While Michigan football rumors today are buzzing about five-star defensive end prospect Malik McDowell's visit to the University of Michigan today, the Michigan Wolverines gained some national respect today for their recruiting efforts over the past eight years.
According to the Ultimate ESPN 300 class rankings which were released today, the Michigan Wolverines are second in the Big Ten in regard to their recruiting efforts since 2006. The Wolverines finish runner-up to the rival Ohio State Buckeyes relating to the caliber of prospects each program has signed over the past eight offseasons.
ESPN.com's Tom VanHaaren broke down the reasoning behind the ranking earlier today, citing the Wolverines' "four top-10 classes since 2006." In comparison, the Ohio State Buckeyes had 6 top-1o classes over the same span.
Quality talents such as Denard Robinson and Devin Gardner were also big factors in swaying the voters into placing the Michigan Wolverines second in the conference. The Wolverines' did not place in the national top 10, nor the honorable mentions category.
The Penn State Nittany Lions, Michigan State Spartans, and Wisconsin Badgers round out the Big Ten's top 5.