Michigan Wolverines football moved up in the class of 2022 national recruiting rankings following the addition of 2022 Columbia (S.C.) Hammond three-star running back CJ Stokes during his official visit this weekend.
Stokes chose Michigan over offers from Minnesota, Penn State, South Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia Tech and others, becoming Mike Hart's first pledge as the Wolverines' running backs coach in the process.
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Michigan ranked 22nd in Rivals.com's team recruiting rankings heading into the day, but was able to surge up to No. 19 with Stokes now added into the fold. Michigan hadn't landed a commitment in several months and still has a long way to go in the 2022 cycle.
Stokes being ranked as a 5.6 three-star recruit and the No. 50 running back in the class gave Michigan 75 team recruiting points, bringing its total up from 790 to 865.
The Wolverines moved ahead of Baylor (22), Oklahoma State (21) and Cincinnati (20), and are now within striking distance of No. 18 Clemson, which has 878 points, and No. 17 Texas A&M, which has 893 points.
The eighth member of the Wolverines' 2022 class, Stokes joins Grosse Point (Mich.) South five-star cornerback Will Johnson, La Grange Park (Ill.) four-star wide receiver Tyler Morris, Germantown (Tenn.) High four-star defensive back Kody Jones, Monument (Colo.), Eastpointe (Mich.) High four-star wide receiver Tay'Shawn Trent, Palmer Ridge three-star offensive lineman Connor Jones, River Rouge (Mich.) High three-star defensive tackle Davonte Miles and Rabun Gap (Ga.) Nacoochee three-star tight end Marlin Klein.
Every school that is ranked ahead of the Maize and Blue in the rankings hold more 2022 commitments than the Wolverines, with the exception of No. 12 Florida State, No. 13 Alabama, No. 15 USC, No. 17 Texas A&M and No. 18 Clemson.
Michigan is the fourth-highest ranked Big Ten team in the national recruiting rankings, behind only Ohio State (1), Rutgers (5) and Penn State (7).
2022 Big Ten Recruiting Rankings
1. Ohio State (1)
2. Rutgers (5)
3. Penn State (7)
4. Michigan (19)
5. Maryland (24)
6. Illinois (t-29)
7. Michigan State (t-29)
8. Minnesota (39)
9. Northwestern (42)
10. Iowa (44)
11. Nebraska (47)
12. Indiana (52)
13. Purdue (58)
14. Wisconsin (90)
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