The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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140 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2024 FOOTBALL PREVIEW NEXT LEVEL Michigan's 2019 Recruiting Class Was Packed With Star Power Mike Sainristil entered Michigan as a three-star wide receiver in 2019 and left as a two-time captain and an All-American at defensive back while leading the Wolverines to the national cham- pionship last season. He also was a second-round pick of the Washington Commanders in the 2024 NFL Draft. PHOTO BY GABRIELLA CERITANO BY ANTHONY BROOME I f Michigan's 2018 class was the most instrumental in changing the pro- gram's culture between the 2020 and 2021 seasons, 2019's group provided the star power to give the turnaround staying power. The top-10 class ranked seventh in the nation, per the On3 Industry Ranking, and featured no shortage of foundational players. Head coach Jim Harbaugh and his staff signed 26 prospects, including a pair of five-star recruits in defensive back Dax- ton Hill and defensive tackle Chris Hinton, coming in as the No. 8 and 31 prospects in America, respectively. Overall, the class featured four top-100 prospects in Hill, Hinton, running back Zach Charbonnet and defensive tackle Mazi Smith. All were impactful, and three of the four finished their seasons in Ann Arbor, with Charbonnet transferring to UCLA after the 2020 season. Other foundational pieces included of- fensive tackle Karsen Barnhart, wide re- ceiver Cornelius Johnson, offensive line- man Trevor Keegan and defensive back Mike Sainristil. Another was quarterback Cade McNamara, who made 16 starts and led the team to its first win over Ohio State since 2011 and its first Big Ten champion- ship since 2004 during the 2021 campaign. This class saw as much as anyone during its time in Ann Arbor, falling short of their goals as the favorites to win the Big Ten in 2019 and the disappointing COVID season, but several in the group were instrumental in turning the program around in 2021. And unlike most of the 2018 class, several players that stuck it out were on the roster for the team's national title win in 2023. One player remains from the recruiting class in defensive back Quinten Johnson, who returned for a sixth season in 2024 and will be a key member of the Wolverines' safety rotation after Rod Moore's season- ending injury in spring camp.