The board can be found here. I’m still trying to decide which days/how often to post recruiting updates. Until I settle into something of a rhythm during the season, I’ll just post them as the post fills up.

New Information:
MI WR Cameron Gordon. He is in no hurry to make a decision. I wonder ig Michigan will pursue him a little stronger now that they want his 2010 teammate Devin Gardner.
TN WR/DB Marsalis Teague. He may take a Michigan visit.
MI TE Dion Sims. Still hasn’t made up his mind, but his current choice is basketball over football.
GA TE Terrell Mitchell. Michigan is outside his top 3 (SoCar, WVU, Kentucky). With the Wolverines not really planning on taking a pure TE, he may be close to removal from the board.
CA OL Michael Philipp. USC starts showing some interest.
MD LB Jelani Jenkins. Michigan will make his next cut (Sam Webb Audio). Sounds like Michigan made quite an impression on his visit.
NJ DE Anthony LaLota. No longer planning an early decision, Michigan official tentatively scheduled for Wisconsin game (Sam Webb Audio, same as above).
AZ DE Craig Roh. Sam Webb fluff from the Detroit News. Remember, Roh is officially visiting this week.
SC S David Sims. Michigan out of his top 5. It’s unclear from the article whether that is “top” or “final,” so he remains on the board for now.
Also: Vincent Smith and Brandin Hawthorne have moved up their announcement(s) from their game Saturday to tomorrow.

Removed:
KY DE Trevor Foy. He is down to a final 2 of Purdue and Louisville.
MD OL Brennan Williams. Down to a final 3 that doesn’t include Michigan.

Etc.:
MI DT commit William Campbell:Uh… yeah.
IN LB Commit Jordan Barnes. Fluff from the hometown paper.
Plantation, FL guys all plan to graduate early, take the info just in case Michigan nabs one of them.

Etc.:
If anyone manages to catch the Miami (Oh) game against Vanderbilt tonight, e-mail me your thoughts. I’s on ESPNU and I won’t be able to make it somewhere to watch.

Posted under Recruiting

Chen Geng (whose name can be pronounced in such a way that it sounds eerily/hilariously similar to “chain gang”):

Since it seems this season will go where the OL goes, what’s the injury history been for RR’s WVU teams? Did Barwis use chocolate milk to make their knees unbreakable?

Much thanks for the site.

It is my (and a generally-held) opinion that injuries are mostly freak occurences, and you can only prepare for them so much. That said, West Virginia has had a lot of luck (or injury prevention ability, if you believe in such a thing) over the past couple years. They bring back five starters this year, all of whom started most of last year except the right tackle, who started the final 6 contests.

Michigan, by contrast, started a smorgasbord of starting lineups, with Jake Long, Justin Boren, and Adam Kraus the only consistent starters (and even then Kraus and Boren trading starts at two different positions). Alex Mitchell, Corey Zirbel, Steve Schilling, Jeremy Ciulla, Mark Ortmann, etc., all started games as well. Of course, part of this was due to lack of production, rather than injuries (though they played a big part as well), but you can see that consistency is a big part of success.

So, it appears as though West Virginia has been mostly lucky in the past few years in terms of keeping starters along the O-line uninjured. If you believe that Barwis’s exercises have some sort of magical ligament-fortifying power (Corey Zirbel would tend to disagree), then the futur might look bright for Michigan offensive lines.

Tony in Markley (for the record, I love the use of dorm name for location, rather than, you know, where you’re from):

So, uh, what would a Forcier commit mean in comparison to Michigan just keeping Newsome committed?

Well, for the short-term, it is much, much better. Forcier is the most ready of all of Michigan’s quarterback prospects to step in a contribute right away. Like many of the SoCal QB prodigies (yes, including Jimmy Clausen), he has a private QB tutor, so his mechanics and reads, etc., are well ahead of your average high schooler. That, in combination with his predicted early enrollment, would mean he might be able to challenge for a starting job in 2009. That said, any true freshman is going to be a liability as a starting QB, but Forcier would be the best to step in as a true.

In the long-term, Newsome has a higher ceiling as a prospect. He is taller, faster, probably a little stronger in the arm department. That said, he is raw as a quarterback. Even an early enrollment (which he is/was also planning on doing) wouldn’t be enough time to get a QB like Newsome ready to play as a true freshman. However, he could have been an unstoppable beast down the road, once he became familiar with the responsibilities of the quarterback, and capable of doing what he needs to do to succeed.

I’ll also take this opportunity to give a WTF to the stated reason for his decommitment. Newsome’s father said he “heard” (ed note: this means the coach at another school, with no motivation to lie whatsoever) that Michigan wouldn’t give Kevin a legitimate shot at playing quarterback. Instead, he “heard” that they would give him one chance then switch his position. This does not make sense. The Newsomes believed the most obvious bullshit negative recruiting about THE ONE school that had no intentions of ever even considering making Kevin play anything other than quarterback.

Matt from Louisiana (since I’ve had parenthetical commentary on each commenter so far, I’ll disclose that I know Matt personally, and he wasn’t expecting my answer to come in mailbag form):

Tim,

This individual was not the first to suggest such an idea:

http://www.fannation.com/blogs/post/209097

But what are you thoughts on a SEC-Big 10 Challenge over Labor Day weekend (ala Big 10-ACC challenge on the hardwood)? As the NFL would not have started, you can have games on 3 days. You would rotate sites and let the 6th place team in SEC East/West (rotate) sit out. In the current state of college football, this is merely interesting fodder for discussion. However, upon moving to a playoff system (which will happen eventually), I think school presidents will value the growth of their sport (and ratings and revenue) over playing a really tough game (and a potential loss) the first weekend of the season.

-Matt

Corso makes Gameday go. I can only listen to the smart Herbstreit talk college football for about 1.5 hours. But I will stick around for 2 hours to see that PLUS Corso’s antics.

Matt, as the proud proprietor of a blog, I reserve the right to condescendingly answer your question in mailbag form, rather than the simple e-mail that you definitely would have preferred.

However, from a strictly economic sense, I’m not sure that this would be a guaranteed way to make more money. Take the excuse of Bill Martin for not playing a tougher out-of-conference schedule (which, essentially, this would be forcing schools from each conference to do): they simply can’t afford it. Of course “can’t afford it” is secret code for “can make more money with a different system,” in this case playing Notre Dame and a rotating series of tomato cans. If you guarantee 3 home games, and shell out a half-million bucks to the helpless opponents (helpless unless, of course, it’s Appalachian State – too soon?), you are still netting more than going year-on, year-off in a home-and-home scenario, since you make the same amount off TV either way. Some teams, including those in the SEC, have neutral-site OOC games to make more money, but it is literally impossible to sell more tickets at any other venue than The Big House, Happy Valley, or The Shoe.

With the Big Ten locked into contracts with the Big Ten Network and ESPN, and the SEC’s recently-signed deal with the ESPN family of networks, there isn’t much of a way for the conferences or the schools themselves to make much more cash by playing a good OOC schedule. The networks can make more money by promising better ratings and charging more for ad time (which, technically, in the case of the BTN would make more money for conference schools), but this revenue typically doesn’t trickle down to the schools.

Also, there is the issue of coverage. Every weekend that Big Ten teams are in action, the BTN is guaranteed at least three games to cover. In SEC country, that would mean 3 SEC games that fans can’t see (and, knowing SEC fans, they wouldn’t even PPV the games, because they wouldn’t dare contribute money to the Big Ten).

While I think that such an idea would be good for college football, in addition to being downright entertaining (and perhaps being a yearly notch in the conference supremacy belt), when it’s all about the benjamins, a Big Ten-SEC Challenge isn’t an economically preferred system.

As far as the GameDay thing, Orson Swindle posted a pretty good synopsis of my feelings about it under his flesh name over at The Sporting Blog.

Posted under Mail Bag

Paul posted a list of guidelines for those fortunate enough to sit in the student section for Michigan games, and Maize N Blue Nation has responded. What should those fans relegated to the rest of the stadium do? Check it out here.

I’d like to contribute the following addenda (while strongly endorsing the “be kind to opposing fans” and “support the team with noise” points):

• Wear maize. I don’t care if you have a vintage Tom Brady Orange Bowl jersey. Wear it at the tailgate or in front of the TV. A maize shirt costs you a maximum of 16 dollars (and even that’s only if you get the official T-shirt). Wear it.
• If a play that you predicted is called (successful or otherwise), don’t gloat or say “I told you so.” It pretty much just makes you “that guy.”
• If you know the answer to a question the people around you are searching for, tell them. That said, don’t act like an asshole know-it-all.
• Support the team, the cheerleaders, the band, and everything that makes Michigan’s gameday unique and amazing.

Enjoy yourselves. Only 3 more days until the Best Time of Year.

Posted under Analysis

Defensive Coordinator Scott Shafer hasn’t been discussed nearly as much as OC Calvin Magee, mostly because Magee has always been by Rich Rodriguez’s side, and it is a little more obvious to see what he has done in his career.

However, Shafer is an accomplished coordinator himself, known for an aggressive style that calls for blitzes frequently. In fact, Shafer’s teams have led the nation in sacks on an occasion or two. Let’s take a look at Shafer’s years as defensive coordinator.

After a year as the secondary coach at Illinois (where he coached CB Kelvin Hayden into a second-round draft pick), Shafer returned to the defensive coordinator position, this time at Western Michigan.

It was at Western Michigan that Shafer worked the most magic. The Broncos improved in every relevant category in Shafer’s very first year (the decline in total pass defense can be attributed to more attempts, as the Bronco’s run defense was immediately upgraded), often by a very large margin. By his second year in Kalamazoo, Shafer’s Western defense was #11 in all the land, despite giving up 39 points in their first game of the season (to Indiana). He turned Ameer Ismail, an OLB who wasn’t even sniffed by the NFL, into the nation’s leading sacker.

Stanford was another case of Shafer making an impact in year one. Of course, there is the marquee moment of the Cardinal’s upset over USC (they were one of only 3 teams to hold the Trojans to under 24 points), but the team improved overall during the course of the season as well. The big improvement, once more, was in terms of pass sacks. Keep in mind that these improvements took place against teams with far more talent than Stanford (UCLA, Oregon, Notre Dame, Cal), and it’s easy to see why people are excited about Shafer wearing the maize and blue. One thing to point out, however, is that his pass efficiency defense has always taken a step back in year one. With returning corners, but new safeties, it should be interesting to monitor how that goes. One would expect, with more pressure on the quarterback, that efficiency would go down.

For those questioning Shafer’s “Michigan Man” credentials, there are a few pieces of evidence to the contrary. First, he was an assistant at Western Michigan for two years, and is familiar with the state dynamics. Secondly, there is a rather incredible story linking Shafer to Bo Schembechler since Scott’s much younger days. It’s a good read, and I recommend checking it out.

Posted under Coaching

As a four year veteran of the student section, I’ve seen a lot of awesome things in the student section as well as some things I wish I could forget. In order to make the student section as good as possible I’m going to share some tips to emphasize the good and hopefully prevent the bad.

1. Dress Appropriately: First of all, for students, there are no special Maize Out games. Every game is a Maize Out, so wear your football t-shirt or other appropriate yellow garment (the disgusting mustard color from discount sporting goods stores is discouraged, but better than nothing). Also, the first few games of the year will test your endurance in intense heat and sun. I suggest either copious amounts of sun block or a stylish maize hat. If you are a hot girl, maize bathing suits are acceptable. Later in the year, especially with 3:30 starts, the game will begin warm and then get very chilly by the end (think ’04 MSU). Wear layers, always making sure the outer layer is maize.
2. Be in Game Shape: I don’t mean this athletically, but fans do have certain responsibilities and you can’t cheer and scream if you’re passed out standing up. Some people enjoy pre-gaming or tailgating (I’ve been known to), but it’s important to keep it within reason in order to enjoy the game. Remember: by the second half you’re past drunk and entering hang over.
3. Be Prepared: Especially with the early season games, I’ll grab a dollar bill and a hand full of change before I head to the stadium. Usually on Hoover, I’ll stop and buy a water, but I won’t open it. You will always be able to get un-opened water bottles into the stadium. Then, safely in the stands, I replenish my fluids, insert the coins into the water bottle and have a very effective noise maker.
4. You’re with Students: The student section is not part of the family game day atmosphere. It is a teeming mass of 17-24 year olds hopped up on booze, hormones and fanaticism. Four letter words ought not be discouraged unless used in the least creative cheer ever (within the confines of the student section). That being said, mean-spirited slurs directed at opposing players or other fans are not cool.
5. The Others: I’ve been to a few away games, but not in the stands at the schools who hate Michigan the most. It’s fun and usually those fans that travel are really great college football fan who most of us can relate to. That being said, if they are in the student section, jokes made about their intelligence, economic standing, sexual preference, sexual deviancy, facial hair, etc. drawn from widely accepted facts about their university are acceptable within reason. Getting in their faces after Michigan scores or physical attacks are bush league and not acceptable. You can support your team without giving its fans a bad reputation. This also means that outside the student section (and outside the stadium), you should a least be tolerant of other schools’ fans.
6. Comfortable Shoes: The only acceptable times to sit down are before the band takes the field for pre-game, half time (unless the band does something exceptionally awesome) and after the game if you like being trampled. Also, if you hear The Victors, you should be standing, clapping, fist pumping, and singing: no exceptions.
7. Don’t Be That Guy: If you are sitting below row 80 and hear a cow bell and say anything related to the Christopher Walken sketch on SNL lampooning “Don’t Fear the Reaper” by Blue Oyster Cult, I hate you. Freshman year it’s acceptable and funny for the first few games. Beyond that, seriously, that sketch was on like 8 years ago. Sure there isn’t a lot of cowbell-centric humor out there, but don’t just retread. Same thing goes for waving your Key-card on 3rd down. Not only is it not funny, it takes all that is bad with “key play” and leaves all the good (the pleasant jingling).
8. Don’t Be That Brah: If you come in past kick-off, don’t expect to sit exactly where your tickets tell you your seats are. Actually, never expect that. Being off by one row or having to sit back towards the endzone slightly more doesn’t matter. You’ll enjoy the game just the same as well as not coming off as dick.
9. Be Loud: Before every play on defense there should be such a raucous cacophony coming from the student section the offense just gives up and the QB punts on first down. Maybe this will never happen, but it is still the goal. Participation in all cheers is somewhere between mandatory and strongly encouraged. Take your breaks on a second down when Michigan has the ball. If you insist on participating in the “key play” nonsense, at least make a reasonable amount of other noise as well.
10. Stay Positive: It makes the game much less fun when you’re bitching about every play on offense that isn’t a first down and every play on defense that isn’t a turnover. Games ebb and flow, stay centered maaaaan… If you really can’t help being negative, start making $1 bets with the person next to you (e.g. “$1 says we’re running a zone stretch left”). Either way you’ll lose.

If you have any suggestions for surviving and thriving in the student section, please leave them in the comments.

Posted under Analysis

Offense
Defense
Special Teams
Recruiting Prospectus

Now that we’ve seen what I think of each individual unit, and each team as a whole, it’s time to make some predictions about how I think it will all come together.

Early in the year, the offense will have to rely on the defense to help them out a lot. Especially with Terrance Robinson missing at least a couple weeks at a key position in the Michigan offense (both in terms of use and depth), Terrance Taylor will have to lead the defensive line to dominance, and Morgan Trent and Donovan Warren will have to play like the big Ten’s top corner duo.

Michigan is one of the hardest teams in the country to make predictions for, because nobody truly knows what to expect, not even rich Rodriguez’s coaching staff. I do think that a lot of the pessimism in press conferences is a bit of misdirection, but anyone expecting the Wolverines to run the table might need to go for a reality check.

Predictions!
Utah
The offense will start working out the kinks as they get up to game speed for the first time. A stout defense like Utah’s will be a tough first test. On the other side of the ball, it’s strength against strength as Michigan’s potentially dominant defense squares of with an experienced Utah unit. I think that the strong defense will find a way to keep Utah from outscoring the Michigan offense, but Utah’s D may score once or twice itself.
Prediction: Tossup

Miami
Miami’s linebacking corps is being touted as the second-best that Michigan will face all year. However, the rest of their defense doesn’t come with the hype, and should allow the Michigan offense to get a rhythm going for the first time in 2008. The Wolverines’ D will stymie the offense of the RedHawks, and Michigan will walk away with another win.
Prediction: Victory

Notre Dame
2008 is Michigan’s turn to have a rebuilding offense, though it will be tough for them to reach the historic lows of Notre Dame’s effort from last year. Jon Tenuta’s blitzing scheme is not going to be easy for inexperienced QB to pick apart. On offense, the Irish couldn’t be any worse than they were last year, but I have little faith in their OL coach (even in their successful ’05 and ’06 seasons, they were 38th and 85th in sacks allowed, respectively, despite having more talent than most of their opponents… note the downward trend). Jimmy Clausen will improve, but will it be enough to score on the talented Michigan defense?
Prediction: Tossup

Wisconsin
The hits keep coming as the Badgers of Wisconsin head to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan. Even if UW’s pass defense doesn’t improve significantly, it might not need to against the inexperienced signal-callers of Michigan. On offense, Wisconsin will have the traditional pounding attack, but Michigan’s D-line should be up to the task. However, with limited depth on defense, even Mike Barwis couldn’t prevent the Wolverines from getting worn down.
Prediction: Loss

Illinois
I’m not as high on the Illini as many people are after their breakout 2007 season. They lost their two best players, and although Juice Williams improved dramatically, he still completed only 57.3% of his passes, and with the threat of Rashard Mendenhall gone, it will be tougher for him to both run and pass. Arrelius Benn, however, will be a big help catching passes and making things happen. On defense, the Illini are doing a bit of rebuilding yet again, with J Leman gone. However, the talent to replace him is there.
Prediction: Tossup

Toledo
The Rockets had a fairly prolific offense last year, and look to continue that trend with a trio of quarterbacks who have game experience. The rushing attack will drop off quite a bit, however. On defense, the Rockets might not have the talent to stop the Michigan offense, especially if they can get a bit of momentum going in the middle of the year.
Prediction: Victory

Penn State
Though Michigan has owned Penn State in recent years, don’t expect that trend to continue. Penn State is equally transitional, but the Nitanny Lions retun much of a strong line, and their personnel ran the spread a few years ago with Michael Robinson at the helm. Whil Penn State lacks a true offensive leader like Robinson, they shouldn’t drop off too much. On defense, the Lions are a little weaker than recent years, with a relatively green linebacking corps and a group of tackles decimated by offseason attrition. However, Michigan’s inexperience on offense will likely outweigh Penn State’s on defense.
Prediction: Loss

Michigan State
Like Illinois, I’m not buying into much of the national hype on the Spartans. Returning a starting QB isn’t as positive if he’s more liability than asset. Javon Ringer is the only truly great player on this offense (though his “thunder” counterpart, Jehuu Caulcrick, is gone), and Hoyer’s top two targets now ply their trade in the NFL. On defense, MSU lost their SackMaster, several pieces from an already suspect secondary, and linebacker Kaleb Thornhill. However, there is reason to be excited about another linebacker, the youngster Greg Jones.
Prediction: Tossup

Purdue
The Purdue game might be one of the most important of the year for Michigan. I’m not joking. If they roll into this game at 4-4 (as I’m predicting), a win would put Michigan in good position to get to a bowl game for the 35th straight year. A loss, however, and they have to hope that they get in at 6-6. The Purdue offense has consistently sputtered against decent opponents, and Michigan’s defense this year is expected to be one of the best in the nation, especially as the youth gets worked out over the course of the year. On defense, Purdue looks fairly dire, with several players moving around to try to replace impact guys from last year. Michigan’s offense won’t be prolific, but should be able to take advantage of a weak defensive unit.
Prediction: Victory

Minnesota
Unless Tim Brewster ignites a Zook-ian turnaround in his Gopher squad, they should be at or near the bottom of the Big Ten standings by the time this game rolls around. I would have liked to see a scrimmage between Minnesota’s defense and Notre Dame’s offense last year to see which was more incompetent. The Gophers can’t be much worse this year, but they probably won’t be heaps better, either. Minnesota’s offense was decent last year, but it would still take a big leap to be successful against top-tier defenses, one of which Michigan looks to have.
Prediction: Victory

Northwestern
Northwestern blogger Lake the Pos
ts is trying to generate buzz around this edition of the Wildcats, but I don’t see them making a leap towards the top of the conference. They will be a middle-of-the-pack team (and Northwestern fans should remember that not too long ago, they would have been begging for that). I see Michigan as a middling conference team as well, but a team that looks similar to Northwestern with vastly more talent, except at the QB position.
Prediction: Victory

Ohio State
The most complete team in the country, on their own home field.
Prediction: Pain

All in all, it looks to be a 7-5 regular season for Michigan. Of course, they could come out against Utah looking either much stronger or much weaker than expected, which would throw all these predictions off. However, a rebuilding year in 2008 should be expected, with 2009 being a return to the top of the conference standings, before the Wolverines start making national noise around 2010.

Of course, now that everything is worked out for the 2008 season, what can we look forward to in recruiting for 2009 and 2010?

Posted under Analysis

September 1st is the first day that juniors can be officially offered. With much of Michigan’s 2009 class already committed, we can start looking forward to the 2010 recruiting year. Let’s take a look at some potential prospects for the Wolverines.

QB:
With two one already committed for 2009, Rodriguez would probably like to take one dual-threat player in this class, though he can hold out for a top-flight one. Devin Gardner (Inkster, reports an offer) and Robert Bolden (OLSM) are a couple of true dual-threat types who are a little closer to home. Florida’s Stephen Morris (Miami Pace) camped at Michigan in 2010, where he was impressive. Jake Heaps (Skyline HS in Washington) will likely end up the top player in the class of 2010, and is more of an athletic passer than an athlete who happens to chuck the ball.

RB:
Michigan could use 1 or 2 RBs in this class. Spencer Ware from Cincinnati may be the best athlete in the class of 2010, and he is capable of playing QB or RB at the next level. Lache Seastrunk from Texas is a speedster, but will likely end up in Austin or Baton Rouge. Keeshawn Maxwell from Auburndale in Florida is another potential target. Austin White from Livonia Stevenson is close to home and a darn good player as well. Nick Hill from Chelsea is a less highly-regarded prospect.

WR:
Michigan is taking several thousand slots in the past couple classes, so one should be plenty in 2010. An outside receiver (or maybe two) will be signed as well. Jeremy Jackson from Huron High (son of Michigan RB coach Fred Jackson) is likely a top target, but he is also interested in several southern schools. Along with Jackson, Florida’s Chris Dunkley has reportedly been offered. Dennis Hall from Pahokee (FL) is a former teammate of Martavious Odoms, and could be a slot-dot type. Alvin Hall from Trotwood-Madison could be an outside target as well.

TE:
Ricardo Miller is a prospect from Orlando who could end up at WR or TE – and he is liking the Wolverines early in the process. After likely taking a year off from TE recruiting in 2009, Michigan will probably hop back on board with an athletic jumbo-receiver. CJ Fiedorowicz from Johnsburg, IL is one heck of an athletic TE prospect, and he has great size too, at 6-6+. Greg Gainey from Trotwood-Madison could be a target as well.

OL:
Michigan has gotten a few solid OL prospects so far, but no top-flight guys. That could be fixed in 2010 if they land a player like Seantrel Henderson from Minnesota (Cretin-Derham Hall). Matt James from Cincinnati could be a top target as well. Illinois’s Christian Lombard could end up as the second highest rated OT in the class (behind Henderson) and he likes the Wolverines early, camping in summer ’08. Shawn Kamm from Saginaw Nouvel could be a sleeper choice as well.

DT:
Michigan has gotten a couple of DTs committed in this class (including one great one in Campbell), but they could use good one in the next class. Doral Willis from Pahokee will be among the top DTs in 2010, and Michigan is well on its way to establishing a pipeline to the muck. Jordan Sanders from Rochester Adams (MI) is a little bit closer to home, though not as highly-regarded.

DE:
Michigan needs a top-flight DE in this class, as 2009 looks to give them some good but not great players. Fortunately, William Gholston is right in their backyard, at Detroit Southeastern (he may also be a TE or OT prospect). However, his cousin was a standout at Ohio State, and they might be the early favorite. Keevon Newsome is the younger brother of former QB commit Kevin Newsome, and is a highly-sought after DE. Chance Carter from Illinois and Jamel Turner out of Ohio are also good prospects. Turner is likely Ohio’s top 2010 prospect.

LB:
Though the class of 2008 was loaded with LBs, 2009 isn’t the same story. One or two is probably needed in 2010. Jewone Snow out of Canton McKinley (OH) is the son of former Michigan great Garland Rivers. Matt Rea from Pontiac Notre Dame Prep is another potential target. Pennsylvania’s Mike Hull will probably be the nation’s top 2010 LB, but it is unclear whether Michigan has a real shot with him.

S:
Michigan fans would love a top-flight safety. Marvin Robinson from Lake Region (FL) likes Michigan a lot early in the process, and will likely be among the tops at his position. James Manuel from Warren Central (IN) is another pretty good prospect, and Michigan has been able to grab prospects from that school in the past. Kevonte Martin from Birmingham Brother Rice is a good prospect on the gridiron, but may be a college hoops player.

CB:
A good-to-great corner is always a need, particularly for Michigan’s class of 2010, however, as Donovan Warren may be a three-and-done player. Nickell Robey from Frostproof (FL) seems like the best CB in the class of 2010. Cass Tech’s Dior Mathis is diminutive but fast as hell. Unfortunately, he may end up a Miami Hurricane. Lorenza Wood from Apopka (FL) is a high school teammate of 2009 commit Jeremy Gallon.

Of course, all these players are only potential targets, and it is unlikely Michigan will land all of them (or even most of them). Other prospects will emerge on the radar, and some of these guys will certainly fall off of it. However, these guys might be a good group to keep an eye on early in the recruiting cycle.

Posted under Recruiting

Programming Note: Yesterday’s podcast should be fully operational now. Check it out here.

We’re halfway through the recruiting year, and Michigan’s class is already starting to shape up. Let’s take a look at needs filled and remaining, and who is left on the board. This should be used in tandem with the eligibility chart, which reveals how many scholarships Michigan is likely to be able to give out (about 18-20).

Quarterbacks
Need – 2
Commits – 1
After the decommitment of Kevin Newsome, Michigan has need for one additional quarterback to Shavodrick Beaver. Beaver is a tall athlete who is a raw QB prospect with high upside.
Prospects
Michigan needs one more, and a recommitment from Newsome, or a pledge from Tate Foricer or Eugene Smith seem to be the most likely scenarios.

Running Backs
Need – 2-3
Commits – 2
Fitzgerald Toussaint and Teric Jones are speedsters, and Jones was a star at the Army All-american combine last year. Toussaint is a shifty little dude. Both of the current commits are likely to be mixed RB/slot types.
Prospects
Floridian Vincent Smith is announcing his college decision on August 30th, and all signs point to a Michigan hat being pulled out of the bag. If it does indeed come to fruition, Michigan would likely be done recruiting at this position unless a superstar wanted to commit to Michigan as well. Smith has mentioned a desire to enroll early at the school of his choosing.

Wide Receivers
Need – 2-3
Commits – 2
Bryce McNeal is a big, fast gamebreaker on the outside. His highlight tape is very impressive (taking into account the important caveat that almost all highlight tapes are, indeed, impressive). He can go vertical, and has a lot of ability after the catch. Jeremy Gallon is a little guy who is a wishbone QB in high school. He has a ton of speed and moves, and will likely fit in the slot at Michigan.
Prospects
Michigan doesn’t really need another wideout, but if someone the caliber of Shaquelle Evans or Rueben Randle wanted to commit to Michigan, they would make room for him.

Tight Ends
Need – 0-1
Commits – 0
Prospects
Dion Sims from OLSM is a TE prospect, but I think if he committed to Michigan it is likely that he would move to defensive end. Same goes for any other TE commit. This isn’t a position of need at all, since there are several TEs already on the roster, and only one graduating after this season.

Offensive Line
Need – 2-3
Commits – 1
Michael Schofield is a good inside-outside prospect who will probably end up at tackle in Ann Arbor. He has played tight end as well, and shows off his athleticism by running hurdles.
Prospects
Travis Bond has mentioned that he’d like to take an official to UM, and a few other guys like Brennan Williams have expressed strong interest. Michigan would like to get at least one more O-lineman, but if they don’t, it won’t be the end of the world, since none are leaving the team after this year.

Defensive Tackle
Need – 2
Commits – 2
William Campbell is a game-breaking DT, and has a lot of potential. He is explosive and strong. DeQuinta Jones plays DE in high school, but has been putting on enough weight to shift inside in college.

Defensive End
Need – 2-3
Commits – 0
Prospects
Craig Roh is a good-looking strongside defensive end who seems to be genuinely interested in spending the next four years in Ann Arbor. Michigan also needs a speed rusher off the edge, and someone like Keenan Graham could go a long way toward assuaging the fears of Wolverines fans. Someone like Craig Drummond is a possibility as well, but it sounds like he might have trouble qualifying.

Linebacker
Need – 1-3
Commits – 1
Jordan Barnes is currently Michigan’s only true linebacker commit (they have a couple safeties who may move down), and I even think he would look pretty good on offense as a MAX back. However, he is a linebacker for now, and he has athleticism at the position, if not polish.
Prospects
Vincent Smith’s teammate Brandin Hawthorne is also deciding on August 30th, and there is a similar confidence that he will pick Michigan. Beyond that, Michigan would likely hold out for a top-rated (on their board, if not the recruiting sites) linebacker.

Safety
Need – 1-2
Commits – 2
Mike Jones might be a candidate to move to linebacker, and there is a similar sentiment about Isaiah Bell. However, I think that the new system doesn’t emphasize adding bulk, and at least one of them will stay at safety. Bell has the athleticism to also return punts on a team that features Fitzgerald Toussaint, and Jones is used frequently as a blitzer in high school.
Prospects
There are a couple guys left on Michigan’s radar if they decide that one of the current commits would be better served to move down to linebacker. No top prospects are left on the board, but there are some solid lesser-ranked guys.

Corner
Need – 1-3
Commits – 2
Justin Turner is a big, physical corner. though many think he might move to safety, he could be very successful on the boundary in Shafer’s cover-2 schemes. DeWayne Peace is a high school WR/DB who seems to be primed for a full-time move to defense at the next level. He has very quick feet, if not top end speed.
Prospects
Darius Winston and Dre Kirkpatrick are both nominally open to Michigan, though Winston seems primed to pick either Arkansas or Ole Miss on September 5, and Kirkpatrick is thought to be all but delivered to Nick Saban and Alabama. If neither of these guys ends up a Wolverine, there are a couple other prospects, such as Florida’s Mywan Jackson, that could end up in blue.

Kicker
Need – 1
Commits – 1
Anothony Fera, who has a huge leg and the nation’s #2 ranking at the position, is Michigan kicker for the class of 2009.

Analysis
Following the commitments of Smith and Hawthorne (either to Michigan or elsewhere), I expect Michigan to slow down on the recruiting front, and not pick up any lesser-rated players for a while. If a five-star wants to commit, so be it, but they won’t heavily pursue 2-star prospects. After the season, they’ll kick back into high gear, and grab top commits and lesser-rated guys alike as the top players are pulled off the board. xpect an exciting finish in January.

This does tell me o
ne thing: The Michigan coaches, whether they want to admit it or not, are probably pretty confident about how the team will be this season. A successful 2008 might show top recruits that Michigan isn’t as down as people think, and the strategy of holding out for top guys until after the season shows they think they’ll be able to grab those top prospects.

Posted under Recruiting

A midyear recruiting prospectus is on tap for this afternoon. For now, enjoy the recruiting update. Board can be found here, as always.

New Information:
MN WR Commit Bryce McNeal. On the news.
SC DE Sam Montgomery. He has narrowed his list, and will reveal top choices soon.
NV DE Keenan Graham. UCLA leads (info in header).
SC DE Chris Bonds. Article from The State about his past injuries.
AR CB Darius Winston. Sam Webb fluff from the Detroit News.
FL CB/QB Mywan Jackson. Apparently Michigan will give him a shot at QB, and he expects to narrow by one school this week.
GA LB Devekeyan Lattimore. Video fluff:

Removed:
SC S DJ Swearinger. Tennessee commit.

Etc.:
Don’t forget, Brandin Hawthorne and Vincent Smith are announcing on Saturday. Don’t be surprised if they both don Block-M caps.

Analysis:
Keep in mind, this is the first week that the recruiting update comes before some official visits. On the docket for this weekend: CA QB Tate Forcier and AZ DE Craig Roh.

Posted under Recruiting

This week, we welcomed Tony Pizza, the Sports Editor of the Daily Utah Chronicle, to give us some inside info on the Utes.

UPDATE: For some reason that is not immediately obvious, the flash player for this isn’t working (and only for this one). For the time being, you can download the podcast here (right click>save target as). I’ll try to figure out what the problem is. If that isn’t working (my computer decided it no longer could run any sort of sound hardware), I’ll remaster it at work tomorrow and re-post it.

UPDATE PART DUEX: It’s been remastered and double checked. It really should work for everyone now. I hope.

 

 Previewing the Utah Utes [16:15m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Posted under Analysis, Blogcast