The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MARCH 2019 THE WOLVERINE 25 area it's good to have him at Michigan, almost like an inside connection." The way he talked about Michigan made it seem like Ann Arbor was a very legitimate destination for him, and it obviously played out that way. His explanation was not lip service and made predicting him to U-M seem very plausible. That's the definition of a good interview. MOST TALKATIVE This label doesn't necessarily go to the commit who speaks the most dur- ing interviews — although Columbus (Ohio) St. Francis DeSales three-star athlete Joey Velazquez was phenom- enal every time he went on the record — but rather the most reliable talker. In today's age of recruiting, pros- pects can get a little tired of the process and become harder to contact, but that was never the case with Velazquez. He was extremely open and forthcoming with information and even went out of his way to reach out on holidays or during any events of note. Kids like Velazquez make the job of a recruiting analyst very easy and enjoyable. RIVALS ANALYST ROUNDTABLE ON MICHIGAN'S 2019 CLASS Michigan's No. 10-ranked 2019 class got the Wolverines' recruiting efforts back in the national discussion. More notably, though, is that U-M's 26-man group paced the entire Big Ten. Ohio State had a strangle hold on the top spot for eight years, but Michi- gan dethroned them and held off Penn State to take the top spot in the confer- ence this cycle. Harbaugh and Co. landed a couple of five stars, lots of big, athletic bodies along the offensive and defensive lines, and bolstered just about every position group on the field. Because Harbaugh and his staff re- cruit nationally, the Rivals.com recruit- ing analysts all saw enough to give their opinions on the whole class. They were more tuned in to specific pros- pects from their regions, but most got a chance to see many of Michigan sign- ees at elite camps and All-American games. Whenever a school finishes in the top 10, just about everyone pays attention, and that's exactly what hap- pened with Michigan's haul in 2019. National recruiting director Mike Farrell "This is a big class when it comes to numbers, and it will be very important to the future of the program. I think they hit a lot needs. The offensive and defensive line classes are huge, and they did a great job at defensive back as well. Daxton Hill brings speed and explosiveness to the defensive back- field, while Chris Hinton headlines a strong defensive line group. "I'm a big fan of offensive lineman Trente Jones and his upside on the of- fensive line. Running back Zach Char- bonnet fits Jim Harbaugh's system very well, and Cade McNamara could be a sleeper at quarterback. I like the national flavor to this class. They went all over the country to win battles, and a top-10 class for Michi- gan is always a good thing, especially when they beat Ohio State in the Big Ten rankings." National recruiting analyst Adam Gorney "Michigan finished atop the Big Ten rankings for the first time since 2007, and a lot of credit goes to coach Jim Harbaugh but also his assistants that put this class together and signed a lot of top players early, steering clear of a lot of drama. "There were some interesting mo- ments, especially in the recruitment of Daxton Hill, but Michigan did an excellent job after losing him to Ala- bama to get him to flip back to the Wolverines. He is a special prospect and a phenomenal athlete who should be able to use his abilities early in Ann Arbor. "I went into All-American Bowl week skeptical of what I'd see out of Chris Hinton, and I left San Antonio thinking he could be a dominant force at Michigan. For a solid week, the five- star defensive tackle was completely unstoppable. "Offensive line was definitely a ma- jor focus in this class, and Michigan loaded up there. Four-star running back Zach Charbonnet proved over and over again in high school that he's a tough, hard-nosed runner who should fit Harbaugh's style and phi- losophy perfectly. "If there's a downside, Michigan's point total for being a No. 1 class in the Big Ten (2,460) is the lowest since 2012, but no one is going to argue with the top group in a Power Five confer- ence, and the Wolverines did a great job loading up in 2019." Trente Jones is one of three offensive line signees to earn a four-star rating from all three major recruiting services. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM