The Wolverine

March 2017 Recruiting Issue

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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28 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2017 BY BRANDON BROWN M ichigan's 2017 recruiting class finished at No. 4 in Rivals.com's final team rankings, and the group has a wide range of talents. Who is what in the class? Who is the fastest, the funniest, the best talker? Who has the best hair? Those ques- tions and more are answered in this year's edition of Signee Superlatives: MOST ATHLETIC As evidenced by winning the Nike+ Football Ratings championship in July of 2015, Detroit Cass Tech five-star wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones is a freak of an athlete. A rising junior at the time, Peoples-Jones clocked a 4.42 in the 40-yard dash and popped off a 42.4-inch vertical jump earning him a 149.49 overall score. Ranked as the No. 1 wide receiver and No. 12 overall prospect nation- ally and with college-ready size at 6-2, 190 pounds, Peoples-Jones is al- ready enrolled at Michigan and has as good a chance as any prospect in the class to play in the fall. MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED ON THE FIELD Despite not being Michigan's highest-rated signee in the 2017 class (No. 8 strongside defensive end and No. 240 player overall nationally), To- ledo (Ohio) Central Catholic four-star James Hudson could end up being more special than anyone in the class. At 6-5, 294 pounds, Hudson man- ages to move around the field like a deer. His build and proportions, along with his overall size and ath- leticism, for such a hulking young man makes him look like a lock to eventually play in the NFL. MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED OFF THE FIELD While the NFL could certainly be in Peoples-Jones' future as well, if it's not, he's on track to be just fine. Peoples-Jones plans to go into the medical field and cites Michigan's academics as the deal sealer when it came to his recruitment. The son of Chicago-area surgeon Eddie Jones, Peoples-Jones should be very successful, whether talking about his future on the gridiron or in the operating room. FUTURE TEAM CAPTAIN As the younger brother of former Michigan linebacker James Ross III, Southfield (Mich.) St. Mary's four- star outside linebacker Joshua Ross understands what it takes to be suc- cessful at U-M. Despite being the youngest signee in the class, Ross carries himself in a very mature manner and has the work ethic to be a future captain at Michi- gan. He also comes from a winning pedigree, having captured three state championships in a row at St. Mary's. All of that, along with being very talented as the No. 15 outside line- backer and No. 222 overall player na- tionally, adds up to Ross being a great future leader on defense and overall. MOST UNDERRATED Despite winning nearly every award possible in the state of Connecticut, in- cluding Gatorade Player of the Year, Sandy Hook (Conn.) Newtown High three-star Ben Mason is modestly listed as the No. 35 inside linebacker in the country and is even looking up at five other players in the state rank- ings. After stuffing the stat sheet for four years on both sides of the ball in high school, the 6-3, 230-pounder is already on campus at Michigan as an early-enrolled freshman who aims to outperform his low rankings. BEST POSITION GROUP With the No. 1 wide receiver and five-star Donovan Peoples-Jones and a quartet of four-stars in Cheshire (Conn.) Academy's Tarik Black; Bir- mingham (Ala.) Clay-Chalkville's Nico Collins, who was once a five-star pros- pect; Suffield (Conn.) Academy's Brad Hawkins; and Iowa City (Iowa) West's Oliver Martin, no other position group can match the star power of the pass catchers. Linebacker and defensive line are close, but from top to bottom the receivers are the best on paper.   FOOTBALL RECRUITING 2017 Signee Superlatives 2017 TEAM RANKINGS Rivals ESPN Scout 247Sports 1. Alabama 1. Alabama 1. Alabama 1. Alabama 2. Ohio State 2. Ohio State 2. Georgia 2. Ohio State 3. Georgia 3. Georgia 3. Michigan 3. Michigan 4. Michigan 4. Florida State 4. Ohio State 4. Georgia 5. Florida State 5. USC 5. USC 5. USC 6. USC 6. Michigan 6. Oklahoma 6. Florida State Michigan's 2017 class included five Under Armour All-Americans (from left to right): safety Jaylen Kelly-Powell, defensive end Kwity Paye, center Cesar Ruiz, defensive end Luiji Vilain and linebacker Drew Singleton. PHOTO BY BRANDON BROWN

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