It's all about California

California has produced some great talent this year in high school football, and Michigan will be hosting three of the best the state has to offer this weekend. Tony Jefferson already knew he wanted to visit Michigan, but two of his friends will be making the trip with him.

USC commit Dillion Baxter will be in Ann Arbor for The Game, as will Kenny Stills. Stills has been hot and cold with Michigan all year, but apparently the three friends have always spoken about going to the same school, and Michigan is an option.

Baxter has had an unbelievable senior season, racking up 58 TD's. He excels in open space, often beating his man in one on ones, which is why he is so keen on the spread offense. Stills is probably the least keen on Michigan at the moment, he favors Florida, Oklahoma and USC. Dillion, despite being a USC commit is by no means out of reach for UM, he likes the system and really just wants to see how the atmosphere compares to USC and how the coaches and players interact. 

The three prospects are all extremely talented, but for Michigan fans I would imagine the defensive player, Jefferson, is the most important target, but securing any of these three would be a great boost to the Michigan class of 2010.

Update: Also, anyone who is going to the UM basketball game tonight might get to see the recruits there, along with DT "Big Tex" and Florida Superman/UM commit Marvin Robinson!

"The Game" - Visitors

It really doesn't get any bigger than this. Michigan vs Ohio State is still "The Game" no matter what any analysts may say, and its still The Game for Michigan recruiting as well. The UM will host many of the nations top prospects this weekend, and whatever the result, we're are sure to see a commitment or two. 

Anyway, let's take a look at each of the recruits that SHOULD be in Ann Arbor this weekend for Official visits:

- Cullen Christian (#3 CB)

- Tony Grimes (#10 CB)

- Clarence Murphy (3* DE)

- Jatashun "Big Tex" Beachum (4* DT/DE/QB/RB) (Yeah he can play all those, but most likely DT if he signs with UM, check out this article by Sam Webb on Big Tex here. 

- Rashad Knight (3* CB)

- Kenny Shaw (4* WR)

- Tony Jefferson (4* Safety on scout.com, ESPN top 10 player)

Here are some of the recruits that MIGHT be in Ann Arbor this weekend for Official visits:

- Dillion Baxter (4* RB, USC commit, haven't heard anything about him and Michigan before, but he might be at the game this weekend for an official.

- Kenny Stills (5* WR, quoted as saying he doesn't want to end up in the Midwest....but apparently stills wants to be at the game?)

- Richard Ash (3* DT from Pahokee, FL)

Unofficial Visitors (not guaranteed to show either) 

- Ray Vinopal (2* S)

- Dior Mathis (4* CB)

- Josh Furman (4* S/LB)

There will also be some 2011 prospects on unofficial visits, such as Florida RB Demetrius Hart. Also there for the game will be some current 2010 commits including Ricardo Miller, who always does his best on the recruiting side of things! Despite a lot of great defensive talent on show, there are still some disappointments. Georgia prospects Mike Thornton and Tyrone Cornelius will not be making the trip, and neither will defensive tackle Beau Allen or Safety Sean Parker, these prospects will likely visit UM during December when playoffs etc have finished.

Olaniyan Commits to UCLA

Four Star OLB Aramide Olaniyan has committed to UCLA this week, after visiting the Bruins on the weekend. The visit was described as "perfect" by Olaniyan, who previously had Michigan as his leader after de-committing from Duke earlier in the summer.

He visited UM for the Notre Dame match, and was set to return to Ann Arbor in December for an official visit, however that won't be happening now. This is a big loss for Michigan, as Olaniyan was a real possibility to land a top defensive prospect, you can't help but wonder if this would have happened if Michigan were 7-4 instead of 5-6.

Gameday Predicitons

Away against Wisconsin is never an easy game, no matter what team you are.

"When you come into Camp Randall Stadium to play a game, you better double clutch your chin strap because your gonna be in a smash mouth game" - Bonus points for whoever posts a comment to this post naming the person who said that quote....

Anyway, Michigan is struggling to say the very least, they have lost their last five games against Division 1 schools, admittedly so close ones though. IF the defense finally shows up, then Michigan could stick around for while. Wisconsin is known for their running game, and Michigan isn't too bad against the run, although they do give up the big play every now and then. The badgers will try to pass it as much as possible, but they don't have a great QB at the helm, so expect there to be an INT or two.

The Michigan offense can be lethal at times, when Brandon Minor is on form, he's the best back in the Big Ten. But this one is all about defense, can that secondary finally have a solid game?? It could be close, or it could be a blowout win for the Badgers. Anything more than a 10 point loss and RR will really start to feel the heat, of course as long as he beats Ohio State he'll be safe for a while!

I think Michigan will struggle early, but pick it up towards the end, then Tate "the great" Forcier gets back to his old ways, leading a game winning drive. Although you should expect to see Denard Robinson get a drive or two in this game.

UPDATE: Word is that Tate Forcier violated a team rule this week and won't start against Wisconsin! Denard Robinson may well get the start, lets hope he's ready. Robinson certainly has a lot of potential, given his incredible speed, but it's his throwing that needs to be on form if Michigan expects to win this game. 

Gameday Prediction: Michigan 31, Wisconsin 27

Ohh Jim, Poor Show!

Everyone's favorite High School cornerback Cullen Christian just became even more cool after he dropped the Buckeyes from his list yesterday. Scout.com's #3 rated corner has said he won't visit OSU this weekend as planned, and he won't be rescheduling. 

It appears Jim Tressel and the boys asked Cullen to change his official visit less than 24 hours before he was due on campus, and they also wanted him to postpone his decision date! The news did not go down well with Cullen's father, who stated he was very unhappy with the situation. 

The long time Michigan lean will visit UM for the OSU game, and make his decision three days later at a press conference in Penn Hills. Unfortunately for Cullen his high school team lost their 2nd round playoff match to Gateway, so his senior season is now over.

Josh Furman Update

Maryland Safety/LB Josh Furman has named his top two schools at the moment, and Michigan is one of them. The four star recruit stated Michigan and Virginia Tech lead over Rutgers and Maryland. 

He's visited both Michigan and VT now, enjoying both visits, he'll also try to visit Rugters and Maryland before his decision date of December 21st. 

He picked the best day of the year to visit Ann Arbor, September 12th, the thrilling comeback against rivals Notre Dame, and since then Michigan has been right at the top of the list. He always speaks strongly about the importance of academics, and strength + conditioning programs, I feel he'll end up in Ann Arbor, especially given the lack of depth at safety for UM.

Kenny Shaw update

Florida WR Kenny Shaw is pretty much down to five schools, one of them is Michigan. The four star prospect will visit Michigan for the Ohio State game along with his teammate, 2011 RB Demetrius Hart. 

Shaw is excited about the visit, but he still insists that Florida State are the team to catch. Tennessee, Florida and Georgia are also in the mix, and he'll visit the Bulldogs this weekend.

I might just be drifting off into a fantasy world here, but imagine if Michigan actually beat Ohio State? The atmosphere is always incredible at "The Game", but if Michigan were to snap a 5 game losing streak to the Buckeyes then Ann Arbor would literally erupt, and it could just sway some recruits.

I'll be doing a full rundown of all OSU visitors closer to the date, but it truly is a huge weekend for recruiting.