Aidan Hutchinson (image via Hudl)
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It’s been a long time coming because I’ve been so busy, but here are the final TTB Ratings for the class of 2018.
A note on the ratings: These are Michigan-specific ratings, so a guy who would be an instant starter at Eastern Michigan might not be quite so much of an individual standout playing against Michigan’s opponents . . . and he might even have a hard time getting on the field over some other Wolverines. It’s tricky trying to determine how the depth chart will shake out over the next three to five years, but I’m here for the heavy lifting. For more of an explanation, check out this page here (LINK).
Hit the jump for the final rankings.
Aidan Hutchinson – DE: 88
I didn’t give Hutchinson a TTB Rating initially because I hadn’t finished the 2017 class’s ratings, but there’s a reason I pegged him a while ago as the #1 player in the state.
Jalen Mayfield – OT: 84 87
I think Mayfield is going to be pretty darn good in college. I like the way he rolls his hips and drives guys in the run game. His pass protection might take a little time, but he has the athleticism to be good at it.
Joe Milton – QB: 88 85
I know there has been much consternation about Milton’s completion percentage in high school, and I’ve tracked it, so I get it. I also can’t get out of my mind that QB guru Mike Leach says you can’t teach accuracy. But at the same time, I see Milton putting the ball exactly where it needs to be for his receivers to catch and run. I’m dropping him a little bit, but maybe there are other reasons for his completion percentage.
Ryan Hayes – TE/OT: 86 84
I like Hayes as an offensive tackle, but somewhat less as a tight end. He’s starting off his career as a tight end and might be able to handle the blocking as a freshman, but I hope he’s repping at tackle by his second year on campus.
Myles Sims – CB: 81 83
I wasn’t extremely impressed with Sims when I saw him play in the Under Armour All-American Game, but they moved him to safety for that game and he didn’t look comfortable. There’s a lot to work with here for cornerbacks coach Mike Zordich.
Michael Barrett – QB/RB/WR/LB: 82
I think this is a good spot for Barrett. He might be the best running back in Michigan’s class, but he’s going to spend time at Viper, too, where his athleticism should fit well.
Gemon Green – CB: 77 82
Green is a little more limited athletically than Sims, but he makes up for it some by being more physical. He’ll have to be a technician, because he’s not really an explosive athlete.
Luke Schoonmaker – TE: 75 81
Schoonmaker has been splitting his time between QB, TE, and defense in high school, so he has a lot of things to work on to be a full-time tight end. But I think he has the athleticism to develop nicely once he concentrates on tight end only.
Cameron McGrone – LB: 80
I don’t see any reason to move McGrone up or down.
Mustapha Muhammad – TE: 79
Muhammad committed right in the middle of a very busy time for me, so I never completed his commitment post. Here’s the initial (and final) TTB Rating for him. I see him as being a good blocker with limited athleticism when it comes to NFL potential.
Christian Turner – RB: 78
Turner looks to me like a solid Big Ten back who should play early, but I don’t see him being a star on the Big Ten level.
Julius Welschof – DE: 78
Nothing has really changed since the commitment post. He’s still a bit of a project, in my opinion, and there’s too little film on him to make a great evaluation.
Sammy Faustin – S: 76
I don’t see anything in Faustin’s senior film to bump him up or down.
Ben Van Sumeren – FB: 78 75
I like the skill set Van Sumeren brings, and Iowa wanted him as a linebacker. He has some versatility, but as a fullback, chances are slim you’re going to be highly valued by NFL teams.
Hassan Haskins – RB: 78 74
Haskins is similar in running style to Brandon Minor, but we’ve more recently seen Jim Harbaugh use De’Veon Smith with middling success. Smith was good enough to start at Michigan, but both he and Haskins aren’t explosive, NFL types.
Taylor Upshaw – DE: 62 73
Upshaw is also a project at defensive end, but he does have the excuse that he only started football as a junior in high school. He moves like an NFL strongside end at times, but right now he’s not aggressive and doesn’t have very good technique. Greg Mattison should get the best out of him, though, and I could definitely see him outplaying this ranking.
Ronnie Bell – WR: 71
I like Bell as a slot receiver at Michigan, but I can’t justify moving him up to a place where I would expect him to be All-Big Ten or get drafted. He’s a crafty receiver with an array of skills, and I think he’s going to be fun to watch at Michigan. But I also don’t think Michigan is the best place to showcase his kind of talents.
Vincent Gray – CB: 71
I think Gray lacks some top-notch athleticism, but he’s an okay player. I just think other players will pass him up.
German Green – S: 59
I am willing to be pleasantly surprised, but I have yet to see anything from German Green to get me really excited about his potential.
Jake Moody – K: N/A
Kickers are hard to judge.
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Thanks for the aggregated list – it’s fun perusing the new freshmen. It was a disappointing class in that it lacks Gary or DPJ level talent at the top, but I see good football players and athletes from top to bottom with few if any headscratchers. The fliers that this staff take tend to either be excellent personnel fits or very high upside guys that are worth the gamble.
Is there a similar list for previous classes? Thanks again for all your hard work.
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If you do a Google search for “Final TTB Ratings 2017” or whatever year you’re looking for, you can find it. You can also click on the “TTB ratings” tag and those posts should come up.
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I still don’t get why this class was made up of mostly boom or bust “discoveries”
Not like we came out of a 3 o 4 win season
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I doubt the staff sees them as boom or bust. They realized they had a big group of very talented young guys from the 2016 and 2017 classes and wanted a group behind them who could develop and not want to see the field right away. Michigan isn’t Alabama or OSU(as much as fans want to think they are on that level in recruits’ eyes), so they can’t sell a highly recruited guy 2 years on the bench behind a bunch of sophomores. If the kid wanted that he’d go to Alabama. The coaches are also very confident in their ability to develop players and identify football talent.
The big miss in the class was the lack of a few stars, and losing on Reese and Friday really hurt in that regard. 2019 is looking better, and if they really win big it has the potential to look great.
Also, thanks Thunder for putting this together, always a great way to look at the class from a Michigan view.
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Circumstances could be pretty favorable for Turner to have a very nice career at Michigan.
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