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Michigan football: Class of 2024 defense already covers all bases

It’s hard to imagine a much better start to the Class of 2024 for Michigan football.

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Dec 31, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Michigan Wolverines defensive backs Rod Moore (19) and Will Johnson (2) celebrate MooreÕs interception against the TCU Horned Frogs in the second quarter of the 2022 Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

The goal of every recruiting cycle is to create balance. As wonderful as getting the big-time 5-star recruit might feel, it doesn’t mean much if you can’t surround them with talented pieces in the other positions. Lucky for Michigan football, they’ve had little to no trouble with this, as their 2024 class has just about everything you could hope for on the defensive side.

As the class stands now, the Wolverines have six commits in their class of 2024 and four project to play defense at the next level. Those commits are defensive linemen Manuel Beigel and Ted Hammond, linebacker Mason Curtis, and athlete Jacob Oden.

On a typical defense, there are three levels you need to focus on. There’s the line of scrimmage players, where you’ll find your defensive linemen and edge rushers. The next level is the middle of the field, where you’ll generally have your linebackers. Finally, you have the defensive backfield, where you’ll typically find your safeties and cornerbacks. The Wolverines can now say they have the privilege of having at least one impact player at each level in their 2024 class.

Line of scrimmage

If you’ve followed Michigan football in about any era from the early 1900s until now, you should be aware that the Wolverines love to dominate the line of scrimmage. That’s where you’ll find the defensive and offensive linemen going at it, trying to gain leverage to give their team an upper hand.

That appears to have once again been an emphasis in this coming recruiting cycle, as Michigan already has two defensive linemen committed to play for them. Those players are Ted Hammond, a 4-star out of Ohio, and Manuel Beigel, out of Connecticut.

While Beigel doesn’t have a rating according to 247Sports, it’s easy to see why the Wolverines decided to recruit him. Looking at his game tape, he is always the biggest man on the field, and he’s got a motor that does not slow down. Those are traits that Michigan loves to have in their big men, so he could show significant improvement over the years.

On the other hand, Hammond recently got a significant boost in his rankings on the 247Sports Composite. He’s currently ranked as the No. 344 player nationally and the No. 30 defensive line prospect in the country. Not to mention, he’s a recruit out of Ohio, so it’s always fun to see the Wolverines snag a player out of Buckeye country. Overall, Hammond has the making to be an absolute star at Michigan if he continues to develop. He’s got strength and speed to match and could end up being a multi-year impact player for the Wolverines.

Linebackers

Mason Curtis, out of Tennessee, is the sole linebacker to join the Michigan football class of 2024 thus far. Curtis is a 4-star recruit and the No. 192 prospect in the country per 247Sports Composite. He’s also listed as the No. 17 linebacker in the country, and for good reason.

Curtis has some serious speed and is not afraid to make a big hit or two. One of the best things about him is that he has some solid height, standing at 6-foot-4, 200 pounds. While he has some room to grow in terms of filling out his frame, his size will do wonders for him in covering tight ends at the next level.

One thing that will likely forever stand true about the Big Ten is that they love their tight ends, so having a linebacker or two who can line up across from them is always a good idea.

Defensive backfield

The most recent commit to the Michigan football class of 2024 also is the highest ranked, as athlete Jacob Oden currently stands as the No. 160 player in the country per 247Sports Composite.

Oden is an exciting prospect, as he’s the kind of player I could easily see playing anywhere on the field. In high school, he played plenty of defensive back but got some work in on offense and excelled at both. He’s the kind of player who is technically sound but also very physical.

I see him playing more as a nickel back or safety, but getting him some snaps on offense wouldn’t be a bad idea. He isn’t the tallest or strongest player, standing at 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, but growing up with a father who played football and coached, Oden is an incredibly intelligent player.

Thanks to his background at wide receiver, I have a feeling he’s going to become quite the ball hawk in college. He’s the kind of player who will go up and grab the ball if it comes anywhere near him, so he should force plenty of turnovers throughout his college career.

Michigan football has set itself up perfectly going into the next year of recruiting. With this defensive group already committed, they can be much more selective with who they take in their class going forward. This group could be one of the best we’ve seen from the Wolverines in years, and I expect it to continue to improve.

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on TwitterFacebookand Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Managing Editor at Cj@BluebyNinety.com or DM him on Twitter, @CJsWrld_.

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Michigan football makes final five for top 10 2024 linebacker prospect

The Michigan Wolverines are trending for a top 10 linebacker in the 2024 class.

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top 10 linebacker in 2024 recruiting class
Sep 3, 2022; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines linebacker Junior Colson (25) pursues a play on defense against the Colorado State Rams at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

The Michigan Wolverines have been getting red hot in the 2024 recruiting cycle as of late, and heading into the weekend, it appears as if Harbaugh’s staff is heating up for a massive recruit. Qua Birdsong, a top 10 linebacker in the 2024 recruiting class, included Michigan football in his top 5 remaining schools that he will choose from.

Michigan makes final five for top 10 linebacker in the 2024 recruiting class

Qua Birdsong is rated as a consensus four-star recruit (across all four major recruiting outlets) and is ranked as a top 10 linebacker according to On3. Additionally, he is ranked as the No. 136 player in the 2024 recruiting class, the No. 10 linebacker in his class, and the No. 18 player in the state of Georgia.

On Friday, Birdsong released his top five remaining teams that he is considering committing to — among his top five is Jim Harbaugh and his Michigan football Wolverines. Along with the Wolverines are the Miami Hurricanes, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, the Cincinatti Bearcats, the Central Florida Knights, and the Arkansas Razorbacks. As you can see, the Wolverines are the only Big Ten program in the running for this major top 10 linebacker recruit.

The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine lists Georgia Tech, Cincinatti, and Arkansas as his top-3, though if Michigan football can get him to Ann Arbor on a visit this spring or summer, the Wolverines will likely make up a great deal of lost ground. For now, this is a great sign for Michigan football, who made the top-5 for his recruitment without him visiting Ann Arbor yet.



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Michigan football trending with top 100 recruit ahead of his second visit to Ann Arbor

The Wolverines are in good shape to land one of the best players in the 2025 recruiting class.

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Michigan football top 100 recruit
Oct 15, 2022; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines running back Donovan Edwards (7) rushes in the second half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

ANN ARBOR, MI — It’s been a successful month for the Michigan Wolverines thus far, as the program has been hauling in some of the nation’s top talent at the same time as spring ball starts. Over the past week alone, the Michigan football team has hauled in two four-star players from Ohio, and with another big visit coming up, the Wolveirnes are trending in a good direction with a top 100 recruit in the 2025 recruiting class.

Michigan football trending in a good direction with LaMason Waller a top 100 recruit in the 2025 class

With nine players committed thus far in the 2024 recruiting class, Michigan football currently boasts a top 3 class in the nation per 247 Sports. Still, the Wolverines are hitting the 2025 recruiting trail hard right now as well, and on April 1st, the day of the Wolverines’ annual spring game, top 100 recruit LaMason Waller will be visiting Ann Arbor. Michigan has been picking up some steam with Waller as of late, and with spring/summer recruiting getting into full swing, the Wolverines will undoubtedly be looking to land his commitment.

247 has one crystal ball for LaMason Waller thus far — it is for Michigan football. On top of that, the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine lists Michigan and Oregon as Waller’s top two schools to this point.

According to the Industry Rankings, Waller is rated as a four-star recruit and is ranked as the No. 68 player nationally, the No. 7 athlete in his class, and the No. 11 player from the state of California in the 2025 recruiting class.



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Recent on-field and recruiting success proves the OSU-UM rivalry has hit a turning point

From the games to recruiting, Michigan is dominating Ohio State right now.

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Michigan football Buckeyes
© Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK

Since the turn of the century, the Michigan Wolverines have been, for lack of a better term, dominated by the Ohio State Buckeyes. Though Michigan football still leads the all-time series against Ohio State (60-51-6), Ohio State has won all but five games against Michigan since the year 2000. In fact, over the past 20 seasons, Ohio State has a 16-4 record against the Michigan Wolverines. Still, over the past two years, we have witnessed Jim Harbaugh and company turn the tide a bit — recent on-field and recruiting success proves that Michigan football is making up for lost ground.

Michigan football is stealing Ohio prospects, including some major OSU targets

This week alone, the Michigan football team has added two four-star Ohio recruits to its 2024 recruiting class. Early in the week, the Wolverines stole the No. 2 player in Ohio — running back Jordan Marshall — from the Buckeyes. The next day, Michigan sustained its success and grabbed another 2024 four-star player from Ohio; this time, it was Rivals four-star Ben Roebuck, and offensive tackle from St. Edward.

Of Michigan’s nine commits in the 2024 class, four are from the state of Ohio — additionally, the Wolverines are locked in on a few more big-name Ohio recruits, and likely aren’t done yet.

Michigan’s on-field success speaks volumes

Michigan’s few recruiting victories over Ohio State would not be nearly as big of a deal if the Wolverines weren’t crushing the Buckeyes on the field as well. In 2021, for the first time in a decade, the Michigan football team steamrolled Ohio State to the tune of a 42-27 victory. The win sent Michigan to the Big Ten title game, and eventually saw UM finish the season 12-2 overall and ranked in the top-3.

A season ago, No. 2 Ohio State (11-0) hosted No. 3 Michigan (11-0) in a massive matchup in Columbus, OH. For the first time in 22 years, Michigan football beat Ohio State in ‘The Shoe,’ and it was ugly. All said and done, Michigan improved to 12-0 for the second time in program history with a 45-23 win over Ohio State — the following week, Michigan won its 44th Big Ten Championship.

With all of Michigan’s recent on-field and recruiting wins over the Ohio State Buckeyes, it’s clear that Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines have turned the tide in the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry.



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