1. LSU
2. WVU
3. Kansas
4. OSU
5. Missouri
6. Oklahoma
7. Oregon
8. ASU
9. VT
10. USC

Enjoy

Posted under BlogPoll

Michigan currently has 16 recruits committed to the 2008 class for football.
Boubacar Cissoko CB Detroit
Mike Cox RB Connecticut
Kenny Demens LB Detroit
J.B. Fitzgerald LB New Jersey
Rocko Khoury OL Traverse City
Kevin Koger TE Toledo
Mike Martin DT Novi
Sam McGuffie RB Texas
Elliott Mealer OL Wauseon, OH
Brandon Moore TE Trotwood, OH
Dan O’Neill OT Grand Haven
Daryl Stonum WR Texas
Kurt Wermers OL Crown Point, IN
John Weinke QB Tuscola, IL
Christian Wilson RB McKees Rock, PA
Marcus Witherspoon LB New Jersey

With Carr’s retirement now official, the new coach will likely have to re-recruit all of the current commitments, as well as the final 6 or seven members to the 2008 recruiting class. Some currently committed members of the Wolverines’ class have reaffirmed their commitments, whomever the next coach may be. Boubacar Cissoko, Kenny Demens, and Dann O’Neill have all told the Detroit News that they will remain firm in their commitments. Christian Wilson, on the other hand, will reopen his recruiting. The remaining members of the class have not spoken about their intentions, but it is likely that some of the more highly-coveted guys will be recruited heavily by other top schools, and Michigan State will likely go hard after every commit from the mitten state. Will Illinois push after John Weinke, who lives only half an hour from Urbana-Champaign? For now, it’s a wait-and-see game. More news will likely come out as the recruits themselves hear from Carr, and report to their local newspapers. Every recruit will obviously have different factors working for and against Michigan (Stonum’s former teammates at Michigan, Dantonio working hard for in-state dominance, etc.).

On an interesting note, many recruits have named Ron English as a key factor to their return to the Wolverines. Kenny Demens said he is a Michigan Man no matter what, but he would like to see English on the next staff. Both of the New Jersey linebackers had Steve Szabo as their primary recruiter. Szabo is a top-notch coach as well, though it is possible he retires.

Posted under Coaching, Recruiting

Probably a lot of posting, in light of what a big day it is today.

From the Ann Arbor News.

The criteria seem to point away from Mike Trgovac, in terms of people who have already been mentioned as potential candidates. Miles seems to fit the criteria the best (Jim Carty definitely thinks so). The Best Sports Writer in America questions whether Les Miles should be considered a lock to coach the Wolverines next season. Tedford doesn’t likely have the “Michigan Tradition” knowledge that Martin talks about. Brian Kelly seems to meet the criteria well. In terms of coaching longevity, I doubt people will have to worry about DeBord (and not just for that reason).

Posted under Coaching

Lloyd Carr has informed his coaching staff and players, as well as the media, that he will retire at a 10AM press conference tomorrow.

Posted under Coaching

Assuming Lloyd Carr retires at the end of this year, which becomes less and less of an “if” each day, it seems, Michigan will be looking to hire a new head coach. One such option is former Michigan assistant Les Miles, who is now the head coach of the LSU Tigers. If Miles were named coach, what might his staff look like? Varsity Blue offers our (not necessarily informed on all points) opinions:

Current Coaching Staff
Head Coach: Lloyd Carr (Retires)
Defensive Secondary: Vance Bedford (Likely to leave)
Assistant Head Coach / Wide Receivers: Erik Campbell (Carr guy, but good coach. Status unknown)
Offensive Coordinator / Tight Ends: Mike DeBord (Will likely be replaced, rumors of personal incompatibility with Miles)
Defensive Coordinator: Ron English (Will likely move on)
Associate Head Coach / Running Backs: Fred Jackson (Will likely stay, coached with Miles under Moeller)
Quarterbacks: Scot Loeffler (Will likely stay, possibly promoted to OC, was a player when Miles was a coach)
Offensive Line: Andy Moeller (Will be replaced or moved to LBs)
Defensive Line: Steve Stripling (Will likely stay)
Linebackers: Steve Szabo (will likely retire)
Director of Weight Training and Conditioning: Mike Gittleson (Will be replaced)
Strength and Conditioning Coach: Kevin Tolbert (Likely to stay)

Les Miles’s Current Staff
Offensive Coordinator: Gary Crowton (Not likely to stay with Miles – first year together, he’s been on a downward slide (BYU HC to Oregon OC to LSU OC)
Defensive Coordinator: Bo Pelini(Not likely to join Miles – HC gig elsewhere)
Tight Ends/Recruiting Coordinator: Josh Henson (May join Miles – been with him since OkSt, and DeBord will be replaced)
Defensive Line Coach: Earl Lane (Not likely to join – only second year with Miles, though he did go to college in Michigan)
Defensive Backs Coach: Doug Mallory (Likely to go with Miles – played for Bo at Michigan, been with Les since OkSt, has good players)
Wide Receivers Coach: D.J. McCarthy (Not likely to join – 1st year with Miles, no real connections)
Special Teams Coordinator/Linebackers Coach: Bradley Dale Peveto (May join Miles, 3rd year with him, and LSU’s special teams have been decent, pulls double duty)
Asst. Head Coach/Running Backs/Special Teams: Larry Porter (May come – coaches a white guy right now, has multiple responsibilities, but Jackson is already around)
Offensive Line Coach: Greg Studrawa (May come – Ohio guy, though it is his first year with Miles)
Strength & Conditioning Coordinator: Tommy Moffitt (May not come – longtime LSU guy, and could want to stay, though LSU always has strong, conditioned athletes)

Hybrid Staff:
Head Coach: Les Miles
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks: Scot Loeffler
Co-Offensive Co-coordinator/Offensive Line: Greg Studrawa
Tight Ends: Josh Henson
Defensive Coordinator:
Associate Head Coach / Running Backs: Fred Jackson
Defensive Line: Steve Stripling
Linebackers/Special Teams: Bradley Dale Peveto or Andy Moeller
Director of Weight Training and Conditioning: Tommy Moffitt
Strength and Conditioning Coach: Kevin Tolbert

The only space left empty here is the Defensive Coordinator. Would English be willing to stay on, and would Michigan be willing to take him? Otherwise, Michigan would have to go outside both programs to find a new name (which, in all reality, they are likely to do for one or more of the other positions as well).

Posted under Coaching

At the end of October, the MZone reported that Michigan Executive Assistant Athletic Director Michael Stevenson made comments that fan noise should be avoided at all costs, as it provides one team an unfair advantage in athletic competition.

The Michigan Review reports, however, that these statements were taken out of context, and Stevenson’s comments were actually supposed to be responding to the framework of a rule that is no longer in existence, and don’t reflect his actual opinions.

But those rules are no longer enforced by officials, and since fans no longer have to worry about incurring penalties against their own team for their rowdiness, fans should be involved and passionate, Stevenson said.

This should clear up any confusion about whether or not there is an institutional bias against fan noise at Michigan stadium. Whether or not they actively encourage it, of course, is a different issue altogether.

Posted under Analysis

1. Oregon (5)
2. LSU (1)
3. Oklahoma
4. Kansas (1)
5. Ohio State
6. Missouri
7. West Virginia
8. Georgia
9. Virginia Tech
10. USC

Happy Day!

Posted under BlogPoll

After watching Michigan handily defeat Radford and Brown this weekend here are a few things that I’ve noticed.

1. John Beilein can flat out coach. This is a completely different looking team at both ends of the floor. Beilein is putting guys in positions where they can succeed and is not asking them to do too much. It’s going to be very exciting once he can develop some talent and build a deeper program. Right now he’s going to have to rely on DeShawn Sims and Manny Harris for a bulk of Michigan’s scoring and you can’t have just two reliable scorers in college basketball.

2. Kelvin Grady might beat out Jerret Smith at the point guard spot. He has really good speed and he sees the floor so well. Daniel Horton did not run the fast break as well as Grady has in these first two games. He has really good vision and I have seen him on numerous occasions find DeShawn Sims or Manny Harris for very easy layups. He is really quick defensively and fits in nicely at the bottom of the 1-3-1 zone.

3. Manny Harris can flat out play. This kid was brought in to rescue Michigan basketball and he just might do that. He has a rare combination of length and quickness that allows him to play the top of the 1-3-1. I lost count as to how many tips he caused when he and Ron Coleman or DeShawn Sims trapped the ball handler in the corner.

4. When you watch DeShawn Sims play, you can see why Tommy Amaker was fired. This guy has proven in the first two games that he can score from anywhere on the floor. Yet under Tommy Amaker he was the second big man off the bench. He is a really smart player and is going to be a force to be reckoned with come Big Ten play. I’m having a hard time thinking of a player in the Big Ten that is as versatile as DeShawn Sims.

Bottom line: This team still has a long way to go. I do not see them winning at Georgetown or Duke, and I do not see them beating UCLA at home. However, don’t be surprised if they make a run in Alaska. The teams up there are not going to have a lot of time to prepare and may not know what to expect. If Michigan can knock down the three’s with the same consistency, they are going to beat Butler and possibly even Virginia Tech in the second round. We will know a lot more about this team after the Great Alaska Shootout. However, even if they do not produce results, just go back to point number one and remember that they are in good hands.

Posted under Basketball

Highlight.

Posted under Hockey

When the Wolverines and the Badgers take the field on Saturday, two pre-season top-five teams, already having accumulated a total of five losses, will be playing for far less than the National Championship berth that was their expected goal. Wisconsin, 3-3 in the conference, has not been the defensive juggernaut that many expert predicted, whereas Michigan’s explosive offense, featuring Mike Hart, Mario Manningham, Chad Henne and Jake Long, was unable to put enough points on the board to beat non-conference foes Appalachian State(!) and Oregon.

Among the many things that have required adjustments for both teams are a wide range of injuries. Wisconsin’s starter P.J. Hill, last season’s Big Ten Freshman of the Year, has missed time in the last two Badger games, including the entire loss to Ohio State. Two members of Michigan’s offensive contingent, Chad Henne and Mike Hart, have battled different injuries throughout the year, and each has missed at least two games.

When the teams take the field on Saturday, the injury situation is likely to play a key role for both teams. The first hit for Wisconsin: starting cornerback Allen Langford is out for the season after injuring his knee against Ohio State. The losses don’t end there for the badgers, however. Starting defensive tackle Jason Chapman is also going to miss the remainder of the year, right offensive tackle Eric Vanden Heuvel is not expected to play, and those in the know predict P.J. Hill will not hit the field against the Wolverines.

The personnel shuffling doesn’t end there for Wisconsin, as there will be changes in favor of getting some young guys more playing time, in addition to players returning from injury. The strong safety competition has been reopened, and redshirt freshman Jay Valai has a strong chance to earn the spot. Junior offensive guard Andy Kemp comes back after missing the last three weeks with a hand injury. This, along with Vanden Heuvel’s injury, will really shake up the offensive line. A backup running back (likely Lance Smith) might not be able to find a lot of room to run behind this reshuffling, and Tyler Donovan should fear for his life (he was sacked ten times against Ohio State).

The badgers may be able to take heart in the other side of the line, where Michigan is far from injury-free. Right guard Alex Mitchell, who started the year out at right guard, but has missed most of the season with injury, returned to the lineup against Michigan State, and is expected the get the start. Strong safety Brandent Englemon went down after making a tackle against the Spartans, and while he is expected to start, his full status is not known. Henne and Hart both played through injuries against MSU, and while Henne is expected to be close to 100%, Hart may be more hurt than he has let on. He missed most of the second half of last week’s game.

Jason Chapman has one assisted sack. The badgers are 46th in pass defense efficiency, and with Chapman unable to provide a bit of pressure, and replacing a senior in the secondary with a freshman, and a redshirt sophomore back there with a redshirt freshman (potentially), Chad Henne should be able to sling the ball through the air. His offensive line is the healthiest it’s been all year. Moving the ball on the ground for Michigan is still questionable. While Chapman only has 2 solo tackles for loss, and 26 total tackles on the year, even with him that Badgers are 58th in run defense. Mike Hart is a major upgrade over his backups, but Michigan’s O-line is finally healthy.

On the other side of the ball, Michigan’s injuries are minimal, pending the status of Brandent Englemon. Wisconsin has to replace a starting right tackle, likely with a redshirt freshman (albeit an Army All-American in Jake Bscherer). Also on the offensive line, Wisconsin makes a change at left guard, and although it is a starter returning from injury, the cohesion along the offensive line may be affected, as Andy Kemp has not played for three weeks. Losing P.J. Hill hurts the most for Wisconsin. He was the team’s MVP last year, and is a bruising runner in the style of Michigan State’s Jehuu Caulcrick, who had his way with the Michigan defense in the second half for Michigan State. Lance Smith is amore speedy runner, who has averaged 6.4 yards per carry.

The conclusion? Wisconsin is certainly far more banged up than Michigan. The secondary for the Badgers should be the weak link, as this is likely the strongest receiving corps they have seen this year (no disrespect intended to the Buckeyes). The Badger run game should struggle as well, with two changes on the offensive line, and the starter at running back either out or severely hampered by injury. The tale of the trainer’s table definitely leans in favor of Michigan.

Posted under Analysis, Personnel