There it is! As promised, Michigan has a five-star quarterback committed for 2024. We can talk about the long road to get here, and all of those who didn't make it. Notre Dame-bound local 5-star CJ Carr, who maybe wasn't Grandpa Lloyd's program's top prospect. Former quarterback coach Matt Weiss, who had to be coached by Jadyn's father on the finer points of recruiting. Davis's first high school. Even the normally cordial relationship between Michigan recruiting sites broke down over this one. This recruitment survived pursuit since middle school by Ryan Day, a childhood Clemson fandom, four years of pursuit by Georgia (where he lived for most of his life), a dumped-by-Dylan Raiola Ohio State coming back in full throttle, two NFL flirtations by Harbaugh, a snowstorm, and the athletic department's deep commitment to confounding itself on NIL.

The one thing that never really wavered in all of that was Jadyn Davis, the five-star quarterback looking for a reason to go to Michigan. Reports say he was recruiting other guys to Michigan on his recruiting trips. They say he took to Matt Weiss, dragged his friends to Ann Arbor, and sought out J.J. McCarthy to take in life, the universe, and his approach to football.

I keep saying reports here, but really I should be saying Sam Webb. Sam Webb had this one by the tail the whole way, as Davis wound through a fairly sane and straightforward recruiting process of visiting with friends, visiting with family, making sure the head coach wasn't leaving, then waiting a bit longer to get to the know the new position coach. The rest of us who like drama got the full five-star ride.

GURU RATINGS

RATINGS BY SITE
247: 6'0.5/192	On3: 6'0.5/190	Rivals: 6'0/186	ESPN: 6'1/200
5*, 98, #28 Ovr #2 QB, #1 NC	4*, 92, #105 Ovr #8 QB, #3 NC	5*, 6.1, #10 Ovr #3 PRO, #3 NC	4*, 86, #35 Ovr, #18 SE #3 DUAL, #1 NC
4.87	4.45	4.87	4.68
COMPOSITE RANKINGS
247 Composite	On3 Consensus	MGoBlog
5*, 0.9848, #28 Ovr #4 QB, #1 NC	5*, 96.31, #26 Ovr #4 QB, #1 NC	4.5*, #40/781 Ovr #5/43 QBs since 1990
4.85	4.63	4.73

Yep that's a 5-star. He's not a super uber duper 5-star—more Devin Gardner- than JJ McCarthy-level if we're discerning.

Davis was the #1 overall prospect when the 2024 cycle started, but that was because half the country didn't play his freshman year. Davis did, starting on varsity for Catawba Ridge in Fort Mill, South Carolina, before missing the end of the season with a broken collarbone. The only part of the huge projections that followed that didn't come through was hugeness; Davis was 5'11" at the time and seems to have capped out at 6'0".

After leading CR to a state title (throwing for 350 yards and 6 TDs in the championship), the rankings shot up again, and Davis transferred up to North Carolina powerhouse Providence Day. The summer before his sophomore year Davis finished fifth at the Rivals 5-star challenge despite being two years younger than most of the participants. 4th was Cade Klubnik. 2nd was Dante Moore.

The most recent 247 composite had him fall from #2 to #5 among QBs. On3 is the skeptic, while ESPN is just shoehorning future SEC signal-callers into the lower bounds of their five-star range (note that #35 overall is #18 in the Southeast region). To meta for a second, Davis is a good example of how different composites operate. 247's corrects for position bonus, On3's weights towards average overall ranking, while mine treats ESPN's opinion as half as valuable as its competitors, and corrects for how much time is left in the cycle.

[AFTER THE JUMP: Strengths include pocket presence, leadership and je ne sais quois.]

SCOUTING

Well, he looks like a five-star. Davis has been on the map since he was an 8th grader, which was when he got his offer from Ohio State. He was the only QB invited from the 2024 *or* 2023 class to OSU's August 2021 BBQ. Land Grant Holy Land's Caleb Houser reported at the time that this would be a make-or-break recruitment for Ryan Day.

On the field Jadyn can do it all. He’s only got one season under his belt in his prep career, but there’s more than enough reasons to see why he’s ranked where he is. Whether it’s his arm and ability to make all of the throws or just his overall knowledge of the game this early on, Davis is a coaching staff’s dream scenario. Off the field and probably even more importantly, Davis is mature beyond his years. We’ve seen Ohio State really hang their hat on finding elite players, but also elite people, and Davis fits every narrative that entails. Ryan Day and crew are sold on that dynamic already. You can’t ask for more from the most important position on the field.

Rivals' Adam Gorney saw Davis the most and consistently describes an accurate baller who likes to throw on the move($):

loves to sit in the pocket and dissect defenses with a strong and accurate arm. He’s comfortable not only making all the throws but they look like laser shots every time he drops back and throws it. What makes Davis extra special is that he also can throw well on the run whether to his right or left and the ball placement is still perfect.

When Raiola was committing to Ohio State and ascending to #1 a year ago, Gorney was in Charlotte watching Davis($).

threw with consistent accuracy and power when necessary, which helped him fit passes into tight coverage. When his receiver was running deep routes, he was able to put it on the money and on timing routes, Davis showed that he was able to quickly adjust to the speed of the receiver he was paired with. In the camp setting, it's difficult to simulate situations where quarterbacks need to go through their progressions, but Davis has shown in the past the patience and football IQ to be able to identify the correct receiver and deliver a catchable ball.

…and argued this isn't just a two-quarterback year (video).

Phenomenal talent. Looked great at Steve Clarkson's event last offseason and then had a big junior season. He is a guy that can make all the throws, and has the ability to do that. He is a phenomenal leader, and really could push even higher in the National Top Ten. … He's such a great talent. You know we talk about Dylan Raiola a ton; we talk about Julian Sayin often. Jadyn Davis should not be lost in his conversation because he's an incredible player as well.

His compadre Adam Friedman, the guy in charge of the rankings, called Davis a name to watch for after the freshman finished 3rd among QBs at their Atlanta camp in April 2021. When the time came, he chose Davis for his fourth five-star of the class:

…possesses all the major qualities you look for in a quarterback for today's game. He knows where to go with the ball, is very accurate and does a good job of evading the pass rush. Davis can make all the throws and has the mobility to keep defenses off balance. He isn't the tallest quarterback but he still does a good job of going through his progressions and finding throwing lanes.

Last August, Zach Libby of Maize & Blue Review summarized the growing consensus on the order of the top three QBs this cycle at Rivals, IE Davis is the one that just oozes intangibles:

definition of a field general … As a leader with heavy poise in the pocket and incredible awareness to read secondaries, Davis is smart with his throws and fires the ball down the field when needed. He's also a winner and isn't afraid to compete against top competition like June's OT7 event in Las Vegas.

247's Andrew Ivins was already projecting him to the top of the 2024 class by the end of 2020:

Already pushing 6-foot. Likely to keep growing. … Quick, compact release allows him to spray it around the field. Ball placement a strength early on in his career as he’s accurate more times than not. Uses trajectory to his advantage. Clean footwork. Likes to establish a secure base. Solid pocket presence for his age, but athletic and creative enough to keep plays alive. Can move the chains with his legs. Doesn’t put himself in many risky situations. Peers consider him a leader in the huddle. Will need to develop some arm strength over the next few years, but already capable of making some high-level throws.

Ivins reassessed after Davis's junior season, but came back with more or less the same opinion, minus a few projected inches.

A gamer that has no issues operating on the move. Loves to improvise and take some risks, but at the same time can set up shop in the pocket and stay on script. … Cleaner mechanics allow him to throw a tight spiral. Can rip it every now and then, but doesn’t exactly have a cannon. Still, has shown the ability to attack the deeper third of the field and has proven to be pretty accurate as he owns a 63.5 percent career completion percentage heading into his senior season. Doesn’t exactly fit the bill as a true dual-threat talent, but is loose and explosive in the lower half and has plenty of experience coordinating RPOs out of a single-back spread attack on Friday nights.

Size could eventually deter some scouts or front offices (measured just under 6-foot-1, 195 pounds in Spring of 2022), but has the makeup of someone that can win games on Saturdays, especially with his business-like mindset. Likely to find most success in an offensive scheme that has plenty of play action looks and roll outs on the call sheet.

The 247 staff only had two quarterbacks listed as 5-stars in their latest re-rank, Davis and Raiola.

Mike Farrell had an indie site with Wisconsin blogger Matt Perkins these days; when Mike saw Davis he wanted to make him the #1 quarterback…of the 2023 class(!)…while also hitting on how well Davis throws while moving.

National-level recruit who’s had the attention of every big program since his 8th grade season. Good frame and solid speed. Reads his keys pre-snap and has the anticipation to find the open man immediately into his drop. Quick feet through his drop. Elite mental processing, continues to read the field during his drop and adjust if his pre-snap reads were off. Good footwork to adjust to oncoming rushers and shows very good poise in the pocket. Very good courage, not afraid to throw the ball into tight pockets or far downfield. Good arm strength, can reliably throw downfield. Elite accuracy, places the ball exactly where it needs to be through all three throw distances. Tight spiral and good zip on the ball. Has the speed and agility to eat up some yards if the open field presents itself. Protects his body and will scan entire field again for a throw before committing to the run.

Release could be quicker; swings his arm back instead of immediately cocking his shoulder. More prominent when throwing on the run, pass takes a while to come out. Hard to gauge his leadership ability and competitive toughness from his film, can’t make a call either way. Extremely gifted QB, would put him as my #1 QB for the 2023 class if he was a year older. Has the tools to lead a team to a championship.

On3's Charles Power featured Davis when the sophomore lit it up in their 2021 opener, after a bit of a Denard Robinson moment.

Davis was noticeably amped up and overshot a few passes to start, but settled in quickly. The talent and advanced polish were on display.

First off, Davis’ game operation looks like that of a senior. He’s in control pre-snap and has an attention to detail down to his fakes. The best play came on a deep shot down the right sideline that looked to travel a good 40-50 yards in air. Davis also showed a quick trigger in connecting on two play-action touchdowns across the middle in the red zone. The mobility is also advanced.

…and finished with a Hunter Dickinson moment.

the rival student section had a huge banner that read “Number 2 is overrated.” Davis appeared to enjoy giving the student section the “Shhh” sign after a few of the touchdowns.

Davis and Raiola were the two initial QBs to watch to Power.

We’ve watched Davis play a few times this fall and he’s impressed with his combination of arm talent and mobility along with some advanced polish and offensive administration.

By this time last year Davis had slipped behind six other signal-callers, explained by a 54.5 percent completion rating as a sophomore, but was On3's #1 QB at the Elite-11 Atlanta regional.

kept most of his throws within the catchable area throughout the day. Davis also moved around the drills like a camp veteran. His arm had a little more zip than almost everyone else at the camp.

On the summer 7v7 circuit they saw a "thick, powerful base" and "one of the purest arms of the bunch."

Davis is 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds with a picture-perfect deep ball and smooth delivery. He’s wildly accurate on the move and brings a major downfield element to a passing attack.

but

While Davis may not have had the throw-to-throw consistency of Iamaleava, Nelson or Moore, his arm did not look out of place playing alongside the highly-touted 2023 prospects

Power disparaged the QBs in this class overall in his October reevaluation, though credited Davis for his "most efficient football" IE CJ Strouding it.

Finally we have Touch the Banner, who hit on all the points above.

Overall: Davis is an excellent quarterback prospect, and he grew on me while studying his junior film. For all the hype he’s received, I expected him to have a little more juice as a thrower or as an athlete, which I didn’t see on his sophomore film when first evaluating him, either. But where he makes hay is with his accuracy, touch, and anticipation. If he has a good offensive line in college and can sit in the pocket and pick apart a defense, he has the right tools to make that happen. I would put him in a shotgun/pistol-based offense where he has room to see and find throwing lanes, but he will be limited in his ability to add anything to the running game.

…and made a comp to a (right-handed) Tua Tagovailoa. I assume you know him.

OFFERS

via Instagram

The world. Ohio State and Georgia were the two early schools standing out. Then it was Michigan and Georgia. Then Michigan and Ohio State. Then Michigan and Clemson. Then maybe Michigan and Tennessee. Or UNC? Notre Dame got on the final graphic.

HIGH SCHOOLS

Though in different states, Davis's schools were both in Charlotte suburbs. Fort Mill is on the South Carolina side, and its Catawba Ridge high school is so new it doesn't yet exist on Google Earth:

Davis, who spent most of his life growing up in Atlanta, was part of their second freshman class in 2020.

As for Upper Providence Day,  it's another one of those privates that sprung as  Southern public school systems lost their relevant anti-busing court cases. To its credit, the school does not ignore the history of their founding. They were in the New York Times in late 2020 for an incident where a freshman was dismissed after his mother raised hell about the students reading August Wilson's Fences, which is a play about a working class former Negro Leagues ballplayer whose understandable distrust of white institutions damages his kids' opportunities in them. The Denzel Washington version is on Paramount+ and I'd recommend it, even if the nuanced question of a parent victim's culpability in generational trauma may be a bit ambitious for a classroom of 14-year-olds (and an irony too on the nose for the New York Times). Anyway it's a really good school.

I can also tell you Michigan would *love* to build a pipeline to Providence Day, which won a state championship without Davis in 2021 as well. He has two receiver teammates, Channing (son of former OL Jonathan, nephew of former OL Harold) Goodwin, and Jordan Shipp, who are Michigan targets. Since 2019 the school has sent 4-stars to Notre Dame, UNC, Ohio State and Georgia, and 2025 left tackle David Sanders is currently the #1 player in the country to the 247 composite. I'd also keep an eye on 2025 CB Braxton Winston.

The program plays in North Carolina's second-highest classification and lost just one game—to rival Charlotte Christian … by a point(!) … on a last-second 47-yard field goal(!!) … by a kid named Tripp Woody(!!!)—last year. Michigan is also recruiting Micah Gilbert, the kid who Braylon'd Charlotte Christian back from a 20-point deficit to beat their stacked rival on a Tripp Woody walker. Tripp Woody is a 2024 as well…just saying.

Also this loss was of course avenged 55-13 in the state championship.

STATS

MaxPreps has him for 3425 yards on 305 attempts (15.5 YPA), 43 TDs, and 6 INTs last year with a 72.5% completion rating. He also rushed for 39 yards on 26 carries (presumably a few of those sacks) and 2 TDs. He was named Mr. Football in two states.

FAKE 40 TIME

None that I could turn up. I'm gonna say it's the square root of -4.72 and give it five FAKES out of five for being imaginary.

VIDEO

Junior highlights:

Rivals camp in February 2022:

EJ Holland's clips vs Charlotte Country Day.

ETC.

Yes there was a beef. No I am not getting into recruit parent/recruiting reporter drama.

PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE

Instagram

Quarterbacks tend to hew closer to their rankings than most other positions, in part because they're scouted so heavily. The five-stars also tend to sign with teams that have a lot of success, then have a lot of success. In both college and the NFL, the quality of their protection seems to have an outsized role in who stars and who busts. A quick history of recent 5-star QBs on the composite:

• 2022: Drew Allar (PSU), Cade Klubnik (Clemson), and Conner Weigman (Texas A&M) all played, all looked like future pretty good QBs. Ty Simpson (Bama) redshirted behind Bryce Young (is Bryce Young).
• 2021: Caleb Williams (USC) won the Heisman. Drake Maye (UNC) had a monster season. Quinn Ewers (OSU) transferred to Texas and started. JJ McCarthy (Michigan) you know. Sam Huard (Washington) sat out most of last year and is transferring to Cal.
• 2020: Bryce Young (Bama) won a Heisman, dealt with injuries. DJ Uiagaleilei (Clemson) started when Lawrence was hurt but fared poorly, was bench for Clubnik, and transferred to Oregon State. CJ Stroud (OSU) never beat Michigan but looked really good otherwise.
• 2019: Spencer Rattler went from Heisman favorite to benched in early 2021, transferred to South Carolina, and was a fair not spectacular SEC QB. Jayden Daniels (ASU) started for 3 years then transferred to LSU and was a great dual-threat for them. Bo Nix (Auburn) started for 3 years then transferred to Oregon and was likewise very good.
• 2018: Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields…we're done here.

It's good to get a five-star QB, okay? It's where a majority of recent Heisman winners came from. They often start early, play a lot, and leave you with hardware. If someone else beats them, that guy is usually pretty dang good himself.

JJ McCarthy is one of those guys, and may be ready to move on to the NFL Draft after this season, but ideally he sticks around one more year to give Davis time to get used to the system. Michigan's tried to beat the 5-star shadow and get on the cycle before (Henne to Mallett was the closest they ever got) but history shows it's tough to make it work. JJ's freshman to sophomore growth should be the model for what to expect if Davis gets to sit or has to be in the mix to start in 2024. Michigan does have Davis Warren, Alex Orji, Jayden Denegal, and Kendrick Bell around, but even if Warren got a chance to be properly ranked none of those guys have the ceiling of Davis. I won't predict an immediate ascension, and I don't believe Davis was given any promises, but I think it's fair to assume there's a good chance Davis is the #2 in 2024 if McCarthy sticks around, and be at least as likely to start as the rest of our lot if he doesn't.

What does Davis look like in that role? He's probably not JJ McCarthy, but a 5-star quarterback who likes to operate out of play-action and get through complicated progressions while moving about with poise sounds like a good fit for the run-first, pass-to-kill outfit Harbaugh's built at Michigan, and with Davis, will hope to maintain.

UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS

A lot of upshot.

Don't take my word for it; here's Adam Friedman last November:

…the timing of his commitment could really help the Wolverines on the recruiting trail. There are a lot of highly ranked prospects who are considering Michigan but, with Davis officially onboard, their pitch to these other prospects could carry more weight.

Yuh huh. While Davis waited a longer announce, it was pretty clear to those in attendance for Michigan's visitageddon two weekends ago that he was coming to Michigan. That must have played a role in the commitments of Brandyn Hillman, Jordan Marshall, and Ben Roebuck afterwards.

The receiver picture should start to fall into place now that they know who'll be throwing to them. In addition to Davis's teammates at Providence Day, longtime top WR prospect I'Marion Stewart has long been a Michigan lead, and Jay Harbaugh turned up ID 4* Gatlin Bair long before Bair made huge jump up the national rankings. Virginia 4-star Mekhai White and NC 4* Micah Gilbert also visited with Davis, with White leaving reporters with the notion he was ready to drop as well. A third NC prospect, 3* Terrell Anderson, is on the radar as well. Ron Bellamy is also highly interested in LA 3* Joshua Jackson, and staying in touch with some 5-star types like Ryan Wingo, Mike Matthews, and Jamie Ffrench. Clearly Michigan can't fit all these guys in, but the floor for the class would be a great ceiling most years.

A lot of other positions, especially on offense, are in a similar state, with top prospects determined to use their summer visits but also now more likely than ever to be wasting every other schools' time. That list includes 4* MI TE Brady Prieskorn, 4* OLs Blake Frazier and Max Anderson out of Texas, 4* Edge Brian Robinson out of Youngstown, MD 4* LB Aaron Chiles, and MI 4* CB Jalen Todd. Davis also gives his future school added credibility in their pursuits of top-of-the-board types like 4.5* OH CB Aaron Scott, 5* IL DT Justin Scott, 5* Edge Dylan Stewart, and elite OT targets MO 4* Andrew Sprague (who may already be a Michigan lean), MA 4* Guerby Lambert, GA 4* center Waltclaire Flynn, GA 5* safety KJ Bolden, and TX 4.5* RB Taylor Tatum.

Can they get all of those guys? Not a chance. But with a consensus 5-star quarterback at the top of the class, the rest of it is likely to end up Top 10, with a shot at Top 5, and shadow effect on recruiting in the next cycle. See: JJ's class, Henson's class, even Shane Morris's class. It may also make it harder to pull in local 2025 5-star QB Bryce Underwood, since 5-star QBs tend to cast a shadow.

THE CLASS AS IT STANDS

Here we go.

THE CLASS AS IT STANDS

OFFENSE
Pos	Player	State	Stars	In a nutshell
QB	Jadyn Davis	NC	4.7⬇	Smooth, accurate field general
RB	Jordan Marshall	OH	4.4⬆	Accelerates South-North
TE	Hogan Hansen	WA	4.1⬆⬆	Colston Loveland West
OT	Luke Hamilton	OH	4.0	Midwestern mauler
OT	Ben Roebuck	OH	3.8⬇⬇	Bigger Midwestern mauler
DEFENSE
Pos	Player	State	Stars	In a nutshell
DT	Ted Hammond	OH	4.0⬆	Cincy build-a-bear
DT	Manuel Beigel	CT	3.6	Lengthy German via Choate
MLB	Mason Curtis	TN	4.2⬆	Long athlete moving up
S	Jacob Oden	MI	4.2	Tall son of coach

Our 2024 recruiting board lives here.