Several current Wolverines, who are essential to on-field success, were not big time recruits yet the Wolverines are the No. 1 team in the country, back-to-back-to-back Big Ten champs and College Football Playoff participants.
Brandon Brown
Don’t let anyone tell you that stars don’t matter — they absolutely do. But so do highly motivated, culture building, developmental three stars, and Michigan has several of them who make up the very fabric that has turned the Wolverines into a legitimate contender.
Right now, according to 247 Sports, Michigan’s 2024 class checks in at No. 19 nationally. That does seem a bit low considering how much success Michigan has had recently, but the class does have a nice blend of what makes Michigan so good right now — some highly rated stars, some middle of the pack, versatile players and some lower rated potential gems. With the 2023 Early Signing Period in the books, and some Michigan fans a little worried about the 2024 crop, let’s take a look at six under the radar recruits who have made the Wolverines the No. 1 team in the nation. Four of them are Michigan Men through and through and captain material, one is a budding young star and another is a transfer who has been a major part of this year’s defense.
Michigan Legends
Kris Jenkins
It’s pretty incredible to think about “The Mutant” being a three-star prospect across all platforms. Comeing out of high school, experts thought there were 486 players better than Jenkins. That’s crazy. Now, Jenkins is an absolute beast and one of the most important pieces of Michigan’s defense. He’s versatile, powerful, athletic and relentless. He doesn’t stuff the stat sheet, but as an interior defensive lineman, he’s as valuable as they come.
Mike Sainristil
Amazingly, ESPN, who does the least work when it comes to covering recruiting, was the only service to give Sainristil a four-star rating. Mikey was viewed as a an athlete who could play on both sides of the ball as a high school prospect, which can sometimes hurt a prospect’s ranking. That path has obviously played out at Michigan for the one-time receiver, but he has turned into one of the best nickel corners in the entire country. He’s a two-time captain, an absolute ball hawk with incredible skills and an off-field champion that would make any team and locker room better. He’s a future pro and was obviously severely underrated as a high school player.
Rod Moore
The trend continues with Moore, who actually was considered a four-star prospect by both On3 and 247Sports, but he was clearly not a blue chipper with 40+ offers. Michigan saw something in Moore and it has paid massive dividends. The Ohio native understood the Rivalry with Ohio State and made the game-clinching interception against the Buckeyes back in November. He, like Sainristil, always seems to be in the right place at the right time and possesses innate skills when it comes to making plays on the ball and tackling players in the open field. Between him and Sainristil, it’s hard to say who is more important to Michigan’s secondary.
Mike Barrett
As a dual-threat high school quarterback, Barrett found his niche as a versatile, sideline-to-sideline type of linebacker for the Wolverines after switching positions several time. All he’s done since arriving at Michigan is win more games than any player to ever wear the winged helmet. If he and U-M can beat Alabama on Jan. 1, Barrett will notch win No. 60 — an incredible feat. For now, he’s a captain on the No. 1 team in the country and the most veteran player on a very veteran team.
Young Star
Semaj Morgan
Coming into the 2023 season, Michigan’s wide receiver room was in pretty good shape. With Roman Wilson and Cornelius Johnson both proven, Tyler Morris coming up as a potential slot contributor and lab-built receiver Darrius Clemons potentially ready to make some big plays, incoming freshman Semaj Morgan wasn’t viewed as someone who would play a lot. But Morgan would not be denied. He actually didn’t end up playing a ton of snaps, but he did a lot when he was on the field. He finished the year with just 20 touches (17 rec, 3 rushes) but he scored four times and almost housed a punt in the Big Ten title game. At 5-9, 185 pounds, Morgan wasn’t a monster recruit but he’s shown that he can make monster plays.
Key Transfer Addition
Josh Wallace
Finally there’s Wallace, who was the lowliest recruit of them all, which explains why he ended up at UMass first. ESPN didn’t even rank him, while Rivals had him listed as a two-star prospect. 247 Sports was the kindest to him by putting 141 cornerbacks ahead of him. He developed and shined at UMass and is now a key starter for the Wolverines.
