Ok, there are some pretty big changes in the ideal class list, so this post is basically to justify them.
- Firstly, Gunner Kiel's addition might surprise a few of you, but there isn't actually another QB that is as high on Michigan as Kiel is! Therefore he's the most likely to end up in the class.
- Next, I've taken out Ron Thompson. His situation is a real mystery, and the longer it goes on, the more I doubt it. So for now, he's out, and Michigan doesn't take a 3rd TE.
- I've increased the number of OL taken to five, this is based on the number of recruits who seem interested in Michigan, and how heavily they are recruiting the position.
- I've also added a 5th DE, because the way UM is recruiting those Ohio DEs (relentlessly), I can't possibly see how they don't take at least five. Strobel is added in as the 5th guy, as he seems high on Michigan after his visit. FWIW, you could consider it 4 DEs, and 5 LBs, because Mario Ojemudia is looking like a rush OLB right now; things would have to change a lot for him to be a DE, although there is plenty of time.
- At DT, Sheldon Day is out of the class. He plans a late decision (late for UM's standards anyway), and this could cost him a place assuming Michigan only takes two guys at DT. I think there's a good chance Michigan wins the battle for Jaleel Johnson and Ondre Pipkins, both of whom are likely to decide before Sheldon Day. I like Day a lot as a prospect, but all three are very talented, so I'd be happy with any combination of them.
- At DB, we now know that Michigan plans to take four guys, two at each position. TR has already locked down one of the corner spots, and I believe Allen Gant will do the same at Safety in the next month or so. Then it's likely Michigan takes Wayne Morgan and Anthony Standifer as hybrid guys, meaning their position will be decided once they get on campus and have a few practices. Unfortunately this leaves out Armani Reeves, who has UM in his top two. There's still a chance for Reeves, but he'd have to beat the others to the punch, and I don't see that happening. Penn State could also be hard to beat out, whilst with Morgan and Standifer, the competition is less worrying.
Anyway, that's the changes. I'd consider a few of them pretty significant ones. Send me in any questions you have regarding them, either in the comments section below or via Twitter.
The Ideal Class link is as always at the top of the page, or right here!
Either Coach Hoke is expecting MAJOR attrition or he is going to be honest with alot of players who dont fit the scheme he wants to run and give them the chance to transfer ...
ReplyDeleteI say this because we are in a great position with tons of prospects and we only have room for 13 more ( if we sign 25)...And we are still sending out scholarships..It seems to me we are going to sign a huge class this year and not so big a class for the next 1 ...And with early enrolees their scholarship comes off of last years count .. So if any of these guys enroll early that frees open another spot
I remember reading that the original pitch to pipkins would be that he would pretty much be a lock to start 4 years at the NT position. However, later in the same interview he stated that one of his criteria for selection would be not only early playing time, but a willingness on the part of the coaching staff to move him around utilizing his athleticism. I'm just really curious as to whether the coaching staff has adjusted their pitch to him a little bit after seeing him just dominate at camp. I'm guessing so based upon how bestial he appears.
ReplyDeleteHey Benji what are you hearing about the top prospects in the country other than Gunner Kiel with interest to go blue? Do we have any real legit chances with guys like Dunn, Green-Beckham, and Jarron Jones?
ReplyDeleteMy ideal class would be to add:
ReplyDeleteWormly
Washington
Morgan
Grant
Reeves/Standifer
Pipkins
Jarron Jones
Stanford
Dunn
Kiel
Diamond
Magnuson
Banner
To an already outstanding class. Stealing away Jones and Dunn would be HUGE and also help bring Washington in this class along with teammate Stanford.
GO BLUE!!!
With Kiel possibly in this class we may be able recruit a more nationally recruited WR while waiting for Burbridge to sort out his academic concerns. Nice looking class, but DT depth was a concern from the start and we didn't take any last year, and Martin will graduate and we only take 2 this year?
ReplyDeletep.s. Vontrell Williams doesn't have an offer, does he?
Tom Strobel may not be as touted as Washington and taking his commitment wouldn't be stealing one from Tressel, but he looks incredible on film at SDE. He splits double teams like they aren't even there, he has great tackling instincts in open space, and he looks like he just loves to hit. Strobel is a serious pass rusher.
ReplyDeleteMy Ideal class would have:
ReplyDeleteWashington instead of Strobel
Stanford instead of Burbridge
and Jarrod Wilson or Reeves instead of Gant. Everything else can stay the same.
It's hard to say who I would chose between Reeves and Gant. I think I'd take Gant. Like many of the kids that our staff got in on early, he is looking better and better as time goes on. Plus, a kid who has the Michigan lineage will be more appreciative of the rivalries which I think is very important.
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ReplyDelete...dont for get our silent commit. I still think its Stefon Diggs:D fits all the criteria, unlike morgan who isnt exactly highly touted.
ReplyDeleteThere are some good pieces on ESPN about a few of the guys we are after ...Just a couple informative things I enjoyed reading
ReplyDeleteWayne Morgan is a Rivals 4 star and #139 above James Ross and T-Rich on their 250, #33 on 247 Sports the 247, got a 79 rating and is on the 150 watchlist for ESPN, so he isn't really a sleeper prospect, but Diggs is in the conversation of the best overall DBs. Armani Reeves is also a non midwest DB.
ReplyDeleteso its only scout that is down on him... and it has been said already Armani is not the SC.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteman can i just say i like gunner kiel but do we really want to go after him.. to me if we go after him it will mess up the chance that we can grab the farmington 3 and the taft 2.. wouldnt just be better if we pick up burrbridge n stanford. and leave them two for Shane Morris.
ReplyDeleteMorris will help us recruit a guy like DGB in next years class and the one after and Kiel can help us do that this year. Consider the top WR's taken in this years NFL draft: they went to a top school with a top qb, they left for the NFL after 3 years. They were pretty calculated in their recruitment process. Morris can help us pull those #1 overall WR's for the next 4 to 5 years, and landing Kiel would almost guarantee it. We won't need extra mid-4-star WR's in this class if we pull the #1 in the country every year after.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know if we have a good shot at RB DYMONTE THOMAS from OHIO ?
ReplyDeleteOhio Nike Combine DB MVP was a kid named Sebastian Smith from Pinkerington, OH. He has exactly 1 scholarship offer from Indiana. 6'3" CB/Safety with great cover skills and likes to move to the ball (and has the length to do so.) Scouts reported good ball-hawking skills, or at least better than every other DB at the combine.
ReplyDeleteWe are currently the Leader for Dymonte Thomas according to an interview by him that he gave to scout. He also said he may commit to where ever he is going early.
ReplyDelete@Michael Strobel would be a big loss for OSU! Down here they consider him a "soft" verbal because they have been on him for 2 years,plus he is a bucknut fan. I do believe his visit last weekend really shot UM up his group tho.
ReplyDeleteYeah but every good player from Ohio they claim as theirs by default. Still I want Strobel on our team. I think it'll be hard for many buckeye leans to ignore Michigan and our coaches especially with the special circumstances in Columbus.
ReplyDeleteNice list. Somewhat similar to mine. Check it out if you wish here: http://randomcoach.blogspot.com/2011/05/updated-class-of-2012-projection.html
ReplyDeleteNote: I would add Morgan and Standifer to my list at this point.
what do you think the timeline is for our silent commit
ReplyDeleteI am hearing a rumor that Morgan is announcing on June 1st. He may be the man we are waiting on. Then again could be a couple of other guys too.
ReplyDeleteWayne Morgan to announce June 1st
ReplyDeleteESPNU 150 Watch List cornerback Wayne Morgan (Brooklyn, N.Y./Erasmus Hall) will announce his college choice on June 1, according to Erasmus Hall coach Danny Lundberg. Morgan has offers from Alabama, Boston College, Connecticut, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Penn State, Rutgers and Syracuse. However, Lundberg said Morgan will not be attending college in the Northeast.
ReplyDeleteAnd if you believe what was out there it was pretty much down to Rutgers and Michigan so with him saying he wont be attending school in the Northeast ..That pretty much eliminated Rutgers and we can get ready for a welcome Wayne Morgan post
ReplyDeleteThere is a VERY big alumni base in the greater NYC area,hopefully they have been in his ear out there also.
ReplyDeleteSolid 4 star on every site now I believe. I thought he was not on scout but someone said they updated and he is a 4 star now.
ReplyDeleteWayne Morgan is announcing June 1st
ReplyDeleteWhat's this I hear about "get ready for Ondre Pipkins to go blue"
ReplyDeleteJust good things stirring about Pipkins we will not know anything for a while now. We just need to let this one play out we are in a strong position for him though.
ReplyDelete@Brendon: I don't think Dunn quite fits in the same group as DGB, Kiel and Jarron Jones. They are some of the elite players in nation, whilst Dunn is really only a mid-high four star prospect. Only scout.com is really high on him.
ReplyDeleteWe don't have a chance with DGB, even if we land Kiel imo. DGB is much closer to Zeke Pike, so if he follows anyone, it will be to Auburn. UM has a shot with Dunn, but OSU is still a clear favorite in my book. I think Tressel will have to get fired for Dunn to decommit. Jarron Jones could be visiting Michigan twice, so I guess we have an alright chance there.
For the record, I'd take Burbridge over Stanford, every day of the week. Burbridge is one of the elite receivers in the nation, but it's just his academics holding him back. If he announced tomorrow that he's cleared, I'm sure the SEC/PAC12 would come calling.
ReplyDelete@ Robert, Yes, Michigan has a VERY good chance with Dymonte Thomas. As someone above said, he announced Michigan as a leader after he visited us and Sparty, so things look very good here.
ReplyDeleteWayne Morgan announcing on June 1st...never saw that coming ;)
ReplyDeleteBenji,
ReplyDeleteHow do you feel about our other WR prospects? (Burbridge and Stanford aside) Leonte Carroo looks like a top talent but his offer sheet is rather small. Same with Malik Gilmore. Jalen Overstreet and Amara Darboh we might have a good shot with, but are they worth going after? Unless we push for Wes Brown too we have no shot at Stefon Diggs it would seem. It feels almost like Burbridge or bust for a starting WR from this class. What do you think?