Tuesday Morning Brews: The winding road

Happy Tuesday, folks. Welcome to Morning Brews. Today we’re talking recruiting. Not so much who signed what recruit, but who won what state. We’re also checking in with hockey and wrestling this morning, who both beat up on Michigan State this weekend.

Let’s get to it:

Alex Kirchner, SB Nation

Michigan recruited Michigan the best, which is better than the alternative

National Signing Day has come and gone, and the bow is pretty much on the 2018 recruiting class. All of the 247 Composite’s Top-100 prospects in the class have signed or been enrolled. The dust has also now settled on the team rankings, and Michigan checked in with 19 signees in the class and the No. 21 ranking. That is good for No. 3 in the Big Ten, one spot better than Nebraska. But hey, at least the team finished ahead of vaunted recruiting powerhouse, and also in the middle of a coaching change, Nebraska. Right? /s

On the plus side, Michigan did recruit its home state the best - which is better than the alternative (Michigan State had the No. 6 class in the Big Ten, and No. 32 overall). Our colleague over at the SB Nation mothership, Alex Kirchner, took it upon himself to decide who won the recruiting battle for each state’s 2018 prospects. A brief word on his methodology:

It’s not a scientific exercise. I could’ve just counted up total points on the 247Sports Composite, but that would discount clearly better recruiters who recruit out of state. (For instance, Ohio State wouldn’t get the nod in Ohio, which would be silly.)

So if Team A got four of the top five players in State X, that’s convincing enough.

When it comes to the Wolverine State (something was done here):

Michigan: Michigan got three of the top five players in state to stay home. That’s good, though losing your only top-100 recruit to Georgia is bad.

Michigan did take three of the top five players in the state. Aidan Hutchinson, Jalen Mayfield, and Ryan Hayes all signed with the Maize and Blue. Kalon Gervin, a four-star CB prospect, signed with Michigan State. Marquon McCall, a four-star OG prospect, signed with Kentucky. Taking three out of the Top-5 in the state is pretty good, particularly following 2017 when Michigan took seven of the Top-8. All this says that Michigan is well established in the state, and is winning local recruiting battles against its rivals - even in down years on the field.

But as many have said in recent days, not everything is hunky dory on the recruiting front for Michigan. Like Kirchner points out, losing Otis Reese on NSD to Georgia hurts. So did losing Emil Ekiyor to Alabama. There is plenty of talent on Michigan’s roster, but these were recruiting battles that Michigan needed to win in order to keep momentum on the trail. Now, the staff has something to prove. Will they? We’ll find out around this time next year, when the 2019 cycle wraps up.

Are you worried about Michigan recruiting? Weigh in with the poll below and down in the comments.

Michigan hockey had a successful weekend, recording a sweep against Michigan State. In the first game, the Wolverines went into East Lansing and came out with a shootout win. The teams were deadlocked at one after regulation, with both goals coming during the second period. After a scoreless overtime period, Tony Calderone found the net on the third shootout attempt to give Michigan the extra point in the league standings. On Saturday, the teams moved to Little Caesars Arena. The Wolverines jumped out to a 2-0 lead before holding on for the 3-2 victory. The squad is now 14-13-3 (9-10-3) on the season.

Wrestling had a mixed weekend, blowing out the Michigan State Spartans for their fifth straight win on Friday but losing to Ohio State on Sunday. Michigan won nine of ten bouts against Michigan State, propelling the Wolverines to a 39-3 victory. In fact, Michigan State won the first bout and then dropped the remainder. On Sunday, Michigan faced off with No. 2 Ohio State and lost a hard fought meet 18-15. However, Michigan’s Adam Coon, the No. 2 heavyweight, bested Ohio State’s Kyle Snyder, the No. 1 heavyweight, two-time NCAA champion, and 2016 Olympic gold medalist, in what was the final bout of the meet. The bouts were divided evenly, 5-5, but Ohio State won on points. The Wolverines are now 10-3 (7-2) on the season.