Jadyn Davis named a top-five impact commit in 2024 cycle

The Michigan Wolverines really need to hit a home run with four-star quarterback commit Jadyn Davis. The 2024 class’ crown jewel already has high expectations, as he is set to compete for the starting job as a true freshman.

ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren listed Davis as one of his five impact commits in the 2024 cycle. Four quarterbacks made the cut, including Georgia’s Dylan Raiola, Alabama’s Julian Sayin and Florida’s D.J. Lagway.

Here are VanHaaren’s thoughts on Davis:

“Michigan has won the Big Ten championship the past two seasons with College Football Playoff appearances as well. The expectations continue to rise in Ann Arbor, and the key for the Wolverines is finding a way to keep consistency through recruiting and the transfer portal while finding their specific type of recruit to fit the culture they’ve built.

“Michigan hadn’t signed an ESPN 300 quarterback since J.J. McCarthy in the 2021 class, and because the quarterback position is so important to consistency on the field, it was imperative that the staff got a signal-caller who fits their system and can eventually take over for McCarthy. The staff believes that Davis can be that guy and give them a chance to stay in the championship conversations.

“Davis is one of the top quarterbacks in the class, but he has also had a Pied Piper effect on the recruiting trail, helping recruit other top recruits to the class like his wide receiver teammate, Channing Goodwin as well as receiver I’Marion Stewart. It was a win-win for Michigan, which is hoping he is someone who makes an impact early on in his career.”

There’s no doubt J.J. McCarthy has taken this Michigan program to a different level. The Wolverines felt like a national title contender from start to finish in 2022, and have a strong chance to be there again in 2023.

As VanHaaren noted, Harbaugh’s task will be keeping that narrative going, and Davis will be a huge reason they either do or don’t. In an ideal world, he’d take the baton from McCarthy and continue the strides the program has taken. This program can’t afford a fall-off after they finally have gotten over the hump to beat Ohio State in consecutive seasons.

The problem is that Ohio State continues to out-recruit Michigan, even with the losses they have sustained to the team up north. A great example of that, as mentioned by VanHaaren, is five-star defensive tackle Justin Scott. Scott was the sole non-quarterback who was an impact commit:

“Scott is one of the top defensive line recruits in the country and listed as the No. 4 defensive tackle. The Buckeyes didn’t have a stout tackle in this class, so adding Scott fills a need on the field, but the ramifications off the field might be what is more important.

“Scott was seriously considering Michigan, and it looked as though he might pick the Wolverines at one point. It’s always important for Ohio State to win battles on the recruiting trail against its rival, and it is especially important lately — with the Wolverines winning on the field the past two years. Flexing their recruiting muscle and getting a top defensive lineman to add to defensive line coach Larry Johnson’s room is a big deal, but beating Michigan is an added bonus.”

It appears the Ohio State recruiting prowess isn’t leaving, and they have won on the recruiting trail quite a few times in this cycle against Michigan. While the Wolverines have pulled Ohio guys like Jordan Marshall and Elias Rudolph away, there is still a long way to go to top the Buckeyes off the field.

Still, Davis’ commitment has already proved pivotal on the recruiting trail. That success of a current top-five class for the Wolverines has set an outstanding base for the 2024 cycle while some big fish are still being reeled in. When we enter the new era of Michigan football with Davis, the class will have to live up to their ranking on the field to keep the positive trend happening in Ann Arbor.