Jim Harbaugh dishes out thoughts on 2018 recruiting class, including Ryan Hayes’ potential at OL

Jim Harbaugh and his father Jack Harbaugh record and release a podcast every week entitled “Attack Each Day: The Harbaughs’ Podcast.” You may have listened to it on MnB in the past, and if you don’t on a regular basis...well, you definitely should because you get to hear insight from the head man himself.

On this week’s podcast, Harbaugh talked about the 2018 recruiting class and what he thinks of some of the players. We will go through what he said about each player, but let’s start with one of the more notable ones — four-star Ryan Hayes, who many believed would play tight end at Michigan after the program’s Twitter account released a graphic of Hayes with his position listed as “tight end.”

But on the podcast, Harbaugh said he thinks Hayes has a potential to move to the offensive line.

“Ryan Hayes was actually a tight end in high school, and he’s about 6-7; talk about long, athletic guys you like to move into the offensive line,” Harbaugh said. “I think he will project very well to be an offensive tackle as Mother Nature takes over and he gets into the strength program here with Coach Herbert. I think he’s got a lot of upside to be a very athletic — like a Joe Staley, like many guys that have started out as a tight end and moved into the offensive line to play tackle. I think he’ll be fantastic.”

This is good news, as Michigan only had one other offensive lineman in the class — four-star Jalen Mayfield. So what Harbaugh had to say about Hayes is a huge relief for the sake of Michigan’s success on offense this season (and the health of Michigan quarterbacks).

Here’s what Coach had to say about the rest of the players he mentioned:

QB Joe Milton

“Joe is a big, strong 6-foot-5, 230-pound quarterback with a great arm. Play-maker, very, very athletic. The one thing about him, he loves football. Highly, highly competitive and he’s here as a mid-year right now and doing a heck of a job.”

ATH Michael Barrett

“I project him as a guy that we can make a receiver out of, similar to Anquan Boldin when Anquan was a high school quarterback. We can also put him in the backfield as a running back, we can put him in the backfield as a quarterback, so extremely excited about him.”

Transfer DB Casey Hughes

“Gives us versatility as a corner, as a safety, as a nickel, someone who can cover and tackle.”

LB Cameron McGrone

“Maybe the highest-rated player in the class. Talk about a great family, talk about every single person, no drama whatsoever. Came to Michigan, visited Michigan, wanted to come to Michigan. Jumps out at the tape. Going to be an outstanding linebacker. I think he’ll be somebody that will be right in the mix early.”

DL Aidan Hutchinson

“His father played football here at Michigan. 3.6 grade point average. Like Taylor Upshaw, like Julius Welschof, right out of the 6-foot-5, 6-foot-6 — growing into their bodies. 280 pounds already, I think (Hutchinson) is going to be something special.”

DB Sammy Faustin

“Another athletic safety, (the) type of athlete that we need. Highly-rated player, etc. (He’ll) help us a lot in the secondary.”

FB Ben VanSumeren

“One of my favorite guys. I like that he has a 3.6 grade point average; I like that he gets up every day and gets his workout in at 5:30 a.m. at the YMCA — then he goes to school and then after school, about 5:30 at night he gets another workout in at the YMCA. And a heck of a baseball player! Very Ben Mason-like, very much the same.”

DBs Gemon and German Green

“It’d be great if one plays corner and one plays safety. It’s gonna give us a lot of help in the secondary and I feel great about them. German Green tore an ACL his junior year, and rehabbed from that, played his entire senior year and had an interception in one of the all-star games.”

TE Luke Schoonmaker

“Really fast, and another 6-foot-6 guy that can run and catch and develop in his blocking. Phenomenal everything, physique and athleticism. I think he will be very similar (to Zach Gentry). He’s more developed physically than Zach was when Zach was coming out of high school — two inches shorter, but 6-6 is plenty tall to play tight end.”

RB Hassan Haskins

“Talk about the throwbacks of basketball player, he’s a football player. He was second in the Gatorade Player of the Year — no he may have been first; (Michigan WR) Ronnie Bell — one was first, one was second. Big, 6-foot-1 type of running back.”

TE Mustapha Muhammad

“Jumps off of the tape. Freakish ability to jump, to run, to catch, and one of the top-rated tight ends, I think second in the country.”

DL Taylor Upshaw

“Jumped off the tape as soon as we starting watching. Very athletic, very long. 3.6 grade point average with about a 1050 SAT.”

DL Julius Welschof

“(Welschof, Hutchinson and Upshaw) are all cut from the same mold, 6-5, 280 and very athletic.”

RB Christian Turner

“Another 3.39 grade point average. Excellent running back from the state of Georgia.”

OL Jalen Mayfield

“Athletic tackle, also from the state of Michigan. Basketball player himself, very athletic.”

DB Vincent Gray

“Cornerback. 6-2, long arms, very athletic.”

DB Myles Sims

“Talk about long corners, you like long corners — 6-foot-2, 6-foot-3. GPA of 3.5”