A Closer Look At Michigan's No. 1 Recruiting Class

Although it's still very early in the recruiting cycle and there's a lot of time between now and signing day, it doesn't mean that Michigan fans shouldn't be excited about the current state of recruiting in Ann Arbor.

It's been a pretty good stretch for Michigan on the recruiting trail, as the Wolverines currently have the No. 1 ranked class for the 2024 cycle. Headlined by quarterback Jadyn Davis, Michigan continues to track toward what could be Harbaugh's best recruiting class yet. 

Although it's still very early in the recruiting cycle and there's a lot of time between now and signing day, it doesn't mean that Michigan fans shouldn't be excited about the current state of recruiting in Ann Arbor. With that being said, here's a closer look at each of commit that currently makes up Michigan's No. 1 recruiting class. 

1. Jadyn Davis, QB 

Davis, a 6-1, 192-pounder with similar skills to current Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy, is a huge get for the Wolverines. After missing out on big time prospects Dante Moore and CJ Carr in the 2023 class, and not signing a true quarterback prospect in the class period, Michigan capitalized by landing the commitment of one of the top quarterbacks in the country for 2024.

2. Brady Prieskorn, TE

One of the top prospects in the state of Michigan, Prieskorn looks like a future NFL tight end. He's a bit slight right now, but two or three years into his college career, he's going to be all of 6-6, 250 pounds with plus athleticism. He can really run, he's got extremely good feet, which allow him to get free off the line of scrimmage as well as wide receivers much smaller than him. And don't get it twisted, he can block too. He's definitely known for being a weapon as a pass catcher, but he's got the ability already to be a great blocker at the next level.

3. Jordan Marshall, RB

Michigan scored a big win on the recruiting trail when it landed the commitment of RB Jordan Marshall, the No. 80 player in the country No. 3 in the state of Ohio) per the 247 Sports Composite. As a junior, Marshall was named Gatorade Player of the Year in Ohio after rushing for 1,951 yards and 30 touchdowns. He also caught 19 passes for 364 yards and another four touchdowns. 

4. Andrew Sprague, OT

The 6-8, 290-pounder picked the Wolverines over more than 30 other schools including USC, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, LSU, Stanford, Oregon, Missouri, Penn State and Nebraska — the other nine schools that made up his top ten.

Obviously with those measurables, Sprague is going to be developed to play left tackle, which is where he plays in high school as well. With elite length, little to no body fat and a 290-pound frame, he's well on his way to being ready to protect Jadyn Davis' blind side.

5. Jacob Oden, S

Oden (6-1, 188 pounds)  is listed as an athlete because he really can play just about every position in the defensive secondary. At 6-1, 188 pounds, he's got great length and size for a cornerback. If he were to grow a bit and add some weight, he'd be perfect at either safety position. If he doesn't bulk up too much, he already possesses the quickness and technique to play nickel. He also make a lot of plays on offense at wide receiver. He truly is a jack of all trades back there, which is why he was able to reel in nearly 40 offers before his senior season. 

6. Hogan Hansen, TE

The 6-6, 220-pounder picked Michigan over schools like Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Miami, Michigan State, Oregon, Penn State, Stanford, Tennessee and Washington among others. He's a two-way player at the high school level (TE, EDGE), but projects to play tight end at the collegiate level. 

7. Blake Frazier, OT

Frazier is a 6-5, 270-pound four-star OT out of Texas, and held offers from programs like Auburn, Clemson, Florida, and LSU. Frazier's father, Steve, was an offensive lineman at the University of Michigan during Michigan's 1997 national championship run. 

8. Mason Curtis, LB

Curtis was Michigan's first commitment in the 2024 class. At first glance, he doesn't exactly jump off the page as an "elite" prospect. He's long, very lean and not super imposing. But when you learn that he's 6-4, 200 pounds, extremely athletic and ranked as a top-200 type of prospect, the excitement picks up. With that frame, and another full year of high school left, it's easy to envision Curtis playing in college at around 240 pounds. There are numerous clips of him on his social media platforms dunking a basketball with ease, and when you watch him on film, he is super smooth and very quick.

9. Jerod Smith, DL

Smith is the latest commitment in Michigan's 2024 class, a commitment that helped push Michigan into the No. 1 overall spot nationally. The 6-3, 265-pounder is a really nice piece along the defensive line because of his combo size and versatility. If he continues to develop and grow, he could end up being in the Kris Jenkins mold. He's not long and lanky, nor is he overly twitchy like a true speed rusher, but he's big enough and athletic enough to move all over the D-line.

10. Luke Hamilton, IOL

Interior offensive linemen aren't usually very exciting in terms of recruiting news, but Hamilton was a very solid get for the Wolverines back in November. Tennessee, Penn State, Nebraska and Michigan State were all recruiting Hamilton pretty hard, but he saw what Michigan has been doing in the run game over the past two years and decided to sign up for a heavy dose of mauling people. 

11. Ted Hammond, DL

Hammond currently checks in at 6-5, 258 pounds and looks the part of a versatile defensive lineman. Obviously 258 pounds isn't huge, but he is just a junior and will certainly bulk up more before arriving in Ann Arbor. In high school, he plays nose tackle, defensive end and even rushes the passer from a two-point stance sometimes. He does a little bit of everything now, including play tight end, so it'll be interesting to see how he continues to develop over the next year and a half.

Hammond shows some signs of being a plus athlete but he wins mostly because of his motor, ability to use leverage and angles. He's obviously got good, not elite size, but that allows him to play with a level of quickness that can be tough to deal with from a strong, interior defensive lineman. Hammond finished his junior season with 41 tackles, including seven for loss, and four sacks.

12. Ben Roebuck, OT

Roebuck, a 6-7, 320-pound prospect out of Lakewood (Ohio), is considered to be the No. 12 rated overall recruit from the state of Ohio and the No. 24 rated offensive tackle in the nation. Physically speaking, Roebuck certainly has the size to become a starter at the Power Five level. 

13. Manuel Beigel, DL 

Beigel is a 6-5, 282-pound 2024 prospect who can play both sides of the ball. Judging from his commitment post and the fact that he tagged Michigan defensive line coach Mike Elston in his social media announcement, it seems like a safe assumption that U-M took his commitment as a defensive lineman.

At this time there is not much out there on Beigel. According to his 247 Sports profile, he will be playing this fall at Wallingford (Conn.) Choate Rosemary Hall rather than in his native Germany. That kind of move and the opportunity to play against better competition is always a good situation for international prospects. We're starting to see it more and more in each recruiting cycle and Beigel is obviously indicative of that in 2024.

 14. Zach Ludwig, LB

Ludwig is a 6-3, 202 pound linebacker prospect out of the state of Pennsylvania. He was the third commitment in Michigan's 2024 class and is the nephew of Michigan strength and conditioning coach, Benn Herbert. Ludwig projects to play defense at the collegiate level, but is a two-way player in high school (QB/LB).