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Once again, Michigan football comes in third on National Signing Day

Yet again, the Wolverines are behind Penn State and Ohio State in the recruiting standings.

Published

2 months ago

February 2, 2023

At this point, most Michigan football fans should be prepared for what I am about to say. Once again, the Wolverines came in third in the Big Ten on National Signing Day. Surprisingly, Michigan’s recent success seems to be doing little (if anything) for it on the recruiting trail, as James Franklin and Ryan Day managed to land more talent than the Wolverines in the 2023 cycle.

Penn State, Ohio State lead Big Ten on NSD

On February 1st (college football National Signing Day), 2023 prospects around the country inked their commitments to some of the nation’s top programs. Despite being in Big Ten and National title contention every year, the Wolverines seemed to fall behind Penn State and Ohio State once again — this has become a common occurrence in Ann Arbor as of late.

When it came time to put pen on paper, Ohio State led the Big Ten with one five-star, 18 four-stars, and one three-star commit. The Buckeyes’ class ranks 1st in the Big Ten with 289.05 points (247). In 2nd place is the Penn State Nittany Lions, who signed 18 four-stars and five three-stars on NSD. James Franklin’s newest class has a 270.20 grade, according to 247.

Michigan football takes 3rd place in Big Ten recruiting

On National Signing Day, Michigan football secured commitments from 10 four-stars and 14 three-star recruits. The Wolverines’ class grades out to 241.74 according to 247 Sports and ranks 18th nationally.

Michigan’s 2023 class is Jim Harbaugh’s worst class since 2018 when the Wolverines were coming off of an underwhelming 8-5 performance in 2017. It is Habraugh’s second-worst since taking over as Michigan’s head football coach in late 2014.

Recent success canceled out by NIL issues, NFL rumors

Even though Penn State and Ohio State continue to out-recruit Michigan football, the Wolverines have had few issues with the two programs this decade. Michigan is 4-0 against OSU and PSU combined over the past two seasons and boasts blowout victories over both in 2022 alone (41-17 vs. Penn State, 45-23 at Ohio State).

Here is a look at the three program’s records and accomplishments over the past two seasons:

Michigan: 25-3 overall record, two CFP appearances, two consecutive Big Ten titles.
Penn State: 18-8 overall record, 1-1 bowl record (non-CFP), zero Big Ten titles since 2016.

Ohio State: 22-4 overall, 1-1 bowl record (0-1 CFP), zero Big Ten titles since 2020.

A significant factor in Michigan’s recent recruiting struggles could be the program’s lack of NIL support and the recent Jim Harbaugh-NFL rumors. Blue chip recruits are not lining up to play for a program with fewer NIL opportunities and a head coach rumored to want to bolt at any moment.

Since Harbaugh turned down the NFL this offseason, he has done much better in the 2024 class. Still, the 2023 class remains a bit underwhelming on paper.

Here is the order of the remaining teams in the Big Ten: Michigan State, Nebraska, Maryland, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Northwestern, Rutgers, Wisconsin, Purdue and Indiana.

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 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.

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!

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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.

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.

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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.

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.