Boubacar Cissoko is a sophomore cornerback who hails from Detroit’s Cass Tech High School. He gained some playing time in nickel packages last year as a true freshman, and will be expected to move into a starting role opposite Donovan Warren this season. He tallied 15 total tackles on the year, and should see that number increase dramatically with expanded playing time.
Fitzgerald Toussaint is an incoming freshman, one of 2 hailing from Youngstown, Ohio. In his senior season at Libery High School, he destroyed all comers through the first 8 games, before faltering slightly in his final few. Still, he rushed for over 200 yards, and is expected to be a good inside runner with breakaway speed for the Wolverines.
Boubacar Cissoko v. Fitzgerald Toussaint
4 Boubacar Cissoko (64%, 477 Votes)
5 Fitzgerald Toussaint (36%, 273 Votes)
Total Voters: 750
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The poll will remain open for 7 days, closing at 5PM next Tuesday. Have your heart set on a particular candidate? Try to sway others in the comments. The full bracket is visible here.
Somewhat brief update today after the blitzkrieg of news last week. 2010 Recruiting Board.
Moved to committed:
OH CB Courtney Avery, onetime Stanford commit. Commitment post. Michigan offered him Thursday, and he committed Saturday. He’s seen at left tossing the rock as a highly prolific HS QB.
Michigan doesn’t seem to be high on the list of FL RB Roy Finch anymore. Oklahoma and Stanford appear to be his top two choices at this time, though he maintains that he is still open to everyone. Finch plans to make a commitment before his high school seaso kicks off.
FL WR Kenny Shaw, the former high school teammate of Ricardo Miller at Dr. Phillips High School, is still favoring the Florida State Seminoles. He’s had them on top for quite some time, and is expected to end up in Tallahassee.
FL OL Torrian Wilsonvisited Michigan last week for a pretty long stay. I don’t expect him to make a decision any time soon, but it does appear a though the Wolverines are still in a pretty strong position.
SC OL Eric Mack seems to be heading towards a commitment to South Carolina. In nearly every article, he mentions that he’s excited at the prospect of playing with several of his former teammates, should he choose the Gamecocks. Still, Mack intends to wait until Signing Day before making a decision, so schools will have plenty of time to get back into his recruitment.
MI DT Jonathan Hankins came to Michigan’s summer camp looking to ern an offer from the Wolverines, and prove that he was getting his body into good shape. However, as Sam Webb reprts on the WTKA recruiting roundup, Hankins’ conditioning was still not what the Wolverine coaches were looking for, and he might have to keep waiting to maybe earn that offer.
SC DE Brandon Willis from Byrnes (the same school as 5* RB Marcus Lattimore) will be releasing a top 5 list sometime this week. Neither Clemson nor South Carolina will be on it, and though I’d be moderately surprised if Michigan makes his final 5, the Wolverines did get a shout out in the article, which means there’s maybe a slightly better chance than I give them credit for.
FL CB Lorenza Wood will announce a decision on Friday between Michigan, Notre Dame, and Georgia Tech. Though he was once a Michigan lead, conventional wisdom now has him committing to the Irish. He also has a ridiculous plan for his commitment:
Apopka cornerback Lo Wood’s father — Lo Wood Sr. — told the Sentinel on Tuesday night (June 16) that his son will make his college football commitment on June 26, and he won’t know who it will be until his son tells him the night before.
At that time, Lo Jr. and Lo Sr. fly to the city of the school of the younger Woods’ choice, and they make the announcement on campus.
Having fun buying plane tickets on, like, an hour’s notice.
MI P Mike Sadler and FL P Brandon Tarpleyeachexcelled at Michigan’s kicking camp over the weekend. If Michigan looks to extend an offer to a kicking specialist (which they probably will with Zoltan graduating after 2009) it will probably be one of these guys. I won’t add them to the board, because there’s not a listing for punters on it.
In a bit of 2009 news:
Incoming freshman RB Fitzgerald Toussaint participated in the Annual Big 33 Classic, in which he helped lead his Ohio team to a 38-31 victory over Pennsylvania. Toussaint, Michigan’s only commit playing in the game, caught 1 pass for 54 yards and a touchdown, and ran 4 times for 11 yards, including a 6-yard touchdown.
Pushed back a day because I didn’t have internet available over Memorial Day weekend. I’ve also fallen behind in actually updating the board, so look for that to be rectified in the coming days.
TN QB Barry Brunettiis focused on Penn State, West Virginia, and Mississippi State. He’s a little further down Michigan’s QB board, as the Wolverines haven’t offered yet. However, if Michigan’s other options start falling through, he could be an option down the road – if he doesn’t make a decision before that point.
FL QB Jeffrey Godfrey is taking an extra courseload so he can enroll early at the school of his choice.
OK QB/WR DeMarco Cobbshas a top 10 list, and Michigan is not on it. He says it’s not firm quite yet, so I won’t remove him from the board, but he’s teetering pretty close to removal. He has stated he wants to play WR in college, so Michigan’s opportunity at QB is probably not a huge draw for him.
Absolutely non-informative recruiting fluff about AR RB Michael Dyer. When the entire article is simply asking questions like “What are the chances this five-star recruit will be lined up behind Tyler Wilson or Ryan Mallet for the Arkansas Razorbacks?,” you just don’t have enough material to write an article, dude. The least you can do is include a scouting report or an interview with the kid.
LA Slot Trovon Reed is starting to plan out his summer visits – and Michigan isn’t on the list at this point (Florida, USC, LSU, and Oregon are). With Drew Dileo and Tony Drake already committed, have the Wolverines missed out on their opportunity to land a top-flight slot like Reed? I’ve discussed this recruiting method recently, and though there’s no indication the Wolverines would have been a major player for Trovon, it certainly doesn’t help that there’s apparently no room for him. Reed is part of the planned mega-package including TX RB Lache Seastrunk, and not having any spots available for superstar prospects may be a troubling sign for this class. Speaking of Seastrunk, he performed well in his high school’s spring game.
Speaking of top-flight running backs, SC RB Marcus Lattimore has definitely backed off his claim that Michigan was definitely in his top 5. His current top five consists of Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, North Carolina, and Penn State (in order). No word on whether he still plans to take an official visit to Michigan for the Ohio State game in November.
Tennessee-tilted fluff on FL OL Torrian Wilson. It’s odd that they mention Michigan as “among his top schools” when he’s said in no uncertain terms to national recruiting reporters that Michigan is certainly his #1 school, but whatever. Wilson plans to visit some of the schools he’s interested in this summer (he already visited Michigan for the spring game), and he might be making an early decision.
Michigan has been in contact with FL OL Perry Meiklejohn, according to Phil Kornblut. Though the Wolverines haven’t offered yet, he may be somebody to watch down the road. Also interesting from that article: read from the top, regarding how coaches can affect the star rankings of certain prospects. I wouldn’t say it’s evidence to completely ignore star ratings, but it’s definitely enough (alon gwith other factors) to prompt me to take them with a grain of salt.
PA DT Sharrif Floyd is now hearing from the SEC. He’s tied for 4th among defensive tackles to Rivals. In a down year for talent at the position, and a year of major need for the Wolverines at said position, Floyd is probably one of their top targets along the defensive line.
Speaking of needs at DT, there’s a decent in-state prospect in Jonathan Hankins. This fluff article is (understandably) State-slanted, and it sounds as though both Michigan and Michigan State are planning to offer if he has good performances at their respective summer camps. one thing to keep in mind: he’s a teammate of 5-star OLB prospect William Gholston, and according to the article, the two are pretty good friends. Gholston will attend the Big House BBQ (info in header).
Fluff with video on FL DE/DT Corey Lemonier. His current top-4-ish substance does not include Michigan, and it seems that they aren’t heavily pursuing Corey at all. He does list early playing time as one of the key factors in his decision.
FL LB Christian Jones continues to assert that he is not a Florida State lock (though that may be lip service to some of the other schools recruiting him). What I hadn’t previously realized about him: his team last year was terrible. It’s certainly not a reason to not recruit a talented kid, but there is certainly a school of thought out there that recruiting players from programs that are successful year after year (Muskegon, Massillon Washington, Pahokee, Miami Northwestern) brings in players who are ready to win, and used to winning. It also means it’s more likely that there are players from the school in future classes for establishing pipelines.
OH LB/S Kurtis Drummond, a high school teammate of RB prospect Andre Givens, is planning to make a visit to Michigan for the Big House BBQ (info in header). I’ve added him to the board.
FL S/CB Lamarcus Joyner hasn’t mentioned Michigan at all lately, and it seems as though he’s narrowed down his list of possibilities to Ohio State, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Tennessee, and USC. One more article indicating a narrowed focus should be enough to completely remove him from the board.
Springtime means track updates!
OH WR/DB commit DJ Williamsonexcels on the track, not that the Youngstown Vindicator finds us worthy of knowing the actual times:
Deaver Williamson topped the field in both the 100 and 200…
The Raiders’ 4×100 and 4×200 (meet record) relays had the top times and featured Logan, Seawood, Threats and Williamson — the same group that competed at the prestigious Penn Relays earlier this season.
“We did what we expected to do today,” said Williamson. “The heat and the wind and having the back-to-back races made it tough, but we just kept our minds straight and had a good attitude for our races.
“We really want to win state in the 4×100 this year. It was really crazy at Penn, running against the Jamaicans and I think we surprised ourselves a little bit [fourth in the big school division]. We’ll have some good competition next week, so we need to keep our No. 1 spot.”
2009 OH RB Commit Fitzgerald Toussaint wins the 100m and 4×100, and comes in second in the 200m – all on a hurt wheel. The 100m time was a 10.96, despite the injured hamstring.
The Wolverines have added another class of 2009 walkon, Joe Reynolds from Rochester Adams. Reynolds will attend Michigan on track scholarship, but has also been invited to participate as a wide receiver for the football team. He caught passes for 700 yards and 9 touchdowns as a senior at Adams.
FL CB Derek Owens has reiterated that he will be a package deal with his teammate and friend, WR Marquel Wade. Considering Michigan is in pretty good shape with a number of DBs (including fellow FloridianRashad Knight), and they are certainly not in the market for more WRs except for maybe top-flight guys who can play multiple positions, I’ve made the executive decision that both Owens and Wade are removed from the board.
Moved LA Slot/RB/Ath Drew Dileo to committed. Also, it is kinda a sad snapshot of SEC recruiting when the following sentence has to be included in the commit article in the local paper for a Louisiana player:
A Class of 2010 commitment who projects as an academic qualifier, Dileo committed to Michigan with offers from Stanford, Tulane and Rice.
Also: look at that offer list (Northwestern had offered as well). Of course he’s going to meet the minimum NCAA requirements. So, yay for upping the team GPA. Also: he plays baseball for the equally excellent Parkview baseball team, the reigning state champs. The current wisdom is that he’ll end up at slot. In the commitment post, I promised a more informative update, so here goes:
In his junior season, Dileo rushed 102 times for 760 yards (7.45 ypc) and caught 21 passes for 315 yards (15.00 ypc). However, it was in the return game that he excelled the most. He took four kicks back to the house, and was named 1st team all-district in that capacity. As I mentioned on Thursday, he was the team’s MVP in their state title game his sophomore year. The esteemed Brian of MGoBlog has found a more comprehensive highlight of that game for your viewing pleasure (Dileo is #3 for the blue guys, and can be seen mostly catching the ball):
Yay for the informative update.
Sam Webb recruiting fluff in the Detroit News regarding Michigan’s chances with FL QB Christian Green. He’s long been regarded as a Florida State semi-lock (to play WR):
“A lot of my family came through Florida State,” Green explained. “My mom graduated from Florida State. So did my cousin (former NFL wideout E.G. Green), my uncle, and a lot of people I know. So I grew up a Seminole fan. I feel real comfortable with the coaching staff. When I go up there I feel like it’s a down-to-earth environment. It is a family environment and I feel real comfortable with a lot of people. That’s one of the reasons I think it is No. 1 on my list so far.”
, but the Wolverines aren’t out of the race for him:
“My cousin Sam Sword played for Michigan back in ’96,” Green said, referring to the former standout linebacker. “He talks about Michigan every single time we have family together at a BBQ or reunion. He’s always saying something about Michigan and just gets Michigan Wolverines in my head.
“I’ve known about them for a little bit now,” Green added, laughing.
He also has a connection to the Michigan staff, as Calvin Magee is a coach emeritus there. There’s a ton more information in the article about his recent visit to Ann Arbor, so I’d say it’s definitely worth checking out.
This much is clear for right now: Auburn still leads for his services… But really no school can be counted out. Not the Tigers or the Noles. Not Georgia, which Lattimore says he will definitely visit officially. Not North Carolina or South Carolina or Clemson. Even Penn State and Michigan still are in the mix along with others.
Under Armour All-American Corey Miller and fellow defensive lineman Brandon Willis, both from Byrnes, could end up in Garnet and Gold. In fact, the chances of that happening are more likely than not, at this point.
Things don’t look rosy for any of them, and I hadn’t been previously aware of the strong Florida State lead for the two non-Lattimore players.
An oversight on my part: last Monday, Sam Webb talked a bunch about OH RB Andre Givens on the recruiting roundup. Givens has been offered, and has a friendly rivalry in football and track with 2009 Michigan signee Fitzgerald Toussaint (Fitz is allegedly a bit faster in the 100m). Toussaint is trying to convince Givens to commit to the Wolverines, as he’s apparently unaware of the plethora of RBs over the past couple classes.
IN RB Roderick Smith is still talkin’ Buckeye commitment. He says he probably won’t make an announcement until July, or maybe even after his football season, but Michigan doesn’t seem to be involved at all. Since the Wolverines have a big back (Stephen Hopkins) in the class already, Smith is not a likely Wolverines target, and I’ve removed him from the board.
Palm Beach Post columnist/blogger guy Ben Volin says:
Rumors are swirling that Atlantic WR James Louis is close to committing, as well as Treasure Coast LB Jeff Luc and Royal Palm Beach WR Chris Dunkley, three players that have had positive visits to Gainesville in the past month.
The Louis news has indeed been swirling for quite some time, and Dunkley has long been considered a near-lock to the Gators. However, the news on Luc is neither encouraging nor surprising. If those three do indeed commit to Florida, that would give the Gators on hell of a start to their 2010 recruiting class. Go Gator.
Some fluff on IL TE CJ Fiedorowicz, primarily focused around the fact that he’ll be featured on a Sports Stars of Tomorrow episode in the fall. He has also expanded his favorites list to include Wisconsin and Notre Dame (previously, it had just been a top 2 of OSU and Iowa). The quote from CJ in the article indicates that he’s already feeling a bit burned out by the recruiting process, so might a decision come sooner than expected? I certainly wouldn’t be surprised.
The Wolverines sent a coach into the school of MN OL Seantrel Henderson. No word on the effect of the visit, but with the Evaluation Period underway, expect them to be making lots of high school visits (to coaches, not players) around this time of year. Regarding Henderson, there’s a pretty significant fluff piece on him in the Pioneer Press.
“At times it gets irritating, but I know this is something I have to go through,” Henderson said. “I won’t make my announcement until February.”
The first day football recruits in the 2010 class can sign a national letter of intent is Feb. 3, but players can give oral commitments before that date.
In the meantime, Henderson and his family have set up a tentative game plan to help manage the process. By the end of the summer, Henderson will settle on a top 10. After he takes his maximum five official visits in the fall, he will trim the number to three.
Michigan is fairly consistently listed among his top 10-ish, and he plans to make another visit to Ann Arbor this summer, so Michigan is looking pretty good for now.
Last Thursday, I speculated that PA DE/LB Jordan Paskorz had been favoring Michigan. In that day’s recruiting roundup, Sam Webb revealed something very interesting: Michigan is indeed near the top of his list, and the Wolverines have now offered Paskorz.
MD LB Josh Furman has Michigan near the top of his list, and he also does fast things, running a sub-11.0 100m dash. That is wicked fast for a linebacker. Here’s a bit of ESPN fluff on Furman. Sounds very good:
He posted a wind-aided 4.39 40-yard dash, a 42 inch vertical jump, a 4.12 short shuttle and a modest broad jump of 9 feet, 8 inches. His 16 reps of 185 pounds were also very impressive and a bit surprising given his longer, rangier frame (6-foot-2, 192 pounds). While he did look a bit lean, his great wingspan and overall body length suggest continued physical development. We believe he will eventually have a well-developed frame that will tip the scales in the 225-pound range while he’ll maintain the great quick-twitch burst and speed we saw Friday night.
Lacking technique, but a physical specimen that can develop into something wicked in college.
MD LB Troy Gloster has narrowed his list of schools to a top five that includes Michigan (info in header). Also included are BC, UNC, Stanford, and West Virginia.
The high school coach of OH LB Jewone Snow thinks he’s getting close to an offer:
“Michigan is looking at all three of those players,” Johnson said. “They haven’t offered Jewone yet, but I believe they’re getting close. Stevie is a formality on Sept. 1.”
“Stevie” is 2011 DE Steve Miller, who will probably be the top player in Ohio next year (likely battling OSU lock QB Braxton Miller). He visited Michigan earlier in the spring with Snow, and the Wolverines are expected to be in his early top 2, along with the Buckeyes.
Track times galore in spring recruiting updates! Denard Robinson, Adrian Witty, 2010 RB Cassius McDowell, and some other guy from their school are quite speedy indeed. Very speedy, sir.
ESPN posi-fluff on LA QB Munchie LeGaux. They say his stock is likely to rise, though it’s unclear whether that might result in more offers for the dual-threat passer. He performed well at an Elite 11 camp.
Running back Marcus Lattimore (6-0, 210) of Byrnes High in Duncan visited Auburn on Friday and Saturday with his mother, stepdad and a friend, and he left there with the Tigers the favorite for his services.
“They’ve got a big lead,” Lattimore said. “Georgia and Florida State would be second. And USC and Clemson are still going to be up there. My mom liked (new Auburn head) Coach Gene Chizik and everything. He has a three-year plan for me and no other college has done that for me.”
Lattimore said he won’t take any more visits until he goes to Penn State this summer. He will attend the Nike camp this weekend at Georgia.
Are they so entrenched that they can’t be beaten? Certainly not. Does it sound like Michigan has a good chance? No.
Despite the lack of news on FL RB Cassius McDowell of late, he reports that the Wolverines still lead for him. It’s unclear whether Michigan is interested in taking another scatback-type in this class, but if they are, the HS teammate of Denard Robinson and Adrian Witty is certainly a good option.
FL OL Torrian Wilson isn’t saying Michigan leads for his services anymore, but SoFlaFootball still says the Maize and Blue are in his top group. The Wolverines, Tennessee, and Stanford will be three of his unofficial visits, with the remaining two TBD.
CA DT Kirifi Taulawants to stay in the PAC-10 (info in header). He’s cruisin’ straight towards removal from the board, and it appears as though his days on it are limited indeed. His high school, Anaheim Servite, is a pretty big USC feeder, so don’t be surprised if he eventually ends up there.
The eligibility saga of NC DT Gabe King continues, as the North Carolina High School Athletic Association has declared that he will not be able to play football for Northern Guilford (where he has transferred) in the fall. This will probably cool some schools on him, and a Greensboro correspondent has said that King is probably a guy that Michigan should stay away from, as King is always facing some sort of disciplinary issue.
Removed PA DT Aaron Donald, who has committed to Pitt. He is a high school teammate of CB prospects Cullen Christian and Brandon Ifill. Michigan’s recruitment of Ifill has tailed off a little bit, but the Wolverines are still the favorite for Christian. I assume Donald’s commitment will give Pitt a bit of help for either of those two.
OH LB Jordan Hickshas a top group consisting of Ohio State, Texas, Florida, and USC (info in header). No word on whether that a finalist list, or simply current favorites. We’ll wait and see what the next phase of his recruitment will be, but I certainly don’t think Michigan is in strong position.
Audio interview with FL LB Christian Jones, with some brief mentions of his recruitment (Michigan is not mentioned). His Florida State ties are pretty strong, so be aware that Michigan’s chances to land him are probably not very good.
FL CB Travis Williams recently visited Ann Arbor, and came away with a decision made (info in header). The two premium sites disagree on whether he’ll actually commit to the Wolverines soon, but ESPN showcases its continued incompetence, reporting that Williams has committed (he hasn’t). Even just gleaning the information from article titles, it’s pretty clear that he wants to commit to Michigan, but the Wolverines aren’t quite ready for that, because they like their chances with more highly-rated guys like FL CB Lo Wood and PA CB Cullen Christian, and don’t want to reach for Williams while those other guys are still in play. Should Michigan snag Travis in the end, don’t let that 4.95 40 time on Scout scare you: ESPN reports a combine-verified 4.61.
Track-a-palooza!:
2009 signee Fitzgerald Toussaintran a 10.86 100m over the weekend.
MI CB Dior Mathis ran a slightly-less-impressive 11.0 100m.
Reminder: Tim will be appearing on WTKA 1050AM today with John U. Bacon on the Big show at 4pm. You can tune in or listen online here. **CHANGE** The A-Rod “scandal” has forced WTKA to recshedule on me. I’ll let you know when I actually go on. -T
Rodriguez said that Taylor has exactly the type of frame that he looks for in his tackles. He has a big frame, but still has a ton of athleticism. Taylor himself has said the Jake Long is his favorite player, and he could end up having a similar game. He’s a bit smaller, only 6’6″ and 270lbs, but with a year or two in a college conditioning program, he should be a monster. Coach noted that he has only been playing OL for a year, so is somewhat a blank canvas and may have been underrated by the recruiting services. I’m guessing he’ll redshirt, but I would be surprised if he didn’t contribute down the line.
Denard Robinson
Coach said that Robinson may be the fastest kid they recruited. He doesn’t have the fake 40 times of Teric Jones, but watching his game film, you can really get a sense of how fast he is out on the field. Rodriguez also conceeded that while Denard may not be the tallest player out there, he has a knack to make plays when it appears there’s nothing there. The consensus of Robinson is that this is his year to compete to start at QB. If he wins it, he could start for a long time, if not he’ll likely switch positions down the line. He’s got a lot to work for this offeseason and fall.
Craig Roh
I was kind of under the imppression that Roh would end up taking a red shirt this year, but Rodriguez said that he was excited for Roh to make an “instant impact.” That could mean pushing the older guys to work harder, but maybe playing time. He’s kind of slight right now coming in at 6’4″ 230lbs, but he’ll have summer conditioning and fall practice to put on some size. Roh has a unique technique where he starts extemely low. Also, judging by the UA All-American game, he has a mean spin move that is very effective against good HS tackles. It will be interesting if Coach Tall will try to change his technique to a more orthodox style or just help Roh improve his technique.
Michael Schofield
Schofield is very similar in size to Taylor Lewan (I think we’ve figured out Rodriguez’s type), but maybe not quite the all around athlete that Lewan is. Coach seemed very proud to share that not only did Schofield not give up a sack all year, but also the entire unit went the entire season without a holding penalty. Obviously Schofield has experience playing on a talented, well-coached offensive line. Hopefully that will help as he gets used to the college game. I have to imagine he’ll red shirt as the OL is fairly deep at this point and he still needs some size.
Vincent Smith
Smith was at the press conference, and he is tiny. I’ve talked with Odoms face to face, and I’m pretty sure Odoms has 2-3″ on Smith. He’s listed 5’6″; I’m pretty sure there are rides at Cedar Point he can’t get on, but he can apparently run the ball really well. Rodriguez seemed as impressed with his high school production as the recruiting services were (went from a middling 3 star to a solid 4 star). He had over 2,000 yards as the leading rusher for the Florida state champs (division III). Coach said he would start working at running back and almost certainly work in some at the slot down the line.
Je’Ron Stokes
Rodriguez didn’t seem to be taken on the rollercoaster ride the blogosphere was subjected to regarding his commitment. Coach made it pretty clear the he expects to Stokes to make a pretty quick impact on the football team. He said Stokes will immediately compete at inside and outside receiver in addition to returning kicks. Having that amount of flexibility should allow him to see quite a bit of playing time his freshman year.
Fitzgerald Toussaint
Early favorite for best name of the class along with Vlad Emilien. Tim and I had a chance to see Fitz play live, and while he was largely held in check, he still busted some great runs when it looked like he would be hit for a loss. He has a huge stable of moves and flat out athleticism. Rodriguez wants him at running back and returning kicks. Coach predicts the Fitz will have an immediate impact on the team.
J.T. Turner
Rodriguez mentioned that some sources considered Turner the best player in the state of Ohio. So that means, along with Campbell and Roh, University of Michigan got commitments from, arguably, the best players from Michigan, Arizona and Ohio. Turner had a great performance at the UA All-American game, playing corner and some safety. Coach said he expects to play Turner to play both Safety and CB, and said that unless something unforeseen happens, Turner will see the field as a freshman. I always get nervous at freshmen in the defensive backfield, but Warren, Jackson and Woodson all had good freshmen years, so maybe my anxiety is misplaced.
Quinton Washington
This was probably the biggest suprise of this class. I was pretty sure he was going to stay at home in South Carolina, but Washington chose the maize and blue, which is good as Schofield and Lewan both appear to be tackles while Washington is an interior lineman. He’s listed at a sizeable 6’3″ 315lbs, and is reported to be athletic to boot. Like the other two linemen in this class, I’m going to guess that he’ll get a redshirt. There’s a ton of depth this year and having that extra year at the end can really make a huge difference.
Adrian Witty
I’m not sure if this is Rodriguez being political or sincere (probably somewhere in between), but he called Adrian Witty the most “overlooked” recruit in this class. The more cynical fans see Witty as additional bait in order to get a commitment from Robinson, but Coach mentioned that Witty had a very productive senior year with quite a few interceptions. I have to assume Witty will redshirt this year, and I’m not quite sure where he’ll end up when all is said and down. Hopefully, he’ll be able to contribute.
Ohio:
WR/Ath Micah Hyde
RB Commit Fitzgerald Toussaint
OL Marcus Hall
CB Mike Edwards
CB/S Commit Justin Turner
S/LB Commit Isaiah Bell
The game will be played June 20th in Hershey, PA. Last year’s game had highlights (most notably of Michigan freshman Michael Shaw) available on the internet, so keep an eye out.
Markeith Ambles of Henry County (McDonough, Ga.); Dillon Baxter of Mission Bay (San Diego); Robert Crisp of Chapel Hill (N.C.); Michael Dyer of Little Rock Christian; Jake Heaps of Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.); Malcolm Jones of Oaks Christian (Westlake, Calif.); Marcus Lattimore of Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.); Christian Lombard of Fremd (Palatine, Ill.); Chris Martin of Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland); and Lache Seastrunk of Temple (Texas).
Baxter is committed to USC, Lombard is committed to Notre Dame (has nobody shown him their track record for destroying the careers of talented offensive linemen over the past four years?). All of the other prospects are included on the recruiting board already, except Ambles, who has now been added as a wide receiver (slot). Ambles, Crisp, Dyer, Lattimore, and Seastrunk are probably going to be very serious Michigan targets. Jones may be a USC commit, though I believe that article is simply mistaken.
Since there is so much recruiting info for me to catch up on, I’ll separate the 2009 and 2010 information this time, in order to fit as much stuff in as I can. The board lives here, and can always be found via the left sidebar.
I’ll start with the bombshell-ish info: William Campbell, thought to be heavily leaning to Michigan despite his decommitment, has basically eliminated the Wolverines from contention upon his arrival at the Army All-American game (free Rivals video). I’ll leave him on the board for now, mostly out of hope, rather than any actual fact. From the interview, it sounds like LSU is going to get the hat pulled out by Campbell on Saturday. :(
He won’t be added to the recruiting board, as per VB policy (soon to change for the 2010 board, because it’s tough keeping track of these guys without adding all their info to the board), but LA WR Travante Stallworth, an Auburn commit, is getting some attention from Michigan (info in header). It certainly sounds like he may be swayed, if another school really wants him (info in header again).
SC DE Sam Montgomery is still on the board, though he seems far less enthused about Michigan (we’re near Detroit!) than he did earlier in the recruiting process, and has named LSU his leader. He was involved in the Shrine Bowl (warning: super fluffy), and though the article’s title is “Montgomery stays patient in the recruiting process,” there isn’t one bit of information about recruiting, so it’s just something to read if you want nice quotes about a kid, including his stats:
Montgomery, 6-foot-5, 235 pounds, had 111 tackles including 11 sacks, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery this season while mainly playing linebacker. He played on the varsity team for the past three years.
…and his altruistic side:
“I’m going to keep on battling until I make it to the (NFL), so I can give some of my signing bonus (to the Shriners Hospitals for Children). This will be one of the main organizations I give to.”
DB Dre Kirkpatrick (6-3, 190) of Gadsden, Ala., will visit Alabama, Florida and Texas for sure in January. He’s only planning four visits and for the final trip he’s considering Clemson, Southern California, LSU, Michigan and Auburn… DB Jaron [sic] Hosley (5-10, 172) of Delray Beach, Fla., will visit Ohio State, Michigan, South Florida and Clemson in January.
After not mentioning Michigan throughout most of the summer, Kirkpatrick has picked up interest in the Wolverines again, it seems. Lord knows we need him. Jayron Hosley‘s Ohio state visit is confirmed by Bucknuts.
JC DE Pernell McPhee was though to be leaning to Michigan following his official visit, and the former Pahokee Blue Devil did not sign with Mississippi State (where he has been softly committed) on JC signing day. However, he has also been to Florida on an official visit recently, and the subheadline “Will Pernell McPhee stay with Mississippi State or will he play for another SEC program?” makes it sound like maybe the Wolverines missed their opportunity with Pernell.
OH OL Henry Conway was at the spring game, but hasn’t really been on the Michigan fan’s radar since. However, he is leaving a date open for an official visit, and will take it if the Wolverines end up offering him (info in header).
LSU insiders don’t exactly seem to be kicking themselves for missing on LA DT commit DeQuinta Jones, but they certainly think he’ll be a good player down the road:
The best defensive lineman in the state that no one ever talks about is Bastrop’s Dequinta Jones (6’3 275), who runs a 4.8 forty and can play the game as well as any in the country. Jones is committed to Michigan, and I predict he will start after one year and play as a true freshman for the Wolverines.
I assume this assertion is not in any way intended to imply that he is not a soft commit (as has been rumored), but rather a compliment of the caliber of player he is. Michigan fans are certainly excited to see DD in maize and Blue.
Next on the list of “I still believe in Michigan” articles of current commits: Fitzgerald Toussaint. It’s not just fluff though. There are three videos in the article, so check it out.
I’ve added LA LB Barkevious Mingo to the board. Sam Webb lets us know he plans to visit January 9th weekend.
And of course, the day I talked only about QBs, I forgot to mention them, but I’ve decided to add A.J. Westendorp and Nader Furrha to the board. Both are likely preferred-walkon candidates, though if the QB recruiting situation becomes extra-dire, one of them might get offered.
One of the most convenient things about Youngstown, Ohio, is the fact that it resides directly next to I-80. I-80, you may realize, is the route taken from Ann Arbor to State College. How perfect, then, that Youngstown Liberty Leopards, who boast two Michigan commits on their football team, had a home game at their stadium (from which you can literally see I-80), on the night before Michigan’s game at Penn State?
Being the enterprising Michigan fans/bloggers/general creeps that we are, Paul and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take in a game starring Fitzgerald Toussaint and Isaiah Bell. Want to hear more? Well, read on… The game began at 7, but we arrived shortly after 6. The stadium was your general high school type, with a set of aluminum bleachers for both the home and away fans. We were among the first people there, so we tested out the camera, looked around, and practiced signing our names with the last name “Toussaint.” During warmups, Fitzgerald Toussaint was one of the team captains. In fact, throughout the night, he seemed to be a real leader of his team.
By the time the game began, we were pumped and ready to see Fitz destroy all comers. Essentially, the story of the night is that this never happened. Toussaint had some opportunities to make plays, but a couple of his teammates (including Julius Ferrell – who didn’t look much like a D-1 prospect, though the knee brace he was wearing may have had something to do with it) got the better opportunities, as Howland’s defense was keying on Fitz all night. He ended the game with 124 yards rushing on 30 carries, including a 5 yard sack on a halfback pass. His long run of the night was 21 yards. He was thrown to once and it was intercepted.
Isaiah Bell was also a starter on offense, at one of the wide receiver positions. He was thrown to 3 times, with 1 reception (on a screen) for four yards. The other two passes, using the UFR metric, would be classified as a 0 (bounced to him) and a 1.
Bell was also one of Liberty’s safeties, playing free in the middle of what appeared to be a cover-3 system most of the game. It was clear that, despite his size, Isaiah’s job was to play centerfield and let absolutely nobody by him. He was hesistant in run support, but I think that was a schematic choice, rather than a criticism of him. He finished the game with 5 tackles, though he left during the fourth quarter with an ankle injury (he could put almost no weight on his left leg).
So with a couple of big-time players in the mix for Liberty, how did they manage to lose this game? There are a couple of main reasons. First things first, Howland was determined to stop Fitzgerald Toussaint, no matter the cost. This hurt them when he motioned to the slot and another running back ran up the gut for a long touchdown. This selling out would have hindered their ability to win even more had Liberty’s QB not been something approaching awful. I didn’t keep stats on him, but he was something like 3/15 with 2 or 3 picks. Yikes. Not good. Howland also avoided Bell and Toussaint on special teams. Those two were the deep men on punts and kickoffs. All the kickoffs were squibbed, and only one punt made it to the returners (a Toussaint 18 yard return was negated by a block in the back). In terms of playing style and projections, Fitz appeared to me to be much more of an inside runner than expected. Like every high schooler, he has work to do in the weight room, but he should be just fine once he gets to college. Though Bell has athleticism, he also has a pretty strong build. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was able to stay at safety in college, and be a big hitter. However, it is more likely that he adds bulk and becomes a linebacker. As you can see, he has big thighs, and a frame that might be conducive to putting on more weight.
Oh RB Fitzgerald Toussaint has given Rich Rodriguez his word to sign with Michigan in February. Toussaint is a 5-10, 185lb back from Isaiah Bell’s high school, Youngstown Liberty.
Player Notes Toussaint is a little guy who is speedy and has great balance. He seems a lot like a poor man’s Noel Devine, not unlike Oklahoma RB David Oku. For the evidence, check out his highlight video from Scouting Ohio:
Toussaint will be a slot/scatback hybrid, just like seemingly every player Michigan is pursuing.
Recruiting Notes Toussaint is the second of three major recruits from Liberty to commit to Michigan, leaving only LB Julius Ferrell – who may still end up a member of this class. He becomes Michigan’s 5th commitment for the 2008 class.
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Moved to committed:
LA Slot Trovon Reed is starting to plan out his summer visits – and 
year. Regarding Henderson, there’s a 
