While Michigan redeemed themselves in The Game and the ReliaQuest Bowl, there’s no denying the Wolverines fell short of expectations in 2024. What recruiting misses from the Jim Harbaugh years were the most consequential to the 2024 team?
The 2024 Michigan Wolverines will always be remembered for pulling off one of the most shocking upsets at Ohio State. Beating Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl was the cherry on top of an otherwise bad ice cream sundae, especially after winning the national championship the year prior.
The 2023 Wolverines were led by a hoard of veterans that elected to return for one final ride. While we are, of course, grateful they all returned, it did hide the recruiting cracks that were apparent in the final years of Jim Harbaugh’s tenure.
So which recruiting misses hurt the Wolverines for the 2024 season the most? Let’s (painfully) find out.
QB Dante Moore, UCLA (now Oregon)
Harbaugh obviously got who he wanted in the 2021 class with J.J. McCarthy. However, the staff largely ignored the position in 2022 and put all their eggs in the Dante Moore basket in 2023. When it became apparent that Moore, a Detroit native, wasn’t going to come to Ann Arbor, it was too late to pivot elsewhere.
Missing out on Moore wasn’t catastrophic — although he probably would have been better than anyone at the position for U-M in 2024 — as he’s still largely an unknown. He sat behind Dillon Gabriel this past season at Oregon, but is likely to start in 2025. However, not getting a quality quarterback in back-to-back years proved to be crippling.
OL Josh Conerly Jr., Oregon
Conerly was a borderline five-star offensive tackle out of suburban Seattle in the 2022 class. Michigan pursued him heavily and was making traction, so much so that the Sam Webb’s and Steve Lorenz’s of the world were predicting him to Michigan at one point.
However, Courtney Morgan was Conerly’s primary contact in Ann Arbor, so his eventual departure to Washington killed Michigan’s chances of landing Conerly, who ended up in Eugene. After two years of starting at Oregon, he has declared for the 2025 NFL Draft . He’s widely viewed as the second-best offensive tackle in the class.
LB Raylen Wilson, Georgia
Wilson was one of Michigan’s first commitments in 2023. However, he was also one of the first decommitments from the class as well. He eventually found himself at Georgia after climbing all the way up to five-star status.
In an absolutely stacked linebacker room, Wilson hasn’t seen a ton of playing time but would be an impact starter by now just about anywhere else. He likely would have been an impact player for the Wolverines. He’s expected to be one of the stars for Georgia on defense this year.
CB Kalen King, Penn State
King is a Detroit native who attended Cass Tech. However, Michigan allowed the in-state talent to be stolen away by Penn State in 2021. He ascended to stardom quickly and declared for the NFL Draft after just three seasons. King was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round.
While there’s no guarantee the Michigan coaching staff could have convinced King to stick around in Ann Arbor for 2024, he would have made a monster cornerback duo with Will Johnson. It would have allowed Jyaire Hill another year to develop instead of being thrust into action this past season.
Honorable Mentions
- OL Rocco Spindler, Notre Dame (2021)
- TE Oscar Delp, Georgia (2022)
- EDGE Ethan Burke, Texas (2022)
- DT Deone Walker, Kentucky (2022)
- CB Domani Jackson, USC (2022)
- RB Darius Taylor, Minnesota (2023)
- OL Charles Jagusah, Notre Dame (2023)
- WR Nick Marsh, Michigan State (2024)