2010 Michigan Recruiting Board.

Michigan has offered IA QB AJ Derby. He had previously been included on the board as a defensive back, but made it clear that he’s being recruited as a QB. I’ve moved him and reflected that he has an offer. I was actually very crurious about the seeming lack of Michigan interest, so the offer certainly goes a long way to assuage those fears. For further education on Derby, check out the Youtube highlight of his team’s 2008 season. Understandably, said highlights have lots of QB action.

Removed WA QB Jake Heaps, who has narrowed his list to five. Michigan was never particularly involved in his recruitment, so this comes as no surprise. Time to pare down a few more of these QBs. Who’s next?

FL RB Eduardo Clements has started to name favorites, and Georgia is on top for now. However, Michigan doesn’t seem to be that far behind for the south florida speedster:

“As of right now, Georgia is still my leader but Miami and Florida State are really high for me too. Michigan is an offer that came in not too long ago and I’m interested in them just because of their offensive scheme and how they pound the ball.”

Sounds like the Wolverines are hanging on at the end of an unofficial Top 4, no? Considering they were the most recent to offer him (which is now reflected on the board), they seem to be right in the thick of the race for his services.

OH RB Tyson Gulley is starting to see bigger interest, as IU is close to offering. However, with Michigan already having a couple backs in the class, I’d be shocked if they reached for a lesser-rated guy like Gulley.

Michigan has offered MD WR Adrian Coxson (info in header). This is odd, because they’re already drowning in WR recruits.

FL OL Brent Benedict is a hotly-recruited prospect, and he’ll basically have his choice of any school when it comes time to decide. That said, it’s an encouraging sign that Michigan is among the campuses he plans to visit this summer, as he conducts research for his eventual college decision.

Removed IN OL James Hurst, who committed to North Carolina. It’s odd that Michigan never really got in on his recruitment, considering he’s just one state away, and is considered one of the top offensive linemen in the class of 2010 at this early stage.

Were reports of OH DE Darryl Baldwin‘s narrowing his list to four schools (UM, MSU, OSU, ND) premature? His coach says so. Still, even if he hasn’t limited his choices to those, it’s fair to say that they are his top4. Also, note the article writer’s disdainful look at the internet recruiting sites “Internet reports speculated…” Yes, they speculated something by taking a quote directly from the kid’s mouth. FAIL.

TX LB Corey Nelson has named Michigan his leader. He’s a serious prospect, and Michigan is certainly in the hunt for linebackers. The interest came from the commitment of RB Tony Drake, yet another example of Rich Rodriguez’s recruiting strategy of building pipelines at powerhouse programs and taking multiple recruits from the schools in a single year. Burnt Orange Nation, of all places, has a bit of fluff on him as well:

The other top linebackers, Corey Nelson and Aaron Benson, are both smaller, faster linebackers more highly rated than Jackson (for now, at least), with Nelson in particular looking physically more like a safety than a linebacker as a junior.

Is that a problem? Should Nelson or Benson be punished for not fitting cleanly into the traditional stereotype of their positions? In a word – no. Throw out the old prototype of big linebackers with two-gap responsibility asked to take on fullbacks in the hole – there’s a new sheriff (or pirate, if you prefer) in town who likes playing in the wide-open places on the field.

That’s pretty effusive praise for a guy who almost certainly will not end up playing for Mack Brown’s Longhorns.

The Wolverines have sent an offer to CT LB Khairi Fortt (info in header). He’s a 4-star to Scout and to Rivals.

FL CB Cody Riggs nearly committed to Notre Dame on his visit to the spring game. I think he’s a guy that we can almost forget about, if not quite yet.

An all-star game update: FL WR James Louis (who may be close to committing to Florida) will play in the ESPNU game. The article mentions that FL LB Jeff Luc, who at last word was waiting to decide which all-star game to play in, has decided on the ESPNU game.

From Sam Webb’s Wednesday Recruiting Roundup:

• SC OL AJ Cann is not as high on the Maize-and-Blue anymore as he had been in the recent past.
• Despite receiving an offer from Oklahoma, it is not a foregone conclusion that MI DT Jonathan Hankins will see the in-state schools follow suit. Look for him to be offered a little further down the road, if at all.

Posted under Football, Recruiting

Semi-light update today because I got impatient last week, and gave 2 recruiting updates when I really didn’t need to. The Board.

I have no idea how he wasn’t added already (probably because I forgot to), but LaTwan Anderson, a friend of Jerald Robinson and a speedy, hard-hitting safety, has been offered by Michigan. I’ve belatedly added him to the board.

PA RB Corey Brown (not to be confused with 2009 PA CB Corey Brown, an Ohio State commit) has been selected to the Army All-American game for next year.

GA QB/DB Barry Bostic almost committed to Georgia Tech on his visit, and it seems like he might do just that before long.

TX QB Connor/Conner Wood is going to make his decision within the next week or so. He’s only visited schools in Texas and Oklahoma, so one must assume the Wolverines won’t be considered. Look for him to be removed from the board very soon, when he picks Oklahoma (most likely) or Texas/a dark horse.

With two DTs already in their class of 2010, the Longhorns probably won’t offer TX DT Jay Guy. The ‘Horns were considered to be one of his favorites, despite the lack of offer. Michigan has offered, and he’ll probably be their top DT target in the 2010 class. Per BON:

recruiting at the position is probably finished unless the coaches want to go after an OOS stud or decide to offer Jay Guy, a kid who really likes Texas, but doesn’t seem likely to get an offer right now.

(emphasis mine). Keep it in mind, because I think the Wolverines are near the top of his list.

Snippet from SI on FL CB Lamarcus Joyner:

he recently said five teams have jumped out early on his list — Florida, Florida State, Miami, Notre Dame and Ohio State. He reports offers from all those teams.

Michigan is notably absent, but theres no mention of a timeframe.

FL OL Torrian Wilson likes Michigan (info in header).

FL OL Chaz Green has been offered by Michigan.

Added SC QB Kersean Wilson, who is apparently hearing from Michigan. Also from that article: keep an eye on as-yet-unsigned 2009 RB prospect Larry Raper. The Clemson decommit is giving Michigan a hard look.

Removed:
TX LB Aaron Benson to Texas.

Posted under Football, Recruiting

With the 2009 recruiting class out of the way, it’s time for recruitniks to shift attention to the 2010 class for the Michigan Wolverines. Obviously, I’ve been paying quite a bit of attention to the matter on this site, and that will continue.

By the way, for those who have asked me when I’m going to start looking at the 2011 class, since I’ve become so used to worrying about two recruiting classes at once, dont hold your breath. It will be at least into summer, and more likely into the fall, before I start looking in-depth at 2011 prospects.

Without further ado, I’d like to reintroduce you to the 2010 Recruiting Board. Since I’ve neglected 2010 information for the past week or so, due to 2009 Signing Day, there should be a couple updates this week so I can get caught up a bit. On to the new information:

FL CB Lorenza Wood, widely regarded to be the frontrunner to be Michigan’s next commit in the class of 2010, took a recent visit to Georgia Tech (info in header). He is also expected to make a visit to Michigan for a Junior Day sometime this winter/spring. Wood also picked up an offer from Notre Dame.

MI RB Nick Hill, also considered a prospect that Michigan is likely to land if they want him, traveled to (and enjoyed) Notre Dame’s recent junior day (info in header).

If you can wade through all the fluff on Brandin Hawthorne and Brendan Gibbons, there is a tidbit of info in this article, which states that FL Slot DeJoshua Johnson (from Pahokee) has been offered.

…and while we’re on the topic of South Florida 2009 tandems who have had a junior teammate offered, Deerfield Beach’s RB Cassius McDowell received word from Rich Rodriguez that he is welcome to follow Adrian Witty and Denard Robinson to Ann Arbor. He has been added to the board. Witty and Robinson each had a bit to say for themselves, as well:

”If I go up there and work the way I know I’m going to work, I’ll be the starting cornerback at Michigan next fall,” said Witty, who visited Kansas State, Michigan and FIU.

“I’m not the kind of guy who likes to sit on the bench… I want to be the face of Michigan,” Robinson said.

More power to them, and I’m sure Michigan fans wouldn’t complain if their predictions turned out to be true.

Other early 2010 offers: OH WR Jerald Robinson. Michigan is his first D-1 offer. The coach at Canton South has also attended RR’s coaching clinic in the past, so there is a good relationship started there. Of course, Robinson has since committed to Michigan.

IL DE Chance Carter was also at said Irish junior day, and

Irish Emerge As Carter’s Favorite

Notre Dame was always considered the likely favorite to land him, and this certainly reinforces that notion. The Chicago Tribune reports that Wisconsin is his #2 choice behind the Irish.

CA RB Malcolm Jones was named the Offensive Player of the Year in his district. Despite still not holding a USC offer (although his brother plays for the Trojans), He is considered the top pure running back in Southern California for the 2010 class. The latter article also says that Robert Woods, currently on the board as a safety, will play WR in college. He has been moved on the board.

FL WR Kadron Boone holds the Gators as his favorite (info in header). With Michigan already holding commitments from two wideouts in the class, this likely doesn’t affect their recruiting strategy very much.

Speaking of those WR commitments, FL WR Commit Ricardo Miller recently caused something of a flap when his Facebook or Myspace page mentioned something about taking visits to other schools. The Michigan online community collectively flipped out. I have a few comments on the matter (as did the WLA): 1) A kid picking a school other than Michigan (or in this case, taking visits to schools other than Michigan) is not a reflection of his class or character. 2) It’s early in the process, and fans have absolutely no right to harass recruits, and maybe are putting a little too much attention into them. 3) Please, please don’t inter-stalk recruits on social networking websites. It’s creepy, it’s borderline pathetic, and it’s likely a minor NCAA violation. Don’t do it.

Removals:
TX WR John Harris to Texas.
TX DT De’Aires Cotton to Texas.
TX LB Aaron Benson to Texas.
CA DE Chris Martin to Notre Dame. Upside: now I can finally stop stumbling upon news about the singer from Coldplay. Downside: Notre Dame lands another 5-star.

Posted under Football, Recruiting