Michigan Wolverines football finished the 2021 recruiting class with a bang, signing three defensive linemen in Rivals100 Oak Park (Mich.) High d-tackle Rayshaun Benny, Rivals250 Jersey City (N.J.) St. Peter's Prep's George Rooks and three-star Garland (Texas) Lakeview Centennial defensive tackle Ike Iwunnah.
Here is a look around the internet at what they're saying about the Maize and Blue's end-of-the-cycle fireworks.
RELATED: Michigan's Signing Day Fireworks Push 2021 Class Into Top 10 Nationally
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RELATED: Coach's Take: Rivals100 Michigan DT Signee Rayshaun Benny Is 'Dominant'
EJ Holland, The Wolverine: Five Biggest Michigan Takeaways From National Signing Day
New Assistants
No, defensive line coach Shaun Nua didn’t drastically become a better recruiter overnight. He simply has the staff to support him now. New Michigan Co-DC Maurice Linguist played a pivotal role in the recruitment of Ike Iwunnah. His roots in the Dallas-area helped Iwunnah and those around him feel comfortable with his decision to flip to Michigan.
On the flip side of the coin, new assistants Mike Hart and Ron Bellamy played key roles down the stretch for Benny, who may not have flipped without them. While not new, we can’t forget about Sherrone Moore, who helped lead the way with both Benny and Rooks. The new, hungry recruiting staff can elevate a guy like Nua as evidenced by today’s outcomes.
Rivals Midwest recruiting analyst Josh Helmholdt, on the importance of keeping Rayshaun Benny home: “The defensive tackle position is very difficult to recruit as a Midwest school, because there just isn’t a lot of elite talent at the spot in this area.
"That’s why Rayshaun got so much attention, especially later in the process. His ceiling is probably higher on the defensive line as a four-star caliber player, and the value of a defensive tackle is a lot higher than that of an offensive guard.
"It’s not surprising schools wanted him as a defensive tackle, though I think he would’ve played offensive guard if he would’ve gone down south. Rayshaun has the size, strength, quickness and athleticism that you don’t find in a defensive tackle in this region very often.”
Bob Wojnowski, The Detroit News: Harbaugh shakes up his staff and stirs up a big recruit flip
The return to Michigan roots was Jim Harbaugh’s best option, and he had to fully commit to it. He’d strayed too far from home over the years, chasing larger causes and a larger national platform. If it was part of an attempt to catch the Buckeyes, it failed, and Ohio State finished second in the nation with arguably its finest class yet. I won’t bore you by saying who was ranked No. 1, but his name rhymes with Bick Baban.
While Michigan muddled along with an 11-10 record since late 2018, athletic director Warde Manuel didn’t issue public mandates but smartly tightened his leadership. Harbaugh took the criticism to heart — betting on himself, as it goes — and made it clear he’s fighting back. In his major revamping, he again tabbed the program’s roots by landing former Michigan players Mike Hart and Ron Bellamy, rising prospects in the coaching world. In every way, Harbaugh turned his attention inward, determined to land the best recruits (and recruiters) in his home state, and he mostly did.
Now, I have no idea if a sudden rise is possible on the field in 2021, as the Wolverines don’t appear on many early Top 25 lists, although they bring in five-star quarterback J.J. McCarthy. The Spartans are much farther off the grid, although as always, recruiting generates excitement but the dog days of development make the team.
What Michigan loses in savvy and experience with departing coaches Don Brown and Mike Zordich, it hopes to gain with the energy and connections of five new young assistants. The immediate difference will be on defense, where Brown was terrific early but grew stubborn favoring scheme over talent. He didn’t recruit big linemen because he wanted speedy linebackers, safeties and “vipers” to get after the quarterback. The philosophy is being updated by new co-defensive coordinators Mike Macdonald, 33, who came over from John Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens, and Maurice Linguist, 36, who comes from the Dallas Cowboys. George Helow, 34, arrives from Maryland as a defensive assistant.
During the early signing period, Michigan was close to being on the winners' side, but it didn't address a glaring need at defensive tackle and lost a few commitments.
Fast-forward to the late signing period: The Wolverines addressed those needs by flipping four-star defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny from Michigan State and flipping tackle Ikechukwu Iwunnah from Colorado.
Jim Harbaugh and his staff signed ESPN 300 defensive end George Rooks III and flipped two more defensive tackles on February's national signing day. John Raoux/AP PhotoIn its previous four recruiting classes, Michigan had signed four defensive tackles in total, and two of them transferred, leaving a giant hole along the front line.
The Wolverines announced almost an entirely new defensive staff, led by defensive coordinator Mike MacDonald, who hit the ground running on filling those spots. Prior to the start of this late signing period, the staff also added ESPN 300 defensive end George Rooks III.
Considering the season Michigan had and the lengthy time it took to get an extension signed for Jim Harbaugh, this class is a win for Michigan. The staff signed 10 ESPN 300 commitments in total and added two four-stars and a three-star along the defensive line after the early signing period.
Nua and offensive line coach/co-offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore had their hands all over these recruitments and they deserve props for that. But it was also the energy of guys like Macdonald, Linguist and Ron Bellamy that are already paying dividends weeks after their hirings. The move to go younger is paying off.
Benny’s flip away from the rival Spartans was the most notable of the day. He had been a top target for Michigan throughout the process but decided to join head coach Mel Tucker shortly after MSU’s 27-24 win in Ann Arbor this past season. That was a tough pill to swallow for Michigan, but they maintained contact and once Benny did not sign in December, the full-court press remained on.
While it is far too soon to call this a position of strength now for Michigan, they have some prospects to work with now. No disrespect to any of the kids on the roster, but the 240 pounds defensive ends from the east coast being converted to tackles was never going to be a recipe for success. The Wolverines took a massive step in correcting that over the last seven days.
They need to be developed and coached up, which has been a big part of the problem. But you’ll take your chances with a couple of four-star guys as opposed to what the alternative was before. Nua has been an asset for Michigan in recent weeks, but will ultimately be defined by how he develops what’s on the roster mixed with what is coming in.
There are no guarantees when it comes to recruiting. Michigan football fans are well-versed in this area of expertise. They have talented players coming in at a major position of need, which is much more than they could have said previously. It should provide at least a sliver of hope that the staff is working on correcting what ails them.
Michigan: After a bad year on the field that included a lot of drama surrounding coach Jim Harbaugh's future, Michigan retooled its defensive coaching staff and went on a run, flipping defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny from Michigan State and beating out a number of top schools for George Rooks. The Wolverines have the No. 2 class in the Big Ten and the No. 10 class overall.
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