On Tuesday, West Bloomfield, MI four-star safety Makari Paige became the most recent member of Michigan’s 2020 class.

Long pursued by Big Ten foes Ohio State and Penn State, this is a big in-state win for the Wolverines.

Now holding 24 verbal commits, Michigan ranks No. 7 nationally in the 2020 recruiting rankings according to the 247Sports Composite. While they have recruited well across the board, their success on the recruiting trail in the defensive backfield jumps off the page.

Paige becomes the third four-star safety to commit to the Wolverines in this cycle joining two New Jersey products, Jordan Morant and RJ Moten.

Not to be outdone, Belleville, MI cornerback Andre Seldon is also a four-star.

With Michigan set to break in some new faces in 2019 and Lavert Hill and Josh Metellus graduating following the season, these four could have an opportunity to make an impact early.

All ranking among the top-300 players nationally, three of these four were primarily recruited by safeties coach/special teams coordinator Chris Partridge. Secondary coach Mike Zordich led the charge on Seldon. Given Zordich’s focus on cornerbacks, this provides these commits with some built-in familiarity and the chance to hit the ground running.

There are plenty of reasons for optimism in Ann Arbor over the next couple of years and this defensive back class is one of the biggest. Referring again to the 247Sports Composite, this group matches up with any other defensive back class in 2020.

Morant, Moten, Paige and Seldon have an average rating of .9152. For comparison’s sake, Clemson, owner of the No. 1 class in the 2020 cycle, has three defensive back commits with an average rating of .9334. The No. 2 class in 2020 belongs to the Alabama Crimson Tide and they also have a quartet of defensive back commits with an average of .9267. Alabama has been known for producing elite defensive backs – HaHa Clinton-Dix, Landon Collins, Minkah Fitzpatrick, etc. – and Michigan is now recruiting on a very close level in the secondary.

Georgia and Notre Dame, who possess the No. 5 and No. 6 classes respectively, each only have one defensive back commit in 2020.

The most encouraging aspect of Michigan’s haul is the group’s speed. Seldon makes up for his 5-foot-9 frame with sub-4.5 forty speed and Morant, while not necessarily a straight line burner, has excellent closing speed.

Seeing how the Ohio State and Florida games played out at the end of the 2018 season, getting faster in the secondary had to be high on Michigan’s list of priorities. We saw the staff address this in the 2019 class with the additions of Daxton Hill and Jalen Perry, and this trend has continued into 2020.

The next two seasons will see quite a bit of transition in the secondary, but an elite group of reinforcements are on their way to Ann Arbor.

Feel free to follow Teddy Rydquist on Twitter @TeddyRydquist.