Where Michigan football's 2020 haul stands in The Athletic's recruiting class re-ranking
Michigan Wolverines football‘s 2020 class won a national championship as seniors, and it’s no surprise they over-performed their original ranking. Per the On3 Industry national recruiting rankings, the Maize and Blue had the 10th-best class in the nation at the time it was signed, but it now checks in No. 3 in The Athletic‘s re-ranking of recruiting hauls from that cycle. They’re behind only No. 1 Georgia and No. 2 Alabama, both of which stood in those exact spots according to the On3 Industry rankings at the time.
Michigan’s 2020 class out-performed the likes of groups from Clemson, LSU, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Auburn, Florida and Texas, despite originally being ranked lower.
In fact, Michigan’s 2018, 2019 and 2020 classes all finished in the top three of The Athletic‘s re-rankings.
| Class | On3 Industry Ranking | The Athletic’s Re-Rank | Difference |
| 2020 | 10th | 3rd | +7 |
| 2019 | 7th | 3rd | +4 |
| 2018 | 22nd | 3rd | +19 |
“Stacking a bunch of classes that are expertly evaluated and developed is what it takes to build up a Playoff contender and eventually a national champion,” the site’s Max Olson wrote.
The four-year record for Michigan’s 2020 class members was 42-7, and they won 40 of their final 43 contests. Since the Wolverines’ rivalry game was forced to be canceled in 2020, the group never lost to Ohio State, winning three straight matchups from 2021-23. They also won the Big Ten championship all three seasons and the national title in 2023, the program’s first since 1997.
Five of the 23 members of the class were drafted in the NFL this spring: defensive tackle Kris Jenkins (second round, Cincinnati Bengals), running back Blake Corum (third round, Los Angeles Rams), wide receiver Roman Wilson (third round, Pittsburgh Steelers), offensive lineman Zak Zinter (third round, Cleveland Browns) and EDGE Jaylen Harrell (seventh round, Tennessee Titans).
“Corum rushed for 3,737 yards, most among all Power 5 backs from the 2020 class, and a school-record 58 touchdowns during his remarkable career,” Olson wrote. “Zinter blossomed into a unanimous All-American. Jenkins, Wilson and Harrell joined them in becoming NFL Draft picks. DL Braiden McGregor and DBs Makari Paige and R.J. Moten also developed into starters for the Wolverines. Together, they proved it’s possible to win it all without five-stars and top-five classes on signing day.”
Michigan still has three members of the 2020 class on the roster for the 2024 campaign, with Paige, running back Kalel Mullings and offensive lineman Jeffrey Persi all entering their fifth seasons of college football. Paige is a projected starter, Mullings is in the mix to carry a significant load on offense and Persi is a contender to start at right tackle.
All told for the 2020 class, Michigan had 15 four-stars and eight three-stars.
