Revisiting Michigan football's 2018 recruiting class

Michigan football’s third full recruiting class under Jim Harbaugh did not come with the hype and accolades the previous two did. Despite that, it still produced a handful of modern Wolverine legends and plenty of guys who outperformed their expectations.

This haul ranked 19th 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.

Four-star defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson (No. 106 overall, No. 1 in Michigan)

The crown jewel of the class wound up being one of the most impactful players in recent program history. Hutchinson had moments early on in his career, but put it all together in 2021 with a program-record 14 sacks en route to multiple individual honors. This included finishing runner-up in the Heisman Trophy race and unanimous All-American honors. The team captain is expected to be one of the first players off the board in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Four-star linebacker Cameron McGrone (No. 114 overall, No. 1 in Indiana)

McGrone stepped in to replace Devin Bush following his departure from Michigan, but never quite filled those huge shoes. He was an honorable mention All-Big Ten honoree in 2019 and played in five games in 2020 before tearing his ACL. McGrone declared early for the 2021 NFL Draft and was a fifth-round pick of the New England Patriots.

Four-star tight end Mustapha Muhammad (No. 174 overall, No. 18 in Texas)

He appeared in two games in his Michigan career, both in 2019. Muhammad was accused of sexual assault while in Ann Arbor and departed the program. He was set to head to Houston but never enrolled before saying he would go to Kilgore Community College in Texas. Muhammad never appeared on their roster.

Four-star cornerback Myles Sims (No. 200 overall, No. 23 in Georgia)

Sims took a redshirt season at Michigan as a freshman, then transferred to Georgia Tech the following year. He has 56 total tackles over the last three seasons.

Four-star quarterback Joe Milton (No. 272 overall, No. 47 in Florida)

Coming out of 2020’s camp as the starting quarterback, Milton was expected to be a star after a few seasons of refining his raw skillset. It never panned out that way. Milton was benched at Rutgers in 2020, paving the way for Cade McNamara to take over. He would transfer to Tennessee and started the first few games of the year, but was ineffective and benched in favor of Hendon Hooker. None of Harbaugh’s first three quarterback recruits ended their careers at Michigan or became huge factors elsewhere.

Four-star offensive tackle Jalen Mayfield (No. 282 overall, No. 4 in Michigan)

Mayfield was similar to McGrone in that he spent limited time on the field (18 games, 15 starts), but he cashed in after three years and entered the NFL Draft in 2021. The Atlanta Falcons selected him in the third round and kicked him inside to guard.

Four-star cornerback Gemon Green (No. 364 overall, No. 56 in Texas)

His time has been up and down at Michigan heading into a potential fifth season with the program. Green has appeared in 29 games with 12 starts at cornerback. He started every game of the 2020 season but was benched halfway through 2021 in favor of DJ Turner.

Four-star offensive tackle Ryan Hayes (No. 373 overall, No. 7 in Michigan)

Michigan projects to get its starting left tackle back for the 2022 football season in a fifth year. Hayes was a second-team All-Big Ten selection in 2021 and has made 18 career starts on the blindside in 28 games played.

Four-star running back Christian Turner (No. 431 overall, No. 42 in Georgia)

Turner played in 14 career games at Michigan before transferring following the 2020 season. He found a nice role with Wake Forest, rushing for 463 yards on 116 carries and five touchdowns this season. Turner also had four catches for 29 yards during the 2021 campaign.

Three-star EDGE Taylor Upshaw (No. 525 overall, No. 86 in Florida)

The Wolverines will be counting on Upshaw for a bigger role in replacing Hutchinson and David Ojabo next season. He has appeared in 24 games with two starts in his career and was Michigan’s Defensive Player of the Week for his three tackles (two for loss) and a sack performance against Indiana.

Three-star safety Sammy Faustin (No. 534 overall, No. 89 in Florida)

Faustin, who switched from safety to cornerback, never found much of a role in Ann Arbor. He did not see game action in 2018, taking a redshirt. He appeared in nine games during the 2019 season and one in 2020. The vast majority of his snaps were played on special teams. He entered the transfer portal on Jan. 27 after stepping away from the team in 2021 for medical reasons.

Three-star linebacker Ben VanSumeren (No. 576 overall, No. 10 in Michigan)

A transfer that stirred people up, VanSumeren made the move to a rival in Michigan State last offseason and was a reserve. He played 15 career games at Michigan, playing both linebacker and running back.

Three-star cornerback Vincent Gray (No. 642 overall, No. 14 in Michigan)

Gray played in 35 career games at Michigan with 21 starts at cornerback, earning third-team All-Big Ten honors in 2021. He declared for the 2022 NFL Draft following the end of his fourth season with the program.

Three-star linebacker Michael Barrett (No. 736 overall, No. 71 in Georgia)

A multi-position athlete, Barrett was a high school quarterback that transitioned to playing linebacker at Michigan. He was seen as a fit for the VIPER position in Don Brown’s defense but had to reinvent himself under Mike Macdonald. The Wolverines used him in a hybrid subpackage role in 2021 and he is expected to return for a fifth year. He has appeared in 35 career games with seven starts.

Three-star defensive lineman Julius Welschof (No. 757 overall)

The German product should be back for one more season at Michigan. He has appeared in 21 games as a reserve defensive lineman during his collegiate career.

Three-star tight end Luke Schoonmaker (No. 784 overall, No. 3 in Connecticut)

Schoonmaker announced his return for a fifth season in Ann Arbor, solidifying the depth at the tight end position. He was an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection during the 2021 season and hauled in 17 catches for 165 yards and three touchdowns. Schoonmaker has played in 32 games with eight starts.

Three-star linebacker Hassan Haskins (No. 896 overall, No. 10 in Missouri)

The bottom of this class had some diamonds in the rough and Haskins fits the bill there. He leaves Michigan as a two-time All-Big Ten honoree and was an All-American by the AFCA and AP after rushing for 1,327 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2021. He played a little linebacker early in his career but wound up being one of Michigan’s better backs in recent memory.

Three-star safety German Green (No. 1197 overall, No. 170 in Texas)

The other Green brother has mostly been a reserve and special teams participant throughout his time at Michigan. He played cornerback this past season and played in all 14 games.

Three-star wide receiver Ronnie Bell (No. 1363 overall, No. 16 in Missouri)

It is not very often that the lowest-ranked non-special teamer in a recruiting class emerges as one of your stars. Michigan has that in Bell. He was an honorable mention All-Big Ten honoree in 2019 and voted a team captain in 2021. Unfortunately, his campaign was cut short after 1.5 quarters of football, tearing his ACL in the season opener. Bell is returning for the 2022 season and will be the team’s top wide receiver if healthy.

Unranked kicker Jake Moody

Moody won the Lou Groza Award in 2021 as the nation’s best kicker, the first in program history. He was 23-of-25 on field goals and 56-for-56 on extra points in 2021. Moody has appeared in 44 games handling kicking duties for Michigan and will be back for a fifth season in 2022.

Michigan football’s 2018 class overview

It is so hard to grade this class, especially with just slapping an arbitrary letter grade on it. This was another cycle where there were a ton of whiffs near the top of the board, but some guys at the bottom outplaying their ranking. Hutchinson far outplayed his rating and could be the first player off the board in the 2022 NFL Draft. Haskins and Bell were massive finds and not only played well, but also became leaders on the team.

Quarterback again was a huge disappointment. Harbaugh and his staff brought in three raw, traits-based prospects in the first three full cycles and missed on all of them. Milton had the highest ceiling of any of them, but it never came together. We would see a shift in how the position was recruited during the next cycle.

Based on what this group of seniors accomplished in 2021, it makes the class far more impactful than the 2015 and 2017 cycles. There is not as much top-end pro talent as the 2016 class, so we probably have to slide this one behind. It also comes with the asterisk that there are careers that will continue well into 2022 and stories to be written.

Overall, a fine class and one that produced one of the best individual players in program history with Hutchinson. There was no reason a class this early in the Harbaugh era ranked 19th, though. Players like Hutchinson and Haskins made up for a group that needed more talent and more blue chips to pan out.

Grade: B*

*Somewhat incomplete, players returning for 2022

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