McDoom/Crawford/Bredeson are but a small part of the great redshirt bonfire. [Fuller]

Ed-Ace: We are excited to debut a new feature today. Recruitnik extraordinaire, regular podcast guest, and noted darts enthusiast Steve Lorenz of Wolverine247, aka The Artist Formerly Known As Aquaman, is providing a weekly recruiting mailbag. Steve does a tremendous job running the show at Wolverine247, and if you're somehow unfamiliar with his work, they're usually giving some sort of deal to get you in the door that involves getting premium access for free for a while, which seems like a bargain to me. Without further ado, here's the first edition of Steve's mailbag; keep an eye out for Steve's posts on the mgoboard—that's how he's collecting questions for these posts.

Other Andrew asks: How may the redshirt bonfire affect recruiting? Is there any benefit in how this may influence decisions of top talent?

Strictly in the recruiting sense, it's about as good a scenario as you can ask for if you're Michigan. 

There's no doubt that the staff is working to get as many first-year players acclimated to the field because of the departures they will face next season. However, it's also indicative of Harbaugh's meritocracy mantra in that the best players will play, regardless of what class they're in. 

This is something the coaches can take into the living room of a top player with tangible proof that they are willing to play guys if they put in the work. The tangible proof part is important because telling elite players that they will play is one of the most basic recruiting pitches out there. A lot of times, it's a simple smokescreen designed to help reel in a player. If you can show that you will play young players and play them often, it's a huge benefit because players prefer to play as quickly as they can, regardless of the program they commit to. 

Michigan has been consistent in their message with this also. I haven't heard many instances of them being a "promise" type staff. If you beat the guys ahead of you, you will play. That's their philosophy, and they've stuck to it so far. Because they've stuck to it, it could give them an edge with some kids who are aware of how schools handle those types of situations.

[Hit THE JUMP for the rest of the mailbag.]

Ish asks: Can you break down the 2018 quarterback class? 

With Dylan McCaffrey locked in for 2017 and Brandon Peters obviously already on campus, there are two things I'm seeing in the way Michigan is recruiting quarterback in 2018. One, they have evaluated (not offered, yet) more pure dual-threat type guys in the cycle than they did in either 2016 or 2017. That tells me they like what they have in Peters/McCaffrey and may take somebody with some different abilities in 2018. Secondly, they are playing with about as close to house money as you can when recruiting quarterbacks in 2018 because they got guys near the top of their 2016 and 2017 boards. 

I'd rather just give a quick synopsis on each guy they've offered (in no particular order): 

Five-star Trevor Lawrence (PRO): Lawrence is the nation's top overall prospect. He is very likely to stay down south (UGA, Clemson, Tennessee), but may visit Michigan this fall. I don't think he will, but we'll see. 

Five-star Matt Corral (PRO): Corral committed to USC early on and is rock-solid to the Trojans as of today. 

Four-star Joey Gatewood (DUAL): Gatewood committed to Auburn early on and is rock-solid to the Tigers as of today. Malzahn's seat is at least warm right now, and I think Michigan will monitor his situation, although I don't expect much to come of it. 

Five-star Jacob Sirmon (PRO): Sirmon committed to Washington early on and is rock-solid to the Huskies as of today. Michigan contacted him on September 1st and would like to have him up for a visit. Chances are so-so of that happening. 

Four-star Artur Sitkowski (PRO): Sitkowski is the mystery-ish recruit at quarterback in 2018. He had a decent satellite camp (Paramus) and A4 Camp in June, but Michigan seems to have slightly backed off. I still think he's pretty high on their board, but not their top guy as of today. Florida (Nussmeier) is among those contending early. 

Four-star Cam Rising (PRO): Rising recently committed to Oklahoma. I think he had really high interest in Michigan but they didn't recruit him hard early on, while the Sooners and others did. He's another committed guy I see them keeping tabs on. 

Four-star Jack West (PRO): West committed to Stanford a couple months ago. Stanford commits rarely flip unless they don't qualify academically, which I don't believe will be a problem with West. Michigan liked, but didn't necessarily love him. He satellite camped at South Alabama in June. 

Four-star Dorian Thompson-Robinson (DUAL): As we first reported in June, Thompson-Robinson is Michigan's #1 target at QB in 2018 as of today. Mom went to Michigan, and he's already been on campus. He's an interesting prospect because he hasn't started a game in his career, but he satellite camped in Los Angeles to give the staff an idea of what he's capable of. This should be a Michigan/UCLA battle. 

Four-star Allan Walters (PRO): Michigan offered Walters early on in the process, and he was silently committed to the staff after last year's A4 camp. I don't believe he is that high on their board, and his transfer from Paramus Catholic probably didn't help things either. 

The Future, provided he's not usurped by The Future 2.0. [Upchurch]

Stephen R. Kass asks: What are the three most critical position groups to recruit? 

In my opinion, it's quarterback on top of everything else, and then both sides of the line, with the interior of the defensive line being very vital. 

I think some would argue the trenches are the most important and use Alabama as an example, as they've won titles with less-than-spectacular quarterback play. However, an elite quarterback is basically synonymous with success at the college level, and it's one of the primary reasons why Michigan should consistently win big under Harbaugh and his staff. 

Of course, quarterback and offensive line are probably the two toughest positions to evaluate. A lot of players up front start to develop as they're hitting 18/19 years old, so coaching staffs are trying to project future production but also guys who may not have filled out right away either. Michigan commitment Joel Honigford is probably a good example of this. He's a three-star prospect on film, but had 30 offers or so before committing to Michigan because of an anticipation that he will continue to develop at a rapid pace. 

Every position has its role, but winning up front on the recruiting trail usually translates to wins on the field. It's one reason why Michigan's 2017 haul on the offensive line will be vital for them going forward. 

stephenrjking asks: Who is a recruit in the past that Michigan has really regretted missing on (thought they had/could have had)? 

There are a few that stand out immediately in my mind: 

Michigan was devastated when four-star offensive tackle Devery Hamilton flipped to Stanford shortly before National Signing Day last January. We see how Michigan will be taking a lot of offensive linemen in 2017, and part of that is due to missing on Hamilton, a player the staff had near the top of their recruiting board at offensive tackle and a player they envisioned as both a future producer and future leader for the team. 

Cass Tech running back Mike Weber was someone Michigan believed they reeled back into the fold after he flipped to Ohio State after Brady Hoke was fired. However, Stan Drayton and Urban Meyer were able to keep him on board with a last-minute push and now he's starting in his second season for the Buckeyes. He would be seeing some carries in Ann Arbor in my opinion and fit Harbaugh's offense perfectly. 

An oldie but goodie to me is current Arizona State running back Kalen Ballage, who scored eight touchdowns last weekend against Texas Tech to tie the single-game NCAA record. Michigan pushed for him early, then pulled back later in the 2014 cycle and then tried to push again for him late, but by then they probably had little to no shot. If they had stayed consistent with him, they would have almost assuredly gotten him. Instead, he's at Arizona State now and may be a dark-horse Heisman contender. In fact, three of the four running backs Michigan pushed hard for late in 2014 have turned into productive players, with Marlon Mack (USF) and Vic Enwere (Cal) starting for their respective teams.