Michigan Recruiting - Post NSD Adjusted Class Rankings and Positional Analysis
Where do the Wolverines stand in comparison to the rest of the country?
Top 20 Recruiting Classes, 2020
Tier One - The Elite:
1a. Clemson 4.15 - Of the 23 signees that the Tigers have in this cycle, six of them are 5-Star athletes. There are also about a dozen others that are 4-Star players. They are tied with the Tide for the top spot.
1b. Alabama 4.15 - The Tide only have half as many 5-Star prospects as Clemson, but even if you drop those three elite prospects from the class completely it still would rank in the top four. Signing a whopping 22 players that are rated as a 4-Star or better is almost unheard of outside of Tuscaloosa.
3. Georgia 4.0 - The Bulldogs pull in top talent year after year but it just isn't enough to win that elusive national championship. Will this class be the one to help get them over that next hump? Possibly. It is in a solid third place and by all measurements is an elite class once again.
4. Ohio State 3.95 - Just like Georgia, the Buckeyes rake in the top talent every year but can't seem to get past the 'Bamas and Clemsons at the moment. They will at some point though, as long as they keep attracting this type of talent to Columbus.
Tier Two - The Challengers:
5. LSU 3.85 - The Tigers are riding an undefeated season and a Heisman trophy-winning quarterback to a top finish in recruiting. The class is just a hair below the truly Elite classes but it should be good enough to keep the program moving forward.
6. Florida 3.8 - The Gators are rebuilding the program under Dan Mullen. This class, which is loaded with 16 4-Star prospects, should go a long way towards getting a real shot at a chompionship.
7. Auburn 3.75 - The Tigers could make a championship run on almost any given year but they are just two or three elite players away from winning the SEC more regularly. They are tied with Oklahoma and Michigan for the seventh spot in the rankings.
7b(8). Oklahoma 3.75 - The Sooners continue to pad the depth chart with quality talent and they benefit from playing in a weak conference. They too are repeatedly just shy of the top four programs in the country when it comes to recruiting and it shows when they meet up in playoff games.
7c(9). Michigan 3.75 - The Wolverines are really just one or two elite players away from getting over their next hump too, which is beating Ohio State and getting to the Big Ten championship game. And while it doesn't appear that they have gotten the QB they wanted here, the rest of the team is getting a huge boost in talent with 15 4-Star players coming aboard.
10. Texas A&M 3.7 - The Aggies help continue the trend of the SEC dominating the top 10 in recruiting. And though they keep getting good talent they can't seem to put it together in the West division. I guess it's a real problem having to face Bama, LSU, and Auburn every year.
11. Tennessee 3.6 - The Volunteers have continuously under-performed when any sort of expectations are put on them. If they keep hauling classes like this, which includes a dozen 4-Star prospects. It's a bit of a far cry from what the Bulldogs, the Tide, and the Tigers are all hauling in though.
12a. Texas 3.55 - The Longhorns have a lot of ground to make up. Only five of their 17 signees are not at considered to be at least a 4-Star prospect. That is definitely good enough to compete for championships in the Big 12.
12b(13). Oregon 3.55 - The top recruiting class in the Pac-12 has three 5-Stars among it's 21 commits. The Ducks don't seem to be showing any signs of slowing down and should be in the mix for the conference title for years to come. They are probably just short of being able to compete with the elite though.
12c(14). Penn State 3.55 - This is a little bit of a down year for the Nittany Lions, though it is still a decent enough of a class to remain competitive in the second toughest division in college football.
12d(15). Washington 3.55 - Washington is doing just fine in recruiting while the transition into a new coaching era after the retirement of Chris Peterson takes place. That's not an easy task to pull off.
Tier Three - The Rest of the Top 20:
16a. Miami (FL) 3.5 - One would think that Miami would do better down there in South Florida, but it's just tougher to recruit at a private school. Honestly, the biggest issue is with class sizes as the U simply doesn't have the scholarships to go around like the top schools. They should still be able to compete at a fairly high level if they can keep bringing solid classes of this sort, but it's probably just not enough to take down the goliaths.
16b. Nebraska 3.5 - Coach Scott Frost is indeed gaining steam in recruiting. No other coaches in the Big Ten West did better than him at getting top targets to sign. That should pay off eventually for the 'Huskers on the field. They particularly did very well at receiver and safety as they added 10 4-Star players in all among their 24 signees.
17a. Notre Dame 3.45 - The Irish don't need much to be an Independent champ. They just don't really have a consistent level of high talent to truly compete in the playoff field.
17b. South Carolina 3.45 - Though this is still relatively a decent class compared to the rest of the country, in the SEC it might be just good enough to get them into the Papa John's Bowl.
20. UNC 3.35 - Classes like this, which consist of eight 4-Stars and 18 3-Stars can often end up being a little underrated. And with only Miami and Clemson ahead of them in the conference, it could be a class good enough to help them get over the hump.
Ranking Michigan's 2020 Class by Position
The Leaders:
1. Defensive Back - Five 4-Star prospects total; one of the best groups of DB's in the conference, as well as the entire country.
2. Linebacker - Five total - three 4-Stars and two 3-Stars; best recruitment of LB's in the Big Ten.
The Best (the rest):
3. Defensive Line - Four total - two 4-Stars and two 3-Stars; solid group with probably one star in the making.
4. Offensive Line - Four total - two 4-Stars and two 3-Stars; a decent haul to pad the depth chart a bit
5. Wide Receiver - Three total - two 4-Stars and one 3-Star; at least one player will play early
6. Running Back - Two total - one 4-Star and one 3-Star; one of the best overall recruits and a developmental prospect
7. Tight End - One 4-Star - one very solid prospect that could be ready to contribute right away but will definitely need a year before becoming a regular contributor
8. Quarterback - One 3-Star - whiffed on the top targets due to some bad luck but got at least one kid that could challenge for playing time in a few years.
Top 20 Recruiting Classes, 2020
Tier One - The Elite:
1a. Clemson 4.15 - Of the 23 signees that the Tigers have in this cycle, six of them are 5-Star athletes. There are also about a dozen others that are 4-Star players. They are tied with the Tide for the top spot.
1b. Alabama 4.15 - The Tide only have half as many 5-Star prospects as Clemson, but even if you drop those three elite prospects from the class completely it still would rank in the top four. Signing a whopping 22 players that are rated as a 4-Star or better is almost unheard of outside of Tuscaloosa.
3. Georgia 4.0 - The Bulldogs pull in top talent year after year but it just isn't enough to win that elusive national championship. Will this class be the one to help get them over that next hump? Possibly. It is in a solid third place and by all measurements is an elite class once again.
4. Ohio State 3.95 - Just like Georgia, the Buckeyes rake in the top talent every year but can't seem to get past the 'Bamas and Clemsons at the moment. They will at some point though, as long as they keep attracting this type of talent to Columbus.
Tier Two - The Challengers:
5. LSU 3.85 - The Tigers are riding an undefeated season and a Heisman trophy-winning quarterback to a top finish in recruiting. The class is just a hair below the truly Elite classes but it should be good enough to keep the program moving forward.
6. Florida 3.8 - The Gators are rebuilding the program under Dan Mullen. This class, which is loaded with 16 4-Star prospects, should go a long way towards getting a real shot at a chompionship.
7. Auburn 3.75 - The Tigers could make a championship run on almost any given year but they are just two or three elite players away from winning the SEC more regularly. They are tied with Oklahoma and Michigan for the seventh spot in the rankings.
7b(8). Oklahoma 3.75 - The Sooners continue to pad the depth chart with quality talent and they benefit from playing in a weak conference. They too are repeatedly just shy of the top four programs in the country when it comes to recruiting and it shows when they meet up in playoff games.
7c(9). Michigan 3.75 - The Wolverines are really just one or two elite players away from getting over their next hump too, which is beating Ohio State and getting to the Big Ten championship game. And while it doesn't appear that they have gotten the QB they wanted here, the rest of the team is getting a huge boost in talent with 15 4-Star players coming aboard.
10. Texas A&M 3.7 - The Aggies help continue the trend of the SEC dominating the top 10 in recruiting. And though they keep getting good talent they can't seem to put it together in the West division. I guess it's a real problem having to face Bama, LSU, and Auburn every year.
11. Tennessee 3.6 - The Volunteers have continuously under-performed when any sort of expectations are put on them. If they keep hauling classes like this, which includes a dozen 4-Star prospects. It's a bit of a far cry from what the Bulldogs, the Tide, and the Tigers are all hauling in though.
12a. Texas 3.55 - The Longhorns have a lot of ground to make up. Only five of their 17 signees are not at considered to be at least a 4-Star prospect. That is definitely good enough to compete for championships in the Big 12.
12b(13). Oregon 3.55 - The top recruiting class in the Pac-12 has three 5-Stars among it's 21 commits. The Ducks don't seem to be showing any signs of slowing down and should be in the mix for the conference title for years to come. They are probably just short of being able to compete with the elite though.
12c(14). Penn State 3.55 - This is a little bit of a down year for the Nittany Lions, though it is still a decent enough of a class to remain competitive in the second toughest division in college football.
12d(15). Washington 3.55 - Washington is doing just fine in recruiting while the transition into a new coaching era after the retirement of Chris Peterson takes place. That's not an easy task to pull off.
Tier Three - The Rest of the Top 20:
16a. Miami (FL) 3.5 - One would think that Miami would do better down there in South Florida, but it's just tougher to recruit at a private school. Honestly, the biggest issue is with class sizes as the U simply doesn't have the scholarships to go around like the top schools. They should still be able to compete at a fairly high level if they can keep bringing solid classes of this sort, but it's probably just not enough to take down the goliaths.
16b. Nebraska 3.5 - Coach Scott Frost is indeed gaining steam in recruiting. No other coaches in the Big Ten West did better than him at getting top targets to sign. That should pay off eventually for the 'Huskers on the field. They particularly did very well at receiver and safety as they added 10 4-Star players in all among their 24 signees.
17a. Notre Dame 3.45 - The Irish don't need much to be an Independent champ. They just don't really have a consistent level of high talent to truly compete in the playoff field.
17b. South Carolina 3.45 - Though this is still relatively a decent class compared to the rest of the country, in the SEC it might be just good enough to get them into the Papa John's Bowl.
20. UNC 3.35 - Classes like this, which consist of eight 4-Stars and 18 3-Stars can often end up being a little underrated. And with only Miami and Clemson ahead of them in the conference, it could be a class good enough to help them get over the hump.
Ranking Michigan's 2020 Class by Position
The Leaders:
1. Defensive Back - Five 4-Star prospects total; one of the best groups of DB's in the conference, as well as the entire country.
2. Linebacker - Five total - three 4-Stars and two 3-Stars; best recruitment of LB's in the Big Ten.
The Best (the rest):
3. Defensive Line - Four total - two 4-Stars and two 3-Stars; solid group with probably one star in the making.
4. Offensive Line - Four total - two 4-Stars and two 3-Stars; a decent haul to pad the depth chart a bit
5. Wide Receiver - Three total - two 4-Stars and one 3-Star; at least one player will play early
6. Running Back - Two total - one 4-Star and one 3-Star; one of the best overall recruits and a developmental prospect
7. Tight End - One 4-Star - one very solid prospect that could be ready to contribute right away but will definitely need a year before becoming a regular contributor
8. Quarterback - One 3-Star - whiffed on the top targets due to some bad luck but got at least one kid that could challenge for playing time in a few years.
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