Friday 26 August 2011

Another day, Another departure!

I've just seen that Chris Barnett has left the program, when did this happen? I swear I've been checking all the main UM sites for team news this week, and somehow I must have missed this.

Freshman TE Chris Barnett, who basically switched to UM on signing day has left, leaving the TE position pretty light for this year. I really hope Ricardo Miller comes good now!

Will this effect recruiting? Maybe. Ron Thompson is the only TE left on Michigan's board, but we don't even know for sure that he has a committable offer. If I were Hoke, I'd be awfully tempted to take Thompson should Michigan lose out on Brionte Dunn, or a 6th OL. Thompson is a great prospect who's excelled at camps and combines this year, and with Kevin Koger departing UM after this year, the coaches might feel they now need him in this class.

Extra: We also have to think about the possibility that A.J Williams makes the switch to OL.

43 comments:

  1. I think thompson will come into play now.

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  2. i think with as much talent we already have and the commits at tight end during this 2012 class, i think were set at tight end. that being said, thomson is hard to turn down. just saying. he is a beast at camps.

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  3. Not to mention RT could play WR. I'm telling you, the kid has the potential to be Mike Williams: a nightmare mismatch for every DC in the country. And, the kid is just learning the game.

    Benji,
    What's a committable offer? Are you posting that the staff are making offers that they would not honor? I understand your point, but what do people think some of these kids are being told?

    O'Brien recently indicated that he was told by Hoke that he had a spot, whenever he decided Michigan was for him.

    I believe RT has an offer. If he wanted to verbal, it would be honored.

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  4. UM has 7 TE this year and 7 next year with the two verbals they have now. Outside of Miller I have not heard of anybody else listed at TE are they any good. And if R. Miller turns out to be a decent TE and the two freshmen are they set at TE?

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  5. It's more that they need someone to pick up where Koger leaves off. That means Moore, or some one else needs to develop this year. Personally, I'm not worried about that happening.

    If the coaches are not happy with the depth and it's progress, you will see a DE or LB moved to TE very soon. If not, they are not worried at all.

    Maybe they give Wile some snaps at TE......

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  6. hey benji, whats the chance that terry richardson decommits and we reel in yuri whright?
    who would u rather have? i like TR but yuri has more size and speed. this is a toss up for me.i wish we could take both.
    also, i seen a highlight reel on freshman furman and hes fast. i would like to see him switch to wide receiver.

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  7. RT and Shane Morris have a good relationship - remember the Grid-Iron King (whatever its called)? They worked extremely well. Its a toss-up between Indiana (Gunner Kiel) and UM. Don't think Syracuse (Tyrone Wheatly) will be an option even though he has them in his final(3). Don't think TR will be de-commiting - notice how quiet he's been since annoucing he'll be taking visits? Think he had "the talk" from the coaches. Its a done deal if/when Yuri visits.

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  8. I think by a committable offer, Benji is saying that yes, he does have an offer and would be accepted, but they may not be pursuing RT with much effort. "Backing off" I've heard it put a few times..
    TomVH left Mgoblog.. He is currently driving to Michigan, to live here. He took a position with ESPN covering Mich recruiting with them.
    I'd personally like to see us get TR and Wright. Although TR is an amazing propect, you don't see many corners that size excel in the B10.

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  9. No question they have backed off. I think it's because they see him more as a WR than a TE.

    But, ever since Payton came back into play, they now see Darboh, Payton, and Stanford as possible options. No reason to take a chance on a tweener, with those guys interested, and 2 out of 3 very possible/likely commits.

    (I think it's a mistake, because I think RT is still in his football infancy compared to the other guys, and growing exponentially. I like Payton, but I LOVE RT)

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  10. RT would be a nice pickup but I doubt he is high on the priority list. anyone of the below are above RT on the pecking order
    Garnett
    Diamond
    Banner
    Dunn
    Wes brown
    Wright
    Any WRs (Payton, Darboh, Madaris, Chesson)
    Obrien

    And can we stop with the RT playing receiver talk. he is a tight end, he is not a mike williams type player. Just because you can flex a player out wide doesn't make them a WR, RT has TE speed, not WR speed or shiftiness, not even close.

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  11. I have been watching videos of the UM coaches.Does it bother anybody else that all the coaches are saying there not ready for the season. I hope they are under playing things.

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  12. RT HS 40- 4.59

    MW combine 40-4.56

    RT 6'4"

    MW at combine 6'4 5/8ths

    MW-All time TD record holder at USC. In two seasons.

    RT? He's about to play, I can't remember, is this his second or third year of Football?

    Watch his film. Then watch Payton's film. Great hands, ability to run routes, ability to create separation, and ability to go for the ball make a great WR. Throw in 6'4', potential to grow taller and faster, and current infancy in the game, and I'll take him all day long.

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  13. @ jer89

    coaches will never say they are ready for the season. They could go undefeated, win the NC and return the entire team, and they would still say they aren't ready for the season. Coaches and players fail if they have the mentality that they can't do better.

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  14. I would like to hear a few more positive things from the coaches.

    Has UM complete T.V schedule come out yet?

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  15. 40 times are exaggerated coming out of HS. Its not a coincidence that every school is looking at him for TE, not WR. not arguing his talent, just saying he is not a WR. RT is 230 easy right now,

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  16. jer-
    I think you are being a little too sensitive. Listen to any top coach around the country, they all say something to the effect that they are not where he wants them to be. The coaches are praising their players in every interview but the key is to make sure its understood that they are not satisfied.

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  17. @lalondtm

    totally agree with u, they say that so were not overly confident in the new season. makes sense if u think about it.
    it worries me though because we do have wholes to fill on offense and defense. so with many teams. that bieng said, denard will shine this season.

    as for recruiting, who do u see commiting next?

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  18. this is a little random, but i just got done playing against Steve Elmer and the Midland Chemics, and well I don't know if i should be impressed or not. i saw quite a few run plays were it looked like he didn't care if he got the block or not and gave up the tackle. We, Mt. Pleasant won 21-7 and they couldn't even run against us. our biggest starting d linemen isnt any bigger than 6ft 240, and they aren't d 1 recruits either. But on other plays he would take two or three defenders out. I'm iffy on him until i see more consistency.

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  19. Jer-

    No matter what the future holds for you personally, I offer one bit of unsolicited advice:

    Always under-promise and over-deliver.

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  20. All,

    Williams had a well known weight problem, too.

    Not many schools have looked at him because he's barely played any ball. Now, he's in his second program, on top of that.

    I'm not saying he's an NFL WR. Neither was MW. I'm saying he COULD be a dominant NCAA WR.

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  21. Well after a little transition, Mike Williams currently is an NFL WR for the Seahawks. And had a very good year last year.

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  22. why is darius powe considered a four star wide reciever with a 40 of 5.0. thats pretty slow. and hes only 6 feet 2.
    and i thought all the kids from California are fast. lol.

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  23. Justin,

    Sorry, by NFL WR, I meant a GOOD NFL WR. A little transition?!?

    He had one decent year, in a last chance bid to get one more payday/contract. If it was not for Pete, he never even would have had another shot, at all.

    But, I don't think anyone will argue that the kid, who many recruited as a TE out of HS, was an unstoppable beast in the NCAA.

    I see RT as having the exact same potential. And, the same gut.

    My main point is that a recruits potential to get better is not to be overlooked. RT is new to the game, and freshly on the learning curve. He has only begun to learn the position. The other WR recruits have been playing it, and going to all the camps, for years, and in some cases, a decade.

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  24. @Jer..
    From what I've looked into, the games that do not have a time scheduled yet, the broadcasting station will announce 7-12 days before the game the time, station, etc.. I've been trying to schedule work around all the games, hopefully that answers your Q

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  25. JLaBelle,
    Thanks

    On a side note,
    I am not so sure telling Tommy Schnutt no thanks was a good idea. I watched the first half of his game today. The kid was solid on stopping the run in the middle and was playing in the back field alot. The other team wanted nothing to do with running the ball up the middle. And the team they were playing is a very good team.

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  26. UM could save some scholarships with Bolden. He punts, throws the ball pretty well and plays good defence. UM could just have Bolden play all positions. What do you guys think. LOL

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  27. I don't know if you guys have seen this, but looks like we have another possibility for a commit at WR - Darius Powe says he is visiting Michigan for the Notre Dame game

    http://insider.espn.go.com/ncf/blog?name=biggins_greg&id=6903886&action=upsell&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fncf%2fblog%3fname%3dbiggins_greg%26id%3d6903886

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  28. Scout also had UofM as #1 on Powe's list a couple days ago. 2 to OSU Beaver's as of yesterday.

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  29. Hey, I was just looking at the ESPN page for UM's recruiting and noticed that there is a guy they say is committed to UM that isn't on the recruit list here, a Jeremy Clark. What's the deal with that?

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  30. He's a greyshirt for 2012, unless he has a break out year this year. Then, he will either pick up an off from MI, especially if TR or someone else signs elsewhere, or maybe decide on a full ride elsewhere.

    I like Koger, Molk and Martin as team captains. I am kind of surprised Woolfolk was not a fourth.

    Finally here! Game week!

    Go Blue!

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  31. BlueMarrow, funny you say that about Woolfolk cause as soon as I sa I texted my fellow UM freak buddy and said the same thing pretty much word for word. But as much as we heard about him at camp prior to getting injured, his name hasn't been out there a whole lot.

    Know what I find odd? All these national college football analysts say how weak our secondary is and how they can't see it improving that much. Shouldn't they know we have 2 starters coming back from injuries and 2 fill in starters as back ups? Just boggles my mind how they all say the same thing and rarely mention that. I am much more concerned at LB than 2ndry.

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  32. Sch-

    Let them eat cake. Best way to shock the world is to start by having everyone expect you to fail.

    Not only do the "analysts" not take into consideration the fact that the much more experiences DB's will no longer be playing 10 yards off their man, but few are even mentioning the time of possession issues.

    No D can play good D if they never get off the field. Michigan will return to power ball, executing high probability of success plays, sustaining long drives, and almost as important, benefit from improved field position because of improved special teams play.

    We will get a small taste this Saturday. The real interesting stuff, however, won't be shown in the daylight game!

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  33. @Schmiege:

    I think the reason they overlook us returning experienced DBs is because, well its not like our DBs were all that great even when they were healthy in 09. Its not that our pass D stunk last year bc of lack of depth, its just that our fundamentals were very poor and due to bad coaching. Bad fundamentals eventually grow into habits and those habits are very hard to break. Some analysts seem to think that it will take awhile to grow out of Greg Robinson's system and some of them think that its not that we need to improve our current players, its that we need new players.

    I think we have enough talent, but I dont expect it to *click* for the DBs until mid season.

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  34. Pipkins, Clark, Mario, and Wormley were fucking solid in their games. If Clark can produce those numbers, hell, even half those numbers, he's a consensus 4 stars throughout. Mario played like a 5 star. Watched Bolden the other night in FL, didn't know he played literally all position(s). Overall, I hope Clark gets a scholly instead greyshirted. Mario was a damn beast.

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  35. Yeah that article on freep predicting the divisions iritates me. Saying teams have drobs number. Umm...how do they know what he's going to do now that he's in an offence that's not going to just run him over and over? That's the whole point of the coaches putting him under center, thier going to include more ppl than just drob. So I'd have to dissagree, teams will not be able to sit back and wait for him to run, run, run.

    Then the D would make some good plays then on 3&12 they would blow the coverage and some one would be left WIDE open! 3/4 of the big plays against us were missed assignments, we didn't even touch most of them.

    Both of the above were areas that the coaching staff has talked about and addressed all off season. Making our O NOT a one man show, and being fundamentaly sound on D, not giving up the big plays.

    I'm just hoping drob will look more like Vince young did in college, throw first run second. He will be much harder to stop!

    5 days!!

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  36. & hoke doesn't "under promise over deliver" with drob. He says he's doing a great job under center, and completes over 70% of his passes!! He sounds more confident in drob, than anybody else I hear him talk about. Bar maybe Martin.

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  37. I do understand that the previous system was flawed to say the least, but Woolfolk is a Carr recruit. He was injured for at least 1 years worth of poor coaching and was assuredly working on his own to get back to the field this year. Guess we will see under the lights if he can hold Floyd (that's NDs drunk stud receiver right?) He should be the most talented receiver we face this year. I believe the main reason for the lack of DB play the last few years was not neccessarily faulty technique, but an awful system. As BlueMarrow said, when you are playing 10 yards off the line, there's something wrong. I strongly agree that we need new solid DBs (hopefully Yuri to go along with TR) but I believe these upper classmen will show us that they can play along with anyone this year.

    On a side note, I watched some of the Taft game yesterday and was not impressed with Washington at all. I know we aren't in consideration anymore, but he just looked to me like a man among boys. No real technique. Didn't fire off the ball. Seemed like his 1st move was always to stand up and look and then run down the ball carrfier from behind. Not what I expected from a #1 DE. Yes he was a specimen, but technique is what counts next year and didn't see much out of him.

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  38. Forgot to mention... I have never been a big Freep fan, but everyone predicting 6-6. We have to be better than last year!

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  41. Yeah that article on freep predicting the divisions iritates me. Saying teams have drobs number. Umm...how do they know what he's going to do now that he's in an offence that's not going to just run him over and over? That's the whole point of the coaches putting him under center, thier going to include more ppl than just drob. So I'd have to dissagree, teams will not be able to sit back and wait for him to run, run, run.

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