National Signing Day: Frequently asked questions about Michigan’s 2019 recruiting class

Need to get up to speed on the 2019 recruiting class as everything becomes final? We’ve got you covered!

By Anthony Broome@anthonytbroome Feb 6, 2019, 6:00am CST

Remember when the first Wednesday in February was the craziest recruiting day on the calendar? Well, those days are long gone with the early signing day in December, which provides all the drama and surprises that today used to bring for so many years.

Mind you, there still is some work to do for some schools out there, but this should be a drama-free day for the Michigan Football program with essentially the entire class signing early.

Still, some of you may be here looking, craving, for recruiting coverage but have not necessarily followed the process to this point. Here’s a look at some of the questions you may have with the answers that accompany them.

What does Michigan’s recruiting class look like this year?

I’m glad you asked! Compared to last year, this was a major step in the right direction for Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines. After finishing with the 22nd-ranked class in the nation last year, Michigan currently sits at No. 8 in the country according to 247Sports. Two of those players are five-star prospects, both on the defensive side of the football.

The first is the crown jewel of the class, safety Daxton Hill (Tulsa, Oklahoma), who provided the most excitement of this class so far when he committed, de-committed and flipped to Alabama, and then flipped back to Michigan in a shocker during the early signing day in December. The second is defensive lineman Chris Hinton (Norcross, Georgia).

All in all, Michigan has 25 players currently signed or enrolled early.

Who are the early enrollees that will participate in spring football?

Michigan has eight players that enrolled early and arrived on campus in January. Those players are as follows:

Four-star RB Zach Charbonnet (Westlake Village, California)
Four-star DT Mazi Smith (Grand Rapids, Michigan)
Four-star CB Jalen Perry (Dacula, Georgia)
Four-star QB Cade McNamara (Reno, Nevada)
Four-star DE David Ojabo (Blairstown, New Jersey)
Four-stat TE Erick All (Fairfield, Ohio)
Three-star WR Mike Sainristil (Everett, Massachusetts)
Three-star DE Gabe Newberg (Clayton, Ohio)

Who are the rest of the guys that are signed and will be with the team for the fall?

Five-star DB Daxton Hill (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
Five-star DE Chris Hinton (Norcross, Georgia)
Four-star OT Trente Jones (Loganville, Georgia)
Four-star OG Nolan Rumler (Akron, Ohio)
Four-star WR Cornelius Johnson (Greenwich, Connecticut)
Four-star OT Trevor Keegan (Crystal Lake, Illinois)
Four-star LB Anthony Solomon (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
Four-star OG Kasen Barnhart (Paw Paw, Michigan)
Four-star WR Giles Jackson (Oakley, California)
Three-star DE Mike Morris (Delray Beach, Florida)
Three-star CB DJ Turner (Bradenton, Florida)
Three-star LB Charles Thomas (Oakdale, Connecticut)
Three-star OG Zach Carpenter (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Three-star OT Jack Stewart (New Canaan, Connecticut)
Three-star ATH George Johnson III (Stuart, Florida)
Three-star WR Quintel Kent (Lakewood, Ohio)
Three-star S Joey Velazquez (Columbus, Ohio)

Is anyone left to still sign?

There are always potential surprises during a signing deadline, but only one player remains that is not officially inked to join in 2019. That player is four-star safety Quinten Johnson (Washington, DC).

How many states did Michigan recruit from during this cycle?

Michigan pulled in players from 12 states this time around and had a footprint all over the country with a handful of players right out of SEC Country, the West Coast and their normal stomping grounds in the Midwest. Here’s how that breaks down:

Ohio (6)
Florida (4)
Georgia (4)
California (2)
Connecticut (2)
Michigan (2)
District Of Columbia (1)
Illinois (1)
Massachusetts (1)
Nevada (1)
New Jersey (1)
Oklahoma (1)

Is Michigan in the mix for any recruits on National Signing Day?

Like we said before, there is always the potential for surprises, but Michigan’s recruiting class is all but set. Any of the drama that may have occurred would have happened back in December.

Who of these players has the best chance to play early?

Given the fact that it appears Chris Evans (at least for the time being) is not on the football team, Charbonnet is a guy a lot of people are hyping as a legitimate candidate to get early reps in a backfield without any proven guys there. On defense, the easy answer is Hill, who should be able to slide into a starting role at safety from day one and hopefully help out a unit that was one of the weaknesses of the defense last year.

Which recruit will outperform his rank?

This is so hard to predict because the backbone of a recruiting class is made up of largely three-star players, some of which will wind up being star players on this team. I’ll stay with the offense and go with a four-star in Giles Jackson, who is coming in with a fair amount of hype but seems like a perfect fit for that all-purpose back role that Evans was expected to play. It would not be a shock to me to see him get early run at all. With Ed Warriner sticking around to coach the offensive line, it would not shock me to see a few of those lower-ranked guys wind up being effective starters down the road, either.

So, those are the basic questions. Do you have any more? Leave them in the comments below and we will answer them throughout the day!