Hey, ESPN is talking about the same thing this week. I guess that’s as good a time as any to publish this post that’s been sitting in the drafts for a while.

The internet age in sports has led to, among other things, lots of whining and hand-wringing by fans who otherwise wouldn’t have had an outlet to express their feelings. Among college football fans in particular, there are a couple topics that seem to really hit home: 1) The BCS, and 2) The downward trend in scheduling among high-major conference teams. So, since the offseason is time to cure all the world’s ills, what should be done to rectify item #2?

• The NCAA, via its rule changes over the years, is implicit in the consistent scheduling of 1-AA teams. In 1978, the NCAA’s Division 1 separated into 1-A and 1-AA subdivisions, in order to have 2 more level playing fields. The thought was that 1-AA schools were not able to compete on the same level as 1-A schools. So, why can teams from the two subdivision play each other? I have no idea. Take it away. Better yet, allow teams to play 1-AA schools, but don’t count wins against lower-division teams towards bowl eligibility or BCS standings. If Texas Tech can’t count its 2 games against FCS opponents last year towards the BCS standings, they don’t stand a chance against either Oklahoma or Texas in the computers. Better yet, they have an incentive to schedule teams with (slightly more of) a pulse. If Sun Belt teams can’t bolster their bowl hopes against 1-aa tomato cans, the chain reaction will follow that they won’t sign themselves up to be sacrificed to teams with BCS aspirations nearly as often, because they won’t be able to trade off a sure loss for a sure win.
• Michigan has sold out its entire stadium for what seems like forever, and will continue to do so forever into the future, barring more 2008-esque years (knock on wood). However, other BCS-conference schools do not sell out their stadiums for every game. Why don’t they schedule big-name opponents in order to draw more fans, and by extension, more money? The short answer is that they’re not getting all the money. Revenue sharing deals within conferences are a way to enhance NFL-like parity (ugh, don’t even get me started on that), and level the playing field somewhat within a conference. However, they also provide a disincentive to schedule good opponents. Indiana scheduled Murray State in 2008, which drew 30,123 fans in their stadium, which has a capacity of 49,255. So, why don’t they schedule, say, Oklahoma and fill those other 19k+ seats? Because they only get an eleventh of the money from those extra fans, and they’re willing to sacrifice most of that money for a potential win towards bowl eligbility. They’ll still get their 1/11th of Michigan’s money, and 1/11th of Penn State and Ohio State’s (those three all fell in the top 4 in attendance last year). The same goes for TV money. ESPN is undoubtedly willing to pay schools big money to play compelling games, but why bother when nobody else is doing it, and you get less than 10% of the money?
• Speaking of ESPN, they (along with other media outlets) could certainly hold a lot of power in this situation. On top of paying the big bucks for out-of-conference matchups on TV, they also have the ability to direct the conversations in college football. Does Florida make the 2006 championship game if they don’t have the CBS announcers spouting them as “teh greatest team of EVAR” each week after Michigan falls to Ohio State? ESPN perpetuates the mostly meaningless memes that the SEC and Big 12 are head-and-shoulders better than the rest of the conferences. This rhetoric actually affects those who vote in the AP and Harris polls, if only because they don’t have the time to watch every game, and simply believe what they hear talking heads say. If ESPN were to make it taboo to play a weak schedule, and talk down on teams that schedule 1-AA opponents, there could be actual penalties on the table for those who do choose lower-division opponents. Add in the fact that this would lead to more marquee out-of-conference games, and more money for ESPN and ABC’s primetime broadcasts, and you have a win-win situation for the media.
• I’m not the biggest advocate in the world for a playoff (though I do favor a limited one), but it certainly would remove excuses for teams to schedule cupcakes non-conference schedules. If one loss knocks you out of the national title discussion, coaches and athletic directors are going to do whatever it takes to ensure they finish their season without a loss (which didn’t help Auburn in 2004, of course). If that means scheduling The Citadel, Western Carolina, and the like, then so be it. Of course, if a single loss wasn’t a crippling blow to a national title run, that wouldn’t be necessary. If computers took into greater a team’s account strength of schedule, it would help as well. That could hurt teams that try to schedule tough and end up with Notre Dame 2007 on their schedule, but them’s the ropes: only 1 team can win a national title each year.

What else could be done by the various powers-that-be (NCAA, conferences, media, etc.) to help encourage good out-of-conference scheduling?

Posted under Football

Pennsylvania Linebacker/Defensive End Ken Wilkins, from Washington Trinity High School, has pledged his word to become a member of Michigan’s class of 2010. Wilkins stands 6-4 and 235 pounds, and is the Wolverines’ 13th verbal pledge in the class.

Recruiting Notes
Ohio State, Penn State, and Notre Dame may have seemed like the early favorites in the race for Wilkins’ services, as each team boasts one of his ex-teammates (Andrew Sweat, Mike Yancich, and now-Cleveland Brown Travis Thomas). However, he grew up liking Michigan, and by the time a Wolverine offer came through, Michigan and Pitt were in his top 2. Other schools, such as Penn State, Ohio State, UVa, and others were all in pursuit, but when Wilkins made it to campus for the Big House BBQ, he saw all that he needed to see in order to confirm what he had been feeling for quite some time: he belonged in Maize and Blue.

Player Notes
Though recovering turnovers on defense is mostly a luck proposition, Wilkins sure knows what to do with the ball once it’s in his hands: he scored 2 defensive touchdowns last season. He was named first-team all-state at defensive end. One thing that may be holding back his rankings a bit is the fact that he’s something of a tweener: Scout lists Wilkins as a 3-star defensive end, and Rivals has him ranked as a 3-star outside linebacker. It seems as though he’ll play mostly linebacker in college, though at Michigan he’ll have the hybrid role available to him. The low rankings certainly aren’t due to lack of exposure: on top of his all-state selection as a junior, he’s been attending the Pittsburgh Scout combine since his freshman year.

Video

Posted under Football, Recruiting

The will be coming a little more quickly as I try to get them all done in short order. As always, let me know if there’s anything I’ve missed.

Michigan State Offense

QBs

The Spartans lose 2-year starter Brian Hoyer to graduation, so his backup, redshirt sophomore Kirk Cousins, will compete with fellow redshirt sophomore (and Oklahoma transfer) Keith Nichol. The loser of the QB battle will likely still see some playing time as there was no apparent separation in spring, and the Spartans also brought in Andrew Maxwell in the class of 2009.

Michigan State QBs Passing 2008
Name	Comp	Att	%	Yds	TD	Int	Yds/Att
Brian Hoyer	180	353	50.99	2404	9	9	6.81
Kirk Cousins	32	43	74.42	310	2	1	7.21

Michigan State QBs Rushing 2008
Name	Rush	Yds	TD	Yds/Rush
Kirk Cousins	3	-12	0	-4.00
Brian Hoyer	43	-94	1	-2.19

Analysis

If I were Adam Rittenberg, I’d be saying things like “Hoyer wasn’t even that good last year, so losing him means nothing.” I am not Adam Rittenberg, and therefore have a functioning brain. This leads me to posit that, if the Spartans had a better option than Hoyer (Nichol excluded, since he wasn’t eligible in his transfer year), that better option would have, like, played. Since Nichol wasn’t head-and-shoulders better than Cousins in spring, maybe the Spartans just don’t have anyone good at QB? I’m not saying they’ll be bad, but a step back from Hoyer is likely in the cards.

RBs

Javon Ringer, one of last year’s Doak Walker finalists, is off to the NFL, with a slew of younger players left to fill the void. Redshirt sophomore Andre Anderson is a little guy, senior AJ Jimmerson is bigger, and redshirt sophomore Ashton Leggett is bigger still for the Spartans. Incoming freshmen Larry Caper and Edwin Baker are also expected to tote the rock some for MSU.

Michigan State RBs Rushing 2008
Name	Rush	Yds	TD	Yds/Rush
Javon Ringer	390	1637	22	4.20
Andre Anderson	26	97	0	3.73
AJ Jimmerson	8	14	0	1.75
Ashton Leggett	6	7	1	1.17
Glenn Winston	3	1	0	0.33

Michigan State RBs Receiving 2008
Name	Rec	Yds	TD	Yds/Rec
Javon Ringer	28	190	0	6.79
Andrew Hawken (FB)	11	81	1	7.36
Jeff McPherson (FB)	4	47	0	11.75
Josh Rouse (FB)	3	24	1	8.00
AJ Jimmerson	1	0	0	0.00

Analysis

Ringer got a ton of work last year, which led to several notable events: 1) He was vastly overrated by the season-ending awards (he was one of 3 players in the top 100 rushers with lower than 4.21 ypc, and the other two were Juice Williams and a player at the offensive trainwreck called Auburn) 2) He wore down over the course of the year 3) Nobody else on the MSU depth chart got any serious work. The next-closest Spartan only got 7% of the carries that Ringer had(!). The coaching staff will likely go slightly towards a platoon-style workload this year, unless someone proves worthy of getting all those carries. There are possible thunder-and-lightning combos in there, but I suspect steadiness might be the preferred trait following Ringer’s exit.

Receivers

The Spartans had a very young receiving corps last year, and they’ll be able to return everyone of note except Keshawn Martin. White Receiver Named White will be one of the starters in his senior year, with redshirt sophomore BJ Cunningham likely to be alongside him. Mark Dell was the breakout performer for State last year as a freshman, and he’ll probably get even more action in ’09.

Michigan State Receivers Receiving 2008
Name	Rec	Yds	TD	Yds/Rec
Blair White	43	659	1	15.33
BJ Cunningham	41	528	0	12.88
Mark Dell	36	679	3	18.86
Charlie Gantt (TE)	19	302	4	15.89
Keshawn Martin	11	132	0	12.00
Garrett Celek (TE)	6	50	1	8.33
Deon Curry	5	46	1	9.20
Fred Smith	1	7	0	7.00
David Duran (TE)	1	4	0	4.00

Michigan State Receivers Rushing 2008
Name	Rec	Yds	TD	Yds/Rec
Keshawn Martin	9	51	1	5.67
BJ Cunningham	4	56	0	14.00
Blair White	1	-2	0	-2.00

Analysis

Michigan State will be very deep at receiver, which should help out one of their young QBs. Dell became a star during last year’s run for MSU, though he was overshadowed by the exceptional year Javon Ringer had rushing the ball. Michigan State may see less spreading of the ball with a younger quarterback, but Cousins and Nichol shouldn’t be short on options for throwing the ball.

Offensive Line

Lineup

Seniors right guard Roland Martin and right tackle Jesse Miller depart, both of whom were multi-year starters. Backup left guard Mike Bacon also departs, after joining the program as a walkon. Senior Rocco Cironi will start at left tackle, redshirt sophomore Joel Foreman will play left guard, senior Joel Nitchman will play center, and the other two positions are very much up for grabs. Senior Brendan Moss will probably fill the hole at tackle, and senior John Stipek will try to hold off junior J’Michael Deane at guard.

Analysis

A very odd thing I noticed about the Spartans’ offensive linemen is that fewer of them have redshirted than you’d expect at a BCS-level school. I’m not sure if that will be a factor of any sort, just an oddity. Losing two offensive linemen off a run-centric team isn’t great, but it isn’t crippling. Of course, considering that the top run threat and QB are gone as well, and it becomes a bit more troubling. Still, neither departed player got a serious sniff in the NFL draft, so the backups should be able to fill in, especially with their seniority.

Offensive Analysis

The Spartans are due for a down year offensively. It’s simply impossible to lose the two most important players, along with 2 of the best 3 offensive linemen, and not see a step back. There are plenty of players there, of course, they just need to prove they can get it done when they’re the focus in gametime. If the QB play is adequate, the Spartans should be able to get the ball to playmakers on the edges.

Michigan State Defense

Defensive Line

The Spartans lose two of their best defensive linemen in DE Brandon Long and DT Justin Kershaw. Redshirt senior Trevor Anderson, who followed Mark Dantonio to East Lansing from Cincinnati, will continue being a huge terror off the edge for opponents, and junior Oren Wilson will play a big role at defensive tackle for the third year in a row. The other two starting positions will likely be filled by Colin Neely, a slightly undersized junior at defensive end, and mondo junior Antonio Jeremiah at tackle.

Michigan State Defensive Line 2008
Name	Tack	TFL	Sack
Brandon Long	39	7	5.5
Trevor Anderson	30	10.5	8
Justin Kershaw	28	8	3
Oren Wilson	15	1.5	0
Dwayne Holmes	14	4.5	0
Colin Neely	14	2	1
Antonio Jeremiah	8	0	0
Michael Jordan	6	0	0
Kevin Pickelman	5	0	0
Jonathan Strayhorn	4	0	0

Analysis

The Spartans lose a couple important pieces up front, but return perhaps the best player in Trevor Anderson. Still, he’ll have to hope that the opposition’s offensive lines have to focus on his new linemates Neely and Jeremiah as much as they did the departed ones, or he’ll be facing plenty of double teams, and won’t be able to get into the opponents’ backfields as much as he’s accustomed to.

Linebackers

Junior Greg Jones is a freakin’ stud, and he’ll return to roam the middle for MSU. Fellow junior Eric Gordon and senior Adam Decker complete the trifecta of returning linebackers for a very strong squad in 2009. Brandon Denson will be a key backup as a senior.

Michigan State Linebackers 2008
Name	Tack	TFL	Sack	Int
Greg Jones	127	14	2	0
Eric Gordon	85	7.5	3	0
Adam Decker	56	6	0	0
Ryan Allison	50	2.5	0.5	0
Brandon Denson	31	1.5	1.5	0
David Rolf	9	0	0	0
Andrew Pendy	4	0	0	0

Analysis

The Spartans return all three starters from a group that was pretty good to start with. This should probably be the strongest unit on the team (maybe behind receivers?), though the depth isn’t great. If more young players, including incoming freshman Chris Norman, can get involved, it should be a very good year. Will Jones have a good enough year to go early to the NFL? It’s a possibility.

Defensive Backs

Safety Otis Wiley departs, but the Spartans have a fairly strong secondary coming back. Senior Dan Fortener will return at the other safety position, junior Chris L. Rucker returns at corner, and senior Jeremy Ware returns as the other starting corner. Marcus Hyde will step into Wiley’s role as a starting safety. Ross Weaver will be the first corner off the bench.

Name	Tack	TFL	Sack	Int
Otis Wiley	78	2	0	4
Dan Fortener	69	1	0	2
Chris L. Rucker	45	4	1	2
Jeremy Ware	31	1	0	1
Marcus Hyde	31	0	0	1
Ross Weaver	28	2.5	1	1
Kendell Davis-Clark	27	0.5	0	1
Johnny Adams	21	2	0	1
Trenton Robinson	6	0	0	0
Ashton Henderson	5	0	0	0
Mike Bell	2	0	0	0
Jesse Johnson	1	0	0	0

Analysis

Wiley was good enough to get some NFL looks, so losing him is definitely going to affect MSU, especially since he was a leader in the secondary. Other than that, MSU returns their most important players, so the secondary should be a strength. Of course, some of the players have been sketchy, so they had better hope for continued improvement in the offseason.

Defensive Analysis

Mark Dantonio is known as a defensively-focused coach, and he’ll have a lot to work with this season. The defensive line will be the biggest weakness, and if the Spartans can’t get to the QB, it will hurt them in the stronger areas of the defense. The linebacking corps should be excellent, so the Spartans will be able to stop teams from both running and passing.

Special Teams

The spartans return both kicking specialists. Brett Swenson will return for placekcking duties, and Aaron Bates will take care of punting.

Michigan State Kicking 2008
Name	FGM	FGA	%	Long	XPM	XPA	%
Brett Swenson	22	28	78.57	50	34	34	100.00

Michigan State Punting 2008
Name	Punts	Yds	Avg
Aaron Bates	71	2979	41.96

Analysis

Both specialists for MSU were pretty good last year, so expect more of the same this year, if not a slight improvement. Bates might get a bit more work with the offensive production likely to decrease.

Overall Analysis

The Spartans will be very green (no pun intended) on offense this year, and very experienced on defense. Considering Mark Dantonio’s background, that probably means they’ll try to grind out wins this year. The problem, of course, is that they don’t have a Javon Ringer. If they don’t have someone step up, there could be trouble on offense. Trouble on offense could lead to trouble for defense, as the Wolverines learned last year. I don’t think the Spartan offense will be quite as bad as Michigan’s was last year, though (of course). Considering MSU was mostly outplayed for much of last year, even in some of their wins, and without Ringer to rely on, they’ll take a slight step back, unless the defense just dominates.

Posted under Football

Via The Grand Rapid Press, Michigan is close to signing Forest Hills shortstop Derek Dennis.  Dennis visited this last week, talked with Coach Maloney, Lloyd Carr, John Beilien, and Red Berenson to discuss the benefits of college.  The GRP makes it sound like if he’s not taken in the top 3 rounds, he will forgo signing and come to Michigan.  This may bode well, as if a team suspects he may not sign, he may get drafted even lower, increasing his odds of coming to Ann Arbor.

Shortstop isn’t a huge need as Toth still has two years of eligibility left, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Dennis started working into games as a freshman in the same fashion as Kevin Cislo.  The guy is currently the #6 SS out of high school (#9 overall SS) according to Baseball America.

Second related GRP article

Also, I’m a sucker for great photography of amatuer sports, so go check out more pictures like the on above at Phil’s Pics.

Posted under Baseball, Recruiting

2010 Michigan Recruiting Board. Yes, I’ve been slacking a bit in updating the actual board, but I hope to bring it up to date today.

Super fluff about incoming freshman Denard Robinson. Great leadership in football and track, etc. Teammate Cassius McDowell, a 2010 RB, mentions that Robinson will certainly be missed in Deerfield Beach.

As far as 2010 news goes, nothing is more pressing at the instant than the news that PA LB/DE Ken Wilkins is set to announce his college commitment tomorrow afternoon. He is expected to pick Michigan.

MI QB commit Devin Gardner and a host of other prospects from the Great Lakes State performed at the Chicago Nike Camp, where they were very impressive. IL WR Kyle Prater, who includes Michigan in his final 10, was named the overall MVP.

With Jake Heaps off the board to BYU, Tennessee is now on the hunt for a new quarterback in the class of 2010 (you may recall that Lane Kiffin idiotically didn’t take one last year, despite a pressing need). The Vols are expected to land TN QB Barry Brunetti, though Penn State had reportedly been leading for his services. Michigan’s chances at Brunetti decrease again, though they hadn’t offered him and it didn’t seem inevitable that they would.

Michigan is in the final four for FL RB Darion Hall (info in header).

CA RB Brennan Clay has committed to play for Oklahoma. I’ll leave him on the board for now, because there’s no word on whether he still plans to take his scheduled trip to Michigan early in the season. If he does indeed take that trip, Michigan will have Tate Forcier in his ear trying to change his mind.

CA Ath/RB Dietrich Riley did not give a silent commitment to Tennessee, which ok, I hadn’t even heard that as a rumor worth addressing. Still, he says Michigan is recruiting him the hardest, and he plans on visiting several schools this summer, including a trip to Ann Arbor. The recruiting criteria for him include a staff with NFL experience, so that may ding Michigan in his eyes. Also, distance doesn’t matter to him because he has family “throughout the south,” which doesn’t sound particularly promising for Michigan, either. However, a trip to campus is always an opportunity to win over a recruit, so don’t count Rich Rod and company out just yet.

OH WR/DB Commit DJ Williamson continues proving that he’s fast as hell. As long as he can translate that to the football field in the fall, he should see the recruiting services rate him higher by Signing Day 2010.

Re-added OH TE Alex Smith, who will still consider Michigan despite being a Cincinnati commit (info in header). He visited for the Big House BBQ, and apparently liked what he saw enough to officially soften his commitment to the Bearcats.

MN OL Seantrel Henderson is beginning to narrow his list, and though he’s just getting into that process, Michigan is in the top 10. Remember, he plans to visit Ann Arbor again this summer, so don’t be surprised if the Wolverines manage to make their way into his top 5 as well.

Added OH OL Travis Jackson. He’s interested in Michigan, despite no offer (info in header). Jackson is slightly undersized, but considering Michigan’s last player to come out of St. Francis DeSales was slightly undersized as well (Patrick Omameh), and they might view him as someone they can try to mold a bit. Deales has also had a run of D-1 players over the past couple of years, so keep an eye on the present AND future there.

Temper any possible enthusiasm about FL DT Richard Ash. He’s basically all but committed to be a Gator, but wants to take a couple official visits to experience the recruiting process. He’ll make his commitment official on September (or is it November?) 25th, and it will almost certainly be for the Florida Gators.

Inched closer to removing SC DT AJ Cann. After originally expressing interest in Michigan, he has narrowed his list to a group of schools in the Southeast. Honestly, I wouldn’t be shocked if his Michigan interest was just a ploy to get a free trip to see the Western Michigan game, as his older brother plays for the Broncos.

Removed KS DE Geneo Grissom, who committed to Kansas. He expressed Michigan interest very early in the process, but all had been quiet on that front pretty much ever since. With Michigan’s DE class so far, and taking into account the amount of pressure that the coaches clearly didn’t put on him, and Grissom is certainly no big loss.

Removed IL DE Louis Trinca-Pasat, who has committed to Iowa. Same story with Trinca-Pasat as with Grissom: Michigan didn’t seem to want him particularly badly, so he’s certainly not a big loss.

Added GA LB Tyrone Cornileus, who counts the Wolverines among his group of leaders. Miami and Georgia Tech are probably atop that list, however.

Removed TN LB Justin Maclin, who committed to LSU. Despite receiving a Michigan offer a little while back, he never seemed particularly interested in the Wolverines, so it comes as no surprise that he has committed to another school.

Posted under Football, Recruiting

Compare to the previous edition of the recruiting class rankings. For the second week in a row, there’s been plenty of action:

5-29-09 Wisconsin gains commitment from Bryce Gilbert.
5-31-09 Iowa gains commitment from Anthony Ferguson.
6-1-09 Michigan gains commitment from Christian Pace.
6-2-09 Penn State gains commitment from Miles Dieffenbach.
6-3-09 Penn State gains commitment from Tom Ricketts.
6-7-09 Notre Dame gains commitment from Bennett Jackson.

Mild disclaimer: I’m not going to be super-diligent about checking all 3 rating services, except in the case of new commits or if the “OMG SCOUT 400” is released. Not sure who’s more deserving of 3rd place: Ohio State or Notre Dame. Discuss.

#1 Michigan – 12 commits
Name	Pos	Rivals	Scout	ESPN
Ricardo Miller	WR	****	****	150*
Devin Gardner	QB	****	****	150*
Marvin Robinson	S	****	****	150*
Jerald Robinson	WR	****	***	77
Jeremy Jackson	WR	***	***	150*
Christian Pace	OL	***	***	150*
Jordan Paskorz	DE	***	***	78
Stephen Hopkins	RB	***	***	77
Antonio Kinard	LB	***	***	77
Drew Dileo	WR	***	***	75
Tony Drake	RB	***	NR	77
DJ Williamson	WR	NR	***	NR

Michigan grabs Christian Pace, and Jordan Paskorz gets a 78 rating from ESPN. Jerald Robinson loses his 4th star from Scout. Drew Dileo and DJ Williamson each pick up 3 stars from Scout.

#3 Penn State – 7 commits
Name	Pos	Rivals	Scout	ESPN
Paul Jones	QB	****	*****	150*
Adrian Coxson	WR	****	*****	150*
Silas Redd	RB	****	****	79
Mike Hull	LB	****	****	77
Miles Dieffenbach	OL	***	****	150*
Tom Ricketts	OL	NR	****	77
Luke Graham	OL	NR	***	NR

The Nittany Lions snare Miles Dieffenbach, a Pitt legacy. Adrian Coxson gets a 5th star from Scout. The Nittany Lions pass Ohio State for second place on the strength of these changes.

#2 Ohio State – 5 commits
Name	Pos	Rivals	Scout	ESPN
Andrew Norwell	OL	****	*****	150*
Jamel Turner	DE	****	*****	150*
JT Moore	DE	****	***	78
Scott McVey	LB	***	****	77
David Durham	LB	***	***	150*

McVey earns the 4th star from Scout, and Durham gets ranked as a 3-star. There are rumblings that the Buckeyes may rescind Jamel Turner’s scholarship offer due to off-field issues, so keep an eye out.

#4 Notre Dame – 5 commits
Name	Pos	Rivals	Scout	ESPN
Chris Martin	DE	*****	*****	150*
Alex Welch	TE	****	****	79
Christian Lombard	OL	***	****	150*
Daniel Smith	WR	***	****	78
Bennett Jackson	WR	***	****	NR

Alex Welch gets 4th star from Scout.

#5 Minnesota – 4 commits
Name	Pos	Rivals	Scout	ESPN
Jimmy Gjere	OL	****	****	79
Lamonte Edwards	Ath	****	***	76
Antoine Lewis	WR	***	***	76
Tom Parish	QB	***	***	73

Parish picks up 3 stars from Scout.

#6 Illinois – 3 commits
Name	Pos.	Rivals	Scout	ESPN
Corey Cooper	CB	****	****	150*
Chandler Whitmer	QB	***	***	150*
Shawn Afryl	OL	***	***	69

Nothing new for the Illini, and they’re basically the only school without a change of some sort.

#7 Michigan State – 2 commits
Name	Pos.	Rivals	Scout	ESPN
Max Bullough	LB	****	***	150*
Tony Lippett	WR	NR	***	78

Bullough down to a 3-star on Scout, and Lippett rated at 3 stars by the same service.

#8 Iowa – 4 commits
Name	Pos.	Rivals	Scout	ESPN
Austin Gray	LB	***	***	77
James Morris	LB	***	***	74
Jim Poggi	LB	NR	***	NR
Anthony Ferguson	DT	NR	***	NR

Iowa gets Anthony Ferguson, and Poggi picks up 3 stars from Scout. They’re now nipping at Michigan State’s heels.

#9 Wisconsin – 3 commits
Name	Pos.	Rivals	Scout	ESPN
Konrad Zagzebski	LB	***	****	76
Marquis Mason	WR	***	NR	NR
Bryce Gilbert	DT	NR	***	74

The Badgers snare Bryce Gilbert. Zagzebski picks up a 4th star from Scout.

#10 Indiana – 1 commit
Name	Pos.	Rivals	Scout	ESPN
Andre Kates	CB	NR	NR	NR

Kates still not rated by any service.

Northwestern, Purdue – 0 commits.

Posted under Football, Recruiting

Not sure I’ve ever tried executing one of these, so let’s give it a try. Potential talking points:

• MCLA final v. Chapman may be the game of the year.
• Kelvin Grady on the football field (omg does he have a scholarship?)
• Dann O’Neill leaves the Michigan football team
• Basketball to play Kansas, Utah, UConn, BC this year
• Homecoming game v. Indiana scheduled for noon
• Anything else posted about (or not) this week

Let’s get it on.

Posted under Basketball, Football

2010 Michigan Wolverines Recruiting Board.

Moved to Committed: OH OL Christian Pace (seen at left). Commitment post. Pace also plans an early enrollment at Michigan.

Big House Barbecue fluff from Josh Helmholdt in the Free Press. Boilerplate stuff.

Fluff on FL QB Jeffrey Godfrey of the “he’s a QB even though he’s 5-11” variety. Godfrey has been told he’s not a QB his whole life, etc. Not to completely discard the article (despite the fact that it was clearly written by someone who should have a job writing things), but Godfrey really sounds like the type of guy Michigan would want to bring in, give a shot at QB for a year or two, then move to a different position down the road.

SC RB Marcus Lattimore and TX RB Lache Seastrunk thoroughly enjoyed their visits to Auburn last weekend (along with seemingly every prospect south of the Mason-Dixon Line), and both are extreme longshots, especially with Lattimore trimming his list to 8 non-Michigan schools earlier this week. Still no word on whether he intends to take the official visit for the Ohio State weekend as he had planned, so I’ll leave him on the list for now. Seastrunk has stated in no uncertain terms that he’ll probably end up playing his college football on the Plains, barring unforeseen developments.

FL RB Darion Hall is talented, but “needs to mature on and off the field.” With the Wolverines already filling up at running back in this class, I would be surprised if they took a guy who might be a risky prospect. He was suspended for half of his school’s spring game.

Prospective future Wolverine Torrian Wilson (who, in the past, has named the Wolverines his favorite and still has them in his top 5) has been selected to the ESPNU-Under Armour All-American Game.

After cutting down his list earlier this week, MN OL Seantrel Henderson, who is at or near the top of most prospect lists, has started planning out some summer visits. He plans to stop by Michigan for sure, possibly for summer camp. While we’re on the subject, let’s look at the reasons that coaches so covet Henderson:

With Michigan visits both in his past and future, the Wolverines are likely among his top schools.

It appears as though the bridges between Tennesse and Pahokee may be on the mend. FL DT Richard Ash has the Volunteers near the top of his list, despite the disparaging remarks made about his hometown by UT headman Lane Kiffin. However, the Gators definitely still lead for the big man from the muck.

Added LA DT Harold Legania. No word as yet on particular interest from Michigan but he may be a prospect down the road. He is a high school teammate of QB prospect Munchie LeGeaux at Edna Carr high school, and the Wolverines might be interested in a package deal for players at two positions of need.

Previously-removed IL DE Chance Carter says he’s only considering Notre Dame, Stanford, and Nebraska, but might also give the Wolverines some consideration if they offer him. With the current players committed (Antonio Kinard, Jordan Paskorz) or on their way to being committed (Ken Wilkins – see below), I don’t see him getting an offer, so I’ll leave him off the board.

OH DE Marcus Rush, who was previously believed to be heavily favoring Michigan, is approaching a decision (info in header). Considering that development came shortly after visiting Ann Arbor for the Big House Barbecue, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was still feeling the Wolverines – enough to commit. However, with several DE/LB tweeners already in the class, I don’t know if there would be room for him at this point.

MI LB/DE William Gholston has named a top-9 list that includes Michigan (along with Michigan State, Ohio State, USC, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Miami of Florida, and Oklahoma). Still, for some odd reason, I’m not holding my breath.

PA LB Ken Wilkins has set a date for his college announcement: Next Tuesday. Wilkins was in town for the Big House Barbecue, and reportedly enjoyed himself immensely. He is expected to pick Michigan at that time.

VA LB Aramide Olaniyan, despite his Duke commitment, is still saying positive things about the Wolverines. I’d left him on the board for the time being, and it seems as though that decision was justified. He’s planning to take other visits, so we’ll see if anything comes of it.

Fluff article on various DBs in Florida, including FL CB Tony Grimes, a recent visitor to Ann Arbor for the Big House BBQ:

“If they try to throw to my side, I’m going to come down with the ball and make a play on it for my team,” Hollywood Hills cornerback Tony Grimes said. Along with a physical style of play and ball-hawking skills, Grimes brings leadership as well. Hollywood Hills coach Scott Barnwell has noticed the impact it has had on his team.

“With his leadership and having a person of that caliber, these kids pick up their game also and they get to see all of the different college recruiters coming out, and it just raises the level of everyone’s game, which for the team is tremendous,” Barnwell said.

Though the Michigan visit (and a planned return in the fall) seem to bode well for Michigan, that may be more of a pipe dream, as the Hurricanes of Miami are expected to be a heavy favorite.

Michigan has offered SC CB John/Johnavon Fulton. The offer has helped them vault towards the forefront of his recruitment (info in header). However, he still really likes Alabama, and the Wolverines are definitely in catch-up mode.

From Bill Kurelic at ESPN: IL WR Kyle Prater, IA QB AJ Derby, and MI CB/Slot Dior Mathis are all planning to take all 5 of their official visits before coming to decisions. This might leave Mathis and perhaps Derby out of luck, but Michigan would probably make room for Prater if he ultimately decided on the Wolverines.

And now, for the latest edition of your intermittent 2011 recruiting updates: Sam Webb brings the fluff on 2011 MI WR DeAnthony Arnett from Saginaw, seen at right. The Wolverines were the first school to offer Arnett, a true WR with the ability to play slot (think more Je’Ron Stokes than Jeremy Gallon), and are considered the likely favorite for his services. He’s also taken southward trips recently, to camps such as Tennessee, so this will be no cakewalk to land DeAnthony, and Michigan will have to work to earn a commitment from him.

Posted under Football, Recruiting

For a team like Michigan, that is historically strong but had a very weak year in 2008, the preview for the 2009 team is going to be tough. Key to that preview is the offensive line of the Wolverines. Most people who follow the Michigan program expect the offensive line to be a relative strength in 2009, while those who follow other programs don’t have the same optimism (or fear, as it were). So why do Michigan fans think a lot more of their 2009 OL than, say Notre Dame fans?

Returning experience has been brought up as an indicator of possible team success, and Michigan is among the teams with the highest number of returning starts along the offensive line (as is Notre Dame). However, most non-Michigan fans that I’ve seen looking at Michigan so far this off-season have said something along the lines of “They might be a better OL next year, but they sucked in 2008, so how much better can they be?” That may be the case, but it’s certainly worth exploring the assumption that the Wolverine offensive line was crap in 2008.

Improvement over the Year

The Michigan offensive line may have indeed started out poorly in 2008. They rushed for fewer yards than the opponents’ average allowed in 5 of the first 8 games, even though they were playing teams with relatively easy schedules like Utah, Miami, and Wisconsin (against whom Michigan would have had an awful rushing day if not for a surprise 65-yarder by Steven Threet). However, there’s certainly evidence that, after a rough couple games to start out the year, the rushing game started to click for Michigan.

Rushing
Opponent	Opp. Rush Rank	Opp. Avg Allowed	Mich Rush Yards	Delta	% Delta
Utah	11	99.15	36	-63.15	-63.69
Miami	106	208.33	178	-30.33	-14.56
Notre Dame	45	134.15	159	+24.85	+18.52
Wisconsin	44	133.31	172	+38.69	+29.02
Illinois	77	152.92	69	-83.92	-54.88
Toledo	96	178.33	170	-8.33	-4.67
Penn State	8	93.23	202	+108.77	+116.67
Michigan State	67	142.46	84	-58.46	-41.04
Purdue	93	174.83	177	+2.17	+1.24
Minnesota	68	143.31	232	+88.69	+61.89
Northwestern	34	126.38	181	+54.62	+43.22
Ohio State	18	110.23	111	+0.77	+0.70

That chart can be displayed in graphical form below. Note that more of the good rush defenses they faced were towards the back end of the schedule – and they still managed to beat the average for each of those teams. Save the MSU game, the Wolverines beat the opponent’s average in each game over the second half of the season.

With many players who weren’t expected to ever contribute in meaningful gametime (Bryant Nowicki), or at least not in 2008 (David Molk), the offensive line still managed to be better than average, with strength of opponents’ defenses taken into account.

More Competition

Of course, there’s a reason that some of those players who were forced into action in 2008 were not expected to ever contribute in starting roles for the Wolverines. Add in a class of freshmen that redshirted in 2008 because they weren’t physically ready to play, despite good guru rankings (4* OG RIcky Barnum) or performance in practice (2* OT Patrick Omameh). Add in those players, and even if they don’t contribute on the field, their presence in practice pushes other players to work harder to keep their starting spots. The best player between Mark Ortman and nobody is definitely Mark Ortman. The best player between Mark Ortman and Patrick Omameh might still be the same Mark Ortman, but that’s the minimum. It’s more likely to be a better Mark Ortman from being pushed in practice, or even Omameh.

When you take into account that the Michigan offensive line faced a number of injuries last year, having more players certainly helps in this respect as well. Using the example above, if Mark Ortman goes down and there’s no backup, the team has to play someone who really has no place being a contributor. If Mark Ortman goes down and Patrick Omameh is nipping his heels on the depth chart, the dropoff is going to be much less noticeable.

Improved QB Play

The offensive line is one unit on an offensive machine that must all work in concert to achieve the maximum result. If other parts of the machine are faulty, the offensive line won’t look as good, simply because the offense isn’t producing. Quarterback play in 2008 was, to put it quite bluntly, a liability for Michigan. Steven Threet and Nick Sheridan each had moments of brilliance (games against Penn State and Minnesota, respectively), but did at least their fair share of contributing to the offensive struggles in 2008.

The quarterbacks couldn’t throw particularly well, which allowed opposing safeties to come into the box to play the run. If Michigan had been able to stretch the field deep with the pass, there would have been more open running lanes. Coupled with that idea is the fact that Michigan’s scheme requires the quarterback to be able to run. Since neither Threet nor Sheridan was particularly mobile, defenses were able to key on the running back exclusively. This contributed to poor results for Michigan.

Of course, this section of the argument centers on the idea (belief? hope?) that Michigan’s quarterback play in 2009 will be better than it was in 2008. That hope falls on the shoulders of one Robert Tate Forcier. While he may not be The Savior of Michigan Football, his high school play and rankings, along with his performance in the spring game have given Michigan fans hope.

Better in ’09?

Outside sources whose job it is to cover the Big Ten (albeit poorly) think that the Michigan OL should be improved this year. So, as I’ve hopefully demonstrated, not only was the Michigan offensive line not the huge liability over the entire course of 2008  that it’s often made out to be (despite some of the players forced into service), but it should continue to improve in the offseason as the players who will contribute in 2009 will have a year of experience under their belts, a lot more competition in practice, and a more complete offensive picture around them. Don’t expect greatness from the offensive line in 2009, but they should certainly help the offense get back on track.

Posted under Analysis, Football

Posted under Football