Revisiting Michigan football's 2017 recruiting class
Michigan football was a controversial spot away from winning the Big Ten East and heading to the College Football Playoff in 2016. The program was way ahead of schedule through the first two years of Jim Harbaugh and the build continued.
The Wolverines put together what was a potential all-time recruiting class for the 2017 cycle, but there were several things that prevented it from being fully realized on the field. There were still some gems and some program stalwarts, but also a ton of “what ifs.”
This haul ranked fourth in the country and second in the Big Ten, per the On3 Consensus rankings. Here is a look back at what members of Michigan’s 2017 class would become.
Five-star wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones (No. 17 overall, No. 1 in Michigan)
The Cass Tech product was a Two-time All-Big Ten selection and appeared in 37 games (26 starts) at Michigan. He had 2,155 all-purpose yards during his time in Ann Arbor with 16 touchdowns, 14 of which were receiving. Peoples-Jones was expected to be a star wideout but did leave some potential on the table by declaring early. He wound up being a sixth-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2020, where he has 48 catches for 901 yards and five touchdowns in two seasons.
Five-star defensive tackle Aubrey Solomon (No. 29 overall, No. 3 in Georgia)
Solomon spent two seasons at Michigan and played in 18 games in that timeframe. He was expected to slot into the starting lineup in 2019, but transferred to Tennessee and spent the last three years of his college career there. Solomon played in four games in 2021 with eight tackles and half a tackle for loss.
Four-star interior offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz (No. 41 overall, No. 8 in Florida)
Appearing in 36 games with 31 career starts, Ruiz was a fixture on the interior of the offensive line. The two-time All-Big Ten honoree was named the best pass blocking center in the country by PFF in 2019 with eight pressures allowed in 447 snaps. None of them came in the final five games of the season. Ruiz declared early for the NFL Draft and was a first-round pick of the New Orleans Saints in 2020.
Four-star linebacker Drew Singleton (No. 66 overall, No. 1 in New Jersey)
Michigan continued to attack the New Jersey pipeline during the 2017 recruiting class, but it was another addition that never worked out. Singleton played in seven games before transferring after the 2018 season. He spent the last three seasons at Rutgers, playing in 13 games in 2021 and making nine starts.
Four-star EDGE Luiji Vilain (No. 69 overall, No. 3 in Virginia)
Vilain did not see the field in his first two seasons at Michigan and appeared in 12 games in 2019-20. He transferred to Wake Forest ahead of the 2021 season and had a breakout season, finishing with 34 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss and nine sacks.
Four-star linebacker Jordan Anthony (No. 79 overall, No. 15 in Florida)
Anthony appeared in 16 games for the Wolverines before transferring after the 2019 season. He resurfaced at Troy in 2021, racking up 35 tackles in 12 games this season.
Four-star cornerback Ambry Thomas (No. 91 overall, No. 2 in Michigan)
The Detroit Martin Luther King HS product made an impact right off the bat in his Michigan career, mostly on special teams. Thomas’ breakout came in 2019, where he started all 13 games and finished with 38 tackles, seven passes defended, three interceptions and two fumble recoveries. He originally planned to return for his senior season, but opted out due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thomas would become a third-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Four-star quarterback Dylan McCaffrey (No. 128 overall, No. 2 in Colorado)
This was another quarterback recruit Michigan had high hopes for, but it never panned out. McCaffrey appeared in 13 games in a reserve role for Michigan and opted out of the 2020 season, eventually transferring to Northern Colorado to play for his father. He had 1,333 yards passing, five touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2021. Injuries hampered what could have been a productive college career.
Four-star interior offensive lineman Chuck Filiaga (No. 136 overall, No. 20 in Texas)
Filiaga put five solid years in for Michigan, even if he never locked down a starting spot consistently. He appeared in 39 career games with eight starts at left guard and three at right guard. Filiaga entered the transfer portal following the 2021 season and will play at Minnesota in 2022.
Four-star wide receiver Oliver Martin (No. 138 overall, No. 1 in Iowa)
Martin redshirted in his first year in Ann Arbor, then caught 11 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown in 2018. He transferred to Iowa prior to the 2019 season, then moved onto Nebraska in 2020-21. Martin played in eight games with three starts this season and caught nine passes for 147 yards and a touchdown.
Four-star wide receiver Nico Collins (No. 139 overall, No. 5 in Alabama)
While he was not the highest-ranked (or second, for that matter) wideout in the class, Collins served as Michigan’s biggest success story. He caught 78 passes for 1,388 yards and 13 touchdowns in his career, which saw him make 22 starts in 29 games. The two-time All-Big Ten honoree was set to return in 2020 but opted out due to the pandemic. The Houstan Texans selected him in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft, where he had 33 catches for 446 yards and one touchdown as a rookie.
Four-star wide receiver Tarik Black (No. 150 overall, No. 1 in Connecticut)
Black appeared in 20 games at Michigan, making nine career starts. Injuries hampered the early part of his career, though he never lived up to the potential once he was healthy. Black transferred to Texas for the 2020 season before making the leap to the NFL. The undrafted free agent spent most of the season on the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad and was released on Nov. 23. The New York Jets signed him to their practice squad on Dec. 7 and he signed a futures deal with the team on Jan. 10, 2022.
Four-star offensive tackle James Hudson (No. 167 overall, No. 3 in Ohio)
There was famously controversy between Hudson and Harbaugh on his way out the door. He did not see game action his first year and played very little during the 2018 season before transferring to Cincinnati. Hudson became a standout tackle for the Bearcats and was a fourth-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2021.
Four-star linebacker Josh Ross (No. 218 overall, No. 3 in Michigan)
Ross was a lynchpin for Michigan’s defense for 2021 and a two-time team captain. He also earned All-Big Ten honors twice (2018, 2021) and was a recipient of the 2018 Team Blue Collar Award. Ross had the opportunity to return for a sixth season at Michigan, but elected to move on and is currently preparing for the 2022 NFL Draft.
Four-star safety Jaylen Kelly-Powell (No. 220 overall, No. 4 in Michigan)
Another Cass Tech recruit, Kelly-Powell spent three seasons at Michigan and played in 20 career games, mostly on special teams and as a reserve. He transferred to Akron ahead of the 2020 season and had 62 total tackles, one sack, one interception and one fumble recovered during the 2021 season.
Four-star defensive lineman Deron Irving-Bey (No. 238 overall, No. 5 in Michigan)
The Flint native never saw the field for the Wolverines. He transferred to Central Michigan in 2018 but was academically dismissed after the fall semester. Irving-Bey returned in 2019 but dressed in only a single game and never recorded a statistic over his last two seasons.
Four-star defensive lineman Donovan Jeter (No. 256 overall, No. 7 in Pennsylvania)
Jeter appeared in 37 games with four starts at defensive tackle during his five years at Michigan. He could potentially return for a sixth season in Ann Arbor in 2022.
Four-star EDGE Corey Malone-Hatcher (No. 268 overall, No. 6 in Michigan)
Malone-Hatcher suffered an Achilles injury in high school that never healed correctly, causing him to medically retire from football in July 2017 before ever suiting up for Michigan.
Four-star running back O’Maury Samuels (No. 281 overall, No. 1 in New Mexico)
A reserve running back, Michigan dismissed Samuels in Dec. 2018 after domestic violence charges were brought against him. The charges were eventually dismissed in exchange for a guilty plea of one misdemeanor count of malicious destruction of property under $200. He resurfaced at New Mexico State and had 202 yards rushing and a touchdown this season while also grabbing 12 catches for 72 yards in nine games this season.
Four-star cornerback Benjamin St-Juste (No. 286 overall, No. 29 cornerback)
St-Juste played as a freshman in 12 games before redshirting in 2018 with Michigan. There was debate about his health outlook with the program, which led him to transfer to Minnesota. He was a key cog on the Gopher defense and an All-Big Ten honorable mention performer in 2019 before the Washington Football Team selected him in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Four-star safety Brad Hawkins (No. 290 overall, No. 2 in New Jersey)
Hawkins’ road to Michigan was an interesting one. He was originally set to come in the 2016 class as a wide receiver, but took a prep year at Suffield Academy and came to Ann Arbor in 2017. Hawkins would spend the entirety of his career at defensive back, appearing in a program-record 56 games with 31 starts at safety. He was a third-team All-Big Ten honoree in 2021 and is preparing for the 2022 NFL Draft.
Four-star interior offensive lineman Phillip Paea (No. 337 overall, No. 9 in Michigan)
Paea appeared in two games on the offensive line in 2018 before switching over to the defense in 2019-20, where he appeared in one game. He transferred to Utah State ahead of the 2021 season and had 14 tackles and two tackles for loss in 14 games.
Four-star EDGE Kwity Paye (No. 369 overall, No. 1 in Rhode Island)
The addition of Paye will be one of the biggest diamond in the rough additions of the Harbaugh era. He appeared in 38 games at Michigan with 20 starts and was a two-time All-Big Ten honoree. Paye was voted a team captain for the 2020 season and finished his career with 100 total tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks. The Indianapolis Colts selected him in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, where he recorded four sacks as a rookie.
Four-star interior offensive lineman Joel Honigford (No. 379 overall, No. 16 in Ohio)
Honigford appeared in 22 games in his Michigan career and began a transition to tight end during the 2020 season. It was a fully formed role when 2021 came around, making five starts at tight end during the Big Ten Championship run and recording his only reception in an Oct. 9 game at Nebraska.
Four-star safety J’Marick Woods (No. 403 overall, No. 16 in Alabama)
Michigan was able to pluck a safety out of the heart of SEC country that made 27 appearances and one start in three seasons. Woods transferred to Duke in 2020 and spent the final two years of eligibility at Duke. He had 27 tackles, two tackles for loss, three passes defended and two quarterback hurries in 10 games this season.
Four-star offensive tackle Andrew Stueber (No. 447 overall, No. 4 in Connecticut)
An alternate captain this season, Stueber saved his best for last at Michigan. He was an All-American selection from the American Football Coaches Association and was voted first-team All-Big Ten. Stueber suffered a torn ACL in 2019’s training camp while in a battle for the right tackle job, but returned in 2020 and started games at both right guard and right tackle. He is currently preparing for the 2022 NFL Draft.
Three-star offensive tackle Ja’Raymond Hall (No. 479 overall, No. 13 in Michigan)
Hall never appeared in a game at Michigan and transferred to Central Michigan after his freshman season. He sat out in 2018 due to transfer rules, but was injured in 2019 and never saw the field. Hall was medically disqualified from football in 2020 and focused on his degree after that.
Three-star running back Ben Mason (No. 630 overall, No. 5 in Connecticut)
A Harbaugh addition through and through, Mason appeared in 45 games at Michigan with four starts. He spent most of his career at fullback, but was also involved in an experiment that had him playing defensive tackle in the early part of 2019. Mason was a team captain in 2020 and was a fifth-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2021. He was waived during roster cuts and spent time with the New England Patriots and Chicago Bears practice squads before re-signing with the Ravens on Jan. 21.
Three-star running back Kurt Taylor (No. 1034 overall, No. 108 in Georgia)
Taylor never saw the field in two seasons at Michigan. He transferred to Iowa Central Community College in 2019 and played a spring football season with Tennessee Tech in 2021.
Three-star punter Brad Robbins (No. 2007 overall, No. 77 in Ohio)
Robbins was a Ray Guy Award semifinalist in 2021 and will be back in Ann Arbor for a sixth season. He is a two-time All-Big Ten honoree (2017, 21) and has appeared in 30 career games during his Michigan career.
Michigan football’s 2017 class overview
This was supposed to be the class that put a stamp on Harbaugh’s rebuild of Michigan football, but it mostly fizzled out. There were 18 players that would wind up transferring at some point in their careers. Much of the blue-chip talent at the top of the board underwhelmed or went elsewhere. It almost definitely played a part in why things were stagnant in 2019 and massively disappointing in 2020.
There were still some highlights, though. Peoples-Jones and Collins would up being good, NFL caliber wideouts. Ruiz was the anchor of the offensive line. Thomas, Ross, Hawkins, Paye, Stueber, Mason and Robbins would all become fixtures in their own right.
However, it was the second-straight class where Michigan would get next to nothing out of its quarterback, which would become an alarming trend and made the acquisition of Shea Patterson in 2018 necessary. Injuries were not McCaffrey’s fault, but his development never put him in line to be a factor.
At the end of the day, Michigan just did not get enough out of this class. There is no sugarcoating it. The fourth-best haul in the nation saw well over half its members gone before their careers were over. A lot of things led to some underwhelming seasons in 2019-20. Upon review, the 2017 recruiting is one of the more notable reasons why.
Grade: C
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