The Wolverine

March 2020 Issue

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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MARCH 2020 THE WOLVERINE 25 2020 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE 0 Five-star prospects signed by U-M for just the third time in the last nine classes, dating back to 2012. 1 Signee the Wolverines inked inside the Rivals100: Mil- ton (Mass.) Academy four-star linebacker Kalel Mullings, at No. 92 nationally. In comparison, the Maize and Blue signed four top-100 players in 2019, zero in 2018, seven in 2017 and four in 2016. 2nd Best class in the Big Ten, residing at No. 11 nation- ally and trailing only Ohio State, which sits at No. 5 in the country. Penn State is only two spots behind U-M, however, checking in at No. 13 overall. The Maize and Blue have hauled in a top-two class in the league six times since 2010, including the No. 1 crew in last year's cycle. 3 Gatorade Player of the Year award winners U-M signed in their respective states: Bal- timore St. Frances four-star running back Blake Corum (Maryland), Frankfort (Ill.) Lincoln Way East four-star wide receiver A.J. Henning (Illinois) and Mullings (Massachusetts). The Wolverines signed four such athletes last year. 3 Of the top eight prospects in the state of Michigan signed with U-M: Bel- leville High four-star corner- back ANDRE SELDON (No. 2), West Bloomfield High four-star linebacker Cornell Wheeler (No. 6) and West Bloomfield High four-star safety Makari Paige (No. 8). 4 Players from the state of Hawai'i have ever signed with the Wolverines, follow- ing the addition of Honolulu St. Louis three-star wide re- ceiver Roman Wilson. 6 Straight years Michi- gan has inked a quar- terback under head coach Jim Harbaugh, with Mass- apequa (N.Y.) Plainedge Senior three-star Dan Villari standing as this year's lone signal-caller. The previous five QBs Harbaugh signed were Cade McNamara last season, Joe Milton in 2018, D ylan McCaffrey in 2017, Brandon Peters in 2016 and Zach Gentry in 2015. 6-7 Is how tall San Juan Capistrano (Calif.) JSerra Catholic four-star offensive tackle Jeffrey Persi stands, making him the tallest player in Michigan's class. At 5-8, Corum and Seldon are tied for the shortest. 8 Players Michigan reeled in that were listed inside the Rivals250: Mullings at No. 92, Corum at No. 104, Hen- ning at No. 111, Torrance (Calif.) Narbonne four-star corner- back Darion Green-Warren at No. 123, Seldon at No. 140, Cambridge (Mass.) Buckingham Browne & Nichols four-star offensive tackle Zak Zinter at No. 145, Baltimore St. Frances four-star linebacker Osman Savage at No. 158 and Wheeler at No. 245. The Wolverines signed 11 Rivals250 members last year, four in 2018, 15 in 2017 and 13 in 2016. 8 Players who enrolled early in this year's class and are already on campus going through winter condi- tioning — Corum, Baltimore St. Frances three-star linebacker Nikhai Hill-Green, Williamstown (N.J.) High three-star defensive end Aaron Lewis, Port Huron (Mich.) Northern four-star defen- sive end Braiden McGregor, Brooklyn (N.Y.) Erasmus Hall Campus four-star linebacker William Mohan, Paige, Seldon and Zinter. 11 Different states that U-M's pros- pects call home, with the state of Michigan leading the way with four of its natives signing. The Wolverines grabbed three players each from Maryland, New Jersey and Massachusetts, two from California, Virginia and New York, and one each from Colorado, Hawai'i, Illinois and Florida. 12 Of Michigan's 23 signees took part in a postseason all-star game, with five playing in the All-American Bowl, three in the Under Armor All-American Game, and two each in the International Bowl and Polynesian Bowl. 13 Four-star prospects brought in, which is tied for the fifth- most in the country and deadlocked with Penn State for the most in the Big Ten. The Maize and Blue inked an average of 12.7 four-stars per class in Harbaugh's first four full hauls (excluding the 2015 crop, which was a mixture of Harbaugh's and Brady Hoke's recruits). The most four-star prospects signed under Har- baugh was in 2017 when the program reeled in 16, and the fewest was in 2018 when only seven were brought on board. No. 92 Is where Mull- ings, the high- est-rated prospect in Michigan's entire class, is ranked. Dating back to the 2010 recruiting class, the average numerical listing for U-M's top-ranked signee has been 44.1. — Austin Fox By The Numbers: Michigan's 2020 Signing Class PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND

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