Michigan Football: 3 2018 recruits who will become stars

Michigan football locked up a bunch of its future players with the early signing day for 2018. But here are three guys who could star for the Wolverines next season and beyond.

For the first time, there was an early signing period in college football recruiting and when the first day was said and done, Michigan football signed 16 players. Many of them plan to enroll early and join the Wolverines for spring practice.

Of course, recruiting is not over. Not by a long shot. One player that didn’t sign with Michigan football Wednesday, was Otis Reese. He says he is still committed solidly to UM. However, the linebacker is being pursued hard by Georgia, so it’s something to watch.

Right now, the Wolverines class is 12th in the nation and third in the Big Ten, according to 247sports. That’s a solid number, but it’s also meaningless. Recruiting rankings are nice, but they don’t matter much.

Chris Evans wasn’t the top ranked running back in 2016. Kareem Walker earned that distinction. But who has been more productive the past two seasons? Same with Donovan Peoples-Jones, the top-ranked wide receiver in 2017. He was good yes, but Tarik Black was better.

So rankings tell only part of the story. How a guy fits in the program and how the coaching staff develops that talent is just as important. There is obviously star power at the top of this class and some of those guys will be impact players. Others will bust, while the overlooked three-star guy becomes All-Big Ten.

Much like the NFL draft, college football recruiting can be hit or miss. But here are three guys, based on their talent, their situation and their upside, who should become stars down the road for Michigan football.