Michigan Wolverines football carried its momentum from Wednesday's signing day, in which the Maize and Blue inked a top-10 class nationally, over to Friday, with the program garnering commitments from two four-star prospects out of Tennessee. The day's news saw Michigan's class jump from No. 18 in the country to No. 8, now squarely in the top 10 of the Rivals.com rankings.
Four-star Cross Plains (Tenn.) East Robertson athlete Taylor Groves and four-star Germantown (Tenn.) High defensive back Kody Jones pulled the trigger and pledged Michigan Friday morning. New Wolverines co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach Maurice Linguist offered both just weeks ago and was able to finish the deal quickly.
At 6-foot-3, 185 pounds, Groves is ranked as the No. 41 wide receiver nationally and No. 11 overall prospect in the state of Tennessee, per Rivals.com, while Jones, at 6-0, 180, is ranked as the No. 13 safety in the country and No. 12 overall prospect in the state of Tennessee.
RELATED: Commit Impact: What Landing Taylor Groves Means For Michigan
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These were the first two pledges secured by Michigan's new staff that includes three new members on the defensive side of the ball, with head coach Jim Harbaugh having made major changes to his group of assistant coaches.
Groves and Jones are the second and third four-star pledges in Michigan's 2022 class, joining Rivals250 defensive tackle Alex VanSumeren, who hails from Essexville (Mich.) Garber. Three-star Monument (Colo.) Palmer Ridge offensive lineman Connor Jones, three-star River Rouge (Mich.) High defensive lineman Davonte Miles and three-star Rabun Gap (Ga.) Nacoochee tight end Marlin Klein are the three other members of Michigan's six-man class.
With Groves and Jones jumping on board, Michigan passed 10 different teams to move up to where it stands now at No. 8 in the rankings. The Wolverines are tied with USC with 541 points, and are within striking distance of No. 7 Notre Dame (41 points back).
The top 10 of the rankings is as follows: Ohio State (1), Georgia (2), LSU (3), Penn State (4), Florida State (5), Oklahoma (6), Notre Dame (7), Michigan and USC (8) and Texas A&M (10).
Michigan's class ranks third in the Big Ten.
2022 Big Ten Recruiting Rankings
Note: Some schools do not have any 2022 pledges and thus have not yet appeared on the recruiting rankings.
1. Ohio State (1)
2. Penn State (4)
3. Michigan (8)
4. Maryland (18)
5. Rutgers (19)
6. Michigan State (22)
7. Purdue (25)
8. Iowa (30)
9. Minnesota (33)
10. Wisconsin (47)
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