2010 Michigan Football Recruiting Board. This was kind of a slow weekend, so there isn’t a whole ton of news. However, the later recruiting update this week will probably be pretty full. (Translation: I was on vacation this weekend and want to get the Monday recruiting post up without any further delay).

For those worried about the low ranking of slot commit Drew Dileo, hopefully his being ranked #17 in Louisiana will assuage those fears a bit. Louisiana is typically a talent-rich state, that #17 in that state is comparable to top-10 in Michigan in nearly every year. Couple that with the fact that Tiger Rag is an LSU fansite (like a Scout or Rivals page, but to the best of my knowledge, unaffiliated), and likely to slightly underrate the prospects who have already committed to out-of-state schools, and he’s probably a slightly better get than previously believed. Add in the stellar academic credentials, and things don’t look so negative, after all.

Josh Helmholdt Free Press fluff on who might be the second QB in Michigan’s class of 2010.Mostly non-informative, though he does say that the most likely options at this time appear to be LA QB Munchie Legaux, SC QB Cornelius Jones, and TX QB Jeremy Johnson. MI QB Robert Bolden is primarily interested in pro-style offenses… and Oregon? Either way, it’s unlikely that he’d end up in maize-and-blue.

This is also the time of year where we’ll start to hear about which prospects are planning to make it in to Ann Arbor for summer camps and other summer visits. FL OL Torrian Wilson and RB Eduardo Clements from Booker T. Washington in Miami plan to make it in for summer camp. Look for more comprehensive lists to start being formed as the time approaches.

Added NC DE Fre’Shaud Hunter, who has received a Michigan offer (info in header).

Added TN LB Justin Maclin to the board. He’s received a Michigan offer (info in header).

Added FL CB Merrill Noel, who has received a Michigan offer (info in header). Noel is one of the strong contingent of Pahokee players this year, headlined by WR De’Joshua Johnson. Johnson (who would be a prototypical slot in the spread offense) has stated he doesn’t want to play in a spread, and has eliminated Florida and Michigan, despite saying that he would love to play with his former teammates like Vincent Smith and Martavious Odoms. However, Pahokee does have a number of defensive players, including DTs Richard Ash, Doral Willis, and Antonio Ford, along with LB Zachery Allen who, like Noel, was just offered (info in header). If the Wolverines want to keep the Pahokee pipeline open (and they most certainly do), there are plenty of legit options in the class of 2010.

By the way, since 400-some recruits have been nominated for the Army All-American Game, I’m not going to bother individually listing which prospects with Michigan interest have been nominated. However, I may throw in “US Army Game nominee” when I bring them up in the context of having other news to discuss.

Removed:
DC QB Ricardo Young and VA CB Derrick Hopkins. Both committed to Virginia Tech.
MI QB/Ath Tony Lippett committed to Michigan State.
OH OL Andrew Norwell. Yeah, he’s been committed to Ohio State for a really long time now, and I just noticed he was still on the board.
OH LB Scott McVey. See above.
VA LB Aramide Olaniyan. It appears as though his commitment to Duke will hold.

Posted under Football, Recruiting

Bow before the 2010 Recruiting Board.

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.

An update on SC RB Marcus Lattimore‘s favoring of Auburn:

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.

Sounds as though OH RB Roderick Smith is about ready to drop for the Buckeyes. Removal from the board is coming soon for Smith.

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 Taula wants 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 Hicks has 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 Toussaint ran a 10.86 100m over the weekend.
MI CB Dior Mathis ran a slightly-less-impressive 11.0 100m.

Hilariously whiny and deliciously SpartyNO fluff in the Free Press about how Michigan State could totally recruit Cass Tech if they wanted to.

Posted under Football, Recruiting

Since I haven’t had the chance yet, I’ll take this opportunity to promote the MGoBlog/VB tailgate before the spring game that Brian mentioned yesterday. The details are: 9AM near the bus stop outside Crisler Saturday morning. For more info, check out the planning thread on MGoBoard.

The 2010 Recruiting Board can be found here. There’s still plenty more info to get out this week, so Friday’s Spring Game Edition of the Recruiting Update may include some non-weekend-related items as well.

As has been widely speculated, Michigan leads for LA QB Munchie LeGaux. With Blake Sims committing to Alabama, LeGaux might be the best option for a 2nd QB in the class at this time. LeGaux photo by Matthew Hinton (not that Matt Hinton?) of the Times-Picayune.

The author of this article seems to think that TX RB Lache Seastrunk has narrowed his list of choices to just 4 schools: Texas, Oklahoma, Auburn, and LSU. I’m skeptical for several reasons: 1) That’s the first I’ve heard of that, and 2) That article was so poorly written as to reduce its credibility to near-zero levels. Take it with a grain of salt.

OH RB Erick Howard has stated in no uncertain terms that he would like to play for Ohio State. This would appear to mean bad things for Michigan’s chances. Of course, he doesn’t boast an impressive offer list yet (despite being Ohio’s Mr. Football last year), and in the past, Michigan has made a living off Ohio players that didn’t end up with Buckeye offers. If he is deemed to be worthy of a Michigan offer, that tradition may continue.

To piggyback off the previous note, Michigan may be trying to develop something of a pipeline throughout the various high shcools of Canton, Ohio (even traditional Michigan feeder school Massillon Washington is in a Canton suburb). Jerald Robinson (Canton South) is already committed for the class of 2009, Jewone Snow (McKinley) is the son of former Michigan great Garland Rivers, and Howard is a prospect. This area is a strong one for Ohio high school football, and if we’ve seen one definite trend in this staff’s recruiting, it’s trying to develop pipelines (Pahokee, Apopka, Cass Tech, Liberty). And recruiting little guys. If we’ve seen two definite trends in this staff’s…

Fluff on FL WRs DeJoshua Johnson and Fred Pickett. Johnson will likely play QB for Pahokee this year, but may play WR alongside Pickett.

Buried in an article on Jay Cutler is the following (not particularly enlightening) information on FL OL Brent Benedict:

As Bolles School offensive tackle Brent Benedict, one of the nation’s top prospects, spent his spring break last week making unofficial visits to six out-of-state schools, Florida coach Urban Meyer sent him a bunch of text messages. On Friday, while competing as a shot-putter at the Florida Relays, Benedict planned to attend a Gators practice and have dinner with Meyer. Memo to Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin: Such contact is legal as long as Benedict remains on UF’s campus. …

As of now, it doesn’t sound like he’s strongly considering Michigan, particularly because his big visit swing didn’t include any schools in the North, much less a trip to Ann Arbor.

A few notes on MN OL Seantrel Henderson. He has his trips in mind (remember, he said Michigan was likely to be his only lock for an official visit at this time). A local Minneapolis columnist said Seantrel’s ready to start taking visits, obviously ignoring the fact that he’s already been to Michigan and Michigan State.

NC OL Robert Crisp has committed to NC State, and he’s been removed from the board.

AL DE Martaze Jackson has been nominated to participate in the Army All-American game. This is a phase of the process of which I had been previously unaware:

Of the 400 nominees, 90 will ultimately be selected and invited to this year’s 10th anniversary game. 

OH LB Jordan Hicks has been selected to play in the ESPNU/Under Armour All American Game. He reports a Michigan offer, and will whittle his list of possibilities down to 10 by his spring break, which one must assume is coming right up.

MI LB Austin Gray, who was considered to be a possible Michigan lean if he ever got an offer, took an unofficial visit to Iowa last weekend and committed. I’ll leave him on the board for now, because if Michigan ever decides to offer, they might be able to hop back into the race for him.

The Wolverines have tendered an offer for MD LB Troy Gloster (info in header). Gloster hails for Good Counsel Academy, home of 2009 prospect Jelani Jenkins, as well as 2010 Stanford decommit CB Louis Young.

LA S Ronnie Vinson doesn’t have one school atop his list, but has 6 favorites that stand out among his other offers. USC, UCLA, Alabama, Michigan, LSU, and Ole Miss are the schools he’s focusing on most at this point (info in header).

PA CB Cullen Christian, who has long held the Wolverines as his favorite, is now putting a number to that assumption: He says there’s an 85% chance he ends up playing for Rich Rodriguez (info in header).

Posted under Football

The 2010 Recruiting Board lives here.

Removed:
FL OL Leon Orr. Committed to Florida.
VA OL Marquis Wallace. Committed to West Virginia.

THE MOST IMPORTANT RECRUIT IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD HAS SURFACED! A Louisiana QB named – I shit you not – Munchie Legaux has apparently been offered by Michigan. Landing him alone would likely make up for missing out on at least Pearlie Grave and DeQuinta Jones, though Barkevious Mingo will require more make-up work. LeGaux has been added to the recruiting board, in addition to our collective hearts.

Offered GA RB Mack Brown has released his first top 4, and the Wolverines are nowhere to be found on it: the list consists of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Oklahoma.

Bobby Petrino has risked turning off some of the top recruits in Arkansas, including very highly-rated running back Michael Dyer, by offering very few in-state prospects:

“We’re just wondering what’s wrong with the in-state kids, because obviously they do a good job on the out of state kids,” [Dyer] said. “It’s the people who live in Arkansas who are actually having a hard time getting recruited by Arkansas.”

Michigan is interested in Dyer, and though he was considered a lock to Arkansas early in the process, Petrino may end up losing out be cause of a perceived disrespect toward top Arkansas prospects.

SC QB Cornelius Jones won’t announce his decision until Signing Day, and (from the same article) SC DE Brandon Willis, a HS teammate of RB Marcus Lattimore, received a Michigan offer, and he plans to enroll early at the school of his choosing. Speaking of Lattimore, this article has a bit of good information on him. The highlight:

“I grew up a [South] Carolina and Florida State fan, but I don’t really think it will make an impact on my decision,” he said. “But I mainly pulled for Florida State when they had Chris Weinke and Peter Warrick.”

While his childhood preferences may not be a factor in his decision, Lattimore says there are three things that he will be very interested in looking at when evaluating each of his potential schools.

“First will be if the school has my major, which is sports administration or sports management, but probably the second one would be how comfortable I feel there with the players, coaches, and in that environment. Third would probably be the facilities,” said Lattimore.

Michigan’s Division of Kinesiology is among the best nationally for those majors. Lattimore also intends to trim his list of choices to 8 by summer. Considering he’s said Michigan is a lock to receive an official visit, I’d be surprised if they weren’t in the final 8.

FL OL Brent Benedict has received a Michigan offer.

MI DT Tremondae Branch is starting to see his recruitment pick up. Cliff notes:

“I just got home from Michigan’s Junior Day,” Branch stated. “I was really impressed. I had been there before because my older brother played football there, but it seemed like it was at another level. I know they changed the offense since then, but they didn’t change the tradition. It is a great program for anyone…

“But that’s why I’d rather play football in the South,” Branch continued. “Even though the northern schools have a lot of competition with big guys, I just think by playing in the South I’d have to work harder which would make me a better player and it would bring my game to a whole different level…

“Right now I‘m still wide-open to anyone because I do not have any offers yet,” Branch concluded. “I just want to play college football somewhere.”

I haven’t been able to figure out who his brother is. Captain Obvious would say “Alan Branch, obviously,” but I don’t think that’s the case, because Alan is from New Mexico. Does anybody know who Tremondae’s older brother is? Also: Durr idiotic SEC crowing.

Michigan offered MI DE CJ Olaniyan, and that (predictably) made them move up on his mental list of schools. He was at Junior Day last weekend. Following that, a pretty good fluff piece from Sam Webb in the Detroit News.

OH DE Marcus Rush wasn’t able to make it to Junior Day last weekend, but that didn’t stop the Wolverines from offering him (info in header) when he came later in the weekend to take in a spring practice.

AL DE Martaze Jackson was the MVP (“winner”) of the National Underclassmen Combine.

This is either the worst tease for an article ever, or Michigan HASN’T offered IL DE Louis Trinca-Pasat. I’m thinking it is indeed the worst tease ever, and he’s been offered. I won’t note it on the board yet, because I’m relying a little heavily on context clues here.

A little recruiting fluff on FL LB Jeff Luc:

Luc says no school is ahead of any other at this point. Academics and graduation rate are important factors to him, and he said he likely will wait until the fall to make his decision. He plans to major in accounting or engineering.

Michigan is obviously very strong in both of those fields (if they’ll let him major in what he wants, of course).

IL LB Rickey Simpson is hearing from Michigan.

And your “WTF?” news of the day: Toledo fans seem to think Devin Gardner was going to commit to their school before the coaching staff there was changed following 2008. Like, no. Dude, no. I would be surprised if the Rockets have ever landed a 4-star or 5-star prospect at all.

Posted under Football, Recruiting