Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Here are the complete updated top 25 teams, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.
Here are the complete updated top 25 teams as of the end of April 2024, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.
The teams hold firm as the the recruiting cycle moves toward the summer, with only minor flips among the programs.
If it goes J.J. McCarthy to Jadyn Davis in QB succession, it will be a pretty good lineage. #GoBlue
PASADENA, Calif. — While there are plenty of storylines to go around for Michigan football as it embarks upon its third straight College Football Playoff semifinal appearance, one of the biggest has to do with a player who will not participate in the Rose Bowl at all.
Early enrollee quarterback Jadyn Davis is the prize of the 2024 class in Ann Arbor. The recent high school senior joined his new team in Los Angeles this week as the team prepares for Alabama. On Thursday, defensive players Mike Barrett and Junior Colson shared that Davis had impressed them in his first practice, and he has remained a big topic of discussion since.
On Friday, media received an opportunity to see Davis in action in practice, and he didn’t look like an incoming freshman in the limited reps we saw. Head coach Jim Harbaugh recognized the four-star QB was a player he wanted in Ann Arbor pretty early in the recruiting process.
“He’s a two-time Mr. Football in North Carolina. The thing that’s — we can talk a lot about what already happened, but the latest is being able to watch him on the field and get to coach him,” Harbaugh said. “The thing that is sticking out is like one book — you give him a coaching point — like I’ve given him four now since he’s been here, and he gets it immediately. It is the next rep — he’s doing it exactly how I just explained it.
“Just the intelligence, the athleticism it takes to do that I’ve found is rare, that you have that — you can understand something, and then athletically be able to just repeat — just go do it, as opposed to many reps, much time on task.
“He’s got the ability to visualize what you’re saying and then athletic enough to immediately replicate it. That’s special. That’s something I’ve noticed immediately.
“But a great guy. I’m so excited to coach him.”
As far as Davis getting these early reps, many believe it will pay dividends down the line, but Harbaugh isn’t sure. But he sees many similarities in demeanor and ability to another Michigan football star and current fan favorite — perhaps an omen that bodes well for the Wolverines’ future.
“I don’t know. I don’t know how important that is,” Harbaugh said. “But yeah, just jumping in and just watching how he handles himself, it’s kind of an important tool for me to see because you can tell — it’s like watching J.J. when J.J. took the field for the first time.
“Just the presence that he has and had, and to watch Jaden do that, very interesting. How is he going to approach the first day. There it is. There’s the presence. There’s the genuine confidence. There’s the work ethic. There’s the humility. It’s great to see.”
Even during the 15-minute media window on Friday, we could see Harbaugh working with Davis on his footwork, taking time away from the incumbent starter, despite — you know — there being a kind of big game coming up on Monday.
But in his limited work with the new Michigan quarterback, what has Harbaugh worked on? He shared a pretty comprehensive list as well as his outlook for Davis’ future.
“His eyes on the target. When he throws a deep ball, quarterback has a tendency to lift their eyes up and watch the ball instead of keeping their eyes on the defender and the receiver the entire time,” Harbaugh said. “Coached him on the snap. Like a lot of guys they don’t take a snap in high school, so getting that coached up.
“There was a ball-handling coaching point that I made, how to get away from center faster that he just immediately, immediately replicated.
“One other I threw in a corner route that — he just can pick it up. When I say, listen, there’s a real art to that, like to listen, to really hear what the instruction is, and then be able to embrace the instruction and then to go execute the instruction.
“But hear it, really hear it, embrace it wholeheartedly, and then go execute it to the best of your God-given ability. He’s got that talent to do all three.”
QB1 of the future is already making a move! #GoBlue
LOS ANGELES — Though the excitement surrounding Jadyn Davis has died down since he committed to Michigan football in the winter months, the new Wolverines quarterback doesn’t intend to rest on his laurels.
A five-star at the time of his commitment in March 2023, despite impressing on the final day of the Elite 11 in the summer, Davis has seen his star drop, as well as his ranking. But now the prized possession of the maize and blue in the 2024 class is officially wearing a winged helmet, practicing with the team as it prepares to face Alabama in the Rose Bowl on January 1.
Eight early enrollees have made it to Los Angeles to work with their new team during the College Football Playoff semifinal practices, and Davis has made a strong impression on the Michigan defense. At a podium session for the Rose Bowl, sixth-year linebacker Mike Barrett singled Davis out to WolverinesWire as the midyear enrollee who has impressed him the most in practice.
“I saw Jadyn Davis — I was able to see him throw the rock around a couple times,” Barrett said. “He looked good, especially not really even knowing what was going on. Just him going out there and kind of just throwing in a couple of 7-on-7 drills with us. He was out there kind of joining the fray but yeah, he looked pretty good.”
But what’s made him look so good so early? The Wolverines have only had one practice in California to this point, but Barrett saw a poised signal caller who has accuracy and isn’t afraid to make mistakes at this stage.
“His confidence back there in the pocket, his movements,” Barrett said. “Saw him doing some at quarterback drills, his movements in the pocket. Just the smoothness of his release and just his confidence and his throws. I feel like he was out there running with the ones and the twos a couple of times for some of our 7-on-7 drills and the confidence he threw with, that’s kind of the first thing that I saw.
“He wasn’t really scared to throw it away but or scared of somebody getting a PBU or anything like that. He was just out there playing confident.”
Barrett isn’t alone in being impressed by Davis. Junior linebacker Junior Colson also came away from Wednesday’s practice enthused by what he saw, noting that the Michigan offense isn’t exactly an easy concept to grasp. Yet, Davis appears to already have a pretty good handle on it and has made the most of his limited opportunities to date.
“Jadyn Davis has been making great reads, especially like just coming in so he’s now understanding the offense very well, putting the ball in the right spot, putting the ball in the right guys’ hands,” Colson said. “So that’s how you know, you can tell he’s a quick learner. Especially on offense, we have a lot on our offense and being able to understand that.”
Davis will obviously not be making any appearances in the Rose Bowl, and incumbent starter J.J. McCarthy has yet to declare his intentions after the season. But if McCarthy does depart a year early, perhaps Michigan does have its starter in waiting for next year.
Who were the top five quarterbacks to sign with Big Ten teams during the early signing period? #GoBucks
The first day of the early signing period is in the books and the newly expanded Big Ten added a wealth of talent. It would take too long to evaluate every prospect in one piece, but the additions at quarterback earn their own discussion.
There was a great deal of drama for the top quarterback in the class, Dylan Raiola. He bounced his commitment from one school to another. Ohio State was his first choice, but when pen met paper, it was another Big Ten school that made the cut.
With the expanded 18-team Big Ten including four major powerhouses on the West Coast, it should not be a surprise the conference added seven of the top 20 quarterbacks in the nation.
It should also not be a surprise that the Buckeyes added one of the highly-ranked gunslingers. The following are the top five quarterbacks to commit to Big Ten Schools during the early signing period based on the 247Sports composite.
QB 1 of the future! #GoBlue
| Stars | Overall | Position | State | |
| 247Sports | 4 | 115 | #9 QB | #3 |
| On3 | 4 | 218 | #16 QB | #7 |
| Rivals | 4 | 61 | #5 QB | #1 |
| ESPN | 4 | 116 | #3 QB | #5 |
| 247Sports Composite | 4 | 93 | #7 QB | #2 |
| On3 Consensus | 4 | 95 | #7 QB | #3 |
| Hometown | Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day |
| Projected Position | Quarterback |
| Height | 6-foot-0.5 |
| Weight | 202-pounds |
Once a five-star prospect, named the top high school player in the state of North Carolina, Davis may have dropped in the rankings, but he balled out in his senior season. If J.J. McCarthy leaves after his junior year, Davis wouldn’t be an ideal option as a true freshman, but he certainly could win the starting job.
A gamer with a higher floor that has played a ton of football and won a ton of games. Might not have elite size or an elite arm, but has proven to be a rather accurate passer that can put his playmakers in position to make plays. Went through a bit of a sophomore slump after earning MVP honors at the FBU Freshman All-American Bowl, but rebounded in a big way by winning state titles as both a junior and a senior. Seems to be at his best when he’s looking to attack the short to intermediate parts of the field as he tends to throw with plenty of pace and plenty of confidence. Can effectively operate on the move, but some of his better tosses over the year have come from the pocket via quick three-step drops. Owns a bit of a unique release, but makes it work as it’s a quick and repeatable process. Shouldn’t be viewed as a true dual-threat talent, but is athletic enough to make defenders miss in space. One of just a handful of signal callers in the 2024 cycle that started 40 or more games during their prep career and threw over 100 touchdown passes. Projects as a potential multi-year starter at the Power Five level that can get the job done on Saturdays. Football IQ and mental makeup likely to be attractive to not only coaches, but also NFL scouts.
Michigan football finally reels in top overall 2024 target, five-star QB Jadyn Davis
Will the position still be a strength for #Michigan? #GoBlu
This series will break down each position in the 2024 Michigan football recruiting class. This installment will look at the quarterback room which has just one commit in Jadyn Davis.
Jadyn Davis is a 6-foot-tall quarterback from Providence Day School in Charlotte, North Carolina. He has a grade of .9555 on the 247Sports Consensus and ranks as the 93rd player nationally and seventh quarterback.
Davis is probably the most typical Michigan quarterback the staff could have landed. He’s not a freak athlete who wows you with his legs or a deep ball threat who can throw it to the moon and back. Instead, Davis makes his money in the short and intermediate game… just how Michigan likes it. He controls the offense, sets the tone, and marches down the field with rhythm. He is a calm and calculated passer whose best traits are accuracy and poise.
So how can Davis get on the field? Well, it could be pretty early. If McCarthy declares for the draft the expectation is that Michigan will bring in a veteran and hold an open competition for the starting job. Davis would compete with the transfer, Denegal, Orji, and Davis Warren for the keys to the kingdom, so to speak. Of course, counting on any of those players to start is not ideal. The dream situation has McCarthy returning so Davis can spend a year under his wing before taking over the reins as a sophomore. The situation gets more complicated if Dante Moore commits. In that case, Davis likely wouldn’t be seeing serious reps until his junior year which could push him to the portal… but now we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
He likely won’t light up the Heisman race or fight for a top draft position, but he fits the need for a consistent passer who does not turn the ball over. Predicting his career at Michigan is tough. He has the traits to be somewhere between J.J. McCarthy and Cade McNamara and that’s really all Michigan needs when you look at the scheme and offensive makeup around him. It’s also worth noting that Davis has a 4.0 GPA, so adjust to college playbooks and defense should be no problem.
He’s soooo good! #GoBlue
Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day opened its season on Saturday at the home of the Carolina Panthers, and it did so against a tough opponent, Rock Hill (S.C.) Northwestern.
It was a good opportunity for quarterback Jadyn Davis, a Michigan commit, to reclaim some of the luster lost in the offseason when he dropped from a five-star recruit to a four-star.
And shine, he did.
Davis threw for 450 yards and five touchdowns — two of which went to fellow Michigan commit Channing Goodwin — in the 42-35 win over Northwestern. Twice, Providence Day had a 21-point lead, but held on for the win.
Look below for some of the highlights (via On3’s EJ Holland, who was on the sidelines):
Today we’ll begin a series of articles ranking the top 10 prospects at each position in the 2024 recruiting cycle, starting with quarterbacks.
USA TODAY High School Sports is kicking off the rush toward the 2023 high school football season with articles that look at the top 10 prospects at each position in the 2024 recruiting cycle.
First up, the quarterbacks.
Note: To get the USA TODAY HSS composite rankings, we averaged ESPN, 247Sports and Rivals.
More football stories
#Michigan is getting a good one! #GoBlue
Michigan football has won some and it’s lost some in the 2024 recruiting class. But, the Wolverines did manage to secure the most important ‘win’ of their top prospects.
Once a five-star (though dropping in the recruiting rankings across the board), quarterback Jadyn Davis was the highest priority for the maize and blue this recruiting cycle. The Wolverines finally secured his commitment in March, thus bolstering the class with a solid QB commit a year after not taking one.
ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren took a broad look at 2024 recruiting across the board, and when it came to highlighting the top ‘impact commits’ in the class, Davis was among the five included. ($)
Michigan has won the Big Ten championship the past two seasons with College Football Playoff appearances as well. The expectations continue to rise in Ann Arbor, and the key for the Wolverines is finding a way to keep consistency through recruiting and the transfer portal while finding their specific type of recruit to fit the culture they’ve built.
Michigan hadn’t signed an ESPN 300 quarterback since J.J. McCarthy in the 2021 class, and because the quarterback position is so important to consistency on the field, it was imperative that the staff got a signal-caller who fits their system and can eventually take over for McCarthy. The staff believes that Davis can be that guy and give them a chance to stay in the championship conversations.
Davis is one of the top quarterbacks in the class, but he has also had a Pied Piper effect on the recruiting trail, helping recruit other top recruits to the class like his wide receiver teammate, Channing Goodwin as well as receiver I’Marion Stewart. It was a win-win for Michigan, which is hoping he is someone who makes an impact early on in his career.
While that’s good news for the maize and blue, Ohio State commit Justin Scott was also included. Scott told On3 that he intended to commit to Michigan football but changed his mind on his visit to Columbus.
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The #Michigan pledge is officially ELITE! #GoBlue
It was a good first day, a rocky second day and an elite third day for Michigan football five-star quarterback commit Jaydn Davis.
The Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day signal-caller was in danger of getting outdueled by some of his competition in Redondo Beach, California, for the Elite 11 Finals, but he surged late. On Day 1, he was the 11th-ranked quarterback, he didn’t make the top 11 on Day 2. He tied for first on Day 3, when the QBs faced live defenses.
While Alabama pledge Julian Sayin was crowned MVP, Davis’ surge allowed him to be named in the top group on Saturday.
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝟏𝟏 🏆
Listed alphabetically. pic.twitter.com/dg6phXgpGf
— Elite11 (@Elite11) June 17, 2023
It’s good for those in Ann Arbor that Davis made the cut, especially given that the Wolverines didn’t heavily pursue CJ Carr, Lloyd Carr’s grandson, who committed to Notre Dame, while Air Noland, the Ohio State commit, also made the cut.
The next step for Davis is to outduel some of those contemporaries when he gets to college.
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