Michigan football 2024 recruiting class: What to like about each player

Free Press sports writer Tony Garcia breaks down Michigan football's class of 2024 recruits who signed letters of intent Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period:

Signed

EDGE Devon Baxter

School: Gwynn Park (Brandywine, Maryland).

Vitals: 6-6, 225.

247 Sports' composite ranking: Four-star, No. 351 overall, No. 29 EDGE.

The buzz: Baxter, who held offers from Penn State, Tennessee and Virginia Tech, is seen as an elite athlete (he's a talented basketball player as well) and will likely start in U-M's EDGE room. But Job No. 1 is putting on about 20 pounds without losing any speed.

DL Manuel Beigel

School: Choate Rosemary Hall (Wallingford, Connecticut).

Vitals: 6-4, 282.

247 Sports' composite ranking: Three-star, No. 885 overall, No. 106 DL.

The buzz: A soccer player in his youth, Beigel is agile for his size and earlier this year was featured on 247 Sports’ "Freaks List," which focused on 50 senior recruits who have next-level skills. Beigel will play defensive line, likely starting on the interior.

EDGE Mason Curtis

School: Ensworth (Nashville, Tennessee).

Vitals: 6-4, 200.

247 Sports' composite ranking: Four-star, No. 305 overall, No. 22 EDGE.

The buzz: Curtis is projected to U-M as an outside linebacker despite playing most of his senior season at safety. That's the versatility that Michigan saw in him when Steve Clinkscale plucked the athlete out of Nashville.

HEAR FROM THE PLAYER: I'm Mason Curtis. Here's why I signed with Michigan football's 2024 class

TE Hogan Hansen

School: Bellevue (Washington).

Vitals: 6-6, 230.

247 Sports' composite ranking: Four-star, No. 295 overall, No. 19 TE.

The buzz: A big-bodied tight end from the Northwest? Sounds familiar, eh, Colston Loveland? Still, Hansen profiles differently than Loveland as he's expected to produce as an elite blocker based on his time in his high school (also the Wolverines) Wing-T offense.

CB Jeremiah Lowe

School: Fredrick Douglas (Lexington, Kentucky).

Vitals: 5-11, 170.

247 Sports' composite ranking: Three-star, No. 1133 overall, No. 98 CB.

The buzz: Ohio and Kentucky are Steve Clinkscale's main recruiting grounds, and he has a history of developing defensive backs from the region. Also, Lowe is no slouch — he was named to the Louisville Courier Journal's All-State first team — he's just a bit more of a question mark.

ATH Jacob Oden

School: Harper Woods.

Vitals: 6-1, 188.

247 Sports' composite ranking: Four-star, No. 280 overall, No. 29 S.

The buzz: Jacob projects as either a safety or potentially a nickel back with the Wolverines. He won the Division 4 state championship last month at Ford Field.

DL Deyvid Palepale

School: Manheim Township (Lancaster, Pennsylvania).

Vitals: 6-3, 305.

247 Sports' composite ranking: Three-star, No. 745 overall, No. 87 DL.

The buzz: It seemed a bit confusing when Palepale committed to USC, but once Alex Grinch was relieved as defensive coordinator and Palepale reopened his commitment, those around Ann Arbor were optimistic he'd end up in maize and blue. Sure enough, that's what happened.

OL Blake Frazier

School: Vandergrift (Austin, Texas).

Vitals: 6-5, 260.

247 Sports' composite ranking: Four-star, No. 170 overall, No. 14 OL.

The buzz: Blake Frazier, son of former Michigan offensive lineman Steve Frazier (1995-99), was named an All-American by Max Preps on Tuesday.

ATH Jaden Smith

School: West Charlotte (Charlotte, North Carolina).

Vitals: 6-3, 201.

247 Sports' composite ranking: Four-star, No. 283 overall, No. 13 ATH.

The buzz: Named the Queen City 3A/4A Defensive Player of the Year, he likely projects as an EDGE or linebacker, but he could end up just about anywhere. That's why Jim Harbaugh and all three coordinators (Jesse Minter, Sherrone Moore and Jay Harbaugh) all paid him a visit earlier this month.

WR Channing Goodwin

School: Providence Day School (Charlotte, North Carolina).

Vitals: 6-1, 180.

247 Sports' composite ranking: Three-star, No. 559 overall, No. 79 WR.

The buzz: Michigan was also always a likely destination for Goodwin; his father, Jonathan Goodwin, was an offensive lineman in Ann Arbor (1998-2001) under Lloyd Carr, then played for the San Francisco 49ers for Jim Harbaugh.M

WR I'Marion Stewart

School: Kenwood Academy (Chicago).

Vitals: 5-10, 180.

247 Sports' composite ranking: Four-star, No. 299 overall, No. 48 WR.

The buzz: If his performance in the U.S. Army All-American game last weekend was any indication, Stewart is going to have quite the career in Ann Arbor. Targeted five times, he caught all five passes and finished with two touchdowns and two first downs.

EDGE Owen Wafle

School: Hun School (Princeton, New Jersey).

Vitals: 6-1, 290.

247 Sports' composite ranking: Four-star, No. 427 overall, No. 48 DL.

The buzz: A one-time Notre Dame commit, Wafle, well, waffled to Michigan over the summer. The son of former Duke defensive lineman David Wafle, he told 247 Sports he "learned how to do a three-point stance before he could walk."

QB Jadyn Davis

School: Providence Day School (Charlotte, North Carolina).

Vitals: 6-½, 202.

247 Sports' composite ranking: Four-star, No. 93 overall, No. 7 QB.

The buzz: Recruited as the heir apparent to quarterback J.J. McCarthy, Davis is the most widely known name in the class. Once rated a five-star prospect, he's now the No. 7 quarterback nationally — Davis led his team to a 24-2 record the past two seasons, including consecutive state championships, and finished his high school career with 111 touchdowns and 9,366 passing yards and has already enrolled.

OL Ben Roebuck

School: St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio).

Vitals: 6-7, 320.

247 Sports' composite ranking: Three-star, No. 521 overall, No. 41 OT

The buzz: Selected to the 2023 U.S. Army Bowl, the St. Edward standout offensive tackle was also named first-team Division I All-Ohio as well as a Max Preps All-American for the second consecutive season. The No. 3 ranked offensive lineman in Ohio helped lead St. Edward to a third consecutive championship.

IOL Jake Guarnera

School: Ponte Vedra (Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida).

Vitals: 6-4, 290.

247 Sports' composite ranking: Three-star, No. 488 overall, No. 31 IOL.

The buzz: Jim Harbaugh and Sherrone Moore visited him earlier this month to check on their tackle-turned-center, who helped lead Ponte Vedra to its first postseason win in his four years on the team.

RB Jordan Marshall

School: Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati).

Vitals: 5-10½, 193.

247 Sports' composite ranking: Four-star, No. 83 overall, No. 11 RB.

The buzz: Marshall, the Ohio Mr. Football, ran for 1,550 yards and 17 touchdowns and had another 30 catches for 394 yards and four more scores. "He coached the running backs, he helped run drills and coached them; he's the smartest player I ever coached," Moeller coach Bert Bathiany told the Cincinnati Enquirer.

RB Micah Ka'apana

School: Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas).

Vitals: 5-11, 195.

247 Sports' composite ranking: Three-star, No. 502 overall, No. 42 RB.

The buzz: Ka'apana had 56 carries for 732 yards (13.1 yards per carry) and nine touchdowns in his senior season, according to Max Preps. He also held offers from teams such as Arizona State, Nebraska, and Utah.

OL Andrew Sprague

School: Rockhurst (Kansas City, Missouri).

Vitals: 6-8, 295.

247 Sports' composite ranking: Four-star, No. 112 overall, No. 4 OL.

The buzz: Sprague, rated one of the nation's top offensive linemen regardless of position, already has Division I size. He's an early enrollee, per the U-M directory.

EDGE Lugard Edokpayi

School: Bishop McNamara (District Heights, Maryland).

Vitals: 6-6, 230.

247 Sports' composite ranking: Four-star, No. 222 overall, No. 18 edge.

The buzz: Did not commit and sign until Wednesday, eschewing offers from Maryland, Minnesota and Rutgers, among others. Also a basketball player, his wing span and overall size may be his biggest asset.

LB Zach Ludwig

School: South Park (Pennsylvania).

Vitals: 6-3, 202.

247 Sports' composite ranking: Three-star, No. 1,750 overall, No. 1,160 LB.

The buzz: While he still needs to put on weight to play in the Big Ten, there's good reason to think he'll do exactly that: His uncle is team strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert.

EDGE Dominic Nichols

School: Oakdale (Ijamsville, Maryland).

Vitals: 6-5, 252.

247 Sports' composite ranking: Three-star, No. 528 overall, No. 37 EDGE.

The buzz: Nichols helped Oakdale win a state championship and is currently the only EDGE among U-M's prospects to enroll early. “They will push him to be one of the guys that play on Sunday,” his coach, Kurt Stein, told the Fredrick News Post. “When you start at Michigan and make an impact, you play in the NFL.”

Committed

CB Jo'Ziah Edmond

School: Northwood (Nappanee, Indiana).

Vitals: 6-1, 180.

247 Sports' composite ranking: Four-star, No. 345 overall, No. 22 CB.

The buzz: The senior was named Indiana's top defensive back after recording 59 tackles and five interceptions but was also a force on offense, racking up 65 receptions for 777 yards and seven touchdowns and another 204 rushing yards and four TDs.

TE Brady Prieskorn

School: Rochester Adams.

Vitals: 6-6, 225.

247 Sports' composite ranking: Four-star, No. 124 overall, No. 11 TE.

The buzz: An All-American, Prieskorn was at one time rated the No. 1 tight end in his class; he had another standout season as a senior, with 33 receptions for 665 yards and eight touchdowns to earn first-team All-State honors from the Free Press.

LB Jeremiah Beasley

School: Belleville.

Vitals: 6-1, 210.

247 Sports' composite ranking: Four-star, No. 366 overall, No. 31 LB.

The buzz: The Free Press caught up with the state's top-rated LB on Sunday, and he said he's already enrolled in Ann Arbor, had his first practice last week, and will travel with the team to January's Rose Bowl. Beasley is still at home, 15 miles east in Belleville, but will move on-campus next semester.

OL Luke Hamilton

School: Avon (Ohio).

Vitals: 6-5, 290.

247 Sports' composite ranking: Four-star, No. 396 overall, No. 25 IOL.

The buzz: Hamilton was named three times to the All-Ohio team (first-team twice) and finished this year first-team Ohio All-Academic and the Ohio High School Athletic Association DII Offensive Player of the Year. Not that U-M will likely need it, but he also served as Avon's punter, averaging 36.7 yards per attempt.

DL Ted Hammond

School: St. Xavier (Cincinnati).

Vitals: 6-5, 258.

247 Sports' composite ranking: Four-star, No. 413 overall, No. 46 DL.

The buzz: Hammond was named first-team all-state OHSAA defense. According to his NCSA profile, Hammond runs a 4.8-second 40-yard dash and bench-presses 375 pounds.

LB Cole Sullivan

School: Central Catholic (Philadelphia).

Vitals: 6-3, 200.

247 Sports' composite ranking: Four-star, No. 316 overall, No. 24 LB.

The buzz: A three-star when he made his pledge, Sullivan jumped up the rankings after a standout senior season. He's now just outside the top 300 nationally, holding offers from Miami (Fla.), Notre Dame and Penn State, among others.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football 2024 recruiting tracker: Who's signed