FB RECRUITING

Michigan football: transfer portal class drops three spots to No. 4

As the 2022 season comes to an end, Michigan’s transfer portal class has gone from No. 1 to No. 4 over the past few weeks.

Published

3 months ago

January 7, 2023

CJ Mangum

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh watches warmups ahead of the Maryland game at the Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022.

Heading into the College Football Playoff, Michigan football boasted a 13-0 record (10-0 Big Ten) and the nation’s No. 1 transfer portal class. Despite not losing a single portal recruit, the Wolverines’ class is down to No. 4 nationally.

Michigan football assembled incredible class

Just because Michigan’s portal class has moved down a few spots does not mean it isn’t one of the best in the nation. Right now, the Wolverines have seven players committed — all of which have starting experience and 6/7 have are coming from Power Five schools. In fact, three of Michigan’s seven transfer players have Big Ten experience (from Indiana and Nebraska).

Jim Harbaugh’s class includes five 4-star transfers and two 3-star transfers, and most (if not all) of these new Wolverines should have an immediate impact on the 2023 season. As of today, Michigan football has the No. 4 class in the nation, one that boasts an overall grade of 59.55 according to 247 Sports.

The Wolverines are brining in some much-needed proven talent from schools like Stanford, Nebraska, Arizona State, and more. Some of the bigger names headed to Ann Arbor include Ernest Hausmann (LB, Nebraska), Josaiah Stewart (edge, Coastal Carolina), AJ Barner (TE, Indiana) and more. The Wolverines seem to expect a lot of turnover on the offensive line as they plan to bring in three battle-tested offensive lineman in this transfer class alone.

The numbers do not tell the entire story

While Michigan’s class has moved down in the rankings, it is important to remember two things. 1) Michigan’s class did not get worse — the Wolverines still have seven transfers committed and all will be enrolling in the fall. 2) Michigan has only seven transfers opposed to schools like ASU and Colorado, who have 15+.

Right now, there are three schools ahead of U-M in 247’s portal rankings: Florida State (8 players), LSU (7 players), and Colorado (17 players). Two of the three schools ahead of U-M have more transfers than Michigan does.

When looking at overall grades, the Wolverines are still close to being in the top-3. LSU, who is ranked just ahead of Michigan’s class (which boasts a 59.55 grade) also has seven commits, though the Tigers’ class is graded at 62.16. Ahead of the Tigers are Colorado (68.25 overall) and Florida State (69.34 overall).

Michigan football stands out in portal rankings

The fact of the matter is that Michigan is in odd company at the top. The three teams above Michigan are all in the early-stages of a rebuild, and their head coaches are trying to patch immediate holes. The three teams below Michigan (Arizona State, UCLA, and USC) are all in the same boat.

Michigan football, on the other hand, is coming off of back-to-back 12-win seasons, Big Ten Championships, and Playoff appearances. The Wolverines are likely gearing up for another run at the conference title and CFP spot again in 2023, too. If Michigan is recruiting the portal this well now, its holes should be patched by the next fall and Michigan should be one of the nation’s best teams yet again.

While the Wolverines’ class may not be ranked No. 1 anymore, this is nothing for Michigan football fans to be upset or worried about in the slightest.

Up Next

Jim Harbaugh could be suspended over a hamburger

Don't Miss

Michigan football: college football fans react to ‘Burgergate’

Click to comment

FB RECRUITING

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.

Published

17 hours ago

March 25, 2023

CJ Mangum

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.

AGTG 🙏🏾@RWrightRivals @tanner_glisson @JC_PUNISHER_GA @Prather95 pic.twitter.com/LUXPNpCzTc

— B.I.R.D.M.A.N “Qua Birdsong”🫡 (@Qua_chosen1) March 24, 2023

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.

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and 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. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other steaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!

FB RECRUITING

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.

Published

23 hours ago

March 25, 2023

CJ Mangum

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.

FB RECRUITING

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.

Published

24 hours ago

March 25, 2023

CJ Mangum

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.