Previously: 2008 Offense, 2008 Defense, 2009 Defense, 2009 Quarterbacks, 2009 Offense, 2010 Offense, 2010 Defense, 2011 Offense, 2011 Defense

This used to be a thing on MGoBlog, until the 2011 class depressed Ace so badly that he gave up afterwards. Someone would have to be extremely desperate for content to dig this up and get caught up. Or just incredibly brave. And stupid. Probably all.

This was Brady Hoke's first real class, since he only had a few weeks in 2011 to tack on a few fliers to whatever had stuck around. The unicorn poop run of 2011 fueled belief that the goofy guy might actually be more clever than he let on, while the Tressel scandal in Columbus removed an important piece from the board. This was Hoke's opportunity to strike, and strike he did, building the core of what would become a senior-laden, ill-fated run at the championship in 2016. While Hoke was always better on defense, this was actually a pretty well-scouted as well as well-starred class, give or take a couple of tight ends who should have been something else.

Quick Glossary

YMRMFSPA: "You might remember me from such players as." The shorthand we use in recruiting profiles to say what type of player a guy would be if he works out.

404 Quarterback Not Found

Aaand he forgot the most important position. With Shane Morris committed for 2013 and Russell Bellomy, a late flip from Purdue, the only quarterback taken in 2011, this looked like quite the oversight at the time. I'm sure it wouldn't come back to haunt them.

The Greatest Receiving Recruiting Class Since…?

Move over, Terrell and Walker, because once you include the receiver they expected to be a tight end and the receiver they expected to be a running back, this class gave Michigan 5,573 yards and 41 touchdowns through the air (compare to the 1998 class's 4,586 yards and 40 TDs). The two African refugees, Amara Darboh (YMRMFSPA "Aw, hell, Jason Avant") and Jehu Chesson (Adrian Arrington), were cause to invoke the Legends of '98. Chesson's responses to reporters were wise beyond Craig Ross's years, Darboh got knocked for his speed in a coach quote now engraved on the FAKE 40 Times Trophy:

"He runs 4.42 but I wouldn't say that he's a burner by any stretch of the imagination," said Wilson. "He's a reliable guy that can make the tough catches for you. … he's a bigger physical presence. He's not a make you miss kinda guy."

Darboh's whole profile was like that: burly guy who's good with the ball in open space. This turned out to be a version of Avant who's really effective on smoke screens. Both stuck around into the Harbaugh era—Chesson because he arrived rail thin and redshirted, Darboh because an injury required a medshirt in 2013. Both peaked in 2015 and eschewed possible NFL opportunities for good but relatively disappointing (ungh, those drops in Iowa) senior runs. Darboh went in the 3rd round and remains with the Seahawks. Chesson, who's still pretty skinny, was drafted in the 4th round by the Chiefs and is lately hanging around on the margins of the league.

[Bryan Fuller]

Devin Funchess ("A less existentially depressed Jake Stoneburner, or Kevin Koger") was part of a four-man group of Farmington Hills Harrison (RIP) players to go Big Ten, and not even the highest-ranked receiver from his high school class. That was Aaron Burbridge, whom Michigan gave up on getting eligible for college and Michigan State somehow managed to get into school after a year of remedial stuff. Funchess was supposed to bulk up to tight end, whereupon he'd become what we want Eubanks to be this year. This wasn't as far-fetched as it appears in retrospect. The Michigan coaches thought Devin could bulk up to 240, he came in officially at 229, and his three-star profile certainly didn't give off an air of a three-and-done 1st round WR. Given zero depth at tight end, a redshirt seemed unlikely. Like his refugee classmates, the general excitement level was "High," with the suggestion he could challenge Mandich's all-time TE receiving yardage record. Because SIDs don't generally alter positions mid-season, this came to pass.

By October 2013, we had the "devin funchess wide receiver possibility" tag in existence, and soon after it was just the reality. In 2014 he switched from his tight end legends number to #1, spent most of that seasons either hurt or hurt enough not to play, and was drafted in the 2nd round. At his best he was hurdling Buckeyes and uncoverable by most cornerbacks for reasons just as apparent when we talk about Nico Collins today. After four years and 2,233 yards with Carolina he signed a one-year contract this year with the Colts.

The last receiver was the last guy added to the class. I was texting or gchatting or something with Brian as signing day was winding down and we were both complaining that jitterbug Dennis Norfleet wasn't offered. Then Michigan struck out on all of the top-end guys they were in on, added a DT, and finally Norfleet. Thus began a long battle between MGoBlog and Hoke's staff about using Norfleet as anything but the most obvious jet sweep target or dancing returner, whereat he got no TDs but set a record that will never be touched in TDs bogusly called back. By Hoke's end Norfleet was trying at cornerback and getting into academic issues that ultimately ended his career a year early.

[After THE JUMP: Who's going to block for a generation?]

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Voted By His Classmates the Most Likely to Be Run Over By a Forklift

We got so much more than "The Drake Johnson Game." [Fuller]

Depending on your definition of Norfleet, Michigan took just one or two running backs in this class. The non-Norfleet was Drake Johnson, who grew up inside Michigan athletics and yet never saw this side of Fred Jackson until his recruitment:

"I'm sitting in his office, and there was a fridge right over there, and he's like, 'You hungry?'" Johnson said. "I'm like, 'No man, I'm not hungry.' So he's like, 'OK, I'm going to grab myself a Coke.' So he grabs himself a Coke and he sits down.

"He takes maybe two sips, and he's like, 'Hey Drake, you want something to drink?' And I'm like, 'No, I'm still good.' He's like, 'I think I'm going to get myself an orange juice.' I'm like, 'Dude, you have a Coke in front of you.' He says, 'It's fine.'

"So I'm sitting there, and maybe two minutes later, he's like, 'I think I'm going to get myself a drink,' and I'm like, 'Coach, you already got two drinks in front of you, man! Your thirst can be quenched by what's in front of you.'

"He says, 'I'm just going to grab myself some water. You want some water?' And I'm like, "Nooo, I have Gatorade in my hand, guy. It's fine.'"

At the time of his commitment Johnson was unrated to Rivals and 24/7, and a 2* to Scout and ESPN. ESPN had the most complete evaluation (Oh how times have changed); Brian didn't bother with a recruiting profile. I snuck a YMRMFSPA: Tim Bracken into HTTV.

For those rankings, Johnson ended up a good scout by the coaches. When not succumbing to the least plausible injuries of his era, when called upon in late 2014 Drake proved more effective than 2013 blue chips De'Veon Smith and Derrick Green, mostly because he was the only one of that group who could identify a gap. There was that one Indiana game (16 carries for 123 yards and 2 TDs) we all thought would be the "Drake Johnson Game" at the time. Two weeks later he ran for 76 yards and 2 TDs at 4.9 YPC against Ohio State. He was in the mix all year in 2015, was projected to continue in 2016, and then got run over by a forklift.

The First, Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth OL

It was the worst of times, but not really because of them. [Eric Upchurch]

Michigan needed a big 2012 class because in 2013 they were about to lose Omameh, Mealer, and Barnum, with only Jack Miller and Chris Bryant on the roster to replace them. Considering the 2012 team was looking to start Mealer—which was considered "bad"—if they could magically unearth an immediate contributor, all the better.

So it was pleasant indeed when Michigan landed the commitment of the rarest of things: an OL all the scouts said could start immediately. A five-star to all sites but ESPN, the Ohioan whom Ohio State didn't get as their one tangible punishment for Jim Tressel lying to the NCAA etc., and never forgot…Kyle Kalis (YMRMFSPA….[long intake through teeth]….Steve Hutchinson) was billed as a Dax Hill for Michigan's OL woes. Personal OL guru LeCharles Bentley:

"Physically he's probably on the same wavelength as a collegiate sophomore," he said. "He came in at 290 pounds, and we have him down to 280 pounds right now. We're going to work him back up into the 295- to 300-pound range. He'll probably look about 310 pounds, though, because his body fat is so low."

Thanks to Rich Rod getting zero playable OL in two classes, Michigan needed a guard who could play right away. Kalis…did not. That was a bit ominous in 2012, made sense once he worked his way into the lineup and didn't seem to be very well coached in 2013, made too much sense when Kalis was still that same guy in 2014, and became a source of ridicule from OSU fans as the "Drevno effect" failed to make Kalis into any more than a fair starter in 2015 and 2016. Had Kalis been a three-star, his 43 starts—over which he was never really the biggest problem—would have seemed fine.

The other highly ranked OL, Erik Magnuson (YMRMFSPA Michael Schofield), was our first indication that Hoke had some recruiting chops, since this was an OT prospect everyone coveted. The athleticism was always there, and over 37 starts at guard and right tackle, Mags proved to be the best of his class. He also hit a low-ish strength ceiling around his RS sophomore year, and never got far past 300 pounds, which was fine but not world-destroying.

To this Hoke also added a pair of three-stars. Ben Braden (YMRMFSPA Jon Runyan Sr.) was billed as a too-stiff "massive people moving machine" of the kind that often grows into one of the more forgettable Wisconsin linemen. Braden more or less hit that on the mark as a decent but lunging guard who survived at tackle after Grant Newsome's injury. First Hoke commit Blake Bars (YMRMFSPA Patrick Omameh) neither materialized into a contributor, nor helped pry his coveted brother from Notre Dame's clutches, departing with a fifth year of eligibility during the scholarship crunch of 2016 despite the OL two-deep still looking pretty thin. The fifth OL they thought they had was breakout walk-on Graham Glasgow's little brother Ryan, though Glasgow 2.0 didn't seem too keen on this side of the ball.

The Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth OL

By the end we were happy to see AJ Williams take the field, but for awhile there... [Patrick Barron]

The OL class of 2012 kinda sorta had a fifth scholarship guy, pending a move from very large tight end AJ Williams (YMRMFSPA OSU TE/OT Reid Fragel) because the guy was already 6'6"/255 when he arrived and at least 275 during his playing career. Also—but for the extreme immediate need at his position—we kind of thought Williams might grow into a Frey-type. I mean, he wasn't just a 6'6"/255 tight end. He was a 6'6"/255 tight end who played right tackle as a senior and dreamed of using his own arm as bait for fish that are as long as his arm. Scout.com still existed and thought as sane people do:

Williams showed as a senior that he is capable of being a high level offensive tackle. He could potentially stay at tight end, but we like his upside more if he were to stay at tackle.

Alas, Michigan needed tight ends right away and Williams chose Michigan because they weren't planning on making him a lineman. This was noted, bah'd, and given a modest projection. Hoke used him as basically a sixth OL—to the point where we were advocating for literally using a sixth OL instead of a tight end who presents zero pass threat and isn't an OL. Harbaugh was left with one year and, well, if there was ever a man to make use of a tackle-shaped TE, it was Harbaugh, who implemented the extraordinary innovation of actually passing to the TE, and Williams was missed when his eligibility ran out.

Also in this class was a pure fullback, Sione Houma (YMRMFSPA Matt Asiata), the "West Coast Fullback" who like Williams couldn't redshirt because his services were required immediately, and who like Williams didn't really come into his own until late his career with coaches who knew how to do more with their hammers than threaten to hammer things. I'll also throw in walk-on Bobby Henderson, who had enough of an impact to make various position previews and play his part in one of the greatest box scores of all time:

Next time I'll do the 2013 defense, which is a lot more fun, promise! Yeah, remembering the Hoke era! Fun!