Michigan Football: 5 thoughts on 2022 class after early signing day

Grading Michigan’s recruiting class

Looking back one year ago, a top-10 class seemed like a tall order. With all the turmoil surrounding Jim Harbaugh last season and six assistants coaches leaving, recruiting was going to take a hit.

And with some recruits it did. Michigan certainly lost commitments because of changes that were made but that happens. However, this coaching staff did an incredible job in a short amount of time.

Things really turned around when Will Johnson committed. Jim Harbaugh got involved and even when things were looking good for Ohio State, the Wolverines got him in the fold. He was the No. 1 target always for 2022 and getting your top guys is always a big deal.

But then, Michigan did much more. It added elite talent in the secondary to go along with him, as well as four-star prospects at all three levels of the defense.

The Wolverines also landed a talented trio of wideouts and a tight end in Colston Loveland who will outplay his recruiting ranking. That’s a guarantee.

There are lots of Wolverines signees like that and even the addition of three-star dual-threat quarterback Alex Orji late is intriguing. Michigan football satisfied its biggest needs and signed five top-150 recruits along the way, including three in the top 100.

It wasn’t a top-five class, although that could be on deck in 2023 if the Wolverines keep winning. But this class still deserves an A. It’s a really solid group and sets the stage for something special.