Big House Tuesday: Gardner Sets Announcement

Devin Gardner: Who silently committed to the Wolverine coaches around Junior Day is planning to make his official announcement this week. Devin wanted to wait until his basketball season was over before he made his verbal commitment. Devin is Rivals #177 ranked player in the country (#2 ranked player in Michigan) and has over 15 offers from major programs across the country.

• Michigan's Defense is planning to Blitz a lot more! Which is funny because Michigan's old DC Scott Shafer had a reputation as being "the king of Blitz" but here is what LB Obi Ezeh has to say about Greg Robinson's new defense: "It resembles a lot of the stuff we were doing with coach [Ron] English, so some of the older guys did it before," Ezeh said, referring to Michigan's defensive coordinator from 2003-07. "I got the feeling that it's going to be blitz-heavy, so I'm excited for that." This is also an interesting tidbit from the ESPN article: Michigan is using several players in a hybrid defensive end-linebacker role, including junior Marell Evans, sophomore Brandon Herron, sophomore Steve Watson and freshman Anthony LaLota, an early enrollee. Senior Stevie Brown, who started all 12 games at safety last season, is being used as a safety/strongside linebacker.
  
  


• Scouts Orlando Combine MVP OJ Ross has a Michigan offer.

• Per MSC and RR's Facebook page here are some of the guys playing in the Spring Alumni Flag Football Game: Teams coached by Jerry Hanlon and Gary Moeller. Rick Leach - QB 1975-78 Derrick Walker - TE 1986-89 Bill Dufek - OT 1974-78 Jim Betts - S 1968-1970 Michael Taylor - QB 1985-89 Kenny Jackson - DB 1996-99 Scott Dreisbach - QB 1994-98 Mike Leoni - OL 1976-79 Chris Bohn - LB 1987-1990 Chris Calloway - WR 1986-89 Jay Riemersma - TE 1991-95 Guest Referee: James Hall - DE 1996-99.

• 4 Star Safety from Florida, Marvin Robinson is planning an Ann Arbor visit for the Spring Game.

Michigan Monday: Were Fast but we Fumble

• Did you ever question incoming freshman's Denard Robinson's speed? Over the weekend Denard ran the 100 meters in 10.44 seconds. Which was the second fastest time in the nation. Guess what? He wasn't happy with it either: "I was kind of disappointed in myself to run a 10.44, but I will accept that. Running the No. 2 time in the nation is pretty good. I was trying to run a 10.3, but there was strong wind. I'm working harder on it and expect to hit a 10.3 by states."

• Tate did OK in his first "live" scrimmage this weekend, but fumbled one of his snaps. Nobody could confirm from Spring Camp if they are calling any QB fumbles "a Ryan Mallett".

• Guess who is banged up again? Yes, it's Carlos "Santana" Brown. He is suffering from a slight concussion and they expect him back at practice on Tuesday.

• One Spot Michigan needs better production from next year is the Linebacker position on defense. Michigan is struggling this spring with out Jonas Mouton who is out with a shoulder injury but other guys are getting a shot. J.B. Fitzgerald and Kevin Leach are getting the most snaps due to Jonas injury. Others in the mix include Kenny Demens, Marell Evans and Brandon Herron.

• Cincinnati Moeller defensive end Marcus Rush was back in A2 this weekend for another un-official visit. This is Marcus's second visit in a month. He does currently have a Michigan offer and things are looking good for a verbal.

• A 2010 player from the State of Michigan that is starting to make some big noise is Johnathan Hankins out of Southeastern High School in Detroit. He’s over 6-3 and 300 pounds and has offers from MSU, Michigan, Alabama, and now Florida. Jonathan plays DT a big need for the Wolverines in 2010.

Sheridan just to miss the Spring Dance

Rich Rod in his pre-practice press conference said this about injured QB Nick Sheridan:

"It's not a displaced fracture, so you don't have to have surgery," coach Rich Rodriguez said Thursday. "It takes him out of the practices for spring ball, but for summer workouts he'll be fine." "It didn't look like a violent thing, but it got twisted under him a bit, and it happened," Rodriguez said. "These last few practices, it'll give some other guys more reps, and Nick will stay in tune mentally. And we'll bring the competition back to full go in August."

Nick will miss 6-8 weeks. Forcier and Cone will split the QB duties with Fegain playing some slot and getting some QB snaps as well.

• More from the Mash Unit: Offensive Lineman Ricky Barnum will have surgery on his wrist and is recovering from a sprained ankle.

• 5 Star RB Marcus Lattimore has Michigan in his top 10. Many believe that Marcus will visit Ann Arbor at some point in his recruitment.

• 4 Star QB from New Orleans Munchie Legaux has stated that Michigan is his current leader. Munchie (would be great "name" to add to the 2010 class) comes in at 6"4 185 lbs. and threw for 43 touchdowns last year. Yes, 43.

• Michigan will have it's first full scrimmage this Saturday. Good Luck Tate and stay healthy!

Michigan Picks up it's 7th Commit for the 2010 Class

Tony Drake is a 5"9 RB from Dallas, Texas and has decided to join the Wolverines in the class of 2010 by making his verbal commitment to the Wolverines today.

Neither service has him ranked but he was recruited as an Athlete. Which means RB, Slot WR, or Cornerback in Rich Rod's system. He has a light frame at 5"9 160 but Scout reports a 4.35 40 which is crazy fast.

Tony's stat sheet on 10/10/2008 game: Tony Drake rushed for 66 yards on nine carries and two touchdowns to lead Skyline win.

At least he has the right initials: TD. Michigan could have used a few more TD's last year.

Michigan Trying to get a "Leg up" in Recruiting

• Stephen Curry's brother Seth is looking to transfer from Liberty to join a team/conference that provides better competition. I know Michigan doesn't have any scholarships available next year (of course Seth would have to sit out a year) but this kid can shoot the ball and could do some serious damage in John Beilein's offense. Seth averaged 20 points a game as a Freshman this past year.

• Making a B-Line to CBS: Michigan head basketball coach John Beilein will serve as one of the guest coach analyst for this weekend's sweet 16 and elite 8 games on CBS.

• Texas Linebacker Caleb Lavey gives Michigan his "lead" after his visit to Ann Arbor this past weekend. The Lavey family has ties to "the program", Caleb's father was an equipment manger for the Wolverines from 75-79. Caleb is rated the 15th LB in the nation and given 3 stars by Scouts. Quick side note: This time of year you can really tell a kids talent level not from the stars he receives but by the offers he is receiving: Which for Caleb include the likes of: Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Arizona, Missouri, Nebraska, Texas AM, and many more. Here are a few quotes from Caleb on his trip to A2: "I really like Coach Rodriguez," said Caleb. "He left me no doubt in my mind that he will be able to turn Michigan around. He's a great coach and a great guy. Me and my dad sat down and talked with him. We talked about the program and what his plans are. Another trait that stood out was the vigor with which the players practiced. "It was just unbelievable how hyped up they were and how they were just getting after each other," Caleb reported. "It was great." It definitely opened my eyes and moved Michigan up in the ranks," the talented youngster admitted. "I love Michigan and the distance really isn't a problem with me. It just depends on how it all happens - which (school) I feel most comfortable at. I would feel very comfortable with Michigan, so there is no doubt they are on high my list. I think I got all of the questions I had answered." Sounds like a Michigan Man to me.

• Do you feel that Mel Kiper is credible? If you do, reading this (about Carson Butler) will change your mind: "Butler is going to block and get the job done there," Kiper said. "(Teams want) a guy who can block. You have to secure the edge. These 3-4 teams you're going up against, you have to be able to handle, (and) you handle with a blocking tight end. Carson Butler as a late-round pick for those types of teams would have some value." The only person Carson "Blocked" while in Ann Arbor, was that Nerd he beat up a couple of years ago. Carson was moved to DE late last year because he couldn't block anyone.

• Do you wonder why Newspapers are going out of business? It's for stories like this one from the Cleveland Plain Dealer Blog on William Gholston who is the cousin of former Buckeye Vernon Gholston. Here is a quote from the article: That player, however, may have his eyes on the Ohio State Buckeyes (which, of course, is the right move). That player is 6-7, 240-pound linebacker William Gholston. If the author of this article did 5 minutes of research or even read this blog! He would know Ohio State has not offered William to date. Well done!

• Former Wolverine Todd Howard is doing some good outside of Chicago. He has a proposal on the table to turn a former Ace Hardware Building into Touchdowns Sports Arena, a place for kids to become better football players and work on academics like preparing for the ACT and SAT tests.

Sheridan is Out and So is Michigan's QB Depth

Paging Stephen Threet, is there a Stephen Threet in the house?

When Steve said he was transferring, I thought it was a bad decision. He had already transferred once and you never know what might happen and all of a sudden you find yourself the starter. Steve should have learned that lesson, since he found himself the only "real" QB on the team last year.

The Detroit Free Press is reporting (you heard it here first this afternoon) that a "source" is saying that Nick Sheridan suffered a "serious" leg injury in Tuesday's practice. Which leaves two scholarship QB's in the Michigan program, both with zero game experience. David Cone did have a couple of snaps in a blow out a few years ago.

Poor Tate Forcier, everyone knew he was "the guy" going into Spring Practice and now he is the only guy. Denard Robinson can't graduate quick enough, RR should send a plane down to get him right now.

If Threet was still on the team, this really wouldn't be a big deal. With Threet deciding to transfer, this injury equals big trouble for the Wolverines QB depth.

Does the Big Man upstairs have something against Michigan QB's? I blame Drew Henson for leaving early for Major League Baseball! I know, I'm still not over it.

Rumor Mill: Sheridan Injured in Spring Practice

Please note these rumors have not been confirmed yet, but the messages boards are a buzz that Michigan Quarterback, Nick Sheridan has broken his leg in Spring Practice.

Some are also reporting that back up QB David Cone also has an unspecified injury. Not to pile on the injury chain, but up and coming offensive lineman Ricky Barnum left practice on crutches as well.

Again, these are just "rumors" at this point, but there is enough people saying it so there must be some truth to it.

More to come............

2009 NFL's Draft Wonderlic Scores

comic via deadspin

Here are a number of the Wonderlic scores that have been leaked so far. No Wolverines scores have been made available yet. For those not familiar with the test, 50 is a perfect score and 20 shows average intelligence.

Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia - 38

Mark Sanchez, QB, USC - 28,

Josh Freeman, QB, Kansas State, - 27.

Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri - 25

Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech - 15
Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Maryland - 14
Percy Harvin, WR, Florida - 12
Hakeem Nicks, WR, North Carolina - 11
Andre Smith, OT, Alabama - 17
Eben Britton, OT, Arizona - 31
Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia - 24
Michael Oher, OT, Ole Miss - 19
Jason Smith, OT, Baylor - 23
Rey Maualuga, LB, USC - 15
Clay Matthews, LB, USC - 27
Brian Cushing, LB, USC - 23
Kevin Barnes, CB, Maryland - 41
Louis Delmas, Safety, Western Michigan - 12

Here is a list of famous NFL Players and their scores:

Michael Vick - 20

Steve Young - 33

Drew Brees - 28

Tom Brady - 33

Chad Pennington - 25

Drew Bledsoe - 37

Donovan McNabb - 14

David Garrard - 14

Dan Marino - 16

Eli Manning - 39

Jeff George - 10

Vince Young - allegedly got a 6, then retested and got a 15

Chris Leak - 8

John Elway - 30

Brett Favre - 22

Wild Wednesday Wolverine Update: Another Big Will?

As many of you know that follow Michigan Football religiously, The University of Michigan signed the top player from the state of Michigan in 2009 "Big Will" Campbell a 5 Star OT and DE. Now Michigan has it's sights set on another "Big Will" in 2010, but this time it's William Gholston. William is the #1 ranked player in Michigan on both Rivals and Scouts and comes in at a staggering 6"7 240 and plays Defensive End. MSU has always thought to have been William's leader (and most likely still is), but the Wolverines are giving him something to think about. Coach Robinson has this hybird DE/LB position in his defense that intrigues the athletic player from Southeastern High School. William has visited Ann Arbor a couple times now and Michigan is starting to make an impact on the young man: "It's evolved a lot from where it was at first,” Gholston said. “I was looking, but I wasn't feeling them as much as I am feeling them now.”

• Barry Larkin and Branch Ricky are heading into the College Baseball Hall of Fame.


• Michigan is starting to recruit 3 star DE Dominique Easley.


• TX LB Caleb Lavey had good things to say about his trips to Michigan and Notre Dame this past weekend.
• Charlie Weis doesn't drop a lot of hamburgers but he does like to name drop, the NFL coaches that he knows. Good thing he has all those contacts. He might need a favor from them next year if "Good Time" Charlie puts up another .500 year. "My intent is to coach the game from the field," he said. "That is my intent. Okay? As (Bill) Parcells said years ago, I reserve the right to change my mind, but that is my intent. I talked to people at the collegiate level and pro level, from Andy Reid right on down. By a very, very large majority, almost everyone I talked to were overwhelming thinking I was thinking way outside the box." Question to ponder: where else was he thinking about coaching? The Press Box or for the Oakland Raiders?

Here is a YouTube video of a recent Michigan Spring Practice:

Toney Clemons is Gonzo

Sophomore WR Toney Clemons (cousin of Cardinals WR Steve Breaston) has decided to leave the Michigan Football program. "It's time for me to make a change and go in another direction than what I am needed for," Clemons told the Valley News Dispatch. "I still love Michigan. It's still my No. 1. Athletically, this is the right move for me."

Toney caught 11 balls last year for just over 100 yards. He was a 6"3 WR trying to play in the slot and just wasn't a good fit. I'm not sure why he wasn't lined up outside more, playing behind Greg Matthews. I feel bad for Toney and wished he had stayed but with 3 high profile WR's coming in 2010, 2 big WR's coming in this Summer, and the current roster full of WR's like Greg Mathews, Darryl Stonum, Junior Hemingway and slot WR's with Odoms, red shirt freshmen Terrance Robinson, and Jeremy Gallon. Michigan is in pretty good shape at WR and won't miss Toney too badly.

Toney is the third Michigan player to transfer this year behind McGuffie and Threet. Both Clemons and Threet don't know where their next school will be.

Not to beat a dead horse, but the grass isn't always greener boys!

• RIP Ann Arbor News: Feel free to get all your Michigan Football News at Big House Blog now!

• Some Michigan Traditionalist are excited about the Spring Game becoming more of an event. Some other Traditionalist are concerned about Michigan Football Games becoming a minor league baseball park with a bunch of pop/rock music and movie clips. I went to the Purdue Michigan game last year at Purdue and they would not stop with that crap. I am all for a "fun" Spring Game, but let's not go overboard during regular season home games. We can leave the "cheesiness" to other programs. What's next? a big lovable Wolverine roaming the sidelines? :-) One a side note, why is Ohio State's mascot not named "Bucky"?

• The Scout 300 came out today: Notables: Gardner #77, Gholston #57, Bolden #83, #149 Jearald Robinson, #163 Ricardo Miller.

• Seantrel Henderson (the #1 recruit in the nation by both services) on his trip to Michigan this past weekend: “Michigan was great,” Henderson remarked. “I loved it more than any other college I’ve been to so far.”

Weekend Wolverine Recap

So it wasn't the greatest weekend to be a Wolverine fan. Michigan got muscled out of the Oklahoma game by the entire Griffin family and the Michigan hockey team lost in the CCHA finals to Notre Dame. The good news is that Michigan got a #1 Seed in the NCAA Hockey Tournament and the Michigan Basketball Team really over achieved this year. With most of the team back next year and a good recruiting class coming in, this program looks to be in good shape for the future.

Of course, Spring Football Practice is underway and there was plenty of news to be found:

• Steve Schilling was at right guard during Saturday’s practice. Steve has been playing tackle that last two years. RR believes Steve will stay at guard.

• Jack Kennedy, a freshman walk-on from Walled Lake Central High School took a couple snaps at QB on Saturday. There was no comment on Jack's future Presidential intentions.

• 2010 Recruits Everywhere: It seems Michigan had a number of top recruits in town this weekend to witness practice including the #1 Recruit in the nation offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson, #1 ranked recruit in Michigan DE William Gholston, DB Cullen Christian, LB Caleb Lavey, and OT Skyler Schofner.

• Defensive end Adam Patterson was granted his medical waiver for last season. Adam will be a Senior with Junior eligibility.

• Both DeShawn Sims and Manny Harris have said they will be back next year for their Senior and Junior years.

• RR is adding some flair to the Spring Game. There will be an alumni flag football game and fans can take a tour of the Michigan locker room set up to look actually as it would before a game. RR is hoping to beat Alabama's record of 92,000 fans for a Spring Game.

Michigan Friday is for Fundamentals

• So was Clemson Athletic or what? "You know, the first couple of minutes, I was like, 'DANG!' " U-M freshman Zack Novak said. You could see in the first half we struggled with it. I feel like I'm boxing out. They're getting rebounds. We came in at halftime and said, 'Look. They're athletic. But we just gotta be fundamental.' "

• Michigan plays Oklahoma on Saturday at 5:50.

• Both Michigan and MSU are recruiting Ohio hard: Both have offered 15 kids from Ohio. That is more then any other state including the State of Michigan. Some of the top names on that list include: Safety Latwan Anderson, DE Derrick Bryant, Defensive lineman Darryl Baldwin, and LB Jordan Hicks.

• Warren Mott's DE C.J. Olaniyan is sporting offers from Michigan, State, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Penn State. CJ is planning to visit Michigan again for the Spring Game. He was in Ann Arbor for Junior day and the Michigan coaches quickly offered the next week.

• Interesting Story on 2010 Michigan Basketball signee Blake McLimans. He sounds like a good athlete that has grown into his 6"10 body at prep school this year.

• Matt Vogrich (another Michigan 2010 signee) was named to the Sun-Times Class 4A All-State team.

• Cullen Christian a 2010 Michigan Football CB recruit from Pittsburgh is in Ann Arbor this weekend for an un-official visit. It's believed in the inner circles of recruiting that Cullen is a strong Michigan lean. He might even commit this weekend? CC is 6"0 and 180 pounds.

YES!

Michigan 62 Clemson 59

Manny was being Manny

Sims stopped throwing up air balls in the second half

Finally someone else threw and elbow and got thrown out

Michigan tried to blow it but held on

Did the refs let them play or what?

Boys, it's ok to get a lay up when you break the press

No quick 3's when we are up 9 with under 3 minutes to play!

Nice game Douglass!

We need to find a way to get more boards, way to many second chances for Clemson.

Yes! it's a win!

Tonight's the Night we Make History...........

No I don't expect the Detroit Duo of Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims to "Shock the World" and take the Wolverines to the Final Four. In fact, I'm not sure Michigan has the fire power to beat Clemson, a solid ACC team.

Winning or losing tonight doesn't really matter to me. What matters is that John Beilein with 2 highly skilled players from Detroit, 2 freshman sharp shooters for Indiana, and 2 senior walk- on's will take the court in the NCAA Tournament tonight in Kansas City. What an accomplishment!

Officially are gone the days of, coaches that were coaching "over their head" at Michigan, The Fab 5, a long deceased numbers runner from Detroit, Tractor Traylor, Louis Bullock, bad Athletic Directors, recruiting the wrong type of athletes, Brian Ellerbe, and many more bad things.

Tonight is about celebration! It's about accomplishment. This team is still very young and has basically one low post player. So if Michigan shoots the three well, gets the ball down into Sims in the post and pulls out a win, I will be very happy.

If Michigan plays nervous, turns the ball over, does that pass the ball around the 3 point arch all day then throws up a desperation 3 with 5 seconds on the shot clock thing. They will most likely get beat by 20. If that happens, I will still have a smile on my face and I will get off my couch, stand up, and clap for John Beilein, CJ Lee, David Merritt, Jevohn Shepard and the rest of the 2008-2009 Wolverines. This group of young men did something special this year, they made The Michigan Wolverine Basketball Program relevant again, which is easier said then done. We have 11 years of proof.

Good Luck Tonight Boys and Go Blue!

Memo to RR: BTW I plan on writing the same post after the Alamo Bowl next year. Please don't let us down. We have already seen what a former WVU coach can do in two years!

John Beilein Should have been Big Ten Coach of the Year!

But he wasn't. The media picked Penn State's head coach Ed DeChellis. The Big Ten coaches choice was Tom Izzo. Where was John B?

Ed DeChellis is a deserving candidate. His Penn State team came back off a 16-16 2007-08 season and went 23-11 this year. His team finished tied for 5th in the Big Ten and is still alive in the second round of the NIT.

Tom Izzo: Everyone knows there is a ton of pressure to win where your on top. You always get every one's best game every night (See Lloyd Carr's career for further evidence). So I don't have a problem giving the award to the coach on the best team. They were expected to win the regular season Big Ten and they did just that.

Ed's Penn State team went .500 last year. Michigan went 10-22 in the 2007-08 season. Michigan this year is 20-13 with wins over Duke, UCLA, Purdue, Illinois, but more importantly an invitation to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 11 years. The argument for Ed is a little stronger with Penn State's 10-8 Big Ten record against Michigan's 9-9, but I'm pretty sure Ed would exchange that one win for an NCAA invite.

To say the cupboard was bare in 2007 is an understatement for the Michigan Basketball Program. They had DeShawn Sims a young sophomore and a highly ranked Freshman named Manny Harris. The rest of the hold overs from the Tommy Amaker days were either not buying into the new system or didn't care to. John took close to nothing and made it into something in just a year. To me that is a huge accomplishment which deserves the Big Ten Coach of the Year Award.

But John won't have any new hardware in his office this year, but he can hold his head high tonight at 7:10 when Michigan plays under the big spot light of the NCAA tournament.

No Play in Game Needed Here...........

Thanks to a BHB reader: if you have an extra $400K and would like to get your company's name near the Big House. You can bid on the naming rights to this building/tree on Ebay. Big House Blog in neon lights near the Big House? I like that!

• Brandon Willis a 6"4 250 lbs. DE has received a Michigan offer. Willis is Rivals #21 ranked prospect in the country. “I think (the most recent offers) are real big,” Willis said. “I would like to get to know more about them. I’ve not talked to any of their coaches, but I’ll be calling them soon.” “I’m going to graduate early, so I’ll make a decision during the season,” Willis said. “I’m still open right now, but soon I’ll be narrowing it down".

• Quarterback Conelius Jones, a Michigan recruit for 2010 doesn't plan on announcing until signing day. Which probably won't make him a Wolverine with the recent addition of Devin Gardner to Michigan's 2010 class. “I’m going to wait until (National) Signing Day to see everything that I can and what else that’s out there,” he said.

• The Michigan basketball team is in KC and will practice tonight from 5:55 - 6:35. For some reason, the 6:00 - 6:40 time slot wasn't available.

• Update from RR's Twitter page: It's a great day to be a Michigan Wolverine! Watching film of yesterday's practice. Our team is working hard everyday! GO BLUE!

Michigan's Recruiting Shamrock Shake

• Cincinnati Moeller's 6-3, 225-pound defensive end Marcus Rush. Was offered a Michigan scholarship this past weekend after he visited for junior day. Can you imagine a better name for a DE then "Rush"?

• ESPN's Bruce Feldman is high on Michigan's young offensive line prospects: Last year, Rich Rodriguez was patient and redshirted seven promising O-linemen. The best of the bunch might be Patrick Omameh, an unheralded sleeper recruit from Ohio State's backyard. Omameh's now a 280-pounder with the agility of a tight end and just one of many reasons for Michigan fans to think they could be challenging for the Big Ten title in 2010.

• In-state prospects that visited Michigan this weekend for junior day include: Cass Tech cornerback Dior Mathis and safety Daniel Easterly, Warren Mott defensive end C.J. Olaniyan, Livonia Stevenson running back Austin White, Warren Fitzgerald linebacker Austin Gray, Saline running back Nick Hill and Renaissance teammates Ishmael Thomas and Mylan Hicks.

• 2010 QB Devin Gardner has verbally committed to the Wolverine coaches but he is going to wait to make his official announcement/press conference until his basketball season is over.

• MSU Football Player Mitchell White has been sentenced to 30 days in jail, $500 fine, 2 years of probation, and 80 hours of community service for the fight he got in with a MSU hockey player this past October.

• Bill Davidson: Many of you know already that Pistons owner Bill Davidson passed away this past weekend. Some of you may not know that, that Bill was the richest man in the state of Michigan, ran track at U of M, and was paying some of Tommy Amaker's salary when he was at Michigan. I also know Rich Rod and Bill took in a Pistons game together last year. So maybe he was involved in RR's financial package some way?

Michigan Monday: A QB Might Want to Transfer to Michigan?

Lately it seems Quarterbacks have been transferring out of Ann Arbor and not in. Jason Forcier (Tate's brother), Ryan Mallet, and Stephen Threet have all taken the train out of A2 the last few years.


Well, former Miami quarterback Robert Marve is considering transferring to Michigan. Robert left Miami after his red-shirt freshman year after starting 11 games in 2008, throwing for 1,293 yards with nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions while splitting time with true freshman Jacory Harris.

Robert plans to visit Ann Arbor, and choose between the Wolverines, Nebraska, Purdue, Texas Tech, South Florida and UCLA. Marve's release from Miami allows him to transfer to any school except an ACC school, Florida, Tennessee or LSU.

• The next big thing is Twitter! Even Rich Rod has a page!

• Nick Sheridan took the first snap of spring ball. I expect Tate Forcier to take the first snap of the Western Michigan game.

• Jewone Snow son of former Wolverine Garland Rivers visited Michigan during junior day. Jewone is a 6"1 middle LB for Canton McKinley.

• Marvin Robinson, a 4 star Safety from Florida has Michigan leading over schools like; Florida, Ohio State, Tennessee, Nebraska, and many more. Marvin has 15 offers to date. “I love the atmosphere at Michigan,” he said. “Also I have a good relationship with the coaches already. They’ve been recruiting me for a while and I’ve gotten to know them well.” He says he’s being recruited by (quarterback) coach Rod Smith. “He’s a great guy,” Robinson said. “We’ve talked a lot about life and the little things too. He’s a good coach and I like how hard they are working to be on top again. “They are pretty excited about next year,” he said. “They signed two top quarterbacks who can run the spread option offense well and they should be much better. I love the history they have and I know they’ll be back.”

• Want to know what John Beilein's Sunday was like? Check this out!

The Drought is Over: Michigan is in the Big Dance!

It's raining in the desert! Michigan is back in the NCAA Tournament!

How difficult was it to watch the CBS selection show last night? Talk about coming right down to the end. When I saw that Wisconsin got a 12 seed, I thought Michigan was in big trouble. Then I saw Minnesota got a 10 seed and I thought that was a good sign.

They made us sweat, didn't they.

So Michigan takes on Clemson on Thursday at 7:10 in Kansas City.

I don't know much about Clemson, but the key to Michigan is the inside - out game. Michigan has to force the ball to Sims down low, so he can pass it back to the shooters on the outside. If Sims can score in the low post and the Michigan shooters can hit 50% of their 3's. Michigan will be a difficult out in the first round.

If Michigan gets wild against Clemson's pressure, the Wolverines could lose by 20. Either way, I don't care. Michigan is back in the tournament and Thursday is the first step back. Next year, Michigan can plan for bigger and better things. This year Michigan has met it's goal, Thursday and beyond is just icing on the cake! Welcome Back Boys! March Madness has missed you!

Michigan goes 2 for 2 with Ohio Recruits at Junior Day

Michigan has been recruiting the talent rich state of Ohio very well the last few years (Michigan landed Ohio's top rated player in 2009, DB Justin Turner). 2010 seems to be another good/great recruiting year for the Wolverines in the buckeye state. Michigan has already landed 4 star Ohio WR Jerald Robinson and now picks up two more recruits from Ohio at Junior Day this past Friday. Both Antonio Kinard and DJ Williamson have pledged to become Wolverines next season. Antonio is 6"4 210 LB from Liberty, Ohio. DJ is 6"1 174 lbs. WR from Warren Harding High School and has been clocked at 4.4 in the 40. Neither player is ranked by Scouts or Rivals yet.


Here are the write ups from Varsity Blue:



Recruiting Notes:
Kinard’s interest in Michigan, and theirs in him, can be easily determined: He’s the younger teammate of 2009 Wolverine signees Fitzgerald Toussaint and Isaiah Bell. However, Michigan fans weren’t really aware of him until even later than that. When Varsity Blue scouted a Youngstown Liberty game in October, we were almost entirely unaware of Kinard, and didn’t focus any attention on him. We did notice a standout linebacker (though we thought at the time it was 2009 linebacker Julius Ferrell), which ended up being Kinard. The Michigan staff, of course, was more diligent in their scouting, and were able to offer Kinard in January. He didn’t take long to accept, giving Michigan his verbal pledge on Junior Day.

Player Notes:
Kinard is a tall linebacker with good athleticism. Though we we were unaware of him as a prospect when we scouted the Liberty game (though he did bust a 50-plus yard touchdown from the fullback position), He, Bell, and Toussaint were by far the most physically impressive in terms of appearance. Much of Kinard’s responsibility in high school was playing the run and rushing the passer, so those are the areas in which he excels. However, with his quickness, he should be able to learn to play the pass very well in addition to the other two. He is still a small-ish guy, so he’ll need to add strength in order to play at the college level. He has a tall frame, and may even be able to add enough weight to play a hybrid OLB/DE position, known as the “spinner” in Greg Robinson’s schemes.


DJ Williamson

Recruiting Notes
Though Warren Harding High School is constantly fighting the reputation that its players and coaches hate Ohio State, there’s no denying that they may have a certain affinity for Michigan. Thanks to successful Wolverines who have hailed from Warren, like Carl Diggs, Prescott Burgess, and Mario Manningham, DJ Williamson was one of those Michigan Wolverines fans. When Rich Rodriguez sent word to Harding High just over a week ago that he was interested in offering DJ, it was a dream come true. However, a commitment didn’t come immediately. First, Williamson made his way up to Ann Arbor for the Michigan Junior Day, where he met with the coaches, and decided that he did indeed want to wear the winged helmet. He became the 4th commitment in Michigan’s class of 2010.

Player Notes
Though Michigan fans may say “ANOTHER receiver?!?,” my inner Lee Corso says “Not So Fast, My Friend.” Like fellow Ohioan Jerald Robinson, Williamson is a very versatile player. He has the skill set to play either on the outside or in the slot, and could even find an eventual home on the defensive side of the ball. Combine that with the fact that Jeremy Jackson may have the potential to move to pass-catching tight end down the road, and the logjam doesn’t look quite so bad. Williamson has very good change of direction skills, nice speed (10.82 100m), and good height (though he’ll likely need to add some bulk to be ready to play at the next level). He also has the ability to be a good return man in the near future.

Welcome to Spring Practice Boys!

Gentlemen, The 2008 season is over. It's 2009 and time for a fresh new start. Preparation for 7+ wins starts today!


Welcome Son. No Pressure. Do you know who Chad Henne is? He took the Wolverines to the Rose Bowl his freshmen year. We expect Rose Bowl every year here in Ann Arbor.

Hey Big Will, let's see that 5 star talent young man!

Coach them up Greg! This isn't Syracuse, NY. Don't let John Beilein's success fool you. This is a Football School!

I went, I saw, and Michigan Lost

Yesterday's game came down to a couple of key points.

• Bad game plan: The first shot of the game was Sims shooting from outside. Not good. I know Illinois is taller then Iowa, but the low post game was non-existent for most of the game. Also, if Illinois is going to guard the 3's on defense the back cuts and low post should have been open. Michigan didn't take advantage of that once.
• Tired Legs: It wasn't hard to see that Michigan was playing in its second game in two days and Illinois was playing it's first. The talent level between the two teams is not that far off, but Illinois length caused Michigan problems all day.
• Too many turnovers, which was caused more by the tired Wolverines then anything.
• Michigan fans didn't travel well: it was like a home game for the Illini.

So coach Beilein is to blame for this one. Sure, it's hard to game plan for a team in one day, but Illinois didn't play that well either. Michigan should have pulled it's starters much earlier in the Iowa game and had a much better game plan on Friday. If Syracuse can go 6 OT's and then win the next day after playing another OT. Michigan shouldn't have been that tired.

What's done is done: So learn from this game, huddle around a TV on Sunday, celebrate your first NCAA invite in a decade, go to bed, and start preparing for Villanova or whoever Michigan draws on Sunday.

Remember this season is still a success when "Michigan" is announced on CBS Sunday night.

Michigan is Playing With House Money!

The Michigan basketball team met it's goal for the 2008-2009 season yesterday. They will be playing in the NCAA tournament this year. They "officially" will be awarded that honor this Sunday when they are selected, but with the 10th hardest schedule, 20 wins, and quality wins over Duke, UCLA, Illinois, and Purdue they should be firmly off the bubble and into the tournament. Some people might say: What type of goal is getting to the tournament? Well, a pretty good one considering, this team is full of freshman and sophomores, that they won 10 games last year, and Michigan hasn't been in tournament in over 10 years!

So now what happens? Michigan plays Illinois today at 6:30. They split their series this year, both winning on their home floors. Illinois guard, Chester Frazier looks to be out of the Michigan game and maybe gone for the rest of the season. Chester was known as a strong defensive player and most likely would have had the Manny Harris assignment if he was healthy today.

So here's to Michigan playing loose and feeling good, I hope they make a nice run this weekend and maybe sniff the sweet 16 in the NCAA. Even if they lose today and have a first round exit in the tournament, this program is back in the tournament for the first time in a decade and Michigan Basketball is relevant again! I'm so pumped up, I'm going to Indy today to watch them take on Illinois!!!

Is it me or is this time of year much better when Michigan has a basketball team? Thank you John Beilien!

Does former WVU coaches know how to turn around a program or what? Let's hope RR has similar plans for the football team.

• BTW: Michigan's Junior Day is today and Spring Practice starts tomorrow. So one program is finishing their season and second year turn around. The other is just starting it's. Tomorrow officially starts the The Tate Foricer reign as Michigan QB!

• Is that's Tate's Cannon going off in the Big House? Today, Michigan will test the sound in the new Michigan Stadium: from 3:30 to 7:00 p.m. on March 13, approximately five tests will be conducted that will sound like a “cannon shot. This cannon shot is relevant it two ways. It's the final shot for the 10 years of probation that the Michigan Basketball Program has suffered thanks to a Ed Martin the loan shark or a New Beginning for the Michigan Football Team!

Great Day to be a Michigan Wolverine!

• Devin Gardner Commits to Rich Rodriguez

• Michigan blows out Iowa 73-45. Michigan had 40 points in the first half. Welcome to the John Beilein era everyone! Michigan is going to the NCAA Tournament!!!

Devin Gardner is Michigan's 4th Commit for 2010

Just when you thought is was ok to sit back and watch the basketball game, Michigan lands it's top choice for QB in 2010, Devin Gardner.

Devin is rated 4 stars by Rivals and checks in at #177 in their top 250.

His announcement was supposed to be Monday, then it was supposed to be Friday, but what the heck just do it now!

This is a huge pick up for the Wolverines and they are off to a very good start for the 2010 recruiting season.

Mgoblog is reporting that he committed to the Wolverine coaches on Wednesday.

This from Rivals and Devin's coach:

He told us that he was going to commit to Michigan," stated Carter. "He's an outstanding player. He was one of the best quarterbacks last year in the state of Michigan and we expect him to get even better next year. He's versatile and he fits that offense perfectly. He can throw the ball and he also can run the football. So I think it's a good choice for him."


The 6-4, 195-pounder is considered one of the best prospects in the state of Michigan for the Class of 2010. He was named to The Detroit News all-state first team after leading the Vikings to the state finals (runner-up).

Big Afternoon for Michigan Basketball and More "Future" Wolverine QB News

Don't you hate when a season comes down to one game? It's exciting and nerve wrenching at the same time. Well, today is one of those days for the Michigan Basketball Team. A win today and they are all most assured a spot in the NCAA Tournament. A loss today, would mean they are right back on the bubble and could easily find themselves playing another home game in the NIT.

Either way, this team has made a nice turn around from a 10 win season a year ago. I hope John Beilein's group is focused and doesn't play tight. Let's hope Manny is being Manny, Sims continues to be a beast in the low post, and Novak and Douglass has the touch from 3.

Mix in some good defense and a few boards and Michigan might be sipping the sweet taste of the big dance for the first time in over a decade. Game is on ESPN2 at 2:30.

• Robert Marve a transfer from the University of Miami is said to be considering the Wolverines. This from his father Eugene: adding that his son will choose among Michigan, UCLA, Oklahoma, Purdue, Texas Tech and USF. I don't even want to run through the QB scenario's if this guy comes to Michigan. Does a Gardner commit mean we are not interested in Marve? Robert was the #8 ranked Pro Style QB in the class of 2007 and a 4 star recruit from Rivals. He is 6"1 210lbs and as a freshmen he threw for 1,293 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions for the Canes.

• Darryl Stonum showed up late for his trial date and might have gotten a pretty severe sentence for his first time DUI. Stonum could potentially face up to 93 days in jail, $300 in fines and 360 hours of community services.

• Devin Gardner might not wait until Monday to announce his decision. He may let everyone know tomorrow, which also happens to be Junior Day for the Wolverines.

• 2010 DE from Kissimmee, Florida B.J. Butler has recently got a Michigan offer.

• James Stallons a QB transfer from Wisconsin might end up playing at Grand Valley.

Rumor Mill: Devin Gardner

Both Rivals and Scout's are reporting that an announcement for Devin Gardner, one of the top dual threat QB's in the country is going to happen soon. For those that don't know Devin, he is a 6"4 195 lbs. QB from Inkster, Michigan. He is rated as one of the top high school football recruits out of the State of Michigan in 2010. William Gholston is rated #1 in the state per Rivals.

Some insiders are saying the announcement may come as early as next Monday.

So bare with me and I will try to piece this together for you:

• Both Michigan recruiting sites are reporting that he will announce soon


• OSU recently said, they are interested in Joe Montana's son at QB and that Devin would be their second choice.


• Michigan's Junior Day is this Friday


• The Night of Champions is Friday night


• Michigan opens Spring Practice on Saturday


• Michigan has 3 verbal commits from top rated WR's in the 2010 class


• Devin is reportedly attending Junior day and The Night of Champions. He may also stay to watch practice on Saturday.


• Stephen Threet has transferred

Does all these pieces fit a Michigan verbal commit? I like our chances!

Let's also not forget another high profile QB named Kevin Newsome did the same thing and then de-committed later in the summer. Though, Kevin wasn't from the Great Lake State!

More to come on this story, but I like how the facts stack up in Michigan's favor.

RR likes the QB's and Other Wolverine News and Notes

• Per the Freep: "I do (feel better) simply because of what we have around them and because they'll understand the system better," Rodriguez said of his quarterbacks as U-M prepares to begin spring practice Saturday morning. "Tate and David and Nick will have a whole spring, and Nick will have had a whole year. I think Denard is a smart enough guy that, in the course of the summer and fall camp, he can learn it."

• The Butler didn't do it! Cleveland State's upset win over Butler last night, really hurt the Wolverines chances for an at large bid because it took away an "at large" open spot. Butler was in either way and now so is Cleveland State. This upset makes a win over Iowa on Thursday "a must" for Michigan to play in the NCAA.

• Offensive Lineman Ricky Barnum has a wrist problem that my need surgery after Spring Ball. Ricky is going to play through the pain during Spring Drills.

• Sparty suspends the running back that was part of a fight with a hockey player last year. "Glenn Winston has been suspended immediately and indefinitely from all football-related activities," Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said in a statement.

• Rivals 100 for 2010 came out yesterday: Some notable names not on the list include: Devin Gardner and Ricardo Miller. Names on the list include #16 Jordan Hicks, #44 William Gholston, and #99 Marvin Robinson.

• It seems Michigan has appealed redshirt rulings for Kenny Demens and Adam Patterson. Neither case has been resolved.

• Carlos Brown is healthy at this point. Let's hope he doesn't have a weight room or spring practice injury this year.

• Do you remember Michigan Basketball Player Josh Moore? I sure don't. I guess Josh played for Michigan for 2000 through early in 2002 season before being dismissed from the team. Well, Josh had a short stint with LA Clippers in the NBA but has spent most of his time playing professional basketball in Iran. Yes, Iran.

BHB Loves Lane Kiffin

I have wrote about Lane Kiffin at Tennessee a number of times already. He seems like a walking recruiting violation and has called "out" about every program in the SEC after just only being on the job for about 3 1/2 months.

We all remember Steve Spurrier's classic line when he was at Florida: "you can't spell Citrus (Bowl) without a U and a T". Well that U and a T now has a guy that go head to head with "the old ball coach" and spit out is own lendgardy one liners during a late night signing day eve recruiting call with soon to be South Carolina commit Alshon Jeffrey. According to Jeffrey and Wilson, Kiffin told Jeffrey that if he chose the Gamecocks, he would end up pumping gas for the rest of his life like all the other players from that state who had gone to South Carolina.

Lane, thank you for making a boring off season, not so boring.

Wolverine News and Notes:

• Manny Harris was named to the first team All Big Ten. Sims was named to the second team.

• There are "rumblings" from some leading recruiting sites that Ohio WR DJ Williamson could be on the verge of committing to the Wolverines after Friday's Junior Day. DJ is 6"1 172 pounds and runs a 4.4 in the 40. DJ plays his high school football at Warren Harding. DJ would be Michigan's 4th WR commit to the 2010 class. RR didn't have a comment on whether Michigan was planning on starting 10 WR's on offense in 2011.

• Cory Zirbel's knee won't allow him to play football any longer. Cory was expected to be a starter last year on the offensive line when his knee started bothering him in summer workouts, during surgery a rare knee condition called femoral condyle defect was found. Cory will help the team has a coach.

Michigan Monday Madness

• Michigan will play Iowa on Thursday (2:30 est) (#7 -#10 seed) in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. Michigan beat Iowa handily at home and then lost in over time at Iowa this year. Michigan needs this win to take themselves off the bubble and firmly into the Dance. If they beat Iowa they will then get to play Illinois in the second round. Again, Michigan beat Illinois at home and lost on to them on the road.

• Michigan has offered 2010 recruit CB Spencer Boyd from Florida

• The Michigan Baseball team played the Mets on Sunday and a football score broke out 18-7. I hope Forcier played well.

• Michigan's Spring Game will be April 11th at Noon.

• Michigan has two big injuries this spring that will keep both players for seeing any action. Sophomore tailback Michael Shaw under went sports hernia surgery and senior linebacker Jonas Mouton will be absent because of shoulder surgery. Both needed Spring Ball, but let's hope they recover quickly and are at full speed this Fall.

Thanks Tubby! The Monkey Might Be Gone!

As many of you know, I have been quiet on the importance of the Michigan - Minnesota game today. I figured if you follow Michigan, you already knewthe importance and I really didn't want to jinx anything. Would the State of Minnesota be good to the Wolverines again? If you remember, the Michigan football team played it's most complete game of the year in the Metro Dome late last fall and came away with the "Little Brown Jug" in a stunning upset.

The State of Minnesota was magical again for the Wolverines as they came away with a 3 point 67-64 win thanks to a time out by Minnesota's head coach Tubby Smith. We can talk about how well, Sims (24 pts) and Lucas-Perry (19 pts. off the bench) played, but the play of the game was Tubby's timeout.

Here's the situation:

Michigan is up by 3 with the shot clock winding down, when Manny Harris tried a top of the key 3 point shot that was rebounded by The Golden Gophers with about 7-8 seconds left. The Gophers push the ball over half court and seconds before a made 3 point shot by Lawrence Westbrook, Tubby Smith calls a time out to set up a play. The Gophers fumble the in bounds pass and it's desperation 3 was no good. Thanks Tubby! Wolverines fans owe you a beer!

Is the Monkey Off the Wolverines Back?

Does 19 wins, get Michigan into the tournament? My guess is Yes! I think they still need to take care of business with at least one win during the Big Ten Tournament in Indy next weekend, but if they do that, they are in! 2 wins next weekend make them a lock.

They have the 11th hardest schedule in the nation and an RPI in the mid 40's. Going .500 in the Big Ten isn't great, but they stayed with UConn for 37 minutes, beat Duke and UCLA. That type of resume should get you into the Dance.

Recruiting Short Cornerbacks

While I was reading a Detroit News article yesterday on fast rising Detroit Renaissance cornerback Mylan Hicks, I started thinking about cornerbacks and height. Mylan is listed at 5"9 167 pounds another high profile CB recruit is Dior Mathis is 5"8 160 and already has a host of offers from the likes of Michigan, Miami, Florida, LSU, Oregon, and many more.

If you look at some of the cornerbacks in the 2010 class that Michigan has offered, most of them are under 6 feet tall:

• Nickell Robey from Florida is 5"10 154
• Lo Wood from Florida is 5"11 163
• Lamarcus Joyner from Florida is 5"8 163

Only Cullen Christian from Pittsburgh is over 6 feet at 6"1 175.

Take a look at the size of the three WR's that have committed to Michigan's class for 2010:

• Ricardo Miller, 6"2 200
• Jeremy Jackson, 6"2 175
• Jerald Robinson, 6"1 17o

So the first thing that might come to mind is: Why are we recruiting tall WR's and shorter CB's?

The reason is a couple things: First, the guys that Michigan has offered at CB are lighting fast. Dior is said to have put up a 4.3 40 yard dash. That is why he is getting offers from every major program. The other guys run somewhere in the 4.5 range.

I also heard an interview with Tommy Tubberville after he left Auburn and was doing some work for ESPN U. He said that CB's in highschool are very hard to find. That taller athletes will look to the offensive side of the ball first at WR, QB, etc. The faster smaller guys have to play corner. So getting a guy that can cover, is fast, and is over 6"0 is impressive.

Just consider what an important pick up Justin Turner was for Michigan in the 2009 class. Justin was not only a 5 star prospect from Scouts, rated Ohio's #1 player, showed he could cover in the Army All American game after recording an interception, and is 6"2 200 lbs.

In conclusion, I'm not saying "don't" recruit shorter CB's because there are not a ton of guys out there that are over 6 feet. I'm just asking junior high and high school coaches and fathers, to have their sons try corner instead of WR, because if your son is 6"2, runs a 4.4 and has good cover skills, he will be able to pick any program he wants.

For now we will have to live with 5"9 fast DB's trying to out jump 6"3 WR's.

Thursday's Thunderdome of Information

• William Gholston, 2010 DE recruit from the state of Michigan had this recently to say, "My biggest offers are from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Purdue, Illinois and Notre Dame." "What's important to me is how comfortable I feel on campus, what the environment is like, and how I feel about the coaches. Like if I have a really good feeling about the coaches, I want to see if they can help me and do something with me. Academics and location don't really matter to me, because I think I can find what I want to major in at basically any school, and location is just not a factor at all." I added the bold and it doesn't look to good for the Wolverines who would be close to home and offer top flight academics. William is planning to attend Junior Day on the 13th of this month.

• ESPN hints that Justin Boren might be OSU's best Offensive Lineman. Where did all those 5 star lineman go? That's right, sorry I all most forgot.

• The OSU athletic department has revenues that equal about a $100 million more a year then Toledo's AD. To help that delta, the Toledo Athletic Department is charging a $100 cover charge for the Toledo-OSU game at Cleveland Browns Stadium next year. This charge will be on top of the regular ticket price. Which in turn, will create about $5 million for Toledo and only a $1 million or so for the Buckeyes. Boy, I'm sure glad I didn't have to pay $200 more to see Threet throw that 100 yard pick 6 last year.

• Big House Hockey: It's happening and against Michigan State on Dec. 11, 2010. I can't wait to see the marching band, "take the field" on the ice. One scheduling conflict that no one is talking about is: What happens if Michigan makes the NCAA Football Playoffs that year and is hosting a home game? I know, that is one big conflict!

• Do you want to follow Michigan Baseball? Well, Varsity Blue is a great place to get your fix. Michigan is currently 7-2 through their Florida swing and take on the Mets this Sunday.

Michigan Football's Walk-On Class in Review

We all know that Rich Rodriguez was a walk on at West Virgina and has a special place in his heart for guys that have to earn a scholarship. Since there has been a lot of news since signing day about Michigan's preferred walk on policy. I thought I would list all the walk on's to date and give you my opinion on who might contribute down the line.

With 3 scholarships left for this year, would any of these guys get/earn a scholarship? They might.............

1. Top Walk on Prospect: goes to New York Offensive Lineman Tom Lindley. Tom was one of the best offensive lineman in New York this past year and is 6"3 300 pounds. Tom earned first team all Long Island and The 2008 Zellner Award winner as Suffolk’s top lineman. He is also a member of the National Honor Society and plans to redshirt during the 2009 season.
2. Adam Barker, OL from Adrian, Michigan. Adam plays the center position and is rated 2 stars by Rivals. He is 6"3 270 pounds.
3. Eddie Murray, a kicker from Royal Oak, Michigan. You might wonder why I have a kicker so high on the walk-on board? Well, you could make a case that Eddie should be ranked #1 in this Walk On class with both of Michigan's kickers graduating last year. Eddie might have the best shot at seeing the field early as a kick off specialist this year!
4. Calvin Smith, FB from Joliet , Illinois. As you might have heard, full back is going to be a position that Michigan will mostly look for walk-on's to fill. Calvin is a big back at 6"2 235 and averaged 5.5 yards per carry in high school.
5. Johnny Childers, FB/LB from Muskegon, Michigan. He most likely will end up at full back and will compete against Calvin for time at the position in future years. Johnny is 6"1 233 pounds and most likely will end up as a back up FB and special teams player. More info on JC here.
6. Nader Furrha, QB from Ann Arbor Pioneer. Nader is a dual threat QB that gives Michigan some depth at a position that seems to be getting lighter by the day. With Threet's recent transfer news Nader becomes even a more important pick up for the Wolverines. With that said, the Michigan coaches hope Tate Forcier is a star and that Denard Robinson is a star in waiting. Most likely Nader will be competing against Nick Sheridan and Robinson for the #2-#4 spots on the roster.
7. Jason Nyhof, DT from Holland Michigan. Jason is 6"3 277 and has a nice frame for a DT. I expect him to spend a lot of time at Club Barwis to see if he can become a factor as an upper-class men. Jason does have the luxury of being at a position of great need for the Wolverines.
8. Nate Brink, team-mate of Jason's from Holland, Michigan is 6"5 218 Nate is way too skinny for a DT and will need to eat a lot of hamburgers before he is even in the conversation.

Larry Raper Is Not Coming to Ann Arbor

Many believed that Michigan might use one of it's 2-3 remaining scholarships for 2009 on former Clemson commit Larry Raper. Larry is a 5"10 165 lbs. athlete from Shelby North Carolina with break away speed but was rumored to have some grade/test issues. The Michigan coaching staff had some "thoughts" of Larry playing CB for the Wolverines.

Larry put all the speculation to rest today and signed with North Carolina A&T. I'm guessing that Michigan wasn't really seriously interested in Larry and did not offer him. Larry had offers from Toledo and South Carolina State.

Wednesday Wolverine News and Notes

• Ryan Mallett's punishment will be: "He'll be in shape, that's for sure," Petrino added. He's going to get up at six o'clock in the morning every day," Petrino continued. "We'll have an eleven o'clock curfew for him for the rest of the semester and then there's going to be some community service involved in it."
  


• Red Berenson, Michigan's Hockey Coach gets a 1 year extension. Red is considering retiring but doesn't know when.
  


• Hockey at the Big House? It might happen after the renovations are completed. A mgoblog reader suggested the idea of a double header with the Red Wings. Sounds like a great idea!

• Michigan's Junior Day will be March 13 and has been named "The Night of Champions". In-state prospects planning to attend include: Detroit Southeastern defensive end William Gholston, Detroit Cass Tech cornerback Dior Mathis, Inkster quarterback Devin Gardner, Warren Fitzgerald linebacker Austin Gray, Charlevoix offensive lineman Bill Ivan and Orchard Lake St. Mary’s quarterback Robert Bolden. Out of State prospect hoping to attend include: Spartanburg, S.C., quarterback Cornelius Jones (6-2, 197 pounds) is and Flower Mound (Tex.) Marcus running back Stephen Hopkins (6-0, 220). Spring practice starts the next day, March 14th.

• Desmond Howard, Michigan Wide Receiver (1989-91) is on the ballot for nomination to the College Football Hall of Fame. This picture alone should get him into the hall.

• ESPN 's Bruce Feldman's Blog on Intriguing new assistant coaches: has #1 Scot Loeffler the former U of M QB coach that is now at Florida to work with Tim Tebow and #2 is Michigan's new defensive coordinator, Greg Robinson.

• Ed Hightower did the Iowa - Ohio State game on The Big Ten Network last night.

Where in the world is Eddie Hightower?

Ed Hightower is a college basketball referee and for some reason is on my TV set every night. Any time, I turn on a game on ESPN or the Big Ten Network, I see Eddie calling fouls. How in the world does he do this? He is everywhere!

Let's take a look at Eddie's last month for an example of what I am talking about:

2009-03-02 Baylor 57 Texas 73 Austin, TX
2009-03-01 Michigan State 74 Illinois 66 Champaign, IL
2009-02-28 Ohio State 50 Purdue 75 West Lafayette, IN
2009-02-26 Purdue 78 Michigan 87 Ann Arbor, MI
2009-02-25 Iowa 54 Michigan State 62 East Lansing, MI
2009-02-24 Penn State 59 Ohio State 73 Columbus, OH
2009-02-22 Northwestern 45 Minnesota 72 Minneapolis, MN
2009-02-21 Marquette 78 Georgetown 72 Washington, DC
2009-02-19 Minnesota 62 Michigan 74 Ann Arbor, MI
2009-02-18 Providence 76 Louisville 94 Louisville, KY
2009-02-17 Michigan State 54 Purdue 72 West Lafayette, IN
2009-02-16 Pittsburgh 76 Connecticut 68 Hartford, CT
2009-02-15 Michigan 70 Northwestern 67 Evanston, IL
2009-02-14 Iowa State 67 Oklahoma State 86 Stillwater, OK
2009-02-12 Buffalo 58 Eastern Michigan 49 Ypsilanti, MI
2009-02-10 Michigan State 54 Michigan 42 Ann Arbor, MI
2009-02-08 Western Michigan 63 Akron 87 Akron, OH
2009-02-07 Indiana 47 Michigan State 75 East Lansing, MI
2009-02-05 St Johns 81 Seton Hall 91 Newark, NJ
2009-02-04 Villanova 94 Providence 91 Providence, RI
2009-02-03 Purdue 72 Ohio State 80 Columbus, OH
2009-02-01 Penn State 72 Michigan State 68 East Lansing, MI
2009-01-31 Wisconsin 63 Northwestern 66 Evanston, IL

In Summary:

• Ed did 23 games over 31 days


• Over those 23 games there were 885 fouls called an average of 38 per game


• Ed did: 14 Big Ten, 5 Big East, 2 Big 12, and 2 MAC games


• For the season Eddie has done 70 games to date
  

Over this time period, Ed hasn't made too many fans happy. Even Ohio State fans are mad at Eddie after their 25 point loss to Purdue over the weekend.

There is even a funny YouTube video with Eddie watching himself on TV.

So is Eddie a bad referee? Maybe, Maybe Not

Is Eddie just a bad ref lately? Maybe, Maybe Not

Is Eddie over worked? Looks like it

Memo to Eddie: The conference tournaments and post season tournaments (NCAA and NIT) are coming up, there could be over 4 games a day depending on the conference tourney and many more at the start of the NCAA tournament. Try not to do all the games or at very least take one of those 5 hour energy drinks. See you tonight.

The Mind of Maurice Clarett

There are many places I would like to go in the sports world. I would like to see a Michigan Football game at Notre Dame, I would like to attend a Super Bowl, play golf at Augusta National, and dress up in funny hats and attend a Kentucky Derby.

One place I never thought I would visit is the Mind of Maurice Clarett. There is a famous TV commercial that stated, "a mind is a terrible thing to waste" I would also argue so is talent.

With newspapers failing at an alarming rate and most Americans getting their news and sports from the Internet, even Maurice Clarett has a blog from prison. Maurice is serving a 7 1/2 year sentence for robbery, carrying a concealed weapon without a permit and resisting arrest. He is currently serving his time at the Toledo Correctional Institution (TCI).

I wasn't aware that inmates were allowed to have Internet access or even have the ability run their own blogs. Do they have cell phones and wireless lap tops as well?

Don't get me wrong, I am all for rehabilitation and having these young men educate themselves while in jail, I just wasn't aware they had the ability to be on the Internet. Does anyone know when the Starbucks at TCI closes?

I wish the best for Maurice and hope he gets his life together. His downward spiral was quick and sad all at the same time. If the blog helps him pass the time, then so be it. I even looked at a few of his posts, it seems his intent is to help enlighten others and give hope where there isn't any: here is an excerpt from one of his posts:

Hate it or love it, I’m here to uplift and offer specific suggestions to people in life altering situations. Pain and loneliness hurt. It births depression. It breaks families up. I don’t hide that part of my life. The things that I speak on are real. I’ve been in many different circumstances throughout these twenty-five years surviving things others could not. Surviving the game of life is drastically different than surviving the 4th quarter of the Fiesta Bowl. Remaining sane while being locked down twenty-three hours a day during the beginning of my incarceration built character and revealed to me what I was really made of. Respect me and the viewers of this blog by bringing something constructive and positive so someone else can possibly change their life

A few commenter's on his site have said that there maybe a ghost writer writing his blog and Maurice says it's all him. My advice is, if your looking for a enlightenment or direction, there are many other sources you can turn to then Maurice's site.

So believe or not, read it or not, but Maurice is now running with the power of the written word over the leather of the pigskin.

Life on the Bubble = Michigan Basketball, Life in a Bubble = Ryan Mallett

I didn't see one play of yesterday's Michigan - Wisconsin game, but all that's important right now is the final score of Michigan 55 Wisconsin 60. Let's be honest with ourselves, we really didn't expect the young Wolverines to come out of Madison with a victory. Michigan couldn't beat Wisconsin at Crisler how are they going to beat them on the road? So that leaves one more game in the regular season, a trip to Minnesota next weekend and yes, it's a must win for the NCAA tournament.

In my opinion, Michigan now needs that road win against Minnesota and two wins in the Big Ten Tournament in Indy to get a bid to the "Big Dance". Let's hope John Beilein can work in a couple new plays and motivate the kids with a week off between games.

and now for the rest of the story, (a small little tribute to Paul Harvey who passed away this weekend):

Ryan Mallett is a talented young man and he knows it. He was the second ranked QB out of high school, a 5 star prospect with a rocket arm and a big 6"7 frame. During his freshman year at Michigan he ended up getting more playing time then expected due to a shoulder injury to senior QB Chad Henne. He played well at times in wins over Notre Dame and lousy other times like in a loss to Wisconsin. He was talented but cocky on the field and in football that's usually a good thing (most of the time).

Well, it seems Ryan didn't leave the cockiness on the field and carried it where ever he went. There were countless rumors of him parting while in Ann Arbor and not taking football as seriously as he should. But let's face it, we all did that in college, but none of use were rated one of the best players in the country coming out of high school.

After Lloyd Carr, decided to hang it up, Ryan saw that likes of Strength and Conditioning coach Mike Barwis and saw Rich Rod's spread offense and figured he needed a new place to play. So he jumped ship and docked at Arkansas the new home of Bobby Petrino who had just left his NFL job during the season to coach Razorbacks. Many saw this a dream come true, a 5 star QB going home to an offensive genius for a coach. In fact, Arkansas was so happy with the new combo, they tried to petition the NCAA to see if they could get Ryan eligible right away. Of course they were denied. The case never had a chance.

Fast forward to March 1st, Ryan is being interviewed by the Sporting News, evidently his scout team practices were "legendary" last year, Spring Ball is right around the corner, and the long wait for Ryan to lead the Razorbacks is coming to an end.

But wait! Something happened on the way to the Heisman and the three National Championships. Ryan was being Ryan this past weekend and got into a little bit of trouble:

Fayetteville police arrested Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett on a public intoxication charge early Sunday outside of a nightspot near campus.


The 20-year-old Mallett was booked into the Washington County Jail at 3:47 a.m. after Fayetteville police arrested him on Dickson Street. Mallett was released on bond about an hour later.

“I am very disappointed that Ryan Mallett put himself in a situation that doesn’t reflect positively on him or on our program,” Petrino said. “All members of the Razorback football team have a responsibility to conduct themselves in an appropriate manner on and off the field. While the legal process has not yet taken its course in this matter, Ryan will face internal team disciplinary action for not representing the Razorbacks in a way that is required of our student-athletes.”

You can either be in two camps in this situation. 1) No big deal, it's just a kid being a kid. 2) It is a big deal, he is 20 years old and shouldn't be drinking or at the very least making a scene outside a night club, so that you get arrested.

Here is my take, Ryan needs to be knocked down a few notches. (even his mug shot looks cocky) Yes, he is talented and has a high ceiling but so did another famous Ryan, Ryan Leaf. I hope he learns from this experience and stays low for awhile. Right now Ryan is more hype then results. There will be plenty of pressure on him when the season starts and if he doesn't check himself now the future might be more like Ryan Leaf then Matt Ryan.

Let's hope Mallett picks the right Ryan to mirror his career after.

Update with more details:

According to the report, Shepard noticed that Mallett could not stand up straight, had blood-shot and watery eyes and a heavy odor of intoxicants on his breath. Shepard also detected the faint odor of burnt marijuana coming from Mallett's person. Shepard stated in the report that Mallett's voice was extremely slurred and at times his speech was incoherent.
When asked by Shepard if he had been smoking marijuana, Mallett said that he had not, according to the report. When asked if he had been around those smoking marijuana, Mallett said he had, according to the report.

Shepard stated in the report that Mallett lost his balance and had to step back to regain his composure several times during their conversation. During a field sobriety test in which the officer asked Mallett to follow his moving finger with his eyes, Mallett lost his balance and nearly fell backwards, according to the report.

Shepard said in the report that he told Mallett to call for a ride home. Mallett made several calls but was unable to make contact with anyone. Shepard noticed that Mallett appeared to lose focus during his attempts to make the calls and that he began to stare off into the distance before again attempting to make a call.