Revisiting Michigan football's 2015 recruiting class

Michigan football’s 2015 recruiting class was the first under head coach Jim Harbaugh. It comes with the asterisk in that he had to salvage what was left of the Brady Hoke era while filling it out with his own players. Harbaugh and his first coaching staff had a little over a month to do this.

What resulted was a class that ranked 33rd in the country and fifth in the Big Ten, per the On3 Consensus rankings. Here is a look back at what members of Michigan’s 2015 class would become.

Four-star athlete Brian Cole (No. 91 overall, No. 2 in Michigan)

Cole, a Saginaw native, was expected to be one of the crown jewels of the class. However, he played in only three games at receiver and special teams at Michigan before transferring to junior college in 2016. He resurfaced in 2017 at Mississippi State as a defensive back and was a captain during his senior season in 2019.

Four-star tight end Zach Gentry (No. 204 overall, No. 1 in New Mexico)

This wound up being an interesting career arc for the Wolverines. Gentry was a talented quarterback prospect but switched to tight end early on. He wound up being one of the better tight ends of the Harbaugh era, starting 24 games in 33 appearances and was a two-time All-Big Ten honoree. Gentry was a fifth-round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Four-star offensive tackle Grant Newsome (No. 219 overall, No. 4 in New Jersey)

Newsome’s playing career will go down as one of Michigan’s bigger “what if” stories of recent memory, but it still has a happy ending. He played in 10. career games and made six starts before a career-ending knee injury during his sophomore season. Newsome announced his medical retirement from football in 2018 and joined the Michigan staff as a student coach working with the tight ends. He is still with the program today.

Four-star safety Tyree Kinnel (No. 274 overall, No. 8 in Ohio)

A four-year letterman and two-time All-Big Ten honoree, Kinnel wound up being one of the leaders in this class. He finished his career with 162 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions in his career. Kinnel was voted a team captain in 2018 and spent time with the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers after going undrafted in 2019.

Four-star tight end Tyrone Wheatley Jr. (No. 352 overall, No. 1 in New York)

He followed his father, Michigan legend Tyrone Wheatley, to Ann Arbor but never quite found a role with the Wolverines. He played 24 games and notched six receptions for 61 yards and a touchdown. Wheatley would later transfer to Stony Brook in 2018 before making a brief appearance at Morgan State under his father. He converted from tight end to offensive tackle and signed with the Chicago Bears as a practice squad player in 2021.

Four-star quarterback Alex Malzone (No. 361 overall, No. 4 in Michigan)

Malzone was hand-picked by former offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier as Michigan’s 2015 quarterback signee. He spent three seasons at Michigan and played in games against Hawaii in 2016 and Minnesota in 2017. Malzone would transfer to Miami (OH) in 2018 and saw action in three games, going 0-for-4 passing.

Four-star running back Karan Higdon (No. 412 overall, No. 64 in Florida)

Michigan was able to find a gem in Higdon, who it flipped from Iowa on National Signing Day. He was a captain in 2018 and was a semifinalist for the Doak Walker and Maxwell Awards that season. Higdon was a two-time All-Big Ten honoree with first-team honors in 2018. He finished his career with 2,622 yards rushing and 27 touchdowns on 511 attempts. Higdon went undrafted in 2019 and spent parts of two seasons with the Houston Texans.

Three-star EDGE Shelton Johnson (No. 495 overall, No. 71 in Florida)

Johnson never appeared in a game at Michigan. He was suspended for part of the 2016 season and did not appear on the spring roster that was released in 2017.

Three-star EDGE Reuben Jones (No. 650 overall, No. 88 in Florida)

Michigan dipped into Florida for pass rush talent a few times during this recruiting cycle. Jones was never much more than a depth piece, playing in 16 games in his Wolverine career. He transferred in 2019 and spent his final season of eligibility playing at West Virginia.

Three-star cornerback Keith Washington (No. 800 overall, No. 30 in Alabama)

Washington and Jones were linked in that both wound up being transfers to West Virginia. He played in nine games on special teams with the Wolverines but transferred out after the 2017 season. Washington wound up at Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Mississippi before heading to WVU. He spent time with the New Orleans Saints in the NFL.

Three-star wide receiver Grant Perry (No. 822 overall, No. 12 in Michigan)

There was a player on Malzone’s high school film that seemed to make something happen in nearly every highlight. That honor went to Perry, who was a star at Brother Rice HS. Michigan added him to the class right before signing day and he wound up being one of the gems of the cycle. Perry ended his career with 72 catches for 765 yards and three touchdowns in 47 games played.

Three-star offensive tackle Jon Runyan Jr. (No. 1001 overall, No. 24 in Pennsylvania)

The legacy commit had to wait his turn at Michigan but wound up carving out a pretty impressive career. Runyan appeared in 34 career games with 26 starts (25 at left tackle, one at right tackle) and was a two-time All-Big Ten honoree. He parlayed that into becoming a sixth-round pick of the Green Bay Packers in the 2020 NFL Draft. Runyan started 17 of 18 games at guard this season with Green Bay.

Three-star offensive tackle Nolan Ulizio (No. 1165 overall, No. 52 in Ohio)

Ulizio was a late addition to the class but was moderately productive in his time in Ann Arbor. He played in 17 career games with five starts for the Wolverines while splitting time at guard. Ulizio transferred to Pitt in 2019 and started all 13 games at right tackle.

Three-star kicker Andrew David (No. 1850 overall, No. 81 in Ohio)

David never appeared in a game for Michigan and transferred to TCU in 2016. He was able to grab the starting job in 2018 and then transferred to Northwestern for his final collegiate season in 2019. David recorded 29 punts for an average of 36.3 yards with the Wildcats.

Michigan football’s 2015 class overview

This was never going to be a class that became one of the pillars for Harbaugh at Michigan. He was dealt a rough hand in trying to salvage it, and he did a pretty good job down the stretch. Gentry, Higdon and Perry were all late adds by the staff’s recruiting efforts. Higdon turned into a star back for the Wolverines, but this was by and large a depth class for Michigan. Losing Newsome early in his career hurt, but Runyan was a prospect down the board that way outplayed his ranking and became a stalwart.

Cole and Wheatley were the biggest whiffs in the cycle. There are always four-stars that do not pan out, but the effects of that are felt a little more in limited class numbers. The good news for Michigan was not much was needed from this group early on as Hoke players transitioned into upperclassmen.

All in all, a solid start with limited to work with. Coaching transitions are hard.

Grade: C*

*Harbaugh did not fully recruit this class