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Posted on Thu, May 31, 2012 : 11:12 a.m.

Michigan football team easily grabs No. 1 spot in Rivals' recruiting rankings

By Kyle Meinke

Each of the Michigan football team's top seven 2013 recruits fell in the Rivals rankings that were released earlier this week.

Two days later, the Wolverines still managed to be named Rivals' top overall class in the country.

The Wolverines, who were ranked No. 1 by Scout earlier this month, now have earned top billing according to both major recruiting services. And this one wasn't really close.

The gap between Michigan (2,316 points) and runner-up Texas (2,035) is wider than the gap between the Longhorns and fifth-place Florida.

Alabama (third) and Georgia (fourth) completed the top five.

The Wolverines easily beat each of their rivals, as Ohio State came in at seventh, Notre Dame ninth and Michigan State 30th.

Other Big Ten teams to make the Top 25 include Penn State (15th), Nebraska (18th) and Illinois (19th).

Michigan's grasp on the top spot likely is correlated to bagging 18 verbal commitments, the most in the country. Its average star rating is 3.72, which is worse than No. 2 Texas (3.86), No. 3 Alabama (3.79) and No. 7 Ohio State (4.00), among others.

That means as signing day approaches and class sizes even out, the Wolverines could be passed in the ranking. Of course, they still have room to add about six more prospects themselves.

Michigan doesn't have any five-star commitments according to Rivals, but its 13 four-star commits lead the country.

Its top-ranked player is quarterback Shane Morris (Warren DeLaSalle), who comes in at No. 22. He's the No. 2 quarterback in the country.

The strength of the class, though, is the guys charged with protecting Morris. Offensive linemen Chris Fox (57th), Patrick Kugler (73rd) and Kyle Bosch (77th) each rank among Rivals' top 100 overall players.

David Dawson (171st) and Logan Tuley-Tillman (235th) round out the offensive line class, which is the best in the country at this point.

For Rivals' complete 2013 team recruiting rankings, click here.

Kyle Meinke covers Michigan football for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at 734-623-2588, by email at kylemeinke@annarbor.com and followed on Twitter @kmeinke.

Comments

OldBittyBates

Mon, Jun 4, 2012 : 1:01 a.m.

I have doubts they will stay at #1. They are doing extremely well, but are still missing out on the very best prospects.

Tom

Fri, Jun 1, 2012 : 12:58 p.m.

Great...anther team filled with future Will Campbells! Big T-T seems t be fllwing suit! Cach Hke and the Wlverines...ver hyped. Where's the threat?

Teemac

Fri, Jun 1, 2012 : 9:46 p.m.

If you wasn't scared, you wouldn't be on a Wolverine site making irrational comments! You are right there is no threat to msu's mediocrity ! Go blue! T.I.M !!!!

umgoblue47

Fri, Jun 1, 2012 : 5:34 p.m.

what's a matter tom, sad because sparty won't becoming even close to having a number one recruiting class? gosh, o$u and nd even beat sparty! your right about one thing, with a 30TH ranked recruiting class i would be saying where's the threat to and mad that dandy-dan can't recruit any better!! GO BLUE!!!!!!

Paul R Lamse

Fri, Jun 1, 2012 : 12:22 p.m.

No one could/would ever make such a list, but I wonder how many of the top 50 national recruits are not recruit-eligible to Hoke (Michigan). Wouldn't pass the academic or character criteria.

Terry Star21

Thu, May 31, 2012 : 8:57 p.m.

It's still only paper, but it's great acknowledgment and respect. You take the nations all time best college football team and add three of college football's best coaches and you get the best recruiting class. Great time to be a Michigan Football Faithful. Bad time to be our foes and have to show your intellegence level and comical reply's on our site. MgoBlueForTim....The #1 Threat To All....

heartbreakM

Thu, May 31, 2012 : 10 p.m.

You are absolutely correct about Hoke. He has such passion, integrity (so far), love for institution, and interest in character. I think it will be a great match going forward and this ranking is encouraging to say the least. Obviously, number 1 in May before the guys play as seniors is ridiculous, but it bodes well for the program and says a lot about Hoke and the assistants, and what we all think Michigan should be.

Hailmary

Thu, May 31, 2012 : 8:42 p.m.

Brady has that special gift that the ney sayers are jealous of. The man has heart and the gonads to match.

Paul R Lamse

Fri, Jun 1, 2012 : 12:17 p.m.

Terry, "I'm sometimes deleted..." I hope you mean your posts! LOL!

Mick52

Fri, Jun 1, 2012 : 1:41 a.m.

When I watched him play here, it made me think, "that kid has ice water in his veins."

Terry Star21

Thu, May 31, 2012 : 8:59 p.m.

Good. Glad you said that, I'm sometimes deleted....

Robert Granville

Thu, May 31, 2012 : 5:17 p.m.

We've seen that Hoke, Mattison and Borges can get the most from what they've got and now they're proving they can reel in some of the nation's top talent. Next year they're even recruiting a Canadian prospect... All that remains to be seen is if they can win Big Ten and National Championships.. I'd bet on it.

umgoblue47

Fri, Jun 1, 2012 : 5:38 p.m.

30th ranked recruiting class. . . where's the threat!! GO BLUE!!!!!!

GoBlue2009

Fri, Jun 1, 2012 : 2:37 p.m.

Tom: What has MSU done since 1970? 0 National Championships (of your "6," 2 were consensus and of major selectors), and 4 Big Ten Championships (3 of which were shared.) When a team trails a series by nearly 40 games, I guess you have to work real hard to find some smack to talk, right?

Tom

Fri, Jun 1, 2012 : 1:09 p.m.

1/2 f a natinal championship since 1948! How many did Glenn win? Where's the threat?

Craig Lounsbury

Thu, May 31, 2012 : 4:48 p.m.

Getting the lads on campus is a big start. Keeping them here and coaching them to their potential or beyond is the other part. I am more and more becoming a Brady Hoke fan.

Craig Lounsbury

Thu, May 31, 2012 : 6:49 p.m.

I agree the jury is still out on Brady but i have gone from "hopeful but skeptical" to hopeful. i am beginning to think he has all the "intangibles" to recruit, coach, win, and run as clean a program as can be expected given the 2000 page jumble of self preservation that is the NCAA rule book.

heartbreakM

Thu, May 31, 2012 : 6:11 p.m.

Keeping them is indeed the big part, though of course these rankings are folly at this point since the boys are just that so far (not even collegians). But as we see players leave at any point in time, and as we see some people not live up to expectations, I think we'll know a lot more in 5 years from now.

Ted Bundy

Thu, May 31, 2012 : 4:20 p.m.

xmo- How'd your squad do against Bama two years ago? When you actually play and beat a powerhouse like Bama, then YOU can talk...

umgoblue47

Fri, Jun 1, 2012 : 6:10 p.m.

msu got CRUSHED. . . not pounded. . .CRUSHED by bama 49-7!! the only reason sparty scored was because bama put in there 2nd string!! BAMA had 543-171 total yard's in offense, and it was largest margin of victory in capital one bowl history!! where's the threat, that's exactley what bama was saying!!! GO BLUE!!!!!!

Tom

Fri, Jun 1, 2012 : 1:07 p.m.

MSU gt punded by Alabama. MSU punded Michigan. Figure it ut! Wh has Michigan beaten? VaTech? A 7 lss Buckeye team? Where's the threat?

xmo

Thu, May 31, 2012 : 3:55 p.m.

I am looking forward to five in a row! Michigan is soooo over rated. Beat Alabama first! Then you can talk!

Terry Star21

Thu, May 31, 2012 : 9:03 p.m.

If your looking forward to five in a row, you must be a Michigan fan siting in your seat in the fall of 2016, thanks ! Those idiot sparties though, will stay say 'Hey, but we're still 4-5 against you in nine years'.....because that's all they have - talk !

james

Thu, May 31, 2012 : 4:18 p.m.

i just vomited in my mouth a little....beating bama would make us a top 5 team What makes us overrated? Not sure there was talk about michigan being ranked the #1 team in the country this year