Michigan secured a verbal commitment from five-star quarterback Jadyn Davis on Friday – a move that could help Jim Harbaugh end another narrative that has allowed the program in the 21st century.
The Wolverines are getting five-star quarterbacks now. If Harbaugh can keep Davis (Providence High School, Charlotte, N.C.), then the Wolverines will inch closer to ending a national championship drought that extends back to 1997.
It doesn't hurt to have five-stars at the most-important position. That had previously been a knock on Harbaugh – who was the last Michigan quarterback taken in the first round of the NFL Draft in 1987.
Now, the Wolverines are in position to change that, too. Michigan has won the last two Big Ten championships, but College Football Playoff losses to Georgia and TCU the last two seasons and Harbaugh's flirtation with the NFL have stalled some of the offseason momentum around the program. According to 247Sports.com's recruiting rankings, the Wolverines ranked ninth in 2022 and 17th in 2023.
Will Davis' commitment change that trend? Here is a look at what Davis' commitment means for Michigan and how it could change that narrative around their quarterbacks in the future.
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What Jadyn Davis commitment means for Michigan
This is a stabilizer for Michigan knowing that the Wolverines were in on Dante Moore (Martin Luther King, Detroit), who committed to Oregon and flipped to UCLA in the 2023 class. C.J. Carr (Saline, Mich.), another five-star QB in the class of 2024 and the grandson of former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, committed to Notre Dame.
The fact those in-state quarterbacks chose other schools took some shine off the Wolverines' success the last two seasons.
Davis is ranked two spots higher than Carr on 247Sports.com's QB rankings. Now, Michigan could have two five-star quarterbacks on the roster if J.J. McCarthy – who had 2,719 passing yards, 22 TDs and five interceptions last season after taking the starting job – stays for his senior season in 2024.
Now, Michigan, which has the No. 3 class for 2024, can build around the Davis commitment like any other school that lands a five-star quarterback. Will that translate to more five-star recruits?
Davis is the eighth five-star commitment under Harbaugh, a list that includes McCarthy and Will Johnson (2022) on the active roster and past five-star recruits Rashan Gary (2016), Donovan Peoples-Jones (2017), Aubrey Solomon (2017), Daxton Hill (2019) and Chris Hinton (2019).
Michigan needs to parlay the Davis commitment around its strongest class yet under Harbaugh, and the Wolverines need to keep Davis on the roster in the era where NIL and the transfer portal have become huge factors when it comes to managing a roster.
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Jim Harbaugh's QB history at Michigan
Harbaugh took over at Michigan toward the end of the 2015 recruiting cycle. Michigan has landed seven quarterbacks with a four-star rating starting with the 2015 class. A look at those recruits in order of year
Michigan QB recruits since 2015
| YEAR | NAME | STAR | RATINGS |
| 2021 | J.J. McCarthy | 5 | 0.9886 |
| 2024 | Jadyn Davis | 5 | 0.9848 |
| 2016 | Brandon Peters | 4 | 0.9684 |
| 2015 | Zach Gentry | 4 | 0.9248 |
| 2017 | Dylan McCaffrey | 4 | 0.9435 |
| 2018 | Joe Milton III | 4 | 0.9202 |
| 2019 | Cade McNamara | 4 | 0.9052 |
| 2015 | Alex Malzone | 4 | 0.8984 |
Michigan struggled to hold on to these quarterbacks. Gentry switched to tight end. The other five quarterbacks transferred. Malzone (Miami) and McCaffrey (Northern Colorado) never made a start. Peters (Illinois), Milton (Tennessee) and McNamara (Iowa) all had the starting job at one point, and McNamara led Michigan to the Big Ten championship in 2021 before losing the job to McCarthy last season.
Harbaugh filled the gaps with two transfers. Jake Rudock, an Iowa transfer, was the starter in 2015 and was drafted in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Shea Patterson, a former five-star recruit at Ole Miss, was a two-year starter from 2018-19.
The best-case scenario? McCarthy progresses in 2023 – and perhaps he entertains staying for his senior year. That would give Davis a year to develop in the offense.
Michigan and 5-star QBs
It might be tough to imagine the Wolverines with two five-star quarterbacks on the roster, but it's happened before. In 2007, Michigan had senior Chad Henne and freshman Ryan Mallett at the same time.
Henne, a four-year starter, led Michigan to a pair of Big Ten championships as a freshman and sophomore. The 2007 season went haywire after the season-opening loss to Appalachian State, and Mallett did start against Penn State that season while Henne was dealing with a knee injury. Henne was a second-round pick in 2008, the closest the Wolverines have had to a first-round pick since Harbaugh.
Mallett transferred to Arkansas after Rich Rodriguez was hired in 2008 and was named second-team All-SEC twice and was a third-round pick in 2011.
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What's next for Michigan's offense?
Michigan will maintain a run-first offense under Harbaugh – the Wolverines have 1,175 rushing attempts and 765 passing attempts the last two seasons, meaning Michigan runs 60.5% of the time and it wins Big Ten championships.
Will that ratio steer toward 50/50 with five-star quarterbacks? Will Michigan land a few five-star receivers – which are in ample supply at rival Ohio State? Michigan hasn't had a first-round receiver in the NFL Draft since Braylon Edwards 2005, and there has not been a 1,000-yard receiver in the Harbaugh era.
Michigan returns McCarthy, first-team All-American running back Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards in 2023, so the offense likely won't change too much. But with another five-star quarterback coming in, will Harbaugh turn those QBs loose in the future? That might be another key if the Wolverines want to take another step toward a national championship.