TDs??? That is a lot!
December 16th, 2021 at 1:46 PM ^
Can we get some friend of a cousin on here with the inside scoop on Dante? I'm a little disappointed in MGoBlog's social network here
December 16th, 2021 at 2:03 PM ^
Not what you want, but I do work with the father of ‘23 WR commit Semaj Morgan.
December 16th, 2021 at 4:07 PM ^
Can you confirm whether Michigan has a strong NIL game?
:)
December 16th, 2021 at 5:36 PM ^
I will inquire.
December 16th, 2021 at 11:50 AM ^
Good analysis, OP. I would give class A-, because I am partial to any year we load up on good CBs and Safeties. And this indeed was a haul, led by hometown stud Will Johnson.
Go Blue!!!
December 16th, 2021 at 11:58 AM ^
Worthwhile topic. One of the challenges to how this class factors into need is not knowing how the other two opportunities to bolster the roster, the transfer portal and the February signing period.
If for instance we get Oluwatimi, the Rimington finalist center from UVA, I think that would bump the o-line up to an A.
December 16th, 2021 at 12:07 PM ^
I don't follow HS athletes a ton, but I will say I constantly saw CJ Stokes' name on my Twitter feed this fall for various things he was doing. So I'm weirdly excited about him even though he's only a 3 star in the rankings.
December 16th, 2021 at 12:17 PM ^
Stokes is really a wildcard.
There doesn’t seem to be a lot of recent film or a ton of info on him.
December 16th, 2021 at 12:35 PM ^
CJ Stokes was pretty emotional at his announcement. I'm rooting for this guy...
If I would scrolled down just a little further I would have seen BuddhaBlue's comment.
Actually the short video I have starts just before his and shows what it means to him.
December 16th, 2021 at 1:30 PM ^
As long as Mike Hart is his position coach, CJ will be fine. He'll improve under Mike Hart as all of the RB under him thus far.
December 16th, 2021 at 1:46 PM ^
CJ Stokes is underrated even for us Michigan fans that are aware of our underrated recruits. Surprised to not hear more enthusiasm about him from Brian and Seth. He reminds me of Karan Higdon in the way he makes his cuts, plus he seems to be a really high character guy. He’s maybe not sleeper of the class in terms of potential upside, but I’ve really taken a liking to his tape and personality.
December 16th, 2021 at 12:20 PM ^
Don't know where to put this and I don't know what path his career will take but after seeing this clip I will be rooting big time for CJ Stokes regardless of recruiting starz. Intensity off the chart.
“Lots of people ask me why you don’t smile more,” said Stokes. “Why do you always look mad? To tell you the truth, I am always mad. I’m always trying to look for a way to do better or be better. That comes with a lot of bad days because I hold myself accountable.
“There’s not really a lot to smile about yet…my goals expand way further than just walking in the doors of college. I will let out a big smile when I have a degree in a career that I put my all into, whatever that may be.”
December 16th, 2021 at 12:24 PM ^
lol you beat me to it by 3 minutes. Gotta love this kid
December 16th, 2021 at 12:23 PM ^
Re: running back, you didn't mention Corum... is there speculation he might go pro?
Also, not sure if it was posted in all the posts the past 24 hours, but really liked CJ Stokes' vibe in his announcement speech. Dude is going to get after it.
December 16th, 2021 at 12:37 PM ^
Corum's a true sophomore. He has one more year before he can declare.
December 16th, 2021 at 1:46 PM ^
He might go pro, he might not, but when considering RB in the class, you're not considering the context of classes a couple of years separated. Edwards is relevant because he's a top RB who looks terrific who will probably be here and be excellent for the first two years of whomever is recruited in this class, and there's another class after this that can still get guys that can step in and start producing while Edwards is still here.
It's not an analysis of the whole roster, just acknowledging that if there's a guy in the previous year who looks likely to lock down a position, you don't necessarily prioritize a top-flight guy in the very next class.
Similar story with QB: Harbaugh takes a QB every year, but unless you're Bama or OSU or Georgia, you're not going to take a top 5* guy right after getting a top 5* guy. That's not just to defer to McCarthy; it's a good use of resources. Note the "Speight or Navarre" comparisons on the board--the ideal scenario is a program guy who learns the system and sticks around for a while, whose path to contributing involves patience and hard work and weird stuff happening elsewhere. That's a good player to have.
December 16th, 2021 at 12:33 PM ^
The more important thing is that this class, in the last 3 weeks, has gone from sub-par to above-par. We took advantage of our recent success. Had we not done that, the opportunity cost would have been substantial.
December 16th, 2021 at 12:39 PM ^
Yeah, I read somewhere that you usually see the impact of a good season in the next year's recruiting class. That OSU game really made an impact. Not only did the way we beat OSU help us, but I think the atmosphere (ie. fans) helped sell the kids on what it would be like to play in that stadium.
December 16th, 2021 at 12:36 PM ^
I have uber-faith in Harbaugh and staff’s ability to identify and develop underrated talent in the 3ish star range given the past success and NFL draft stock of several of the guys he found that didn’t have hardly any P5 offers. Of course the 4 and 5 star kind of guys will get their time as well and perform, but they will be feeling the heat from some the lesser recruited guys behind them, building depth and competition for starting spots on the roster. I feel like this is an outstanding class. Harbaugh just loves football players man, and usually smart ones at that.
December 16th, 2021 at 12:50 PM ^
Nice job and solid analysis. I agree with most of those. A few slight deviations for me.
Overall class: Agree with a solid B+ class, could be a B if we are greedy. Lack of elite recruits but I suspect some guys are underrated and will fit well.
QB: B+. I went just a bit higher. Not an elite guy (which you need for an A) but I think we got 2 solid guys with decent upsides that will stick around, which sometimes is what you need with one starter and one 5 star already on the roster.
RB: C. I like Stokes but at best this is an average RB class.
WR: A Agree this was a great class that far exceeded my expectations particularly with many established players returning. For me, the best surprise of this class.
TE: B+ Two good ones, but this is about what I expected.
OL: B+ Agree if you consider Gentry.
DT: B+ Agree although I really would have liked to get Walker.
DE/Edge: B Assuming we are listing Moore here. I think our other guys are underrated here.
LB: B Agree for the reasons you mentioned.
Secondary: A I almost want to call this an A+ but I guess we missed out on Jackson so I agree with a solid A.
December 16th, 2021 at 12:53 PM ^
I give the class an Incomplete because it awaits final decisions, the OP a B- until he presents a finished product, and the posters grades from A-F based on response quality, heavily weighted for content over style. Have your people contact my people for individual grades.
December 16th, 2021 at 12:53 PM ^
RB and DE are the most disappointing spots for this class which is weird. I understand that people are gonna talk about how recruiting is a lagging indicator and recruiting is about relationships blah blah blah, but with Corum/Haskins and Hutchinson/Ojabo it blows my mind how RBs and DEs weren't absolutely knocking on our door to play for us to where we ended up with likely only a 3* RB and DE/DT tweener (to clarify, I think Moore is a great pick up, but the lack of a pure Hutchinson-framed edge guy is disappointing)
December 16th, 2021 at 1:05 PM ^
I’d agree with you on the DEs, but not for RB. You have an entrenched starter in Corum and emerging superstar in Edwards, and back they like a lot in Dunlap. Mike Hart ID’d Stokes as one of his top 3 backs right away. I think he underrated and has a real chip on his shoulder. Michigan hasn’t reached Bama levels of success to stack 5*s just yet, so if you are looking for chance to see the field early, true sophomore Corum and true freshman Edwards is a bit daunting. I think it’s pretty understandable in that case.
December 16th, 2021 at 12:59 PM ^
Its funny how this class is very similar to last year's class with almost identical average recruit rating around 89, but the perception is this is a way better class. Thankfully they were able to close strong because this class was really lacking in high end talent as of a few weeks ago.
I'd give the class an overall grade of a B. It is a decent class that filled some needs, but it is still a LONG ways off from the elite talent that the top 5 programs are getting every year. In fact, if you sorted the rankings by average score, we would barely be in the top 20.
So while, it is a solid class, the staff needs to do a much better job getting high end talent if we want to do better than beating OSU once every 7 years.
December 16th, 2021 at 1:11 PM ^
Seems to be about...say...#9 in the country.
Snark aside, I agree with OP that this class is a pleasant surprise after the big backslide from the 2020 season. But that's what winning gets you, it cures a lot of things!
December 16th, 2021 at 1:34 PM ^
What grade would you have given our RB recruiting in 2018, when we landed a sleeper out of Missouri?
December 16th, 2021 at 1:40 PM ^
Collins has speed ran in the 4.4s 40 so you could say a faster Collins.
December 16th, 2021 at 1:48 PM ^
hopefully we can use the portal for a grad transfer to get a pure edge rusher. that would seem to be a pretty easy transition position to a new program.
December 16th, 2021 at 1:52 PM ^
I've chosen not to follow recruiting quite as closely, even though I think it's important, but I've been pleased to see how the staff has closed on this class. I wasn't ever expecting it to be a smash class; a lot of this class was part of a process that stretches back to a pretty miserable season last year, and I think Harbaugh's triumphant defiance of what many, including me expected will take a full year to bear fruit. But fortifying the roster and getting some solid players is important to keep up momentum, and winning some signing day battles is a great step.
I've been very critical of Harbaugh's roster management, but he has shown stuff in the last year. An improvement in organization has been important, and I hope he hires a solid guy to replace Morgan. I still want starz guys, too, but I think this year has been a powerful validation of the principle of getting the "right" guys. And the number of 3-star types that have been developed into top-line contributors has earned a "trust the coaches" attribute that I had previously doubted was deserved.
The performances of Haskins, Bell, Ojabo, Moore, and Anthony (among others) is pretty impressive. You can't build a whole championship team that way, but it seems that you can build important parts of one that way.
December 16th, 2021 at 1:52 PM ^
I'm a bit more down on the QBs and DTs and higher on our RBs and OL recruits.
QB is more like a C or C+. Orji is an intriguing flyer at the QB position but has Joe Milton-like accuracy concerns at this point, and we've seen first-hand the difference a QB makes in the run game, so taking a statue-like QB in Denegal makes little sense as it stands, let alone a pocket passer as unpolished as he is.
RB is more of a B or B+. CJ Stokes could easily be a Higdon/Toussaint level back in my eyes, even if the game-breaking ability isn't quite there.
December 16th, 2021 at 1:54 PM ^
Ignoring the stars.
Do we have a Hassan Haskins in this or next years' class?
Or Ronnie Bell
Or Hutchinson?
December 16th, 2021 at 1:58 PM ^
Here's my take:
QB: Incomplete
Hasn't played a down of college football yet, so probably too soon to grade.
RB: Incomplete
Hasn't played a down of college football yet, so probably too soon to grade.
WR: Incomplete
Hasn't played a down of college football yet, so probably too soon to grade.
TE: Incomplete
Hasn't played a down of college football yet, so probably too soon to grade.
OL: Incomplete
Hasn't played a down of college football yet, so probably too soon to grade.
DT: Incomplete
Hasn't played a down of college football yet, so probably too soon to grade.
DE/Edge: Incomplete
Hasn't played a down of college football yet, so probably too soon to grade.
LB: Incomplete
Hasn't played a down of college football yet, so probably too soon to grade.
Secondary: Incomplete
Hasn't played a down of college football yet, so probably too soon to grade.
December 16th, 2021 at 3:28 PM ^
I would be interested to get your thoughts on the kicker, Samaha…
December 16th, 2021 at 2:08 PM ^
While I completely get the post, gotta wait a few years before putting in a grade to see who develops etc. Too many prior classes looked great but then got completely destroyed by players who never panned out, transferred, etc. That's been Michigan's Achilles' heel.
December 16th, 2021 at 3:16 PM ^
You kind of described OSU's achille heal the last couple of years. While not total disappointments, their 2018 and 2019 classes (Urban classes) had a few that just didn't turn out like their recruiting rankings projected which is why they had to play so many youngsters - especially on defense where I read as many as 14 from their 2-deep were from their loaded 2020 and 2021 classes. Two perfect examples are Zach Harrison and Tyreke Smith - both of whom were all-everything coming out of HS. If I remember correctly, we came real close to pulling Harrison out of Ohio. Neither turned out to be the Bosa-Young type that was forecasted. Honestly, it worked out well considering Harrison would have been backing up Hutch anyways
December 16th, 2021 at 2:29 PM ^
I generally agree with your grades here. Though if we add Connerly, which I'm not expecting but am hoping for, it's an A+ OL group and an A class overall IMO.
December 16th, 2021 at 2:40 PM ^
I prefer to do my grading ex post facto, say 9 months to 1 year from now. These are high school kids - let them get spring and summer practice under their belts and after a few games, then look at how they're doing.
December 17th, 2021 at 2:14 AM ^
By then only the team will matter.
December 16th, 2021 at 3:20 PM ^
Nico was plenty fast...
December 16th, 2021 at 3:44 PM ^
With regards to the running back corps, you're assuming Haskins and Corum are fixing to bail early and enter the draft. If they stick around for another season, then we're loaded.
December 16th, 2021 at 3:52 PM ^
It's an A across the board. We weren't getting an elite qb after mcCarthy.
December 16th, 2021 at 5:14 PM ^
Best secondary class in the nation . Would love to see 2 more DE between now and Feb
December 16th, 2021 at 5:58 PM ^
Interesting post and I enjoyed reading it, but none of this is more than speculation.
We really need to wait and see how it grades out after the kids have some time on the field under their belts.
H2 was a three star. Aidan Hutchinson ranked 189 in recruiting rankings.
In other words, it's not very informed to grade them until these kids develop for a year or two.
December 17th, 2021 at 7:48 AM ^
I'm curious, what freshman do you all think will have an instant impact? Kind of weird question because literally 3+ years ago (and for sure 10+ years ago) we'd all say "slow your role man give him a few years". That ship is sailed. Freshman can kick ass and not only start...but become a predominant player.
Harbaugh and Co are clearly not adverse to having a freshman out there if they are ready. I know some have been critical but it truly seems like a meritocracy to me on this team. So curious who you all see as an instant contributor?
December 17th, 2021 at 4:03 PM ^
I think the OP positional grades are really good across the board. However, I do have a problem with the concept of grading positional groups in recruiting just as a matter of principle. What if Will Johnson were the only defensive back we landed in the entire class? Would we deserve a C+ grade? On the flip side, what if we landed 10 defensive backs with only decent ceilings? Is that an A- group?
For what it's worth, I like looking at how many "filler" players there seem to be (Quintel Kents of the world) and how many players with legit star upside, with positional value taken into account. I obviously wouldn't call out specific recruits in a brand class as looking like fillers but I will just say this is the first class under Jim Harbaugh where it seems like every single prospect has legitimately high upside and thus is someone we should be genuinely excited about taking. Most classes have at least a couple guys who seem to fit this description but not the 2022 class.
I also think at least half of this class has serious Big Ten First Team potential (Johnson, Moore, Sabb, Morris, Clemons, Berry, Loveland, Graham, Orji, Grant, Walker, Gentry, Pollard, Lorenzetti, etc). Very special class, particularly if one of the two quarterbacks rises to the level of starter.