The Michigan Wolverines' football program is set to sign an outstanding recruiting class tomorrow once the early signing period kicks off, despite the immense struggles the team went through on the field this season.
Head coach Jim Harbaugh's haul currently sits at No. 8 in the nation, though it's bound to fluctuate somewhat when/if the Wolverines add more prospects and if any current pledges sign elsewhere.
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Most of U-M's 21 pledges have — perhaps a bit surprisingly — remained fully committed to the program during the horrendous 2020 campaign, though a few are inevitably on the fence as tomorrow approaches, such as Jacksonville Sandalwood four-star linebacker Branden Jennings, Plantation (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas three-star cornerback Ja'Den McBurrows, Fresno (Calif.) Central four-star wideout Xavier Worthy, Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas four-star athlete Jaydon Hood, etc.
On the flip side, it would be very surprising if the Maize and Blue don't add at least one more pledge. West Bloomfield (Mich.) High four-star running back Donovan Edwards is the main name fans will be keeping an eye on, with the 5-11, 193-pounder currently residing as the No. 74 overall player in the country.
A surprise commitment could potentially be in the works as well, just as it oftentimes is on Signing Day (perhaps one from a top 100 in-state prospect currently committed elsewhere?).
If things fall into place and the Wolverines land Edwards and hold onto their current four-star pledges, Michigan's class could move up in the rankings. How high U-M's class rises will be impacted, though, by what the teams around it do.
Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon, Georgia, Clemson, LSU and Florida (in that order) are the programs who are currently ahead of Michigan in the rankings, with six of those seven teams (Florida being the exception) holding 22 commitments or fewer.
In other words, they're still all likely to add to their respective classes tomorrow.
The unlikelihood of U-M adding a five-star prospect is one of a few factors that will prevent the class from climbing significantly in the rankings. Harbaugh's 2016 and 2017 recruiting classes each finished No. 4 in the nation, and this year's crop doesn't have the firepower to ascend to such a lofty height.
It could, however, go down as the third best class Harbaugh has inked. His 2019 crop concluded at No. 10 nationally and his 2020 class at No. 11, with this year's expected to finish in the same general vicinity.
If the 2021 recruiting haul finishes No. 8 (which is where it currently is) or higher, it will not only go down as one of the best Harbaugh era, but also in recent U-M memory. Only three Michigan recruiting classes have wound up higher than No. 8 nationally since 2006, which is of course when former head coach Lloyd Carr was still roaming the sidelines.
That's a span of 16 cycles (counting this year's).
The Maize and Blue have had several top 10 hauls during that time, but a common problem has been that they've seldom been able to climb more than a notch or two higher than No. 10.
The 2006, 2009 and 2019 crops all finished right at No. 10, while the 2008 unit concluded at No. 9 and the 2012 crop at No. 8. Harbaugh's aforementioned 2016 and 2017 No. 4-ranked classes were exceptions, as was Brady Hoke's 2013 bunch that was rated No. 5.
There was a common theme amongst all three top five classes — they all included five-stars. Hoke's 2013 class possessed a top 10 player in running back Derrick Green, while Harbaugh's 2016 haul entailed the No. 1 prospect in the nation in defensive end Rashan Gary.
The 2017 class took the cake though, signing three five-stars — wideout Donovan Peoples-Jones, linebacker Jordan Anthony and defensive tackle Aubrey Solomon. To further exemplify how crucial it is for top 10 classes to sign at least one five-star, consider this: of the 30 classes that concluded in the top 10 over the last three cycles (2018-20), 29 of them inked at least one five-star.
The lone exception was Auburn last season, whose five-star-less class snuck into the top 10 at, well, No. 10. Michigan's 2021 group isn't likely to finish with any such prospects, with Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy four-star quarterback J.J. McCarthy currently residing as the closest commit U-M has to five-star status (he's rated No. 41 nationally and is 15 spots away from five-star territory).
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