The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1386887
150 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2021 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY AUSTIN FOX M ichigan's 2016 recruiting class finished No. 4 in the Rivals.com national rankings, which tied the following year's haul for the best overall crop head coach Jim Har- baugh has signed during his time in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines' 2016 crew most notably helped lay the foundation for the success Michigan enjoyed in 2018 and 2019 (a combined 19-7 record and a pair of top-20 finishes in the polls those two years), with a handful of the signees also playing roles as freshmen on U-M's 10-3 squad in 2016 that finished ranked among the nation's top 10. The haul was exceptionally large, with 27 members, and inevitably featured several prospects who never panned out, but the flameouts were overshadowed by the superstars the class generated at the top. Three players — linebacker Devin Bush Jr., cornerback Lavert Hill and offensive guard Ben Bredeson — earned AP All-America honors during their careers, while nine became NFL Draft picks. Those who stuck around as fifth-year seniors in 2020 finished their careers with an impressive 39-19 record, helped lead the Maize and Blue to 10-win campaigns in both 2016 and 2018, and finished ranked among the nation's top 20 in the two major polls three times. YEAR-BY-YEAR RECORD 2016: 10-3, 7-2 Big Ten, Orange Bowl vs. Florida State (L, 33-32). Final Rank- ings: AP No. 10, Coaches No. 10 2017: 8-5, 5-4 Big Ten, Outback Bowl vs. South Carolina (L, 26-19). Final Rank- ings: 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 2019: 9-4, 6-3 Big Ten, Citrus Bowl vs. Alabama (L, 35-16). Final Rankings: AP No. 18, Coaches No. 19 2020: 2-4, 2-4 Big Ten, No bowl ap- pearance. Final Rankings: AP unranked, Coaches unranked FIVE-YEAR RECORD Overall: 39-19 (67.2 percent) Big Ten: 28-14 (66.7 percent) Bowl Games: 0-4 Versus Ohio State: 0-4 Versus Michigan State: 3-2 Versus Notre Dame: 1-1 Top-20 AP Finishes: 3 — 2016, 2018 and 2019 BIG TEN TEAMS' OVERALL WINNING PERCENTAGES FROM 2016-20 Rk. School Rec. Pct. 1. Ohio State 56-7 .889 T2. Penn State 46-16 .742 T2. Wisconsin 46-16 .742 4. Iowa 41-19 .683 5. Michigan 39-19 .672 6. Minnesota 35-23 .604 7. Northwestern 36-25 .590 8. Indiana 30-28 .517 9. Michigan State 29-29 .500 10. Nebraska 25-32 .439 11. Purdue 22-34 .393 12. Maryland 20-34 .370 13. Illinois 17-40 .298 14. Rutgers 12-45 .211 THE BUILDING BLOCKS THE BUILDING BLOCKS Michigan's 2016 Class Was Arguably The Best Jim Harbaugh Has Signed At U-M Linebacker Devin Bush Jr. won the Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Year award in 2018, after notching 80 tack- les, 9.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage and five sacks, and was also named a consensus All-American that year. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL