10 Michigan football commits recruiting rankings vary the most on

There are hundreds of thousands of student-athletes who play high school football in the U.S. but determining a list of the best is no easy task.
Four major recruiting services – 247Sports, On3, Rivals and ESPN – scout and evaluate talent across the country every year to try and determine the top prospects. But like evaluations at any level, there is subjectivity that leads to variance from person to person or organization to organization.
That’s why there is rarely a consensus on recruiting rankings. Currently, Michigan has 26 players committed in its 2024 class, which ranks fourth nationally in the 247Sports Composite index, which compiles and weights ratings from all four recruiting sites.
Here are 10 Wolverines commits that recruiting services differ the most on.
Quarterback Jadyn Davis
When the 2022 Gatorade Player of the Year in North Carolina committed to Michigan on March 31, he had a five-star rating and was the No. 28 overall player in the 247Sports Composite rankings. But several recruiting services aren’t as bullish on the 6-foot, 190-pounder anymore. Rivals is still high on Davis, ranking him No. 20 overall and the No. 3 quarterback, but none of the other three have the signal-caller as a top-50 prospect. Davis is ranked the lowest by On3, which has him at No. 187 overall and No. 13 at his position. He checks in at No. 75 and No. 114 overall by 247Sports and ESPN, respectively.
Even with Davis dropping to No. 60 overall in the Composite index, he still is Michigan’s highest-ranked quarterback recruit in the Jim Harbaugh era.
Running back Jordan Marshall
The Cincinnati (Ohio) Archbishop Moeller standout just received a big ratings jump by On3 and is now ranked as the No. 2 running back and No. 31 overall prospect. Rivals also pegs him as a top-50 prospect and the second-ranked player at his position, but ESPN (No. 148 overall, No. 9 RB) and 247Sports (No. 199, No. 14) put a dent in his Composite ranking. Like Davis, Marshall was the Gatorade Player of the Year in his state last season.
Offensive tackle Andrew Sprague
The 6-foot-8, 295-pounder from Kansas City, Missouri, is a consensus four-star prospect, but 247Sports and On3 are much higher on him than the other two recruiting sites. In 247Sports’ rankings, he’s No. 106 nationally and a top-10 tackle. According to On3, he’s No. 141 overall and No. 14 at his position. Rivals dropped Sprague out of its top 250 this summer, while ESPN has him ranked just outside the top 200 nationally.
Offensive tackle Blake Frazier
The fact that Frazier, who attends Vandegrift High in Texas, is now a consensus four-star heading into his senior season after being a backup tight end on his junior varsity team as a sophomore says a lot about his meteoric rise as a recruit. Still, scouts differ on his prospect status. Frazier, the son of former Michigan offensive lineman Steve Frazier, checks in as the No. 75 overall recruit and No. 6 tackle, per Rivals. He’s still a top-300 recruit by all four services, but ESPN has him at No. 288 and On3 at 210.
Edge Devon Baxter
Baxter is another prospect still getting acclimated to a new position. The former quarterback/tight end now focuses primarily on defense, moving to edge as a sophomore. The 6-foot-5, 235-pounder from Maryland had 12 sacks in 2022 and is rated as a four-star by On 3, which also ranks him at No. 199 overall and No. 20 at his position. None of the other services have him ranked higher than No. 38 at edge, which explains why he is ranked No. 393 overall in the Composite index.
Defensive lineman Jerod Smith
ESPN and 247Sports have the 6-foot-3, 265-pounder from Connecticut as top-153 prospects overall, while On3 and Rivals don’t have him among their top 250. The end result? He currently checks in at No. 227 in the Composite index.
Linebacker Jaden Smith
When Smith committed to Michigan on June 12, he only had a recruiting profile with On3. Just over a month later, the 6-foot-3, 201-pounder is a top-300 player in the Composite rankings. ESPN loves his potential and ranks him as the No. 102 prospect nationally and No. 8 linebacker, while On3 also ranks him as a four-star prospect (No. 248). Meanwhile, the other two recruiting sites have Smith, who plays at West Charlotte (N.C), labeled as a three-star prospect.
Receiver Channing Goodwin
There’s some serious variance when it comes to Goodwin. The only site that has the 6-foot-1, 175-pounder rated as a four star is 247Sports, which also has him ranked as the 39th receiver in the country. Meanwhile, he’s No. 124 at his position according to On3 and No. 100 per Rivals. ESPN has him at No. 76.
Defensive lineman Owen Wafle
Rivals and ESPN both rate Wafle, a former Notre Dame commit, as a four-star, while On3 and 247Sports label him as a three. The 6-foot-2, 267-pounder from New Jersey is the 16th-ranked defensive lineman by Rivals compared to 79th by On3.
Linebacker Cole Sullivan
On3 is the only service that rates Sullivan as a four-star, ranking him No. 256 overall and No. 19 at his position. The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder from Central Catholic in Pittsburgh ranked in the 30s at linebacker by Rivals and ESPN and No. 59 by 247Sports.