Detroit Free Press writer James Jahnke claims it is in Terrelle Pryor’s best interest to sign with Ohio State.

Jahnke makes one key assumption in his argument: The #1 priority for Terrelle Pryor is making it to the NFL. Nothing else even matters (I think we’re begin to see wherein lies the stupidity of this column). He ignores several other factors, such as immediate playing time (which he admits is in Michigan’s favor), and friendship with other commits (which he states to be in Ohio State’s favor). By the way, every other school is eliminated from contention by Jahnke (while this may be the general consensus in the recruiting world, completely omitting other options – such as Oregon and Duke – is vastly oversimplifying the problem).

Terrelle Pryor is a Vince Young-like talent, and the consensus #1 player in the country (ESPN’s consistently terrible rankings notwithstanding). Jahnke believes that Ohio State is the correct choice for Pryor, because Michigan will not be able to adequately prepare him for the NFL.

He’s a quarterback in the mold of Vince Young, tall and mobile. Given the depleted state of the Wolverines’ depth chart, the Jeannette, Pa., product would be the first-stringer the moment he signed on the dotted line…. Rich Rodriguez’s zone-read offense is tailor-made for Pryor. But what will that do for him at the next level? West Virginia quarterback Pat White – Rodriguez’s former pupil — is a terrific college player, but his best bet for an NFL future is as a cornerback or kick returner. Granted, Pryor has better physical tools than White. But NFL teams will be skeptical of a QB coming out of a zone-read offense, no matter how talented he is.

Let’s compare the talents of Vince Young (former NFL rookie of the year at quarterback) and Pat White (future NFL kick returner), and determine which one of the two is more like Terrelle Pryor (note: even Jahnke did not say “he’s a quarterback in the mold of Pat White” – despite trying to put him on the same level as White):

• Vince Young was 6’5″, 200, with a 4.4 dash time coming out of high school. Pat White was 6’2″, 180 (both rather generous), with a 4.5 dash time. Pryor is 6’6″, 225, 4.4 dash. Which one is he more like? (I’d vote for Young)
• Vince Young was the #1 recruit in the country his senior year, a five-star quarterback. Pat White was the #53 quarterback in the country, a two-star who attended West Virginia primarily because Rich Rodriguez was the only coach who promised him he’d play QB. Terrelle Pryor is the #1 recruit in the country, a five-star quarterback. (Young? check)
• Vince Young ran the zone-read in college. Pat White ran the zone-read in college. If he attends Michigan, Terrelle Pryor will run the zone-read in college. (OK, they’re all the same)

The talent level isn’t the only area where Jahnke is way off, however, it’s offensive style, as well. He states that Pat White rarely drops back, so Pryor’s game film for NFL scouts would be lacking. While it is true that Rodriguez’s scheme operates mostly out of the shotgun, there are some misrepresentations in this point as well. Rodriguez does have his quarterback drop back occasionally. In addition, Vince Young (drafted #3 overall) rarely dropped back in college. He ran a similar offense to what Michigan will be running in the near future. The final point on offensive scheme is the lack of downfield passing by West Virginia. This can easily be explained by talent. Vince Young’s arm != Pat White’s arm. #1 Quarterback recruit != Guy who was offered as a safety by every other school. Even still, Pat White’s long in the Fiesta bowl was 79 yards. Jahnke assumes that Ohio State’s offense is adaptable to adding the zone-read, while assuming that Michigan’s offense is not adaptable to anything but the zone-read.

The other advantage for a quarterback avoiding a straight-up zone-read offense is longevity. Every time Pryor runs the ball, he risks blowing out his knee. He would, of course, also run at OSU, but not as much as at U-M. You can get hurt in the pocket, too, but it’s much safer in there than out on the edge, trying to juke safeties and linebackers diving at your legs every play.

Prove it. Give me any study, ANY empirical evidence that shows quarterbacks are hurt more often outside the pocket than in it. Pat White’s sole injuries in 3 years at WVU are a case of turf toe and a broken thumb. Vince Young went 2.5 years at Texas without getting hurt once. Chad Henne, on the other hand, who only leaves the pocket at gunpoint, managed to shred a knee and a shoulder this year. Great analysis, Jim.

Jahnke’s final point is the fact that he doesn’t believe it is in Pryor’s best interest to start right away (ignoring the fact that this is one of the things Pryor is looking for in a school). It would serve Terrelle better to play spot duty behind Todd Boeckman than to start at Michigan. Never mind that the Wolverines also have other quarterbacks. Steven Threet, incumbent or not, was a four-star player, and currently the odds-on favorite to start next year – perhaps even if Pryor comes to Ann Arbor.

Is this how far sportswriting in America has fallen? Trying to ignore the facts and influence recruits to attend the school of your choosing? I’m embarrassed to be in the same STATE as James Jahnke, let alone the same profession. It’s no coincidence that a search for “Jahnke” on freep.com asks if I meant to type “junk.”

Posted under Recruiting

Elliot Mealer’s father and girlfriend were killed. Sad day. Thoughts and prayers to the Mealer family.

Posted under Recruiting

Angelique Chengelis reports was many had suspected previously: All the Michigan assistants were fired so that some could be rehired (rather than some being fired and some being retained). Fred Jackson has been rehired, though it is unclear what position he will actually coach for the Rodriguez Wolverines. There is also some suspicion that Steve Stripling will be rehired as well, in addition to one other assistant (as-yet unknown). This would corroborate original reports that 3 Michigan assistants were likely to be retained.

Jackson commits (per Rivals):
Sam McGuffie
Daryl Stonum

Stripling commits:
Rocko Khoury
Dan O’Neill

One must assume that current D-lineman commit Mike Martin has a relationship with Strip as well.

The third Michigan coach that is rumored to be retained could be:
Mike DeBord
Andy Moeller
Erik Campbell
Scot Loeffler
Ron English
Steve Szabo
Vance Bedford

Bedford is assumed to be gone, as is Moeller (a DUI will do that to you). DeBord is a possibility as OL coach, Campbell unlikely but not impossible, Loeffler possible, English a possibility but it is assumed he would move on (which I think is clearly not my choice), Szabo is assumed to retire or head back to the NFL. There is always, of course, the possibility that no others are retained.

Posted under Coaching, Recruiting

With a new coach in place, we can start to think about recruiting once more. First off, it’s uncommitted players like Terrelle Pryor, Scout’s #1 Quarterback. Pryor had considered Michigan, then dropped them, leaving him with West Virginia still on his short list. With Rodriguez now in Ann Arbor, you can bet on Pryor considering Michigan once more. Other players who have been considering both Michigan and West Virginia include Shayne Hale and Cameron Saddler, who may be reconsidering his commitment to Pitt, and instater Nick Perry, with whom it is rumored the Maize-and-Blue had recently begun to slip with.

There is also the softly-committed to West Virginia offensive guard, (#1 at his position in the country), Josh Jenkins. When Jenkins moved back from his solid verbal, two of the other teams he had been considering were Michigan and Ohio State. With Rodriguez jumping from one of his favorites to another, Jenkins is a very solid possibility for Michigan.

Of course, there are likely to be some casualties. The first is Tuscola, IL quarterback John Weinke. The uncertainty in Ann Arbor, coupled with the commitment of Steven Threet to the previous class, gave Weinke pause, and he pledged his verbal to not-Michigan Coach Kirk Ferentz of the Iowa Hawkeyes. Who else might leave? Probably some of the lesser-rated recruits will have their offers reconsidered (i.e. Longsnapper George Morales), including an O-lineman if Jenkins begins to favor Michigan.

Expect more updates in the near future, as current commits will either reaffirm their commitment to the new headman, or decommit from Michigan. Of course, which assistants stay will have an effect on this as well.

Posted under Recruiting

A new commit and a lot of changes in other areas (read: coaches) combine to necessitate a recruiting update. All previous commits who haven’t reaffirmed their commitment to Michigan are moved into the newly-renamed “near lock” category. “Presumed leans” and “longshots” are combined into one category, as few people are leans, what with the new coaching staff and all.

The new head coach will obviously have an impact on which recruits stay, and which new guys commit, etc. Threet is obviously already enrolled, O’Neill, Mealer, Koger, and Demens have reaffirmed their commitments, and Morales committed after the Carr retirement. Cissoko reaffirmed his commitment to the Detroit News, then said he would look around the next day. All the other previous commitments are currently in limbo, but don’t be surprised to see most of them recommit. State will go after the Michigan guys, is Illinois hard on Cissoko, Moore is being courted by Ohio State and a bevy of southern schools. If certain assistants leave (Szabo for the two linebackers, DeBord for some of the linemen, English for defensive guys), some commits may be lost that way.

There’s also the possibility that a new c
oach (i.e. Les Miles) will bring some recruits with him who had Michigan in their top list, but picked someone else (i.e. LSU or other southern schools).

Posted under Recruiting

George Morales, a long snapper from Las Vegas, has pledged to become a Michigan Wolverine.

It’s hard to evaluate special teams players, especially long snappers (their only job is to get the ball to the punter/holder and get downfield; they don’t have to block), but there’s a little information on Morales available here. It will be interesting to see if the new coaching regime will honor his offer.

Posted under Recruiting

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

http://mgoblue.com/document_display.cfm?document_id=25563

Not really a surprising result, but a relief nonetheless. The Big Ten title is still in reach for Michigan.

The Northwestern roadtrip photo gallery will maybe be coming tonight, though there weren’t that many great pictures.

Posted under Recruiting

Kenny Demens (6-1, 225), a WLB prospect from Detroit Country Day high school, has committed to Lloyd Carr and the Michigan Wolverines. Demens chose the maize-and-blue over Michigan State and Nebraska.

Demens has been described by some as a slightly bigger version of Chris Graham, with true WLB size. Hopefully, he can learn the mental part of the game (and how to tackle) better than Graham has.

With this commitment, Michigan has 16 in the class, and has room to take a few more guys. It is likely that Michigan will take mostly defensive players, with the possibility of on OL and/or a WR.

Posted under Recruiting

Kenny Demens moved to “lean.” He announces tomorrow (oddly, during the NW game). Removed a few guys committed elsewhere. Moved Brandom Smith and Vaughn Telamaque to leans. Moved J.B. Fitzgerald to committed (has it really been that long since I’ve done a recruiting post?

Posted under Recruiting