The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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10 THE WOLVERINE MAY 2020 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS "The best players from Michigan, play for Michigan! @DEdwards — join the FAMILY." — Michigan freshman defensive end Braiden McGregor on Twitter March 27, trying to persuade West Bloomfield (Mich.) High four-star running back Donovan Edwards to commit to U-M BY THE NUMBERS 16th Was the national ranking of the 2020 recruiting class be- ing brought in by second-year wrestling head coach, Sean Bormet, according to FloWrestling. His first signing class was ranked 12th by the website and gives the program top-20 incoming groups in six of the last seven years. This year's class is led by projected 197-pounder Gaige Garcia, the nation's No. 22 overall recruit regardless of weight class who is expected to also play football for the Wolverines, and No. 38 Dylan Ragusin, a projected 133-pounder out of Illinois. 2 Former Wolverines were included in ESPN's bracket of the greatest college basketball players of all time. Both Glen Rice (1985-89) and CHRIS WEBBER (1991-93) were included as 14 seeds in their respective regions. In the first round of the fan vote, Rice fell to third-seeded Magic Johnson, while Webber up- set third-seeded Cheryl Miller but then fell to 11 seed David Robinson in the second round. Before voting even began, writer Jeff Borzello dubbed Webber as a player in his region that people wouldn't appreciate enough, noting that he was known for calling the timeout U-M didn't have in the 1993 title game more than anything. "It's one of the more memorable/infamous moments in NCAA Tournament history," Borzello explained. "But Webber had an absolutely domi- nant two-year college career that gets over- shadowed because of that timeout. He was the best player on a team that went to the national championship game two seasons in a row, aver- aging a double-double both seasons." PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETICS 4 Incoming Michigan freshman hockey players were included among NFL Central Scouting's final rankings of North American skaters for the 2020 draft — forward Brendan Brisson checked in at No. 20, forward Thomas Bordeleau ranked No. 29, defense- man Jacob Truscott was listed at No. 68 and defenseman Ethan Edwards came in at No. 77. The Wolverines' re- cruiting class is widely touted as one of the best in the nation, led by that quartet, in addition to defenseman Owen Power and forward Kent John- son, who may be even more highly regarded but are not eligible for the draft until 2021. 8 Players were unanimously selected to the NFL's All- Decade Team for the 2010s, includ- ing former Michigan quarterback TOM B R A D Y. B r a d y was also included on the 2000s All- Decade Team, one of only five to make both units — but one was coach Bill Belichick, while two more were specialists. The squads are voted on by the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee. $122,000,000 Is how much the Michigan football pro- gram grossed in Fiscal Year 2018 (July 1, 2018-June 30, 2019), according to a recent study from FootballScoop.com based on data from the U.S. Department of Educa- tion. It is the third-highest total nationally, and first among Big Ten programs, though the website did note: "bean counting at the college level is always tricky because accounting practices are not standard across the industry." PHOTO BY DAVID SILVERMAN/COURTESY NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS