HTTV Note: The books are done and we're going to have copies in hand by the end of the week. If you backed the kickstarter and want to skip waiting for the mail (which is going to take longer than usual this year), we have socially distanced pickup options at Cultivate in Ypsilanti this Saturday, at Five Shores Brewing in Beulah next Saturday, and after I drive a few boxes out there, at Bryan Fuller's wife's Cheese Lady franchise in Kalamazoo. If you want to get your books there email me and let me know. If your address has changed email me and let me know.

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Are we starting to get desperate for content? Sure. But also I noticed we talk a lot about 3-stars versus 5-stars, when Michigan's classes have historically been filled primarily with standard 4-stars. And by that I mean "just" 4-stars—not top-150 players, and not high 3-stars either. They're the kind of players who would headline a Michigan State class, whom Ohio State would take but not fight too hard for, the constant subjects of Notre Dame-Michigan-Penn State battles with a hometown favorite thrown in.

Previously: Pro Offense/Pro Defense, 1879-Before Bo, 5-Stars, 3-Stars, Extracurriculars, Position-Switchers, Highlights, Numbers Offense/Numbers Defense, In-State, Names, Small Guys, Big Guys, Freshmen

Rules: Lower bound: must be a four-star to at least one major ranker of his era, and average over 4.0 stars on the Seth scale. Upper bound: cannot be ranked top-100 by anybody or higher than a 4.3 on the Seth scale. Since 1990 because data go back that far. College performance considered only.

The Mike Hart Thing: Hart was the equivalent of a solid four-star to places that didn't create a lasting online database of the 2004 class, and a high 3-star to Rivals and Scout, who did, forever after immortalizing him as a "3-star" (this is a well-known malfunction of the human brain). Just giving you fair warning that your brain is going to rebel. Also "bucket list" wasn't in the lexicon until the 2007 film.

Quarterback: Todd Collins (1990)

The only data point I have on Todd is he was Tom Lemming's #8 Pro-Style QB. Well that and pick two guys out of these three:

Player	Att	Comp	TD	Int	Cp%	Yds	Lng	YPA	Rtg
Player A	1366	765	72	31	56%	9254	77	6.77	125.8
Player B	711	443	35	19	62%	5351	76	7.53	136.4
Player C	711	457	37	20	64%	5858	90	8.24	145.0

Player B is Tom Brady. The guy with nearly identical college stats and vastly higher yards per attempt is the longtime starter who also had an extremely long NFL career. You also have to know that the two years of Collins starting were even more frustrating offensively than the Borges and DeBord offenses, and the Number 1 frustration was they weren't uncorking the passing game. Amani Toomer and Mecury Hayes were the Nico Collins and Ronnie Bell of the era, except when Michigan did deign to send them a pass Collins almost always put it on the money. Watching the semi-heralded Collins outperform Notre Dame golden boy Ron Powlus was one of the highlights of my young fandom.

The Field: Collins (4.24, 199), Scot Loeffler (4.20, 1993), Cade McNamara (4.12, 2019), Joe Milton (4.11, 2018), Nate Holdren (4.07, 1990), Alex Malzone (4.06, 2015), Spencer Brinton (4.05, 2001), John Navarre, who's Player A above (4.04, 1999)

[After THE JUMP: Guys who were dudes]

Running Back: Mike Hart (2004) and Chris Perry (2000)

Rivals	Lemming	Superprep	Others	247 Comp.	☆s	Rk
5.7, #6 APB, #41 Mid-Atl, #2 NY	#6 CB	#12 RB, #1 NY	#18 NE to G&W, Parade AA	0.8778 (#6 APB), #277 OVR	4.17	#20 RB

I warned you. If you still don't believe me, note #6 all-purpose back was the last guy left out of the Top247 composite last year, the #1 player in New York was 4* Purdue RB Tirek Murphy, and the #12 running back was Blake Corum. The #6 cornerback is insane and reflective of the state of recruiting in those days.

Hart was overlooked because Michigan whiffed on some of their biggest targets the year they were replacing Chris Perry, because David Underwood was an underwhelming heir to the Wheatley/A-Train/Perry line, because classmate Max Martin was ranked and stood off the ground much higher, and because the minute Michigan realized how good Hart was they offered and he committed. Then Underwood got hurt, Hart had three 200+ yard games, and given Hart was a late riser from the Syracuse area, and Jamie Morris was still fresh in our memories, the underdog story was there for the playing up.

Chris Perry was sort of a surprise commit because Michigan rarely recruited North Carolina guys, let alone those who came through Fork Union Military Academy, and already had Reggie Benton in the fold. The two also represented half of Michigan's offensive skill recruiting in their class, along with receiver James Taylor and quarterback Jermaine Gonzalez. Fork Union was a red flag. North Carolina choosing not to offer him (Ohio State did on the spot) was another. The obvious talent and size made it worth the gamble. That amounted to a four-star.

Rivals	Lemming	Superprep	☆s	Rk
4*, #13 RB	#29 RB	#16 RB, #16 NC	4.00	#26 RB

Michigan fans didn't really pay attention to Perry until media day that August, when Lloyd Carr said "Remember this name."

2nd Team: Brandon Minor (2006) and De'Veon Smith (2013)

Name	Cl	Rivals	ESPN	Other	Scout	247 Comp.	☆s	Rk
De'Veon Smith	2013	5.7 (#37 RB), #26 OH	81 (#27 RB), #39 MW	247: 91 (#15 RB), #217 OVR	4* (#11 RB), #62 OVR	0.9151 (#21 RB), #207 OVR	4.09	#23 RB
Brandon Minor	2006	5.8 (#1 FB), #109 OVR	78 (#34 RB), #NR East	Lemming: #11 RB	4* (#29 RB)	0.8875 (#4 RB), #244 OVR	3.99	#27 RB

Both ragebacks had similar recruitments. Minor was ranked as fullback by some, and expected to end up there when 4.5-star Carlos Brown surprisingly committed to Michigan because he actually believed their promise to make him a running back (everyone saw a 5-star safety or cornerback). Smith too was the "he's still really good you guys" second thought after 5-star classmate Derrick Green. Michigan was also very close to landing eventual transfer Ty Isaac, which might have pushed Smith out of the class.

The Field: Justice Hayes (4.22, 2011), David Underwood (4.20, 2001), Max Martin (4.19, 2004), Mike Hart (4.17, 2004), Sam McGuffie (4.17, 2008), Reggie Benton (4.11, 2000), De'Veon Smith (4.09, 2013), Michael Shaw (4.08, 2008), Dennis Norfleet (4.05, 2012), O'Maury Samuels (4.01, 2017), Chris Perry (4.00, 2000), Brandon Minor (4.00, 2006)

Receiver: Devin Funchess (2012), Jeremy Gallon (2009) and Junior Hemingway (2007)

Just a couple of misfits in Legends jerseys. [Bryan Fuller]

 

Name	Cl	Rivals	ESPN	247Sports	Scout	247 Comp.	☆s	Rk
Jeremy Gallon	2009	5.9 (#11 ATH), #151 OVR	77 (#80 ATH), #310 SE	n/a	3* (#45 WR)	0.9043 (#12 ATH), #244 OVR	4.00	#10 Slot
Junior Hemingway	2007	5.7 (#38 WR), #12 SC	84 (#4 WR), #19 OVR	n/a	4* (#26 WR)	0.9239 (#21 WR), #154 OVR	4.24	#30 WR
Devin Funchess	2012	5.7 (#14 TE), #9 MI	81 (#5 TE), #203 OVR	90 (#10 TE), not ranked	4* (#8 TE), #221 OVR	0.9069 (#10 TE), #260 OVR	4.06	#36 WR

Usually with a solid four-star you're looking at a tight group of rankings, but sometimes there are some radically different opinions out there. Like Rivals was all about Gallon, putting him just outside their top-150, while the other two sites of the time were like "he's really short" and stuck him in 3-star land. The reasonings were clear: he is everything you want in a wide receiver except tall enough to see over the counter.

Devin Funchess was overshadowed by the one highly recruited Harrison classmate who didn't go to Michigan, MSU WR Aaron Burbridge, and was expected to grow into a tight end, so the sites who loved his game understandably had to knock it some for projection.

And Junior Hemingway was a weird case, because not a lot of South Carolina guys were going to Michigan, especially guys on the state champion team. He blew the doors off at a Michigan camp and earned ESPN's love. The difference was in how fast they thought he was. Scout and Rivals knocked him for speed, but he won the Smokehouse Award at Michigan's '05 camp for fastest guy in his group.

2nd Team: Marcus Knight, Amara Darboh and Steve Breaston

Name	Cl	Rivals	ESPN	247Sports	Scout/Superprep	☆s	Rk
Steve Breaston	2002	6.0 (#8 ATH)	(Lemming): #24 East	-	4* (#30 QB)	4.16	#4 Slot
Marcus Knight	1996	-	-	-	Superprep: #11 ATH, #20 SE (AA)	4.23	#31 WR
Amara Darboh	2012	5.8 (#30 WR), #215 OVR	78 (#82 WR), #67 MW	93 (#26 WR), #199 OVR	4* (#32 WR), #205 OVR	4.12	#34 WR

All three of our second-teamers were late risers whose recruiting profiles were all about their tremendous characters. I had a hard time leaving Knight off the first team because he's underrated and forgotten by Michigan fans despite being good enough to keep David Terrell and Marquise Walker waiting their turn for Brady's passes. He was more Ronnie Bell than Nico Collins on the field, but his recruitment was Nico-like, i.e. serious, academic-minded guy from Alabama.

Darboh was the subject of one of my favorite recruiting quotes of all time: "He runs a 4.42 but I wouldn't say he's a burner by any stretch of the imagination." Breaston was a PA quarterback who might have blown up today if there had been highlight reels in his day.

The Field, Wideouts: Ronald Bellamy (4.27, 1999), Greg Matthews (4.26, 2006), Oliver Martin (4.25, 2017), Cornelius Johnson (4.25, 2019), Tyrece Butler (4.24, 1999), Junior Hemingway (4.24, 2007), Markus Knight (4.23, 1996), Carl Tabb (4.12, 2002), Amara Darboh (4.12, 2012), Devin Funchess (4.06, 2012), Jerry Dioron-Johnson (4.00, 1996)

The Field, Slots: Allen Woodard (4.17, 1990), Steve Breaston (4.16, 2002), Anthony Williams (4.16, 1994), Terrence Robinson (4.12, 2008), Andre King (4.11, 1993), Giles Jackson (4.04, 2019), Jeremy Gallon (4.00, 2009)

Tight End: Aaron Shea (1995) and Jake Butt (2013)

Shall we watch the greatest block of all time again? Okay.

Back when Aaron Shea's class (which included Tom Brady and Charles Woodson) was recruited there was a strong consensus that Shea was going to be very good at tight end or strongside DE, but not which one he would play.

Rivals	Lemming	Superprep	☆s	Rk
5.9 (#6 SDE)	#9 TE, #17 MW	#11 TE, #16 MW (AA)	4.15	#10 TE

Michigan already knew what he wanted from Shea however: fullback. Che Foster had unthinkably left early for the NFL (wise, in retrospect, to get a fullbackian NFL career started as soon as possible) and Gary Moeller had already designed his offense toward using Foster's athleticism in the open field out of the offset I. Aaron Shea was recruited to be that guy immediately. He was and more.

That was one type of tight end. This is the other:

If Shea was knocked for not looking like downfield threat, Jake Butt's caveat was "he's just a big receiver."

Rivals	ESPN	Scout	☆s	Rk
5.9 (#5 TE), #144 OVR	83 (#4 TE-Y), #179 OVR	4* (#5 TE), #145 OVR	4.24	#6 TE

Brian's player comps for the flex tight end who committed during February 2012's commitapalooza were the recent pair from Notre Dame. Borges was bringing in all kinds of tight ends at the time and Butt was the one we were most stoked about because we'd seen what Jim Harbaugh had done at Stanford:

This site has proposed that Al Borges's goal as an offensive coordinator is to whipsaw defenses from one end of the spectrum to the other, and guys like Funchess and Jake Butt are key in this effort. You're a Michigan fan, so let me just mention the names Rudolph and Eifert. You get it. Tyler Eifert in particular was used as both a traditional tight end and a oh-god-I'm-5'9"-this-is-a-geological-feature-I'm-checking outside receiver in his last couple years at Notre Dame. Mismatch is the watchword here, and Michigan's going to keep bringing in and bulking up 6'6" guys until they get it.

Butt also had a Stanford offer.

2nd Team: Bennie Joppru (1998) and Kevin Koger (2008)

Name	Cl	Rivals	Other	Scout/Superprep	☆s	Rk
Bennie Joppru	1998	5.8 (#9 DT)	Lemming: #6 TE	Superprep: #7 LG-ATH, #33 MW	4.22	#7 TE
Kevin Koger	2008	5.9 (#4 TE), #144 OVR	247: 70 (#113 DE), NR MW	Scout: 4* (#6 TE), #115 OVR	4.04	#16 TE

Joppru was billed as a moldable second Aaron Shea that Rivals thought would grow into a defensive tackle. Superprep had a group called "Large Athlete" I wish the sites would bring back. Like Shea, Joppru was very large and very athletic and didn't really fit any position but had so much potential that the sites kept bumping him up. Koger got to four stars after a long journey up the rankings:

Koger was a nonentity when he popped up on Michigan's radar. IIRC, both recruting services had him an uninspiring three-star recruit, though they quickly changed their tune once it became clear Koger was wanted badly by the two biggest programs in the Midwest. Koger's now just outside the top 100 on both major sites. ESPN lags, rating Koger exclusively as a DE and poorly at that. It's tough to give them any credence when they give the equivalent of a low three-star rating to a guy both M and OSU chased hard and ended up giving an early offer.

Ohio State lost because Tressel liked his tight ends to be sixth OLs and Lloyd Carr needed help immediately. Then Lloyd retired and Koger found himself playing for Rich Rod, who didn't use tight ends at West Virginia. Koger's athleticism made Rich Rod reconsider.

The Field: Mustapha Muhammad (4.29, 2018), Jake Butt (4.24, 2013), Bennie Joppru (4.22, 1998), Zach Gentry (4.19, 2015), Mike Massey (4.16, 2004), Aaron Shea (4.15, 1995), Brandon Moore (4.10, 2008), Tyler Ecker (4.09, 2000 but 2-year Mormon Mission), Mark Campbell (4.08, 1994), Ricardo Miller (4.06, 2010), Rob Vander Leest (4.04, 2008), Kevin Koger (4.04, 2008), Tyrone Wheatley Jr. (4.04, 2015), Damon Jones (4.01, 1992)

Guard & Center: David Brandt (1996), Thomas Guynes (1992), and Adam Kraus (2003)

Brandt (#67) is the guy who's always getting in the shot when they try to find a picture of Tom Brady and Steve Hutchinson together.

Name	Cl	Rivals/NRA	Lemming	Others	Superprep	☆s	Rk
David Brandt	1996	All-Am (#7 NT)	#27 DT, #21 MW	Athlon's: #40 Big Ten	#15 DL, #9 MW (AA)	4.20	#7 C
Adam Kraus	2003	5.8 (#10 OT), #7 LA	#11 TE		(Scout): 4* (#24 OL)	4.12	#25 G
Thomas Guynes	1992		#17 OT	Prepstar: #19 OL		4.11	#26 G

Weirdly barren area for a group you would think would have a higher hit rate, though it would have had Steve Hutchinson and Zach Adami if I expanded the upper bound just above 4.30, and Leo Henige, Matt Lentz, Dave Pearson, and Adam Adkins if I fudged the line just below. The truth is there's a common story with most of the guys in the list below, and it's that of a very large high schooler who was ranked highly at the start of the process and slowly slid down but not below the four-star line.

Three of those who didn't fit that recruiting profile have their names atop this group. David Brandt out of Jenison was 260 pounds soaking wet and ticketed for defensive tackle. Adam Kraus committed as a (run-blocking) tight end, and even got a tight end's #83, with the hopes he might grow into a tackle before we had a word for that. He had gained 40 pounds by his weigh-in freshman year.

I have to ask Guynes about his recruitment next time I talk to him. He was one of the best road-graders of the 1990s, and played a lot more than his starts indicate. He started more games at tackle than guard because of injuries and whatnot, but even there he was mostly a Mike Onwenu.

2nd Team: Kurt Anderson (1992), Ricky Barnum (2008), and Steve Frazier (1995)

Name	Cl	Rivals	ESPN	Other	Superprep	☆s	Rk
Kurt Anderson	1997	5.8 (#NR LB)	(Lemming): #21 ILB, #62 MW	Prepstar: #8 DL, #1 DL East	#11 LB, #7 MW	4.11	#26 G
Ricky Barnum	2008	5.8 (#5 OC), #37 FL	81 (#4 OG), #150 OVR	-	(Scout): 3* (#17 OG)	4.09	#27 G
Steve Frazier	1995		(Lemming):, #42 Southwest	BCI: #4 OL Southwest, All American	#62 TX	4.05	#31 G

Kurt Anderson was another brain (and is now causing problems for us as Northwestern's OL coach) and another small recruit. He was a Parade All-American in 1996, true, but that was as a linebacker. Then he grew. He was the 6th OL for the 2000 group before finally getting to start a season himself in 2001. Barnum was an athletic little guy recruited at the last minute for Rich Rod's spread, which he excelled in before a coaching change made him into a Power guard he wasn't. Steve Frazier was another smart guy, a tackle/guard tweener who was underrated when healthy.

The Field, Center: David Brandt (4.20, 1996), Andy Christopfel (4.02, 2000), Tim McAvoy (4.00, 2005), Elliott Mealer (3.93, 2008 but counts because one ranking was an extreme outlier).

The Field, Guard: Nolan Rumler (4.30, 2019), Thomas Guynes (4.21, 1992), David Moosman (4.21, 2005), Justin Schifano (4.20, 2005), Dave Petruziello (4.16, 1998), Jeremy Ciulla (4.14, 2004), Paul Barry (4.13, 1991), Adam Kraus (4.12, 2003), Kurt Anderson (4.11, 1997), Ricky Barnum (4.09, 2008), Noah Parker (4.08, 1994), Ben Mast (4.07, 1997), Courtney Morgan (4.07, 1999), Steve Frazier (4.05, 1995)

Offensive Tackle: Taylor Lewan and Michael Schofield (2009)

They'll be crazy lengthy athletes when they come! [Eric Upchurch]

Name	Cl	Rivals	ESPN	Scout	☆s	Rk
Taylor Lewan	2009	5.8 (#16 OT), #194 OVR	81 (#12 OT), #148 OVR	4* (#20 OT), #274 OVR	4.23	#20 OT
Michael Schofield	2009	5.8 (#18 OT), #221 OVR	77 (#40 OT), #NR MW	4* (#10 OT), #135 OVR	4.12	#23 OT

Though Adam Kraus and Jake Long also fit the description and Hall of Famer Mike Kenn pre-dates Greg Frey, it was his 2009 recruits Lewan and Schofield who are responsible for the archetype of a tight end-shaped recruit with great feet who grows into a middling four-star and pro tackle. This was Lewan's recruitment:

Taylor Lewan was virtually unknown until he transferred to Chaparral and his high school coach moved him to offensive tackle (he had previously been a defensive lineman; all of his video on the youtubes remains DL highlights). Three games later, Lewan was sitting on two dozen offers and getting called "the hottest prospect in the country" by the recruiting sites. (Example 1. Example 2. Example 3.) He was quickly bestowed four stars in the next re-rank, got an invite to the ESPN All American game, and embarked on a college visit tour featuring Minnesota (where his dad played in the 80s), Michigan, Oregon, and some local schools. Shortly after the Michigan visit, he committed.

That's a a whirlwind four months for a guy who had a single offer from Utah State when he attended the USC Rising Stars camp in July.

And Brian compared it to that of Schofield, who ran hurdles his first two years of high school and put up a linebacker's 40 time. Maybe one day we'll fight over whether Greg Frey's first two Frey-types were better than the Barnhart-Persi-Hayes-Mayfield generation.

2nd Team: Grant Newsome (2015) and Jalen Mayfield (2017)

Name	Cl	Rivals	ESPN	247Sports	Scout	☆s	Rk
Grant Newsome	2015	5.8 (#12 OT), #191 OVR	81 (#27 OT), #253 OVR	92 (#23 OT), #220 OVR	4* (#32 OT)	4.11	#26 OT
Jalen Mayfield	2018	5.8 (#17 OT), #8 MI	77 (#72 OT), #66 MW	94 (#9 OT), #126 OVR	4* (#15 OT), #206 OVR	4.09	#27 OT

The other thing to look for in a talented offensive lineman is intelligence, and that was the byword for both of these guys, though Mayfield definitely also counts as a Frey-type. Both were also taken from us by freak occurrences just as they were starting to tap their potential.

The Field: Logan Tuley-Tillman (4.26, 2013), Trevor Keegan (4.26, 2019), Paul Tannous (4.25, 1996), Taylor Lewan (4.23, 2009), James Hudson (4.2, 2017), Michael Schofield (4.12, 2009), Joe Denay (4.12, 1998), Eric Wendt (4.12, 1992), Grant Newsome (4.11, 2015), Jalen Mayfield (4.09, 2018), Dan Simelis (4.05, 2001), Zak Zinter (4.04, 2020), Karsen Barnhart (4.03, 2019), Jeffrey Persi (4.01, 2020), Juwann Bushell-Beatty (4, 2014), Ryan Hayes (4, 2018)