Exitlude (play the video...)

As you've probably noticed, I've been very inactive lately on the recruiting front, and this is for a couple of reasons. Firstly, my last semester of university has just started, and I need to work pretty hard to achieve my goals on that front, and secondly, if I'm being honest I've lost interest in the recruiting process over the last couple of months. Let's face it, its a completely flawed system.
Stars mean nothing, when you watch the NFL draft, check out what their high school rankings were, way too many flew under the radar for the scouting services to be proved accurate. So many 'top' prospects don't pan out, whether it be for off the field issues, or the fact that they just aren't good enough. I've come to the conclusion that its pretty pointless following the recruitment of a kid from March -> Signing day when: 1) there's a good chance he won't sign with you; and 2) there's a good chance that he won't be the player you hope he'll be.


So for these reasons, I'm sorry to say that this will be the last post on MGoRecruit.

I'd like to thank all of you for your continued support over the last two and a half years, I never really imagined that the site would become so popular - 6 million hits! I started the blog because I was bored over the summer and loved Michigan football; of course I still love Michigan football, but nowadays I just won't have the time to keep the blog running with high quality. So again, thank you so much for following the blog and putting up with my recruiting ramblings for so long!

Fortunately for you, as Michigan fans there are plenty of ways to get your recruiting fix. The godfather of UM recruiting is and always will be Sam Webb, and I can't recommend his morning radio show and/or podcasts enough. They really do cover all the important stories, and if anyone has an idea where a recruit is going, it's Sam. Then you have another great free source over at MGoBlog, which I'm sure you already know about, but its worth mentioning that Ace does a great job over there.

I haven't spoken much with SimplyComplex lately, but I'm sure he'll continue to work in the field of Michigan recruiting, so make sure you follow him here on twitter. I'd also like to thank him for the great contributions he's made to the site over the last month.

So yeah, that's it. Best of luck to all you in whatever you're up to the future, and thanks for everything.

Go Blue.

Visitor Update

2013 3* WR James Onwualu from Saint Paul (MN) will not be visiting this weekend as reported by various sites. James told me that him visiting was just a "false rumor" and he will indeed not be visiting.

Kevin Gladney Update

A couple days ago I had the opportunity to chat with 2013 Akron (OH) WR Kevin Gladney. Gladney has offers from Nebraska, Michigan State, and Michigan as of now. Gladney stands 6'2 and 185 lbs., and has the ability to play in a pro or spread style offense. Heres an update on his recruitment:

-West Virginia and Michigan are recruiting him the hardest, but Michigan is showing him the most love. No decision date or leaders.

-Gladney participated in the Under Armour combine and he thought that he had "a pretty good performance, and he learned a lot, but more importantly he enjoyed himself a lot."

-Being a top receiver in Ohio makes Gladney "feel good", and inspires him to work harder to get better. He says that he has handled the recruiting process very well. He's been very humble and has "treated everyone respectfully like his parents told him to.

-Kevin would be welcome to play both basketball and football, if the opportunity was available. Basketball was actually his first love.

-Kevin says that he improved on his speed and height from a year ago to help better his game. When asked what his strengths and weaknesses were, he said: "My strengths would be my speed and my ability to catch the ball at it's highest point." My weaknesses would be my strength. I feel like I need to get stronger."

-Greg Mattison is Gladneys main contact at Michigan. He said that "Mattison is great, and he's a good guy, whose really funny and sounds like he really wants me to be a wolverine."

Gladney should be a top five prospect in Ohio come summer time once he participates in some junior days and football camps. Seems like Gladney has really connected with Coach Mattison and he likes Michigan. We need to get him on campus, but as of now, I like our chances.

Upcoming Weekend Visitors

Hokes Mad Magicians writer; Sarah Hughes gives an in-depth, and extensive look at Michigans visitors for this weekend. Check it out here.

New Writer

Hello everyone, the MGoRecruit team has added another member to the blog today. The new writer is Brandon Brown. Heres a little background on Brandon:

"I was born in Tawas, Michigan in 1984 so that makes me 27 years old. I grew up in a really small, rural town in mid-Michigan. I was bred, born, and raised a die-hard Michigan fan. I went to a really small public school and played sports my whole life. I went on to college at Central Michigan University and studied to become a science/PE teacher and coach. I moved to South Carolina in 2007 in search of a job and landed it after 1 interview. I teach 7th grade science and coach wide receivers and defensive backs in football, and I am a head girls basketball coach."

Brandon will be our "film guy" who will be breaking down and evaluating recruits. He will give you in-depth analysis on recruits and it will hopefully give you a better understanding of what the recruit excels at, and areas that they could improve upon. With Brandon being a high school football coach, he has an "eye for talent" which should let you know that he knows what he's doing.

Everybody give him a follow at @CoachBrown3. Welcome him with warm, and open arms!

Shaq Wiggins commits to Georgia

2013 Atlanta (Ga.) CB Shaq Wiggins has commited to Georgia today according to his twitter. Wiggins had some interest in Michigan, but there were some discrepancies regarding whether or not he had an offer from the Wolverines. Wiggins was on Georgias campus today for an official visit, so it wasn't all that surprising for him to stay in-state.

His commitment doesn't really affect Michigan too much because they seem to be higher on other corner backs such as Kendall Fuller, Jourdan Lewis, amongst others.

Quick Hitters

- It seems like all four major recruiting services have released early rankings now, as the Rivals 100 is out. Shane Morris is #16, Dymonte Thomas is #77.

- Ohio TE Jake Butt has named Michigan as his clear leader, and he checks in at #96 on the previously mentioned Rivals 100. Michigan will take at least two TEs in this class, and Jake has a good shot at being the 2nd.

- Per an Allen Trieu tweet, Illinois WR Laquon Treadwell will be visiting Michigan this weekend, as well as Michigan State. The Wolverines were his leaders previously, but he's just picked up offers from USC and Ohio State, so the competition just got a lot tougher. The Buckeyes will get him on campus next month.

Dan Gibbs to walk on at UM

2012 in state offensive lineman Dan Gibbs has chosen to walk on at Michigan over scholarship offers from Ball St, Eastern Michigan and some ivy league schools. This is a nice get for UM as it takes a bit of pressure off the Kozan decision and doesn't cost us a scholarship.

Gibbs is a three star prospect on scout.com, which is good for a walk on. He's a very smart guy, so he'll have every chance to excel on and off the field at Michigan.

Commitment Profile: Khalid Hill

Name: Khalid Hill

Location: Detroit, MI

Position: TE

Ratings: ESPN – NR* (40), Scout – NR*, 247 Sports - 3*

Recruitment: There's not too much to say here. Hill grew up a Wolverine fan and knew that when offered, he would commit. He increased the chances of getting that offer by turning in an MVP performance at Michigan's summer camp, although he still had to wait until February 6th 2012 for his offer.

Offers: Michigan, Central Michigan.

Stats: Currently weighs around 235lbs at 6’2. As a junior he caught 29 passes for 448 yards and 6 TDs. Also played on defense and made 55 tackles, but he'll most likely be a TE in college.

ESPN Analysis: None available.

Scout.com Analysis: None available

Improvements: Hard to say this early on, and without any real evaluations. Wouldn't mind seeing him grow 2-3 inches in height though.

Film Highlights: Link here.

Final Thoughts: Michigan missed out on Sam Grant at the end of the 2012 class, so it was obvious that they'd be after at least one TE in the 2013 group. They got to see Hill in person at the summer camp, and were clearly impressed with what they saw. He's also a very smart guy, and as he grew up a Wolverine fan, he sounds like a great fit for the team.

At this point his commitment won't affect any other 2013 prospects, as Michigan probably has room for at least one more TE, depending on how much Al Borges wants to use the position in the future. Michigan got a good receiving and blocking duo in Funchess and Williams for 2012, so it might be tough for Hill to get past those guys on the depth chart, but its so early that its not really worth speculating just yet.

The ratings aren't overly impressive, and neither is the offer list. Unfortunately that offer list is unlikely to expand now that he's committed so early, but UM coaches know what they're doing, and this is clearly a guy they wanted in the fold early.

Commit Watch over: Welcome Khalid Hill

Commit watch lasted roughly 30 seconds. Khalid Hill (Detroit, MI) has become the 3rd commitment for the class of 2013, joining Shane Morris and Dymonte Thomas. Hill is a three star TE on 247Sports, where the story was first broken.

The offer list won't blow you away, but to be honest I'm not worried about that this early in the process. Tight end is obviously a big need after we missed out on Sam Grant in 2012, so its good that UM already has one in the 2013 class

Commit Watch

Michigan fans should apparently be on the look out for a commitment today: http://michigan.247sports.com/Board/59424/Commit-coming-today-7577575

Cass Tech 2013 CB Jourdan Lewis has to be a candidate, having recently received his UM offer. It will almost certainly be a guy from the 2013 class, because nobody (nobody!) knows what Kozan is doing.

Quick Laremy Tunsil Update

I spoke with Columbia (FL) Offensive Tackle Laremy Tunsil earlier today and we discussed his recruitment a little bit. Laremy is one of the few five-stars on 24/7 sports and is a member of ESPNU's 2013 Early Top 100 prospects in the country. Heres the highlights:

-Laremy has a top five of FSU, LSU, Alabama, Michigan, and Florida. He has created a strong bond with all five of those schools coaches. The coaches are what attracted Laremy to those programs over everything else.

-Laremy currently has 13 offers. He says that his recruitment is really crazy right now, but he's really enjoying the process.

-He says that being a top recruit nationally feels great, but he knows that he still gad stuff to work on to become better a player. Hasn't had a chance to visit Michigan yet, but he wants to sometime soon. Plans on attending many camps and junior days over the spring and summer.

-His biggest strengths on the offensive line would have to be his quick feet and athleticism. Says that he is great in run blocking and pass blocking, but he could still use some more work on his pass blocking to become elite in that area of his game.

-The biggest thing he's looking for in in a college is education. He loves Michigans offensive line program and he has a GREAT relationship with Coach Funk.

-His parents are his greatest inspirations in his life. He will wait til national signing day to make his decision.

This was just a short update with Laremy. I should be in talks with him again to discuss things in a little more detail.

Quick Peter Kalambayi Update

I just got done speaking with Peter Kalambayi, a OLB/DE recruit out of Matthews, North Carolina (Butler HS). Peter's recruitment has recently blown up and he was also just offered by Michigan not too long ago. Some recruiting sites have him as the best player in the state of North Carolina, which is a great accomplishment. Heres the update:

-Has a top four of Stanford, Clemson, North Carolina, and Michigan. Says that he's been getting high interest from Oregon and Alabama. Recent offer from Kentucky. Might visit Michigan relatively soon for a camp showing.

-Coach Montgomery visited his high school a few weeks ago. They told him that he could play OLB or DE depending on how his body develops.

-The biggest thing that Peter likes about his top four schools is that they all have a good mix of academics and football, which will be one of his biggest deciding factors in his recruitment.

-His biggest strengths would be his pass rushing ability and his coverage skills. He says that he struggles in the run game, if he's always thinking pass.

-He emulates his game after Brian Orakpo and Von Miller. His favorite thing to do is rush the passer. Has no idea when he wants to decide.

Diamond to Auburn

Jordan Diamond has committed to Auburn, best of luck to him there. Michigan's hopes for a 5th offensive lineman are now pinned on Alex Kozan, who will decide between UM, Auburn and maybe Iowa? Does Diamond committing to Auburn help our chances with Kozan? Here's hoping.

Diamond Decision

OT Jordan Diamond will announce tonight at 8PM ET, between UM, Arkansas, Auburn and Wisconsin. It's hard to say where he's going, but I'm not as confident as earlier in the week. Hopefully UM will land one of Kozan and Diamond, but really in recruiting there is no guarantee. A couple months ago I picked him to go to Wisconsin before UM came back into it, but maybe the SEC has lured him in?

I'm going to guess Arkansas because Wisconsin has lost a lot of staff, and Auburn isn't a very good program when they don't have Cam Newton leading them.

There will be no live blog for fear of disappointment.

Ask Kyle Bosch a Question!

Hey guys, I'm going to be chatting with 2013 OL Kyle Bosch tomorrow morning and wanted to see if anyone had any specific questions that you'd like to ask Kyle. Post a comment with your question and I'll make sure to get your question to him tomorrow!
NOTE: If you aren't already, please follow me on Twitter at @SimplyComplexMM. I need more followers!

Evening News

Word is that Alex Kozan is still deciding between Iowa, Michigan and Auburn, despite having committed to the Hawkeyes last week. This would really take the pressure off UM for the Diamond announcement, should they land Kozan. Not sure when a decision is coming just yet. In 2013 news, ESPN has changed up their schedule and released an early top 100. It's not really ranked, but the top 100 are given stars, Morris has five, Thomas has four; Standard.

NSD blog #1

Dennis Norfleet - The signing day surprise

Dennis Norfleet, an in state RB previously committed to Cincinnati has flipped his commitment to Michigan, becoming the 25th member of the class on signing day. Norfleet is a four star on scout, rivals and 247Sports. ESPN doesn't like him too much, what do they know eh? :P

This was the signing day surprise everyone was talking about yesterday. A full commitment post, as well as Willie Henry's one will be posted later today. Until then, enjoy Norfleet's highlight reel, here.

Commitment Post: Willie Henry (Re-posted)

Name: Willie Henry

Location: Glenville, OH

Position: DT

Ratings: ESPN – 3* (75), Scout – 3*, 247 Sports - 3*


Recruitment: Willie Henry came out of nowhere really with a surprise official visit to Michigan on the last weekend before signing day. He got the offer and committed a day or so later. Henry will join his former teammate Frank Clark on the Michigan defensive line in 2012.

Offers: Michigan, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Hawaii and some non BCS schools.

Stats: Currently stands at 6’3 and around 270lbs and runs a 4.78 forty yard dash. 247 sports credits him with 10 sacks this year.

ESPN Analysis: Though Henry needs to keep developing his frame and add some more good mass he does possess good natural size and looks to carry more bulk than is listed. As a defensive tackle he flashes a good get-off, but can be inconsistent and while at times he shows a nice burst at other times he can be a beat late and needs strive to be more consistent in his get-off.

He sometimes plays with high pad level and even when he plays low he can get overextended. Needs to generate more power from his lower body if he's to compete at the next level. Improvement of hand use would really help him disengage and beat blockers.

Improvements: Needs to get bigger, and general technique.

Film Highlights: Link here.

Final Thoughts: We thought Michigan was done on the defensive line, but clearly they were searching for a guy to go alongside Ondre Pipkins in the middle. This frees up Matt Godin and Chris Wormley to begin at strongside DE.

For a lowish three star to get an offer from Michigan at this stage is fairly unusual. Henry really came on during his senior year and clearly the UM coaching staff sees some potential in him, and with 3 DL coaches on the staff, Henry will have every opportunity to improve his game.

As a freshman he's more than likely heading for a redshirt year so that he can add some bulk to his frame and work on his technique. Further down the road he'll be competing to get in the DT rotation, but generally DT can be hard to project. He could explode his RS Fr year, who knows!

As for the rest of the class, its a bit of a mystery. Jordan Diamond is the only certain prospect, but even his commitment isn't certain. Michigan might make some signing day moves, we'll just have to wait and see.