Breaking down Michigan vs. Washington in recruiting

The national championship is Monday night and Michigan and Washington got here by recruiting elite talent – whether through the high school ranks or the transfer portal. Here’s a breakdown of how each team got here.

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FINAL 2023 TEAM RANKINGS: Comprehensive (overall) ranking | High school/JUCO ranking | Transfer portal ranking

CLASS OF 2024 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State

CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State

CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals100

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HOW THIS SEASON HAS IMPACTED RECRUITING

MICHIGAN

The Wolverines are sitting with the second-best class in the Big Ten and the No. 13 class overall led by high four-star quarterback Jadyn Davis and No. 2 overall running back Jordan Marshall.

Michigan has put together another balanced class but the elite players are all on the offensive side of the ball as receiver I’Marion Stewart, tight end Brady Prieskorn and offensive lineman Blake Frazier are also highly ranked. Of the 27 commits in Michigan’s class, 17 are four-stars but there are no five-star prospects.

Even through the sign-stealing allegations that were leveled against the Wolverines this season and rumors about coach Jim Harbaugh’s possible return to the NFL, Michigan’s class has stayed largely all committed. There have been no major issues keeping players locked in and now that they’re all signed, that should not change.

Four-star linebacker Jaishawn Barham, who transferred from Maryland to Michigan, is the biggest get in the portal so far for the Wolverines, who haven’t been too active there.

MICHIGAN'S 2024 RECRUITING CLASS

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WASHINGTON

Coach Kalen DeBoer is winning games at a 90-percent clip so he knows what he’s doing and the coaching staff clearly has a great handle on what it wants to do in recruiting.

But it is a little surprising that Washington has not capitalized more on its undefeated season and run to the national championship game in this recruiting class.

The Huskies have just 15 signees as four-star defensive end Dominic Kirks is still figuring out what he wants to do. The Huskies are fourth in the Pac-12 team rankings and No. 45 overall, sandwiched between Virginia Tech and Arizona.

Still, there are some significant positives as receivers Jason Robinson and Peyton Waters are highly talented and then defensive players Keona Wilhite and Khmori House have already put together nice careers. Signing Kirks, the highest-rated prospect in the class, will be crucial.

Quite possibly one of the reasons Washington throttled back on high school recruiting this cycle was because it’s been busy in the transfer portal. Landing quarterback Will Rogers from Mississippi State and receiver Jeremiah Hunter from Cal should make for a dynamic duo.

WASHINGTON'S 2024 RECRUITING CLASS

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BIG NAMES IN 2025

MICHIGAN

Michigan is off to a really strong start to its 2025 recruiting class as quarterback Carter Smith, tight end Eli Owens, defensive end Bobby Kanka and defensive back Chris Ewald Jr., have already committed. All four of them are four-star prospects and Ewald is one notch from five-star status.

If Harbaugh stays in Ann Arbor and things turn the right way, Michigan could really load up with elite players for the next recruiting cycle. Five-stars David Sanders and DJ Pickett are considering the Wolverines, four-star OL Micah Debose, who recently backed off his pledge to Georgia, mentioned Michigan as a top team and others to watch include Rowan Byrne, Anthony Sacca and Avery Gach.

WASHINGTON

Surprisingly, Washington had no success with the top in-state players for 2024 as the top 10 recruits there signed elsewhere. That’s a stunner considering the success the Huskies had this season but 2025 could be markedly different.

Four-star linebacker Zaydrius Rainey-Sale is the top player in Washington next recruiting cycle followed by tight end T’Andre Waverly, linebacker Jonathan Epperson and tight end Noah Flores. The Huskies should be involved with them all moving forward.

California is also going to be fertile recruiting ground for the Huskies as well so whether it’s LaRue Zamorano at Corona (Calif.) Centennial, a whole host of top players at Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei, high four-star Dijon Lee or others, Washington should do well in the Golden State as well.

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THE COACHES

In Jim Harbaugh’s first full recruiting class in 2016, the Wolverines landed five-star defensive lineman Rashan Gary among many other top players and finished with the fourth-best class in the country.

Harbaugh has a much longer track record than DeBoer of recruiting at the highest level as Michigan then had the No. 4 class again in 2017. The class that really has led to this run at the national title came in 2021 when it was led by high four-star QB JJ McCarthy, who finished as the fifth-best quarterback in that class.

High four-star Blake Corum was in Michigan’s 2020 class. Five-star cornerback Will Johnson came in the 2022 group. In his entire time in Ann Arbor, Harbaugh had only one recruiting class outside the top 25. Usually, the Wolverines are hovering around No. 10 in the country or better.

DeBoer does not nearly have the track record of Harbaugh but his winning percentage is mind-boggling. The second-year Washington coach is 104-11 overall. He was 67-3 at Sioux Falls, 12-6 during a short stay at Fresno State and now 25-2 with the Huskies, their best two-year run in program history.

In DeBoer’s first recruiting class, Washington signed only 10 players and finished No. 89 nationally. Last class, 21 players signed, including six four-stars, and now this class the Huskies have a surprisingly low number but have utilized the portal more than Michigan.

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