Jim Harbaugh may have missed out on a few big names, but overall it's hard to see Michigan's 2015 recruiting class as a failure. With just six players committed and just over a month to work with, Harbaugh still put together a Top 40 recruiting class, jumping 33 spots on National Signing Day to end up 38th in the 247Sports Composite Rankings. Let's take a quick look at the players Harbaugh did manage to land:
Brian Cole is a versatile athlete who can contribute at both Wide Receiver and Cornerback, depending on where the coaching staff decides they need him most. A 4-Star from Saginaw rated as the #5 athlete in the Class of '15, Cole has the talent and maturity to contribute right away (you can check out his impressive high school highlight reel here).
4-Star QB Alex Malzone enrolled early, and he was joined earlier this week by high school teammate WR Grant Perry, who flipped from Northwestern after receiving the UM offer he'd been waiting for. While Perry is a 3-Star recruit according to the major scouting services, he's a fast, very solid player who'd easily have four or more if he'd come from SEC country.
Harbaugh also added QB Zach Gentry to the mix - a towering 6'7 QB from New Mexico, Gentry flipped from Texas while on an official visit in January.
4-Star Safety Tyree Kinnel is the #11 safety in the Class of '15, and he'll be a very important player for the Wolverines sooner rather than later. New Jersey OT Grant Newsome is another name to watch, and the Wolverines made the most of a family connection by adding 4-Star TE Tyrone Wheatley Jr. on signing day. Wheatley Sr. is a Michigan legend who recently joined Harbaugh's coaching staff, and his son has the potential to contribute right away with Devin Funchess off to the NFL.
Elsewhere, DE Shelton Johnson will add valuable depth on defense and can develop into a starter down the road, and RB Karan Higdon has the opportunity to develop behind Ty Isaac and Derrick Green. DE Reuben Jones is a hidden gem from Florida, and he probably has the best chance of any of Harbaugh's unheralded recruits to make his 3-Star rating look silly in hindsight. 3-Star ATH Keith Washington was a late flip from Cal and can contribute at WR, and the Wolverines also added a pair of solid OT prospects in Jon Runyan Jr. and Nolan Ulizio . Kicker Andrew David rounds out the recruiting class.
4-Star LB Roquan Smith had committed to UCLA, but backed out after the coordinator who brought him there left for the Atlanta Falcons. Smith has reopened his recruitment, and the Wolverines are a definite possibility - we'll have much more on that in the coming days.
All in all, this is a solid foundation for Harbaugh's Wolverines to build on going forward. None of Harbaugh's commits in his first year at Stanford had any real hype around them during the recruiting process...but four eventually ended up on NFL rosters.
MORE:
The 3 Biggest Winners And 3 Biggest Losers From National Signing Day
The 4 Best Recruiting Classes In The Big 10
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