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

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.

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