Wow that is disappointing to say the least.
Life long UM fan visits like 100 times and picks another school, this hurts big time. More so because it's Penn State, who aren't exactly 100% sure who their coach will be for the next four years.
I know we're all meant to say "ohh good luck anyway AZ!", but no. Not today. We really needed this one. I hope we smash PSU for the next four years.
*UPDATE* - ESPN says he'll choose between UM and MSU, so PSU and Iowa are out. It's always been thought to be an in state battle though.
Anthony Zettel will announce his decision tonight (7:30PM) at his family's restaurant.
Zettel has been scheduled to announce his decision in January, so this is somewhat surprising, and I'm not overly thrilled about it. Does Zettel like Michigan (the school) enough to commit with the uncertainty still there? Or has Michigan State finally taken the lead after their successful season.
Michigan has lead for Zettel for an awful long time, but just failed to seal the deal after they finished 7-5 this season. Really hard to predict this one, if you told me he was announcing in December earlier in the month, I would have said MSU is the choice. But Michigan has surprised everyone by picking up three commitments this month, which I didn't think was possible.
I'll have updates on this throughout the day.
Slot receiver prospect, Prince Holloway (Cape Coral, FL), says he's virtually 100% sure that he wants to attend the University of Michigan next season with his cousin Dallas Crawford. He claims a scholarship offer from the Wolverines (this had been questioned recently) so it looks like he's just waiting on his ACT score from this year.
Holloway is a big fan of Rodriguez's offense, and plays in a similar spread in high school. He's had over 1000 yards receiving this fall to go with 13 TD's to go with 500 yards rushing. Rumors today suggest that RR is on his way out, and if that's the case, West Virginia would likely be the choice for the speedy Holloway.
We're in the recruiting dead period, so updates will be slim at least up until New Year's day, however any major news will be posted.
January is going to be a huge month for the Michigan football program, it terms of recruiting, we're either going to have someone (Rich Rod) finishing off a solid class ....or we're going to have someone (Harbaugh or Hoke) trying to hold a class together and perhaps bring a couple commits over (Harbaugh only; no offense to the SDSU commits!). Either way it's going to be interesting!
Anyway, a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all and thanks for reading the blog :)
Name: Matt Goudis
Location: West Hills, CA
Position: K
Ratings: ESPN – 3* (77), Scout – 3*, Rivals 2*
Recruitment: Was originally committed to Boise State, and even after his official visit to Michigan in November, he confirmed that he was still 100% Boise. Was a surprise commit on Christmas Eve. Committed 24/12/2010.
Offers: Michigan, California, Fresno State and Boise State. Also visited Florida but did not have an offer.
Stats: Hit six of ten FG’s on the field, including two from over 50 yards. Made 37 of 37 PAT attempts. 6’0 at 165lbs.
ESPN Analysis: Matt Goudis is a refined ball striker. The ball jumps off his foot and he in great control of his rhythm and follow-through. His motion is very repeatable... Matt's hang-times on his kick-offs are solid and he should be able to compete early in college on both field goals and kick offs. Matt gets good height on his FG off the ground and should not have a difficult transition to the college game. Matt has a solid high school resume and has game experience making big field goals for his high school team.
Made kicking coach Chris Sailer’s top 12 national kickers, and Sailer described him as the best pure FG kicker in the whole class.
Improvements: “I think I need to work on getting bigger and I think my kick-offs could be more consistent when I’m going deep.”
Film Highlights: Link here.
Final Thoughts: I think Michigan needed a quality kicker in this class, and by all accounts Goudis has the physical and mental ability to play at the college level. Michigan was a great situation for a kicker, with top academics and playing time available from the start.
Goudis is the 14th commitment in the class, leaving just 4-6 spaces left in the class.
Kicker Matt Goudis is the latest member of Michigan's 2011 class, after he switched his commitment from Boise State to the Wolverines. This is a good pickup in my view, because whilst Michigan has two kickers on the team right now, neither have proven that they have the composure to kick in front of 113,000+ fans each week.
His kicking coach has described him as the best pure FG kicker in the nation and that he has the mental aspect on kicking down, which is encouraging to say the least. Scout has him as the #5 kicker overall.
He visited Michigan last month, but after the visit he came out saying he was 100% committed to Boise. Anyway, he clearly isn't worried about RR, so I doubt he'll be leaving Michigan's class before February.
Full commitment post to follow later.
Don't get your hopes up, but we're not done recruiting stud DT's just yet...
ESPN 150 recruit Tim Jernigan has not dropped Michigan, despite what his coach said a few weeks ago. Jernigan will wait and see what happens to Coach Rod first, and then after the Army game he'll make some cuts if needed.
Coach Smith really made a push for Jernigan before the recruiting dead period started, and Coach Rod will make an in home visit in January. So all hope is not lost for him. Tim will also be looking to observe a Wolverine practice in Jacksonville next week, assuming some are open to the public; perhaps a lucky break for UM.
Darian Cooper is also still on the board. He said himself that Michigan had fallen out of his bubble, but after speaking to the coaches, he'll keep the Wolverines in his top five until the coaching situation is sorted out.
If RR stays, UM is likely to get an official visit, and then they'll really have a shot at landing Cooper. Whilst its still unlikely that Michigan will sign either prospect, its good to still have a chance, as they badly need a DT in this class.
If you haven't heard already, check this out.
Pyror can't win the Heisman now, and probably can't win a national title either. This means if he has another standout bowl performance, he could well head to the NFL. Devier Posey and Dan Herron will also now consider entering the draft.
If these three were to leave, or even just Pyror, Michigan would have a GREAT chance to beat OSU next year!
RB/Slot prospect DeVonderick Nealy has named his two finalists as Michigan and Iowa State, one of which he'll select on signing day in February. Michigan was named the leader a while back, but he loved his visit to Cyclones, and says he wants to surprise people with his decision, so it really could go either way.
If I were a betting on it, I'd say he'll end up at Iowa State, here's why.
Michigan only has around six scholarships left, and you should expect around 3-4 of those to be snapped up in early January by recruits waiting on RR. Also, Michigan already has a slot guy in Justice Hayes, and really they are looking for an outside receiver (Flowers). Prince Holloway is also a slot guy looking to commit to us, he needs academic clearance to get his committable offer first though. So assuming that happens, and that Coach Rod is still around, there might not be room for Nealy in this class.
Been meaning to post this for a few days...
Three star defensive back Raymon Taylor (Highland Park, MI) has received a scholarship offer from Michigan, just a week or two after decommitting from Indiana. Taylor described Michigan as his dream school, and that he was truly blessed to receive the offer, that usually means very good news is coming. Taylor is listed as an athlete on ESPN, but they say his best position will be cornerback, not safety.
It all depends on how big he gets though. Like Greg Brown and Dallas Crawford, he may well end up at Free Safety; in fact Crawford is very determined to play back there. That's why we shouldn't be annoyed that they have offered another 'CB'. Taylor is a good athlete (4.43 forty) with solid coverage/ball skills. He actually attended a Michigan practice session along with Valdez Showers last week.
Anyway, the reason I had to post this now is because Justice Hayes announced on Twitter that Michigan is about to receive some more commits; and Raymon Taylor is by far the most likely candidate right now...
New Jersey tight end prospect Jack Tabb is likely to make his college choice this week, either Wednesday or Thursday. The five finalists are Michigan, North Carolina, Iowa, Arkansas and Rutgers.
Tabb got a visit from Coach Rod last week, which was great timing. Michigan has a really good shot here to land a four star tight end, mainly because Tabb is looking heavily at the schools, not just the coaching staffs.
He realizes that academics is the most important factor, and out of his list Michigan and UNC clearly jump out in that department. Fortunately UNC has plenty of it's own problems football wise, arguably worse than Michigan's.
He wasn't too impressed with Iowa, in fact they dropped out of his top schools a while back, so I don't think they're a competitor in this. He visited Arkansas quite recently, so maybe they have a shot, I haven't heard too much about Rutgers. So really it should be Michigan vs UNC, with maybe Arkansas as a wildcard.
His mom wants him to do a press conference thing with the hats, so I'll post the announcement details when they come out.
Four star athlete represent the state of North Carolina in the annual shrine bowl last week, and Frost came away with a lot of praise from coaches and analysts. I watched some of highlights, and all of them are on defense, which is encouraging for Michigan. Hopefully this week reminded him that he has a much higher ceiling at outside linebacker than receiver.
What impressed me most was his coverage ability. He actually has the speed to stick with receivers, then displays the athleticism to dive a make a play on the ball.
Edit: Kris Frost won defensive MVP for the North squad.
Interestingly, GoBlueWolverine's Sam Webb said on his weekly radio show (WTKA 1050) that Michigan may have one or two silent commits in the class of 2011. Then when answering a question from a fan, he mentioned that Michigan leads quite comfortably for Frost, which leads me to believe he could be one of the silent commits.
It's certainly possible, and actually makes a lot of sense. Michigan has been Frost's dream school, he's camped in Ann Arbor twice, and visited officially, so he's clearly very high on the Wolverines. Committing silently also means he can decommit easily without causing an uproar if Coach Rod does get fired.
*Speculation*: If I had to guess who a second silent commit might be? Chris Bryant
When I took a look at the ideal/likely finish to the 2011 class, I mentioned that Michigan had stopped recruiting Cyrus Hobbi. Still not sure on the reason why (who dropped who?), but its now official that Michigan is out of the race.
He's named a top three of USC, Arizona State and UCLA, and will use up his remaining officials on schools not named Michigan...shame.
Hobbi would have been a great addition to the O-line class, but he was always going to be a tough target. Still, things are looking good with Chris Bryant, so if the Wolverines land him then they will have four decent offensive lineman in the class, with the possibility that Anthony Zettel could end up on the O-Line if he attends Michigan too.
Dee remains committed to Michigan, but if RR leaves, it looks like it's going to be Florida or Florida State that signs him; with the Gators being the more likely option. Both he and teammate Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix are hearing from the Florida schools, and Dee says there's a 90% chance that they will play together at the next level.
Does this apply if Dee is going to Michigan? Which still should happen if Rich Rod is around; it certainly would be quite a twist. I'm not buying it just yet, but it definitely makes Hart's recruitment even more intriguing - if that's possible.
I'm just not sold on HCD's interest in UM right now, but we'll see...
Name: Blake Countess
Location: Baltimore, MD
Position: CB
Ratings: ESPN – 4* (80), Scout – 4*, Rivals 4*
Recruitment: Coach Tony Dews was on Countess for a while, but the coaching staff took until October of Blake’s senior year to offer him a scholarship. Once they did though, Michigan moved well up his list of favorites. It came down to Michigan and Georgia Tech, but after his December official to Ann Arbor, Countess felt more at home in Michigan. Committed 16/12/2010.
Offers: Had mainly offers from a lot of BCS schools, especially on the east coast. Maryland, GT, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Purdue were just a handful to offer.
Stats: Has an electronically timed 4.47 forty yard dash, and currently weighs 175lbs at 5’10. Stats for senior year are unavailable, had around 50 tackles as a junior.
ESPN Analysis: Countess is steady and heady cornerback prospect with natural cover corner skills. Very fluid through his hips and transitions in and out of his pedal smoothly. Aggressive with receivers off the line and plays bigger. Shows good coverage awareness skills; reading routes and the quarterback accurately.
Has good burst and is very quick out of his breaks which makes it hard to create separation on him. Isn’t the tallest prospect, but displays good jumping ability and is generally very comfortable in coverage. Plays hard at all times and is not afraid to come up in run support and make a hit; tackling is reliable, but could learn to wrap up more.
Doesn’t possess elite skills in one particular area, but is very well rounded as a cornerback prospect.
From the man himself: “I’m very aggressive. I don’t let the wide receiver catch the ball. I’m smart and know what’s going on at all times. I have good instincts.
“I want to work on breaking on the ball and improve my anticipation. I didn’t get any interceptions last year, so I definitely want to change that.”
Improvements: Needs to add a bit of bulk, which means he’s probably heading for a redshirt. Tackling technique?
Film Highlights: Link here.
Final Thoughts: Anytime you pick up an Army All American player, it’s a good signing. Countess is also All In for Michigan, and won’t be wavering on his commitment even if the coaching staff is let go.
He’s the fourth CB prospect in the class, shoring up the position for years to come. Countess will now be recruiting for Michigan, hopefully at the Army game, and hopefully with his 2012 teammate Stefon Diggs (ATH), an early ESPN 150 Watch list prospect.
Four star CB and Army All American Blake Countess is the latest member of Michigan's 2011 recruiting class! He's either got a lot of faith in Rich Rod to get the job done, or he just loves Michigan for Michigan....I'll guess the latter.
This is a bit like the Desmond Morgan situation, I'm not surprised that he's chosen Michigan, but the timing is strange. Most people thought December would be a dead period for Michigan, but in fact they've picked up two commits!
Countess was rumored to favor Michigan as soon as they offered, but Georgia Tech was a serious contender after their official visit took place, helped by the fact they had a former teammate of Blake's. This is a nice pickup for Michigan, the cornerback position is officially solid for the next few years, unless the luck there gets even worse.
Possible Scholarship CB's in 2011:
Seniors - Troy Woolfolk
Juniors - J.T Floyd
Sophomores - Cullen Christian, Terrance Talbott, Courtney Avery
Freshman - Delonte Hollowell, Greg Brown, Dallas Crawford, Blake Countess
One, maybe two of these guys will probably end up at Free Safety, but still, the depth in a year or so is going to be very strong. This commitment from Countess should close the door on Daren Kitchen and James Richardson, two Louisiana CB's who both liked Michigan a lot. Full commitment post to follow.
There's a new coach in Miami, and he's looking at Dallas Crawford...
Whilst Crawford says he won't be decommitting, he admits he might open things up a bit and look at Miami, and Southern California after they offered last week.
If RR goes, then it could be tough to hold onto these southern recruits, Crawford and Hart especially.
Three star safety prospect Sheldon Royster (Jersey City, N.J.) will visit Michigan officially on January 7th, and then UNC the following weekend before making his collegiate decision.
His current top two includes South Carolina and Rutgers, but those are the two schools he's already visited, so its almost natural that he has those programs on top right now. By the sounds of it, the Rutgers trip went really well, and he certainly has a good relationship with Greg Schiano, so they might be the team to beat right now.
I don't know much about Rutgers or USC's depth chart, but it surely can't be as appealing as Michigan's is at free safety? Marvin Robinson and Ray Vinopal are two freshman that currently make up the two deep; so Royster would definitely get his chance at UM.
To view the 2012 prospects, start off by selecting a position group:
QB........RB........TE........WR........OL........DL........LB........CB........S........Specialists
Note: The current interest level shown for each player is calculated on a scale of 1-5.
1- The player has mentioned Michigan in the past, but is a real longshot
2- The player has Michigan outside of his top group, but still in contention
3- The player names Michigan as one of his top schools
4- The player names Michigan as his leader
5- Could commit to Michigan at any time
Michigan currently has 12 commitments, so that leaves around 6-8 spaces left in this recruiting class. So which players should get them, or perhaps more importantly, which positions should fill these spaces.
The class currently consists of:
1 RB, 3 O-Lineman, 1 Slot Rec, 1 DE, 2 OLBs, 1 MLB and 3 CBs. (Beyer and Jones as OLB)
Assuming seven scholarships available, and assuming RR is still here...
Likely Selections:
One O-Lineman: Michigan loses two seniors this year, and a couple more next year, which is why they planned to take 4-5 in this class. They've already got some good ones in Miller, Fisher and Posada, but need one more to add depth for the future.
Candidates: Chris Bryant
Note: It doesn't look like Michigan is recruiting Cyrus Hobbi any more, unsure on reason.
One Outside Receiver: With Conway now out of the class, they need to find a replacement. Stonum and Hemingway leave in 2011, so UM won't have many big receivers on the edge.
Candidates: Hakeem Flowers, Kris Frost, Devin Lucien.
One Tight End: Apparently Ricardo Miller has been moved to slot/TE (he's quite big now), so perhaps the need isn't that great. But with Webb leaving this year, and Koger next year, UM would like to take a good TE.
Candidates: Frank Clark, Jack Tabb
Two D-Lineman: This should say 'at least'. The depth at DT doesn't look good, in fact its so bad Michigan can barely run a four man front next year; I count four scholarship DT's on the roster next season. At DE it's not great either, and they definitely want to take another one in addition to Chris Rock.
Candidates: Anthony Zettel, Deion Barnes, Rob Trudo (Syracuse DT commit), Mickey Johnson.
One Safety: We probably need more, but one is probably the max available. Ray Vinopal picked up some experience, and maybe Marvin Robinson can play at FS, but depth is still awful. Cam Gordon, Carvin, Kovacs etc are all more comfortable closer to the LOS, Michigan needs to sign a true deep safety - a ball hawker!
Candidates: Wayne Lyons, Sheldon Royster (3*)
Wildcard Spot: I don't think we need another CB, but we might just get one. Quarterback is a long shot, a big RB is a possibility too. Perhaps an elite LB? Personally, I'd like to see a Kicker...
Candidates: Blake Countess (CB), Tanner McEvoy (QB), Thomas Rawls (RB), Lamar Dawson (LB), Curtis Grant (LB), Connor Loftus (K), DeVonderick Nealy (ATH), Prince Holloway (Slot).
Best Case Scenario?: Bryant, Flowers, Tabb, Zettel, Johnson, Lyons and Loftus.
When Dave Brandon said his decision timetable wouldn't affect Michigan's recruiting, he was lying. It probably affected Avery Walls, and it has definitely affected another key target in Darian Cooper, who was honest enough to say why he has now dropped the Wolverines.
Cooper apparently has had a friend who has dealt with a coaching change first hand, and clearly didn't like it. This is understandable, it's probably the biggest decision of his life, and Michigan can't guarantee who will be coaching him for the next three to four years.
Michigan is already thin at defensive tackle, and its quite possible they won't land one in this class. Jernigan and Cooper have both dropped the Wolverines, and it doesn't look like Mickey Johnson will be visiting anytime soon.
Let's hope Quinton Washington is a fast learner on that D-Line, because Michigan will need him badly next year. Perhaps even move Will Campbell back to defense and hope he can learn some technique.
Half the reason they play a three man front is because they only have one decent defensive tackle!
Take a bow Jeff Tedford, and whoever your recruiting co-ordinator is....
The Cal Golden Bears have just received their third commitment this week from an ESPN150 defensive player; Avery Walls joins Todd Barr and Jason Gibson in what has to be one of Cal's best recruiting scalps in a long time.
Michigan was the leader back in September, but since then it all went downhill. The shocking defensive performance and the lack of certainty was more than enough to turn him away from Michigan. The December announcement was a good indicator that it wasn't going to be UM. Personally I thought he would choose the Ducks, I'm not really sure where Cal even came from?
It always sucks to lose a player who at one point during the summer was actually recruiting for you...but still, we must look forward. Wayne Lyons is the most important recruit left on the board now in my opinion, as Michigan badly needs to take a good safety. He, like all UM's targets now, will announce after the RR decision is made.
Name: Desmond Morgan
Location: Holland, MI
Position: LB
Ratings: ESPN – 3* (78), Scout – 3*, Rivals 3*
Recruitment: Grew up as a big Michigan fan, so when the Wolverines offered during the season, it was only a matter of time. Northwestern was the only serious competition, but after his official visit to Michigan during early December, he knew he wanted to be a Wolverine – no matter who the coach is. Committed 13/12/2010.
Offers: Had mainly offers from MAC schools, but his recruitment blew up over the fall when the likes of Michigan, Northwestern, Cincinnati and Boston College started looking at him.
Stats: Currently weighs around 225lbs at 6’1 and runs a 4.65 forty yard dash, which is quite impressive for his position. Senior stats are unavailable, but he had around 120 tackles as a junior.
ESPN Analysis: Morgan is a very tough run stopper; displays dominant playing strength at the point of attack. Has the size and athleticism for the inside linebacker position at the major level of competition. His tough knock'em back tackling ability suggests very good potential as a special team's coverage player.
Not that fluid in the hips, which hurts his coverage skills at the next level, could be a liability in man coverage early in his career. All coverage skills will have to be improved a bit before he sees the field, meaning a redshirt year is likely; would be a useful addition to special teams as a freshman though.
Shows good play recognition skills, especially on screens. Uses his hands well and has the pure strength needed to shed blockers; plays low and keeps his feet moving at all times.
Improvements: Coverage is the main issue.
Film Highlights: Link here.
Final Thoughts: Michigan loses two linebackers for 2011, but with Morgan, Kellen Jones and Brennen Beyer in the class, Michigan has addressed the need.
Always good to land the in state talent, and Morgan is a good football player. Has a real nose for the football, dominant in the run game; so if he sharpens up his coverage could be a solid MLB.
Could play on special teams as a freshman, otherwise he’s heading for a redshirt. A couple years to get into college shape, and to refine his skills, then he’ll be ready to compete for the starting role.
No, it's not Avery Walls, he announces in around 2 hours time.
Three star instate linebacker Desmond Morgan verballed to the Wolverines, announcing it last night on his facebook page, he becomes the 12th member of the class. (Note: Not including Antonio Kinard, as he hasn't been confirmed as in yet.)
The commitment shouldn't come as much of a surprise, Michigan led from the moment they offered; it's his dream school. The timing of his announcement is somewhat strange, but I guess he's one of those that loves Michigan for Michigan, if Coach Rod is still there, that's just a bonus for him. He took his official over the weekend.
Northwestern proved to be the main competition for the Wolverines, but other schools to show interest were Vanderbilt, Cincinnati and Boston College, along with a couple other Big Ten schools that were on the verge of offering.
This is a good pickup for Michigan, it loses two starting linebackers in Mouton and Ezeh this year. Morgan will start off in the middle, which could allow Kellen Jones to move to outside LB.
Full commitment post to follow later.
Just a quick note to remind you that the Avery Walls announcement takes place tomorrow; 9.40am at his high school.
Michigan had the lead over the summer, and probably through September too.
Then he visited Oregon.
Then Oregon got to #1 in the BCS.
Then Michigan starting losing.
Then Rodriguez's job status became unclear.
Thus...
We're hoping for a miracle!!!
- Anthony Zettel enjoyed himself at the Big Chill on Saturday, and also seemed to get along very well with current UM commit Jake Fisher, who took his official this past weekend too. The good news is that Zettel has postponed his decision until January; in other words he's waiting to see what happens to RR. As with a lot of recruits, if RR stays, we'll get him. If not, he'll end up in East Lansing.
- Remember CB James Richardson? Last month I mentioned the Louisiana prospect received his Michigan offer, and then he committed to SMU a day or two later. Well he took an official to Michigan this weekend and absolutely loved it, as did his parents. I'd say Michigan and SMU are about even now, and he'll make his decision in January, which is also good for UM. Will they take him though if Countess is on board before him?
- Orlando Dr Phillips safety Roderick Ryles has decommitted from the Arkansas Razorbacks, not sure why just yet. Whatever the reason, Michigan is now back in play for him, and if the Wolverines keep hold of Dee Hart, they might just have the inside track for Ryles in January.
Four star CB commit Delonte Hollowell is all in for Michigan, no matter who the coaching staff is next year, however he did say Michigan would be stupid to get rid of Coach Rodriguez. Amen! At least we know Hollowell won't be going anywhere if the worst happens...
Perhaps more interesting were Hollowell's comments about Wayne Lyons, who he got to hang out with when they both took their officials last weekend. Delonte seemed to think Wayne was very high on Michigan, even giving a 60% chance of Lyons going blue in the end. Sounds good!
Hollowell definitely had his recruiting hat on last weekend, and looks to do the same at the Big Chill event tomorrow. Somebody sit this guy next to Anthony Zettel!!!!
Four star defensive tackle Tim Jernigan has apparently dropped both Michigan and USC from his list, citing distance from home as the main reason. It's briefly covered here by his coach.
A while ago I mentioned that Michigan had slid down his list behind LSU and FSU, but it's still disappointing to be removed from the race before the final stretch. Things with Jernigan actually looked quite good after his official visit to Michigan, where he spoke very positively of the Wolverines. But then rumors went around that he wasn't happy in the 3-3-5.
Michigan will now focus on Darian Cooper as their main DT target, he'll be visiting Ann Arbor officially in January. Mickey Johnson of Louisiana is another target, but its doubtful if he'll even visit now.
It's been confirmed that ESPN 150 Safety Avery Walls will make his college decision at 9:40am, in a press conference at his school.
Walls could be one of the key pieces to Michigan's 2011 class, but in these times one can't help but be pessimistic. With the coaching situation up in the air, it would certainly be strange for UM to receive a commitment, unless the prospect is truly in love with Michigan as a school.
If I were betting on this, I'd have to say Oregon is his choice. He may have shown up late for his official, but he still had a great time there. The Ducks are also the hot team in college football right now, whereas Michigan is stuck in Limbo. I hope to be wrong.
If you haven't already heard, Urban Meyer has resigned as the head coach of the Florida Gators, after leading them to two national titles in three years. You may wonder why this is coming up on a Michigan recruiting blog, well wonder no more!
- DEE HART - he surprised a lot of people by naming Florida as his alternative choice to Michigan earlier this week, instead of the presumed Alabama. If Meyer is no longer there, does this push Hart back closer to the Wolverines?
- Valdez Showers - the talented Michigan native chose the Gators over UM and MSU earlier this year; will Meyer's departure cause him to re-open his recruitment, and would the Wolverines make a play for a speedy and versatile player?
- TIM JERNIGAN - an extremely important recruit for a lot of schools; Jernigan may have left Florida out of his top four, but many still expected the Gators to land Jernigan eventually, after all he lives in their backyard and grew up a massive fan of UF. Meyer leaving can only help the Wolverines here.
- The Bowl game? - Yes, believe it or not this news could possibly affect whether Michigan wins it's bowl game. Dan Mullen, the current coach of MSU has to be one of the favorites to take over at Florida, who need his offensive mind back in charge. You can bet he's already got a call from Florida's AD, so would he be tempted to leave MSU before the bowl game? Leaving Michigan to face a team without a coach.
Interesting news to say the least.
After missing out on one last year, Michigan is looking to take a tight end in this year's class, and there are a few possibly candidates.
- It looks like Jack Tabb's decision could come down to Michigan or North Carolina. He visited the Tar Heels over the weekend and was very happy with the visit. Arkansas will also get a visit soon.
- Darien Bryant (Pickerington, OH) was recently offered by Michigan, and there's an outside chance he could visit this weekend for the Big Chill event.
- Frank Clark (Glenville, OH) received his Michigan today, but the Wolverines have been on him for a while now, as have California and UNC. Clark will look to visit Michigan officially on January 7th.
Of the three, Tabb is looking the most likely now, he's already visited Michigan twice and his mom loves UM. He could also be the first one to make his announcement too, which should come shortly after the Arkansas visit.
Three star athlete Tanner McEvoy (Oradell, N.J.) has placed Michigan in his top four schools along with Rutgers, North Carolina and South Carolina. He played WR up until his senior year, when he made the move to QB. The switch seemed to pay dividends when he completed 138 of 239 passes for 2,264 yards and 32 touchdowns, whilst also rushing for 1200 yards and 14 TD's.
The main advantage Michigan has here is their spread offense, which is similar to what Tanner is running at his high school. He loves running the ball, lowering his shoulder etc, so he might be more comfortable at Michigan. The bad news is that all the other schools have received an unofficial visit this year, which means UM is playing catch up.
He'll take his official visit to Ann Arbor on the 17th, and then UNC and Rutgers sometime in January. So there's still a long way to go in his recruitment, but this is definitely one to keep an eye on because with Sousa and now Cardale Jones seemingly off the board, McEvoy might be the top target if UM wants to take a QB.
Having just taken an exam not one hour ago, the importance of academics is fresh in my mind...
- Michigan WR commit Shawn Conway has not made the grades academically and will have to go to Junior College next year. It's obviously a setback for Conway, but maybe he'll do an Antonio Kinard and come back a year late, but this is rare. I'll hopefully have more on this soon.
- Cardale Jones and Shane Wynn, the two Glenville players will not be visiting this weekend, it's thought to be an academic related issue.
- Thomas Rawls also won't be taking his official visit to Michigan this weekend, not sure on the reason. Hopefully he'll reschedule. He's had academic problems in the past, so that could be the reason (*speculation*), but even if it is, Michigan likes him too much to give up on him.
- Some good news to end. Michigan has offered a kicker! Connor Loftus (Anaheim, CA) was the lucky recipient, and he'll definitely take an official to Michigan after his senior year ends. He hasn't missed a field goal under 40 yards this season, and he's made two FG's from over 50 yards. In other words, he's already way better than what we got now. Boise State, NC State, North Carolina and Navy have already offered. But Michigan has the playing time and academics that all kickers should value highly (he gets v good grades). He's a 3 star kicker on ESPN.
No commitments from either prospect this weekend, but none were expected really. Lyons and his mother both came away very impressed with the academic presentation laid on by Michigan, and given the Lyons has a high GPA, academics will be key in his decision.
Countess had a great time on his visit, even tweeting go blue once, and that he fits in well with the players. He was hosted by Josh Furman, but also got to hang out with Courtney Avery, Denard and Devin amongst others.
Blake will take two more officials, to Georgia Tech and Maryland. He could make a decision after that last visit or hold out and announce at the Army AA game, which is where Lyons will probably do it. Wayne will visit Nebraska on an official next week, and possibly an unofficial to Florida before making up his mind.
It would actually be better for Michigan if they both delay their decisions until the AA game, because by then Michigan should know its coach for next year. If RR stays, Michigan has a great chance with both of them.
2011 QB Kevin Sousa, who committed to Michigan a few months back, has now decided to play college ball for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
This news isn't totally out of the blue, he had been taking some officials elsewhere during the season, although after he came back from Ann Arbor with glowing reviews, it seemed like he would stay on board. He's a spread QB, so maybe he was worried about RR's system not being there next year? (Thats just a guess until we hear more).
Still, this isn't a big loss to the class right now. Michigan will still have three very capable QB's on campus next year, and there's still a chance they take one in this class. Glenville's Cardale Jones will be visiting Michigan officially next weekend, and the Wolverines apparently have quite a good chance.
On what can only be described as a terrible weekend for Michigan recruiting (see below), there are a few bright spots, and all of them about the defense!
- Both Wayne Lyons and Blake Countess arrived on campus as scheduled this weekend. Michigan was rumored to possibly lead for Countess when he got an offer, so hopefully a visit to Ann Arbor will vault the Wolverines to a clear #1 spot.
Lyons is an ESPN 150 Safety who previously left Michigan out of his top five, so you have to think Michigan is trailing another school. But a good visit today and the Wolverines could be right back in it. I don't think either would commit this weekend, no matter how much they like Michigan. In fact, it's hard to see anyone verballing to UM until after the coaching situation has been cleared up.
- It looks like LB Curtis Grant will be taking an official visit to Michigan in January. Grant is an inside LB who currently ranks #45 in the ESPN 150, but a staggering #3 overall on rivals.com. He's also #19 on scout.com, so the general consensus is that he's pretty darn awesome.
Grant, who can also play OLB, was chosen along with Dee Hart as one of the six finalists for the Army All American player of the year award. Given how the linebackers were a liability this year for Michigan, and two of them are leaving (Mouton, Ezeh), you could easily see Grant starting on the edge next year (assuming Demens locks down MLB?).
This makes Grant a huge priority, right up there with DT Tim Jernigan, aka a superstar recruit who plays a position of major need. However! The big schools are after him, and given that Michigan was a late addition to his list, the Wolverines definitely trail either OSU, Florida, UNC or Georgia. In other words, they are going to have to blow him away on the visit - but it has been done before.
- Darian Cooper has also got Michigan down as a destination for one of his January official visits. Cooper, a defensive tackle who was at the Big House BBQ all those months ago will also visit MSU, Georgia Tech, Iowa and Penn State. I think Michigan has pretty good chance here.
Note: Whilst Dee Hart is a great, great player who we all want to see at Michigan, losing his commitment for now is certainly not the end of the world. Firstly because if RR gets a vote of confidence before (unlikely) or after the bowl game, and Dee Hart is still undecided at that point, he'll most likely come back to Michigan. In fact, I can't see why he wouldn't. He loves Michigan.
Secondly, the running backs haven't been great this year, but defense is clearly the more important issue on the team. UM returns all of their RB's, and hopefully next year they won't have to play hurt, so I don't think the loss of Hart is will have a huge affect on next season, which would be RR's crucial one if he's there.
Four star RB Demetrius Hart has in fact decommitted from Michigan. The news broke some time before his team's playoff victory over Seminole Ridge. The good news is that he did not commit to Alabama straight after the game, which a few people suspected he might.
This means Michigan is still under consideration right now, and Rod Smith (UM Florida recruiter) was in fact at the game and spoke to Dee afterwards. He's obviously just not comfortable being committed to a school that has no long term coach right now, and to be honest, that's fair enough to him. He's an early enrollee, so you have to understand the situation he's in.
He'll enroll in January, but he might have to decide a while before that, meaning his announcement would probably come before Michigan's bowl game. Seen as Rich Rod's future really depends on whether he wins a bowl game or not, I think Dee will likely end up at Alabama. The timetables just aren't in our favor.
Is it true that Michigan's top commit of the 2011 class is to decommit from the Wolverines today? Probably....
The UM coaches know that Dee is wavering, and so they will be visiting him in school today.
The main issue here is obviously about Rich Rod's job security. Rumors are saying that other schools are killing Michigan in recruiting right now because of his job status being so uncertain. It's pretty easy to take shots at Michigan if your 12-0 as a coach this season, or if you won a national championship last season....yes, Auburn and Alabama are still fighting.
I can understand Brandon wanting to evaluate the bowl game performance before he decides to make a coaching decision, but this may cause Michigan to lose it's prize recruit in the process, we'll find out more today.
Demetrius Hart has made the final shortlist for the Army All-American player of the year award, which is given to the most outstanding high school football player that will be in the All American game.
There are six players that can still win the trophy, Hart, WR George Farmer, LB Curtis Grant, WR Trey Metoyer, QB Cody Kessler and DE Ray Drew.
Hart has a great chance of winning, he's had an unbelievable senior season for Dr Phillips, and is currently leading his team through the class 6A playoffs with nine touchdowns in the last two games. He'll get to show off his talents on national TV at the All American game, and you should expect to see his rankings go up at the end of the season.
For a while now, WR Prince Holloway (Cape Coral, FL) has had West Virginia at the top of his list, followed by Michigan. Well that's no longer the case as he now lists Michigan as his leader.
I didn't know this until today, but he's actually the cousin of recent UM commit Dallas Crawford, and he said they've been planning something for a while. Holloway isn't 100% cleared by the NCAA just yet, he's waiting on some test scores, but he says a commitment could come very soon.
This is somewhat unexpected after Michigan took Justice Hayes at slot a week ago, because at 5'9 165lbs, that's where Holloway will end up. It would definitely close the door on DeVonderick Nealy, who's another slot guy that has Michigan on top.
Anyways, look out for a possible commitment in the next couple of weeks.
The regular season is in the books, and Michigan should only worry about two things, winning that bowl game, and finishing off the 2011 recruiting class with some big names!
- Four star LB Lamar Dawson will visit Michigan on January 22nd for an official. This is great news, firstly because he's a stud LB, and secondly because this means Michigan will likely be his last visit, which can be an advantage. Still, the Wolverines have some catching up to do, as he admits they are trailing some other schools right now. He's still considering Michigan, Tennessee, USC, Florida, Louisville, Kentucky, and Oregon.
- Four star CB Blake Countess will be on campus this weekend, along with fellow defensive back Wayne Lyons. Michigan probably has a better chance with Countess, who has UM very high on his list. The Wolverines sneaked into Lyons' top five quite late on, which means they definitely trail the other schools, but he's high on academics, so Michigan always has a chance!
- Four star commits Brennen Beyer and Delonte Hollowell are also taking their official visits for this weekend, just for fun I imagine, they are solid.
- The weekend after is of course the Big Chill event at the big house, and thats going to attract a host of good recruits. I'll go through the list closer to the date, but early signs point to at around 7-9 official visitors, including Anthony Zettel, which is a big visit!
ESPN 150 Safety Avery Walls (McDonough, GA) should be announcing fairly soon, as he plans to enroll at his college of choice in January. Oregon and Michigan figure to be the front runners, but MSU, UConn and possibly Virginia are still in the mix.
College coaches can now take in home visits, and Avery will be hosting two Michigan coaches over the next couple of weeks. Defensive back coach Tony Gibson should be visiting sometime this week, and then the big man himself, Rich Rodriguez will make his final pitch next week.
Walls is good friends with the nation's #3 overall prospect, DE Ray Drew, who has just named his final six schools, but Michigan unfortunately hasn't made the cut. Clemson, LSU, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida and Auburn are the lucky six.
Michigan was described as a school he would like to have visited, but he never got the time. Drew was always just a long shot for Michigan, but back when Walls looked like a Michigan lock, it seemed like Michigan could get an unofficial at least.
If you have any questions related to Michigan football recruiting, or just football recruiting in general, please send me an email at mgorecruit@live.co.uk and I'll do my best to answer them.
via email: Read something on a forum today that he (RR) was on a plane to Miami for a recruiting trip. How does all this talk affect our own recruiting? Wouldn't it make sense for Brandon to come out in the next week to say he's our coach next year sooner than later?
Good question. I think it would certainly ease the minds of a few recruits, that's for sure. But Brandon keeps stressing that the season is not over, and he's right. The team still has 15 practices left and one more game to go. He will evaluate RR after that game.
However, when recruits are on official visits to Michigan, they will certainly get to talk to Brandon, and earlier this season he was telling recruits that Rich Rod isn't going anywhere. Sure the season has taken a bit of a downer since then, but I don't believe Coach Rod is going to get fired. Hopefully Brandon will keep reassuring recruits that all is well, because otherwise we may lose out on a few good players.
Will via email: Are there any locks for Michigan in the 2012 recruiting class?
Well, as long as there is uncertainty with the head coaching position, I don't think any recruit can be considered a lock. There are however a few "leans", players that currently list Michigan as there favorite, and are expected to sign with UM eventually. The most obvious one is probably Detroit Cass Tech linebacker Royce Jenkins-Stone. He's very, very high on Michigan and no-one would be that shocked if he committed in the next few months.
Other leans include Chris Wormley, a DE from Ohio who many expect to choose UM over the Buckeyes in the end, although it will be a close race. Jordan Diamond, an O lineman from Illinois (same school as 2011 OL Chris Bryant) named Michigan as his leader a while back, but he did just pick up an offer from Wisconsin this week. I'm probably missing someone, but those are a few off the top of my head. It's very early days, and we don't know for sure who the head coach will be in 2011, so I'll choose to worry about the 2011 class first!
Scott via email: Have you heard of any kickers being recruited for next season? I can’t believe we are the first choice of any kicker who would want to play as a freshman.
If I was a kicker, there would only be a few things that I need in a college. Good academics, good atmosphere, and the chance to play early on. Michigan has all of these, so it really is strange that not much is happening on the kicking front in recruiting. However, the recruitment of kickers is fairly low key, so Michigan could land one quite soon without anyone really knowing. I think they are looking at the Orlando Dr Phillips guy, but he might be 2012, not sure. A Boise State commit did visit officially for the Illinois game, but I don't think he'll end up in Ann Arbor again. If I hear any more about it, I'll let you know.
Via email: They want Justice Hayes for the slot, they even said maybe D, so the possibility of Rawls getting offered is still there.
Yep, Rawls is definitely still on the Michigan radar. In fact he'll be visiting Michigan officially on December 10th. Grades are still an issue, they are waiting for his latest test results before offering, but Michigan is VERY high on Rawls. Coach Jackson reckons he's one of the best RB prospects the state has produced in a long time. The reason he's not rated so high is because he's not yet qualified to play in college. That should change soon, he's been working real hard.
He should be considered the best back in the state this year, many compare him to former Flint star, Mark Ingram. Michigan wants to take him as the big back in the class, but let's not forget he runs a 10.8 100m, this kid is big, powerful and fast, he will definitely compete for playing time if Michigan gets him, and I believe they will.
Steve via email: Any chance Justice Hayes will play DB? Also, any updates on Zettel. Hopefully he is still leaning towards MI with the Rich Rod uncertainty.
Hayes will definitely try out at slot receiver first, and perhaps running back if that doesn't work out. He doesn't have any defensive highlight tapes, so I can only assume he's set for offense.
As for Anthony Zettel, I mentioned in a quick update a few days ago that he's not naming a leader anymore. This could be seen as bad for Michigan, but I think if Coach Rod stays, then Zettel will jump on board. However, the whole RR situation might just push back his decision time to after Michigan's bowl game, unless Dave Brandon assures him RR is safe on his official visit, which is December 10th.
Chris via email: After Lloyd Carr left/was kicked out of Michigan we lost a couple recruits, and a few guys transferred from the program. Given how Rich Rod's system is very specific w/ the type of players he needs to run it successfully if they were to make a coaching change how do you think that would impact our recruiting class and perhaps the current roster? Bottom line: who would we lose?
I think the guy that would lose out the most would be Denard Robinson, who has been the heart of the team this year. If RR is to be fired, then they would most likely bring in a pro style offense, and I don't think Denard has the passing ability to run it. Think Tyrelle Pryor year one and two at OSU. Denard might be tempted to transfer into a spread to continue his growth. I think Devin Gardner might become the starter if that were to happen.
I don't think there would be many players that would leave on defense, they are young and have time to adapt to a new system. On offense is where the major changes would take place. Recruits come to Michigan because they want to play in RR's offense, players like Vincent Smith are talented, but not big enough to play in an i-form offense, he might leave. Really it's hard to guess which players might leave, depends on the culture change too, what the new coaching staff is like etc.
As for recruiting, I think we would lose Dee Hart to Auburn, and probably Kris Frost too. Avery Walls to Oregon would become more likely, and Anthony Zettel would likely end up in East Lansing. I think the bulk of the class would stick around, but some players that are already on the edge, (Greg Brown, Kevin Sousa) would also leave. Most of the class looks like they grew up as Michigan fans, which means they would be more likely to stay, players like Kellen Jones, Delonte Hollowell and Brennen Beyer. Overall though the class would be hit pretty hard, and the new coaches would have to work pretty hard to keep the top players, like Crawford and Hart. Just another reason to keep the Head coach!
Thanks for the questions, if yours hasn't been answered in this post, then look out for an email response from me instead.
This might not be a popular view, but I'm officially backing Rich Rodriguez to keep his job in through the 2011 season, and here's why:
- Whilst it may not seem like it, Michigan is improving overall, 3 wins, 5 wins, 7 wins....so its rational to expect 9 in 2011, which is pretty good.
- The offense will be one of the best in the nation next year, and they're already pretty good. Yesterday Michigan just didn't finish drives, turnovers/penalties/dropped passes cost them badly, there will be less of this in 2011 which virtually all the starters back. Michigan only loses Perry Dorrestein, Steven Schilling and Martell Webb. Good players, but replaceable without a significant drop off in production.
- Assuming Mike Martin stays (which he should), then Jonas Mouton will be the only good defensive player leaving. Mouton has made some good plays this year, but he's made just as many bad ones too. Mike Jones will be back from injury to compete for that spot. Obi Ezeh also departs from the LB core, so depth will be poor, but production could improve if Kenny Demens continues to emerge.
- The secondary is young and hungry overall, but the two veterans will be back next year. Troy Woolfolk and J.T Floyd will both be back from injury and ready to step in. Woolfolk could switch back to deep safety actually, with so many young corners. Vinopal, Avery, Christian and Talbott will all be a year old, and a year wiser. Michigan will also have good depth at Strong Safety, with Kovacs, MRob, T Gordon and C Gordon competing for those two starting roles.
- Getting to a bowl game this year isn't just giving the players and fans one more game, its also giving them a load more practice sessions. Given time to prepare, the defense should be alright in the bowl game, unless they are against another quality offense like Wisconsin or OSU (doubtful). I expect them to win the bowl game.
- You'd also hope that he'd find a kicker by next season too, which has been a MAJOR problem this year. It cost them a lot of points against OSU for sure.
Note: If your reading this, and you attend or plan to attend the University of Michigan, and you think you can kick a ball through some posts from around 30-45 yards away, I urge you to contact the football team asap.
- From a recruiting standpoint, firing RR would certainly not help the current class. It's not as if a load of players are just going to turn around and say, "oh yeah Michigan will be great again now, I'll go there". Michigan would lose a few commitments for sure, maybe someone like Dee Hart, who wants to play in RR's offense.
- Also if he was fired, would there be even more players transferring...again? Some players on the roster might not fit in with the new system or agree with the new coach etc and might leave. Denard certainly wouldn't last long in a pro style offense, i.e Tyrelle Pryor year one and two.
- So in conclusion, the offense will be a lot sharper, better decisions etc from Denard, hopefully less dropped passes too. Which will result in more points, especially against the Big Ten teams. The defense will also be vastly improved, with experience returning in the secondary, and not many good players departing. An average Big Ten defense is possible! And to be honest, that's probably all they need to compete for the Big Ten title. Hagerup will be fine at punter, so if they find a Kicker, special teams could be average/good too.
This isn't how RR imagined his time at Michigan would go, but let's face it, he's been unlucky. Please don't comment on this saying he's a bad coach, because that's not true. In my opinion he's an offensive genius who thought he'd have better talent available on defense when he got there. Don't blame this season all on the 3-3-5 either, frankly Michigan would have been awful on defense with any system. Has he made some mistakes, yes definitely, and some bad ones at that. But he's also done a lot of good things at Michigan that go unnoticed. I hope Dave Brandon can see that there has been progress, at least in wins, and that he decides to give RR one more year.
I'm still all in, go blue!
Short and sour prediction....
- Michigan's best defenders are playing slightly hurt
- Ohio State has a power running game
- Pryor can pick apart the secondary or just scramble for 1st downs
- Ohio State's defense will stop Michigan scoring on more than half the drives.
All this results in....
Michigan 21, Ohio State 52
Yep, its gonna be a beatdown in Columbus - sorry to say.
- Anthony Zettel told ESPN after his Iowa visit that he doesn't have a leader right now. Personally I don't believe him. It's getting close to his decision date, so he's probably just trying to be mysterious. Michigan will get his final official visit, which is always good. I still think he'll go blue.
- Deion Barnes has announced a top four of Michigan, Penn State, Pittsburgh and Georgia. In other words, South Carolina has been dropped from his top five. He'll visit Michigan officially sometime before Jan 20th, his birthday and decision date.
- Doran Grant will be in Columbus tomorrow to check out Ohio State vs Michigan. A victory for the Maize and Blue might just save any hopes Michigan has of signing him. UM are currently fighting for his 5th official visit.
Lets face it, in modern college football, a verbal commitment doesn't mean that much; players decommit all the time, just like Justice Hayes did last week.
Michigan has lost out on a few players recently to other schools, but don't count the Wolverines out just yet. DeAnthony Arnett, Sammy Watkins and Ha'sean Clinton-Dix all have three things in common. Firstly, they are all committed to other schools over Michigan. Secondly, they are all very, very good players. Thirdly, and most importantly, they all have a close friend committed to Michigan.
With Arnett, it's newly committed athlete Justice Hayes. The two are good friends and with Hayes looking to play in the slot, you can bet he's telling Arnett how much he wants to play alongside him at Michigan.
Watkins of course has Dallas Crawford, one of his best friends who committed to UM earlier this month. Crawford still hasn't taken his official to Michigan, so when he does, will he bring Watkins with him again? There's certainly a chance here.
Lastly, HCD has best friend Dee Hart going to Michigan, and also former Dr Phillips WR Ricardo Miller. Like Crawford, Hart will also be visiting Ann Arbor this Winter, and could well bring HCD along for the ride. Miracles could happen.
With the defense getting murdered on Saturday, it's good to hear that Kris Frost is still really high on Michigan. Frost loved his visit to Ann Arbor for the game, and even said the result did not effect his time on campus.
He's already visited Auburn and Michigan (the presumed top two), and next up will be LSU, and then California. His top three right now are Michigan, Auburn and LSU (no order), those are the hats that will be on the table at the Army All American game, where he will announce his decision. I guess if the California visit goes well, they will get a hat too.
I don't think LSU have much of a chance, they won't let him play WR, which UM and Auburn will. Ultimately its a two horse race, and with everything going on at Auburn, I think he'll sign with the Wolverines. Michigan was described as his dream school, he's visited plenty of times and his parents love the academic opportunities for Kris.
Name: Justice Hayes
Location: Grand Blanc, MI
Position: RB
Ratings: ESPN – 4* (79), Scout – 4*, Rivals 4*
Recruitment: Always liked Michigan but was worried about their performances on the field, committed to Notre Dame during the summer. Decommitted in early November, and surprised a few by selecting Michigan soon after. Recruited as an “athlete”, so could play multiple positions on offense.
Offers: Had a top six of Tennessee, Michigan, MSU, Iowa, Northwestern and Notre Dame. Had offers from most other Big Ten schools too.
Stats: Justice Hayes finished his junior season with 1,400 yard rushing for 15 touchdowns on 175 carries, unfortunately missed his senior season with an injury, and just had wrist surgery. Currently weighs around 185 at 5’10 and runs in the 4.45 range.
ESPN Analysis: Hayes is a quick, gliding running back with a lot of natural ability. Has just adequate size but runs harder than listed measurables and his quick-twitched athleticism allows him to run with deceptive strength. Flashes great elusiveness and suddenness through the hole and second level.
Has good top-end speed and an extra gear to separate when he turns the corner but does appear quicker than fast at times. That said, Hayes has big-play potential with his initial burst and ability to reach top-speed extremely quick. Polished hands and receiving skills out of the backfield add to his upside.
From the man himself: “I’m quick and have great speed. I can make defenders miss and take it to the end zone on any given play. I’m also not afraid to go up the middle, but I’m more of a shifty, all-purpose back. I still want to continue getting faster and work on my flat out speed. Plus, I want to get bigger and stronger and be more of an every-down back.”
Improvements: Get bigger/faster??
Film Highlights: Link here.
Final Thoughts: Apparently is committed as an athlete, meaning he’ll get his shot at RB but if that doesn’t work out, he’ll move to slot receiver, where he could easily fit in.
Always nice to land one of the premier talents in the state of Michigan; Hayes is the #6 recruit in the state. He’s the 3rd four star in-stater to commit along with Hollowell and Beyer.
Hayes’ commitment probably means Michigan won’t take DeVonderick Nealy or Prince Holloway?
So yesterday I kind of ruled out the chances of Justice Hayes going to Michigan, and today he commits to Michigan...
This is a bit of a shock then, as Hayes was seemingly really high on Notre Dame no less than a week ago when he was still recruiting for them! But apparently Coach Jackson (UM RB coach) already knew the change was coming. Maybe Hayes just saw the writing on the wall, it seems like everyone is decommitting from the Irish nowadays.
This gives Michigan two 4* RB's in this class, with Hayes and Dee Hart, but I'd imagine they'd still take Thomas Rawls as a big back if he gets his grades in shape. Malcolm Crockett and DeVonderick Nealy won't be playing RB at Michigan, although Nealy might still be recruited as a slot receiver.
Commitment post will follow
Genuinely shocked...
WR Sammy Watkins has committed to Clemson today over Michigan. Watkins is the of course the teammate of recent Michigan commit Dallas Crawford, and after Crawford went blue, most people (including me) expected Watkins to follow suit.
The experts even predicted he'd go to Michigan, so this is a big surprise, especially the timing. I thought he would drag it out a little longer. Hopefully he'll still take an official visit with Crawford in the Winter; no word as of yet whether this will happen.
A few of you have emailed asking whether Michigan has any shot with Justice Hayes after he decommitted from Notre Dame last week. The answer: probably not.
Word on the street is that he's quite high on Tennessee, maybe DeAnthony Arnett is talking to him about it, and right now it might be the most likely option. With Dee Hart committed, I don't think he'll be looking that hard at Michigan.
MSU would be another option that he's probably considering.
Sleeper prospect Ryan Petro (Winter Springs, FL) has named Michigan is top school after visiting Ann Arbor for the 48-28 loss to Wisconsin. The loss didn't dampen is his spirits, and he thoroughly enjoyed his time on campus.
He got to spend a lot of time with Greg Robinson, seeing how they can utilize his 4.5 speed at the OLB position. He didn't get the offer yet, but still claims the Wolverines are in the lead for his services.
He should be back in Ann Arbor in December for an official visit, where its likely he'll get offered. Other schools interested in Petro right now are Nebraska, Rutgers and Pittsburgh. This was his first year playing defense, which might explain why he doesn't have any offers yet - hence the sleeper tag.
Stay tuned for a Kris Frost update later today!
That was short lived optimism. I posted on Friday that Michigan had a real chance with sleeper CB James Richardson. Well you can just about forget it, as he committed to SMU whilst on an official there this weekend.
Richardson still might take an official to Michigan on the 10th, but he "highly doubts" it will change his mind about SMU.
I've seen some people predicting that this game will be close, unfortunately these folks are wrong.
Wisconsin are going to win...BIG. The offensive line is huge and will dominate Michigan's defense. Running and passing, Wisconsin can score at will against this defense.
Michigan won't turn the ball over 5 times, but the badger's defense will get enough stops to pull away on the scoreboard.
Prediction: Michigan 21, Wisconsin 48
Edit: So close!
CB James Richardson (Baton Rouge, LA) is starting to hear a lot from the Michigan coaching staff, and it looks like their efforts have paid off, as he'll be visiting Ann Arbor on December 10th. Richardson doesn't have the offer just yet, but is likely to get one when he visits.
Richardson is unrated by most recruiting services, but has the physical talent to compete at the college level. He runs a 4.35 forty yard dash, making him probably the quickest player left on Michigan's board. This year he had around 60 tackles, 4 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles.
With three cornerbacks already committed, and several young talents already on campus, surely Michigan would only take one more cornerback in this class. However the Wolverines are in a good position for at least three CB's; Blake Countess, Daren Kitchen and now Richardson, who lists UM and SMU as his top schools. It will be interesting to see who they take.
The big news today is that Kris Frost AND his parents will be on a flight to Michigan tomorrow morning, so it will be an official visit. Yesterday it looked like only Kris was going to make it, but his parents have decided they need to visit too. This is good news for Michigan, as the parents will get to hear all about the academics etc.
New Jersey TE Jack Tabb will be the other official visitor on campus tomorrow, and this is an important one, because Michigan would love to take a good TE in this class and Tabb has a Florida offer, so he's probably quite good? He's a four star prospect on ESPN.
As mentioned in the post below, sleeper prospect Ryan Petro will take an unofficial to Michigan this weekend, and if it goes well there's a chance he'll be back on campus officially on Dec 10th.
2012 Safety prospect Allen Gant should also be at the Wisconsin game, I think he's the cousin of Charles Woodson, probably going to be a UM vs OSU battle for him. This is the second game he's seen at the Big House this year - encouraging.
There should also be a few 2012 in staters as usual, I know Dakota Perry will be there, I'm sure more will be too.
If you have any questions related to Michigan football recruiting, or just football recruiting in general, please send me an email at mgorecruit@live.co.uk and I'll do my best to answer them.
Steven via email: I heard Michigan has found a sleeper LB in Florida, what can you tell us?
I think Ryan Petro (Winter Springs, FL) is the guy you're after. He's a OLB/DE type of guy with really good speed (runs a 4.5) and a nose for the football. He's quite similar to Desmond Morgan, except Desmond is a middle linebacker. The good news is that Ryan plans to take an unofficial visit to Michigan this weekend for the Wisconsin game, and he could well be offered whilst in Ann Arbor. Other schools that have been scouting him include Nebraska, Pittsburgh and Rutgers. If Michigan offers early, they will probably be the leader. He grew up a Gators fan.
Chris via email: My question is do you see anyone out there that could be a, "How the heck did we get him?" type of commit. i.e Demar Dorsey
There are a couple in this class that would certainly be a shock to the recruiting world if Michigan were to sign them. Defensive lineman like Ray Drew or Tim Jernigan would be a big surprise, but the one that compares well to the Dorsey situation is Karlos Williams.
Williams is a top safety, from Florida, already committed to a Florida school, but is still taking visits. This sounds awfully familiar to me, he even has a similar character issue as Dorsey; Williams was suspended for his final few games after punching an opponent? I'm not saying that its going to turn out the same as the Dorsey case, but as the coaches have proved, when they get someone on campus, anything is possible, and Williams is scheduled to visit Michigan this January. Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix is another candidate for this too.
Jake via email: Whats the latest on Kris Frost? Is he visiting this weekend and are UM recruiting him as a WR or LB?
Frost visited Auburn recently for the Georgia game and loved it, said the atmosphere was amazing etc etc. Right now, I think Auburn is probably the leader, even with the whole Cam Newton situation. He will be visiting Michigan this weekend, but he's not sure whether it will be an official or unofficial. He wanted to drive up with his parents on the Friday so they could make it in time for kickoff, but now he has a playoff game Friday night. So he could drive up on Saturday, miss some of the game and call it an unofficial - or he fly up on his own Saturday morning for an official.
As for his position, I haven't heard anything new on it lately, so I assume he still wants to try out at WR first in college. Then if he can't get on the field, he'll move to LB where everyone tells him he has much better potential.
I'd give Auburn the edge right now, but if Michigan beats Wisconsin this weekend, the Big House will be rocking and who knows, the Wolverines might just edge back in front. We'll also have to see what happens with Cam Newton, because if Auburn are found guilty of anything, they are screwed.
Recruits are usually a bit vague on Facebook, not this kid:
"top schools that ive seen.......UGA, AUBURN,FLORIDA.CLEMSON,TENEESSEE,LSU........top schools that i havent seen but would like to NOTRE DAME, UCLA, and Michigan"
Encouraging I guess. I can't help wonder why Michigan is the only school not written in capital letters? Is that good or bad?
2012 QB Nick Patti has released an early top four of Michigan, Oregon, Georgia Tech and LSU, with no named leader. He's also still looking at a few others, and has taken visits to FSU and Miami earlier this year.
Although there is no official leader, Michigan probably is out in front here. He visited campus with Dee Hart on his way back from a 7on7 tourney in Oregon and came back with glowing reviews - as did his father. He says he's most familiar with Michigan and Georgia Tech, which is another encouraging sign.
Patti could well be back in Ann Arbor this Winter with the rest of the Dr Phillips crew who are also looking to visit (Dee Hart, Chris Gallon, Roderick Ryles, HCD?). They were meant to come to the Wisconsin game, but with the playoffs kicking off this week, they won't be able to make it. Dr Phillips finished the regular season undefeated, and are one of the favorites to go all the way!
Glenville High School (OH) is a well known OSU pipeline, but it looks like Michigan could make some in roads there with this class. WR Shane Wynn and QB Cardale Jones both have Michigan offers, and plan to visit officially on December 10th, the weekend of "the big chill".
Wynn, despite somewhat average star rankings from most sites, has offers from several big time schools including Miami (Fl), USC and the in state Buckeyes. Jones is unlikely to get an offer from OSU after they secured top QB Braxton Miller earlier this year, but he still has offers from the likes of LSU, Penn State, Michigan, MSU and WVU.
Tim Jernigan surprisingly canceled his trip to Tallahassee this weekend, and instead took the short journey to see Florida take on South Carolina. I personally watched the game, and Florida were downright awful; even their defense didn't look that good.
But still, Jernigan came away feeling quite comfortable with the Gators, and insists they still have a chance of signing him in February. However (and unfortunately), he has said that LSU, Alabama and FSU have pulled away slightly from Michigan, USC and Florida.
This is somewhat surprising to hear, Jernigan has had nothing but positive comments about the Maize and Blue since his trip. No need to hit the panic button on this one just yet, as he says all six still have a chance. However...
The main reason Jernigan might not want to play at Michigan is because of the highly debated 3-3-5 scheme. Tim has been double teamed in high school probably for the last two or three years, and the feeling is that he might want to play in a four man front to help himself out. It's now up to the Michigan coaches to convince him that their scheme is versatile enough to keep him happy. Could be an uphill battle from here on in.
First of all, Ryan Kerrigan....take a bow. That was quite a performance.
Michigan has given up the fewest sacks in the Big Ten this season, but that didn't stop Kerrigan racking up 4 sacks, 5 TFL, 10 tackles, 2 FF and 1 FR! Incredible performance.
Secondly, a big thanks to the Michigan defense, who actually showed up today - and they were needed badly! The offense simply has to play better next week against Wisconsin, let's hope the weather is a bit dryer.
This is yet another must win game for the Wolverines, as the next two games look pretty difficult - Wisconsin and OSU.
If this game was at home, I'd have no doubt that Michigan would find a way to win, but because its in West Lafayette, Purdue has a chance at the upset here. They played a very good first half against Wisconsin last week, so I think its crucial that Michigan gets a couple of early scores to take the crowd out the game.
If Michigan thinks their defense is unlucky with injures, just look at Purdue's offense! Their top QB, WR and RB are all out for the season, which means Michigan's defense could actually hold them under 30 today! I'm not even sure which QB they are playing, but Michigan has to force him into making mistakes. Getting a couple of turnovers in Purdue territory would be nice for a change!
Michigan simply has to win, and they will!
Michigan 42; Purdue 31
Name: Dallas Crawford
Location: Fort Myers, Florida
Position: CB
Ratings: ESPN – 4* (80); espn150 (#142)
Recruitment: Visited Ann Arbor for the spring game with teammate Sammy Watkins and from then on in, Michigan was the leader. Came up again for the Iowa game on an unofficial, enjoyed himself and committed a few weeks later on November 12th, 2010 – his birthday. The other schools in his top four were Miami, Tennessee and West Virginia.
Offers: Had offers from a lot of major programs, including LSU, Tennessee, Miami (Fl), West Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Iowa and more.
Stats: As a sophomore he had 55 tackles and 3 INT’s, eclipsed this mark his junior year with 10 INT’s. Currently weighs around 185 at 5’10. Runs 4.47 forty yard dash. Also plays QB for his team, throwing for 2500 yards and 25 TD’s last season.
ESPN Analysis: Crawford is simply one of the more instinctive defensive backs we have seen around the football in this class. A great overall athlete with excellent footwork and ball skills. Is well-built with just adequate height but plays taller. Finds the ball very naturally in coverage.
Always seems to be in the right position by making good reads, and does a nice job in attacking the ball at its highest point. Makes great cuts with a lot of burst, loves to undercut routes. Solid in run support, hits well. He’s aggressive, physical and has unbelievable ball hawking ability, Safety would be a possibility but he’s a bit undersized for it. Somewhat lacking in pure one on one experience, but overall is just a true playmaker with coveted intangibles.
Improvements: Experience, could also work on his speed a bit, appears more quick than fast.
Film Highlights: Link here.
Final Thoughts: Scout and Rivals giving him only three stars is an insult. This kid is one of the top playmakers in the class and has the potential to be a great corner for Michigan. Look for him to jump up their rankings at the end of the year.
Michigan’s secondary lacks a playmaker, hopefully Crawford can come in and bring back some swagger. Could well see the field as a freshman, but Michigan does figure to be stacked at corner next year with Woolfolk, Floyd, Avery, Christian and Talbott.
He’ll still visit Michigan officially this winter, and he’ll be bringing WR Sammy Watkins along with him. By signing Crawford, Michigan definitely increased their chances with Watkins, who is also a tremendous talent.
Michigan’s success in Florida continues!
This one is important.
Dallas Crawford has announced today (his birthday) on his Facebook page that he's going to be a Wolverine!!!
This is a huge pick up for Michigan, firstly because Crawford is a flat out play maker (10 INT's last year), and secondly because this can only help our cause with his teammate Sammy Watkins. I'll draw up a full commitment post in a bit.
Cornerback is looking like a position of strength next year with Woolfolk and Floyd back! Now all we need is some safeties. Talking of safeties, Wayne Lyons has just announced that he will visit Michigan officially on December 3rd...cool. A few months ago I said this class had serious potential, well its just starting to take shape...
Go Blue!
DeAnthony Arnett has chosen to attend the Tennessee Volunteers. Hey, at least it's not MSU.
It's always frustrating to see a top in state talent go elsewhere, but with the Crawford announcement coming Friday, there's something else to look forward to.
Dallas Crawford will apparently announce his college decision this Friday, which comes as a bit of a surprise. I always thought Crawford was going to make a late decision, after his official to Michigan in the Winter. I also thought he would do a joint announcement with Watkins, but I guess that's not the case.
Things are looking great then for Friday, Crawford's coach told MGoBlog last week that Michigan has a sizable lead, so in theory he should commit to Michigan. That would give Michigan two ESPN 150 recruits, and easily their best defensive pickup of this class.
Crawford is a flat out game changer. Ten interceptions last year whilst playing Quarterback says it all. If he does indeed go blue, that would also mean Michigan's chances with Sammy Watkins go up even further.
Watkins, as mentioned yesterday, has Michigan just behind Clemson on his list. Watkins' coach indicated that how both teams finish the season could be important in his final decision. Well Clemson are only 5-4 now, and will probably lose @ FSU this week, and then have to go away against Wake Forest before a season ending game against #23 South Carolina. So the Tigers are likely to finish 6-6 or 7-5. i.e No better than us!
Things are really looking up!
If you have any questions related to Michigan football recruiting, or just football recruiting in general, please send me an email at mgorecruit@live.co.uk and I'll do my best to answer them.
Chris via email: You may want to check out ESPN college football rumor section. Apparently they're giving implications that Michigan is in the lead for Arnett at this point. How sweet of a pickup would that be? Still wish they'd bolster the defensive side a little more, but at this point I'll take what we can get.
Firstly, thanks for the tip off, I didn't read the the rumor page yesterday. The article does say Arnett is leaning towards Michigan, but it doesn't really give a reason why, it basically just says he enjoyed his visit and thinks he could play a lot next year. The article also says Tennessee doesn't have a chance because he didn't visit them officially. Actually, I've seen a lot of people who think Tennessee have a really good chance tonight. You right in the fact that this would be an insane steal for Michigan, who seemed out of the race until this month, but I can't help but be pessimistic here. If I had to bet on it, I'd put my money on MSU. But then again, he was a Wolverine fan growing up, and if it were me deciding, I would never go to my childhood favorite's rival school!
Jeff via email: Have you heard anything new on the Clinton-Dix situation, what % chance do you think we currently have? Also do we have any shot at all at Karlos Williams?
Two really top end safeties, getting one would be quite an achievement. It really all depends on their visits. Clinton-Dix might be coming up for the Wisconsin game along with a few other teammates, but this hasn't been finalized yet. They were meant to visit for the Illinois game, and that didn't happen, so there's a chance he might not be able to visit again. If he does, the visit would need to be perfect, and that includes the weather. I've read quotes of him saying it's a little too cold up there in Michigan, which hurts UM's chances. I'd give Michigan only a 7.5% chance of signing him. (He's 85% committed to Bama, the other 15% gets split between UM and FSU :P)
Karlos Williams will apparently visit Michigan officially during January, but again, Michigan would need something special to happen. He's still recruiting Clinton-Dix to FSU, so I doubt UM has that much of a chance, probably only 5%.
Jamaal via email: Will Michigan be getting any good Defensive Backs with speed this year?
Speed kills, and Michigan certainly lacks it in the defensive backfield right now. If your hoping for someone with Demar Dorsey speed, your going to be disappointed. Daren Kitchen is pretty fast, he runs the 100m in 10.8 seconds, and Blake Countess runs a sub 4.5 forty yard dash. But even some of Michigan's top targets (Avery Walls, Clinton-Dix etc) aren't particularly fast. The fastest DB left on Michigan's board is Doran Grant, who runs sub 4.4, but he's a longshot.
Dallas via email: Do you know the status and progress of recruits from 2010, Ken Wilkins, Josh Furman, and Richard Ash? I thought there was alot of promise for them and thought I would have seen at least some of them, particularly Josh Furman but either way I haven't heard anything about them this year. Thanks for any information you have and keep up the great work!
Some players come in college ready, others don't. Size was always an issue for Furman, who needed to put on some muscle before getting to Ann Arbor. It looks like he'll need a year or so under Mike Barwis before he is ready to take the field. Richard Ash came in with the opposite problem, he was out of shape. Both players have great potential, and I'm sure they will be contributing more next year. Nose Tackle and Linebacker are also two of the hardest places to start as a freshman, the physical demands are really high.
Jay via email: Do you think it is better to be in on some of the upper level Florida recruits, and occasionally get one (Dee Hart) or to rule the state of Michigan (as in the past). Am I being fooled by the speed from the south, and is a 3-star from Florida better than our states best? Thank you for your consideration.
If you look at most recruiting rankings, a lot of the top players are from Florida, which is why Miami/Florida/FSU are so talented. UMich has great presence in Florida right now, which can only get bigger as pipelines develop (Dr Phillips, Pahokee). Are three star players from Florida better than three star players from Michigan?...Probably.
Recruits down south are just generally faster, certainly at the skill positions, so it pays to recruit Florida. Of course I'd like UM to lock down their home state, but that is hard with another Big Ten school lurking about, and several other programs that recruit the state's top talent, like with D Arnett (USC, Tennessee, Cal).
The coaching staff has actually recruited really well considering the on field results, so in a few years when Michigan is competing for B10/nation titles, they will get back to owning the state, whilst still picking out talent in Florida.
Thanks for the questions!
- Monroeville, PA Linebacker Armstead Williams is deciding between Michigan and Cincinnati for his final official visit. Straight away that tells us that Michigan probably doesn't have a great chance of signing him, but if they just get him on campus anything can happen. He'll be visiting Purdue this week, so he'll get an up close view of the Wolverines anyway.
- A couple in-staters have chosen December 10th for their official visit to Michigan. Anthony Zettel and Desmond Morgan will both be campus that weekend. Expect at least one commitment that week.
- Kris Frost has confirmed that he'll be at the Michigan-Wisconsin game later this month. It looks like its down to Auburn and UM. It will be interesting to see how all this Cam Newton stuff affects Auburn recruits, if the stories are true, the Tigers are in serious trouble.
It will be at 7PM this Wednesday at his school. No real optimism in the UM camp here about this one.
On a sidenote, according to Sammy Watkins head coach, Michigan is a close second behind the Clemson Tigers. Does this mean Miami has fallen from his list? The Canes were the presumed leader a while back, so that is good for Michigan. If UM finishes strong and gets Crawford (very likely) then I think they have a GREAT chance with Watkins.
Michigan has kind of picked up another commitment for the 2011 class. Fullback Joey Kerridge (Traverse City, MI) plans to attend UM as a preferred walk-on. His family are big fans and he always wanted to play for the Maize and Blue.
His application is currently going through, and barring any complications, he'll be with the team in the summer or fall. Kerridge suffered a torn ACL before his senior year, which might have stopped him picking up some offers. He'd been hearing from Stanford and Michigan State.
He carried the ball for over a thousand yards last year, with an average gain of nine yards, plus he didn't fumble the ball once. Encouraging signs. He also carries a 3.75 GPA in the classroom. You can check out his junior highlights here.
It would appear that Michigan's chances of landing four star QB Marquise Williams are pretty low now, after he visited North Carolina officially last weekend. He's already a Tar Heel commit, but with the problems UNC has been having off the field, there was a chance he could decommit.
The visit went great for Williams (probably better than his UM visit?) and he didn't have a bad word to say about the team or the program. His commitment to UNC is "firm" once again.
He still might visit LSU and N.C State just to be sure, but it looks like things are over for Michigan here. Hopefully now the coaching staff will lock things down with Kevin Sousa, who is also taking visits at the moment.
DeAnthony Arnett, the top prospect in the state of Michigan will make his college decision this week, presuming they can set up a press conference in time. Arnett and his family are trying to sort things out with the school principle etc, aiming for an announcement this Wednesday or Thursday.
Arnett enjoyed his recent visit to the Big House where he got to see just how well UM's pass offense can operate. With DRob/Tate/Devin all on campus, at least Michigan can guarantee Arnett he'll play with a top quality QB for three straight years, which maybe other teams can't.
So do the Wolverines actually have a shot here? Well, strangely enough Arnett denies ever really eliminating Michigan. However for the last few months he certainly hasn't mentioned UM in his top list.
Chances are low, but who knows. Maybe he's just be messing with us this whole time ;) Personally I'd just consider it a win if he didn't end up at Michigan State.
Forgot to post this a few days ago. DeAnthony Arnett is nearing his decision date, his been on multiple visits out west and should be ready to commit later this month. But he did say he'd take one more visit, which would be a surprise. Of course we now know, that surprise trip was to see Michigan beat Illinois in an absolute thriller!
Arnett had to be impressed with what he saw from the UM receivers. Roy Roundtree proved today that Michigan isn't just about the running game, its quite possible to put up ridiculous stats in the offense.
Hopefully Arnett is seriously considering the Maize and Blue again, he'd be a brilliant addition to the class and it would be a major recruiting victory over MSU. Props to the coaching staff for staying on him, never giving up. Ill have another update on him when his game reaction comes out.
COME ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GO BLUE!!!!!!!!!
What a game, possibly program changing. By far the biggest win of the season, and perhaps the most important of Coach Rod's tenure at Michigan. We're going bowling!
When it needed to be done, Michigan's best players finally came through. Here's just a few of today's heroes:
- Junior Hemingway: He fought for every yard on the day and pulled in some really clutch catches, especially the tipped ball for a TD in 2OT.
- Darryl Stonum: Might not have had a great day statistically, but that TD catch to tie the game was by no means easy.
- Roy Roundtree: He actually had two dropped passes on the day, but to be fair to him he did set a Michigan record for receiving yards - 246yds with two TD's; immense!
- Tate Forcier: He turned the ball over on his first snap, but he showed he can run the offense pretty darn well with a heroic effort to keep Michigan in the game.
- Jonas Mouton: Purely for sacking their QB to win the game!
Hopefully Denard Robinson's injury isn't serious and hopefully Michigan can enter the OSU game a respectable 7-4 or possibly 8-3 if they play out of their skin against Wisconsin.
It really is cheating, but I'm going to do my gameday prediction now, around 7 minutes into the game. The score is currently 7-3 Michigan. I won't go into details, but the fact we stopped them scoring a TD on their first drive is reason for optimism. Michigan 42, Illinois 34
Recruiting Notes:
The big surprise today is that DeAnthony Arnett, who was rumored to be interested in the Wolverines again, has shown up at the game. This could be huge! Not sure whether its an official or unofficial visit yet. As mentioned earlier this week, Malcolm Crockett (Cincinnati RB commit) is at the game.
Also, four star CB Blake Countess (Olney, MD) has been offered by Michigan. He has a pretty good relationship with the coaches and will hopefully visit quite soon. Main competition could be Georgia Tech, who he's quite high on.
Edits:
FUMBLE!!!! We actually got a turnover! muhaha!
Firstly, the big news is that the Dr Phillips players will not be visiting this weekend due to scheduling problems. Hopefully they will still make it up to Ann Arbor for the Wisconsin game as originally planned. The players in that group include Dee Hart, Ha'sean Clinton-Dix, Roderick Ryles, Nick Patti (2012), Chris Gallon, Darryl Monroe and Karlos Williams.
There will still be a couple of official visitors at the game on Saturday. Cincinnati commitment RB Malcolm Crockett (who once named UM as his co-leader) and kicker Matt Goudis (West Hills, CA) are expected to be in attendance. Goudis is also currently committed elsewhere, he's meant to be with Boise State next year.
J.T Floyd is done for the season after suffering ligament damage in one of his ankles. He'll have surgery, hopefully he'll be back for spring practice next season.
This could be a blessing in disguise, I mean one of the freshman might decide to really step it up in practice. Floyd, whilst being #1 on the depth chart, wasn't exactly having a great year. When teams pick on your #1 corner, you know you have problems.
Cullen Christian, Terrence Talbott, Courtney Avery, all true freshman will join converted WR James Rogers in the two deep for the cornerback spot. As I write this I'm practically laughing at how bad a depth chart that looks.
There is no denying the fact that Coach Rod has been unlucky...
- Florida have dismissed Jonathan Dowling from their football team for violating team rules. Dowling was the #1 safety in the nation last year, and well...let's hope the violations weren't that bad and Michigan takes a look!
- WR Hakeem Flowers gave his Michigan visit about an eight or nine out of ten. He got on well with the coaches and the players, but his main issue was the weather - a bit too cold. Hopefully that doesn't deter him too much. The other schools in his top five are LSU, Oregon, UCLA and Georgia Tech.
- Anthony Zettel's top five schools of Michigan, MSU, Penn State, Iowa and USC seem to be set in stone. Those are the finalists, Michigan still has a slight lead.
- Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix continues to give Michigan and FSU fans hope by saying he's only 85% committed to Alabama. Basically he has Dee Hart pulling him towards Michigan, and fellow safety Karlos Williams pulling him towards the Seminoles. Both Ha'sean and Karlos should be visiting Michigan along with the Dr Phillips crew this month, either for the Illinois or Wisconsin game.
I get the impression that FSU has a better chance than us, mainly because of his dislike of the cold weather!
