Diamond to Auburn

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

Diamond Decision

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

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

There will be no live blog for fear of disappointment.

Ask Kyle Bosch a Question!

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

Evening News

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

NSD blog #1

Dennis Norfleet - The signing day surprise

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

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

Commitment Post: Willie Henry (Re-posted)

Name: Willie Henry

Location: Glenville, OH

Position: DT

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


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

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

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

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

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

Improvements: Needs to get bigger, and general technique.

Film Highlights: Link here.

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

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

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

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