Five biggest Michigan recruiting wins of the 2024 cycle… and five biggest losses

The 2024 cycle was full of twists and turns. Here is a look at Michigan’s five biggest wins… and five biggest losses.

Five Biggest Wins

RB Jordan Marshall, Cincinnati (Ohio) Moeller — Michigan running backs coach Mike Hart went into enemy territory and stole Marshall away from Ohio State. The fact that Mr. Ohio is heading to Ann Arbor signifies a shift in the rivalry and shows the U-M is very capable of once again landing top Ohio talent. Marshall is also the highest ranked recruit in the class and will have an opportunity to get significant carries as a true freshman.

DL Owen Wafle, Princeton (N.J.) Hun School — Wafle committed to Notre Dame early in the cycle and seemed happy with his verbal pledge to the Irish. However, Michigan defensive line coach Mike Elston was relentless in his pursuit of Wafle and eventually flipped him away from Notre Dame following a strong official visit in June. Wafle isn’t highly touted in the rankings, but he shares similar traits with star Michigan defensive lineman Mason Graham.

DL Deyvid Palepale, Manheim (Pa.) Township — Michigan was considered the leader for Palepale throughout the majority of the recruiting cycle. In fact, Palepale indicated that he was going to commit to Michigan in June. However, he made an official visit to USC and basically gave the Trojans a verbal pledge on the spot. Palepale actually reached out to Michigan in the fall, and Elston was able to seal the deal by flipping him away from USC.

LB Cole Sullivan, Pittsburgh (Pa.) Central Catholic — An Irish kid at a Catholic high school, Sullivan seemed to have Notre Dame written all over him. And yes, Notre Dame was considered the leader early in the process. However, Michigan was able to turn the tide in his recruitment and landed his commitment in May. Sullivan has one of the biggest risers in the rankings and has an argument as the best defensive signee in the class.

LB Jeremiah Beasley, Belleville (Mich.) High — Michigan State was trending for Beasley early in the process. The Spartans made him their top overall priority this cycle, and his older brother, Maliq Carr, was on the roster. However, Beasley always seemed like a Michigan kid and valued U-M’s development and academics. Michigan eventually won this in-state head-to-head battle against Michigan State, which has since fired head coach Mel Tucker and completely collapsed.

Five Biggest Losses

WR Jordan Shipp, Charlotte (N.C) Providence Day — Michigan ended the early period with just two wide receiver signees — I’Marion Stewart and Channing Goodwin. Both are more slot types, which means Michigan is still missing a bigger body on the outside. Those around Michigan thought Shipp was going to be that guy. After all, he made several visits and is a teammate of Goodwin and quarterback pledge Jadyn Davis. However, the On300 prospect decided to stay home and committed to North Carolina.

DL Justin Scott, Chicago (Ill.) St. Ignatius — Michigan eventually landed Palepale, but Scott would have been a massive land in the trenches. Scott is a longer, taller nose with a similar build as star U-M defensive lineman Kenneth Grant. Michigan appeared to have a tiny lead for a very brief momentum in the summer. However, Ohio State landed his commitment. The five-star prospect eventually flipped to Miami in November.

LB Aaron Chiles, Olney (Md.) Good Counsel — Michigan was considered the leader for Chiles for the majority of the recruiting cycle. In fact, Michigan was in the process of helping him make a commitment live on ESPN. However, Chiles shockingly spurned Michigan and committed to Florida on his official visit. The On300 prospect shares a lot of similarities with Michigan linebacker Junior Colson and would have been a plug and play player.

CB Aaron Scott, Springfield (Ohio) High — Scott was down to Michigan and Ohio State for most of the summer. There seemed to be cautious optimism coming from Michigan as it made the five-star prospect one of its top overall targets. However, Scott passed on an opportunity to play for the winning team in the rivalry and instead committed to childhood favorite Ohio State. Scott could have seen significant time as a true freshman at U-M.

S Zaquan Patterson, Miami (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna — A teammate of Top 100 2025 Michigan cornerback commit Chris Ewald, Patterson was Michigan’s top overall target at the safety position. Patterson visited Michigan twice in the summer, and it appeared that the Wolverines had a legitimate shot to pull him out of South Florida. However, Miami plays a different game with NIL and was able to win him over. Patterson talked about making a fall official visit to U-M, but it never happened.

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