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Big Ten 2009 Recruiting Class Rankings 10-4-08

Action since last rankings:

9-27-08 Wisconsin gains commitment from David Gilbert. Wisconsin gains commitment from Tyler Dippel.
9-29-08 Northwestern gains commitment from Will Studlien. Penn State gains commitment from Glenn Carson.
9-30-08 Penn State gains commitment from Devon Smith.
10-1-08 Notre Dame gains commitment from Nyshier Oliver.
Despite a fairly eventful week in terms of commitments, no change in the team rankings.

New Rankings:

#1 Ohio State – 25 commits
LB ***** Dorian Bell
RB **** Jaamal Berry
DT **** Johnny Simon
DE **** Melvin Fellows
CB **** CJ Barnett
WR **** James Jackson
MLB **** Storm Klein
MLB **** Jordan Whiting
RB **** Jordan Hall
OG **** Corey Linsley
OT **** Jack Mewhort
S **** Jamie Wood
WR **** Justin Green
RB **** Carlos Hyde
CB **** Corey Brown
S **** Bradley McDougald
WR **** Chris Fields
CB **** Dominic Clarke
WR *** Duron Carter
DE *** Jonathan Newsome
TE *** Reid Fragel
DT *** Adam Bellamy
FB *** Adam Homan
LB *** Zach Boren
OL *** Sam Longo
#2 Michigan – 19 commits
CB **** Justin Turner
QB **** Tate Forcier
QB **** Shavodrick Beaver
WR **** Bryce McNeal
RB **** Fitzgerald Toussaint
WR **** Jeremy Gallon
OL **** Michael Schofield
DT **** DeQuinta Jones
DE **** Anthony LaLota
DE **** Craig Roh
S *** Isaiah Bell
WR *** DeWayne Peace
RB *** Teric Jones
LB *** Jordan Barnes
S *** Mike Jones
K *** Anthony Fera
LB *** Brandin Hawthorne
RB *** Vincent Smith
S *** Thomas Gordon
#3 Notre Dame – 15 commits
RB ***** Cierre Wood
OL **** Chris Watt
RB **** Theo Riddick
DT **** Tyler Stockton
OL **** Alex Bullard
CB **** Marlon Pollard
LB **** Dan Fox
OL **** Zach Martin
S *** Nyshier Oliver
S *** EJ Banks
TE *** Tyler Eifert
MLB *** Carlo Calabrese
P *** Ben Turk
K ** Nicholas Tausch
TE ** Jake Golic
#4 Michigan State – 15 commits
RB **** Edwin Baker
RB **** Larry Caper
SLB **** Chris Norman
OL **** David Barrent
WR **** Donald Spencer
DT **** Blake Treadwell
QB **** Andrew Maxwell
OL **** Nate Klatt
WR *** Dana Dixon
LB *** Tyquan Hammock
OL *** Micajah Reynolds
WR *** Patrick White
DE *** Dan France
WR ** Bennie Fowler
TE ** Derek Hoebing

< td style="border:1px solid rgb(0,0,102);">****

#5 Penn State – 18 commits
OT **** Eric Shrive
CB Darrell Givens
DE **** Sean Stanley
S *** Stephen Obeng-Agyapong
S *** Malcolm Willis
S *** Derrick Thomas
C *** Ty Howle
CB *** Stephon Morris
WR *** Brandon Felder
OT *** Adam Gress
OL *** Nate Cadogan
RB *** Curtis Dukes
LB *** Glenn Carson
ATH *** Devon Smith
QB ** Curtis Drake
OG ** Frank Figueroa
WR ** Christian Kuntz
OT ** Mark Arcidiacono
#6 Illinois – 14 commits
DT **** Lendell Buckner
OT **** Leon Hill
QB **** Nathan Scheelhaase
RB **** Bud Golden
WR **** Terry Hawthorne
OL *** Andrew Carter
FB *** Greg Fuller
OL *** Hugh Thornton
WR ** Steve Hull
S ** Tommie Hopkins
CB ** Joelil Thrash
OL ** Jake Feldmeyer
LB ** Darryl Lee
#7 Wisconsin – 15 commits
DT **** Jared Kohout
DE **** Shelby Harris
DE **** David Gilbert
DE *** Tyler Dippel
OG *** Ryan Groy
QB *** Jon Budmayr
OT *** Zac Matthias
RB *** Montee Ball
TE *** Brian Wozniak
MLB *** Chris Borland
OL *** Travis Frederick
LB *** AJ Fenton
WR *** Jeff Duckworth
OL ** Casey Dehn
S ** Jason Peprah
#8 Minnesota – 9 commits
RB **** Hasan Lipscomb
RB **** Eric Stephens
QB *** Moses Alipate
C *** Ed Olsen
OT *** Josh Campion
WR *** Victor Keise
OL *** Brooks Michel
DE ** Nick Rengel
K ** Dan Orseske
#9 Indiana – 17 commits
LB *** Jeremy Gainer
QB *** Edward Wright-Baker
DT *** Adam Replogle
WR *** Jamonne Chester
WR *** Duwyce Wilson
OL *** Charles Chapman
QB *** Dustin Kiel
OL *** Colin Rodkey
CB *** Lawrence Barnett
K *** Mitch Ewald
S *** Nick Zachery
S *** Demetrius Carr
S *** Ted Bolser
OL *** Pat McShane
S ** Kenny Watkins
DE ** Javon Cornley
#10 Iowa – 6 commits
WR **** Keenan Davis
RB **** Brandon Wegher
WR *** Jordan Cotton
FB *** Brad Rogers
OL ** Drew Clark
OL ** Brett Van Sloten

Evan Watkins

#11 Northwestern – 8 commits
OL **** Patrick Ward
QB ***
RB *** Mike Trumpy
DE *** Anthony Battle
LB *** Will Studlien
WR ** Drew Moulton
OL ** Brian Smith
OL ** Taylor Paxton
LB * Tim Riley
#12 Purdue – 6 commits
QB ** Rob Henry
DE ** Trevor Foy
S ** Ishmael Aristide
WR ** Gary Bush
DE ** Shayon Green
WR ** Josh Johnson

Posted under Recruiting

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Jeremy Jackson Goes Blue

I love being right.

After Florida’s Ricardo Miller jumped on board, it didn’t take long for Michigan’s 2010 recruiting to get rolling. Fellow WR Jeremy Jackson, the son of Michigan running backs coach Fred Jackson, has also committed to sign with the Wolverines in February 2010. Jackson is a 6-3, 180-lb wideout from Ann Arbor Huron High School.

Recruiting Notes
Jackson has obviously been aware of the Wolverines for a long time. His father has been an assistant at Michigan since Jeremy was born, and Jeremy has been attending Michigan games as long as he can remember. Jeremy has attended more practices, spring games, and games than probably any other commitment in the history of recruiting, certainly at Michigan. Jeremy said early in the recruiting process that, despite his interest in and familiarity with Michigan, he would like to take several other trips, including to Florida and Texas. Despite his interest elsewhere, it was clear that he would always have a place at Michigan. At Michigan’s 2008 summer camp, he bonded with Ricardo Miller and Marvin Robinson, both of whom were also interested in Michigan. Following Miller’s commitment, Jackson decided he wanted to spend his college days with his friend in Ann Arbor, and pulled the trigger for Michigan.
Player Notes
Jackson is a tall, leaping, deep-threat type receiver, though he lacks elite speed. He has good hands, prompting some to call him “a taller Jason Avant.” Considering Jason Avant made the NFL despite slightly sub-optimal size for a possession receiver, it is easy to see why the coaches are excited about Jackson (also, one of them is his dad. Pretty easy for Fred to be excited). Being a gritty coach of a son (can we even say that about a guy who’s not white?) also means he is probably pretty polished without tons of college coaching, and the fact that Fred has coached WRs in the past (at Purdue, South Carolina, and Navy) means that his coaching probably helped Jeremy a lot.

Posted under Recruiting

Recruiting Update 10-1-08

Hate to note you to death on recruiting, BAM here’s some more. Check out today’s nearly-full prospectus immediately below this post.

The board lives here.

Moved to Committed:
MI S Thomas Gordon. lolspartylol.
FL WR Ricardo Miller. He’s on the invisible 2010 board.
New Information:
LA WR Rueben Randle. Freep recruiting fluff. He plans an official visit to Ann Arbor (likely with HS teammate/Michigan commit DeQuinta Jones).
CA OL Michael Philipp. He’s still feeling the Pac-10 and Cal (info in header). Michigan is neither of those things (Cal is both).
MD DE Jason Ankrah. Will visit Michigan this weekend with teammate Travis Hawkins.
MD LB Jelani Jenkins. Some recruiting fluff from the Freep. Sam Webb will see that and raise it in the News. Michigan grades out well in The Matrix (I’m not joking, click the link). By the way, Good Counsel will be on ESPN2 this Thursday.
MD CB Travis Hawkins. Visiting for Illinois (link same as above).
AL CB Dre Kirkpatrick. It appears he’s only taking visits to SEC country. Word on the street is that Georgia conceded him to Alabama Saturday night, and pretty much gave up recruiting him (though the Bama coaches were recruiting him – at their away game).
Etc.:
ESPN ruminates about home-schooled athletes, including Tate Foricer. The visitors at Saturday’s game liked the team’s conditioning and effort.
Analysis:
Requisite Gordon-Will Campbell good feelings exist. Miller’s commitment is a good way to keep recruiting mojo working when the 2009 class is mostly full. 

Posted under Recruiting

Class Full? Recruiting Roundup

With the recent commitment of Cass Tech’s Thomas Gordon, it appears that the 2009 recruiting class is nearly full. Assuming William Campbell recommits to Michigan (which appears likely but certainly not set in stone), Michigan may save a couple slots for surprises from top prospects.

Several of Michigan’s commits have mentioned the possibility that they might enroll early. Curious? let’s run through the list:

  • CA QB Tate Forcier
  • TX QB Shavodrick Beaver
  • FL RB Vincent Smith
  • FL LB Brandin Hawthorne

Campbell, if he recommits, has also mentioned that he is on track to graduate early, and that he would like to enroll in the winter. Of course, he has also mentioned that he won’t commit until the Army All-American game, clearly unaware that he would have to register for classes before said game, which would give just a teeny hint where he was leaning.

Forcier and Beaver are obviously the most important early enrollers on this list. With the shaky situation at quarterback throughout the 2008 season, Michigan needs a signal-caller that can help ASAP. With Tate Forcier’s polished game coming out of college, and early enrollment would allow him to use spring practice to adjust to the speed and physical nature of the college game, in preparation for contributing during the 2009 year.

Since early-enrollees don’t count against the 2009 class, but rather against the group from 2008, I’m curious about whether Michigan’s 2008 class size, full save for the defections f Marcus Witherspoon and Taylor hill, will violate NCAA recruiting rules if too many of these players enroll in the winter. If anyone has particular insight into the regulations, let’s hear about it. My suspicion is that early-enrollees can count towards either class.

Ratings
for those worried about lower-ranked guys in the class, you can take heart in the following:

  • Anthony Fera may only have 3 stars, but he is considered the #2 kicker in the country. Kickers are rarely given anything higher than that by the recruiting services.
  • Jordan Barnes has been mentioned by others as a guy who may see a ratings bump.
  • Michael Schofield is a four-star to Rivals (three on Scout).
  • Brandin Hawthorne is an athletic prospect who may be a bit of a project, but has high upside.
  • Jeremy Gallon has four stars to Rivals (three on Scout), and has been running up tons of yards (in several different ways) in his senior season.
  • Teric Jones started the year lowly-rated because he didn’t start last year, as he was stuck behind another Division-1 prospect, Indiana’s Cortez Smith. He has been having a solid season thus far in 2008.
  • Isaiah Bell doesn’t really impress either Scout or Rivals, but ESPN loves the kid.
  • Fitzgerald Toussaint was already a four-star to Rivals (three on Scout), but he has been absolutely killing it this year. He has averaged well over 200 yards and a few touchdowns so far this season. If that production continues, he might even be able to make a case for five-star status.
  • Mike Jones was lowly rated because he was injured his entire junior year. He is healthy this year, and is playing linebacker in HS (where he will likely play in college; he had been playing safety in high school to this point). His ranking could improve (though that isn’t always the case with early-committed players).
  • DeQuinta Jones may be overshadowed by the fact that he plays on a very talented defensive line. If nothing else, he helps Michigan start a pipeline to a very strong program.
  • Vincent Smith doesn’t have the height to be considered a top-top prospect by the recruiting services, but he perfectly fits the mold of Rodriguez slotback.
  • DeWayne Peace was only offered after he impressed the coaches at summer camp. He is a good example of a “trust the coaches” case.

So who, aside from Campbell, might still end up in this class? The most likely prospects include another offensive lineman or two (Craig Roh’s teammate Taylor Lewan, or one of the Carolina duo of Quinton Washington and Travis Bond), possibly another defensive end, another linebacker (Jelani Jenkins plz), and perhaps even another DB. 

How will it shake out? We’ll have to wait to see, but no matter what, it should be an exciting ride.

Posted under Recruiting

Friday Night Lights 2009: September 28

As you can see, when I purport to give comprehensive stats, it looks dumb when the stats are anything less than comprehensive. If you know of an article that can help out, let me know. I’ll fill in the remaining game articles/stats as I find the articles.

CA QB Tate Forcier
This Week: Scripps Ranch v. Morse. Scripps wins 47-7.

Season Totals: Scripps Ranch 2-1.
Tate Forcier 2008
Game Comp Att % Yds TD Int Yds/Att Rush Yds Yds/Att TD
Poway 19 32 59.38 269 1 0 8.41 8 81 10.13 2
West Hills 16 29 55.17 234 1 0 8.07
Morse 10 12 83.33 267 5 0 22.25
Totals 45 73 61.64 770 7 0 10.55 8 81 10.13 2

Forciers rushing stats are unfortunately not included in the box scores.

TX QB Shavodrick Beaver

This Week: Rider v. Denton Ryan. Rider wins 35-32.
Season Totals: Rider 1-3.
Shavodrick Beaver 2008
Game Comp Att % Yds TD Int Yds/Att Rush Yds Yds/Att TD
Cedar Hill 18 25 72.00 272 1 0 10.88 14 103 7.36 2
Sulphur Springs 21 33 63.64 249 2 2 7.55 18 84 4.67 0
Tyler 13 26 50.00 105 1 0 4.04 8 55 6.88 1
Ryan 9 18 50.00 123 0 0 6.83 7
< /td>
27 3.86 2
Totals 61 102 59.80 749 1 0 7.34 47 269 5.72 5

MI RB Teric Jones
This Week: Cass v. King. Cass wins 17-0.

Season Totals: Cass 5-0.

Teric Jones 2008
Game Rush Yds Yds/Att TD
Central 18 157 8.72 2
Pershing
Crockett (200+)
Denby 7 124 17.71 2
King 9 103 11.44 1
Totals 57 580 10.18 5

If Jones’s stats seem kinda low, it’s partially because he hasn’t seen the second half in many of Cass Tech’s blowouts so far.

OH RB Fitzgerald Toussaint
This Week: Liberty v. Champion. Liberty wins 35-0.

Season Totals: Liberty 6-0.

“Toussaint’s scoring runs covered 9, 33, 63, 65 and 75 yards.”

Fitzgerld Toussaint 2008
Game Rush Yds Yds/Att TD Rec Yds Yds/Rec TD
Brookfield 19 115 6.05 1 1 48 48.00 1
Niles 15 209 13.93 4
Campbell 15 261 17.40 4
Struthers 19 258 13.58 4
Salem 13 246 18.92 4
Champion 14 282 20.14 5
Totals 95 1371 14.43 22 1 48 48.00 1

FL RB Vincent Smith
This Week: Pahokee v. Jupiter. Pahokee wins 34-10. Another article (remember the name De’Joshua Johnson).
Season Totals: Pahokee 4-1.

Vincent Smith 2008
Game Rush Yds Yds/Att TD
Olive Branch 17 135 7.94 2
PB Gardens 12 73 6.08 2
King’s (100+)
PB Lakes 19 241 12.68 3
Jupiter 156 2
Totals 48 449 9.35 9

MN WR Bryce McNeal
This Week: Breck v. St. Croix.
Season Totals: Breck 3-1 (plus)

Bryce McNeal 2008
Game Rec Yds Yds/Rec TD KORet Yds TD
Concordia
Brooklyn Center
St. Bernard’s 1 85 1
Blake
St. Croix
Totals 19 32 59.38 1 0 8.41 8

FL Slot Jeremy Gallon
This Week: Apopka v. Ocoee. Apopka wins 49-7.
Season Totals: Apopka 3-1.

Jeremy Gallon 2008
Passing Rushing Receiving
Game Comp Att % Yds TD Int Yds/Att Rush Yds Yds/Att TD Rec Yds Yds/Rec TD
Lake Brantley 1 1 100.00 60 1 0 60 ? 226 ? 0 1 27 27.00 1
Freedom 1 3 33.00 5 0 ? 54 ? 2 1 6 6.00 0
South Panola 5 8 62.50 132 2 0 16.5 22 160 7.27 1
Ocoee
Totals 7 12 59.38 195 3 0 8.41 63 440 6.98 3 2 33 16.50 1

Also, 1 KO return TD

IL OL Michael Schofield
This Week: Sandburg v. Lockport. Sandburg wins 10-0.
Season Totals: Sandburg 4-1.

LA DT DeQuinta Jones
This Week: Bastrop v. East St. John. Bastrop wins 22-18.

Season Totals: Bastrop 4-0.
Jones: 6 tackles against RichWood

NJ DE Anthony LaLota
This Week: Hun v. Penn Charter. Hun wins 17-6.
Season Totals: Hun 2-1.

Anthony LaLota 2008
Defense Offense
Game Tackle Sack Team Rush
Wyoming Seminary
Mercersburg 5 2 406
Penn Charter
Totals 19 32 59.38

AZ DE Craig Roh
This Week: Chaparral v. Apache Junction. Chaparral wins 31-12.
Season Totals: Chaparral 5-0.

Craig Roh 2008
Game Tackle Sack Safety Int Yds Def TD Rec Yds 2Pt
Marana 13 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 3 1
Cienega 13 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Prescott 6 2.5 1 0 0 0 1 3 1
Copper Canyon 7 2 0 1 60 1 0 0 0
Apache Junction
Totals 39 5.5 1 1 60 1 2 6 2

IN LB Jordan Barnes
This Week: Homestead v. DeKalb. Homestead wins 42-35.
Season Totals: Homestead 5-1.

FL LB Mike Jones
This Week: Edgewater v. Evans. Edgewater wins 28-0.
Season Totals: Edgewater 1-2.
Jones: 5 tackles, 1 sack, 1 blocked FG.

FL LB Brandin Hawthorne
This Week: Pahokee v. Jupiter. Pahokee wins 34-10.
Season Totals: Pahokee 4-1.

OH S Isaiah Bell
This Week: Liberty v. Champion. Liberty wins 35-0.

Season Totals: Liberty 6-0.
Since we can’t fins stats on Bell, enjoy his highlights package from the game against Niles (second of the year).

OH CB/S Justin Turner
This Week: Washington v. St. Ignatius. Massillon loses 49-7.

Justin Turner scored Massillon’s touchdown on an interception return.

Justin Turner 2008
Game Rush Yds Yds/Att TD Rec Yds Yds/Rec TD Int Yds TD
Buchtel 22 140 6.36 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Jordan 23 128 5.57 1
Normandy ? 156 3
Ursuline 1 13 13.00 1
Garfield 22 192 8.73 2 1 41 1
St. Ignatius 1 1
Totals 69 460 6.67 6 1 13 13.00 1 2 41 2

TX CB/WR DeWayne Peace
This Week: South Grand Prairie v. Nimitz. South wins 28-0.

Season Totals: SGP 4-1.

DeWayne Peace 2008
Game Rec Yds Yds/Rec TD Rush Yds Yds/Rush TD Yds Yds/Att TD
Berkner
Martin
Summit
Northwest 5 70 14.00 2 2 65 32.5 1
Nimitz
Totals 22 363 16.5 7 1 0 8.41 8 81 10.13 2

TX K Anthony Fera
This Week: Pius v. Sealy. Pius wins 14-7.

Season Totals: Pius 2-1

Anthony Fera 2008
Game XPM XPA % FGM FGA % Long
Westbury 5 5 100 1 1 100 39
Columbia 1 1 100 0 0
Morse 2 2 100 0 0
Totals 8 8 100 1 1 100 39

MI S Thomas Gordon
This Week: Cass Tech v. King. Cass wins 17-0.
Season Totals: Cass Tech 5-0.

Thomas Gordon 2008
Game Comp Att % Yds TD Int Yds/Att Rush Yds Yds/Att TD
Central
Pershing
Crockett
Denby 10 16 62.50 163 3 0 10.19
King 1 1 100 3 (2pt) 0 3.00 14 98 7.00 0
Totals

Since this is Gordon’s first week in FNL, I stuck him at the bottom, and his stats are really incomplete. He’ll move in with the safeties (and hopefully with a more complete stats section) next week.

Posted under Recruiting

Big Ten 2009 Recruiting Class Rankings 9-27-08

Action since last rankings:
9-26-08 Michigan gains commitment from Thomas Gordon.

Apparently while I wasn’t paying attention (and I rarely am), Rivals updated its rankings. I’ve adjusted them accordingly below. Also, for consistency’s sake, I’m now only including prospects who are listed on the Rivals commit lists.

New Rankings:

#1 Ohio State – 25 commits
LB ***** Dorian Bell
RB **** Jaamal Berry
DT **** Johnny Simon
DE **** Melvin Fellows
CB **** CJ Barnett
WR **** James Jackson
MLB **** Storm Klein
MLB **** Jordan Whiting
RB **** Jordan Hall
OG **** Corey Linsley
OT **** Jack Mewhort
S **** Jamie Wood
WR **** Justin Green
RB **** Carlos Hyde
CB **** Corey Brown
S **** Bradley McDougald
WR **** Chris Fields
CB **** Dominic Clarke
WR *** Duron Carter
DE *** Jonathan Newsome
TE *** Reid Fragel
DT *** Adam Bellamy
FB *** Adam Homan
LB *** Zach Boren
OL *** Sam Longo

Down: Berry (from 5)

< td style="border:1px solid rgb(0,0,102);">***

#2 Michigan – 19 commits
CB **** Justin Turner
QB **** Tate Forcier
QB **** Shavodrick Beaver
WR **** Bryce McNeal
RB **** Fitzgerald Toussaint
WR **** Jeremy Gallon
OL **** Michael Schofield
DT **** DeQuinta Jones
DE **** Anthony LaLota
DE **** Craig Roh
S *** Isaiah Bell
WR *** DeWayne Peace
RB Teric Jones
LB *** Jordan Barnes
S *** Mike Jones
K *** Anthony Fera
LB *** Brandin Hawthorne
RB *** Vincent Smith
S *** Thomas Gordon

Changes: None.

#3 Notre Dame – 14 commits
RB ***** Cierre Wood
OL **** Chris Watt
RB **** Theo Riddick
DT **** Tyler Stockton
OL **** Alex Bullard
CB **** Marlon Pollard
LB **** Dan Fox
OL **** Zach Martin
S *** EJ Banks
TE *** Tyler Eifert
MLB *** Carlo Calabrese
P *** Ben Turk
K ** Nicholas Tausch
TE ** Jake Golic

Up: Turk (from 1).
I still anticipate a drop for Fox. There’s got to be a reason a guy from Ohio never even got on the radar of OSU or either Michigan school.

#4 Michigan State – 15 commits
RB **** Edwin Baker
RB **** Larry Caper
SLB **** Chris Norman
OL **** David Barrent
WR **** Donald Spencer
DT **** Blake Treadwell
QB **** Andrew Maxwell
OL **** Nate Klatt
WR *** Dana Dixon
LB *** Tyquan Hammock
OL *** Micajah Reynolds
WR *** Patrick White
DE *** Dan France
WR ** Bennie Fowler
TE ** Derek Hoebing

Up: Klatt (from 3).
I’m going to be honest here: I’ve seen Maxwell play this year and BOY HOWDY does he suck. He might end up a three-star when all is said and done, unless the game against Saginaw just happened to be the worst of his life.

#5 Penn State – 16 commits
OT **** Eric Shrive
CB **** Darrell Givens
DE **** Sean Stanley
S *** Stephen Obeng-Agyapong
S *** Malcolm Willis
S *** Derrick Thomas
C *** Ty Howle
CB *** Stephon Morris
WR *** Brandon Felder
OT *** Adam Gress
OL *** Nate Cadogan
RB *** Curtis Dukes
QB ** Curtis Drake
OG ** Frank Figueroa
WR ** Christian Kuntz
OT ** Mark Arcidiacono

Down: Arcidiacono (from 3).
Up: Dukes (from 2).

#6 Illinois – 14 commits
DT **** Lendell Buckner
OT **** Leon Hill
QB **** Nathan Scheelhaase
RB **** Bud Golden
WR **** Terry Hawthorne
OL *** Andrew Carter
FB *** Greg Fuller
OL *** Hugh Thornton
WR ** Steve Hull
S ** Tommie Hopkins
CB ** Joelil Thrash
OL ** Jake Feldmeyer
LB ** Darryl Lee

Changes: Kraig Appleton not considered committed.

#7 Wisconsin – 13 commits
DT **** Jared Kohout
DE **** Shelby Harris
OG *** Ryan Groy
QB *** Jon Budmayr
OT *** Zac Matthias
RB *** Montee Ball
TE *** Brian Wozniak
MLB *** Chris Borland
OL *** Travis Frederick
LB *** AJ Fenton
WR *** Jeff Duckworth
OL ** Casey Dehn
S ** Jason Peprah

Up: Duckworth (from 2).

#8 Minnesota – 9 commits
RB **** Hasan Lipscomb
RB **** Eric Stephens
QB *** Moses Alipate
C *** Ed Olsen
OT *** Josh Campion
WR *** Victor Keise
OL *** Brooks Michel
DE ** Nick Rengel
K ** Dan Orseske

Changes: None.

#9 Indiana – 17 commits
LB *** Jeremy Gainer
QB *** Edward Wright-Baker
DT *** Adam Replogle
WR *** Jamonne Chester
WR *** Duwyce Wilson
OL *** Charles Chapman
QB *** Dustin Kiel
OL *** Colin Rodkey
CB *** Lawrence Barnett
K *** Mitch Ewald
S *** Nick Zachery
S *** Demetrius Carr
S *** Ted Bolser
OL *** Pat McShane
S ** Kenny Watkins
DE ** Javon Cornley

Changes: Keyt not listed as a commit.
Up: Barnett, Zachery, Carr, Bolser, McShane, Ewald (from two).

#10 Iowa – 6 commits
WR **** Keenan Davis
RB **** Brandon Wegher
WR *** Jordan Cotton
FB *** Brad Rogers
OL ** Drew Clark
OL ** Brett Van Sloten

Changes: none.

#11 Northwestern – 7 commits
OL **** Patrick Ward
QB *** Evan Watkins
RB *** Mike Trumpy
DE *** Anthony Battle
WR ** Drew Moulton
OL ** Brian Smith
OL ** Taylor Paxton
LB * Tim Riley

Changes: None.

#12 Purdue – 6 commits
QB ** Rob Henry
DE ** Trevor Foy
S ** Ishmael Aristide
WR ** Gary Bush
DE ** Shayon Green
WR ** Josh Johnson

Changes: Kris Cooke not considered committed.

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Thomas Gordon Goes Blue

Detroit Cass Tech QB/S Thomas Gordon (6-0 200) has given his word to become a Michigan Wolverine. Gordon will likely be a defensive back at Michigan, but could fill in as a signal-caller if an injury situation were to require it. Gordon becomes the 19th member of the 2009 Michigan recruiting class.

Recruiting Notes
Gordon made it no secret from the get-go that the Wolverines were his favorite school, and spent much of the recruiting cycle waiting for his offer. He attended Michigan’s camp with his teammates Teric Jones and Will Campbell this summer, but his performance did not earn him that coveted offer. Gordon became a more serious prospect for Michigan later, as more schools began to offer. Thomas attended Michigan State’s game last weekend on a visit, where the Spartans gave him an offer. Shortly thereafter, Michigan followed suit, but Gordon chose to not immediately end his recruitment, giving respect to those that had offered him earlier. Gordon scheduled his announcement for September 26th, and despite a few changes to that schedule, he went with his heart on that date, picking the Wolverines.

Player Notes
Gordon is the starting QB for Cass Tech High School, but wasn’t deemed worthy of an offer at that position. When he attended college summer camps in 2008, several coaching staffs requested that he work out at the safety position. Though his performance didn’t garner any big-time offers, it did pique the interest of Rich Rodriguez and company. 2 games into the 2008 Cass Tech season, the coaches were convinced he could contribute at safety. He will be a DB at Michigan, though he would also be capable of playing QB in an emergency. Gordon is given two stars by Scout, though Rivals deems him worthy of the third star. He is a high-upside guy who might see his ranking increase, since he has only been playing safety for a half season.

Etc.
With two of his good friends and teammates now solidly committed to Michigan (on top of Boubacar Cissoko, who is a freshman standout in Ann Arbor), there is a good chance that William Campbell is more likely to recommit to Michigan.

Posted under Recruiting

Recruiting Update 9-25-08

Added:
AZ OL Taylor Lewan. Both premium sites have front-page headlines indicating he’s been offered. He’s a teammate of DE Commit Craig Roh.
FL CB Jarvis Byrd. Michigan is showing interest in the Pahokee-an (Pahokeeite?).

New Information:
VA DE Will Hill. Enjoys a Tennessee visit, still plans to visit Michigan before deciding.
SC DE Chris Bonds. The perpetually-injured one now says he’s probably not going to visit Michigan.
FL LB Commit Brandin Hawthorne. He’s still taking other visits. I wonder if the Michigan coaches might discourage that at his official visit this weekend.
FL LB Mike Marry. Michigan is in what appears to be a Top 7 for him. How about a little video?:

MI S Thomas Gordon. Back to deciding this weekend (info in header, the answer is almost always “yes”).
FL CB Mywan Jackson. North Carolina now leads (info in header).

Official Visits this Week:
TX QB Commit Shavodrick Beaver (though that is apparently not the case)
FL LB Soft Commit Brandin Hawthorne
MD RB Tavon Austin
SC OL Quinton Washington

Analysis:
Chris Bonds might be a casualty of 2 DE commits. Michigan’s continued pursuit of o-linemen definitely indicates that they see Anthony LaLota staying on the DL. Michigan definitely still seems to want another CB (in addition to another LB), as their increased interest in Jarvis Byrd seems to indicate. That would fill a need and keep a pipeline open.

Etc.:
MSU picks up a TE transfer. This probably hurts them with Dion Sims. I personally think he wants to go to OSU if he picks football, but the Buckeyes’ class might fill up before he gets a chance to commit there.

Posted under Recruiting

Recruiting Update

Ed. Note: The premium sites are now reporting otherwise on Gordon’s decision, fyi.

The Board has got it all, man.

Moved to Committed:
AZ DE Craig Roh. Hooray, a(nother) defensive end commit! Local article.

New Information:
LA WR Rueben Randle. DeQuinta Jones’s teammate has Michigan in his top 5, along with LSU, USC, Bama, and Miami of Florida.
TN Marsalis Teague. Michigan is situated just outside his top 4, and may receive an official visit.
FL S Jonathan Scott. He wants to set up an official for the Toledo game.
FL S Vladimir Emilien. Official for the MSU game.
FL CB/QB Mywan Jackson. When the headline is a question like “Is Michigan on Top for Mywan Jackson?,” the answer is always “yes” or “they’re in my top group, but I don’t have a favorite.”

Removed:
CA WR Shaquelle Evans. Committed (albeit softly) to USC.
OH RB Darrell Mason
MI RB Hersey Jackson
MN WR Fritz Rock
LA LB Jonathan Stewart
LA LB Jonathan Pippin
MS S Dorian Berry
VA CB Javanti Sparrow
So, I removed a bunch of guys that don’t seem to be on Michigan’s radar.

Etc.:

Posted under Recruiting

Big Ten 2009 Recruiting Class Rankings 9-20-08

Action since last rankings:
9-14-08 Northwestern gains commitment from Patrick Ward.
9-15-08 Wisconsin gains commitment from AJ Fenton.
9-16-08 Indiana gains commitment from Javon Cornley.
9-17-08 Purdue gains commitment from Josh Johnson.
9-18-08 Michigan gains commitment from Craig Roh.

New Rankings:

#1 Ohio State – 25 commits
LB ***** Dorian Bell
RB ***** Jaamal Berry
DT **** Johnny Simon
DE **** Melvin Fellows
CB **** CJ Barnett
WR **** James Jackson
MLB **** Storm Klein
MLB **** Jordan Whiting
RB **** Jordan Hall
OG **** Corey Linsley
OT **** Jack Mewhort
S **** Jamie Wood
WR **** Justin Green
RB **** Carlos Hyde
CB **** Corey Brown
S **** Bradley McDougald
WR **** Chris Fields
CB **** Dominic Clarke
WR *** Duron Carter
DE *** Jonathan Newsome
TE *** Reid Fragel
DT *** Adam Bellamy
FB *** Adam Homan
LB *** Zach Boren
OL *** Sam Longo
#2 Michigan – 18 commits
CB **** Justin Turner
QB **** Tate Forcier
QB **** Shavodrick Beaver
WR **** Bryce McNeal
RB **** Fitzgerald Toussaint
WR **** Jeremy Gallon
OL **** Michael Schofield
DT **** DeQuinta Jones
DE **** Anthony LaLota
DE **** Craig Roh
S *** Isaiah Bell
WR *** DeWayne Peace
RB *** Teric Jones
LB *** Jordan Barnes
S *** Mike Jones
K *** Anthony Fera
LB *** Brandin Hawthorne
RB *** Vincent Smith
#3 Notre Dame – 14 commits
RB ***** Cierre Wood
OL **** Chris Watt
RB **** Theo Riddick
DT **** Tyler Stockton
OL **** Alex Bullard
CB **** Marlon Pollard
LB **** Dan Fox
OL **** Zach Martin
S *** EJ Banks
TE *** Tyler Eifert
MLB *** Carlo Calabrese
K ** Nicholas Tausch
TE ** Jake Golic
P * Ben Turk
#4 Michigan State – 15 commits
RB **** Edwin Baker
RB **** Larry Caper
SLB **** Chris Norman
OL **** David Barrent
WR **** Donald Spencer
DT **** Blake Treadwell
QB **** Andrew Maxwell
WR *** Patrick White
WR *** Dana Dixon
LB *** Tyquan Hammock
OL *** Micajah Reynolds
OL *** Nate Klatt
DE *** Dan France
WR ** Bennie Fowler
TE ** Derek Hoebing
#5 Penn State – 16 commits
OT **** Eric Shrive
CB **** Darrell Givens
DE **** Sean Stanley
OT *** Mark Arcidiacono
S *** Stephen Obeng-Agyapong
S *** Malcolm Willis
S *** Derrick Thomas
C *** Ty Howle
CB *** Stephon Morris
WR *** Brandon Felder
OT *** Adam Gress
OL *** Nate Cadogan
RB ** Curtis Dukes
QB ** Curtis Drake
OG ** Frank Figueroa
WR ** Christian Kuntz
#6 Illinois – 14 commits
DT **** Lendell Buckner
OT **** Leon Hill
QB **** Nathan Scheelhaase
WR **** Kraig Appleton
RB **** Bud Golden
WR **** Terry Hawthorne
OL *** Andrew Carter
FB *** Greg Fuller
OL *** Hugh Thornton
WR ** Steve Hull
S ** Tommie Hopkins
CB ** Joelil Thrash
OL ** Jake Feldmeyer
LB ** Darryl Lee
#7 Wisconsin – 13 commits
DT **** Jared Kohout
DE **** Shelby Harris
OG *** Ryan Groy
QB *** Jon Budmayr
OT *** Zac Matthias
RB *** Montee Ball
TE *** Brian Wozniak
MLB *** Chris Borland
OL *** Travis Frederick
LB *** AJ Fenton
WR ** Jeff Duckworth
OL ** Casey Dehn
S ** Jason Peprah
#8
Minnesota – 9 commits
RB **** Hasan Lipscomb
RB **** Eric Stephens
QB *** Moses Alipate
C *** Ed Olsen
OT *** Josh Campion
WR *** Victor Keise
OL *** Brooks Michel
DE ** Nick Rengel
K ** Dan Orseske
#9 Indiana – 17 commits
LB *** Jeremy Gainer
QB *** Edward Wright-Baker
DT *** Adam Replogle
WR *** Jamonne Chester
WR *** Duwyce Wilson
OL *** Charles Chapman
QB *** Dustin Kiel
OL *** Colin Rodkey
CB ** Lawrence Barnett
DE ** Josh Keyt
S ** Nick Zachery
S ** Kenny Watkins
S ** Demetrius Carr
S ** Ted Bolser
OL ** Pat McShane
K ** Mitch Ewald
DE ** Javon Cornley
#10 Iowa – 6 commits
WR **** Keenan Davis
RB **** Brandon Wegher
WR *** Jordan Cotton
FB *** Brad Rogers
OL ** Drew Clark
OL ** Brett Van Sloten
#11 Northwestern – 7 commits
OL **** Patrick Ward
QB *** Evan Watkins
RB *** Mike Trumpy
DE *** Anthony Battle
WR ** Drew Moulton
OL ** Brian Smith
OL ** Taylor Paxton
LB * Tim Riley
#12 Purdue – 6 commits
QB ** Rob Henry
DE ** Trevor Foy
S ** Ishmael Aristide
WR ** Gary Bush
DE ** Shayon Green
WR ** Josh Johnson
DT * (JC) Kris Cooke

Posted under Recruiting

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