The Wolverine

April 2017

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/798849

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 47 of 67

48 THE WOLVERINE APRIL 2017 BY BRANDON BROWN M ichigan's 2017 recruiting class finished at No. 4 in the Rivals. com national team rankings, indicat- ing just how much quality there was in the 30-man class. A recent series of "Top 10s" from Rivals.com ranked schools by their hauls at each posi- tion group, and Michigan made the cut in five of the eight listings: WIDE RECEIVER Michigan's wide receiver haul came in at No. 2 in the country be- hind only recruiting champion Al- abama. There's an argument to be made that Michigan's group is bet- ter than Bama's but the difference is minimal. Alabama landed four of the top 24 wide receivers in the nation, while Michigan landed four of the top 35, including the No. 1 wide receiver and No. 12 overall player in the country, five-star Donovan Peoples- Jones out of Cass Tech High School in Detroit. Plus, U-M brought in four- star Brad Hawkins, who was the No. 53 receiver in the 2016 class before reclassifying and spending a year at a prep school. Michigan needed receivers in the class and got a little bit of everything at the position. Tarik Black, the na- tion's No. 11 wide receiver and No. 76 overall prospect nationally, is sim- ilar to Peoples-Jones in terms of size and ability. At 6-4, 201 pounds, Pin- son (Ala.) Clay four-star Nico Col- lins is the jumbo red-zone threat with some deceptive speed. Finally, Hawkins and Oliver Mar- tin are both around 6-1 and 200 pounds and can do a bit of every- thing. Both catch the ball extremely well, can make people miss after the reception and will be invaluable over the middle of the field. LINEBACKER The Wolverines again came in at No. 2 behind the Tide for their re- spective linebacker hauls. Alabama landed a five star in Dylan Moses and three four-star prospects, while Michigan reeled in its own five-star player in Jordan Anthony, a pair of four stars in Joshua Ross and Drew Singleton, and three-star inside line- backer Ben Mason. Heading into his senior season, Singleton had a chance to pick up a fifth star before tearing his ACL after just one game. The 6-2, 213-pounder still finished the year as the top player in New Jersey, and the No. 4 outside linebacker and No. 52 overall prospect nationally. Ross, a legacy commit as the younger brother of former Wolverine James Ross III, isn't quite as highly rated — checking in as the No. 15 outside linebacker and No. 222 over- all prospect nationally — but the 6-2, 221-pounder has all of the tools, in- cluding the intangibles, to possibly contribute as a freshman and eventu- ally be a captain at U-M according to his future coaches. The lowest-rated member of the group, Mason did everything for his high school team at 6-3, 247 pounds en route to a Gatorade Player of the Year award in Connecticut. He is now on campus at Michigan as an early enrollee, giving him a chance to prove what he can do before the other three arrive later this summer. DEFENSIVE TACKLE Another position group, another second-place finish — but this time, it's Florida State, not Alabama, who outpaced the Wolverines. The Noles landed the No. 2 overall player in the country in five-star Marvin Wilson on National Signing Day, but U-M snagged its own signing-day gem in five-star Aubrey Solomon out of Lee County High School in Leesburg, Ga. Throw in versatile four-star Donovan Jeter out of Beaver Falls, Pa., and you have a very solid one-two punch on the interior of the defensive line. Solomon was considered the No. 31 overall prospect nationally and the No. 2 defensive tackle in the country behind only Wilson, while Jeter, who at 6-3, 260, has edge potential and was listed as the No. 13 defensive tackle in the nation. Both Solomon and Jeter could help provide depth in 2017 with Jeter getting a head start as an early enrollee. OFFENSIVE LINE Michigan came in at No. 8 for its Five-star wideout Donovan Peoples-Jones was ranked No. 1 nationally at his position to lead what Rivals.com listed as the No. 2 2017 wide receiving class in the country. PHOTO BY BRANDON BROWN   MICHIGAN RECRUITING Wolverines' 2017 Signees Rank Among Nation's Top Position Groups

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of The Wolverine - April 2017