Best player? Most valuable? Assigning 2024 Michigan football class superlatives (2024)

This is an easy award. Marshall won Mr. Football in Ohio and signed his LOI, cementing Michigan’s monster win over Ohio State on the trail.

Marshall is the sixth-rated back nationally and the 83rd player overall but has a strong case to be bumped inside the top 50. He can do it all and has a legitimate chance to go down as one of the best running backs in Michigan history. The Wolverines need to replace Blake Corum and Marshall is the perfect candidate to do so… even if their styles are slightly different.

Of course, this award goes to a quarterback. I’m almost upset at myself for getting lazy but there’s really no other player this could go to.

Davis is one of the top-ranked passers this cycle and looks to be stepping into the shoes as Michigan’s quarterback of the future once McCarthy has moved on. Davis is the perfect guy to control Michigan’s offense with his accuracy, poise, and ability to work the ball in the short and intermediate areas of the field. If Davis can take the next step and add some touch and power to his deep ball, Michigan might have another elite quarterback on their hands.

If he ‘hits’, Michigan will compete for Big Ten titles for the next three or so years but if not, Michigan will have to jump in the portal for a viable starting quarterback. In short, his success means everything for 2025 and 2026.

Baxter is simply a freak playing a position that caters to freaks. The 6-foot-6, 225lb pass rusher has insane athleticism and length that can help him become an All-American player. Give Ben Herbert some time and he can mold Baxter into a top-tier edge defender with a good shot to go in the first round of the NFL draft.

To get a taste of what Baxter is bringing to Michigan, one has to look no further than the first play of his senior highlight tape. Baxter effortlessly runs around the overmatched right tackle and delivers a crushing blow on the quarterback, forcing an interception. It takes the quarterback eight seconds and two teammates to peel himself from the turf and collect his thoughts. Whoever Ohio State trots out at quarterback next better learn to hit the deck or D-Bax might stain his jersey as well.

Just to put more wood on the fire, Baxter has experience playing all over the place. This season alone he played quarterback, edge defender, punter, and tight end. Step aside Taysom Hill, Michigan’s got the gridiron next Swiss army knife.

Lugard Edokpayi is honestly a perfectly valid candidate for this position as well, but only one could have his name in this spot! Both have first-round ceilings and could turn into game wreckers for Michigan.

Oden is one of the players in this class with an easy player comp – Rod Moore. Both DBs are intellectually sound students of the game who rely on technique and film study more than athleticism. When playing a cerebral position like safety, that’s exactly the kind of player you want.

Some prefer Oden in the slot but personally, I like him as a center fielder. He has great footwork, terrific hips, and lives in the film room. His ability to move fluidly while changing direction is intensely valuable when playing in space. Look for Oden to create turnovers and do a great job leading Michigan’s pass defense in the coming years.

Of course, it’s really the dealer’s choice when it comes to Oden’s best spot. Michigan will likely have him rotate between slot and safety, but he can do both with ease.

Marshall is kinda just that guy.

Zach Charbonnet holds the record for rushing attempts by a freshman and it honestly wouldn’t surprise me if Marshall breaks that next season. In fact, I would predict that to be the case if Edwards decides to declare for the NFL draft.

He’s got a college-ready build with legit speed and understands how to find rushing lanes. He will probably be in contention for the backup running back spot and should finish no lower than third on the team’s rushing yardage totals.

The only other guy I really like here is Brady Prieskorn. He’s a tight end who will enroll early and build enough mass to compete at the college level. If Barner declares and Michigan doesn’t pick up a new name from the portal, expect to see Prieskorn fight for TE2 reps.

Michigan has made of habit of bulking up its class with high-floor prospects who may not be loved by the rankings, but end up being good starters. This class has a ton of guys left out of the top 250 that I would be on being good football players. Names not chosen include Oden, Stewart, Hansen, Beasley, Wafle, Guarnera, Kaapana, and Nichols… but all received a higher ranking than Palepale, who clocked in at 754 nationally with a grade of .8747.

Palepale is a stout interior defensive lineman who is just good at football. Much like Mason Graham, Palepale has a college-ready build and can play nose tackle or three-technique. His technique may lack flash, but is solid and pairs well with his size and speed to make Palepale a promising prospect.

Off-the-field issues and lack of exposure are tanking his ranking, but Palepale is the type of meat-and-potatoes player that Harbaugh has utilized on Michigan’s historic run over the past three years.

The real Big Ben now resides in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Roebuck is one of the big ‘ol boys brought up from Ohio to keep pounding the Buckeyes into submission once a year. Standing at 6-foot-7 and weighing 320 pounds, Roebuck is a giant. The mulleted maniac is a bruiser who loves to squish defenders and dish out punishment. There will be some physical re-shaping and technical refinement once he gets to college, but Roebuck can be a walking meatgrinder when it’s all said and done.

This one is personal.

Edmond’s decision was overshadowed by the disappointing commitment of Aaron Scott to Ohio State. At the time Edmond was a mid-three-star committed to Purdue who was seen by many Michigan fans more as a sign of the staff’s failure rather than a win in his own right.

I’ll admit that I too was a little miffed when Michigan missed out on a top-tier prospect for a player who was rated around 800th nationally. However, my mind was quickly changed watching Edmond commit live on Instagram.

Unlike most players, Edmond skipped the month-long build-up and announced his decision the very same day he notched a Michigan offer. The lifelong Michigan fan was counting every viewer, of which there weren’t many, on his livestream with pure boyish glee. He sat alone yet elated on his couch with his mother in the background stifling tears and told his viewers that Ann Arbor could expect his talents. There was no fake out. There was no trick. There was just a kid who had worked hard to earn himself on spot on his favorite college football team. Poetry.

I have watched dozens of commitments over the years and none have had the same energy or passion as Edmond. This was a kid making his childhood dream come true in a matter of hours. Michigan fans should expect a true ‘Michigan man’ with Edmond. He is a great kid by all accounts and will be a baller on the field make no doubt about it.

Since his commitment, Edmond has scaled the rankings like a mountain goat. His 247Sports composite grade has jumped from .8753 to .9060 which makes him a four star.

The offensive line prowess continues!Michigan linked three tackles this cycle, each with the chance to be a multi-year starter.

First up is the highest grade according to the 247Sports Consensus – Andrew Sprague. Sprague is 6-foot-8 and weighs just under 300lbs. The towering blocker is a terrific athlete who plays basketball as well as both ways on the football field. His mobility is terrifying considering his size and his wingspan allows him to swallow pass rushers whole. Sprague is the type of tackle who keeps your QB spotless while mauling defenders in the run game. Just a complete player. Michigan should be able to get him to about 320 lbs playing weight and develop him into a first-round pick.

Next is Blake Frazier. Frazier is a 6-foot-5, 260lb prospect who is lean, mean and athletic. He packs a punch and moves extraordinarily well for a high school offensive lineman. Frazier can probably play guard or tackle early in his career, but can certainly be a great tackle once he gets up to around 310lbs. Frazier has a nasty streak and loves to block through the whistle at the expense of defensive linemen. Frazier has great versatility and should be one of Michigan’s best five offensive linemen relatively soon in his career.

Finally, there is Ben Roebuck. As mentioned earlier, Roebuck is already about 320 lbs so there will certainly be some work done to lose and re-add that weight. Roebuck is the biggest project out of the three and might not see reps until later in his career, but he will be worth the weight. Like Sprague, Roebuck is a monster and can be turned into a weapon of war if harnessed correctly.

Squishing the QB is fun! The good news for Michigan fans is that the Wolverines stocked up on pass rushers once again this cycle.

Lugard Edokpayi is the newest commit and also the highest-ranked. His lanky yet twitchy 6-foot-6 frame allows him to battle at even odds against taller offensive linemen while still maintaining the ability to torch them around the edge. With some fine-tuning and weight room work, Edokpayi can become a high draft pick and rack up gaudy sack numbers at Michigan.

Across from him will be another spider-like player in Devon Baxter. Like Edokpayi, Baxter’s rare combination of size, speed, and length allows him to beat offensive linemen in pretty much every way imaginable. There should be a lot of violent collisions involving these two and an unfortunate quarterback… oh well, should have played for Michigan!

Dominic Nichols has the highest floor of the group. He is already 6-foot-5 and over 250 lbs and will step right into the Mike Morris role. He’s got long arms, good power, and is more of an edge-setting run stopper than a pass rusher. He might see the field earlier than either of the previous two players but lacks the pass-rush upside that constitutes an elite player.

Michigan is also taking a couple of defensive athletes Mason Curtis and Jaden Smith. Curtis will likely end up elsewhere, but there’s a good shot that Smith comes in to be the speedy pass rusher who out-gasses blockers en route to the quarterback. Smith has already run a sub-4.5 40-yard dash and could end up being a scary weapon for Michigan. There’s no promise he doesn’t end up as a safety or linebacker, but Smith is one to watch as a potential QB hunter down the line.