On3 evaluator/analyst discusses favorite Michigan football freshmen in 2024
The Michigan Wolverines are gearing up for their summer with the remainder of the 2024 recruiting class set to arrive on campus shortly. The class rated 15th nationally and third in the Big Ten, but that does not mean the group is without it foundational pieces moving forward.
On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power discussed some of them with The Wolverine, starting on the offensive side of the ball. Four-star signee and Ohio native Jordan Marshall could be among the future stars for U-M.
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“Jordan Marshall, I think he’s kind of a classic Michigan running back,” Power said. “He’s a guy who is very well-rounded, and kind of does everything well. He’s tough, he’s a downhill runner. He improved his speed, particularly in his last year or so of high school football and catches the ball well. He was a big recruiting win for Michigan out of the state of Ohio.
“I think along the offensive line, Andrew Sprague is an interesting prospect, a guy who’s a kind of a very tall, high-cut basketball player with very good feet. I think you might need a year or two to continue to get bigger and stronger just from a functional standpoint. But I got to see him in person in January and I came away pretty impressed and I think as a developmental type of offensive lineman fits what they like there.
“[Early enrollee offensive lineman] Blake Frazier as well is Michigan legacy who is a very good athlete, He’s gonna need to continue to put on weight but has kind of the functional strength and movement skills that you wanna see. Those would be the three that kind of stuck out to me on offense.”
Defensively, EDGE Lugard Edokpayi leads the way among the signees Power likes the most in this group. On3 rated him as the No. 40 player in the country and No. 6 EDGE rusher in the country.
“We ended up having him a good bit higher than the industry,” Power said. “He was a personal favorite of mine. His upside could be as high as about any pass rusher in the cycle. He’s a guy who’s relatively new to football and kind of a tall, long-limbed basketball player, but I think that just a combination of physical skills, his athleticism, first step quickness, and the ability to play strong despite, his relatively kind of thin frame right now bodes really well. We’ve seen these pass rushers that the staff has brought in. They’ll sit for a couple of years and then have a year where they just blow up and become a high draft pick. I think Lugard, he’s kind of cut from that same cloth.
“From a pure upside perspective, I think he was the top prospect that Michigan signed last year. and it’s one that I would be excited about. I’m very excited to kind of see how he progresses over the next couple of years. I’m not necessarily sure that I would expect him to come in and, make a massive impact early on. But give him a year or two in the strength program and just develop. I think he has a very high upside. “
Two others on defense that stand out for Michigan are Cole Sullivan, an early enrollee linebacker and cornerback Jo’Ziah Edmond.
“Another personal favorite of mine is Cole Sullivan, the linebacker that they signed out of Western Pennsylvania,” Power said. “I just love the player and watching his film was a joy. He has outstanding instincts. Just a pure football player, a guy who made plays in all three phases at the high school level. Also a basketball player and just a guy who’s just kind of a natural and sees the game really quickly and runs well. Kind of everything you want as a linebacker. Just needs to continue getting bigger.
“I would also add Josiah Edmond. I got to see him in person at the All-American Bowl in January. In terms of the physical ability, the athleticism, the ball skills. He was a two-way player in high school, so I think that that bodes well for his ball skills at corner. Once he focuses on corner full time and hones the technique, he has a high upside as well. I like Michigan’s defensive haul a good bit. They are making bets on their ability to develop these guys. Fom my time doing this, I think that’s a smart strategy.”
Michigan is banking on its development, which has a track record of success in recent seasons. That’s what could give them a chance to keep their contention window open.
“I think Michigan when you look at how they’ve evaluated, they’re kind of taking guys who have pretty high developmental ceilings,” Power said. “They just kind of need to continue filling out and it’s kind of a bet on Michigan’s developmental apparatus, which I think you could argue is the best in college football, given how they’ve developed and grown players physically and from a skill set perspective.”
The post On3 evaluator/analyst discusses favorite Michigan football freshmen in 2024 appeared first on On3.
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