BY MICHAEL SPATH
A
team is more than one
class, one player or one
position group, but in Jim
Harbaugh's first season at
the helm of the Michigan football
program, he will rely heavily on the
Class of 2012.
Only one player who came to
Michigan in the Class of 2011 on
scholarship remains in linebacker
Desmond Morgan, although former
walk-on Graham Glasgow will be
an integral part of this year's squad
as the projected starting center. The
other four fifth-year seniors are
transfers or walked on in Ann Arbor.
A dozen or more of the 2012 sign-
ees have put themselves in position
to start the opener against Utah, with
almost every player still on the roster
from that group poised to make the
two-deep.
Originally a cohort of 25 — ranked
seventh nationally by Rivals.com —
21 remain, and while 14 maintain
eligibility for 2016, they have learned
from Harbaugh that a fifth year is
not guaranteed to anyone. It must be
earned.
Thus, it's now or never for the 2012
class. So far in their careers, the Wol-
verines are 1-2 against both Michi-
gan State and Notre Dame, and 0-3
against Ohio State. They are 0-2 in
bowl games, 20-18 overall and have
not finished better than second in
their Big Ten division.
They have much left to accomplish.
"I definitely want to leave my
stamp on Michigan history and go
MAKE OR BREAK
Michigan's 2012 Class Needs
To Spark Jim Harbaugh's First Season
2012 CLASS REVIEW
A f t e r t i g h t e n d / w i d e r e c e i v e r D e v i n
Funchess' early departure for the NFL,
senior linebacker Joe Bolden stands as
the 2012 class' most proven player with
187 tackles and 12 stops behind the line of
scrimmage.
PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN
