High school recruiting is a lot like the NFL draft. It isn't an exact science, but we can get a pretty good idea of what a class has the potential to do. Regardless of where a class finishes in the rankings, we can view it with optimism and speculate what the future will look like. Some say this is the best recruiting class Michigan fooball has ever had, recent history could give us reasons to be both optimistic and skeptical. Let's take a look at the past and see what it can tell us about the future.
Is there a Michigan class comparable to this one?
The simple answer? Not really. At least when you look at the modern era of high school recruiting. Jim Harbaugh brought in classes that were ranked higher than the 2025 class, but you could argue lesser ranked classes outperformed the more hyped classes. As a baseline, this 2025 class has the #1 player in the country and 7 players in the top 100. They currently sit as the 8th-ranked class overall with a 247Sports score of 294.
1. Class of 2016 (The Good)
This class was 7th overall nationally with the top player in the country, Rashan Gary. Top 100 players like offensive linemen Michael Onwenu and Ben Bredeson as well as cornerbacks David Long and Lavert Hill lived up to the hype. This class cemented the development at Michigan football with three-star players Devin Bush (247 Sports) and Josh Uche becoming dominant defenders. The issue for this class was top 40 prospect, quarterback Brandon Peters, did not develop into the star they were hoping for.
2. Class of 2017 (The Bad)
This is a cautionary tale of falling in love with the rankings. Michigan football had 9 players in the top 100 and finished 5th overall. We thought Harbaugh would recruit on par with Ohio State and take control of the rivalry, but it didn't happen that way. This class lost 6 of its top 9 players to the portal and 13 of their top 20 overall. Nico Collins and Ambry Thomas left for the NFL early because of COVID and even their top commit, Donovan Peoples-Jones, just didn't deliver on the hype because of the passing offense. This class set them back.
3. Class of 2018 (The Weird)
You could argue this class, which finished outside the top 20, was their most important. Cam McGrone and Aidan Hutchinson were their only top 100 players, but they played like it. You can go down the list with Jalen Mayfield, Ryan Hayes, Taylor Upshaw, Vincent Gray, Michael Barrett, Luke Schoonmaker, Hassan Haskins, Ronnie Bell, and Jake Moody all originating from this class. This is the class that beat Ohio State and won the Big Ten title in 2021. It also continued the trend that stars aren't everything, and Michigan football is a school that will develop you.
Has there been a comparable class at a different program?
Oddly enough, there is a class that can give us a lot of optimism. Look no further than the Texas Longhorns class of 2022. You don't have to be familiar with the class to see similarities. They brought in a pair of five-star tackles (much like Michigan now) and the #1 quarterback in the country (I am fibbing a little because Quinn Ewers was technically from the transfer portal after decommitting from Texas and sitting on the bench at Ohio State for a year). This class has done a lot for Texas, but it has not been perfect. 7 of their top 12 commits eventually left in the portal and their big-name transfer portal acquisitions were mostly disappointing. Regardless, this class turned Texas into a playoff team.
What can we learn about 2025 Michigan football recruiting class?
What can we learn from all this? We have a lot of good reasons to be excited about this 2025 class. There is a very high success rate for the top quarterback in their respective class, especially if they are also the #1 recruit overall. Usually, programs that land more top recruits AND develop their three stars end up being successful. Especially if they can string classes together with success.
This class will lose players to the portal and some guys just won't live up to their ranking. However, we have good reason to believe that it could be a transformational class if the staff and culture are right. As we have seen previously, the rankings don't always equal success, just ask Texas A&M what they've done with their top 5 classes. But adding this kind of elite talent at quarterback, offensive line, defensive line, and secondary does look good on paper. Paired with their ability to develop talent, the future should be bright.