I hesitated to post this article, but it’s so damn bad that I couldn’t help myself. Like, horrendously stupid, and Joel Bradley should be kept far, far away from keyboards for the rest of his life.

Okay, I have been waiting for Rich Rodriguez to make a splash in recruiting for two years.

All he has produced is Michael Shaw, who will be a solid contributor next season, and Tate Forcier, who is a virtual lock as the starting signal-caller.

OK, so now you understand exactly how stupid “analysis” on the internet can be. Last year alone Rodriguez landed the following: Martavious Odoms (led the team in receptions and receiving yards as a true freshman), Brandon Smith (expected to start at strong safety as a redshirt freshman, and would have played last year if he hadn’t had an appendectomy shortly before the season began), Terrence Robinson (expected to start at slot receiver as a redshirt freshman, and would have gotten serious playing time last year save a preseason injury), Patrick Omameh (an offensive lineman from Columbus who picked the Wolverines over Ohio State), Ricky Barnum (a former Florida commitment who is expected to start along the offensive line as a redshirt freshman). He landed several other players as well, but those are the highlights of his first recruiting class.

His second class? Michigan is currently ranked #8 in the nation by Rivals.com, #13 by Scout.com, with plenty of scholarships (as many as 8) still to hand out.

And I can’t pass up this gem:

Sam McGuffie would have been as good as Jacob Hester was his junior year at LSU. to Carlos Brown may not even get used at all as a feature back under the new regime.

Yes, speed back Sam McGuffie was exactly the same type of player as NFL fullback Jacob Hester. Carlos Brown was injured this entire year (like his entire career thus far), and got a chance to star against Northwestern. If you ever run across Joel Bradley on the street, please inflict as much physical harm on him as possible. Some people shouldn’t be allowed on the internet, much less given a platform to spew their idiocy. There is s ton more stupid in the article if you’re interested in torturing yourself.

Mr. Bradley, thy name is FAIL.

Posted under Coaching, Football, Recruiting

As always, the recruiting boards can be found directly to the left or right here:
2009 & 2010.

The first-draft Scout 100 for 2010 has been released. Obviously it will change a ton even before signing day, but certainly by the time any of these guys sign anywhere. For now, it’s just a helpful way to see who some prospects might be (of course, remember some of these guys will completely disappear, and some will merely be replaced by other guys).

Recent indications have been that 2009 OL Quinton Washington might be leaning to Michigan. Might he now be looking towards South Carolina as his favorite? I’m not familiar with the source, so take that FWIW. At least he’s not claiming a favorite.

From the same article:
MN WR Bryce McNeal‘s decision will be announced at the Army game. Obviously, I wouldn’t expect said decision to be for Michigan. SC DE Sam Montgomery‘s official visit will be some time in January, and FL CB Jayron Hosley‘s will be January 17th.

Not that I ever though Michigan had a chance with him, but maybe things are less dire than it seems with 2009 AL CB Dre Kirkpatrick? Michigan has been out to visit him, and it sounds like there might be a chance he’ll return the favor to Ann Arbor.

2009 FL K Commit Brendan Gibbons‘s high school coach is retiring, and there is one item of note:

He coached 29 All-State players and three All-Americans (Davey Ford, 1996; Abram Elam, 1999; and Brendan Gibbons, 2008), and 11 of his former players are playing college football.

Cardinal Newman is not much of a huge pipeline, for what it’s worth. Hooray Brendan, though.

Scouting report on 2010 TX QB Aaron Johnson, including season stats:

Quarterback Aaron Johnson is only 82 yards away from topping the 1,000-yard mark [rushing] for the season… The Lobos can throw; Johnson has passed for 1,505 yards and 15 TDs, but has been intercepted seven times.

So, he’s productive, but perhaps not as accurate as one might hope? Take from it what you will. Also, in today’s “non-relevant information” department, take a look at the weightlifting facility of Lake Travis, the team Longview will be playing this weekend. Yes, that is a high school. Also, here are some highlights of last week’s Longview game.

Want some fluff on 2010 FL WR/S Eric Dungy? It’s your lucky day! Standard “he doesn’t have an ego despite having an NFL coach for a dad” stuff.

Removed 2010 OH LB/DE Jamel Turner. He has committed to Ohio State, giving them a good start for a second consecutive year.

Another recruiting post will be coming within a couple days, because there’s a lot more information to share.

Posted under Football, Recruiting

Yeah, so obviously this one was supposed to be published before the one that came out earlier this week, but oh well. On to the information.
Recruiting Boards:
2009 & 2010. These are also always available if you look directly to the left.

Moved to Committed:
2009 MI WR Cameron Gordon. Commit article.
2009 AZ OL Taylor Lewan.

Moved from Committed:
2009 IN LB Jordan Barnes. From the sounds of it, he isn’t going to give Michigan a ton of consideration going forward after his decommit. He has been removed from the board.

Also removed from the board: 2009 VA QB Kevin Newsome, who has committed to Penn State.

Added to the 2010 recruiting board: AL WR BJ Chitty, a recent Auburn decommit (audio)

Might 2010 FL RB Corvin Lamb be favoring FIU?:

The kid you’re thinking about, Northwestern High’s Corvin Lamb, a junior, who has not committed to FIU just yet.

Uh, what? If FIU were to land this kid (likely a top-100 type), it would be something of a major coup. I guess stranger things have happened, so be on the lookout. However, other sources indicate he’s a big Florida fan. That makes a little more sense, considering it’s not crazy.

2009 OH S Commit Isaiah Bell will likely end up at linebacker at Michigan (info in header). Obviously, this stems from what the coaches have told him is his likely position here, though I guess that could theoretically mean a bandit-type position if there is indeed a coordinator change.

Among those visiting Florida last weekend was 2009 MD LB Jelani Jenkins. Michigan is in the mix to get one of his remaining official visits. Word on the street, however, is that he’s all but committed to the Gators, with Penn State as the only likely challenger remaining.

2009 JC DE Pernell McPhee enjoyed his official visit. So much, that he has now proclaimed he favors UM over Miss State. Oddly for a kid from Florida (via Mississippi), he likes the cold and snow, and he also enjoyed himself at the hoops game. He’s still nominally committed to Mississippi State, so he remains off the board for now, but UM might be right in this one. The JC signing period started yesterday, and he has not signed an LOI anywhere.

New offers? New offers:

“Michigan assistant coach Jay Hopson was in Coushatta, La., recently to check out one of the Bayou State’s top rising prospects – Red River defensive end Bennie Logan. After U-M’s evaluation, Logan had an offer from Michigan. Assistant coaches also extended offers to Tallahassee (Fla.) FAMU defensive end Alex Williams and Lancaster, Texas, cornerback Demontre Hurst on recent visits to their schools.”

Logan had already been added to the board. Williams will be added, and Hurst re-added after he was on it briefly earlier this year.

2010 FL LB Anthony Hamm really, really likes Florida. He’s now teetering on the edge of removal, and it sounds like he’ll commit to the Gators soon anyway.

Want to know who else sounds like a lost cause? 2010 Pahokee DT Doral Willis. When an article is entitled “I Would Commit to Miami on the Spot,” he’s pretty much a done deal, assuming the ‘Canes offer. I’ll leave him on the board for now, in case they don’t.

Posted under Recruiting

The new site has given us a lot of new options that we didn’t have on Blogger. The ablity to do something like this easily and locally is probably the biggest.

We have put together a page on each current 2009 commit and pulled information from the recruiting board, recruiting updates and Friday Night Lights posts.  Now almost all the information Varsity Blue has on a particular commit is in one place where readers can comment and discuss (and share video highlights, news stories, etc).

The page can be found here as well as in the Quick Links box at the top of the page.

Posted under Blog News, Recruiting

Taylor Lewan, a 6-7, 280-lb offensive tackle from Scottsdale, Arizona. Lewan is a high school teamate of Michigan defensive end commit Craig Roh, and becomes the 21st commitment in Michigan’s class of 2009.

Recruiting Notes
Lewan was unknown early in the recruiting season, but a solid senior year at a new position and a new school has given him the ability to pick from a virtual who’s-who of colleges. Michigan offered him after the first few games of his final high school campaign, and when they landed Craig Roh, it greatly increased their chances to land Taylor. However, Lewan’s father is a native Minnesotan, and attended the University in St. Paul. Because of his father’s roots, Lewan has described himself as a displaced midwesterner. After a Minnesota visit, Lewan maintained that he would still take trips to Michigan and Oregon before making his decision. Taylor visited Ann Arbor the weekend of December 13th, and attended Michigan’s basketball victory against Eastern Michigan. Shortly thereafter, he told Rich Rodriguez that he wished to be a Michigan Wolverine, and committed to the Maize and Blue.

Player Notes
In his junior year, Taylor Lewan was a little-known defensive end prospect from Cactus Shadows High School in Scottsdale, Arizona. A transfer to Chaparral High School (a more successful program) and a move to the offensive tackle position (at which he is a better physical fit) gave Lewan a new lease on football life. He has become one of the fastes-rising prospects in the country over the course of a few short months. Lewan is a true offensive tackle, and a four-star prospect to both recruiting sites. He plays with an edge to his game that sets him apart from other offensive linemen. New teammate Craig Roh had a mutually-beneficial relationship on the practice field with Lewan, and the pair helped each other improve. Roh has described Lewan as a gym rat that won’t be outworked by anyone. Roh and Lewan also faced

Video
Junior Film

Posted under Football, Recruiting

Action since last rankings:
12-7-08 Notre Dame gains commitment from Jordan Cowart.
12-8-08 Michigan State gains commitment from Corey Freeman. Purdue gains commitment from Xavier Melton.
12-9-08 Indiana loses commitment from Kenny Watkins.
12-11-08 Michigan gains commitment from Cameron Gordon.

New Rankings:

Up: Robinson (From 1)

Posted under Football, Recruiting

Wide receiver Cameron Gordon of Inkster, Michigan has given his word to sign with Michigan in February. Gordon is a 6-3, 210-lb player who has been measured at 4.6 in the 40-yard dash. He is Michigan’s 21st commit in the class of 2009.

Recruiting Notes
Gordon started the recruiting year as someone Michigan fans expected to likely end up in the Wolverines’ recruiting class. However, it certainly ended up taking significantly longer than they expected (although he had always planned to take his time with a decision). At the end of his junior year, he announced that he would be transferring from Melvindale High School to Inkster, where he would have a better opportunity to excel athletically. During the summer, he attended Michigan’s summer camp. The Wolverine coaches told him that they liked him more as a linebacker, and told him that he would receive an offer if he was willing to play at that position in college. With a noncommittal answer, Michigan’s offer took significantly longer to arrive than Gordon would have otherwise liked. When he finally received his offer in November, Gordon took a visit to Iowa, who had been on him all along. However, the allure of the Michigan offer was too much to pass up, and he committed to Michigan today.

Player Notes
Gordon is a big, physical receiver, with large measurables for the position. He lacks elite speed, but is able to beat defenders, using his body well and catching it at the highest point with his biug hands. However, Michigan fans liked the physical play he could bring to a linebacker position at the next level. It will be interesting to see whether he remains at receiver when he gets to the next level, or at least be open to a potential position switch.

Etc.
This year, Gordon was catching passes thrown by 2010 dual-threat quarterback prospect Devin Gardner, who is certainly one of the top targets on Michigan’s recruiting board. Securing a commitment from Gordon should go a long way to helping Michigan land his teammate in the next recruiting class.

Posted under Football, Recruiting

All-conference performers in Southeastern Conference play include 2010 WR commit Jeremy Jackson of AA Huron and 2010 RB prospect Nick Hill from Chelsea.

2010 OH TE Greg Gainey has transferred from Trotwood-Madison to Thurgood Marshall. Without the pipeline advantage, and at a position of little need, will he remain a Michigan target? He stays on the board for now, but he’s a candidate for removal.

2010 PA DE Dakota Royer was picked to his All-conference team on offense and defense. Stats? Stats.

56 catches for 1,099 yards (20 yards per grab) and five TDs. 132 tackles, 11 sacks.

He has offers from Penn State, Pitt, Stanford, and Maryland at this point.

Want some fluff on 2010 IL QB Detchauz Wray? It’s your lucky day!

Junior quarterback Detchauz Wray completed 133 of 228 passes (58.3 percent) this season for 2,564 yards and 38 touchdowns while throwing only five turnovers. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound signal caller also rushed for 260 yards and five touchdowns…

Wray’s impressive numbers have gained the attention of several Division I programs. The Flyers’ standout has already received offers from Arizona and Kansas State, Sunkett said. Illinois and Kansas have also shown Wray interest.

Sunkett said East St. Louis’ offense doesn’t call for the quarterback to run often but that Wray has the ability to be a dual threat. However, Wray’s stature may force him to change positions, possibly wide receiver or cornerback, at the next level.

For now, he’ll remain at QB on the board, but he is a definite position-change candidate down the road.

Though Minnesota recently lost their OL coach, the new hire has already hit the road to recruit a few UM prospects:

Meanwhile, new Gophers running game coordinator-offensive line coach Tim Davis, who left No. 1 Alabama last week for Minnesota, spent Monday, his first day with the Gophers, in Phoenix recruiting 6-foot-6, 265-pound Taylor Lewan [2009], a nationally sought offensive lineman. Today, Davis plans to be at Cretin-Derham Hall, which has 6-8, 296-pound junior offensive lineman Seantrel Henderson [2010], who is among the country’s elite prep players.

Lewan is heading to Ann Arbor this weekend for his official visit. Other prospects on the docket include:
NC CB Josh Hunter (North Carolina Commit).
FL S/LB Commit Mike Jones.
FL K Commit Brendan Gibbons.
Speaking of Gibbons, he’s been selected to the Army All-American Bowl. He will be headed there instead of the ESPNU game, to which he was already committed.

From yesterday’s WTKA Recruiting Roundup with Sam Webb:

• Will Campbell enjoyed his Michigan official last weekend. Both parents want Will to go to Michigan, and have mentioned that recruiters have seemed… disingenuous… at some other schools, particularly in regards to treating Will’s mother like an annoyance.
• 2010 OH RB Erick Howard grew up liking Michigan, and the Wolverines would start at an advantage if he is recruited down the road.
• 2009 MI TE Dion Sims has eliminated Michigan. I knew he was never really going to end up here, and I’ve been saying (even when he was still on the table) that he doesn’t seem like a guy who likes football or has the necessary intensity to enjoy it in Rich Rodriguez’s program. It’s sad to lose another instate guy, but c’est la vie.

Another recruiting post sometime late this week or early next week.

Posted under Football, Recruiting

Lots of recruiting stuff came out over the past few days, so expect another update coming soon.

Recruiting Boards:
2009 Class & 2010 Class.

In case you thought he didn’t recruit, The Freep’s Mark Snyder confirms that Rich Rodriguez has indeed been on the road:

Nonetheless, Michigan’s football coach has been covering the country as part of his recruiting plan. He said he started in Detroit, was in Chicago on Wednesday and will hit California, Texas, Florida and Ohio this month before he’s off the road.

You can guess who he’s visiting in each place. Snyder also reports that Rodriguez expects 8 early-enrolling recruits from the class of ’09. Those would be Tate Forcier, Shavodrick Beaver, Vincent Smith, William Campbell if he re-commits, Anthony LaLota, Brandin Hawthorne, Mike Jones, and Vlad Emilien.

Added to the 2009 Board: LA DE Bennie Logan, who has been offered (info in header).
Added to the 2010 Board: NE DB Darius Evans. He grew up in Ohio and likes the Big Ten (info in header).

There’s been something of a minor inter-freakout among the Michigan fanbase over a comment posted by DandyDon.com about 2009 MI DT William Campbell.

As for William Campbell, I list him at 60-40 because he has told an LSU commitment more than once that he was going to sign with LSU.

Not to besmirch the honor of Dandy Don, but regardless of his source, I don’t think the information is correct. All reports on Campbell’s LSU visit have indicated he was less-than-enthused, and barring a sea-change in his sentiments, I think Michigan is still the leader, especially after he stormed the court following the hoops upset over Duke. Also storming the court after the upset over the Blue Devils? 2010 DE William Gholston, pictured below in the lovely purple T-Shirt, along with Brandon Graham in the black jacket.

2009 SC OL Quinton Washington. He’s receiving his in-home visits, including one from his Michigan recruiter. He’ll go on a couple visits of his own following his participation in the Shrine bowl.

Still (somewhat surprisingly, given the lack of information about him relating to Michigan) considering the Wolverines is 2009 GA CB Darren Myles. Michigan appears to be in his de facto top 6, along with Alabama, LSU, West Virginia, Purdue, and Georgia Tech.

2009 FL CB Jayron Hosley plans to take an official to Ann Arbor the weekend of January 16.

2009 MD LB Jelani Jenkins is a finalist for the high school edition of the Butkus Award. Other notable finalists: MSU Commit Chris Norman, OSU commit Dorian Bell, AL LB Tana Patrick.

Though I thought he was planning to make a commitment a couple weeks back, 2009 MD RB Tavon Austin now says he’ll wait until signing day. West Virginia is his current leader, followed by Maryland, UNC, and Michigan.

2010 OH OL Matt James. He has now been offered by Notre Dame (info in header). They seemed to be right in the thick of things before they offered, I’d now assume they are an early leader.

Posted under Football, Recruiting

Posted under Football, Recruiting