With the signing of Washington D.C. St. John's College High four-star safety Quinten Johnson this afternoon, Michigan's 2019 recruiting class appears to be wrapped up.
As of 4:00 PM ET, the group sits at No. 10 nationally and is rated as the top haul in the Big Ten — and is likely to stay there (though Penn State is close behind at No. 11).
The Rivals era began in 2002, and — assuming U-M finishes in the top-10 — this year's 2019 class will mark just the ninth time the Wolverines have finished in the top-10.
If the Maize and Blue are indeed able to fend off Penn State (as expected), they will also conclude with the top overall unit in the Big Ten for the first time since 2007, and just the fifth time overall.
Here is a closer look at each of U-M's recruiting classes since the inaugural 2002 Rivals season, and where this year's 2019 crew stacks up.
For all the grief head coach Jim Harbaugh has received on the recruiting trail during his time at Michigan, his No. 10 recruiting class this year now gives him three of U-M's nine best hauls in the Rivals era, including the two best (back-to-back No. 4 finishes in 2016 and 2017).
Harbaugh's 2017 unit also signed the most five-stars Michigan had ever inked in the Rivals era (three — wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones, linebacker Jordan Anthony and defensive tackle Aubrey Solomon), while this year's five-star duo (Norcross (Ga.) Greater Atlanta Christian defensive tackle Christopher Hinton and Tulsa (Okla.) Booker T. Washington safety Daxton Hill) marks just the sixth time the Wolverines have reeled in at least two such players in a class.
In addition, U-M's five five-star players signed since 2017 ties it with the 2005-07 cycles for the most inked during a three-year span.
Another unique quality about this year's '19 crew is the number of four-stars it entails.
Harbaugh signed 13 of them, which is tied for the fifth-most Michigan has inked since 2002 (the 17 reeled in in 2008 were the most).
In fact, only five schools in the entire country this year finished with more four-stars than Michigan's 13 — Alabama (21), Texas and Georgia (15), and Florida and Texas A&M (14) — while Arkansas, Penn State and Oregon were the only three other programs to sign just as many.
Harbaugh's 2016 and 2017 recruiting classes will still be viewed as his best at Michigan (and deservedly so), but this 2019 haul appears to be on the verge of doing something neither group could do — beat out Ohio State (who currently sits at No. 21 nationally) and finish as the top haul in the Big Ten.
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