The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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OCTOBER 2020 THE WOLVERINE 11 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS "Consistency is really the biggest hurdle be- tween him and five-star status, and if he can show growth in that depart- ment while leading one of the most talented high school football teams, that would be a strong résumé builder." — Rivals.com Midwest recruiting analyst Josh Helmholdt on Bra- denton (Fla.) IMG Academy four- star quarterback and U-M com- mit J.J. McCarthy and whether or not he can eventually be bumped up to a five-star ranking PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN 866 866 All-time appearances in the Associated Press Top 25 poll — which started in 1936 — for Michigan football, which ranked second in the sport's his- tory heading into the 2020 season, behind only Ohio State (919). Both U-M (No. 16) and OSU (No. 2) were in- cluded in the first AP poll of the season, released Aug. 24, although they dropped out the next week due to the Big Ten's initial decision to sit out this fall. Other Big Ten squads included in the initial listing, which also included Pac-12 schools that were sitting out this fall, were: No. 7 Penn State, No. 12 Wisconsin, No. 19 Minnesota and No. 24 Iowa. 6 Current or future Wolverines were listed among the top 32 2021 NHL Draft prospects by The Athletic's Scott Wheeler: No. 3 Owen Power (defenseman), No. 4 Kent Johnson (forward), No. 9 Matty Beniers (forward), No. 10 Luke Hughes (defenseman), No. 27 Dylan Duke (forward) and No. 32 Mackie Samoskevich (for- ward). Power, Johnson and Beniers are all U-M freshmen, while Hughes, Duke and Samoskevich are all commits that should join the team in the 2021 recruiting class. "I have never seen one college program with so many projected first-round talents," TheWolverine.com hockey analyst Bob Miller said. "Yes, that means most will not stay at Michigan for four years, but the subsequent classes are strong, too." 6th Was where tight ends coach Sherrone Moore landed on an ESPN list of the top 10 recruiters for college football's class of 2021 so far. The only other Big Ten assistants to make the cut were three from Ohio State. "Moore is another young coach who is rising up the ranks quickly, especially with how well he recruits," Tom VanHaaren wrote. "He has been one of Michigan's best recruiters the past few classes and is keeping that up for the Wolverines in this 2021 cycle." VanHaaren noted that Moore "played a big part" in landing high four-star quarter- back J.J. McCarthy (No. 30 overall recruit in the land per Rivals), in addition to help- ing with four-star offensive linemen Giovanni El-Hadi (No. 54) and Raheem Anderson (No. 156), plus four-star tight end Louis Hansen (No. 70). 33 Former Wolverines made initial final 53-man rosters in the NFL, which were announced over Labor Day weekend. That total did not include any prac- tice squad players, and as of an NCAA.com study done Sept. 8, ranked fifth nationally for the number of pros from any one college program. Alabama led the way with 56, while No. 2 Ohio State paced the Big Ten with 50. Michigan's total included nine of its 10 2020 draftees making their initial final rosters, while sixth-round safety Josh Metellus was inked to the Minnesota Vikings' practice squad and called up to the active roster prior to his team's week two game. 40 Years old was former Michigan pitcher Rich Hill's age when he debuted during the 2020 season with the Minnesota Twins July 29, making him the oldest pitcher in the major leagues this year. The lefty, who turned 40 in March and underwent left elbow surgery last offseason, pitched five shutout innings in his first start of the campaign and is 2-2 with a 3.27 ERA through seven starts as of Sept. 21. I can say that he gets the best out of his play- ers. He's a great leader and a great coach." — New York Giants safety and former Wolverine Jabrill Peppers Aug. 27, discussing JIM HARBAUGH on the Moose & Maggie radio show