Reflecting on how I graded Michigan’s 2020 recruiting class

The 2020 Michigan recruiting class was my first one on this beat. However, I didn’t join The Wolverine until August, so most of the class was already full by the time I started. This also means I got zero offseason evaluations.

Since I was a one-man show at the time, I didn’t get to see all the commits play that fall, either. Therefore, I don’t believe I got the full evaluation experience until the following cycle. Still, I put effort into watching film and seeing as any as I could.

Here are the commits in order (by their Industry Ranking (247, Rivals and ESPN since On3 didn’t exist at the time), what my thoughts on them were and how they performed.

WR AJ Henning (No. 98) — All three recruiting services had Henning inside the Top 150. I also had Henning in that range after seeing him live. I felt that Henning would provide a different element to the Michigan offense thanks to his versatility as a running back and wide receiver. For a moment, it looked like Henning would live up to the hype. He earned All-Big Ten honors as a return man but never became a feared offensive weapon before transferring to Northwestern. Looking back at Henning, I should have graded him lower because most of his high school production came at running back. He was far from polished as a wide receiver and underdeveloped as a route runner. I thought his athletic ability would make up for that.

RB Blake Corum (No. 117) — All three recruiting services had Corum outside of the Top 100, while I had him ranked inside the Top 100. I’m marking down this one as a win for me. I remember the day Rivals (where The Wolverine was located at the time) briefly bumped Corum inside the Top 100 then dropped him for what seemed like no reason. I saw Corum shred powerhouse Mater Dei and likened him to Phillip Lindsay, who, at the time, was coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard NFL seasons. Corum, of course, has been one of college football’s best running backs over the last couple of years and was a Heisman contender a year ago. 247 had him all the way down at No. 232. Terrible.

EDGE Braiden McGregor (No. 121) — McGregor was a tough one for me to evaluate. I never got to see him live. He also had limited senior film as he suffered an injury. The services were all over the place with McGregor. ESPN had him as the No 32 overall recruit in the country. 247 had him inside the Top 150. Rivals had him as a low four-star. I was right in the middle. I believe I had him somewhere in the Top 250 range. McGregor made three starts as a junior and was an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection as a senior this season.

LB Kalel Mullings (No. 132) — I really, really liked Mullings as a recruit. I went out to New England to see him play, and he ran all over these tiny Boston suburb kids. Mullings was also impressive on the defensive side of the ball and looked the part of an athletic, sideline-to-sideline linebacker. I also saw him at the All-American Bowl, where he was really impressive. I also felt like he could play running back at the next level as did several Power Five programs. Unfortunately, the light never came on for Mullings at linebacker. He flashed as a running back this season and could be the lead ball carrier next year. I had him graded around his Industry Ranking, which was way too high. 247 and ESPN had him as a Top 250 recruit, while Rivals had him all the way up at No. 92. This was a loss for me, but I’m hopeful Mullings will make things happen next year. He was a pleasure to cover.

CB Andre Seldon (No. 165) — I was way, way down on Seldon. If you thought my commentary on Jadyn Davis was bad, you would have really hated what I had to say about Seldon. I just wasn’t in the spotlight, and I’m not sure how many of y’all actually cared about my evals at the time. I saw Seldon live and thought his lack of height would be a problem. I liked his ‘dog mentality,’ but I never bought the hype even when it was at an all-time high after the Under Armour Game. I had him graded a three-star. Rivals had him in the Top 150. ESPN had him in the Top 200. 247 had him as a low four-star. Seldon transferred to New Mexico State after two years at U-M.

S Jordan Morant (No. 169) — What a frustrating recruit. I loved Morant’s ability and thought he was going to be a multi-year starter at Michigan — if he stayed healthy. I tried to see Morant like three times, and the dude was always hurt. Injuries continued to plague Morant at the next level, and he transferred from Michigan to Mississippi State last year. I had him as a Top 200 recruit like 247 and ESPN. Rivals had him as a low four-star.

CB Darion Green-Warren (No. 194) — Talk about another frustrating recruit. Green-Warren was considered a big land for Michigan late in the cycle. I actually saw him while I was still on the Texas beat and followed him all the way to Michigan. I had Green-Warren ranked around his Industry Ranking, but he just never panned out. He transferred to Nevada after two years at Michigan. Rivals had him in the Top 125. ESPN had him in the Top 250. 247 had him as a low four-star. Terrible job by me especially considering how often I saw him.

S Makari Paige (No. 223) — I had Paige graded as a borderline Top 250 player (back then we had the Rivals250 not the On300). I saw him live and thought he had a really good outing. I was impressed with his size and physicality but knew he needed some work in coverage. Paige has come along as of late, earning back-to-back All-Big Ten honorable mention selections. The services all had Paige graded in the same range as I did. Seemed like a pretty straightforward eval.

S RJ Moten (No. 226) — I saw Moten in the All-American Bowl and came away with more questions than answers. I thought he may end up spinning down and playing linebacker. He seemed like such a tweener to me, so I had him in the high three-star/low four-star range. Moten got on the field earlier than I expected and was basically a full-time starter as a junior. However, he ended up transferring to Florida, where he only started one game. I can’t even judge my evaluation here. It’s been a weird career for Moten. Rivals had him as a three-star. ESPN had him in the Top 250. 247 had him in the Top 200.

WR Roman Wilson (No. 268) — Wilson is another guy I had in the high three-star/low four-star range. I didn’t get to see him live, and he was one of the recruits I was the least familiar with. The services seemed to disagree on the Hawaiian speedster as Rivals had him a three-star, 247 had him a Top 250 prospect and ESPN had him a low four-star. Wilson had a breakout senior season and was a second team All-Big Ten selection.

OL Zak Zinter (No. 294) — I will fully take my victory lap with Zinter. This is one of the best — if not the best — evaluation I’ve had on the Michigan beat. ESPN had Zinter as a low four-star, while 247 had him as a three-star (yuck!). Rivals was close with Zinter ranked just inside the Top 150. Meanwhile, I graded Zinter as a Top 100 recruit. He had the most dominant in-game performance I’ve ever seen from an offensive lineman in my decade long career doing this. I wrote that Zinter looked the part of a future All-American, which he obviously turned into. Zinter has been a staple for an offensive line that won back-to-back Joe Moore Awards. I’m not sure how 247 missed on him so bad.

OL Jeff Persi (No. 310) — I agreed with the Industry Ranking. All services had Persi in the low four-star range. I liked Persi’s height, length and mean streak after seeing him live. However, Persi hasn’t made an impact during his time at Michigan. Maybe we’ll see him next year.

EDGE Jaylen Harrell (No. 319) — Harrell was a late cycle win, so I didn’t get to see him live, but I really liked his film and had him graded as a Top 250 prospect. ESPN had him in the Top 200, while Rivals and ESPN had him as a three-star. I wrote he was really undervalued and a big upside take. Harrell has blossomed into a very good pass rusher at Michigan and was a back-to-back All-Big Ten honorable mention selection.

LB Nikhai Hill-Green (No. 338) — I was not enamored with Hill-Green when I saw him live. He rotated in and out for St. Frances, and Bryce Young’s Mater Dei team made him look lost at times. I wrote that he was more of a project take. However, Hill-Green really surprised me by getting on the field early at Michigan, starting six games as a sophomore. Hill-Green transferred to Charlotte, where he led the team in tackles, and is now at UCF. I’m not really sure what to make of this evaluation. 247 and ESPN had him as a low four-star, while Rivals had him as a three-star.

LB Osman Savage (No. 377) — Savage was a fun, little player to watch. I had him graded as a four-star and thought he was clearly better than Hill-Green. Savage was the heart and soul of the St Frances defense and was an absolute headhunter. Unfortunately, my eval looks stupid as Savage got into some off-the-field issues at Michigan, and he is now completely out of football. Rivals had him as a Top 200 prospect, while ESPN and 247 had him ranked as a three-star.

OL Reece Atteberry (No. 416) — All services had Atteberry ranked as a high three-star. I did as well after seeing him live. I thought Atteberry showed good physicality, but he did struggle to finish blocks. Overall, I saw some upside here and believed Atteberry could be a late career starter as a guard (services had him at tackle). Atteberry did move inside, but he never made an impact.

ATH Eamonn Dennis (No. 461) — I had Dennis graded as a three-star like all the services. He was an intriguing two-way athlete but didn’t really excite me as a prospect. He’s mostly been a special teams player at Michigan.

LB Cornell Wheeler (No. 467) — I had Wheeler as a high three-star prospect. He looked the part of a true inside thumper. However, he wasn’t really a scheme fit for Mike Macdonald. He transferred to Kansas, where he has been a rotational player. Rivals had him as a Top 250 prospect. ESPN and 247 both had him as a three-star.

EDGE Aaron Lewis (No. 470) — I had Lewis as a three-star. I’m not going to lie, I knew almost nothing about him. He was the recruit I was the least familiar with in the class. Lewis was ranked as a low four-star by ESPN and 247. Rivals had him as a mid-three-star. Lewis transferred to Rutgers and was an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection this season.

TE Matthew Hibner (No. 475) — I saw Hibner at US Army Bowl practices and had him graded as a three-star. I liked his ability as a blocker but questioned him as a pass catcher. I actually thought he could eventually move over to defense. Rivals and ESPN had him as a mid-three-star, while 247 had him all the way up at No. 134 nationally. Hibner hasn’t made an impact at Michigan.

LB William Mohan (No. 482) — I had Mohan as a three-star. I never saw him and wasn’t really familiar with him. He was recruited as a Viper but wasn’t a scheme fit once Don Brown left. He transferred to Tennessee, where he was arrested and suspended. Rivals had him as a low four-star. 247 and ESPN had him as a three-star.

EDGE Kris Jenkins (No. 487) — That’s right. Jenkins was listed as an EDGE and was the second lowest ranked recruit in the class. I had him in the high three-star/low four-star range, while all the services had him as a three-star. I saw Jenkins live, and he flashed a ton of ability. However, he was very skinny, and I saw him as a bit of a tweener. Michigan strength coach Ben Herbert did a phenomenal job transforming Jenkins into ‘The Mutant.’ He proved to be one of the best lands of the class and completely outplayed his ranking. Jenkins was a second team All-American this season.

QB Dan Villari (No. 1,211) — Villari was a late take at the quarterback position. I had him graded a two-star. He ended up transferring to Syracuse, where he now plays tight end. All the services had him ranked as a low three-star.

QB JD Johnson (N/A) — Johnson’s rankings were removed when he medically retired from football. I saw him live and had him in the high three-star/low four-star range. It’s unfortunate that we never got to see him play at U-M.

The post Reflecting on how I graded Michigan’s 2020 recruiting class appeared first on On3.