The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1133482
BY BRANDON BROWN H ead coach Brady Hoke's Michi‑ gan program began to struggle on the field during the 2013 campaign, and his 2014 recruit‑ ing class suffered because of it. A 7‑6 overall record that culminated with a 31‑14 beatdown at the hands of Kansas State in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl re‑ sulted in a class made up of just 16 members that was ranked No. 31 in the country by Rivals — behind Big Ten rivals Ohio State (No. 3), Michigan State (No. 22) and Penn State (No. 24). Of the 16 signees, only a few made mean‑ ingful contributions. Six of them didn't fin‑ ish their playing careers at Michigan, while another four stayed the course but never really found their footing as Wolverines. Of the six that actually stayed and played, only a couple would be classified as definite "hits" on the recruiting trail. Players from the class were involved in 43 wins and 21 losses at Michigan over five seasons, and went 1‑3 in bowl games. How‑ ever, this group of Wolverines also went a combined 2‑10 against Ohio State, Michigan State and Notre Dame. YEAR-BY-YEAR RECORD 2014: 5-7, 3-5 Big Ten. Final Rankings: Associ- ated Press unranked, Coaches unranked 2015: 10-3, 6-2 Big Ten, Citrus Bowl vs. Florida (W, 41-7). Final Rankings: AP No. 12, Coaches No. 11 2016: 10-3, 7-2 Big Ten, Orange Bowl vs. Flor- ida State (L, 29-16). Final Rankings: AP No. 10, Coaches No. 10 2017: 8-5, 5-4 Big Ten, Outback Bowl vs. South Carolina (L, 33-32). Final Rankings: AP unranked, Coaches unranked 2018: 10-3, 8-1 Big Ten, Peach Bowl vs. Florida (L, 41-15). Final Rankings: AP No. 14, Coaches No. 14 FIVE-YEAR RECORD Overall: 43-21 (.672) Big Ten: 29-14 (.674) Bowl Games: 1-3 Versus Ohio State: 0-5 Versus Michigan State: 2-3 Versus Notre Dame: 0-2 Top-20 Finishes: 3, 2015, 2016 and 2018 BIG TEN TEAMS' WINNING PERCENTAGES FROM 2014-18 Rk. School Rec. Pct. 1. Ohio State 62-7 .899 2. Wisconsin 53-15 .779 3. Penn State 45-21 .681 4. Michigan 43-21 .672 5. Iowa 44-22 .667 6. Michigan State 43-22 .661 7. Northwestern 41-24 .631 8. Minnesota 35-29 .547 9. Nebraska 32-31 .508 10. Indiana 26-36 .419 11. Maryland 25-37 .403 12. Purdue 21-41 .339 13. Illinois 20-41 .328 14. Rutgers 19-42 .311 NFL DRAFT PICKS Jabrill Peppers — Cleveland Browns, first round, No. 25 overall, 2017 Mason Cole — Arizona Cardinals, third round, No. 97 overall, 2018 Chase Winovich — New England Patriots, third round, No. 77 overall, 2019 LOW IMPACT Despite Some High-End Talent, U-M's 2014 Class Failed To Provide A Substantial Boost To The Program Jabrill Peppers, Rivals' No. 3 overall player in the class of 2014, had a spectacular redshirt sophomore season before becom- ing a first-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Peppers was named the country's most ver- satile player, and won Big Ten awards as the league's best defensive player, linebacker and return specialist. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL 168 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW