Xavier Worthy Slated To Be 4th-Highest Rated WR U-M Has Signed Since 2002
Fresno (Calif.) Central four-star wide receiver Xavier Worthy has stolen most of the headlines surrounding the Michigan Wolverines' 2021 football recruiting class lately, after the wideout was bumped up from a three-star to the No. 57 overall player nationally in the latest Rivals.com rankings update.
Wide receiver hasn't exactly been a position Michigan has reeled in top-end talent at at a high level since the Rivals.com era began in 2002, with the Maize and Blue having signed just seven top-100 wideouts during that span.
Worthy's ranking could still be altered before he arrives at Michigan, but as it stands now, he is slated to be the fourth-highest rated receiver the Wolverines have inked since Rivals.com began ranking players in 2002.
The only three who were higher than Worthy currently is were five-star Donovan Peoples-Jones in 2017 (No. 12 overall player nationally), Darryl Stonum in 2008 (No. 41) and Mario Manningham in 2005 (No. 45).
Manningham lived up to the hype and had an outstanding career in Ann Arbor from 2005-07, and while Stonum and Peoples-Jones enjoyed respectable Michigan tenures, they certainly didn't live up to the lofty rankings they possessed out of high school.
In fact, the majority of the highly-rated wideouts U-M has signed since 2002 have been flameouts, with top-100 members in Toney Clemons (No. 91 player nationally) in 2007 and Doug Dutch (No. 98) in 2004 being the two best examples.
That trend stretched beyond the top-100 as well, with Je'Ron Stokes (No. 104) in 2009 and Drake Harris (No. 115) in 2014 failing to make an impact on the field during their time in Ann Arbor.
Below is a closer look at each of the seven top-100 wideouts Michigan has signed since 2002 (ordered from the highest-ranked out of high school to the lowest), and what they all achieved during their collegiate tenures.
2017 — Donovan Peoples-Jones (Five-Star, No. 12 Overall Player Nationally)
• 2017: 22 receptions for 277 yards and no touchdowns. Also averaged eight yards on 40 punt returns, while taking one to the house
• 2018: 47 catches for 612 yards and eight touchdowns. Averaged 10 yards on 25 punt returns, while taking one back for a score
• 2019: 34 receptions for 438 yards and six touchdowns. Also averaged 7.2 yards on 24 punt returns
*Notes: Peoples-Jones departed Michigan early for the NFL Draft following his junior season of 2019
2008 — Darryl Stonum (Four-Star, No. 41 Overall Player Nationally)
• 2008: 14 grabs for 176 yards and one touchdown. Also returned one kickoff for 24 yards
• 2009: 13 receptions for 199 yards and one score. Averaged 25.7 yards on 39 kick return attempts with one touchdown
• 2010: 49 catches for 633 yards and four touchdowns. Also averaged 23.3 yards on 22 kick returns
*Notes: Stonum was suspended for the entire 2011 campaign and then dismissed from the team prior to the start of the 2012 season, before finishing his collegiate tenure at Baylor
2005 — Mario Manningham (Four-Star, No. 45 Overall Player Nationally)
• 2005: 27 catches for 433 yards and six touchdowns. Also returned one punt for 17 yards
• 2006: 38 receptions for 703 yards and nine scores
• 2007: 67 grabs for 1,096 yards and 11 touchdowns
*Notes: Manningham left Michigan early for the NFL Draft following his junior season of 2007
2017 — Tarik Black (Four-Star, No. 76 Overall Player Nationally)
• 2017: 11 receptions for 149 yards and one touchdown
• 2018: Four grabs for 35 yards and no scores
• 2019: 25 catches for 323 yards and one touchdown
*Notes: Black was limited to just three games in 2017 and six in 2018 due to injuries, before eventually transferring to Texas. He will be a redshirt junior there in 2020
2007 — Toney Clemons (Four-Star, No. 91 Overall Player Nationally)
• 2007: One catch for five yards
• 2008: 11 receptions for 101 yards and no touchdowns. Also tallied two tackles as a cornerback
*Notes: Clemons transferred to Colorado following his sophomore campaign of 2008
2006 — Greg Mathews (Four-Star, No. 93 Overall Player Nationally)
• 2006: Seven catches for 68 yards and no scores. Also averaged seven yards on two punt returns
• 2007: 32 receptions for 304 yards and three touchdowns. Averaged eight yards on 28 punt return attempts
• 2008: 35 grabs for 409 yards and two scores. Also averaged nine yards on six punt returns
• 2009: 29 catches for 352 yards and one touchdown. Averaged 3.4 yards on seven punt return attempts
2004 — Doug Dutch (Four-Star, No. 98 Overall Player Nationally)
• 2004: No statistics
• 2005: Four catches for 34 yards and no touchdowns
• 2006: No statistics
• 2007: Registered one tackle
• 2008: No statistics
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