Looking back on the 2017 recruiting class: Michigan's five-best players

Michigan football’s 2017 recruiting class was one that was supposed to send the program into a different stratosphere of the college football world. It ranked fourth in the nation, per the On3 Consensus, but it certainly did not finish that way.

Of the prospects that Michigan signed in 2017, 18 of them never finished with the program. There were plenty of reasons for that, whether it be transfers, injuries or otherwise.

That said, Michigan still had a few players emerge that would wind up being stalwarts and foundational players. Here is a look at the five best from the 2017 cycle with the five-year anniversary of their arrival now in the rearview mirror.

1. OL Cesar Ruiz

Offensive linemen do not always get their due, but Ruiz was a no-brainer here. The pool of candidates was lessened due to the 2017’s class’ amount of attrition, but the argument can be made that he was the biggest hit on the trail.

Ruiz was ready to go right out of the box, appearing in 10 games during his freshman season with five starts at right guard. He slid in seamlessly to the center job in 2018, starting all 13 games and garnering third-team All-Big Ten honors from the conference’s coaches. Ruiz’s best season came in 2019, where he started every game and was tabbed the best pass-blocking center in the nation by Pro Football Focus, allowing just eight pressures in 447 snaps and none over the last five games.

He declared for the 2020 NFL Draft following his junior season and was selected No. 24 overall by the New Orleans Saints. 

2. DE Kwity Paye

His impact was felt more on the field than on the stat sheet, but that still made for one of the best stories of the recruiting cycle and one of U-M’s most productive defensive linemen.

Paye played in nine games as a reserve during his freshman season and contributed on special teams, finishing with five tackles and a sack. He broke out in a big way as a sophomore, appearing in all 13 games with four starts with a pair of sacks and five tackles for loss playing behind Rashan Gary and Chase Winovich and earning honorable mention All-Big Ten honors from the media. His best year came in 2019 in a starting role with 50 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, three quarterback hurries and one fumble recovery.

Paye was a team captain during the 2020 season and was a candidate for Lott IMPACT Trophy, Bednarik Award and Bronko Nagurski Award. He was selected with the No. 21 overall pick by the Indianapolis Colts in the 2021 NFL Draft.

3. WR Nico Collins

Michigan brought in what appeared to be a loaded wide receiver class during the 2017 cycle and Collins wound up being the best of the bunch. He played in only four games and had three catches for 27 yards as a freshman, but leaped his sophomore year. Collins appeared in all 13 games with 11 starts and made 38 catches for 632 yards and six touchdowns, earning him an All-Big Ten honorable mention nod and the team’s most improved offensive player award.

Collins built on his production with another strong campaign in 2019, finishing with 37 catches for 729 yards and seven touchdowns. He also led the Big Ten with 19.7 yards per catch and was Michigan’s Offensive Player of the Year. Collins announced his return for the 2020 season but elected to opt out due to the pandemic to prepare for the pros. The Houston Texans selected him in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

4. OL Andrew Stueber

His five seasons in Ann Arbor were as productive and workmanlike as it gets for an offensive lineman. Stueber only played in one game on special teams during his freshman season but worked himself into a key role during his sophomore campaign. He appeared in all 13 games and played 11 at right tackle with a pair of starts against Ohio State in the Peach Bowl against Florida.

Stueber had to fight through adversity during his junior season, tearing his ACL in training camp while battling Jalen Mayfield for the starting right tackle job. His return in 2020 saw him kick inside to right guard for the first two weeks before Mayfield was injured, necessitating a move back to right tackle.

Year five was the best for Stueber, starting all 14 games for the Wolverines and anchoring a unit that won the Joe Moore Award, given out to the top offensive line in the country. His play earned him second-team All-American praise from the American Football Coaches Association and helped U-M to a Big Ten Championship and a trip to the College Football Playoff.

The New England Patriots selected him in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft. 

5. WR Donovan Peoples-Jones

Jim Harbaugh’s second five-star signee and a local product from Cass Tech in Detroit never quite lived up to the lofty expectations placed upon him, but still was a tremendous playmaker during his college career.

Peoples-Jones made an impact from the jump, receiving the team’s Rookie of the Year award and grabbing Freshman All-American praise as a punt returner. He racked up 654 all-purpose yards and a punt return touchdown during his freshman year.

Peoples-Jones started to come into his own as a wideout during the 2018 season, totaling 47 catches for 612 yards and eight touchdowns, grabbing all-conference third-team honors as both a wideout and returner.

His production dipped in 2019 with nine starts in 11 games, catching 34 balls for 438 yards and six touchdowns. Peoples-Jones finished his career with 37 games played, 2,155 all-purpose yards and 16 touchdowns (14 receiving). He left after his junior season and was drafted in the sixth round by the Cleveland Browns in 2020.