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: Pius 2-1

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

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

The 2009 recruiting class looks more and more every day like it is pretty much wrapped up, except for perhaps a couple more prospects that may end up in maize and blue.

The 2010 Varsity Blue recruiting board does exist, and I’ve been keeping up with it to some degree. My original plan was to have a grand unveiling either the day after Signing Day 2009, or whenever Michigan gets its first commit for the class of 2010.

My question for you is: would you like me to wait that long, or release the board into the wild sometime sooner? I still wouldn’t likely give weekly recruiting updates, but they’d certainly come at some interval.

As of now, the 2010 recruiting primer is the largest source of 2010 material I’ve published (Genuinely Sarcastic has a 2010 board of their own going). Would you like more, or should I hold off a little longer on the creepiness of stalking high school juniors?

Posted under Recruiting

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

The Board has got it all, man.

• Remember: Cass Tech S/QB Thomas Gordon announces his decision this weekend. Here’s a little Cass Tech fluff, too.
• IN LB Commit Jordan Barnes unofficially visited Purdue last weekend. Not sure if you should read anything into that, so take it FWIW.
• Major (5 page) Tate Forcier fluff from the AANews. Obligatory “omfg he should mma w/ mike b.”
• Michigan is going hard after Georgia commit LB Mike Gilliard. They probably won’t land him, but it’s a good sign they’re after at least 1 more LB.
• I’ll give a few 2010 tidbits here and there as the season progresses (more about the 2010 board tomorrow). A top instate player will have a hard time going against Green and White when it comes to his recruitment.

Posted under Recruiting

September 1st is the first day that juniors can be officially offered. With much of Michigan’s 2009 class already committed, we can start looking forward to the 2010 recruiting year. Let’s take a look at some potential prospects for the Wolverines.

QB:
With two one already committed for 2009, Rodriguez would probably like to take one dual-threat player in this class, though he can hold out for a top-flight one. Devin Gardner (Inkster, reports an offer) and Robert Bolden (OLSM) are a couple of true dual-threat types who are a little closer to home. Florida’s Stephen Morris (Miami Pace) camped at Michigan in 2010, where he was impressive. Jake Heaps (Skyline HS in Washington) will likely end up the top player in the class of 2010, and is more of an athletic passer than an athlete who happens to chuck the ball.

RB:
Michigan could use 1 or 2 RBs in this class. Spencer Ware from Cincinnati may be the best athlete in the class of 2010, and he is capable of playing QB or RB at the next level. Lache Seastrunk from Texas is a speedster, but will likely end up in Austin or Baton Rouge. Keeshawn Maxwell from Auburndale in Florida is another potential target. Austin White from Livonia Stevenson is close to home and a darn good player as well. Nick Hill from Chelsea is a less highly-regarded prospect.

WR:
Michigan is taking several thousand slots in the past couple classes, so one should be plenty in 2010. An outside receiver (or maybe two) will be signed as well. Jeremy Jackson from Huron High (son of Michigan RB coach Fred Jackson) is likely a top target, but he is also interested in several southern schools. Along with Jackson, Florida’s Chris Dunkley has reportedly been offered. Dennis Hall from Pahokee (FL) is a former teammate of Martavious Odoms, and could be a slot-dot type. Alvin Hall from Trotwood-Madison could be an outside target as well.

TE:
Ricardo Miller is a prospect from Orlando who could end up at WR or TE – and he is liking the Wolverines early in the process. After likely taking a year off from TE recruiting in 2009, Michigan will probably hop back on board with an athletic jumbo-receiver. CJ Fiedorowicz from Johnsburg, IL is one heck of an athletic TE prospect, and he has great size too, at 6-6+. Greg Gainey from Trotwood-Madison could be a target as well.

OL:
Michigan has gotten a few solid OL prospects so far, but no top-flight guys. That could be fixed in 2010 if they land a player like Seantrel Henderson from Minnesota (Cretin-Derham Hall). Matt James from Cincinnati could be a top target as well. Illinois’s Christian Lombard could end up as the second highest rated OT in the class (behind Henderson) and he likes the Wolverines early, camping in summer ’08. Shawn Kamm from Saginaw Nouvel could be a sleeper choice as well.

DT:
Michigan has gotten a couple of DTs committed in this class (including one great one in Campbell), but they could use good one in the next class. Doral Willis from Pahokee will be among the top DTs in 2010, and Michigan is well on its way to establishing a pipeline to the muck. Jordan Sanders from Rochester Adams (MI) is a little bit closer to home, though not as highly-regarded.

DE:
Michigan needs a top-flight DE in this class, as 2009 looks to give them some good but not great players. Fortunately, William Gholston is right in their backyard, at Detroit Southeastern (he may also be a TE or OT prospect). However, his cousin was a standout at Ohio State, and they might be the early favorite. Keevon Newsome is the younger brother of former QB commit Kevin Newsome, and is a highly-sought after DE. Chance Carter from Illinois and Jamel Turner out of Ohio are also good prospects. Turner is likely Ohio’s top 2010 prospect.

LB:
Though the class of 2008 was loaded with LBs, 2009 isn’t the same story. One or two is probably needed in 2010. Jewone Snow out of Canton McKinley (OH) is the son of former Michigan great Garland Rivers. Matt Rea from Pontiac Notre Dame Prep is another potential target. Pennsylvania’s Mike Hull will probably be the nation’s top 2010 LB, but it is unclear whether Michigan has a real shot with him.

S:
Michigan fans would love a top-flight safety. Marvin Robinson from Lake Region (FL) likes Michigan a lot early in the process, and will likely be among the tops at his position. James Manuel from Warren Central (IN) is another pretty good prospect, and Michigan has been able to grab prospects from that school in the past. Kevonte Martin from Birmingham Brother Rice is a good prospect on the gridiron, but may be a college hoops player.

CB:
A good-to-great corner is always a need, particularly for Michigan’s class of 2010, however, as Donovan Warren may be a three-and-done player. Nickell Robey from Frostproof (FL) seems like the best CB in the class of 2010. Cass Tech’s Dior Mathis is diminutive but fast as hell. Unfortunately, he may end up a Miami Hurricane. Lorenza Wood from Apopka (FL) is a high school teammate of 2009 commit Jeremy Gallon.

Of course, all these players are only potential targets, and it is unlikely Michigan will land all of them (or even most of them). Other prospects will emerge on the radar, and some of these guys will certainly fall off of it. However, these guys might be a good group to keep an eye on early in the recruiting cycle.

Posted under Recruiting