Michigan Upgraded On Having 5-Signees At A Time That Makes Immediate Impacts To Team…

On Wednesday, Michigan signed, sealed, and delivered another talented and deep recruiting class that included a number of players who were highly-touted this cycle.

In the 2024 class, the Wolverines signed nine three-star players and eighteen four-star prospects. Additionally, they signed players from sixteen states, the majority of whom came from Ohio (four), Michigan (three), North Carolina (three), Pennsylvania (three), and Maryland (three).

Many first-year players have gone on to make an immediate impression under head coach Jim Harbaugh. One such player is freshman wide receiver Semaj Morgan, who has made an impact on offense and special teams this season.

The Michigan Insider takes a look at five signees who could potentially make immediate impacts next season.

One biggest gets this cycle was running back Jordan Marshall from the Buckeye State, who won Mr. Football in the state of Ohio this season. Running backs coach Mike Hart landed this prolific tailback away from Ohio State, Wisconsin and Tennessee among many others. He’s got the make up and skill-set to be compete early on. The other reason is the potential opportunity he could have with the running back room likely looking a lot different next fall with Blake Corum gone, Donovan Edwards (weighing out his options to stay or go) along with C.J. Stokes entering the transfer portal. It doesn’t leave Hart many proven commodities outside of Kalel Mullings (who hasn’t even played the position long), so he will likely have to turn to some younger backs and Marshall is more than capable on handling those carries. Definitely could see him being a player that gets significant time as a true freshman.

Michigan absolutely loves to use the tight end position in their offense and a perfect candidate to come in to help bolster that unit is local standout Brady Prieskorn. At 6-foot-6, 225-pounds, he’s got the prototypical size to compete right away and shown the ability to catch the ball like a wide receiver even in traffic. He’s a mismatch problem in the red zone and can run many routes, but also be a strong blocker and help in the running game. Great athlete with a multi-sport background. Prieskorn will be enrolling early and get a head start on hitting the weight room and learning the offense. Despite knowing  Colston Loveland will be back, it’s not a guarantee AJ Barner returns and others in the tight end room as well so, Prieskorn has the chance to be a contributor from the start.

A freshman that bursted onto the scene this season has been dynamic receiver Semaj Morgan. Coming out of West Bloomfield, the playmaker showed plenty of explosiveness, elusiveness and ability to make the big play. Michigan has found different ways to get him the ball whether it be on offense or specials team, which is why I could see incoming wide receiver I’Marion Stewart doing the same. He’s got the license and ability to be an instant weapon for the Wolverines on both offense and special teams just like Morgan. There’s plenty of optimism in Ann Arbor that they can do a lot with him as he brings a lot of value on offense and in the return game. A fast, twitchy athlete who’s a home run hitter once he gets the ball and simply Michigan has shown they know how to find and carve out a role for a talent like Stewar

Michigan has a number of talented and versatile prospects arriving to campus on the defensive side of the ball including edge rusher Dominic Nichols. The 6-foot-5, 252-pounder isn’t the highest ranked signee, but his offer-list says otherwise with nearly 40 scholarship offers to his name before he picked the Wolverines in June. He comes to Ann Arbor as an early enrollee, so he’s getting ahead of the learning curve and challenges that most freshmen usually experience coming in during the summer, so he’s got that to his advantage. The edge position also could see some shake-up following this season with players slated to make decisions to either stay or go to the league and you can never count out players that might consider going into the transfer portal as well. As for Nichols’ game, his senior film pops and helped Oakdale to a state championship this year. Highly productive player as he racked up 94 total tackles with 46 solo tackles, 28 tackles for loss, 16 sacks, 83 quarterback pressures, 15 pass breakups, four forced fumbles, a fumble recovery,this season, two punt blocks and an interception. Nichols finished his career with 216 total tackles, 51.5 tackles for loss, 27.5 sacks, 149 quarterback pressures, 25 pass breakups, three fumble recoveries, five forced fumbles, and three punt blocks. Additionally, on 216 tackles, he recently gave up 57 yards after contact. 94 tackles in 100 chances during his senior year of 94% tackling efficiency, and 90% for his career. Even in his rookie season, Nichols has the potential to be the next in line for the Wolverines, who have a long history of developing and producing edge rushers.

On my list, I believe QB Jadyn Davis will generate the most talk and excitement. This cycle, Michigan’s signal-caller of the class, whom head coach Jim Harbaugh personally recruited, was the front-runner for the job. He has proven to be a successful player in spite of some doubts about different aspects of his game, helping Providence Day to back-to-back state titles and a 23-2 record in the previous two seasons. Davis, a senior, threw for 3,370 yards and 43 touchdowns while completing 70.8 percent of his passes. One thing you can’t question is he’s a gamer and a true professional at the position that knows how to get the job done. Having said that, he’s got the physical and mental build to compete and play as a true freshman in Ann Arbor especially enrolling early. More importantly, the quarterback room is a fluid situation with the lingering decision of JJ McCarthy and whether he may return or not. If he does go pro, the Wolverines don’t have any clear-cut answers to automatically hand over the keys to the job, so we could see a open competition leading up to the first game. If that’s the case, don’t sleep on Davis potentially trotting out there to take the first snaps of the season.