Grading Michigan Football's 2020 Recruiting Class Position By Position

Michigan signed 21 players in its 2020 class. We take a look at how the Wolverines did position by position as it relates to what they needed.

Quarterback - C+ 

Returning Scholarship QBs: 3 (R-Jr. Dylan McCaffrey, R-So. Joe Milton, R-Fr. Cade McNamara)

Signees: 0

Review: Michigan had a quarterback commitment from JD Johnson and will honor his scholarship after he announced in late October that he was being forced to medically retire from football. That left U-M without a QB in this class and about seven weeks to find one. The Wolverines are expected to land three-star Dan Villari at some point today. 

On paper, this is a reach. Villari, the No. 1,241 prospect in the 2020 class, held offers from Fordham, Albany, Buffalo and his perceived leader: UMass. His film, though, suggests he's severely underrated and while we won't go all maize-and-blue-colored glasses and say he's the steal of 2020, we're confident he's more than a clipboard-carrying, signed-for-depth recruit too. 

Running Back - B+ 

Returning Scholarship RBs: 6 (Sr. Chris Evans, Sr. FB Ben Mason, R-So. Hassan Haskins, R-So., Ben VanSumeren, R-So. Christian Turner, So. Zach Charbonnet)

Signees: 2 (Eamonn Dennis, Blake Corum) 

Review: While Michigan fans should be excited about a few more years of the Charbonnet/Haskins tandem, the Wolverines are still looking for their home-run back six classes into the Jim Harbaugh tenure, and that's what the 2020 class was about. 

It remains to be seen if Corum, the No. 119 prospect nationally and the No. 12 running back in the country, can be that back. At first glance, he's undersized at 5-8, 193, but in today's college football, he's really not. He's essentially Chris Evans Part II, with similar styles as shifty, speed backs. 

Even before his school removal prior to this past season, Evans had never proven himself as an every-down 1,000-yard back, and Michigan will enter 2020 still searching for its JK Dobbins or Jonathan Taylor. Corum's highlight reel shows potential and Dennis gives U-M another athlete for "speed in space" but there is no slam-dunk guaranteed success in this class. 

Wide Receivers - A 

Returning Scholarship WRs: 7 (Sr. Nico Collins, Sr. Donovan Peoples-Jones, Jr. Ronnie Bell, So. Giles Jackson, So. Mike Sainristil, So. Cornelius Johnson, R-Fr. George Johnson.

Signees: 2 (AJ Henning, Roman Wilson) 

Review: Michigan has signed two wide receivers perfectly suited for Josh Gattis' offense and ideal complements to Jackson, Sainristil and Johnson. If both Collins and Peoples-Jones return, as we have heard is a strong possibility, the wide receiver room in 2020 is, arguably, the best its been at U-M in 15 years. 

With a verified 4.37 40-yard dash, Wilson is a burner that should be able to stretch the field and could be consistently on the receiving end of 50+-yard bombs from Milton, who has one of the biggest arms in college football. Though Collins could win a jump ball downfield, the Wolverines didn't have a true deep threat this past year, but next season should have more speed at receiver than any point I can remember. 

Tight End - B

Returning Scholarship TEs: 3 (5th-Sr. Nick Eubanks, R-So. Luke Schoonmaker, So. Erick All) 

Signees: 1 (Matthew Hibner)

Review: Michigan is expecting to get a fifth year out of Eubanks, which lightened the need to sign multiple tight ends in this class. The tight end the Wolverines did sign, Hibner, is seen as a development prospect, but U-M has a track record of success at the position nurturing underrated players - Sean McKeon, Schoonmaker and Zach Gentry were either three-stars or, in the case of Gentry, a converted quarterback.

With Michigan tight ends catching 39 balls this year, five for touchdowns, there is a definitive role for tight ends in Gattis' offense and thus U-M will need to sign two in the 2021 class, but that is a goal for another day. For now, the Maize and Blue can be satisfied with the 6-4, 230-pound Hibner, who projects as a contributor in 2021 or 2022. 

Offensive Line - B-

Returning Scholarship OL: 11 (5th-Sr. Stephen Spanellis, Sr. Cesar Ruiz, R-Jr. Chuck Filiaga, R-Jr. Joel Honigford, R-Jr. Andrew Steuber, R-So. Jalen Mayfield, R-So. Ryan Hayes, R-Fr. Nolan Rumler, R-Fr. Trente Jones, R-Fr. Zach Carpenter, R-Fr. Jack Stewart, R-Fr. Trevor Keegan, R-Fr. Karsen Barnhart.  

Signees: 3 (Zak Zinter, Jeffrey Persi, Reece Atteberry) 

Review: Offensive line recruiting classes almost have to be grouped in sets of two because the three Michigan signed are linked to the six the Wolverines signed a year ago. This is seen as much more of a group be developed - not one of the three ranks among the 247Sports.com composite Top 250 prospects - and they're largely similar in height and build, prospects akin to current redshirt freshmen Jalen Mayfield and Ryan Hayes that had the opportunity to put on good weight in the U-M program. 

Over the last two years, Michigan signed nine offensive linemen. Out of that group, it needs three starters. It's impossible to say who those three are, but with Ed Warriner in charge of line play, it's a position group one can more easily give the benefit of the doubt to (than say running back, quarterback or defensive tackle). 

Defensive End - B+

Returning Scholarship DEs: 8 (Sr. Kwity Paye, R-Jr. Luiji Vilain, Jr. Aidan Hutchinson, R-So. Taylor Upshaw, R-So. Julius Welschof, R-Fr. Gabe Newburg, R-Fr. David Ojabo, R-Fr. Mike Morris) 

Signees: 2 (Braiden McGregor, Aaron Lewis)

Review: Arguably the deepest position on the team, Michigan could afford to be a little picky at defensive end. What the Wolverines landed was a prospect many are hoping is a Hutchinson clone (McGregor) and in Lewis someone that can follow the path of Paye as an underrated recruit (ranked No. 458 nationally) that blossomed through sheer determination.

What really has to happen is the next generation of edge rushers to rise up behind Paye and Hutchinson. U-M would benefit greatly if Vilain and Ojabo - the two physical 'freaks' - emerged as pass-rush specialists while Morris is someone with unlimited potential that could be a strong or weakside end as he finds his niche.  

Defensive Tackle - D

Returning Scholarship DTs: 5 (5th-Sr. Carlo Kemp, R-Jr. Donovan Jeter, R-Jr. Phillip Paea, So. Chris Hinton, R-Fr. Mazi Smith)

Signees: 1 (Kris Jenkins)

Review: Wolverine Digest is confident in the return of Kemp for a fifth year (U-M has not released an official statement) and we have heard that Michael Dwumfour is also likely to receive a fifth year, though we're not ready to include him among the returning scholarship players quite yet. Another year out of both alleviates what was otherwise a train wreck at defensive tackle recruiting. 

It still could be if both Jeter and Paea explore transfer options (possibilities considering their lack of playing time in three years). Michigan will likely go the transfer portal route for some help as Jenkins, just 239 pounds, won't be making an impact until 2021 at the earliest, and this is a position group that needs greater size and strength after the undersized Kemp and Dwumfour were pushed around by Wisconsin and Ohio State in losses this past season. 

Linebackers - A

Returning Scholarship LBs: 5 ILB (5th-Sr. Devin Gil, R-Jr. Josh Ross, R-So. Cam McGrone, So. Anthony Solomon, R-Fr. Charles Thomas) 

2 Vipers (R-So. Michael Barrett, R-Fr. Joey Velazquez) 

Signees: 4 ILB (Cornell Wheeler, Osman Savage, Nikhai Hill-Green, Kalel Mullings)

1 OLB (Jaylen Harrell)

1 Viper (William Mohan) 

Review: Holy reloading Batman! With only seven linebackers, and potentially one less if Gil is not offered a fifth year, Michigan did itself a big favor by signing six LBs, including one in Mohan that has the athleticism to one day compete at Viper and Harrell that could excel in the specialized role that Josh Uche advanced in 2019. 

Mullings and Savage, both four-stars, are the highest ranked of the inside guys, and undoubtedly Michigan has a plan for all of them, but it's impossible to say who will rise to the top. The good news is U-M needed to replenish its ranks and have done so with a large haul. 

Defensive Backs - A

Returning Scholarship DBs: 5 S (Sr. Brad Hawkins, R-So Sammy Faustin, R-So. German Green, So. Daxton Hill, R-Fr. Quinten Johnson) 

6 CB (Sr. Jalyn Kelly-Powell, Sr. Ambry Thomas, R-So. Gemon Green, R-So. Vincent Gray, R-Fr. Jalen Perry, R-Fr. DJ Turner II) 

Signees: 3 S (Makari Page, Jordan Morant, RJ Moten)

1 CB (Andre Seldon)

Review: Don't be surprised if a player or two from the secondary enters the transfer portal (Kelly-Powell seems like the strongest bet). There's just too many bodies and not enough playing time to go around. That's what drove J'Marick Woods to leave midseason, and with both starting safety jobs locked up for 2020 (Hawkins and Hill) and both cornerback jobs seemingly secured (Thomas and Gray), players won't want to sit patiently in the background. 

Michigan accomplished two things with its secondary signees - it added speed and higher-end athletes necessary to compete with Ohio State's never-ending sprinter wide receivers - and it added bodies knowing, as we just stated, that out of 11 potential returning scholarship defensive backs a handful could depart this offseason.