As the college football world continues to change in the era of the transfer portal and NIL, Michigan is a beacon of hope for programs that aren’t able to land top high school talent each winter. A breakdown of the Wolverines’ roster puts the new era in perspective.
Now, before we go any further, it is important to note that Jim Harbaugh’s team was a significant benefactor from the blanket waiver granted to all athletes during the 2020 season.
There were (maybe more than) a few fifth- and sixth-year seniors who played significant roles in the national championship run. The whole sign-stealing thing may or may not have had an impact as well, we don’t really know…Michigan also featured 13 transfer from four-year schools, including key starters like Josiah Stewart, Ernest Hausmann, Drake Nugent, Myles Hinton, and LaDarius Henderson. All nine of the most recent offseason additions played a big role in the unbeaten run.
But that’s how things are done these days!
Gone are the days during which
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That makes Michigan a significant outlier in recent history. Every national champion since 2015 has ranked in the top nine in terms of ‘talent composition.
’- Alabama, 2015 — 1st
- Clemson, 2016 — 9th
- Alabama, 2017 — 1st
- Clemson, 2018 — 6th
- LSU, 2019 — 5th
- Alabama, 2020 — 2nd
- Georgia, 2021 — 2nd
- Georgia, 2022 — 2nd
Of the 85 scholarship players on the roster of the 2023 college football national champions, only two of them were five-star recruits. The Wolverines had 45 four-stars and 38 three-stars.
Harbaugh and his staff built his roster in a variety of different ways. A lot of different factors, including schedule and health, went into the national title win.
But this all goes to say that in the modern era of college football — there are multiple ways to win!
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