Michigan Football Recruiting

Bad News........

2012-01-30T19:24:00.001-08:00

Looks like we won't be having special guests joining the national signing day livechat...it's a violation of the booster rule to have fans interacting with prospects. I wasn't aware of these rules, so I apologize for the inconvenience.

Willie Henry update

2012-01-30T13:23:00.000-08:00

According to Henry himself, he has not committed just yet, so I've taken down the commitment post. There must of been some kind of confusion between him and his head coach, who told Sam Webb that he had committed. A minor setback, but he's still expected to commit sometime between now and NSD.

De'Niro Laster Interview

2012-01-30T13:04:00.000-08:00

One of the fastest-rising prospects in the state of Ohio is 2013 Cleveland Shaker Heights athlete De'Niro Laster. As a sophomore, he recorded 65 tackles and six sacks at linebacker and tallied over 600 yards and six touchdowns as a receiver in 2010, according to Scout, and he's off to a strong start to his junior season. At around 6'3", 215 pounds and still growing, Laster has the versatilty to play outside linebacker and wide receiver. All four of the recruiting sites have him slotted in at wide receiver at the next level. De'Niro currently holds offers from Akron, Bowling Green, Duke, and Temple, and already has interest from schools such as Alabama, Indiana, Mississippi State, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oregon, Pitt, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

De'Niro Laster
*Courtesy of 24/7Sports

I was able to talk with De'Niro a few weeks ago and this is what he had to say:

SimplyComplex: How's your recruitment going? What schools have shown the most interest in you?

De'Niro Laster: My recruitment is going GREAT right now pretty much every school in the nation is recruiting me,as far as some of the individual teams that stand out are Michigan, Ohio State, USC, Tennessee,West Virginia,Wisconsin, LSU, Texas, Michigan State,Oregon, Louisville, Bowling Green, Syracuse, Boston College, Minnesota, Pitt, Indiana, Notre Dame, and Duke.

Simply: Do you have a leader at the moment? Any early favorites?

Laster: I have no current favorites,I'm just trying to enjoy the process as of now and stay humble.

Simply: Have you taken any visits to any colleges since your football season is over?

Laster: I haven't visited any school yet since the season but through the up coming months I plan to vist OSU, Michigan,West Virginia, Louisville and Cincinnati for now. I went to the Michigan showcase last winter and had an impressive day.

Simply: Which Michigan coaches have you been in contact with? What position are they recruiting you for?

Laster: I have talked with ,I think it was coach Jackson, I'm not sure but they said they liked me a lot and wanted me to send film ASAP. They are recruiting me as a WR but I like OLB more.

Simply: What kind of performance did your team and yourself have this football season? Your stats?

Laster: I had over 100 tackles 5 sacks 2 FF 2 blocked punts in eight games, 28 rec for over 600 yards and 2 TD. My team didn't do so well we went 2-8,.I had a great year and missed the last game because of a shoulder injury which is fine now.

Simply: You're a very versatile football player seeing as you can play both linebacker and wide receiver. Which position do you like more and which position do you see yourself playing in college?

Laster: Like my brother/friend Frank Clark, when he was getting recruited in HS he played wide receiver and excelled at it, but like he did, I believe I will play OLB in college.

Simply: What type of things are you looking for in a university?

Laster: In a university I'm looking at the type of environment that will make me the most comfortable.

Simply: What are your strengths at your respected positions?

Laster: My strengths are my size and speed combo 6'3 215 and 4.6 speed, I'm quick with a high football IQ, versatile and a leader.

Simply: There have been rumors that you and Donovan Munger are a package deal. Any truth to that?

Laster: Yes it is confirmed that me Donovon are a package deal .*

Simply: Do you have a timeline for when you'd like to make your decision?

Laster: I plan to commit before the season or on signing day.

*-Donovon Munger has been in contact with Michigan recently, so them coming as a package deal to Michigan is a real possibility.

Ergh...

2012-01-30T09:42:00.000-08:00

Just a bad few days for UM! I woke up today to discover that Sam Grant has committed to Oklahoma over Michigan, unbelievable! I don't think anyone saw this coming; UM were clear favorites and it seemed like only a matter of time before he joined his teammate Kyle Kalis in Ann Arbor.

Possible reasons for his Oklahoma commitment: (Pure guesses at the moment)

- Oklahoma run a passing offense that recently sent a TE to the first round of the NFL draft.

- He's frustrated that UM waited so long to offer after he thought he had an offer back in the spring/summer but it turned out to be false.

- Did he grow up an OSU fan? Growing up in Ohio, there's a high chance that he rooted for the Buckeyes and maybe he just couldn't bring himself to suit up for the Maize and Blue!

As for the rest of class, it now means that Jordan Diamond and newly found DT Willie Henry are the only prospects we are 'in' on. Henry is easily the most likely to join the fold, and logic suggests that UM can't possibly strike out with 3 OL prospects in one week, so we have a decent/good chance with Diamond. I think Jordan took his last official visit to Wisconsin though this weekend, and this is worrying as before UM came back into it for Diamond, I was projecting him to the Badgers. If UM does strike out with Diamond, would they give 3* OL Dan Gibbs an offer? They really want at least five OL in the class, so maybe they will.

It's been a crazy few days with several surprises that haven't gone our way, but this is still an extremely good class. We started so outrageously well on the recruiting trail that it was almost impossible for the finish to match the start.

If you go over UM's class though, you can't help but smile:
- Adding Diamond to the OL class will make it an extremely good haul
- We have two tall, rangy wide receivers
- We have a RB who runs a 4.35 forty at 200lbs
- We have a talented pass catching TE and a big physical blocking TE
- The DL is already strong, and adding a guy like Willie Henry (high upside) gives it even better potential
- The linebacking core is very, very good.
- We have one very good CB, a ballhawking safety (Wilson), and a strong safety (Gant)

Ideally we'd like to add another corner to the class, but its not a necessity. UM already has Blake Countess locking down one CB spot for the next 2-3 years, and Delonte Hollowell has shown promise. Then we have guys like Tamani Carter, Raymon Taylor.

Conclusion: IF we can land Diamond, then its mission accomplished with this class. All the key positions of need will have been filled, expect perhaps QB but we have Shane Morris in 2013.

Alex Kozan to Iowa

2012-01-29T21:10:00.001-08:00

4* Colorado OL Alex Kozan commits to Iowa tonight over his other two finalists: Auburn and Michigan. Kozan visited Michigan on December 9th and hosted Coach Hoke for an in-home visit, so we were definitely in the hunt for him.

This was a horrible recruiting weekend for Michigan after losing out on Kozan and Armani Reeves, but we still have the Sam Grant, Willie Henry, and Jordan Diamond announcements to look forward to!

Reeves to OSU

2012-01-29T18:26:00.001-08:00

Four star CB Armani Reeves just announced on twitter he's going to OSU. This is a real shame, as it marks a win for Urban Meyer over UM in recruiting, and we don't really have any other corners on the board right now. Will they make a last ditch attempt to sign one out of nowhere?

Kozan decision

2012-01-29T12:32:00.001-08:00

Four star OL Alex Kozan will likely be making his college choice tonight, with Iowa and Michigan the favourites. This is a tough one to call, but there are a lot of people saying Iowa. I think UM still has a decent shot, and Garnett going to Stanford might help us here.

Surprise Recruit

2012-01-29T09:58:00.000-08:00

During the liveblog, many of you asked whether UM would get a commitment out of nowhere on signing day. Well it's not quite signing day yet, but the Wolverines have a great chance of picking up a commitment from DT Willie Henry, who is on campus for an official visit.

Henry is a defensive tackle that doesn't have many good offers at all, so if Michigan offers him today, then there's a strong chance he commits. He's also a guy from Glenville HS in Ohio, which produced Frank Clark for us last year.

Henry is a three star prospect (I know, I know), so if he does get offered this late in the process then it tells us that Hoke and Mattison really see some potential in him. Trust the coaches, they've led us to a BCS in year one, I think they deserve our trust; so please don't flame about MOAR 4* STARS!!!!

Edit: Go blue, beat Ohio!

Garnett to Stanford

2012-01-26T15:19:00.001-08:00

Well that was a crazy liveblog, 4000 of you were reading at the time of his decision, which is mental. Unfortunately it was all for nothing as Garnett picked Stanford.

I think academics and distance from home were the main factors. Best of luck to him at Stanford, by all accounts Garnett is a great guy, so yeah, I hope he succeeds at Stanford.

Josh Garnett Announcement Liveblog

2012-01-26T14:24:00.000-08:00

Josh Garnett Announcement

2012-01-26T09:39:00.003-08:00

Live Blog test

Pre Garnett Liveblog

2012-01-26T09:39:00.001-08:00

I've finished my exams now, and actually have a weeks break between semesters, perfect for the build up to signing day! I've probably missed a few things recently in terms of posting, so here's a live blog to catch up.

Note: Also will act as a test for the Garnett liveblog which will happen later today!

Sam Grant decommits

2012-01-21T21:41:00.000-08:00

Tight End Sam Grant has decommitted from Boston College, paving the way for him to perhaps join Kyle Kalis at Michigan in 2012. Since Oklahoma took Taylor McNamara, I felt Boston College would be the toughest competition, so this really makes things look good.

Grant should be announcing fairly soon, as he's had in home visits this week. Michigan definitely favorites to land him now.

Caleb Stacey decommits

2012-01-21T14:10:00.000-08:00

Offensive lineman Caleb Stacey has decommitted from Michigan today, and will now sign with the Cincinnati Bearcats. He's from the Cincinnati area, so this is probably just a decision to keep him closer to home, but one must ask the question whether Michigan's likely expansion on OL recruiting had something to do with it.

Anyway, if you're one of those optimists who thinks we can get both Garnett and Diamond, well good news: we now have room for them. Alex Kozan is also still an option, he's deciding soon, but no one is certain of his decision.

Catching up with Erik Magnuson

2012-01-21T09:55:00.000-08:00

As we get closer and closer to National Signing Day, many will start to reflect on Michigan's 2012 recruiting class. Michigan has been getting commitments from the usual states, Ohio and Michigan. In addition to Michigan and Ohio the Wolverines (in large part due to Brady Hoke and staff's connections in California) have been able to snag one of California's best prospects.

Erik Magnuson

That recruit is 2012 offensive line commit Erik Magnuson. Magnuson stands at 6'6 and 275 lbs., and will be asked to anchor the offensive line for Michigan for many years to come. Magnuson is one of Michigan's most highly regarded commits, because he provides depth and a need at the OL position. Magnuson's best attributes at the OL position are his versatility, athleticism, and his aggressive nature. Magnuson is a consensus 4* recruit on all four of the major recruiting services, and turned down the likes of USC, Stanford, Miami, Notre Dame, Oregon and many others.

Fresh off his in-home visit with Coach Hoke, I caught up with Magnuson for a quick interview.

SimplyComplex:How was your in-home visit with Coach Hoke? What did you guys discuss?

Magnuson:It went really well. Honestly, we didn't even talk about football. My parents just had a few questions for him, but it was really good for my mom to get to know him. Obviously I already knew him well and my dad has spent a good amount of time with him, but my mom only previously got to meet him, so it was good for her to become comfortable with him.

Simply: What kind of impression did Hoke leave on your mom?

Magnuson: My mom loved him. It's hard on my mom leaving and going so far, so her getting to know coach so well and getting to know what he's all about off the field and everything was huge.

Simply: What kind of questions did your parents have for Hoke? Were they satisfied with his answers?

Magnuson: My parents just had questions about what the scholarship included and the type of rules that Coach Hoke has off the field.

Simply: You just recently came back from performing in the Army All-American Game. How would you describe your performance there? What was it like to talk with other Michigan commits at the game?

Magnuson: The All-American Game was a great experience and one that I will always remember. I think that I played pretty well considering that I was playing a new position. I felt like if I would have played left tackle than I would have played much better.

Simply: Jordan Payton is trying to set up a visit with Coach Hoke. Have you been recruiting Jordan to Michigan at all?

Magnuson: I had no idea that coach was trying to visit Jordan. I now Jordan already committed to California, but I have been trying to best recruit him all along. I like Jordan a lot and I think he would fit perfectly with what we got going on in Ann Arbor.

Simply: Joshua Garnett had his official with Stanford this past weekend. How heavily have you been recruiting him. I know that you guys talk all the time on twitter about playing together. What would it mean to you if Garnett committed?

Magnuson: Of course I have been recruiting Josh. That's my boy. We are bros. it would mean so much to me having a good friend go to Michigan with me. I can't pressure him into anything, though. He's got to make a decision based on what's best for himself just like every other recruit does. Hopefully he makes the right choice and comes to Michigan.

Simply: What do you think of Ohio State?

Magnuson: I hate them. I can't wait to play and beat the crap out of them.

Erik Magnuson Film

Cameron Dillard Interview

2012-01-19T16:35:00.000-08:00

Canton (MI) guard Cameron Dillard is drawing national attention—along with interest from home-state schools Michigan and MSU—and has already garnered offers from Buffalo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, and Western Michigan. The 6'3", 280-pound junior is a member of the ESPNU 150 watch list and recently showed his skills with the nation's best underclassmen at the Army All-American Combine. Dillard also trains with former Michigan strength and conditioning coach, Mike Barwis on a day-to-day basis.

Cameron Dillard

Here's the full transcript below:

SimplyComplex: How are things going with you on the recruiting front?

Cameron Dillard: My recruitment is going well. I think I should have a big spring based on all the work I have put in this off-season so far.

Simply: How many offers are you sitting on right now?

Dillard: Right now, I have (5) offers that include Bowling Green, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, and Western Michigan.

Simply: Growing up in Michigan, you've been around the UM-MSU rivalry for a long time. Which team is your favorite and why?

Dillard: Actually, I only moved to Michigan 6 years ago, so I can’t say that I have a favorite. Both teams are great. Also, I didn’t realize how intense the rivalry were between the two schools until I was fortunate enough to attend the game this past fall in East Lansing.

Simply: You had a very impressive junior season. What differences did you notice about your play in your junior season compared to your sophomore season?

Dillard: Considering that I worked with Mike Barwis from the summer of my sophomore year and throughout my junior season, I thought I was more athletic, explosive, and I was able to move better on the field as well as get to the second and the third level blocks. Additionally, I worked with Lomas Brown on pass protection, which was a blessing.

Simply: You've had the opportunity to train with Mike Barwis on a weekly basis. How has Mike helped you grow and develop as a football player?

Dillard: Mike and the rest of staff have been great to work with. As I said earlier, I feel working at Barwis Methods in Plymouth, MI has made me more athletic and explosive in my movements.

Simply: What kind of training does Mike have you do?

Dillard: Mike has me doing same Strength and Conditioning program that he implemented at both Michigan and West Virginia. That way, when I get ready to go off to college, I will be physically and mentally prepared for the rigors of the weight room.

Simply: How much do you like working with him?

Dillard: It is fun. Every day is a new challenge. I cannot thank my parents enough for the opportunity to work out at Barwis Methods.

Simply: Which schools are recruiting you the hardest right now, and which schools would you like to hear more from?

Dillard: There are several other schools showing a great deal of interest including Michigan, MSU, Clemson, West Virginia, Arkansas, and Indiana to name a few. However, there are other schools in the Pac 12 that I feel are gaining some momentum as well. As far as places I would like to hear more from, I would say any school that feels I can best fit into their offense.

Simply: You're obviously a very talented player and being a top recruit certainly has its negatives and positives. How have you handled the recruiting process so far?

Dillard: I have had the support of my family and friends through this whole process.

Simply: How do you stay humble during the process?

Dillard: I realize I have an obligation to my family to work hard because I have blessed with football skills that I can use to get an education as well as bring support to my community.

Simply: You recently attended the U.S. Army All-American Combine. How was it?

Dillard: It was a great experience. While in San Antonio, I had a 28.5” vertical and bench pressed 185 lbs. for 35 reps. I still have some work to do on my pass protection, but I feel it has come a long way in a year. I consider myself a road grade machine. In fact someone said to me just the other day, “How many IHOP’s did you open this season?” because of all my pancakes on the field. I thought that was funny.

Simply: Which coaches have you been hearing from Michigan?

Dillard: I have got to talk to Coach Hoke a few times while I was in San Antonio and when I was at the All-State Dream Team banquet. Also, I have talked to Coach Jackson and Coach Mattison. All these coaches have been real positive with me.

Simply: What factors will play a big part in your decision?

Dillard: It is my three A's for a school. These things are athletics, atmosphere, and academics.

Simply: Pretend like you are scouting yourself. What are some areas that you'd like to improve upon, and what are some areas that you excel at?

Dillard: Well, I am consistently known as a dominant run blocker. In fact, I would call myself a “Grinder.” I like going out on the field and grind my opponent for 4 quarters. I think I have a wide body to take up space, but I can move in that space which makes it difficult for defensive players. One thing I wouldn’t say is a strength but is slowly becoming an asset is my pass-protection skills. Our team is primarily run dominant, so I was blessed enough this off-season to work with Lomas Brown on my pass-blocking skills. Lomas helped me with my pass sets and trying to work on different angles to keep the defensive linemen away from the quarterback. Also, Lomas worked with me on my punch by showing me how to time the punch and where to strike. In the end, by combining both the run and pass blocking skills as part of my arsenal, I think I can be a complete player for any college program in 2013.

Simply: Do you plan on attending any summer camps or junior days?

Dillard: Yes, I will actually be at Indiana this weekend for Junior Day followed by Clemson next weekend and West Virginia on Feb. 11^th. I visited Michigan State in December, so hopefully I will be able to get up to Michigan in the spring for spring ball.

Simply: Do you have a timeline for when you'd like to make a decision?

Dillard: Not at this moment. I guess whenever I get that gut feeling the school is right for me, then I will make my decision.

Cameron Dillard Junior Film:

Recruiting Mailbag: Results

2012-01-19T13:04:00.000-08:00

Here are the results of the recruiting mailbag that was posted on Monday. Hope you enjoy!

Question 1:

I'm sure you heard that Urban Meyer has kicked off 2 DBs from the Ohio State team for "violations of undisclosed team rules." This opens up 2 scholarships with Armani Reeves visiting them in the near future, and potentially Yuri Wright making a visit. Would this be convenient or just a coincidence?

I know Michigan has cooled a little with Yuri Wright, but what do you think the chances of them landing him, Armani Reeves or both are?

Answer: As much as I dislike Urban Meyer, I don't think that him kicking off two corner backs was convenient.

Yuri Wright will not becoming here. With the coaches liking Armani Reeves more, and thinking that Wright is better suited as a safety rather than corner, I think that that ship has sailed. I'm actually more optimistic about Reeves than others. He had strong Michigan interest earlier in his recruitment before picking PSU, and now after his recent visit, we are in great position. The one big factor that could sway Reeves to either OSU, UM, or back to PSU, is his close friend (and commit) Camren Williams.

Question 2:

What are the chances that Michigan ends the class with Garnett, Diamond , Reeves and Grant?

Answer: I'd say that Michigan stands in great shape with Garnett, Reeves and Grant, but I think that Diamond will end up at another school. Diamond seems to be worried about playing time and with Michigan possibly taking up to seven offensive lineman, I think that will play a big factor in his decision. I'd say 75% for Garnett, 55% for Reeves, 70% for Grant, and 25% for Diamond.

Question 3: Also is Stefon Diggs totally out of the picture?

Yes, Stefon Diggs is no longer considering Michigan.

Question 4: Do you see any big recruiting suprises for Michigan?

Answer: Sadly, I don't see any surprises for Michigan this year. Michigan is in great position with the rest of their remaining prospects, so if any of them commit, it shouldn't be a surprise.

Question 5:

What is the difference between Yuri Wright and Armani Reeves and which one's more likely to play at Michigan?

Answer: I think the difference between Wright and Reeves is that Reeves is the more polished corner back, They're both tremendous players, but Reeves is more college-ready and is the better corner, while Wright has talent, his rankings seemed to be based on potential. As you saw in the Army All-American Game, he needs quite a bit of work. Reeves is more likely to commit.

Question 6: Which school will most likely have Josh Garnett commit on Jan.26, Mich. or Stanford?

Answer: Michigan. It'll be close though.

Question7: When will Ty Issac commit and will it be Michigan?

Answer: I think that Isaac will commit when he's ready to commit. Not sure on a specific date. I'd like to be Michigan, but it'll be a tough battle with Notre Dame.

Question 8: Since where looking for a WR for one of our last spots in the class who is most likely the player that will play for Michigan?

Answer: To be honest, I don't think Michigan gets a last WR commit. They've contacted Monty Madaris, but he's Michigan State bound. Jordan Payton is the most likely candidate, but I still think he stays on the west coast.

Question 9: Is Logan Tuley-Tillman going to commit to Michigan if yes is he going to commit this year?

Answer: I think Tillman will commit to Michigan, but I think that he'll commit in 2013.

Question 10: Basketball wise, will James Young commit to Michigan?

Answer: Since Michigan has yet to offer, I'd say that MSU is the team to beat right now.

Question 11: What wideouts do you think we will grab next year?

Answer: Michigan is in great position with many wide receivers for the 2013 class. If I were to predict the wideouts, it'd be something like this:

1. Laquon Treadwell

2. Robert Foster

3. Kevin Gladny

Questions 12: With the coaching change that has happened at Cal and Jordan Payton reopening his recruitment, do you believe that Coach Hoke and the staff should go after him? He was abosolutley thrilled with his visit at the Notre Dame game, but personally, I think that he will end up at Notre Dame if not Cal. How much of a chance do we really have?

Answer: The staff should pursue him quite a bit, especially with the Stonum news.I'd say that we have a chance, but not a very good one. He and his family seem determined to stay on the west coast., though. I think that he will end up at Washington personally.

Question 13: Very curious about '13, especially WR Marcell Ateman. Seen a lot on scout and rivals bout him and UM. Are we in the running early, or is he going to Texas?

Answer: We are very much in the running early for Ateman. Texas dominates in-state recruiting most years, but if we can get him on campus, anything is possible.

Question 14: The recruiting sites seem to have us in on a lot of big names next year. When do the early player ratings come out?

Answer: I know that 24/7 Sports just recently updated their 2013 rankings. Not sure about ESPN, Scout, or Rivals.

Question 15: Are there any big time recruits for the 2013 class who Michigan might be the favorites for?

Answer: As of right now: Logan Tuley-Tillman, Taco Charlton, Laquon Treadwell, Ty Isaac and Jourdan Lewis.

Question 16: How do you see the Hoke-Meyer recruiting battle going?

Answer: Meyer is obviously the "bigger coach" due to his track record, but don't underestimate Hoke and his staff. Mattison was Meyer's best recruiter and he is one of the reasons that Meyer recruited so well. Hoke needs to keep winning games and beat Ohio State a few times for Michigan to really become competitive in the state of Ohio recruiting wise.

Question 17: With some recruits nationally backing off their commitments, are there any U of M verbals we need to worry about?

Answer: No. Everyone in this class will end up signing their LOI's with Michigan.

Question 18: When recruiting a top receiver, like Payton, how much does an early verbal from Morris play into the staffs pitch?

Answer: I don't think the staff really talks about Morris to be honest. I'm sure that a top receiver likes having a top QB already committed, but the staff just needs to sell Michigan and follow their recruiting strategy.

Question 19: Okay, so I have been debating whether or not we need another DT in this class for months now because Will Campbell is not going to get it done next season. Are there any guys flying under the radar that we can pick up?

Answer: I don't see Michigan getting anymore DT commits. They are happy with Pipkins and potential movers like Wormley and Godin.

Thanks to everyone who participated! I'll be holding another Mailbag on Monday.

ESPN updates prospect rankings

2012-01-19T09:52:00.000-08:00

Firstly, I know a lot of you don't like ESPN, probably because of their apparent bias to the SEC. But with six national titles in a row, its certainly feasible to say that recruits in the south east are at least on average, better. States like Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana are consistently putting top players into the college game and the pros - and this is why ESPN tends to rate them higher. Better competition in high school produces better players.

Fortunately for Michigan, and other Midwest programs, the talent in Ohio and Michigan this year has been at a very high level, and this is reflected in Michigan's class ranking, which currently lies at #7. Anyway, without further ado, let's see where UM's commits and targets line up.

ESPN 150 Members:
CB Terry Richardson - 4* (81), #68 overall, #5 CB
OLB Royce Jenkins-Stone - 4* (80), #113 overall, #9 OLB
OG Kyle Kalis - 4* (80), #132 overall, #10 OG
MLB Joe Bolden - 4* (80), #142 overall, #5 MLB

Outside ESPN 150:
DT Ondre Pipkins - 4* (80), #16 DT
DE Chris Wormley - 4* (80), #16 DE
TE Devin Funchess - 4* (80), #5 TE
MLB James Ross - 4* (80), #8 MLB
S Jarrod Wilson - 4* (80), #13 S
DE Mario Ojemudia - 4* (80), #20 DE
OT Erik Magnuson - 4* (79), #27 OT

OT Ben Braden - 3* (79), #50 OT
DT Matt Godin - 3* (79), #32 DT
WR Jehu Chesson - 3* (79), #58 WR
OT Blake Bars - 3* (79), #54 OT
DE Tom Strobel - 3* (78), #61 DE
OG Caleb Stacey - 3* (78), #35 OG
MLB Kaleb Ringer - 3* (78), #23 MLB
WR Amara Darboh - 3* (78), #82 WR
TE A.J Williams - 3* (77), #36 TE
S Jeremy Clark - 3* (76), #52 S
S Allen Gant - 3* (75)
FB Siona Houma - 2* (74), #4 FB
RB Drake Johnson - 2* (72), #161 RB

The good:

Right now, you may be fuming at a couple of snubs whilst cursing that perceived ESPN bias. Personally, I don't think it's that bad. Let's start off with the positives. Terry Richardson is still rated very highly despite his size, which tells us they think he's a really good cover guy.

Joe Bolden made a leap up into the ESPN 150 after his good showing at the Under Armor game, and Ondre Pipkins made a big jump (3 rating points) up to a four star prospect. He probably should be in the 150, but clearly the analysts have found something they don't like.

The bad:

James Ross is one of the top commits in the class, I'm telling you right now. He's underrated here for sure, and it's probably just because of his size. Tom Strobel is also lower than expected, considering scout has him as a top 100 guy. There are other commits that should be higher too.

The ugly:

Drake Johnson a two star (72)? This is harsh for a guy that put up great numbers and has incredible speed. Whether he goes on to have a great UM career or not, he's better than that rating suggests.

Are there really 81 WRs better than Amara Darboh? No, there aren't.

Overall:
This is still a positive set of results, you must take into consideration that ESPN gives harsher grades than the other sites. For example they've only handed out 11 five stars this year. Personally I like this, a 5* player should be something special, someone that is ready to dominate at the next level almost immediately.

As fans we naturally assume that the site that gives our recruits the best ratings, is the best 'ranker'. I bet a few of you will be thinking right now that scout.com is the best, and maybe they are. But maybe its because they have many of our commits ranked in the top 100. I use ESPN rankings for this site because they give the most detailed evaluations of commits (i.e a long description of their strengths and weaknesses).

The Targets:
Josh Garnett is rated as a four star prospect (#42 overall, 82 rating) and the #3 OG in the nation. This would obviously be a great pickup if we can land him, as it would help push us up the rankings.

Armani Reeves is a four star prospect (80 rating), and he's listed as the #23 ATH in the class.

Sam Grant is a three star prospect, with a 78 rating.

Michael Hutchings Interview

2012-01-17T14:39:00.000-08:00

For decades, Concord (Calif.) De La Salle has been widely regarded as one of the country's preeminent high school football programs — and as such, it has churned out its fair share of marquee talent. This year, De La Salle will be churning out yet another extraordinary player by the name of Michael Hutchings. Hutchings stands at 6-2, 210-pounder and is a five-star prospect according to Scout. Hutchings is also on the ESPNU 150 watch list for the 2013 class. He is also the 39th ranked prospect in 24/7Sports Top 24/7 rankings, warranting him a 95 rating, which makes him a four-star prospect. I was able to contact Hutchings for an interview earlier today.

Michael Hutchings

Here's what he had to say:

SimplyComplex:You're one of the prospects in the country. How exciting is that for you? What do you do to stay humble throughout the recruiting process?

Michael: It's exciting to be a top prospect in the country and have little kids and fans look up to you. However, I stay humble just by continuing to work hard and continue the same work ethic that I had before all the offers came in.

Simply: I know that Michigan extended an offer to you early in the process. Does that give Michigan a slight advantage or are you pretty much wide open right now?

Michael: It does give Michigan an advantage by being an early offer. Showing that they had high interest in me from the beginning is huge, but my list is wide open as of now.

Simply: Do you feel like distance could be a factor in your decision?

Michael: Distance won't be a huge factor in my decision. I just want to get to place where I feel comfortable and it fits what I'm looking for in a school. Such as a great degree with strong alumni network after football, early playing time, and a strong committed coaching staff. I want a coach that is going to be there all of my four years, not up and leave to the NFL.

Simply: How many offers do you have right now? Any favorites or even a top group?

Michael: I have fourteen offers at the moment and there are probably more coming, so I haven't cut any lists down. That will come in the summer when recruiting for 2013 cools down a little bit.

Simply: How would you describe your style of play? What areas do you struggle with, and what areas do you excel at?

Michael: My style of play is athletic. I'm very versatile. I can play both outside linebacker and strong safety. My versatility allows for me to cover a slot receiver or tight end effectively. That's what the college coaches love about my game.

Simply: Do you know who your main recruiter from Michigan is?

Michael: My main contact from Michigan is Coach Ferrigno, but he has been working on giving me more position contacts.

Simply: With you attending De La Salle high school, there have been many alums that give you recruiting advice. Who do you talk to the most and what advice have they given you?

Michael: I talk with Amani Toomer about the process a lot. He didn't try to sell me on Michigan or anything like that. He just gave me some straight-up advice. He said Michigan was a great fit for him education-wise. It was somewhere he felt comfortable and where it felt like the coaches cared. He said that as I start getting deeper into the recruiting process, that some schools may just jump on the bandwagon. He said those first few offers are the ones I want to look at heavily. Michigan was No. 3.I also talk with Matt Gutierrez about once or twice a month, but we haven't really discussed Michigan.

Simply: Do you have any visits planned right now? Which schools would you like to visit in the future?

Michael: I don't have any visits planned right now, but in the future I really want to visit Oregon. Michigan, Notre Dame, USC, and UCLA are some more places that I'd like to visit.

Simply: What kind of things are you looking for in a university? How big of an effect will education have on your decision?

Michael: In a university, I'm looking for how they support and take care of their student-athletes. I have visited one school where they had a graduation plan for their athletes to get there degree in 3 years and their masters in their in five. Education is the biggest factor in regards to my decision, and the rest will follow. That's how my parents have told me to take on the process.

Simply: How do you handle all the attention you get by being a highly regarded recruit? Do you like it? Or does it get annoying after awhile?

Michael:I handle all the attention in an unselfish manner. I don't try to put myself above others. I consider myself on the same level as everyone and I give my friends and fans the same attention that they give to me. It does get annoying sometimes when people repeatedly ask me where I'm going or when I'm deciding everyday that I'm at school, but I don't let that show.

Simply: Where does Michigan stand right with you right now?

Michael: Michigan stands along with all the rest of the schools. I haven't really into in-depth research of all the schools recruiting me.

Simply: Who in your life inspires you to become a better football player and a better man in general?

Michael My parents inspire me to be a better man and that's what this process is helping me with. And, the strong football alumni from our school make me want to be better each day, just to be mentioned with them some day when I'm all done.

Simply: Do you have a time line for when you'd like to decide, or will you just go with the flow of things?

Michael: I don't really have a time line of when I'm going to decide. If it's not before the season, then it will probably be in the Army All-American Game.

Simply: Are you looking forward to participating in all the high school camps over the spring/summer?

Michael: I'm looking forward to competing at two Nike training camps this year at least, which are located at Stanford and USC. I'm also looking forward to going to the USC camp and competing with a good friend of mine, Su'a Cravens. We are arguably number 1 and 2 in the state, so it'll be fun to compete with him.

As you can tell by his interview, Hutchings is a high character athlete that is determined to become an all-time great linebacker. Here's a little breakdown on Hutchings which comes from Scout.com West regional manager Brandon Huffman. "Hutchings is well put together and has nice long arms with a good base,He can take on linemen and usually makes short work of backs trying to block him. He can also slip his blockers because he moves so well laterally. His hits are big and they almost always end up in a ball carrier or receiver on the ground because he runs through them. Hutchings also excels in coverage and does a great job on his pass drops. He's got tremendous instincts. The big key is that he does it against arguably the toughest schedule of any program in the West, so he's dominant against elite programs."

Michael Hutchings 2010 Highlight film:

Since Michigan extended him an offer early, and has been in constant contact with Coach Ferrigno, I'd say that our chances of getting him are good right now. Although, Michigan must get him on campus to see where Michigan stands with him in the long run.

Michigan Recruiting Roundtable, the First Edition

2012-01-17T11:45:00.000-08:00

Heres a recruiting roundtable that I, and many other Michigan bloggers participated in. Hope you enjoy!

In the best interest of the fans, I decided to put together a roundtable consisting of the Michigan blogosphere's best minds in terms of recruiting. The assignment? Five simple questions regarding the recruits Michigan has brought in and the job the coaches have done.

First, the participants:
Magnus Thunder (or Magnus....or Thunder) @ Touch The Banner
DGDestroys
The MGoBlog.com Recruiting Ninja Ace Anbender
Tremendous's own Keith Thompson
MGoRecruit's Simply Complex
Maize Pages' Jeff and MGoShoe

And, the Q/A:

QUESTION #1: 1. Of the 2012 commits and targets that could legitimately commit to Michigan, which one are you most personally excited for and why?

Magnus: I'm most excited for Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary's linebacker James Ross. He's a little on the small side, but I think people are going to be impressed with how quickly he reads plays and gets to the ball. Although maybe not as fast, he reminds me of Ian Gold and should probably be a starter within two seasons.

Keith: Joshua Garnett, and there are multiple reasons. The first being that he is an outstanding player that could contribute early finding a place in our thin rotation. The second reason being that he would possibly solidify the best offensive line class in Michigan history. With the front that is being developed it would be hard to not be considered a contender in any game we play.

Ace: I'm going to stick to players I've seen in person, since there's a lot that doesn't show up in the average highlight film. I had the chance to see James Ross play a couple times in the fall, and he impressed me more than any other recruit in terms of his production and consistency. Ross has great range, tackles well, and his instincts were well ahead of the vast majority of high school linebackers—if he can add a little bulk, which I doubt will be an issue, he should compete for early playing time and be a multi-year starter, with the potential to bring in postseason accolades down the road.

Jeff: Royce Jenkins-Stone. Kalis is probably the obvious answer here but he's already projected so high--many, including myself, are saying starting LG by Ohio--that I feel more comfortable instead of excited about him. What makes makes me personally excited for RJS, and the rest of the linebacking corps, I think stems from the talent gap between what Michigan has seen over the last few years and the potential coming in. He has the typical Michigan linebacker frame if you will--6'2", 215 lbs--and the speed and athleticism to go with it. He'll likely redshirt and put on weight but by the time he's ready, I see him as a 3-year starter earning 1st-team All-Big Ten honors.

DGDestroys: Jarrod Wilson. Why? The answer is simple. Speed. For the past few years, our safeties has consisted of converted LBs (before or after the fact), injured CBs, walk-ons (don't get me wrong, I love Kovacs and Van Slyke), converted WRs, and a lot of slower, lower recruited kids. Jarrod Wilson is simply a rangy free safety. And that by itself is enough.

MGoShoe: I expect this won't be an especially unique answer (ED: It was), but for me it's all about offensive line play. I don't know if he'll end up being the best of the 2012 offensive line recruits, but Kyle Kalis certainly has the best shot at contributing immediately at a real position of need. Michigan's lack of OL depth wasn't ever seriously challenged in 2011 but that isn't something Michigan fans should count on next season. Even if Kalis doesn't win a starting position, I'd expect that he'll be called upon at some point to fill in. Ultimately, I expect Kalis to live up to the hype and by his junior season, he'll be garnering All-B1G recognition and national attention.

Simply Complex: I'd have to say that I'm most excited for Jarrod Wilson. I just feel like Wilson is the ball-hawking safety that Michigan has been looking for since the departure of Marcus Ray. Wilson posses fluid hips, good body control, great hands, great instincts and diagnostic skills and has the speed and acceleration to track down receivers. Wilson does need to improve his tackling and needs to play better in the box, but those are things that can be tweaked at the college level. His stats are extremely impressive seeing as he recorded 12 interceptions(5 returned for touchdowns) in his junior year according to ESPN. As time goes on, I think he will play a vital role in Michigan's defense and could even be the "defensive quarterback" down the road, calling plays and audibles etc. as a junior and senior.

QUESTION #2: Which one will be the best college player and who has the most pro potential.

Magnus: Lakewood (OH) St. Edward's offensive guard Kyle Kalis looks like he has the most potential to be a long-term contributor and an NFLer. He has excellent technique and good size, plus the bloodlines to get to the NFL. He's not as athletic as a guy like Jake Long or Taylor Lewan and he plays a position that isn't appreciated as much, but he'll probably be a starter at Michigan by 2012 and I think he has as good a chance as anyone in this class to make it to the next level.

Keith: This is a tough one, but I'll go with Jarrod Wilson. I think he will be given an opportunity to be successful early in his career, and I believe he has the tools to rise to the challenge. Being 6'2" is going to give him a decided advantage over most receivers, and he has the frame to add another 20 lbs bringing him up to 210. If he can maintain his athleticism while adding to his frame, he will be any receiver's biggest nightmare coming over the middle and be able to cover the deep ball even if a receiver gets behind him using his that height.

Simply Complex: I think that Joe Bolden has the most pro potential out of anyone else in this class and will be the best college player. I think this because Bolden has been getting raved about from many recruiting analysts due to his performances in the Under Armour All American Game , as well as the Under Armour practices. Bolden is the total package at linebacker. He has tremendous instincts, great leader and communicator on the defensive side of the ball, excellent tackler, never gives up on a play, and has good ability in coverage. He struggles a bit in run defense, but that can be fixed with some good coaching. Some people have concerns with his size , but I have always believed that it's not the size of the dog, but it's the dogs bite. I would compare Bolden to Clay Matthews in his style of play and football qualities(and they do share similiar hairdos). With Greg Mattison and Brady Hoke coaching Bolden up, I think he has the ability to become a great NFL linebacker.

Jeff: These may go hand-in-hand so I'll just pick one player: Ondre Pipkins. When it's all said and done, I see Ondre Pipkins as our Immovable Force--an Alan Branch reaching his full potential, our Mount Cody. He already has the size covered--6'3", 320 lbs--but what impresses me most is how quick his first step is for a high school senior. His only weakness is consistency and technique which, given that Michigan has essentially 3 D-line coaches, should be shored up by the time he sees the field. Only concern is him keeping his weight in check at a strong and athletic 330 instead of letting himself slip to 350+.

Ace: It's tough not to look at Kyle Kalis and think "NFL guard." He's got the size and skill—he looked great in the Army All-American Game—and he's played against very difficult competition at Lakewood St. Edward. Kalis comes in with a ton of hype, but it seems deserved, and I think he'll not only be a great college player, but a guy who plays on Sundays for a while.

DGDestroys: Best College Player- James Ross. Ross has absolutely everything he needs to be a top tier college linebacker- besides the size. His quickness, instincts, ability to recognize and diagnose plays, as well as his penchant for sorting through the trash on his way to the ball carrier are absolutely electrifying. He'll need to add on some substantial weight if he plans on grinding through the games like MSU, Iowa, Nebraska, and OSU, but everything else is his for the taking. I'd expect him to, at the very least, get in the 2-deep rotation at weakside linebacker next year, ultimately claiming the spot by the end of the year (a la Blake Countess this year). As far as best pro player, I'll go with Ondre Pipkins. This was a close one- there are at least 5 players in this class that I could see blossoming into high draft picks (Kalis was a close second), but Pipkins sets himself apart for a couple of reasons. He balances an intensely competitive nature with a extroverted, yet well grounded attitude to make him a force on and off the field. His burst off the ball and array of pass rushing moves are the most dynamic we've seen in the interior line since...well...Mike Martin of course. He moves well for his size, and he's a high effort player (if anyone hasn't seen him bury Chad Voytik in the US Army All American Game, you should.) In my opinion, Pipkins and a few others on this team have their draft stock in their hands-they'll go as high as they work.

MGoShoe: Ondre Pipkins looks like he will be something special. Greg Mattison will surely find a way to use Pee Wee's ridiculous combination of size and agility to best advantage starting in 2012. I wouldn't be surprised to see Pipkins blow up his sophomore season and Michigan will be fortunate if he sticks around for all four years of his eligibility. Besides, he'll have three coaches. So he's got that going for him. Which is nice.

QUESTION #3: It's clear the coaches have effectively recruited the kids they've targeted for the most part. Do you think they've logistically followed the right strategies though? Are there any areas you feel they may be leaving themselves thin in? Who was our biggest miss?

MGoShoe: I don't think it's possible to criticize Michigan's recruiting strategy. They started strong and quickly built tremendous momentum. That said, while I'm excited about the potential of the wideouts and running backs who have committed, this class is missing a can't miss skill position player. I think that changes in 2013 as Michigan's success builds upon itself.

DGDestroys: I think the coaches have done a spectacular job covering their needs so far this year. Going in, it seemed as though OL, TE, and DL were three of our biggest needs. Right now, we have 11 guys committed between the three. The only area of need I feel could have been better addressed would be at the QB position. Although we have Shane Morris committed in the '13 class, depth is still important, especially when considering the chance that Devin Gardner isn't granted his redshirt. That being said, I was never a huge fan of the QBs that did end up with a Michigan offer. Obviously, landing Gunner Kiel or Zeke Pike would have been great. But outside of that, Maty Mauk, Bennie Coney, Austin Appleby (all of whom seemed like our backup plans), were underwhelming at best. Mauk has a weird side-arm throw and played in a system wherein his stats harshly overexaggerated his ability. Coney had some off the field issues and struggles to put a lot of zip on the ball. Appleby struggles to stretch the field vertically and is injury prone. Some will point to offers for Zach Kline and Jake Rodrigues in defense, but neither seemed to give Michigan a serious look. Recent interviews suggest the coaches really wanted Kline on campus, but that never worked out. In my humble e-pinion, the coaches whiffed on this position. In a more general sense, I think there were a few misses that could end up hurting us down the road. There were a few tackles, whose ceilings I really liked, that were fairly high on Michigan. Paul Thurston visited and then selected Nebraska. Shane Callahan, who has relatives in AA, visited in early Spring and seemed like a Michigan lean, then committed to Auburn at their Spring Game (Callahan is, perhaps, one of the best run blocking OTs I've seen all year). Taylor Decker added a fairly early Michigan offer before committing to Notre Dame. Landing any of these players would have been great, but we did end up filling out the position fairly well.I also feel like losing Burbridge to Sparty, even if we were the deciding factor, will hurt us as well. Compulsory, yet still painful, Brionte Dunn sentence.

Simply Complex: The Michigan coaches have followed most of the basic recruiting strategies (that I know of) to recruit mature, high character athletes that will be the face of the Michigan program going forward. Early in the process, the coaches focused most of their attention to in-state recruiting. They contacted prospects out of Cass Tech and Farmington Hills High Schools, which jump started the 2012 class and created good relationships with the coaches of those high schools. The coaches also took advantage of Ohio States problems and "tore down the fence around Ohio" to snag some high profile recruits from there. After they finished with local recruiting, they expanded their recruiting efforts to more of a national level. Early in the process I was skeptical of the coaches ability to recruit players to fill the needs at the skill position on offense, but that all changed with the commitments of Shane Morris. Jehu Chesson, Amara Darboh, and Devin Funchess. I would like to see one more wide receiver commit in this class because that's where I think our biggest area of concern is on the offensive side of the ball, but that can all be shored up in the 2013 class. I'd have to say that the coaches biggest miss was Stefon Diggs. I know that he has some baggage, but I never quite understood why the coaches waited so long to get in contact with him. He would of been a for sure playmaker and that he would of been a true game changer on offense, defense, and even on special teams.

Keith: The coaches have filled the missing spots to the best of their abilities with this 2012 recruiting class rather effectively, and for the most part, with the players that were on their short list, they also are already continuing to do do with the 2013 regime. However, the idea of recruiting and implementing a whole new system, offensively and defensively in just one recruiting year is nearly impossible. There are obviously a lot of gaps that need to be filled, and our depth is anything but ideal in many positions (DL, RB (Pro style),WR, OL (lack of experience), TE, QB (Pro Style)) . I trust the coaches have accurately assessed the talent they have on the roster now and decided the biggest immediate needs for the team. The first miss that comes to mind is Brionte Dunn, as a bruising back that can make one cut and go he would have been an immediate impact, but his role at Ohio will not severely impact us. That being said, the player that I feel was the biggest miss was Stefon Diggs. Stefon could have stretched out the field for us and made a huge impact on special teams. With the uncertainty of Stonum, this could be more harsh that originally thought. Stefon also has some interest in Ohio, and with the hire of Urban Meyer, Stefon could easily become Percy Harvin 2.0.

Jeff: When you look at the 2012 class as a whole right now, it's hard to criticize the way Hoke and Mattison put this group together. Whatever strategy they are using, it is working. They've thoroughly addressed our most pressing need, offensive line, with 5 OL (probably 6 by NSD) and 2 TEs--that's 8 guys on the line. I think we'll remember this linebacker class for some time too. I've said this before: I would have liked to seen a QB in this class to perhaps provide some depth before the almighty Shane steps on campus but if that's my biggest complaint, I'll take it. Biggest miss has to be Dunn, given the lack of skill players in this class, so it puts some early pressure to lock up Ty Isaac early in 2013.

Magnus: I think the coaches might regret not successfully recruiting a quarterback in this class. Michigan only has three scholarship quarterbacks right now. Denard Robinson will be a senior in 2012, Devin Gardner will be a junior (as far as we know), and Russell Bellomy will be a redshirt freshman. I think a school ought to take at least one quarterback in each class, because those kids often transfer if they don't like their playing time. I'm not suggesting that Bellomy is a transfer risk, but with a 2013 kid like Warren (MI) De La Salle's Shane Morris coming, Bellomy might see the writing on the wall. If an injury or something else unexpected comes along, Michigan might find themselves in a precarious position. The Wolverines have taken at least one quarterback in the past 14 classes, so I'm not sure why the trend is ending now.

Ace: Well, with a couple weeks left and up to four spots left to fill, I'm not sure it's fair to evaluate the class in terms of needs filled until we see the final product. If Michigan doesn't take another defensive tackle, however, and it doesn't seem like they will, I'm going to be pretty worried about the depth there. Ondre Pipkins looks like a phenomenal prospect, but heading into next year with Will Campbell and Quinton Washington as the only two DTs with even marginal playing experience (unless you want to count Richard Ash, who saw a few snaps this year) is disconcerting. Of course, a player like Matt Godin or Chris Wormley could become a DT, but both are coming in as defensive ends and I'm not sure either would be ready to contribute immediately on the inside.
Overall, however, I think the coaches have done a fantastic job of addressing need, especially along the offensive line—you aren't going to come out of every recruiting cycle with a fully-loaded roster at each position, but they have filled a lot of the holes in the roster in a hurry.

QUESTION #4: Give us the final four players you want and then give me the final four players you think we'll end up with.

Jeff: Want: Joshua Garnett, Yuri Wright, Sam Grant, Brionte Dunn (We can dream!) Get: Garnett, Reeves, 2 guys nobody is talking about right now.

DGDestroys: Want: Garnett, Reeves, (former UT commit) Kenny Crawley, JP Holtz. Get: Garnett, Reeves, Grant, and then bank the 4th spot.

MGoShoe: Want: Stefon Diggs, Joshua Garnett, Armani Reeves and Sam Grant Get: Joshua Garnett, Armani Reeves, Sam Grant, Mystery recruit (A big name)

Keith: Want: Josh Garnett, Yuri Wright, Armani Reeves, Sam Grant Get: Josh Garnett, Armani Reeves, Sam Grant, last one depends on Stonum outcome, it is hard to say.

Ace: Want: Josh Garnett, Armani Reeves, Sam Grant, Jordan Diamond. Get: Garnett, Grant, Reeves, ?.

Ace adds: I'd love to see Michigan really attack the lack of numbers on the O-line and grab both Garnett and Diamond, but I'd be shocked if that happened, especially since Diamond seems like he'll be a tough pull right now. I expect the coaches will take another defensive back, and Reeves seems like the most likely candidate, although Ohio State's late push and his continued commitment to Penn State could make that a difficult pull, too. Garnett and Grant are really the only players I think Michigan has a coin-flip or better chance at bringing in.
Every year, it seems like the Wolverines snag some player on or near signing day who was completely off the radar beforehand (Chris Barnett last year, for example, though he didn't work out). I think the same thing happens with at least one player this year, if not two. I think there are too many needs that still must be addressed for the team to pocket a scholarship for the 2013 class, but the odds of landing four players from the current list of targets (or at least the names being thrown around right now) seem slim.

Simply Complex: Want: Wright, Reeves, Garnett, Madaris Get: Garnett, Reeves, Grant, bank the last spot.

Magnus: Here's who I want that's still available: Missouri wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham, Washington offensive lineman Joshua Garnett, D.C. defensive tackle Eddie Goldman, and New Jersey quarterback/athlete Devin Fuller. That's mostly an unrealistic list, so here's who I think Michigan will get: Garnett and two guys who are committed to other schools, with one scholarship left open. Garnett is good friends with Erik Magnuson, which I think will be enough to get him in the fold. New guys always pop up on the radar in January, so I think Michigan will probably grab a tight end and/or a defensive back (Armani Reeves, perhaps) from another school. And Hoke showed last year that he's willing to bank a scholarship or two for the following year, so I think he'll only take three more guys, not four.

QUESTION #5: How many B1G Championships does the 2012 class win? Do they win it all?

Simply Complex: I think this class wins two B1G championships. They could win more, but with Rich Rod's players still on the team, I think that, and lack of depth at the moment will limit there opportunities at winning more than two B1G championships. I do think that we win it all in the year 2016.
Keith: They win 3 B1G Championships, Ohio will trip them up once. I don't believe they will win a National Championship though.

Magnus: This class will win one outright Big Ten championship and no national championships. I like Hoke, but there's a big difference between winning the Big Ten and being national champions. Michigan needs to improve on the defensive line before talking about a national championship.

Jeff: 2 and a wishful yes. Non-con will be tough this year but I think the Big Ten is ours to lose so that's 1. And I think their senior season will be pretty special. Obviously, a lot will depend on Shane but a class this strong often builds the foundation for a potential National Champion when an extremely talented QB precedes them, like Denard and our newest group of graduating seniors. If Shane helps bring in a Top 5 class, those juniors and seniors playing in 2015 will be a force to be reckon with.

MGoShoe: It is significantly more difficult to win a B1G Championship now that there's no chance of a co-championship. That said, I'm ready to go out on a limb and predict that we'll see two B1G Championships during the next 5 years with 2012, 2014 and 2015 the most likely years. If, as expected a plus one (four team playoff) BCS system is implemented in 2014, I'd say this class has a chance because a one loss B1G champion is highly likely to be ranked in the top four. That's an easier feat than finishing undefeated and in the top two. I envision the 2014 and 2015 teams will both have outstanding chances of accomplishing this. Then it's just a matter of winning two incredibly high stakes games against ridiculously accomplished teams. Piece of cake!

DGDestroys: This class will end up with at least 1, perhaps 2 or 3 (depending on how long the kid stays around) Big Ten Championship games, and will be in the hunt for the National Title Game in at least 2 of their seasons.

END ROUNDTABLE
All in all, this piece should give fans a pretty good idea of what to expect coming down the stretch to National Signing Day and also what to look for in the Class of 2012. Hope you guys enjoyed.

Recruiting Mailbag

2012-01-17T08:04:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, just wanted to let everyone know that I will be having a recruiting mailbag today. I'll will have a mailbag every single week on Monday or Friday. You can send me your recruiting questions (football or basketball) via email: simplycomplexmm@gmail.com , over twitter: SimplyComplexMM, or just post your questions in the comments below. I'll try to answer every question and then create a blog post with the questions and my answers. And the questions can be about 2012, 2013 or even 2014 recruiting.

EXTRA: I will be posting my first interview with a highly ranked prospect, so make sure to tune in later today!

Josh Garnett Update

2012-01-17T06:32:00.000-08:00

Four star OL Josh Garnett will announce his college decision on January 26th, with Michigan and Stanford as the main two choices, and Notre Dame kind of just making up the top three.

He hasn't made the decision yet, which means it could really hinge on the in home visits that should take place probably this week, or maybe early next week. Brady Hoke himself will be flying out there to give his best recruiting pitch!

It's really tough to call right now, as there are several key factors pulling him both ways. It's going to be one of those decisions that really no one knows until its done, which to be honest makes it very exciting.

Ondre Pipkins gets 5th star

2012-01-16T10:06:00.000-08:00

Title says it all really. After a stellar showing at the Army All American game, Michigan DT commit Ondre Pipkins has picked up a 5th star on rivals.com. The analysts at rivals don't give out a 5th star to that many players (in comparison to scout), so this is quite an achievement.

Rivals will bring out their full rankings for the 2012 class in stages throughout the week. I believe the top 100 comes out tomorrow?

Weekend Updates + Blog Update

2012-01-16T06:41:00.000-08:00

This weekend Michigan hosted three of their top 2012 targets, as well as one of their main priorities for the 2013 class.

- Jordan Diamond took his official visit to Michigan this weekend, after already visiting Auburn and Ohio State. He's got Wisconsin and Arkansas to follow, so its a bit early to say where he's going to end up. Before he started taking visits, I thought Wisconsin was in a really good position, so that visit will be very important.

- Sam Grant was the unofficial 2012 visitor this weekend, and he'll be deciding pretty soon. I think it will come down to Michigan and Boston College, although officially I think he's got a top four that also includes Arkansas and Oklahoma. If I had to make a prediction, I'd say he ends up blue, might depend on his in home visits though.

- Armani Reeves finally took his Michigan official, but like Diamond he's still got two more left, so even in January its early days. His cousin Camren Williams seems pretty keen on Ohio State, so the two of them will visit the Buckeyes this week followed by a trip to Penn State at the end of the month.

- 2013 RB Ty Issac was on campus again to check out the Wolverines. It wouldn't surprise me if Michigan was the early leader, but with a prospect as good as he is, many other schools are bound to come in the mix soon.

In other news, Josh Garnett visited Stanford officially this weekend, and is now done with his visits. It's a UM-Stanford race, despite an apparent top 3. It's really close, but I have to give the edge to Stanford, based on their academics, and the fact that they're a lot closer to home. Still, both schools will get one last chance with an in home visit.

Blog Update

I'm pretty satisfied with how far the blog has come over the last year or so, but there is always room for improvement. In evaluating the blog, I thought whats the one thing it really lacks? The answer (to me) was obvious; first hand interviews with recruits. Now, I've spoken to recruits in my time, but being in my final year of university, and living in a different time zone, its not ideal for me to do right now. I'm more suited to the analysis and prediction side of recruiting. So, whats the solution to this problem? Easy, recruit someone to do the interviews for me!

Enter SimplyComplex (Real name: Davon):

"Hello my fellow Michigan fans, my name is Davon and I will be helping out Benji with MGoRecruit as the site's recruiting analyst and reporter from here on out. I've done many interviews with Michigan recruits as well as some 2013 prospects. In the interviews, I use the name SimplyComplex instead of my real name because that's how I contact recruits. I am a regular poster on the recruiting site 24/7 Sports and I've been working with the blog Midnight Maize, which is where I post my interviews. Some of the recruits that I've interviewed are: Allen Gant, Devin Funchess, Kamani Thomas, Colin Goebel, Cameron Burrows, Brogan Roback, Devonte Moore, Ethan Pocic, and Erik Magnuson. I have many more interviews setup and finished, but I wanted to wait and post them exclusively on MGoRecuit. I plan on creating some type of recruiting segments on the blog where you guys can ask me any recruiting questions you might have via liveblog, recruiting roundtable, etc. I'll try to post as often as I can, although my schedule might get hectic sometimes, but I'll try my best. You can follow me on twitter: @SimplyComplexMM. Also, I have a surprise for you guys that will be unveiled on National Signing Day. So make sure to tune in here on February 1st. Finally, if you have any questions for me, post them in the comments and I'll answer all of them as fast as I can. I look forward to working here and providing you guys with the best recruiting content that I have to offer! Have a great day and Go Blue!"

Welcome Davon!

Sometime today I'll enable him to start posting on the site, so look out for his content in the future! As for me, I have exams starting this week, and ending next Wednesday (25th Jan), which is why I haven't posted much over the last few days. I'll be back with vengeance for the run up to signing day, which should include much more comment answering, email responses and twitter replies etc, as well as an awesome signing day live blog.

For the record, if Davon's 'surprise' on signing day goes to plan, then it'll definitely be worth your while to be on the site during NSD!

Extra: One final bit of blog news. After my graduation in June, the summer project will be moving the blog to its own site, away from the blogspot format. Hopefully this will make it easier for you guys to post any comments you have, as well as being able to start your own threads in a forum layout. It's early stages, but I've got some friends in web design who will be helping me design it, so thats something to look forward too!

Go Blue!

247 Sports final rankings

2012-01-12T13:06:00.000-08:00

247 Sports have released their final rankings for the class of 2012, you can see their top 247 prospects here. UM has 10 prospects in the top 247, 5 of which landed in the top 100. It's not quite as positive as scout's rankings, but its still pretty nice.

I don't have time to do a full recap of the list, but Ondre Pipkins was our top prospect at #51, and the most surprising ranking was RJS at around #210. Bit harsh there maybe.

Final Scout 300

2012-01-11T13:37:00.000-08:00

Scout.com has released its final rankings for the 2012 recruiting class, or at least the top 300 prospects. The list includes a whopping 14 Michigan commitments, which is very encouraging. You can view the full 300 here, but below are the Michigan rankings:

- 5* Kyle Kalis: #35 overall, #6 OT
- 4* Ondre Pipkins: #65 overall, #7 DT
- 4* Joe Bolden: #69 overall, #4 OLB
- 4* Erik Magnuson: #82 overall, #15 OT
- 4* James Ross: #83 overall, #7 OLB
- 4* Tom Strobel: #93 overall, #12 DE
- 4* Royce Jenkins-Stone: #111 overall, #2 MLB
- 4* Mario Ojemudia: #162 overall, #20 DE
- 4* Chris Wormley: #164 overall, #21 DE
- 4* Terry Richardson: #183 overall, #14 CB
- 4* Amara Darboh: #205 overall, #32 WR
- 4* Devin Funchess: #221 overall, #8 TE
- 4* A.J Williams: #225 overall, #27 OT
- 4* Jarrod Wilson: #245 overall, #19 Safety

Key Targets: Josh Garnett (#42 overall, #3 OG), Armani Reeves (#79 overall, #6 CB), and for comparison's sake ONLY, Yuri Wright (#146 overall, #10 CB).

Thoughts: Very positive rankings if you're a Michigan fan. There aren't really any shockingly bad rankings, although TR @ #183 might be a tad harsh seen as he got great reviews from perhaps the greatest corner to play the game, Primetime himself!

Apart from that, I'm happy. By the way, these are going to be the most positive rankings UM gets, rivals and ESPN will be harsher, just based on where our prospects currently lye with them. Not sure about 247 sports.

Fun Fact: We have 14 commits in the top 300, MSU has 2.

Sam Grant to visit

2012-01-11T10:29:00.000-08:00

Ohio TE Sam Grant is the latest to put his name down for a visit this weekend. The three star prospect, and teammate of current UM commit Kyle Kalis, has already visited UM for an official visit, so the fact that he's coming back is a very good sign. Commitment watch may well be on this weekend.

National title game

2012-01-10T08:01:00.000-08:00

Ohh my...

That defense. I don't care how bad Jordan Jefferson played, Alabama didn't give them anything. The one positive is that we got to see how Saban/Smart chose to defend against a reasonably mobile quarterback, and now Borges has to think of ways to exploit the system they used (I believe Herbstreit said it was a lot of cover 2 with corners in short zones for run support).

Michigan is going to have to make some serious strides on offense to be able to compete in Dallas on September 1st, no matter how many of their defense goes pro, because the practice of oversigning means that Bama will reload and still have a pretty darn good defense next season...

Jordan Diamond Visit

2012-01-10T07:48:00.000-08:00

Four star offensive tackle Jordan Diamond is also likely to be on campus this weekend for his Michigan official visit. Diamond has already visited Ohio State and Auburn, and had a great times there, so this could be tough for Michigan to leapfrog those schools, along with Arkansas and Wisconsin who are both still in the mix.

Michigan led for Diamond for a long period of time over the spring and early summer, but I think it will need a minor miracle for him to pick the Wolverines on signing day. We'll see how the visit goes, but right now Josh Garnett is a more realistic option.

Armani Reeves to visit

2012-01-09T14:08:00.000-08:00

Cornerback, and still Penn State commit Armani Reeves will visit Michigan officially this weekend. I don't know whether he's spoke with the new head coach yet, but Michigan has a great chance now, and he's clearly the guy UM wants at corner.

If Penn State had hired a well known college coach, or even just kept Tom Bradley on the staff, I think they'd have a decent shot at keeping Reeves. Bradley was the DC for 10 years and had a good relationship with Reeves, so his resignation might be why Reeves is visiting so promptly.

Yuri Wright Update

2012-01-09T07:57:00.000-08:00

Three recent events that are directly or indirectly involved with the recruitment of Yuri Wright:

1) Big rumor circulates about Wright potentially announcing at the recent Army game. If he did announce during the game, it would have been for Notre Dame, there's little doubt about that. Even though he did not announce, the fact that the rumor was circulated in the first place says that his interest in Notre Dame is probably quite high.

2) E.J Shumate announces for Notre Dame. Shumate is a safety prospect, and the current teammate of Yuri at Don Bosco Prep. It might not have a huge effect on Wright, but it's certainly not going to hurt ND's chances.

3) CB Ronald Darby decommits from Notre Dame. With Darby in the class, the Irish had the #1 and #4 CBs in the class, and despite Wright's own lofty status, that's something that has no doubt crossed his mind if he was eying early playing time. With Darby now out the way, it makes ND look more attractive to Wright.

So yeah, Wright to ND looks in the cards, especially since Michigan is apparently going after Armani Reeves with more effort.

Right now it looks like UM wants 1 OL, 1 CB, 1 TE, and then the last spot will depend on the fate of Darryl Stonum.

Army game thoughts + 2013 update

2012-01-08T10:03:00.000-08:00

The Army All American game took place yesterday afternoon, in front of a record crowd of over 38,000 people. Michigan had five commitments and one target (Wright) playing in the game, and all of them did ok, but the real standouts for me were Erik Magnuson and Kyle Kalis. Magnuson missed a couple blocks, but overall looked pretty good, and Kalis was solid throughout, more than holding his own against Ondre Pipkins.

The footage I saw of Yuri Wright wasn't that good. He was giving receivers a hefty cushion (was he told to?), and the opposing team took advantage by completing several short routes against him. He also missed a key tackle on a screen pass that allowed the running back to gain an extra 10-15 yards. Got beat for easy TD by Dorial Green-Beckham too, but the #1 WR in the class made a bad drop. People have said before that he's a raw corner, so I guess he just needs time in a college program to get coached up.

To see footage of all UM commits in the Army All American game, check out MGoVideo!

In other news, 2013 OL Logan Tuley-Tillman will be on campus today, taking in the UM-UW basketball game. This isn't the first time he's been on campus, and apparently Michigan is at the top of Logan's top five, which also includes Alabama, Ohio State, Arkansas and South Carolina.

Tuley-Tillman is the #38 recruit in the nation according to 247Sports' early 2013 rankings, and having already lost out on Steven Elmer (#10 overall), landing Logan would be a great way to bounce back and start off the 2013 OL class!

Reeves Decision

2012-01-07T09:04:00.000-08:00

With Penn St's new coach officially named, Michigan's focus switches to Armani Reeves, who has long been awaiting the news. If Reeves gets on well with the new head coach and his staff, then there's a decent chance he sticks with Penn St.

However if things aren't all good, Reeves will certainly take another look at Michigan, probably by taking an official visit.

So now we just need to wait until Reeves gets a chance to speak with O'Brien.

In other news, the Army All American game is on today and Michigan has five commits there, as well as one target prospect in Yuri Wright. Tune in to that, hopefully it will be more of a contest than the UA game on Thursday.

UA Game tonight

2012-01-05T10:41:00.000-08:00

The Under Armor All American game is on tonight at 7:30 ET, so make sure you check it out on ESPN. Michigan commitments Terry Richardson and Joe Bolden have drawn in strong praise all week, so it'll be interesting to see them on the field.

Josh Garnett will also be playing, although offensive lineman tend to look bad in these games as they lack experience playing as a group.

Definitely worth watching!

Arnett gets full release

2012-01-04T05:31:00.000-08:00

The season is done, and its definitely one to remember. But now its time to move onto recruiting as Michigan hopes to close out the 2012 class with some big time prospects.

One guy that is definitely a big time player is DeAnthony Arnett, who is now free to transfer anywhere in the state of Michigan after Tennessee finally caved into media pressure and a common sense of decency. Arnett will likely decide between Michigan and Michigan St, so we'll just have to see how things progress.

UPDATE: He's gone to MSU, big pickup for them. They were favorites to land him because of the UM coaching staff that originally recruited him have since....moved on. Whereas Dantonio and Co are still there.

Ohh so sweet

2012-01-03T21:28:00.000-08:00

Did we play well on offense? No. Did we play well on defense? Not really (what happened on 3rd and 4th downs?). Did we play well on special teams? Hell yeah!

Gibbons is the obvious hero, making three vital field goals including the game winner which sent me into a cheering frenzy that has probably woken my neighbors at 5:00 am. Honorable mentions to Junior Hemingway who made two huge TD grabs, and also delivered an emotional speech afterwards.

Virginia Tech will moan about the catch that apparently never was; personally I wasn't sure it was a catch, but I did think that was harsh to overturn once ruled a catch. Even Hoke said he thought it was a catch. The Hokies played well on both sides of the ball, especially with their passing attack. Logan Thomas looked really good all game; even that interception he through was unlucky - it was an outrageous play by the true freshman, Frank Clark. On defense, they stifled Michigan's running game and forced UM into 3rd and long situations. So hats off to VT,

A year ago we got spanked by Mississippi State, so to now be crowned Sugar Bowl champions is incredible. Michigan will finish as a top 10 team with a BCS bowl win....don't cry Sparty, although apparently your tears taste like sugar!

What a great way for the senior class to go out, beating Ohio and then winning the Sugar Bowl. Incredible.

Extra: The Allstate president being a UM alumni was quite funny, isn't he meant to act neutral in those situations? Still, just shows you where a UM degree can take you...

Gameday Prediction

2012-01-03T10:16:00.000-08:00

With Virginia Tech, the two things I'm worried about is David Wilson running the football, and the deep ball throwing of Logan Thomas against a recently exposed UM secondary. But in actual fact, things don't always work out the way they should in bowl games because both teams have so long to prepare and improve ofn areas of weakness. Therefore it is hard to predict what areas Michigan will struggle/succeed in; instead I will simply say I believe they will win the game somewhere around the scoreline of 38-34.

Go Blue

All Americans!

2012-01-02T04:46:00.001-08:00

A happy new year to all! It's that time of the year when the top recruits from around the nation gather in Florida and San Antonio to take part in the two premier All American games. At the Under Armor game, Michigan has two commits in attendance; Terry Richardson and Joe Bolden. The latter has already drawn great praise from ESPN's Tom Luginbill on twitter, and seen as Bolden only narrowly missed out on the ESPN150 in the original rankings, there's a strong possibility of him shooting up in the final rankings. In the Army All American game, Michigan has a much larger group of commits including Ondre Pipkins, Chris Wormley, Kyle Kalis, Royce Jenkins-Stone and James Ross. Yuri Wright should also be there, so hopefully the commits will recruit him during the week of practices, like Devin Gardner did with Demar Dorsey in the 2010 UA game.In other commit news, Kaleb Ringer, Jarrod Wilson are down as early enrollees.

DeAnthony Arnett Update

2011-12-29T18:48:00.000-08:00

The news has broke, and it looks like there is major problem with any potential Arnett to Michigan talks; Derek Dooley and Tennessee won't let him join a BCS team in the state of Michigan, which is beyond a joke really.

His father is seriously ill, so he should be close to him. Why not let him be close to his father as well as allowing him to live out his potential at a decent football school? Its completely unfair because Arnett cannot afford to pay his own way at UM or MSU, so unless Tennessee changes their tune, he'll have to play for Western/Eastern/Central Michigan, I think?

We're not even playing Tennessee in the future, and seen as we're good and they're...not good, we're unlikely to meet them in a bowl in the next 3-4 years. In these circumstances, he should be allowed to transfer to any school.

McNamara to Oklahoma

2011-12-29T10:56:00.000-08:00

Tight End Taylor McNamara committed to Oklahoma today, which is actually very good news for Michigan. McNamara dropped UM when he decided to visit California instead about a month ago, so we had no chance with him anyway.

His commitment to Oklahoma is good though, because it may discourage Sam Grant from visiting the Sooners, who recently offered the Ohio prospect. Who knows, maybe even Oklahoma is full at TE now (I don't know much about their class/depth chart), in which case Michigan has one less competitor.

Arnett to transfer

2011-12-29T04:28:00.000-08:00

2011 ESPN 150 wide receiver DeAnthony Arnett is apparently transferring from Tennessee, due to the illness of his father and the firing of the Vols' WR coach, according to this article.

The illness of his father is a very tough thing for Arnett to go through, so its understandable why he probably wants to play college football in his home state. If he does transfer, he'll probably seek a waiver from the NCAA so that he doesn't have to sit out a year.

Michigan won't take another receiver from the 2012 class, the whole Monty Madaris thing is a dead end. But a player as talented as Arnett might just interest Brady Hoke if the Wolverines have one spot left in the class towards the end. This is definitely something to keep an eye on.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T16:20:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all of you, and a happy new year too! Thank you for reading this blog, and commenting on posts etc, I really do appreciate it.

I won't have internet access for my laptop over the next few days, so I won't be able to post anything. I doubt any big recruiting news will happen, but just in case you can follow me on Twitter here, where I'll be able to tweet from my phone!

Happy Holidays!

The MGoRecruit Team

Commitment Profile: Jehu Chesson

2011-12-21T11:06:00.001-08:00

Name: Jehu Chesson

Location: Ladue, MO

Position: WR

Ratings: ESPN – 3* (79), Scout – 3*, 247 Sports - 3*

Recruitment: Chesson was a Michigan visitor in summer andcame away impressed, but we didn’t hear too much about him until his officialvisit to UM for the Ohio State game. He was rumoured to be very high onMichigan after that game, but kept his word to visit Iowa a couple weeks later.The Hawkeyes visit was good, but not good enough to leapfrog UM, so hecommitted to the Wolverines a few days later. Northwestern was also in thefinal three.

Offers: Michigan, Iowa, Northwestern, Oklahoma State,Illinois, Missouri, UCLA, plus non BCS offers.

Stats: Currently stands at 6’2.5 and around 180lbs, with noreported 40 yard dash time (he’s probably a 4.4 – 4.5 guy). As a junior heracked up 605 yard receiving with 11 TDs. (Snr year stats to follow)

ESPN Analysis: Chesson has good size to go along with somesurprising strength and decent speed. Can play either slot or wideout, and getsoff the LOS and into his routes quickly and smoothly. He can be a verticalthreat with his speed and height, but we’re not convinced he has elite speed to burn the better cornersat the college level.

One of his best assets is his ability to adjust to the balland make spectacular grabs. He can really bail out a QB if the throw is offtarget, often making acrobatic catches in traffic. He needs to improve hisintermediate routes, but does well on option routes against zone coverage.

Overall is a good BCS caliber prospect who could developinto a top receiver given his upside (height, decent speed, good hands).

Improvements: Route running is something to be worked on, ashe apparently drifts on hitches and curls.

Film Highlights: Link here.

Final Thoughts: With Chesson’s commitment, Michigan now hastheir two wide receivers for this class; and both are guys that might not haveelite ratings, but both posses good upside. For those who are moaning about whywe don’t get elite WR prospects, just remember that Justin Blackmon came toOKST a similar size to both our current commit, AND he was rated lower! Justsomething to keep in mind!

At Michigan, Chessonwill certainly get his chance to play early because Michigan lacks WR depth,and it’s a relatively easy position to play as a freshman, as long as you knowhow to block!

As for the rest of the class, this won’t have a greateffect, because we’ve forecasted this for a while now, and so to have theMichigan coaches (I’m guessing?). It does mean that Monty Madaris won’t visitthough. UM shouldn’t take another WR unless Dorial Green Beckham comes calling,and the odds of that happening are 0.000000000000000000001%

Ohio St Sanctions

2011-12-20T12:25:00.000-08:00

Yeah so OSU got hit with a one year bowl ban, and more scholarship reductions.

I really hope Meyer was telling recruits that they won't get extra sanctions, because now that could come back to haunt him.

For the record, Brionte Dunn is sticking with OSU, despite the bowl ban.

Chesson Decision + Dan Gibbs update

2011-12-20T08:59:00.000-08:00

Firstly, the big news this week will be the announcement of WR Jehu Chesson, who is expected to make his collegiate decision tomorrow. Michigan fans are optimistic, as they should be, you'd figure that UM wins a recruiting battle against Iowa and Northwestern! Plus there is a great opportunity for Chesson to play early, UM loses Odoms and Hemingway after the bowl, so playing time is up for grabs. PLUS, Chesson knows he's guaranteed to have a high caliber QB throwing him the ball throughout his UM career.

In other news, in state offensive lineman Dan Gibbs will take an official visit to Michigan soon. He's a three star prospect on some sites, and a very smart guy (considering Penn and Dartmouth), so he'd probably be a good fit at Michigan. If he gets offered, it could end his recruitment right then, if not, maybe he'll get a preferred walk on spot. I'd imagine Michigan will wait until they know where they stand with the likes of Kozan, Garnett, Diamond etc before offering Gibbs.

Weekend Updates

2011-12-19T05:12:00.000-08:00

I've gone back home for the holidays, so I've been busy lately; let's catch up on some recruiting news!

- Jehu Chesson visited Iowa yesterday and will decide sometime this week. He'll talk it over with family/coaches etc and Michigan should be the choice. It seems like he had a good time at Iowa, but I don't think it will be enough to pass up the opportunity at Michigan.

- Yuri Wright visited Notre Dame, and Michigan is up next for him in mid January. Firstly though he has the Army All American game.

- Michigan is in a good position for Armani Reeves still, but the fact is that he remains a Penn State commitment, and his decision will largely come down to who their new head coach is. Usually in this situation the recruit wants the new coach to be someone already on the staff, because they have a relationship already, so if Penn State hires externally, and assuming its not Urban Meyer (jokes!), I think we'll get him.

- Speaking of Urban Meyer, he just landed a commitment from Noah Spence, the number four player in the nation....wow. I know we're not meant to get carried away with all this recruiting hype around OSU, but look at their current DL recruiting class: Spence, Washington, Pittman, Schutt. There are some monsters right there, so just be thankful that we have the best OL class in the country: Stacey, Bars, Braden, Magnuson, Kalis + one more in the future!

- Josh Garnett has named a final three of Michigan, Notre Dame and Stanford. It's surprising that Washington didn't make the cut, as he's been a frequent visitor to them and of course they're the in state school. Stanford are the favorites in my book, they've got great academics, he's already visited them once before, and he's still got his official there to come.

Quick Hitters

2011-12-15T09:03:00.000-08:00

- Now that Brionte Dunn is off the board, Michigan has gone after David Perkins (South Bend, IN). He's originally from Michigan, but moved to South Bend and ended up as a Notre Dame commit. He decommitted from the Irish and is looking around. Michigan is now in the running to get an official visit, which is obviously vital as they are playing catch up to a bunch of other schools. Perkins is considered a linebacker by most, but Michigan wants him as a running back.

- Armani Reeves had an in home visit with Michigan coaches this week, and Sam Webb continues to say that Michigan is in a good position. He'll set up a visit soon which could seal things for UM.

- Everyone keeps asking about Josh Garnett, so I'll say this: I think Alex Kozan is a much more likely option. Whilst Garnett rated his Michigan visit very highly, I think he'll end up closer to home at somewhere like Stanford or Washington. Maybe Stanford because of his academic focus.

Commenting on the blog

2011-12-13T19:08:00.000-08:00

It seems like a few Ohio St fans have been exploiting the new settings of 'anyone can comment', and this doesn't sit well with me :P Therefore I've changed it back to the old settings where you have to have an account to post.

Ohio St fans: Just remember, 40-34 and 58–43–6. Those are key numbers! You can brag all you want about your win streak, I'm sure I would have done the same had I been around for Michigan's NINE game winning streak, but in the end, the only thing that matters is the last game, and the overall record. The last game shows who has the current bragging rights, and the overall record shows which program is winning the rivalry.

Screw the last post

2011-12-13T16:48:00.001-08:00

BillBankGreene Bill Greene
RT @ScoutRecruiting Dunn Reaffirms To Buckeyes

As this tweet says, Brionte Dunn will be a Buckeye.

I literally just posted something about how Dunn and Kozan would shape the rest of the class with their decision timetables, but now that is mute.

Our most likely final five will be Chesson, Grant, Reeves, Kozan and Wright. (Pretty darn good)

Plus we're going super hard after Ty Issac now for sure! This development with Dunn hurts, but got to be positive and look to the future!

The Key Recruits

2011-12-13T16:15:00.000-08:00

There's five spots left, but the class is still somewhat hard to predict because of two recruits; Brionte Dunn and Alex Kozan.

Firstly, let's look at who we have a realistic shot with (in my view): Alex Kozan, Brionte Dunn, Yuri Wright, Jehu Chesson, Armani Reeves, Sam Grant. (If Grant stays with BC, Michigan will go after J.P Holtz).

Right now I think we'll end up with Chesson, Reeves and Grant; we are in a very good position for all three. Chesson is deciding probably within a week, and Grant could decide at any moment. If Armani Reeves visits in the next two weeks, he could also pull the trigger soon. After this it gets interesting:

- Michigan really wants a 6th offensive lineman because our depth is so bad, therefore if Kozan wants to commit, they'll take him and be left with one spot between Dunn and Wright, which is not ideal. Given that Yuri Wright is taking official visits up until the last week of January, its looking like Michigan won't have room for him in the class, presuming Dunn is already on board.

- Speaking of Dunn; now that he's not enrolling early, he's delayed his visit to Michigan. He's now got plenty of time to pick out a date in January, and if he picks it 2-3 weeks in advance, you can bet the likes of Kyle Kalis/other Ohio commits will try to make it in too.

So to conclude: Kozan is likely to decide before Dunn, and Dunn is likely to decide before Wright. Which means the only way Dunn and Wright end up in the class together is if Kozan goes elsewhere and Michigan can't find another offensive lineman.

We're not completely out of it for Garnett and Diamond, although personally I don't like our chances with either right now. However if Kozan does in fact commit elsewhere, Michigan could make a last ditch attempt during signing week for both these guys, even if it means leaving out Wright.

Sixth OL > Third CB

Hope this makes sense!

Quick Dunn Update (Updated)

2011-12-11T16:26:00.001-08:00

TrieuA Allen Trieu
According to @BillBankGreene Canton Glenoak (Ohio) RB Brionte Dunn will take his official visit to #Michigan next weekend.

This is good news for us, as some (myself included) had concerns that Dunn might shore up his OSU commitment this weekend whilst on his official there. At least now Michigan will get another major shot to land him.

UPDATE: Brionte Dunn will not be enrolling early. This means the saga is likely to go on until late January/Signing Day. This will give him more time to build a relationship with Ohio State's 2nd coaching staff, but it also means he'll get to see Michigan on the national stage in the Sugar Bowl. The key event is still this weekend though with his official to UM.

Who should win the Heisman?

2011-12-09T18:26:00.001-08:00

This year's Heisman trophy race is a really close call, so I thought it would be interesting to see what you guys think. On the right of the blog is a poll, vote away!

Personally I think Monte Ball should win it, based on his insane stats. He's a touchdown machine, and he's done it against some pretty good defenses too. This may sound harsh, but I just hope Trent Richardson doesn't win it, because if he does it'll show how truly bias the media is to the SEC.
Monte Ball has superior numbers in pretty much every rushing statistic; he's even thrown a touchdown pass! When Richardson has played teams with traditionally good defenses, like Penn St and LSU, he's averaged 4.3YPA and 3.9YPA respectively. Whereas Monte Ball torched the PSU defense for 156 yards and 3TDs at 6.2YPA. Alright Penn St might have been a worse team at that stage in the season, but its a considerable jump in performance nonetheless. Ball also rushed for 100+ yards at over 5.0YPA against Michigan State....twice, and the Spartans had a pretty good D this year. So yeah, that's why I don't think Richardson should win, but he probably will because the media think "oh, I'll take the SEC guy because SEC defenses are sooooooo fast and sooooo physical!!!!".

In choosing between the quarterbacks, its really a toss up with RG3 and Luck. I think RG3 has better numbers, but you have to give Luck credit for basically running his own offense, making calls at the line of scrimmage etc, it's impressive to watch in college. Neither of them have a great supporting cast, so perhaps one of them should win, given they were most valuable to their team.

The wildcard entry is Tyrann Mathieu, a defensive back out of LSU. Its kind of cool to say that the only defensive Heisman winner came from Michigan, and I don't really want that to change. The honey badger only has two interceptions this year, and I don't even think he's that good of a cover corner - isn't Claiborne their best cover guy? Mathieu does have the big play ability though, forcing fumbles and returning punts.
I don't see him winning it, although he'll have a great chance next year as a junior...

This weekend - officials here and elsewhere (Edited)

2011-12-09T12:18:00.001-08:00

Should be a pretty important weekend for Michigan recruiting, especially if you want us to land a certain running back from Ohio...

- Brionte Dunn is visiting Ohio State this weekend, officially. The Buckeyes are rumored to have a slight advantage over Michigan in the race to sign Dunn, and there's a legitimate chance of Dunn shoring up his commitment to the Buckeyes this weekend. Urban Meyer will tell him that the NCAA won't penalize them further (probably true) and that Brionte will have great success in Meyer's offense (definitely not true). But still, if the pitch works, this hold saga could be over by tomorrow evening.
Michigan had an in home visit with Dunn yesterday, and according to Sam Webb's podcast this morning they sent Al Borges and Fred Jackson. Hopefully it all went well, and they convinced him to at least give Michigan an official visit next weekend. Whatever the case, I'll be keeping a nervous eye out for a possible story tomorrow evening.

- In more encouraging news, Michigan is pursuing Tight Ends, specifically Sam Grant, who is a 6'6 235lb prospect from St Edward H.S in Lakewood, Ohio. Does that school sound familar? It should do, because it's the home of current UM commit Kyle Kalis too! The four star offensive lineman is visiting Michigan officially this weekend and there's a good chance that he brings Grant along.
Grant is a three star (78 overall) prospect on ESPN. Oh, and I should probably mention that he's a Boston College commitment. Still, the Eagles finished 4-8 this year, and one of those wins was against an FCS team, so it's clear to see why Grant may not be 100% on board.
Things have cooled down dramatically with Pharaoh Brown, and it looks like Taylor McNamara won't visit. J.P Holtz is still an option, but we need to get him on campus soon. For the moment, Sam Grant, welcome to the projected class!

- As posted earlier, Anthony Standifer and Michigan mutually parted ways this week, meaning an extra spot opened up in the class. Even if Standifer stayed, UM would still have taken Yuri Wright, giving us 3 CBs. So we now want 2 more CBs in this class, Yuri Wright and one more.
If the rumblings today are anything to go by, that one more could be Armani Reeves; a current Penn State commit who is now looking around after the scandal. One potential obstacle to this is Reeves' current teammate, LB Camren Williams. If the two want to stay together in college, scout.com's Sam Webb stated it cannot happen at Michigan, because the Wolverines are completely full on LBs.

Personally, if they really want another DB to go along with Yuri Wright, I hope they give Wayne Morgan another look. Morgan was a silent commit to us earlier in the year before things broke down, but he's still on the market and the competition doesn't look too strong for the four star prospect.

EDIT:
- Forgot to mention the OL. Firstly Jordan Diamond is in Columbus right now, which isn't great for whatever slim chances we have with him. Secondly, there's a good chance Michigan will get a visit from Alex Kozan. He's a guy that got a late offer, but always said he'd visit; I guess now is the time. If Michigan wants a 6th OL, this could be the guy, because I don't rate our chances with Garnett, Diamond, Banner or Evan Boehm.

Anthony Standifer decommits

2011-12-09T03:52:00.001-08:00

Three star CB commit Anthony Standifer has decommitted from Michigan this week, apparently in some kind of mutual decision. This means both he and the coaching staff thought it was best. I don't know what the situation was, maybe he wasn't happy about UM looking at a 5th defensive back (Yuri Wright and possibly Armani Reeves are set to visit).

Standifer was only a three star prospect, but he had very nice film and is a bigger CB, which can be useful for the team. In the end though, if we get Yuri Wright as his replacement, then that's fine with me, since Yuri is in the 6'1-6'2 range and rated much higher.

For the class as a whole, this gives Michigan five spaces left. They ideally want Brionte Dunn, Yuri Wright, a Tight End, Jehu Chesson and a 6th OL.

Also, one has to wonder how this will affect our chances with Standifer's teammate, 2013 WR LaQuon Treadwell, who currently has Michigan as his leader.

Brionte Dunn Update

2011-12-08T08:50:00.001-08:00

Michigan has an in home visit with Dunn today, but the big news recently is that Dunn will visit Ohio State this weekend on his official visit. A trip to Michigan will probably take place the following weekend.

I'm not sure if it's better to go first or last in these situations, but we have to remember that there's always a chance he could firm up his commitment to OSU on this visit, which would mean UM won't get another shot. That probably/hopefully won't happen, but it's something to keep in mind.

Quick Yuri Wright Update

2011-12-07T07:21:00.001-08:00

Four star CB Yuri Wright's top two schools are apparently Michigan and....the Colorado Buffaloes; according to the tweet of a rivals.com analyst. Why Colorado? Well they have one of Wright's former teammates on their roster, and I guess it can't hurt that they recently sent CB Jimmy Smith to the NFL in the first round of the draft.

But still...Colorado?!! Other schools will still get visits, like Rutgers and maybe Georgia, but Michigan seemingly has a great chance to lure him in now. As mentioned yesterday, Wright plans to visit Michigan in January, and hopefully he'll make a decision in the week after that.

Yuri is a four star recruit on ESPN, but he carries a rating of 82 and a ranking of 40th overall in the country, which would make him our top commitment should he jump on board. He also plays on a high school team that is ranked #1 in the country, so he's got a winning mentality! At 6'1 and 185lbs, Wright would provide Michigan with a big CB, and someone who could really push for playing time as a freshman.

ESPN list his positive traits as Man-to-Man coverage, Zone Coverage, Instincts, and Run Support. Combine that with the fact that they mention he has excellent top end speed, and we have all the characteristics of a top cornerback.

Quick Hitters

2011-12-06T11:26:00.001-08:00

A few notes from 2012 and 2013 prospects:

- Jordan Diamond is setting up his official visits, he's scheduled two already, one of which is to Ohio State. I think the Urban Meyer hire has had a positive effect for his recruitment, and given his timetable for a decision, Michigan is all but out of it. The only way he'll end up in the class is if he visits Michigan officially and commits shortly after. If he waits until signing day, Michigan should be full.

- CB Yuri Wright has finished his high school career with a state championship, and possibly a national championship? Do they do that for high school football? I'm pretty sure Don Bosco prep is the consensus #1 team in the country. Anyway, Wright is now ready to take some official visits. His Michigan visit is likely to come in January.

- Michigan coaches have popped in on two top 2013 prospects from the state of Illinois recently, firstly stud RB Ty Issac, and more recently OT Logan Tuley-Tillman (per Allen Trieu's twitter). Issac is going to be a top, top prospect, so its hard to gauge our chances with him right now, although its at least encouraging that Michigan is in there early. Tuley-Tillman was a visitor for the Ohio State game and shortly after named Michigan in his top group.

- Another 2013 prospect who was at the OSU game was Ohio defensive end, Taco Charlton, and he caught up with MGoBlog's Ace to discuss his junior season and his thoughts on Michigan.

Note: From now on, whenever I remember to do so, you can click on a player's name to go to their ESPN profile.

Commitment Profile: Amara Darboh

2011-12-05T02:44:00.001-08:00

Name: Amara Darboh

Location: West Des Moines, IA

Position: WR

Ratings: ESPN – 3* (78), Scout – 4*, 247 Sports - 4*

Recruitment: He made a couple of visits in the spring and summer, but his recruitment really came down to his official visits in the fall. Michigan and Notre Dame were his final two visits, and it was clear to see that UM was his preferred choice. He had the chance to visit Florida too, but decided to commit to Michigan instead.

Offers: Michigan, Notre Dame, Florida, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Iowa State, Kansas State, Nebraska, Vanderbilt and Minnesota.

Stats: Currently stands at 6’2 and around 195lbs, with a reported 40 yard dash time of 4.42. He suffered a shoulder injury during his senior year and thus only played seven games, but he still racked up 48 catches for 765 yards and 11 touchdowns.

ESPN Analysis: Darboh is a combination of strength and quickness as a big receiver with a sturdy build, long arms and nice height. He is part playmaker and part possession player and against this level of competition he can really stand out.

Shows some physicality at the line of scrimmage and is generally quite a good blocker. Shows great ability to find the open spaces in zone coverage and help out his quarterback, but he can also go over the middle and make catches in traffic.

Makes good adjustments to the ball while its in the air, often bailing out his quarterback if the pass is inaccurate. Can often be a body catcher at times, but he secures the ball well. He knows how to use his size effectively, which should make him a good target in the red zone at the next level. The main concern is his top end speed, which doesn't look anywhere like his forty yard dash times would suggest. Needs some polish in his route running, but should be a solid BCS prospect.

Improvements: Speed? For the record, not many reports think he lacks top end speed, in fact others list speed as an asset of his. Route running is an area for improvement, along with other general WR tools.

Film Highlights: Link here.

Final Thoughts: Michigan needs WRs badly in this class, and Darboh is a commit that we should be really happy about. If that forty yard dash time is legit, then Darboh should have the speed and size to give Michigan a proper downfield threat to open up the deep passing game. His size will also come in handy for blocking.

When he gets to Michigan, he will have the chance to compete for playing time immediately along with the other WR prospect that Michigan will land. We're lacking depth at the position, and with Hemingway and Odoms departing, Darboh will have a really good chance to see the field early if he progresses in summer camp.

This commitment won't have a great affect on the rest of the class, as Jehu Chesson has already said that he's still going to visit Iowa, and Jordan Payton just seems like an unlikely option now. Chesson and Darboh did get on well at the OSU game though, and even talked about coming to UM together, so this commitment might help just a bit with him, although I think we will get Chesson anyway.

We're going to a BCS Bowl Game!!!

2011-12-04T17:48:00.001-08:00

This, apart from the victory over Ohio State, is one of the most exciting moments I've witnessed as a Michigan fan. This was meant to be a transition year, but the team has pulled off a ten win season and made it to the BCS Sugar Bowl to face Virginia Tech.

A BCS bowl is a big deal for a lot of reasons. Firstly you get to showcase your team on the national stage, or as Dave Brandon puts it, help spread the Michigan 'brand'. It's also great news for recruiting, as hundreds of future prospects will watch Michigan compete on a big stage against a good opponent.

I haven't watched much of Virginia Tech, but they haven't beaten anyone good, and they've received a beatdown from Clemson....twice! Hearing this, I'm reasonably confident at this early stage that Michigan can pull off the win, and this would be huge for the program as it would really confirm that Michigan is back.

Amara Darboh, welcome aboard!

2011-12-04T15:55:00.001-08:00

Wide Receiver Amara Darboh has committed to Michigan, per 247 Sports. He tweeted #Go Blue about 30 mins ago too! The commitment to Michigan was expected, the only question was whether he'd visit Florida before announcing, and I think he made the right choice!

According to some, Darboh has been a Michigan lean for a long time, but needed to convince his circle that Michigan was definitely the right place for him.

More to come in the commitment post, which will be up either later tonight, or early tomorrow morning.

BCS Update

2011-12-04T11:29:00.001-08:00

Michigan jumped an amazing four spots to #12 in the final coaches poll, all but securing us a place in the top 14 of the BCS standings. Michigan State (#13), Georgia, Houston and Oklahoma all dropped below us after suffering losses this weekend.

Alabama remained at #2 in the coaches poll, which means they'll probably play for the national title. Therefore we'll end up in the Sugar Bowl vs some random team, maybe KSU or BSU.

If I had a vote

2011-12-04T06:26:00.001-08:00

I'm sure a lot of you are anxiously awaiting the final BCS standings which come out tonight, so to help kill some time, here's my thoughts on the BCS rankings.

#1 LSU vs #2 Oklahoma State (!!!)

Explanation: If you look at strength of schedule, I really don't think Alabama deserve to play LSU in the national title game. Imagine if they did have a rematch and Bama won by 3pts in overtime, who would really be the national champion? The teams would have split two games, by equal winning margins, but I would still argue that LSU had the more impressive win in Tuscaloosa and thus should be national champions? Screw that! Put Oklahoma St in there, a team with the ability to actually score points on LSU, and a team that has played a tough schedule. The cowboys only loss comes in double overtime on a week where there were clearly off field distractions for the team and university in general. Their defense isn't great in terms of yards, but they are opportunistic, as proven yesterday. Plus, Justin Blackmon will own whatever corner LSU matches up against him.

As for Michigan, I have us ranked 14th, which would make us eligible for a BCS bowl, which I think we'll get. I have MSU at #13 because they did beat us by two touchdowns, and they played a great game last night against Wisconsin. Still, MSU won't go to a BCS bowl, even if they are ranked higher than us because...they're little brother, and will always be a less attractive team. They'll end up in the outback bowl or something like that, call it karma for the way they played against us, i.e dirty.

The final five

2011-12-01T14:41:00.001-08:00

Ahh the time has finally come to put some percentages into the equation! There's an assumed five spaces left in the class, so here's how I think things could play out, with percentages for each recruit. Remember, these are just my opinions, although I'd like to think they are well reasoned opinions...

1) WR Amara Darboh: There's been a fair bit of buzz since his Michigan visit last weekend. Everyone is assuming Michigan is leading, and the only thing in our way right now is a trip to Florida that might not even happen. Even if he does go to see the Gators, I still love Michigan's chances; (Florida's leading receiver is Andre Debose with 15 catches for 423 yards...their RB has 28 catches....). Notre Dame could be a contender, but they already have 3 WRs committed along with an athlete who could play WR or Safety.
Chances of picking Michigan: 80%

2) WR Jehu Chesson: Another visitor from last weekend; Chesson struck up a friendship with Darboh, and there's a strong possibility that they will attend college together at Michigan. Chesson loved his UM visit, and the competition is Iowa and Northwestern, not exactly big time schools. Jehu has a great chance to play at a big time school in Michigan, at a time when the Wolverines are searching for their next great receiver; it should be hard for him to pass up that opportunity.
Chances of picking Michigan: 65%

3) RB Brionte Dunn: You know the story. If he goes with his head, it's Michigan. If he goes with his heart, it's OSU. In the end I think he realizes that his best opportunity to excel is at Michigan, in a pro style offense in front of a monster OL that is taking shape in this current recruiting class.
Chances of picking Michigan: 55%

4) CB Yuri Wright: He's been heavily focused on his high school playoffs recently, and thus didn't get a chance to visit, but there's a good chance he makes it up to Ann Arbor this month. Yuri has spoken highly of Michigan, even though he hasn't visited yet, and that has to be a good sign. If all goes well on the visit, Michigan may well be the team to beat.
Chances of picking Michigan: 40% (It's not a high percent, that's because there are still a lot of schools in the running.)

5) Mystery Tight End: It could be Taylor McNamara, it could be J.P Holtz who was visited this week by the coaching staff, or it could be a TE out of nowhere! Whoever it is, Michigan wants/needs one more in this class.
Chances of picking Michigan: N/A (none have visited yet, or even set a visit date)

This means, despite the good visit from Josh Garnett and Jordan Diamond last weekend, as well as the coaches visit to Evan Boehm this week, I don't think they'll get another OL in this class. A lot of it has to do with decision timetables, as well as proximity to home in the case of Garnett. This also means that I don't rate Michigan's chances with Stefon Diggs; the competition will be too great, and his timeline probably doesn't help our cause.

Things can change, but if I had to call it today, this would be my guess.

EDIT: Some of you have commented that this post sets the bar too low. To be honest I don't really see it that way, it's just realistic. Michigan wants Brionte Dunn more than they want a 6th lineman, and they definitely want 2 WRs, so that's three players you'd take over Garnett/Diamond etc. Then personally I think they need another tight end in the class, because A.J Williams could easily move to OT and become a really good player there. Lastly we have Yuri Wright, who is a stud corner. I don't have any real preference as to who to take, Yuri Wright or a 6th OL, I just think Wright would be more likely to commit before Garnett/Diamond.

As for Stefon Diggs, it would be extremely optimistic to put him on this list when he's still considering 7 other schools, and hasn't visited/given any indication that Michigan is in a top 2-3. Plus Darboh and Chesson are both announcing before Christmas (maybe even before Diggs visits!), so if they choose UM, we might not even have room for Diggs.

Brionte Dunn - What lies ahead

2011-11-30T08:09:00.001-08:00

The recruitment of Brionte Dunn has been a wild one already, but there's still so much to come in this saga. He's already spoke with Urban Meyer, and was impressed with what the coach told him, but there are still many issues to sort out.

Today, Sam Webb of scout.com tweeted that Michigan coaches were having an in home visit with Dunn today, and this is very important for the Wolverines. Brionte's mom didn't make either of the visits to Ann Arbor this month, so it's vital that she talks to the coaches today and gets an idea of what Michigan is all about. UM running back coach Fred Jackson will be there, and he's a very experienced recruiter, hopefully he can work some magic. Ohio State coaches will also be visiting him in the coming weeks.

Next on the list of issues facing Dunn will be the position of offensive coordinator at Ohio State. Urban Meyer has been known for running a spread attack at Florida, and with a talent like Braxton Miller already in Columbus, he'd be a fool not to run some kind of spread option offense, in my opinion. Dunn is more of a power back, so if Meyer brings in a spread guru or just anyone who hasn't run much from under center before, this could be a big advantage to Michigan, as we're moving towards a traditional power I running game.

Then we have the all important official visits. It'll likely just be one to each school; I don't see any other schools coming into the conversation. He visited Penn State this fall, but they've since had problems; to say the least. The official to Michigan should give his parents a chance to see the clearly superior academics (!!!) as well as an opportunity to speak in depth with Coach Hoke and offensive coordinator, Al Borges. He should be accompanied by good friend Kyle Kalis on this visit, and maybe Dymonte Thomas will go along too (just a guess there), which would aid Michigan.

My real worry is around his official visit to Ohio State. The guy has grown up as an Ohio State Buckeye, and no matter how bad things get, you'll always have that desire to play for your childhood favorite. He probably knows a lot of the players, and he's also got the pressure of the state wanting him to attend OSU, which can be a powerful thing.

Lastly, we have the NCAA sanctions against Ohio State, which are expected to be announced in mid December. Originally these were pretty important in his recruitment, as something like a bowl ban would have been a significant factor. But sadly, it looks like OSU will just get a slap on the wrist from the NCAA, and probably won't face any additional sanctions.

All of these events will have taken place by christmas time, so expect a decision to be made around then, maybe earlier if he can schedule his official visits quickly.

Recruiting Summary

2011-11-27T06:59:00.001-08:00

So there were lots of top recruits on hand for the game yesterday, let's run through some of their reactions:

- Brionte Dunn clearly had a good time, "Dunn's 2nd UM experience better than the 1st" is a heading on michigan.scout.com's front page. ($ article)

- Scout also has a story on Jordan Diamond entitled "Michigan moves up with Diamond". Again, this is a $ article, so we can't get the full reaction, but the title really says a lot!

- Josh Garnett also had a great visit, capped off by this photo he got with former Michigan Wolverine and #1 NFL draft pick, Jake Long. Academics will be important for Garnett, and recruits usually rave about the academic tours at Michigan, but there is a long way to go in Garnett's recruitment, probably go close to signing day.

- 2013 CB Shaquille Wiggins (Atlanta, GA) said on twitter that he was close to committing. This might just be a young kid getting caught up in the moment, but still this is a very good sign this early in the process. 247 Sports has him as a four star prospect already, and also has Michigan as his leader now.

- 2013 WR LaQuon Treadwell was another prospect who was probably close to committing, ESPN recruiting expert TomVH said on twitter than Treadwell wants his mom to see Michigan 'immediately', which is a very encouraging sign. As I said last week, Treadwell is a good bet to be the 3rd commit in the 2013 class.

- Also, just a quick note to mention that Cass Tech smashed Catholic Central 49-13 in the Div 1 State final yesterday. Cass Tech is loaded with talent this year, including Michigan commits RJS and Terry Richardson. Catholic Central also has a UM commit, Matt Godin. Game summary here.

Hail to the Victors

2011-11-26T12:38:00.001-08:00

If you predicted that scoreline, hats off to you; you deserve some kind of medal.

First off, whilst we don't like Ohio State, we do/should respect them as a talented football team, and we should respect the way their offense came out and played today. They played their tails off for Luke Fickell, and their gameplan was actually very good. I'll enjoy this victory for a long time, but Braxton Miller's rushing will haunt my dreams for a long time too!

Still, hail to the victors! Michigan finally wins the big one, largely thanks to Denard Robinson who turned in the best game of his Michigan career in my view. He will go down as a Michigan legend for ending the streak, as will all those seniors.

I was nervous before the game, but it was even worse during! The game never looked safe and after the officials blew that TD call from Tousiannt, I really did fear the worse. It was Michigan that was making the mistakes (fumble, bad punt, bad penalties), but thankfully the defense finally sealed it at the end.

Now we just have to sit back, enjoy the day, watch some more college football maybe, and then wait for some recruiting stories unfold further - hopefully in our favor!!!

#GoBlue

Quick Recruiting Note

2011-11-25T06:42:00.001-08:00

Just a quick note to say that four star offensive tackle Jordan Diamond will be at the game on Saturday, per his tweet this week. Along with Josh Garnett, that gives Michigan two top offensive lineman on campus and the Wolverines would settle for either one.

Michigan led for Diamond for most of last season, and through the spring and early summer this year, but have recently fallen back. I think Wisconsin could be the leader right now, but Michigan is certainly not out of it. Lets not forget that we still have his former teammate Chris Bryant on the roster, which could be a big factor. This visit will be an unofficial, so a good experience on Saturday followed by an official during the Winter could really elevate Michigan back into the lead.

OSU Weekend (incl prediction)

2011-11-24T10:42:00.001-08:00

A win would:
- Give us our first win against Ohio in way too long
- Probably send us to a BCS bowl game
- Make us believe that Hoke really is a god and that a national title in 2013 is a strong possibility

A loss would:
- Simply ruin our season, there's a big difference between 9-3 and 10-2 with a win over OSU.

The stakes are high, and as usual there will be a lot of very talented recruits on hand to witness 'The Game'. A lot of them will be 2013 kids, as well as a lot of 2012 commits, but there are going to be some big time 2012 targets that Michigan would love to secure a commitment from this weekend.

I'll start with arguably the most important, Brionte Dunn. He'll be on campus for his 2nd visit in as many weeks and despite being an OSU commit, many people (incl me!) feel that Michigan is probably the favorite. He's enrolling early so a decision won't be too far away, this weekend could just seal the deal for Michigan.

Amara Darboh is first of our official visitors on Saturday, and Michigan is also in a fairly strong position for him. He visited Notre Dame last Saturday and it could well be a UM-ND battle, and I think UM will win this one.

Michigan doesn't necessarily need a 6th offensive line commit in this class, but if Joshua Garnett was to announce for the Wolverines, it would be very hard to turn him away. He's taking his official for the game, and I'm pretty optimistic about UM's chances here, especially after seeing a CBS recruiting analyst predict him to UM.

Jehu Chesson has flown under the radar recently in terms of Michigan's WR recruiting as the focus has largely been on Darboh, Payton and Diggs. But Jehu takes his official visit to A2 this weekend, and anything could happen here.

As mentioned above, there will be a lot of 2013 recruits at the game, but few of them will have an offer, unlike Laquon Treadwell. The WR teammate of Anthony Standifer has visited Michigan a couple times already this year and could be a good bet for the next 2013 commit. Shane Morris will be there, so if those two get talking, it can only be a good thing for UM.

Prediction
A lot of people are already asking the question of whether to storm the field, but that really is premature. Despite their poor record, OSU is still a decent football team and probably has a more talented team overall than Michigan (based on recruit rankings). A win for the Buckeyes would put them to 7-5 and actually make the season not a complete disaster.

I haven't watched much of OSU's games this year, but what I have seen gives me at least some cause for concern. Braxton Miller is not a great passer, but he has the ability to buy a lot of time with his legs and then find open receivers. Examples - last plays of Purdue and Wisconsin games in regulation time. Michigan has to keep him contained, force him to make the tough throws.

Apart from him, the rest of OSU's offense is basically Dan Herron running it. Michigan did a good job against Rex Burkhead last week, but Herron is probably a little better, so that's something to watch out for. Still, I have faith in Mattison and his players to get the job done and hold OSU under 20 points.

On offense, I think the key to victory is pretty simple; don't turn the ball over. OSU's defense is good but not great, so if Michigan plays smart football and executes, they should be able to put up 30 points, which will almost certainly be enough for victory.

If the game were in Columbus, I think it would be really close, but given the home field advantage, the superior coaching and greater motivation, Michigan should win this game by around 2-3 touchdowns. I think both defenses will come out strong before Michigan gets going on offense in the 2nd quarter, taking a 10 point lead into halftime. A quick flurry of 3rd quarter TDs, help Michigan to run away with it...

Prediction: Michigan 35 ; Ohio 17

New TE target

2011-11-23T12:39:00.001-08:00

With the departure of Pharaoh Brown from the commits list, Michigan needs a new TE and they're hoping that Taylor McNamara (San Diego, CA) will be that guy. He's a former Arizona commit who's looking around now that Arizona fired their coach. Funnily enough they hired RR to be their new coach, so already we're in a recruiting battle with our old coach!

McNamara is rated as a four star prospect by ESPN recruiting (79 overall), so he's around the same level as Pharaoh Brown. He also just tweeted that he's considering Michigan for an official visit now. Other schools still in the mix include Cal, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Washington.

Monday Recruiting Notes: Bad

2011-11-21T06:09:00.000-08:00

It's a bad start to the week:

- Firstly, Shaq Thompson has named a top three of ASU, Cal and Washington, and is unlikely to visit Michigan. This is a shame, but if Michigan does want another DB, Yuri Wright is a more realistic option anyway, and just as talented.

- Secondly, Jordan Payton visited Arizona State this last weekend, so that's another 'stay near home' option for him to take over moving to the Midwest. The longer his recruitment goes on, the lower my confidence gets.

- Now for the big news, Michigan has lost a commitment. Last week I mentioned that Pharaoh Brown would visit Oregon, but I said it probably isn't a big deal because he would have told Hoke in advance etc. Well word is that Michigan didn't know much about this, and no longer consider him a commitment. Scout.com no longer lists him as a commit, which is a pretty good indicator of where things lie.
Whilst I doubt the door is completely closed on Brown, I doubt either sides are too happy with each other right now, so Hoke and Co will definitely start to look elsewhere. If we assume A.J Williams will play OL at Michigan, then I personally think they really need another good TE in this class; one just isn't enough.
Perhaps they could take another look at Ron Thompson, now a Syracuse commit, or even Sam Grant, the teammate of Kyle Kalis. Maybe a new TE target will emerge now that Michigan are having such a good season.

- Scholarship numbers: Michigan will probably go to 27-28 in this class, if they feel like they can get some real talent in those final spots. If we consider Brown as just another recruit, then we have 23 commits, leaving 4-5 spaces. If I could choose my perfect ending to the class, I'd go for Brionte Dunn, Jordan Payton, Stefon Diggs, randomly good Tight End, and if a 5th space is available, Yuri Wright.
Note: A lot of people might take Amara Darboh over Payton because of Darboh's speed, but Payton is rated higher on recruiting sites for a reason, and if I were picking the commits, I'd already have a speed guy in Stefon Diggs.
Also, just to clarify, those 5 names above are my ideal scenario, in fact it's very unlikely that it will finish that way.

Post Game Review

2011-11-19T13:57:00.000-08:00

The first half was a pretty decent performance, scoring 17 points and defensively we just had one bad play. But that second half...wow. That was something else.

Michigan well and truly dominated a good Nebraska team in all three phases of the game, and I literally couldn't stop smiling whilst watching. Perhaps most uplifting of all was the fact that Denard Robinson looked really good out there, and his form couldn't have come at a better time with the OSU game next week. Ok sure, the interception was bad, but it was also a very good play by that defender to deflect the ball upwards. Apart from that Denard was good both on the ground and through the air; the pass to Odoms for a TD was really, really nice.

As mentioned above, the defense did have that one bad play, conceding a 54 yard TD, but they still held Nebraska to only 260 total yards, and 17 points. They also contained Rex Burkhead and Taylor Martinez, allowing them to gain only 36 and 49 yards respectively; both were under 4 yards per carry.

And then we have special teams! Even those guys were making plays today, two fumbles forced and a blocked punt! This really was a great team effort.

Recruiting:

Brionte Dunn was at the game, and was seen taking a photo with 2013 commits Shane Morris and Dymonte Thomas (his cousin); can't be a bad thing. Dunn is coming back to Michigan next weekend for the Ohio State game, per Sam Webb, and Sam also said that Brionte will be enrolling early. This is seemingly great news, because will all the uncertainty at Ohio State that will probably go on for another couple months at least, would he really want to enroll early there? I doubt it, Michigan are now favorites.

Pharaoh Brown will be taking a visit to Oregon tonight for their game against USC, or at least that was the word last night. Not sure how Hoke feels about this, Brown will have already told him about it for sure, especially after the TR and RJS thing. Personally I doubt much will come of it.

Nebraska Prediction

2011-11-18T03:32:00.000-08:00

This is a hard game to pick, mainly because Nebraska are so similar to Michigan this year; both 8-2 (4-2), both with limited passing games but fairly good running games, both with mobile quarterbacks and decent defense etc etc.

I watched most of their game vs Penn St, and I think Michigan's biggest problem will be Rex Burkhead. He's got over 1000 yards rushing on the year, and his general toughness makes him hard to bring down. Penn St has a good defense and he gained 121 yards on them with a TD, so this is worrying.

Michigan will probably (hopefully?) dare Nebraska to pass, and if they can get the same kind of QB pressure as they did against Illinois, Taylor Martinez should be forced into some mistakes. The concern though is if Michigan loses contain and allows him to scramble, he's got the speed to make the defense pay.

On offense, Michigan will no doubt start the game by just running Fitzgerald Tousiannt, seeing how good the interior DL of Nebraska is without Jared Crick. Personally, I'd like to see us do short and easy throws on first down to keep Nebraska off balance, stuff like a tunnel screen to Gallon. Michigan needs to get Denard Robinson into the game early, whether it be by rushing or passing, we need him to be confident, because when he is, he's very dangerous.

Michigan's offense has been good at home, but they haven't really faced a good defense since Notre Dame, so this will be a good test before the big game next week. Ultimately I think Michigan will pull out the victory, limiting their mistakes while our defense forces some turnovers.

Prediction: Michigan 31; Nebraska 21

Brionte Dunn visiting

2011-11-17T13:04:00.000-08:00

Michigan won't be hosting many 2012 recruits this weekend for the Nebraska game, but at least a big timer will be there! Brionte Dunn will be visiting Ann Arbor with his cousin, and current 2013 commit, Dymonte Thomas.

Not sure yet on whether its an official or unofficial visit, but given the lateness of this news, one would think it's an unofficial as they take less time to plan etc. Hopefully a few more Ohio commits will come up for the game now that they know Brionte is coming, someone like Kyle Kalis would be ideal.

As for Michigan's chances, the visit certainly helps but you get the feeling that his recruitment will be decided by factors such as the NCAA penalties for the Buckeyes, and who their new coach is, assuming Fickell is done. For example, if they got Urban Meyer, who is known for more of a spread offense, would Dunn fit in there?

Still, this is very good news. Let's hope Fitzgerald Tousiannt gets loads of carries on Saturday, and of course lets hope Michigan wins!!!

Quick Hitters

2011-11-16T07:07:00.001-08:00

Does anyone else have a blog with blogspot? If so, how do you post links nowadays, they've changed the format and I can't figure out how it works? Anyway, onto recruiting:

- Michigan LB commit Joe Bolden has been selected to play in the Under Armor All American game this January. Michigan already has one other commit in the game, Terry Richardson.

- Amara Darboh has scheduled his official visit for the Ohio State game the weekend after next. There is a lot of optimism surrounding Darboh and Michigan; he's visited before and seemed to really like it, so a commitment wouldn't be shocking after the visit. He's going to Notre Dame this weekend btw.

- Scout.com has updated their rankings, and a few Michigan commits have made some nice jumps. A.J Williams is now a four star OT, and Joe Bolden and Tom Strobel have jumped into the top 100 overall.

Stefon Diggs: The story so far

2011-11-15T04:47:00.000-08:00

There's been a lot of talk about WR Stefon Diggs and Michigan recently, so I thought it might be useful to go over his recruitment, which has been a real roller coaster for Michigan.

Diggs first came on the radar of Michigan fans during the recruitment of his former teammate, Blake Countess. At the time, everyone was reasonably confident about Michigan's chances of luring the five star talent to Ann Arbor, and there were already early talks of spring/summer visits.

However over the off season it surfaced that Diggs had some academic issues and Michigan backed off. Of course most other schools didn't back off, and Michigan lost significant ground; but they still made his top 11 schools at the start of the season.

Diggs has since really improved in the classroom and is now by all accounts, set to qualify academically. Once Michigan got word of this, they were back on him. Fortunately, one Michigan man who never stopped recruiting Diggs was Blake Countess. The two remain very good friends and Diggs was encouraged to see that Michigan lets the true freshman Countess play over a senior (Woolfolk) at CB.

A random Twitter conversation between the two in which Countess says they should wear the #2 and #1 jersey's between them (representing the team's #1 WR and #1 DB) really caught the eye of Michigan fans and the buzz started to rebuild.

Now last week we have Sam Webb's article in the DetNews which suggests that Michigan has a pretty good chance with Diggs and that he's looking to set up a visit for after the season. He'll be narrowing things down to a top 7 shortly, which means two teams in that list won't get an official visit - Michigan badly needs one.

Right now I'd say Michigan definitely trails some schools like Cal, Virginia, maybe Miami too, plus there are the national powers that are still after him, Florida, Oklahoma, USC etc. So all in all, despite the recent optimism, things still aren't looking that great from Michigan's perspective. It's great to be back in the hunt, but Michigan have a long way to go if they want to win him over before signing day.

Payton decision almost here?

2011-11-14T12:48:00.000-08:00

According to his Twitter feed, Jordan Payton has almost arrived at his college decision. He was originally scheduled to announce it a couple weeks back, but delayed it after visiting Notre Dame for their game against USC.

As far as I know, he hasn't taken anymore visits since then, which means Michigan is still the favorite in my book. If he chooses a Midwest school, chances are it will be Michigan, but if he decides to visit a California school in the next few days, like UCLA, Cal or even USC (where he was originally committed remember!), then we could be in trouble.

While we're on the subject of WRs, Michigan is seemingly back in the hunt for WR Stefon Diggs after Michigan reestablished contact with him. I'll be doing a fairly big post on him that goes over his entire recruitment and who the leaders are right now + Michigan's chances.

Also for the record, one of our other WR targets, Amara Darboh, will be visiting Notre Dame this weekend.

Defending Denard

2011-11-14T06:54:00.000-08:00

In the comments section of the post below, there is a fair bit of criticism of Denard Robinson, and I've also had a series of email from someone (you know who you are! :P) saying that Denard should not be the starting QB. Personally I find all this talk pretty silly, especially when you look at the numbers Denard put up last year when he was in a comfortable system.

We have to remember that whilst Denard is a junior, this is his first year as a starting QB in Borges' system, and he's playing against some pretty good defenses on the road. If you remember he struggled to pass during his first year in RR's system, and look what happened his 2nd year. It's not unreasonable to think that Denard will make another jump forward this offseason.

At times we also have to question the play calling, as especially against Illinois it was painfully obvious whether we were going to run the ball or pass. But still, Denard actually put up some ok numbers through the air as he went 6/9 for 92 yards with no INTs, I'm giving him a pass for the hail mary play as that was always liking to end up as a pick.

You also have to give Illinois some credit, they brought a lot of pressure and their front four was very active in the backfield, especially Whitney Mercilus; our OL really struggled to block him at times.

Also, Michigan doesn't exactly have a great core of Wide Receivers. Hemingway is pretty good but prone to some easy drops, Roundtree has been non existent this season, and most of the others are undersized. Darryl Stonum's return next year should really help Denard to stretch the field.

Now let's look at Devin Gardner, who a few of you probably think should be the starting QB. He went 2/5 for 47 yards and a TD. I'll give Devin props for the TD pass as that was really nicely done, the OL gave him time and he stepped up and hit Odoms with a perfect pass. But apart from that his performance was still quite sketchy; I didn't think he looked comfortable out there.

I didn't watch the Iowa game, so I can't talk about Denard's performance there, but I watched every snap of the Illinois game and he was nowhere near as bad as some people are making him out to be. If you go back and watch the game you'll see him actually make some nice throws; if Odoms was taller he would have had a TD pass too.

The entire offense plays better at home, so it'll be interesting to see how Denard does, assuming he's healthy, against the defense of Nebraska, which is pretty good. I would like to see more, and better designed QB runs, and more short throws on 1st downs from Borges, as I think that would really help to build up Denard's confidence.

Halftime Review (Updated for post game)

2011-11-12T14:12:00.000-08:00

Got to be happy with the defense, they have been truly dominant for two quarters there against a talented Illinois offense. But our own offense is seemingly holding us back by turning the ball over in FG range. The game should be out of Illinois' reach already, and yet they are only down 14-0 at the half.

Michigan's offense started off very well with Fitzgerald Tousiannt gaining nice yardage and Robinson running in a couple TDs. But then Illinois just starting selling out on the run, and yet we still called run plays on first down.

Denard has made some nice throws, it's just these negative yardage plays and turnovers that are killing us. I've also got to question the play calling in key situations. On the 4th and 1, personally I'd kick a field goal just to keep the momentum going forward. Either that or I would have run it out of a stronger formation, not 3 WRs when the defense KNOWS you're running the ball so they don't have to spread.

Post game review:

The second half wasn't really an improvement offensively. Michigan started poorly with the injury to Denard, and Devin didn't really look too comfortable in there. The defense showed up again in the 2nd half and J.T Floyd came up with a great play to make the interception; he deserved to run that back for a TD, shame he couldn't.

Towards the end of the game Devin made a couple nice 3rd down conversions through the air, one of which was a big touchdown pass that really iced the game. So props to Devin for that, but really Michigan still has a long way to go offensively.

Player of the game: This is a tough one. I thought Mike Martin and RVB played REALLY well together on the DL, and they had like three or four sacks between them. Fitzgerald Tousiannt obviously had a good game, but for me MVP has to be J.T Floyd. The INT was a real momentum changer, and he was very strong against A.J Jenkins in one-on-one coverage. I don't think Jenkins ever truly 'beat him' on a play.

Looking ahead: Nebraska will be tough, but I like Michigan's chances at home. Taylor Martinez could be hard to stop on the option though.

Illinois Prediction

2011-11-11T06:51:00.000-08:00

I finally got round to watching the Iowa footage, and it wasn't as bad as first thought. Denard, although woeful on the deep pass, didn't appear to play that bad. However he could struggle this Saturday against a pretty decent Illinois defense.

Before the season I had this down as a loss, and I'm actually going to stick with that prediction. Illinois has lost three straight games, but they got a bye week to refocus and heal up; they'll come out firing at home and take a quick lead.

I like Michigan's D, but I don't think they'll be able to handle the option run of Illinois whilst trying to contain A.J Jenkins, at least not for four quarters on the road. On offense, Michigan will have to deal with the NCAA's lead sack specialist, Whitney Mercilus, who is likely to cause our RT all kinds of problems. I think Illinois will get pressure on Denard, and force him into some bad throws, and turnovers.

Prediction: Michigan 20; Illinois 24

Quick hitters

2011-11-10T08:16:00.000-08:00

- Firstly, defensive commitment Pharaoh Brown says he will be start as a tight end at Michigan. I guess this isn't too surprising given that A.J Williams is likely to grow into an offensive lineman, and Michigan really needs more tight ends after Chris Barnett left the program over the summer. This move shouldn't have a big effect on Michigan's current class.

- There's been a lot of talk about Shaq Thompson visiting Michigan. It sounds like it will happen eventually, but probably not for a while, and I wouldn't be too hopeful of it either. Yuri Wright is probably a more realistic option right now if Michigan wants another DB.

Where are they now: Jake Fisher

2011-11-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

Name: Jake Fisher

Position: OT

Recruitment: Jake Fisher came on the scene as a raw but highly talented in state offensive lineman, who was quickly snapped up by Rich Rod before his senior season. However, after Rodriguez was let go by Michigan, Fisher decommitted and started to look at other programs. Despite strong effort from the Michigan coaching staff to hold onto him, Fisher found a new home in Eugene, Oregon.

Oregon: There are not many stats I can give you for an offensive lineman, so I posed the question to an expert: Charles Fischer of Fishduck.com, more on him later. The review:

"We have been surprised through the whole process with Jake Fisher. First we didn't know a thing about him when he decommitted, but Coach Kelly did and apparently others knew of his abilities considering the big-time offer list. He was a Rivals three star--so most of yawn, and say, "well that's nice," but it's not a huge thing one way or another.

Yet later when Jake committed to Oregon--Coach Kelly stated that Jake was one of the best Offensive Linemen in nation, or "he didn't know what he was doing." That set many of us back because his ability to analyze talent has almost become legendary in Eugene. He offered a small town QB from Texas a schollie on the second day of camp....and he hadn't done much in his HS career yet going into his senior year. He was later selected as Rivals National HS Player of the Year. He offered another QB on the second day of camp...and this guy hadn't even started for his HS team yet! Marcus Mariotta went on to be MVP of the Hawaiian All-Star Game and holds one of the most impressive videos of a HS QB yet. So Chip's comments got tons of attention toward Jake.

As a true freshman he has passed tons of upperclassmen on the Offensive line to be not only on the second team, but one of the top three players who come in as relief. As a freshman? And he has done well. Even when he gets beat he was smart enough to drive the defender BACKWARDS and the RB cut around him. This is stuff that OLinemen don't get about Zone Blocking until the light goes on mid-sophmore year. Jake's got it now, and we are pleased.

Oregon recruited a group of highly ranked OLinemen last year...and they all redshirted but Jake. All them got the pub...but Jake has the PT already. Oregon needs to improve the beef on the Offensive Line and we feel that last year's group of seven will be the line that beats some SEC teams in a few years. Jake is going to head that group.

Count us as lucky to have him and myself as grateful for him and Chip's ability to analyze and recruit."

What could have been: That's definitely high praise! To earn significant playing time as a freshman on the offensive line is certainly a big deal. One has to question whether he could do it at Michigan, where the Wolverines are trying to build a massive offensive line; i.e he would have needed to bulk up more for Michigan than the spread of Oregon.
Still, with Michigan's depth on the offensive line, Fisher was one of our key recruits in the 2011 class and looking back it's really disappointing that we missed out on him. Having him and Taylor Lewan as our tackles down the road would be pretty cool.

Extra: The review on Jake Fisher came from Oregon football Analyst Charles Fischer, who runs one of the top new football websites on the net: fishduck.com. His video analysis of the Oregon spread offense is really, really good and I'd recommend it to anyone who is keen on learning about the spread, or anyone who is trying to get better at NCAA12!

Links:
http://fishduck.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/FishDuck83

Commitment Profile: Drake Johnson

2011-11-08T12:38:00.000-08:00

Name: Drake Johnson

Location: Ann Arbor, MI

Position: RB

Ratings: ESPN – 2* (72), Scout – 2*, 247 Sports - NR*

Recruitment: As you'll see from his offers list below, this wasn't a big recruiting battle. Basically Johnson woke up one morning and discovered that Michigan had offered him, and with the Wolverines being his dream school, he committed instantly. Easy as that.

Offers: Michigan, Eastern Michigan.

Stats: Currently stands at 6’1 and around 205lbs, with a no reported 40 yard dash time. However he is a very successful track athlete and has set numerous records in that field, so we can assume he's fast, and at 200lbs, that's a very good sign. So far as a senior he's amassed 2757 yards and 37TDs according to one of our blog commenters!

ESPN Analysis: Johnson has the size and athleticism for the running back position at the major level of competition; it appears his frame is capable of handling additional bulk over time. Can run inside and out, possessing the ability to break tackles in the open field.

Has quick feet which combined with his good vision allow him to hit the holes fairly swiftly. Also has good hands and can be a threat out of the backfield as a receiver; does his best work on the outside in open space.

He's an under the radar prospect with the size and speed combination to warrant further evaluations later in the year; his current level of competition might be a cause for concern.

Improvements: It's an outrageously positive review for someone with a rating of 72; I guess his low ratings reflect the fact that he didn't show up to many camps/combines.

Film Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoNlxe8HgLc

Final Thoughts: As with all Michigan commits who join the fold with bad ratings, we pass them off as sleeper prospects who will eventually turn into great discoveries! With Johnson's combination of size and speed, there's no reason to believe he isn't a true sleeper prospect who could develop into a real football talent.

Playing time will be hard to come by for him early on, but apparently he's good at returning kicks and punts, so he could see the field that way. Rawls, Hayes and others will occupy the backfield for at least a couple years before Johnson challenges for a starting role.

Overall I'm generally always happy with a commitment, especially such an athletic one as this. However, not all evaluations of Johnson will be that good, after all there must be a reason why only UM and EMU thought him to be worthy of an offer. Is he a track star playing football? Or the other way round, only time will tell.

Michigan wanted a running back in this class, and this should be him. With only two theoretical spaces left in this class, I don't think Michigan should be looking at another RB. A WR and a DB/OL should be what rounds out the class. This of course means that there would be no place for Brionte Dunn; the only way he gets in this class is if Michigan has more departures and thus more spaces available.

While we're on the subject of Dunn, my optimism on his recruitment has died down dramatically after the recent surge of OSU. The Buckeyes are winning games again, and that can't hurt their chances with Dunn. He visited the Buckeyes for their game against Wisky and had a great time, and he still hasn't visited Michigan officially yet.

Commit #24: RB Drake Johnson

2011-11-08T07:14:00.000-08:00

In state (or even in city) RB Drake Johnson has committed to the Wolverines today, shortly after receiving his offer from the coaching staff. I actually have a lecture to go to, so a commitment post will have to follow later tonight.

Just quickly, this all but certainly means Michigan is out of it with Brionte Dunn, as I doubt they would want to take two RBs with only a few spaces left in the class.

Secondly, Drake is having an extremely productive season and has earned his offer, in fact it was probably only a matter of time given his stats; more on them later!

Quick Hitters

2011-11-08T03:27:00.000-08:00

As per usual, not much is going on with Michigan recruiting at the moment, but here's a few quick notes on CFB in general.

- The talk about an LSU-Alabama rematch is really annoying me! LSU beat Alabama on Bama's home field, so why on earth do the Tide deserve another chance? If you can't beat them at home, in theory you shouldn't beat them on a neutral site. Unfortunately I think the way it plays out is that the rematch will happen, because Bama stayed so high in the polls. Personally I'd rather see Oregon get a rematch, because if they cut out the silly mistakes, their offense could easily put points up on the Tigers when healthy.

- Jordan Payton still hasn't committed anywhere, and the longer it goes on, the more worried I am that it won't be Michigan. Is he having doubts about leaving the West Coast? If so, Cal will probably come back into it, and that would worry me more than ND do right now. Also in WR recruiting news, Jehu Chesson has lined up the UM-OSU game as his official visit date.

- TE Ron Thompson committed to Syracuse yesterday, which is a real shame in my view. Thompson is arguably one of the most talented pass catching TE's in the country, but for unknown reasons it just didn't work out with Michigan. Best of luck to him at Syracuse.

Tough times

2011-11-05T12:52:00.000-07:00

What a mixed day! I had an unbelievable experience in the Directors Box at the Emirates Stadium today for the Arsenal-West Brom game, but my mood is now poor after hearing of Michigan's close loss to Iowa!

The loss pretty much kills Michigan's chances of going to the B10 title game, so now the only thing I care about is beating Ohio State. If I was offered an 8-4 season with a win over OSU at the start of the season I would have snapped up that offer, and the same goes for right now.

Mid Week game prediciton

2011-11-02T14:09:00.000-07:00

I'm going back home from University tomorrow and will be busy for the next few days, so I'll do this week's prediction now. For the record, I was pretty close on the Purdue score last Saturday! Anyway, on to Iowa...

The Hawkeyes obviously had a terrible result last week losing to Minnesota, but that doesn't mean we are going to walk over them this week, especially not in their home stadium. Iowa is undefeated at home this year, and on paper has a talented enough team to cause Michigan some serious problems on Saturday.

Firstly, on offense they have a running back that went over 250 yards last week in Marcus Coker, and then they have a QB with a passing rating of 178.3 at home. Lets also not forget the schools all time TD receptions leader, Marvin McNutt. I haven't seen much of Iowa's O-Line, but from a skill position perspective, they look good on offense. Michigan defended the run quite well last week, but struggled against MSU in run D, so that is a concern.

For Michigan's offense, the key is getting Fitzgerald Tousiannt into the game early to take some of the pressure off Denard. The health of our OL is a concern here. If Michigan can establish the run early and not turn the ball over through passing, then I think they can put up a fair amount of points against this average Hawkeyes D who have conceded 27, 31 and 24 points to Pitt, NW and Indiana respectively at home.

Despite the success of our defense this year, I am worried about Iowa's offense this week, but if Michigan can force a couple of turnovers it should be enough to pull out the win. For this, having Jordan Kovacs back would be huge, but I guess we don't want to rush him back. In the end I think Michigan just does enough on offense to pull out a close win.

Prediction: Iowa 27 ; Michigan 30

Sidenote: Unfortunately I won't be watching the game this Saturday, as I've somehow got myself into the Directors box at Arsenal Football Club for their match against West Brom! Still, I'll probably be following the game on ESPN's scorecenter!

Carvin Johnson Leaves Program

2011-11-02T08:03:00.000-07:00

Sophomore safety Carvin Johnson has left the program this week, becoming the latest in a long, long line of Michigan secondary departures.

I actually quite liked Johnson as a player, he showed a fair bit of promise even under Greg Robinson's watch, so I figured he would take the next step under Mattison. Unfortunately this hasn't happened and Thomas Gordon beat him out at free safety.

Like all other departures this year, this takes Michigan very close to the target of 26 scholarships available for the class of 2012 to take up. It also increases the likelihood that another one of those 26 spots will go to a defensive back....Yuri Wright we hope.

Basketball recruiting?

2011-11-01T04:08:00.000-07:00

I very, very rarely talk about Basketball recruiting on here, but recent news forces me into this special post. Even if you're not that keen on basketball, this still is still major news because it should in theory have a very positive impact on the University as a whole!

Mitch McGary, who is the number two overall prospect in the class of 2012, is meant to be announcing his college decision this Thursday, and he's down to just Michigan, Duke and Florida. Right now, everyone seems to be saying Michigan will be the choice.

If Michigan were to land him on Thursday, it would really mark a step forward in Michigan's basketball program, which has been good/not great over the last 3 years. Usually a guy like McGary would end up at the traditional powerhouses like Duke, UNC or Kentucky, so for Michigan to steal him on Thursday would be something special, keep your fingers crossed.

Go Gophers!

2011-10-29T16:03:00.000-07:00

I'll recap the Michigan game and a few other B10 games tomorrow, but for now lets give three cheers for the Minnesota Golden Gophers, who basically took Iowa out of the Legends division title race with a stunning 22-21 upset!

The Gophers (2-6) have looked simply terrible this year, but they played their hearts out today and you have to feel good for them, especially since we already spanked them 58-0...

Purdue Preview

2011-10-28T05:00:00.000-07:00

Before I get into the game, one quick recruiting note. According to the Sun-Sentinel, WR Jehu Chesson is scheduled to visit for the Purdue game, which would make things very interesting because most Michigan fans are already assuming Amara Darboh will be the 2nd receiver, assuming Payton picks UM. However! Since I tweeted the Chesson visit yesterday, I've had a couple people telling me this visit probably won't happen, and looking back on the Sun-Sentinel article, there are no quotes, so don't be surprised if he doesn't show. Onto the game:

I know Purdue had a nice win against Illinois last weekend, but I really don't see them as a major threat here. Firstly, the game is at the Big House and secondly Michigan's players should be eager to prove themselves after a pretty poor showing in East Lansing.

Michigan needs to get the running game going early, and I think they'll be able to that against a Purdue front seven that doesn't really have any standout players. In the passing game, Denard will have to watch out for Purdue's CBs, who are pretty good; especially Ricardo Allen. But coming off a bye week, Michigan has had plenty of time to work on their timings etc, so I expect Denard to come out throwing well.

On offense, the Boilermakers like to run the ball, but they aren't really that good at it; nobody on the team has rushed for over 400 yards. I think Michigan's defense should handle them quite comfortably and hold them under 20 points.

Michigan will get off to a good start and eventually pull away in the 2nd half behind a strong defensive performance from Greg Mattison's crew.

Prediction: Michigan 38 ; Purdue 16

Over before it began

2011-10-26T07:03:00.000-07:00

It looks like Michigan's slim chances of landing Arik Armstead have come to a close already, that is if you believe what 247Sports' JC Shurburtt. In a brief article today about where Armstead is likely to end up, Michigan was not even mentioned.

Shurburtt outlines Cal and USC as the frontrunners, largely due to proximity to home and the fact that their DL coaches are Tosh Lupoi and Ed Orgeron respectively, two of the best recruiters in college football.

Despite a good visit to Notre Dame, the Irish's chances apparently aren't that great, which doesn't bode well for Michigan given our similarities. The odds were never good to begin with, but somehow they've got even worse in a matter of days.

Quick Updates

2011-10-25T04:15:00.001-07:00

- Firstly, Jordan Payton announced on Twitter that he won't be announcing today. This is certainly not the end of the world for Michigan, it's more of a smart move on his part. By waiting a week or so he'll let the ND visit emotions cool down, and then he can make a purely rational decision. I still think he'll end up at Michigan.

- Zach Banner has said that Oklahoma was his top visit so far, and with favorites Washington to still come, as well as USC, this does not bode well for Michigan at all. This might explain why we've offered OL Alex Kozan recently.

- Joshua Garnett will apparently take his official visit for the Nebraska game instead of the OSU one. This is a shame in my view because he won't get to see the Big House really in full swing. Whilst I'm sure the crowd will provide a good atmosphere vs the Huskers, nothing quite compares to the Game.

Commitment Profile: Jeremy Clark

2011-10-24T15:55:00.000-07:00

Name: Jeremy Clark

Location: Madisonville, KY

Position: Safety

Ratings: ESPN – 3* (76), Scout – 3*, 247 Sports - 3*

Recruitment: Clark is a bit of a sleeper prospect, as he doesn't have that many offers but clearly has some serious talent. He impressed the UM coaches early on, but not enough to earn a full scholarship for 2012, as Michigan was already in on Allen Gant and Jarrod Wilson at the time. Clark still committed, but the view at the time was that he would jump on a real offer from another school. However Clark's stellar senior year meant the Wolverines couldn't afford for that to happen, and they gave him a 2012 scholarship offer instead of the grayshirt.

Offers: Michigan, Illinois, N.C State, Akron, Ball State, and other MAC schools.

Stats: Currently stands at 6’4 and around 200lbs, with a 40 yard dash time of 4.47 seconds. As a junior he racked up 75 tackles, 3 interceptions, and 8 pass breakups.

ESPN Analysis: Clark is a tall and rangy free safety prospect with a lot of production. Very lean without a lot of bulk, strength and power to his frame right now but we like his upside and room for development as an overall player.

Will definitely play free safety in college because of his good range and awareness in deep coverage. Reads the quarterback well and uses his size to his advantage, going up and grabbing the ball at its highest point.

Needs to improve his man coverage, which is a weakness at the moment. His height makes it difficult for him to make tight, fluid turns in coverage, but he does flash the ability to stay with his man and break quickly on the ball.

Could do with improving his tackling technique in order to become more of a presence in defending the run. Overall a good prospect who has the natural instincts required, just needs some coaching up on technique.

Improvements: Man coverage is highlighted by ESPN, as was tackling ability.

Film Highlights: None available on youtube, I believe it got taken down.

Final Thoughts: Clark seemingly has great size and speed, with good instincts. These are promising tools for any young free safety. Clearly the coaching staff like this guy a lot, firstly to offer him a grayshirt, and secondly to upgrade the offer just so they don't lose out on him. And given the improvement of our defense this year, I trust Hoke and Mattison's judgment 100%!!!

A redshirt year is likely, and in the years after he'll probably be competing with his classmate Jarrod Wilson for playing time.

As for the rest of the class, this certainly shakes things up a bit. Would UM dare take 6 defensive backs if Yuri Wright came calling? And if they do, would one of them leave due to the level of competition? Will they forgo taking a 6th OL now that Zach Banner is looking like a longshot again? Or will they only take one WR?

Greg Brown leaves the program

2011-10-24T13:03:00.000-07:00

Greg Brown, a freshman DB from Ohio has left the program this week. Brown was the first commitment of the 2011 recruiting class and enrolled early last spring. The decision comes as a slight surprise as we heard positive reviews of Brown during the spring, and he even featured in the spring game. I guess the emergence of Blake Countess just pushed him too far down the depth chart. Regardless, all the best to Greg.

In regards to scholarship numbers, this does not push up the figure of 26. If you recall, Michigan started the 2012 recruiting class with very few available scholarships, so this transfer, like Christian, Barnett, Stokes etc, just helps us get to 26.

Jeremy Clark Update

2011-10-24T01:59:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago it was announced that Jeremy Clark (Madisonville, KY) would grayshirt at Michigan next year and become a member of the 2013 class after that. But after a stellar senior year, the Michigan coaches have apparently extended a full scholarship offer to Clark for the class of 2012.

I'll do a full commitment post on this later today, but for now just know that Clark is a 6'4 200lb Safety who loves to hit!

The question now, is how does Michigan allocate the final three spaces in the class? WRs are still badly needed, so they'll probably still try for two there, and then I guess they'll take whoever commits out of a top OL and Yuri Wright?

Upset Weekend

2011-10-23T03:16:00.000-07:00

The BCS title race was really shaken up last night as Oklahoma and Wisconsin both suffered losses, all but ending their title hopes. Assuming Alabama wins out, and Oklahoma beats Oklahoma State at the end of the year, we'll have a really interesting situation where Boise State might be the only unbeaten team left to face Alabama.

Anyway, another upset that might slide under the radar is USC beating Notre Dame in South Bend. The Irish have looked pretty good since losing to UM back in September, and USC hasn't exactly been wowing people. Notre Dame had a very strong group of recruits at the game last night, so it's probably a good thing that they lost.

This affects Michigan because; Jordan Payton, who is set to decide sometime between now and Tuesday, was meant to be at the game, so having the Irish lose could just seal things for Michigan. I didn't watch the game, but one can only assume the atmosphere was deflated; unlike the Big House when Payton visited there.

So after a long break, we are back on commitment watch!

Arik Armstead Update

2011-10-17T15:35:00.000-07:00

Tweeted this earlier whilst I was out, here's a more detailed look:

If Michigan does lose out on Zach Banner, they'll still have a chance to land a major west coast offensive tackle now that Arik Armstead is considering the Wolverines! Armstead is the #1 player in the nation according to scout.com and 247sports, but he's been a USC commit for a long time, so he wasn't even on the radar.

He decommitted over the weekend, and it looks like these lucky schools will be in with a shout; Michigan, Cal, Notre Dame, Alabama, and probably USC still. With five schools seemingly still in the race, all of them should be guaranteed an official visit. Apparently he's already set up visits to Notre Dame and Alabama in the coming weeks.

Ideally, Michigan needs to get him on campus for the Ohio State game, which is the one weekend left in the recruiting calender that could really blow him away. If Michigan really wants to gain an advantage, they could tell him he'll play defense in Ann Arbor, because Armstead has said from Day 1 that he wants to play D-Line.

Whatever happens, it's definitely something to look out for, and it's really encouraging to see the top prospects in the nation starting to take a second look at Michigan.

The road ahead

2011-10-16T08:45:00.000-07:00

A loss is a loss, let's just move on and try not to dwell on it.

Michigan now has a bye week before what should be an easy rebound game against Purdue. That would send us to 7-1 (3-1), and given that we're going through a coaching change, this is pretty darn good.

Michigan then has two fairly tough road games to contend with, @Iowa and @Illinois. Personally I'd take a split here, but it's not unreasonable to say that Michigan could win both and get to 9-1.

All that remains after that is Nebraska and Ohio State at home, which should both be interesting games. Michigan struggled against the option attack of Northwestern, so I think Nebraska could give us some problems, but to be honest, I think at Michigan Stadium the Wolverines can beat anyone in the Big Ten, with Wisconsin perhaps being the only exception.

So of those last four games, I think Michigan should probably win three of them, minimum two; so we're basically going to be 9-3 or 10-2, not bad eh?

Sidenote: Please answer the new poll on the right! I know it's nothing to do with Michigan football, but I'm buying the phone tomorrow, so opinions are needed fast!

Look on the bright side

2011-10-16T03:02:00.000-07:00

I'm so glad this thug didn't come to Michigan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8T_VsOFe0ek

Updated Projected Class

2011-10-14T04:16:00.000-07:00

We're half way through the season, so we have a pretty good idea of just how much progress some teams have made (Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin) and how far back others have gone (Ohio State, Minnesota, Indiana). This obviously has an effect on recruiting, and from Michigan's perspective, one guy in particular. Brionte Dunn.

I know he visited Penn State, but in reality it's a UM-OSU battle for the four star running back. The starts made by both these teams could be more different, as Michigan has clearly improved to become a more balanced football team, whereas Ohio State has serious offensive concerns; which have been alarming Dunn.

Ohio State are a very talented team, yet they are 3-3 overall and 0-2 in the Big Ten, all but ending their chances of getting to Indianapolis. Plus, if you look at their schedule, they are probably only going to be favored in 2, maybe three games. So if we assume OSU gets to 6-6, what happens to Luke Fickell? He'll be fired.

Going back to Michigan, Dunn can see a team clearly improving, a team that has a shot at the Big Ten title, and a team with no impending NCAA hearings. Ohh, and his cousin is a 2013 commit; who doesn't want to play with family? :D

For these reasons, I'm fairly confident at the moment that Dunn will end up in Ann Arbor, firstly for an official visit, and then for the long run.

Looking at the rest of the projected class, I'm leaving it mostly the same; although it is getting harder to predict. Here's a few quick notes on the other three spaces.

- Zach Banner will decide his college destination after his last official visit, which will be in around a month's time. However, he won't announce his decision until after Christmas. If he were deciding today, I'd be pretty confident, but he has at least 3 visits scheduled over the next 30 days, so we'll just have to wait and see. This space will go to an OL, because Michigan still has a chance with Josh Garnett (visiting for OSU game), and UM recently offered OG Alex Kozan.

- WR Spot 1: This should go to Jordan Payton unless Notre Dame pulls something special out the bag for his visit to them next weekend. Pretty simple.

- WR Spot 2: I've still got Amara Darboh in the projected class, because he has shown a lot of interest and he should visit Michigan for the Ohio State game, which is obviously a great weekend to visit, especially if he witnesses a UM victory. However! WR Darius Powe has just named Michigan in his top five with a bunch of really weak PAC12 schools, and he'll also take an official to Michigan. He's from California, so probably knows Hoke quite well, this one could be interesting.

Wildcard Spot: I think the combination above (RB, OL, WR, WR) is what Michigan would like to close out the class with, but if a guy of exceptional talent wants in, they will probably have to adjust. The most likely candidate for that is Yuri Wright, the nation's #3 CB. He should take an official to Michigan late on in the season, hopefully for the OSU game which will give Michigan a chance at least.