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The 12 teams that made the biggest recruiting jumps in 2016

Nick Bromberg
·College football and motorsports writer

Here's another recruiting victory for Michigan.

Jim Harbaugh's team made the biggest leap from 2015 to 2016 in the Rivals' team recruiting rankings. Harbaugh netted the No. 50 class in the country in his first (and abbreviated) recruiting cycle last season and with the help of high-profile commitments like No. 1 recruit Rashan Gary, had the No. 4 class in the country in 2016.

If that news is unsurprising to you, you'll be equally lacking in surprise when you see who had the second-biggest recruiting jump. It's Houston. The Cougars were No. 89 in 2015 and with the help of a five-star recruit in DT Ed Oliver, are No. 44 in 2016.

These two teams were also two of the most creative on signing day. Harbaugh and Michigan hosted a ridiculous signing event while Houston welcomed recruits with custom videos from rappers. Perhaps creativity fuels recruiting. Or, likelier, good recruiting and magnetic coaches fuel creativity.

Here's a look at the teams that made the biggest jumps from 2015:

1. Michigan + 46 (No. 50 to No. 4)
2. Houston +45 (89 to 44)
3. Pitt +35 (65 to 30)
4. Duke +31 (62 to 31)
5. Oregon State +30 (71 to 41)
6. Baylor +26 (43 to 17)
7. BYU +19 (67 to 48)
8. Iowa +17 (59 to 42)
9. Iowa State +15 (69 to 54)
10. Southern Miss +14 (95 to 81)
10. Ole Miss +14 (21 to 7)
10. Maryland +14 (54 to 40)

The biggest droppers, as you might expect, were mostly teams that went through coaching changes during or after the 2015 season or simply struggled. Recruiting drops because of coaching changes are normal. Houston was No. 77 in 2014 while Michigan was No. 33.

1. Boston College - 35 (47 to 82)
2. Kansas State -32 (45 to 77)
3. Georgia Tech - 29 (39 to 68)
4. Kansas -26 (66 to 92)
5. Missouri -25 (27 to 52)
5. Virginia Tech -25 (24 to 49)
7. Rutgers -23 (53 to 76)
8. Illinois -21 (46 to 67)
9. Mississippi State -20 (16 to 36)
10. Louisiana Tech -19 (77 to 96)

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!