It's funny how this class has gotten mixed reviews, even in the local blogosphere. I would rate this class as a very solid A-. I would have already given it a B+, but the addition of Demar Dorsey on signing day was enough to raise it to A- for me. In retrospect, this class could turn out to be an A further down the road.

I know the class "only" had two five-stars and eight four-stars, but it filled up a lot of needs, especially on defense. I will leave the specifics, pie-charts, and heavy numbers to the coaches and recruiting Gods over at mgoblog, GS, and even the oft-maligned GBMW, but I do see a lot of good things happening from this class. With seven DB's, one of whom may be moved to LB, four LB's, three DL's, and two QB's, most of what is huring the team has been addressed. There should be a lot of depth and competition at all of the aforementioned spots this season, and competition is always good for the team.

Dileo and Dorsey should both get chances to return kicks this year, which would fill another need. In Stephen Hopkins, they got a RB who can knock people over; this is sorely needed right now. Everyone who analyzes recruiting for a living cites the fact that only there is only one OL in the class as a weakness, but they can start making up for it next year. Due to attrition, I would be willing to bet that there are as many as twenty slots available next year, so there should be enough room to stock up on OL's.

Most of all, looking at what mgoblog calls the "fake forty times" of this class, the team has just gotten faster at a lot of positions. Dorsey in particular has world-class speed, and DG has a decent motor, too. This class might be a B to outsiders who don't understand what RR is trying to do at UM, but he has gotten his type of players this year, continuing the evolution of this roster from a typical Big Ten team to one more capable of competing on a national level.

Really, this class is the best of both worlds. Outsiders will underrate it, but RR knows what he is looking for and has recruited himself a very fine class. It was no accident that RR was talking fast and hoarse all day Wednesday and Thursday; he is very excited with this class.

And so am I. I am looking forward to last year's redshirts such as Fitz, Vlad, and JT to combine with at least five of these recruits this year to revitalize the team on both sides of the ball. Is it time for spring ball yet?