Five Biggest Michigan Recruiting Takeaways From National Signing Day
By EJ Holland
National Signing Day has officially come to a close. Here are my five biggest Michigan recruiting takeaways.
1. Edokpayi picks U-M
Michigan was obviously the favorite to land On300 Forestville (Md.) Bishop McNamara EDGE Lugard Edokpayi going into the day, but it was still great to see the Wolverines seal the deal. At 6-foot-7, 215 pounds, Edokpayi is a huge pass rusher with insane length and an outstanding ceiling. While he does have a scary floor, Michigan has a track track record of developing players at his position. U-M strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert will also play a big role in helping him add weight. You may not hear from Edokpayi for a couple of years, but he could be a big asset to the EDGE room down the line.
2. Bair waiting
Top 100 Burley (Idaho) High wide receiver Gatlin Bair did not make his decision today and will instead sign in February. This was expected but is still a bit disappointing. Had Bair announced a commitment today, I do believe the pick would have been Michigan. Now, there is time for Oregon to continue to make a big run in this recruitment. The Ducks have done a really nice job with him in recent weeks, and Bair still has questions about Jim Harbaugh’s status and what may come of this year’s sign stealing scandal.
3. Every commit signs
Michigan went through signing day without having anybody flip out of the class. Despite the aforementioned Harbaugh uncertainty and the sign stealing scandal, Michigan’s 2024 class remained true to their words. There was never really any concern about the commits. Ole Miss tried to make a run at On300 tight end Brady Prieskorn, while Clemson and Florida State kept in contact with three-star EDGE Dominic Nichols. However, their pledges were never in serious jeopardy. This class stuck through everything, which is commendable. There was a numbers speed bump we mentioned this morning. Offensive line commits Luke Hamilton and Ben Roebuck actually considered signing late and told us yesterday they were planning to do so in order to help out. Michigan, however, was able to make everything work.
4. No surprises
Again, Edokpayi was a great way to end the early signing period, but it was a bit disappointing that there were no surprises. Last year offered some drama with Jyaire Hill playing game and Karmello English going to down to the very end. This year, however, was pretty vanilla. Michigan didn’t seem to be a true threat for any late flips. You could definitely argue that a boring signing day can be a really good signing day. But we’re all here for the drama!
5. Good class
Overall, this was a very good class. It will be interesting to see if it ends up in the Top 15 when the rankings are done and the late period is over. But even if Michigan doesn’t make the Top 15, there are still some really valuable pieces. Top 100 running back Jordan Marshall could come in and be a bell cow as soon as next year. Top 100 quarterback Jadyn Davis doesn’t excite me, but he was a very safe take in a weak year at the position and is capable of winning a lot of games in Ann Arbor. The offensive line class is really good. The defense has some interesting pieces, including Edokpayi, On300 EDGE Devon Baxter and On300 linebacker Cole Sullivan. It’s not what was expected coming off another playoff appearance, but it is very solid.
