Devin Gardner Impresses During UA Bowl Practice

From ESPN: Michigan pledge Devin Gardner (Inkster, Mich./Inkster) displayed good short-to-intermediate arm strength, and impressed with his ability to improvise out of the pocket and make plays with his feet.


Det News and Scout added: "(Devin Gardner) really impressed me a lot," Vogt added. "He was bigger than I expected him to be. His arm was everything that people made it out to be. He was accurate. He immediately started taking first-team reps on (the Black team) ahead of (Alabama commit Phillip Sims) and (Washington commit) Nick Montana. He clearly, in my opinion, is the top quarterback on that team. He's got as much potential as any quarterback I've seen in the state of Florida this year. He'd be the No. 1 quarterback in Florida straight out this year and that's really saying something. I think he has a really bright future at Michigan. He is a top-10 quarterback in the country and a kid that looks like he can play early in his career at Michigan."

• The Cincinnati Bengals signed Carson Butler to the practice squad. Hopefully Dhani, Leon, and Morgan can keep him from trying to beat up any teammates.

Michigan Wednesday: Deals with Basketball Business

Michigan opens the Big Ten season tomorrow at noon and coach John Beilein had some announcements yesterday regarding the Michigan Basketball program.

• 7 footer Ben Cronin is again done for the year and his basketball career might be over. He has not been able to recover from his hip injury as they had hoped. He will stay at Michigan to get his education. Good luck to Ben!
  


• Michigan assistant coach and former head coach of Penn State, Jerry Dunn is leaving the Michigan program to deal with some family issues. There is not a time table for how long Jerry will be gone but Michigan will welcome him back when he is ready to return. Jerry is a class guy and lets hope his family issues are resolved soon.

• Former Michigan recruit and Detroit native Alex Legion who committed to play for Tommy Amaker before he got let go, signed with Kentucky, then transferred to Illinois, is now transferring again. Let's all say thank you to Alex for not sticking with his Michigan commitment.

• Former Michigan Basketball player Ekpe Udoh who transferred to Baylor now leads the Big 12 with 3.9 blocks per game and ranks second in rebounds (9.8). Michigan sure could use those numbers these days.

Football Business:

• Make sure you tune into the Under Armour Bowl this weekend to see a sneak peak of Michigan's future QB, Devin Gardner (pictured above). If your interested in expanded coverage, ESPN/U will show a practice today, a skills presentation on Friday, and the game on Saturday at 11:00 AM EST. Other players of interest include: William Gholtson, Kenny Shaw, and Torrian Wilson.

• Michigan has offered Myrtle Beach junior quarterback Everett Golson for the 2011 class. Everett completed 224-of-356 pass attempts for 3,529 yards and 47 touchdowns with three interceptions this season. He also rushed for 199 yards and five scores.

Should They Even Play The Alamo Bowl?

What is going on in college sports these days? Texas Tech head football coach Mike Leach is being accused of locking one of his players in an equipment room and a closet for hours just because he had a minor concussion. The player in question is Adam James, son of ESPN football announcer Craig James. Leach has been suspended from coaching in the Alamo Bowl.

My first reaction is: What? Why would a coach do that? That seems very out of line. Second, is why do it to Adam James, when you know his father has a platform to report such abuse? If this really happened, Mr. Leach is going from a hot coaching prospect (who just signed a 5 year 12.7 Million Dollar extension less then a year ago) to being out of work. I guess you can call a screw up like this a Gary Barnett (a good coach, who did stupid things that cost himself a career in coaching). If these allegations are true, I'm guessing that Texas Tech has "cause" to fire Leach and not pay him the remaining years on his contract.

Good thing that is the only story out coming out of the Alamo Bowl. Wait a second...............isn't Texas Tech playing Michigan State?

Yes, Michigan State has it's own suspensions they have to deal with. Would you have guessed 11? With two players completely thrown off the team for a fight in an MSU Dorm. The suspensions include staring wide receivers B.J. Cunningham and Mark Dell and starting cornerback Chris L. Rucker.

So MSU is down 13 players and Texas Texas has lost it's head coach for the game. Remember the Alamo? Not this year.

Michigan Monday: Recruiting Update

Since this is the silent period, not much is happening in recruiting circles these days. With that said, there are a few updates regarding the Wolverines.

• Jibreel Black a DE from Cincinnati will visit Ann Arbor in January. Jibreel is currently a verbal to University of Cincinnati and was formally committed to Indiana. Jibreel and the Michigan coaches have stayed in contact during his recruitment.

• Todd Chandler, a four-star DT prospect from Miami (FL) Northwestern might visit Rich Rod and Ann Arbor on 1/22. He is currently a South Florida commit. He is also being recruited by Charlie Strong the new head coach at Louisville. Todd is also a teammate of current Michigan recruit Torrian Wilson, who maybe attending Ann Arbor with Todd on the 22nd.

• Johnathan Hankins a DT from Detroit might announce his college decision this week. His father said a few weeks ago that Johnathan would announce before Christmas which didn't happen. His final 3 are Michigan, Ohio State, and Florida with some recruiting insiders suggesting the Alabama might be making a late run at him.

• It seems Michigan has some interest in Tennessee committed linebacker Mike Taylor.

• Michigan's recruiting pipeline at Detroit's Cass Tech might have take a quick detour with CB Dior Mathis who many believe will end up an Oregon Duck.

• Michigan Seniors Brandon Graham and Zoltan Mesko are going to play in the Senior Bowl in Alabama.

How the Urban Meyer Situation Relates to Rich Rodriguez

What a holiday weekend. The biggest name in college football decides to retire due to health and family concerns then goes to practice and decides he can't live with out football and takes a leave of absence. He said, in his gut that he would be back for the first game next year. So what has changed? Is he going to skip a few recruiting trips? Maybe sit out spring practice?

I'm not a big fan of Lou Holtz on ESPN but he did say something that made sense this weekend on the Urban Meyer situation. He said, never make a decision when your tired and under stress. Wait for your season to be finished, get some rest, and then make the right decision. Urban didn't take that advise this weekend and made an admirable decision for his family when he is at the top of his profession and then 24 hours later made a decision that seemed to leave his family behind. He didn't even talk to his family before making this new decision, he went to practice, knew he couldn't live with out football and his family seemed to take a back seat.

Don't get me wrong, the leave of absence was probably the right choice all along but the way it came off this weekend was very puzzling.

How does this situation relate to Rich Rod? We have seen how stress can effect a head coach. Rich Rod left a job that "pissed off" an entire state, he has won 8 games in two years in Ann Arbor, he has lost players from the program who have thrown him under the bus on the way out, he has had to play 3 different freshman QB's, and his program is being investigated by the NCAA due to a newspaper report that Rich maybe over working his players. Do you think that can cause a little stress in one man's life? Rich has mentioned a few times he doesn't get much sleep these days.

Will stress effect Coach Rod's health at some point? It has to. We don't know how Urban and Rich run their programs behind closed doors. Does Rich delegate more then Urban? We really don't know. What I do know, is, if a man who is winning national championships can have major stress that makes him re-think his work life balance, another high profile coach that hasn't made a bowl game in two years in a new job must be feeling even more pressure and stress.

Let's hope Rich Rod is managing his stress, spending time with family, and working hard to turnaround the Michigan Program. Everyone needs the proper work life balance. We can even look into Michigan's past history for an example. Bo Schemblecher had heart health issues while coaching and and probably should have shut it down much earlier then he actually did.

There is always something to do in big time college coaching: game planning, film watching, hiring coaches, dealing with player issues, talking with the media, recruiting, public events, alumni outings, and probably a 100 other things. These guys make a lot of money, but their body doesn't care and neither does their family when "coach" misses a birthday or a soccer game.

Breaking News: Urban Meyer Out as Head Coach of Florida

ESPN is reporting that Urban Meyer is stepping down as head coach of the Florida Gators . The report is that he wants to focus on his health (which he says he has ignored for the past 24 years of coaching) and to spend more time with his family. He was admitted to the hospital with chest pains after the SEC Championship game. So one potential theory is that he is having some heart issues.

He will coach the Sugar Bowl against Cincinnati. Urban will address the media on Sunday afternoon for the regular Sugar Bowl press conference. More to come on this story.............

On a side note, Florida lost their top assistant coach, Charlie Strong a few weeks ago to the head coaching job at Louisville.

Happy Holidays From the Big House Blog

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to Michigan Fans Everywhere!

Jay Hopson is "Walking in Memphis"

Michigan's linebackers coach Jay Hopson has taken the defensive coordinator role at Memphis.

“Yea,” he replied when asked if the internet reports were true. “It was an honor and a privilege to coach for Coach Rodriguez and be a part of his staff. They are wonderderful coaches and even better men. They will make Michigan very proud."

Hopson leaving makes a possible difficult decision for Coach Rod and easy one. The poor state of the Michigan defensive can be pointed to 3 things: lack of depth, inexperienced players and very poor linebacker play from experienced starters.

So why does highly ranked experienced players fail on the field? Most of the time, you point towards coaching. Ask Charlie Wies.

Jay came to Michigan two years ago with a reputation for being a strong recruiter in the Southern states like Mississippi and Louisiana. His biggest recruitment was probably his biggest recruiting failure with the signing day losses of two (much needed) defensive lineman in the 2009 class. The two young men in question picked Texas Tech and Arkansas over Michigan after verbally committing to the Wolverines for months.

Many had expected that Jay would be relieved of his duties during this off season. I assume he saw the writing on the wall and found a new job. Sorry Memphis fans, this isn't the most glowing report card for your new DC.

Brian at Mgoblog suggests that Corwin Brown a former Wolverine player and recently departed DC at Notre Dame will be a candidate to replace Hopson. I agree that Brown would be great on the Michigan staff and he would also bring a strong recruiting reputation. Brian puts it perfectly in saying that: This makes Rodriguez 0/2 on his new hires since coming to Michigan, with Greg Robinson currently sporting an incomplete. If Rodriguez doesn't make it at Michigan the guys he picked to run his defense will be a primary factor.

Michigan's Recruiting Class 2010: The Final Spots

I wrote a post last week talking about the players still left on the board for the Wolverines. Since then we have had players commit elsewhere and Josh Furman commit to the Maize and Blue.

Let's do a quick re-cap of the past week and then discuss the remaining few that will fight for the final spots on Michigan's 2010 Roster:

It's OK they went with OK:
Two top San Diego prospects Kenny Stills, WR and Tony Jefferson, LB decided last week to play their college football for Bob Stoops. Kenny would have been nice to have for the Wolverines but Tony at LB was the much bigger need.

Welcome to Ann Arbor:
In the past week, Michigan has gotten two solid commitments from Richard Ash, a defensive end from Florida and Josh Furman, an athlete/linebacker from Maryland. Both of these players fill important depth positions for the Wolverines in the 2010 class.

Who is looking good to be Blue?
The combo package of Florida teammates: Tony Grimes, CB and Clarence Murphy, DE. Both want to play for the same college and have Michigan has their leader. Tony though is planning some trips/visits to SEC schools in January. They both are planning to announce on February 3rd signing day.

If you consider Murphy and Grimes to be "silent" commits that would leave one more spot for Michigan's 2010 class. Many recruiting insiders have said they are silent, just so they don't lose their spots by waiting until signing day to announce.

Who is on the fence?

Michigan has two important prospects still on the fence for maybe the last spot in the class. Both are highly ranked players: Sean Parker a 4 star safety from California who has Michigan, CAL, and USC in his final 3 and Johnathon Hankins a defensive tackle from Detroit who has Michigan, OSU, and Florida in his final 3. I like both players and both fill needs for the Wolverine defense. If you asked me to choose, I would pick Parker who could be a real game changer on defense and has the skills to play early as a freshman. Parker plans on announcing on signing day and most expect Hankins to make his final decision sometime during the holiday season.

Who is a longer shot?

Torrian Wilson, offensive lineman from Miami is still committed to Stanford after having Michigan has is leader early on in the process. He will take another visit to A2 in January. It would be nice to have another offensive lineman in this class, but I think he will play for Jim Harbough next year. Update: Torrian de-committed from Stanford this afternoon and announced a top 3 of Michigan, Tennessee, and USF. Maybe we should move him up to the "fence" category?

Rashard Knight, DB Florida: has always had Michigan high on his radar but missed his flight for the Ohio State game. I think he is still a candidate to commit to the Wolverines but might need to do it fast.

Jatashun "Big Tex" Beachum: A defensive tackle that was real excited about Michigan after his visit but still is committed to Arkansas. I think "Big Tex" will stay close to home and get to know Ryan Mallett.

So here is the deal: Michigan most likely has one more spot in this class if they don't get any de-commits or pull an offer due to a player not being eligible academically. The rumor mill says there are two players that are borderline on not being eligible. Michigan needs to fill all the spots in the class and most likely will have to go in another direction if a kid isn't on track after his first semester grades or with their latest test scores.

If you remove the recruiting silent period/holiday season. There really is only the month of January left in the recruiting race for the 2010 class. Time is ticking and decisions need to be made quickly. It might be cold in Ann Arbor these days, but recruiting will be a hot topic in January.

Josh Furman Goes Blue and is Michigan's 24th Verbal for the 2010 Class

Josh Furman announced a few minutes ago at the Crab Bowl that he will be a Wolverine next year. Josh is rated a 3 star athlete by Rivals and ESPN and 4 stars to Scouts. Michigan has plans for him as an outside linebacker. Here is part of ESPN's evaluation: Furman is a big, rangy and physical football player with good vertical speed for such a lengthy athlete. Tall and physically intimidating as an outside linebacker. This guy is a real threat rushing from the outside. Has enough quickness to accelerate by an offensive tackle and drop back in coverage.

Josh has a great frame at 6"3 and 200 pounds and has a 40 time at 4.37. I'm sure the Michigan coaches will look for him to add on some weight and spend some time with Barwis. Here is what Josh had to say about Barwis: "It blew me away, it blew my dad away, it blew all of us away," Furman said after his Michigan official visit. "Usually I don't pay attention to that when I visit colleges because you are going to get the weights, but the things he has his players doing, I've never seen that on any of the visits I've had."

Josh picked Michigan over Virgina Tech but had an impressive offer list from schools like; North Carolina, Oklahoma, WVU, Miami, Purdue, Maryland, and others.

Josh Furman to Announce Tonight

Michigan linebacker prospect Josh Furman is announcing his college choice tonight during a local Maryland high school all star game, The Crab Bowl. The announcement is expected during the 4th quarter.

The Crab Bowl has been re-schedule from this past Saturday due to the winter storm that hit the East Coast. Josh will not be playing in the game due to a minor knee injury he sustained in the State Finals game. "It's very frustrating," Furman said. "It's the best players in Maryland, representing Maryland and showing their talent. This was going to be a game where I could showcase my talent against the best players."

On Rivals Josh is considered a 3 Star athlete and the #31 athlete in the nation. Josh will decided tonight between Michigan and Virgina Tech. As you can tell from the recent BHB Poll, Michigan fans consider Furman to be most important recruit left on Michigan's board.

Josh has let both schools coaches know where he will be playing next year. Tonight is strictly a public announcement: "I made up my mind a month ago," he said. "It was very tough to keep it quiet. Once I made my decision, some colleges started to turn up the heat. I had to tell them I made my decision and it's done. It's kind of tough because nowadays you build such good relationships with the college coaches."

"When I made the decision, I had to make sure I was 110 percent sure. It is my decision, and I'm excited to roll with it. It was actually a college I never thought I would end up at, but I'm comfortable heading up there for the next four or five years." note the "up" and never thought I would end up there :)

On a side note, the Crab Bowl is down a few local stars due to a policy that doesn't allow players to play in multiple all star games.

Last note: Josh is familiar with the weight room and Barwis shouldn't scare him too much. Here is a picture for the ladies of the Big House Blog........

Donovan Warren is Going To The NFL

Well, it's official. Michigan will even be more depleted in the defensive backfield in 2010 as Donovan Warren has let Coach Rod know that he is heading to the NFL for sure.

“He’s officially gone,” Warren’s father Alvin told GoBlueWolverine moments ago. “He told Coach Rod this morning.”

Warren had 63 tackles and 4 picks (with 1 TD) in 2009. He is also rated the #2 junior CB in the draft by Mel Kiper.

DW has also hired a famous agent: "I'm confident in my ability," he said. "I'm ready for the next chapter in my life." (on his NFL status) "It was pretty broad, but they said I could go in the first or second round," said Warren, adding he has signed with agent Drew Rosenhaus.

This loss to the Michigan defense means that freshman Justin Turner is most likely a starter (competing with JT Floyd) at one corner with Troy Woolfolk at the other. True freshman Cullen Christian, Courtney Avery, and Adrian Witty will also get a shot at playing time.

This news may also have an affect on the recruitment of California Safety Sean Parker who has Michigan in his top 3 with CAL and USC. Having Sean on the team would allow Woolfolk to stay at corner (he moved from the safety position late in the year).

There is also a chance that former 5 star recruit Boubacar Cissoko gets re-instated if he gets his academics in order.

Michigan Football Recruiting Blitz: Class 2010

In the past two years, this time of year Michigan has been hitting the recruiting trail to find new prospects to fill up the class. This year it's a little different. Michigan has 23 committed players for the 2010 class and one player from the 2009 that will enroll next month.

Speaking of enrolling early, Michigan may have up to 8 players enrolled after the holiday. Those 8 include: Deerfield Beach, Florida CB Adrian Witty, Ann Arbor wide receivers Jeremy Jackson and Ricardo Miller, Livonia running back Austin White, Avon Lake, Ohio, offensive center Christian Pace, Flower Mound, Tex., running back Stephen Hopkins, Eagle Lake, Fla., safety Marvin Robinson and Canton, Ohio, wide receiver Jerald Robinson.

With 3 spots still open from the 2009 class, the informal word from the Big Ten is that Michigan will be allowed to sign 28 players in this current class. With the commitment of Richard Ash, Michigan has 24 players filling up those 28 spots.

So who is still left on the board for the Wolverines in the 2010 class?

• Josh Furman, LB/Athlete (3 Star) from Maryland is scheduled to make a decision on Saturday at The Crab Bowl. The experts believe that Josh will pick the Wolverines. Josh has told the coaches his decision already put it will become public on Saturday. Update: the Crab Bowl has been delayed until Monday due to poor weather. So Josh's announcement might be delayed a few days.

• The package of San Diego Stars Tony Jefferson, LB (4 Star) and Kenny Stills, WR (4 Star). The combo is making their announcement tonight on local TV. They are down to USC, Oklahoma, and Michigan. They both visited Michigan for the Ohio State game. The experts expect the combo to pick Oklahoma on Friday. Update: They did pick Bob Stoops team last night.

• In-State DT Johnathon Hankins (3 Star). Michigan just offered JH a couple of weeks ago. They told him at a Michigan camp this summer that they would assess him after his senior year. The Michigan coaches did and offered him a scholarship. JH is the classic recruit that loves the last place he visited. Florida was #1 after his trip there, Michigan was number #1 two weeks ago after his visit, and OSU is #1 after last weekends visit. The longer it take for him to make a decision the better it is for him to choose the Wolverines. With that said, he father has been quoted as saying that Johnathon wants to make a decision by Christmas.

• The Package Deal of Tony Grimes, CB (3 Star) and Clarence Murphy, DE (3 Star) high school teammates from Florida. Both have said that Michigan is their leader and want to announce on signing day. Some have suggested they are "silent" commits so they don't lose their spots in the class.

• Rashard Knight, CB from Florida (4 Star) seems very interested in Michigan but missed his flight for his official visit during the OSU weekend. Still wants to visit after the holidays and the quiet recruiting period.

• Torrian Wilson, an Offensive Guard from Miami (4 star). He was an early Michigan lean but committed to Stanford which seems to be a little soft since he still wants to take some visits to Michigan and Tennessee.

• Sean Parker, Safety from California (4 star). Sean doesn't like to talk about his recruitment too often but it's believed that ND and Michigan are his two leaders. Sean recently visited Ann Arbor. Update: Sean has said his final 3 are Michigan, USC, and CAL. Sean would be a huge pick up for the Wolverines at Safety. It would also allow the Michigan coaches to move Marvin Robinson to LB (another 4 star safety in this class).
  
• Jatashun Beachum, "Big Tex" is a large QB/DT prospect (3 Star) from Dallas. The Michigan coaches have told him that he can play QB on the goal line if he comes to Michigan but of course they would like him full time on the defensive line. Big Tex did visit Michigan and really enjoyed it, which made him re-think his commitment to Arkansas. As time goes by, the memory of Ann Arbor will fade and his commitment grows stronger for the Hogs.
  

So there are 10 players on the above list for 4 remaining spots. If you consider Furman, Grimes, and Murphy silent commits there is 1 open slot. So why is the Michigan staff still recruiting all the above players and others not on the list so hard? There is a rumor that not all of Michigan's 24 players are fully academically eligible at this point. Michigan may have told them they will wait until their first semester grades come out and decide after that if they still have an offer. Some players may also be looking at other schools and might de-commit.

Could more spots open up? They might and it seems the Michigan coaches continue to recruit to the final bell.

Michigan Thursday: All Fresh

• Michigan had a number of players on the Big Ten - Sporting News All Freshman Team as you might expect. The current members are: Tate Forcier, Roy Roundtree, Jordan Kovacs, and Craig Roh.

• Coach Rod was at a banquet and on the radio this morning and addressed a few issues: Brandon Smith missed the last team meeting and he expects him to transfer. On a side note Brandon's mom would prefer if he stayed at U of M. Boubacar is interested in getting back on the team, but still has a number of academic goals he needs to reach. Warren continues to look into the NFL but has not made a final decision and continues to communicate with the Michigan coaches.

• Holly Press Box Batman! Per Ann Arbor.com:

• Michigan coaches talk about the passing of Chris Henry: RR: “I am deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Chris Henry,” Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez said this morning in a statement released by the university.“Our thoughts and prayers go out to his fiancé, children and their families as they deal with this sudden and tragic loss. “I enjoyed our time together at West Virginia, and we shared a lot of great moments. I have many fond memories of our three years together and will remember those forever. Chris will be missed by many, and he will always have a place in my heart.
  
  Calvin Magee: “I am in shock over the news of Chris Henry’s passing. I remember recruiting Chris to West Virginia like it was yesterday. “He came from a humble background and was a wonderful young man and football player. Chris was like a son to me, and I will cherish all the great memories that I have of him. His family is in my thoughts and prayers.”

• Corwin Brown to interview for the open head coaching job at Buffalo.

A Moment of Silence for Cincinnati Bengal Chris Henry

As, I'm sure you know by now Chris Henry died early this morning after being thrown from a back of a truck.

My condolences goes out to the Henry family and the Cincinnati Bengals Organization.

My thoughts are also with Rich Rodriguez and the current and former West Virgina staff that coached Chris in college.

Former Wolverines and current teammates of Chris includes: Dhani Jones, Leon Hall, Morgan Trent, and earlier in both of their careers Chris Perry.

Central Michigan - University of Cincinnati Connection (and a former Wolverine rumor)

Editors Note: The below post comes from CMU Insider and Big House Blog reader Augusta J. Michigan fans will be interested in the rumor on the next head coach at CMU.

Brian Kelly Leaves CMU before the Bowl game 3 years ago.
Jeff Quinn coaches CMU in the Bowl Game and wins.
He says hire me ASAP or I am going to Cincy with Kelly. Central hires Butch Jones and says “Don’t let the door hit you In the butt on the way out”.

ND hires Brian Kelly.
Jeff Quinn is set to coach Cincy in the Bowl game VS the Gators.
Butch Jones is hired as Cincy's next coach. No idea who is coaching CMU in the bowl game- Butch or someone else??? editors update: former Michigan assistant coach Steve Stripling (not the hair club for men guy) will coach The Chips in the bowl game and has been named the interim head coach.


To sum up:
Twice, Quinn has been passed over for Butch. Do you think Butch is on Quinn’s Christmas Card List? Is Quinn a candidate for the CMU job now? Is he going to ND with Kelly? I am pretty sure he will not be staying at Cincy. How awkward will it be in the halls of the UC's football offices with both of them there. A little déjà vu I assume……………..

Fast Fact: Butch Jones was a two time letter winner in football at Ferris State University and is a native of Saugatuck, Michigan.


Rumor Mill:

• CMU Insider says Scott Loeffler (the ex UM QB, QB coach and Detroit Lions QB coach) is the favorite to come off the Gator staff and take over the head coaching job at CMU.

Michigan Lands It's 24th Commitment for 2010: Richard Ash Looks to Spark the Michigan Defense

Rich Rodriguez has had a lot of success recruiting Pahokee, Florida and he just added another high profile commit on the defensive line, Richard Ash. Richard is considered a 4 Star defensive tackle to Rivals with an offer list from the who's who in college football: Florida, FSU, USC, UCLA, Miami, South Carolina, WVU and so on. Some of the bigger programs "cooled" on Richard after they started to fill up and performance at a U of F camp last summer.

Still a number of programs continued to recruit the 6"4 263 pound tackle and he committed to West Virginia a couple of weeks ago. Still, the current Pahokee contingent in Ann Arbor wouldn't give up and convinced Richard to take a visit to Ann Arbor for the Ohio State game. (It always amazes me when Florida kids visit in November and come away very excited to be a Wolverine. That really talks to Ann Arbor, the University, and the football program). Current Wolverines Martavious Odoms,Vincent Smith and Brandin Hawthorne all hail from the Pahokee, (aka The Muck) Florida.

Ever since the Michigan visit the rumors have been swirling that Richard was very interested in committing to the Wolverines but didn't want to de-commit from WVU. With the recent news that West Virgina's Assistant Head Coach and top Florida recruiter Doc Holliday was taking the Marshall head coaching job, Richard had an opening and made the final decision to become a Wolverine.

Richard gives Michigan much needed depth on the D-line but the Michigan coaches would like the luxury of red shirting Ash in 2010 so he can add on weight, work on technique, and get "Barwised".

What's next? This is commit number 23 for the 2010 class and there are only a few remaining spots. Michigan plans to sign 28 players in February due to under signing the 2009 class and an estimated 8 early enrollees in January.

The other big question is: What does this do to the recruitment of instate defensive line prospect Johnathon Hankins who is down to Ohio State, Florida, and Michigan? The inside word on Hankins is that he is 50/50 between Michigan and Ohio State and an announcement could come as early as next week. Michigan would love to have both Hankins (who plays more middle/nose guard) and Ash in this class.

Michigan Wednesday: Minor's Injury Was Serious and Big 10 Expansion

It's now very clear that Brandon Minor was seriously hurt late in the year. He tore his rotator cuff against Purdue and just had surgery a few days ago. Here is a quote from Brandon's mom: "He's still not feeling too well," Gilliam said. "They had a problem controlling his pain. He ended up having to be taken back into emergency. He was discharged (Sunday). He's doing a lot of sleeping."

Let's hope Brandon can heal quickly and still show the NFL scouts that he should be drafted. Right now he is predicted as a second day draft choice. If Brandon is healthy he can be an effective NFL running back.

• No more Cornflakes: Corwin Brown former Michigan Wolverine and now former Defensive Coordinator for Notre Dame. It seems Brian Kelly has other plans for the ND defense next year and let "cornflakes" go yesteryday. Does this mean Corwin could be a candidate to join RR's staff? He is known as a strong recruiter.


• Cincinnati Loves The Chips! It seems the University of Cincinnati has hired their second head football coach from Central Michigan, Butch Jones. As you know, Brian Kelly also came from Central Michigan. Butch is a Rich Rod disciple and is taking over a very talented team that went un-defeated in the regular season and plays Tim Tebow and the Gators in a BCS Bowl. Butch's Buy Out increases if he leaves CMU before the bowl game, so it will be interesting to see what the decision is regarding Centrals Bowl game.


• Josh Furman a 3 star Linebacker/Athlete will announce between Michigan and Virgina Tech on Saturday after the high school all star game called the Crab Bowl. Furman is not going to play in the Crab Bowl due to a sprained Posterior Cruciate Ligament that he got during the state finals in Maryland. As you will see in the poll on the right had side, the Michigan faithful believe Josh is Michigan #1 priority for the remaining 2010 recruits.

This is has been covered by most every blog, so I will give you my quick take on the Big Ten Expansion. I agree with the coaches this needs to happen. The Big Ten loses a ton of exposure in early December with all the conference championship games. The Big 11 needs one more team to balance out the divisions. I'm guessing even a 12th team wouldn't change the name of the conference.

Big Ten's Candidate List:

1. Notre Dame - Makes the most sense but won't happen due to the TV contract and already been turned down once.


2. Missouri - Also makes sense from regional perspective and they now have a solid football program. I'm not sure why Missouri would want to leave the Big 12, but they will listen to offers. Per SI.com: University of Missouri spokeswoman Mary Jo Banken said the school hasn't been contacted by the Big Ten. "Should there be an official inquiry or invitation, we would evaluate it based on what is in the best interest of MU, athletically and academically," she said in an e-mail.


3. Pitt - Having Pitt brings an instant rivalry with Penn State and a very well known head coach. They have solid academics and would be willing to leave the Big East in a minute. The downside is they play at Heinz Field where the Steelers play and that field by late in the year is a mess. (Why haven't they gone to field turf?) They also don't get close to filling that stadium.


4. Rutgers - Academics and a decent football team. This also opens the Big Ten to the New York market, which I assume has a lot of Big Ten alumni in it. I know Michigan has strong alumni base there. Downside is it doesn't have much more then a good academics and a up and coming football program.


5. Syracuse - Big East so a good candidate, solid academics, a great basketball tradition, but the football team has fallen off the face of the earth. It really doesn't bring a great viewing audience in up state New York, but would certainly help the Big Ten Basketball conference.

I believe the Big Ten might take a run at Missouri but will end up with one of the Big East schools. I think the New York market is very interesting for the Big Ten Channel and the Big Ten Brass will consider Rutgers very seriously. I even believe the NYC market makes Rutgers a stronger candidate then Pitt. So my prediction is Rutgers as #12.

Michigan Football 2009 Hindsight is 20/20

When you look back at the Michigan Football team this year you reflect on the fact that one more win would have gotten the Wolverine seniors a bowl game. The games against Illinois and Purdue were just poor loses. Here are 4 things, I believe the Michigan coaches would have done differently if they had a "mulligan" in the 2009 season.

1. Roy Roundtree: After the Spring Game it seemed Tate Forcier and Roy Roundtree had a special connection after hooking up for a number of big plays. When the season started I expected to see a lot of Roy in the offensive game plan. Michigan started Kelvin Grady instead at Slot and we really didn't see Roy until mid - late in the Big Ten season. Roy showed to be the best WR on the field for the Wolverines and had a number of impressive outings. Roy should have gotten more playing time in September and October.


2. Defensive Backs: Michigan should have had a better plan for the defensive backfield. I know they wanted to redshirt Justin Turner since he got to camp a week late, but having him on the field would have given the defense much better depth. When Boubacar got thrown off the team the defensive backfield depth went to very light to non existent with only walk ons filling important roles. The Michigan defense needed a better plan B and I think Justin Turner was the only option.


3. Change The Strategy for Away Games: There is something wrong with Michigan and away games. Michigan had some very winnable road games this year. They could have/should have won games against Michigan State, Iowa, and Illinois on the road. Michigan left town each time with a loss. Michigan has one road win in the Rich Rod era and that was for the little brown jug (Minnesota) in 2008. RR needs to mix up the travel schedule, the week of practice, something to give the team confidence on road trips.


4. A Big Run Stopper. Big Will Campbell played some in 2009 and did not redshirt. I think he should have been used more of a run stopper on 1st and 2nd downs. I know Will still needs to work on technique but his frame would have caused problems for offensive linemen trying to move him. You see this strategy in the NFL. They put a big guy in the middle of the defensive line to cause traffic and allow the others to make the tackle.

I know the Wolverines had more then 4 problems but if they could have addressed just some of the above issues they would find themselves playing in a Bowl Game this year. I hope Greg Robinson and Rich Rod can work during the off season to get the most out of their players on both sides of the ball. They need to find a way to win 8-9 games in 2010.

On Wednesday, I will address Big Ten expansion. See you then.

Michigan Monday: Hart to Hart

Mike Hart has had an interesting pro career so far. Last year, his rookie year he spent most of it on the IR with the Indianapolis Colts and this year he has spent most of year on the practice team or on the waiver wire. He has bounced back and forth from the practice team to being cut to back to the practice team. But the last two weeks, has seen Mike not only dressed on the sidelines but getting into game for the un-defeated Colts. Last week against Tennessee, Mike had 4 carries for 11 yards and 2 catches for 27 yards. This week against the Broncos he had 9 carries for 28 yards.

Now were talking! Let's hope Mike continues to contribute to the Colts and maybe there is a Super Bowl ring in his future!

• Kansas and Louisville: I have to go on record and applaud these two schools on two great hires. Last year during this time, Universities seemed to be making the worst decisions possible decisions for their head coaching vacancies. This year it seems the AD's are smarter or learned something from last year. Either way, the hiring of Turner Gill at Kansas is a great hire and so is hiring of Charlie Strong at Louisville. Both of these fine coaches should have jobs sooner, but I bet they are not complaining on how things worked out for both of them. Congratulations!

• The Michigan Basketball Team finally got a win yesterday against Detroit. If this team doesn't start playing defense, it's going to be a long Big Ten season. The shooting will comeback, it's the defense that scares me. I also recommend not watching the Kansas game. That's going to be ugly.

• Michigan has offered a LB from Florida named Darrin Kitchens. He is rated 3 stars but has a nice offer list that includes Florida and Florida State.

• Johnathon Hankins, a DL from Michigan visited Ohio State this weekend. His father said, he is planning on a decision before Christmas. My guess is it's down to: Florida, OSU, and Michigan.

• The strong rumor in Cincinnati is that Butch Jones from Central Michigan might be the next head coach at UC. We will see.

Michigan Friday: "Keep It In The Family"

• Little Brother's Legal Troubles Continue: MSU's former player Roderick Jenrette now faces burglary charges in Florida.

• Austin White's Brother: Has been suspended from the Michigan State Football Team for taking a "leak" outside a nightclub. Austin is a running back commit/recruit for Michigan in the 2010 class, who also plans to enroll next month.

• Jim Harbaugh hires Pops! Jim Harbaugh hires his 70 year old dad to coach the running backs for the Sun Bowl. Jim had an opening on his staff after Willie Taggert left to become the head coach at Western Kentucky.

• Brian Kelly: Back when Brian Kelly was coaching GVSU and Central Michigan do you wonder if he ever thought he would be named the head coach at Notre Dame someday? I wonder if future ND schedules will have "The Chips" on it. Also Chuck Martin, current GVSU head coach (who is playing in the D2 Championship this weekend) is rumored to be heading to ND as one of the coordinators.

• BTW The UC Players were not so happy about he news of Brian leaving the night of their team banquet.

• Speaking of Central Michigan: Butch Jones will interview at Marshall and per ESPN will be considered at Cincinnati as well. (They do like CMU former coaches at UC). To keep with the family theme: Butch was on RR's staff at WVU before he got the Central job.

• Zoltan did not win the Ray Guy Award. The award comes from a group out of Augusta, GA and the Georgia punter won. Zoltan and Brandon Graham were both named to the second team All American team.

Michigan Thursday: News and Notes

• Wow, the Michigan Basketball team is bad. They lost on the road to Utah last night by 16 points.

• It seems that Michigan will sign 28 players this year due to the rule that allows players that enroll in January be able to count towards the previous class. per Mgoblog. Michigan signed and enrolled 22 students in the 2009 class.

• TomVH recruiting insider does a quick interview with Michigan commitment Carvin Johnson. There have been "rumors" that LSU might be interested in Carvin and he might stay close to home if that offer comes through. Well, he doesn't have an LSU offer and doesn't know if one is coming. If they do, he won't change from being Blue. He also believes Michigan fans don't like him because he doesn't have a high star rating. Speaking for this blog, I have read posts from your coaches and newspaper articles and you are clearly a very good football player and one Michigan needs in it's defensive backfield.

• Zoltan is a finalist for the Ray Guy award and will find out tonight if he is a winner.

• Will Michigan face Randy Edsall in 2010 in week 1 vs UConn or week 2 vs ND? We should know soon.

Brandon Graham Wins Big Ten MVP Award

Well it was actually was a tie between him and Darryl Clark from Penn State. The award is given out by Chicago Tribune’s and it's called the Silver Football Award, which is actually an older award then the Heisman Trophy. The Silver Football goes to the Big Ten MVP.

Brandon and Darryl both received the same number of first and second place votes. So they will share this prestigious honor. He is Michigan's 16th player to win the award and first defensive player since Charles Woodson in 1997. Brandon is only the 7th defensive player to win the award all time.

Congratulations to Brandon on a well deserved award and welcomed good news at the end of the season.

• Former Wolverine Maurice Williams signed with the Lions yesterday.

• Louisville is planning to announce the hiring of Florida's DC Charlie Strong today as head coach. This is a great hire for Louisville. This news also might effect the recruitment of Johnathon Hankins, who had Florida has he leader last week before his Michigan visit. This news could push Johnathon closer to a Michigan commit.

Can Over Signing or Hofstra/Northeastern Help Michigan's Depth?

I'm sure many Michigan Football fans are wondering these days how the Wolverines can be better in 2010? We are pretty sure the Offense is on the right track (the loss of Vincent Smith with an ACL doesn't help) but there continues to be concern for the lack of depth at linebacker and in the defensive backfield.

Then I had a thought: What if Northeastern or Hofstra had some real good young linebackers or defensive backs? Both programs recently announced they would be closing down thier football programs to save money. I also believe there is an NCAA rule that if your program shuts it's doors, you can transfer with out sitting out a year.

Then I thought of Marcus Colston of the New Orleans Saints. A Pro Bowl receiver that came from Hofstra. Maybe they have other guys like that?

I figured if either Hofstra or Northeastern had a player that Michigan would be interested in they would have to make the Colonial Athletic Association All Confrence Team. Well, that's where the dream ended. Hofstra did have an all conference linebacker named Luke Bonus but he is a senior. No other Hofstra or Northeastern players made the team at LB or DB.

The other thought is over signing recruits in the 2010 class. Michigan has lost some spots to transfers and kids being thrown off the team. They also didn't sign a full class of 25 players last year. The problem is the Big Ten has a rule that only allows teams to sign a maximum of 25 players from each class each year. There is also the NCAA rule that allows teams to pick which class a player belongs to if they enroll early in January. Michigan has 3 spots left from the 2009 class and are expecting 5 players to enroll early next month. Does that mean Michigan could use 3 spots from the 2009 class for those guys and sign 28 total players in February? The jury is still out on that strategy.

So the Hofstra and Northeastern Strategy is out the window and were still not sure on over signing. Is there any chance that USC is giving up football this year? Oh well, back to the chalk board.

• Jim Harbaugh on Monday Night Football said there isn't a meeting set up between him and ND and that he hasn't been contacted. Brian Kelly is reportedly interviewing today.

• Scouts is reporting that Tony Jefferson will announce on 12/18 between Oklahoma and USC. Michigan which he recently visited didn't seem to make his final two.

• Woodland Hills, California running back Lucky Radley will be visiting Michigan this weekend. He is rated 3 stars by rivals and currently has North Carolina as his leader.

• Here is how RR voted in the last coaches poll. He voted CMU #25.

• Still looking for a Christmas gift for your hard to buy for Michigan fan? How about an old locker from Schembechler Hall? Greg from mvictors.com has found a company selling the real one. Now that is a pretty cool gift.

Michigan Monday: Transfers, Recruiting and No Bowl Game

In a day where Michigan doesn't hear it's name mentioned for a Bowl Game they get even more bad news regarding a transfer and yes, it's on Defense. Brandon Smith has received his transfer paperwork. A highly rated guy in the hybrid class of 2008 (between Carr and RR) will look to suit up for another team in 2010 or 2011.

This isn't the greatest news for of the Wolverines defense in desperate need of depth at Safety and Linebacker. Smith was brought in to play Safety but was too big and wasn't fast enough. So he was quickly moved to Linebacker. He did see some time late in the year, but it was clear he wasn't ready for that position yet. He did play on special teams and made a number of good tackles on kick off coverage He shared his #4 with Brandon Minor. So I'm sure there were a number of folks this year wondering what Minor was doing on kick off coverage.

BHB Perspective: I'm a fan of Brandon Smith's and hope he finds what he is looking for. The problem at Michigan was he just didn't really fit either the Safety or LB role. My hope was that he would have stuck it out and really learned how to be a good linebacker. I watch guys like David Harris on Sunday's and had hopes that he would become a similar player. If he had stayed, studied, and put on some weight, he could have.

I think it's hard for some kids to change positions and wait their turn. It's clear there is a ton of "mental" work that goes into being a linebacker in any defense in D1. If you miss a gap or a coverage it's a very quick 6. We saw that in every game this year for the Wolverines. So Brandon wasn't mentally ready for that position and probably wasn't big enough yet either.
It's just too bad when the program loses an athlete like Brandon Smith.

• Iowa gets a BCS Bid. That should help Michigan's athletic budget some (revenue sharing!). Good luck against the triple option.
  


• Michigan State will face Texas Tech in the Alamo Bowl. Remember the Alamo because it's the last time a Big Ten team will play in it.

• Jimmy Clausen is heading to the NFL. Maybe the Browns will want another ND QB.

• 2010 Class recruits, Austin White (RB), Jerald Robinson (WR) and Christan Pace (O-lineman) are both planning on enrolling early at Michigan. Austin might find himself in the middle of a battle for a starting role this spring after Vincent's Smith's ACL injury. Michigan has lost it's top 3 running backs this winter, seniors Brandon Minor and Carlos Brown along with Smith's ACL. Michigan still has Mike Shaw, Mike Cox, and redshirt freshman Fitzgerald Toussaint as well.
  


• California DB Sean Parker liked his Michigan visit:"It was a good visit, I would call it my best visit so far," Parker said. "All the visits are similar in a lot of ways with the campus tours and meeting the academic people. This was my visit where I didn't see a football game since the season is over but we did see a basketball game for a half and that was cool.
  
  "Overall, I loved the facilities and they have great academics at Michigan as well. It can get cold but it's not a big deal for me, it's nothing I can't overcome. I like Coach (Rich) Rodriguez and I like the opportunity to play early as well so Michigan definitely has a lot of pluses for me." Sean plans to take a few more visits and doesn't have a time table on a decision.

Michigan gets it's 23rd Player for the 2010 Class

Ray Vinopal just finished playing in his high school state championship (where he had a 58 yard touchdown run - he plays both ways) then announced he would be joining the Wolverines next season. Ray is a 5"10 178 pound safety prospect from Youngstown, Ohio Cardinal Mooney, he runs a 4.45 40. He is rated two stars by Rivals. He is considered a late riser in the recruiting circles with a light offer sheet from the likes of Bowling Green, Air Force and Kent State but other big time programs like ND, Ohio State, Penn State, and Pitt have shown interest lately in Ray.

This commitment come as a bit of a surprise since Michigan has a number of other high profile guys still on their board. For Ray it makes sense to get his spot but it will be interesting to see what happens if other prospect commit before signing day in February. Remember, commitments are not final until they talk to Coach Rod. Since Safety is a position of need for the Wolverines, I expect they will keep Ray in the class, but there have been times Coach Rod has asked a prospect to hold on for a few weeks.

Click here for a video of Ray in action. Below are some highlights from his early days at Cardinal Mooney:

• 2010 Wolverine commit Cullen Christian has been named to the Army All American Game. CC will join Will Hangerup as the two Michigan commits in the game.
  


• There are a number of good articles out today about Michigan LB recruit Josh Furman: Here is one from the Washington Post and another from the Baltimore Sun. Josh will finish his high school playing career in the State Finals and then will announce his college of choice between Virgina Tech and Michigan after the Crab Bowl on 12/19.
  


• Here are a couple of articles from the Michigan Football Bust Last night: Here is one on RR's speech and some players comments. RR started the night by joking he is not a candidate for the Notre Dame position.
  
  


• It seems that Jim Harbaugh is not only a candidate for the ND job but now the Kansas job as well.
  


• If you want to follow some Championship Michigan Football don't forget to tune into the MAC Championship tonight and watch Central Michigan and Grand Valley in the Division 2 playoffs on Saturday as well.

Michigan Football Friday: NFL is Calling?

Donovan Warren Michigan's best CB is considering leaving early for the NFL draft. The true junior had 4 interceptions this year and opposing QB's would routinely throw the ball away from the talent junior. He has filed paperwork with the NFL to see where he might be drafted. At the annual Michigan Football Bust last night he had this to say:

"I'm definitely, I'd have to say heavily, I like the chances of me coming out," Warren said at Michigan's annual football bust.

Warren said he planned to make a decision “within 2 weeks or so,” likely before the advisory committee reports back on his draft status.

Some scouts project Warren as a middle round draft selection and Mel Kiper has him rated as the #2 Junior Cornerback. He also has been playing with a banged up ankle that he feels he can get fixed in the off season.

BHB perspective: If Warren is a first or high second round draft pick, I would say he should go to the Draft. If he is 3rd round or below he should stay at Michigan: get 100% healthy, and work on his technique and speed. He has a former NFL DC in Greg Robinson that can help him prepare and an NFL worthy Stretch and Conditioning coach. Those two things will only help will be a better NFL caliber CB in another year. DW has also flipped on this decision twice already saying he would look into the NFL in November and then after the OSU game saying he was staying.

More good news out of the Wolverine Camp: Mgoblog is reporting that Michigan running back, Freshman Vincent Smith blew out his ACL during the Ohio State game and will miss spring practice. Vincent is expected to compete with Mike Shaw for the starting running back position next year. Michigan loses two seniors Brandon Minor and Carlos Brown at that position.

The Rise and Fall of Michigan Basketball in 1 Week and Recruiting News

So that was fun while it lasted. Michigan had just come off their first NCAA tournament bid since the Tractor Traylor days and even won a game in the tournament. They had their top two stars returning, a good recruiting class, and one of the best coaches in the country. Some basketball analysts had Michigan in their pre-season top 10.

With the Michigan Football team forgetting to win in October and November most Michigan fans turned their excitement to the #15 ranked basketball team. Michigan started the season 2-0 by playing 2 cupcakes in 2 weeks. They then head down to Orlando for the Old Spice Classic and beat Creighton in OT and lose to both Marquette and Alabama. Not good for the team favored to win the tournament and the only "ranked" team in the field.

Then they come back home last night and play Boston College. They will be mad and ready to play right? They will rebound with a big win, right? They will get rebounds, right? Nope.

It was the same old story from the Old Spice. Michigan didn't play defense, couldn't hit enough 3's, played lazy, and waited around for Manny to score. Manny did his best on a bad hamstring but he still can't hit a 3 pointer to save his life.

So this team is 3-3 with trips to Kansas and Utah still left on the calendar. They also play UConn at Crisler. If things don't change those are 3 more loses and no NCAA tournament unless they win the Big Ten Tournament. This has been one difficult week for John Beilien and program.

Maybe we all should become Butch Jones and Central Michigan fans? Go Chips! They seem to be the only program (college or pro) in the state that is playing well.

That is why I like to focus on recruiting. For all the good news!

• Tom VH recruiting insider from Mgoblog says Derrick Bryant might still be in the fold for Michigan. Derrick is a 3 star DE from Columbus, OH who has committed to UCLA. He visited Michigan for the Ohio State game and came away very impressed. Here is his quote from TomVH's discussion: "You never know what could happen. Two months is a long time. Michigan is a 9.9999999 out of 10 in second place" Coach Tall is planning a in home visit to Derrick soon.
  


• Update from DetNews and Sam Webb on Jonathan Hankins: In JH's words here is what happened regarding his Michigan offer: "As soon as I got back from my visit to Florida I talked to (Michigan assistant) Coach (Tony) Dews and he told me that I had a scholarship," Hankins said. "The whole (Michigan) defensive staff came to the school (Monday). They said it was a long process for them to offer me because they had to see what they had and who was coming back. I'm in (demand) because of the position I play." Right now Florida is #1 on his list but he is planning visits to Ann Arbor this weekend and Ohio State next. He hopes to make a decision before Christmas.
  

• Michigan's Annual Football Bust is Tonight. No Pun intended.
  

• Sources are saying that Florida's DC Charlie Strong is Louisville's top candidate. I 100% applaud Louisville if they hire Charlie. Getting a head coaching job is way over due for this talented coordinator. Many have wondered if Charlie's inter-racial marriage was causing teams not to hire him. Which I believe is ridiculous, I hope Louisville hires him right after the game on Saturday. Well done, Cardinals!

• Visitors to A2 this weekend include: ND Commit Spencer Boyd ( 3 star CB from Florida) and WVU commit Richard Ash. Richard just committed to WVU yesterday and is a 4 star DT from Pahokee, FL home of current Wolverines Martavious Odoms,Vincent Smith and Brandin Hawthorne.

Coaching Searches are Not What They Used to Be

Michigan was in the market for a new head coach two short years ago. As a Michigan fan, I was excited for the first time in 40 years to bring in a high quality coach. I was really surprised that Michigan didn't have it's choice of any college football coach out there. I thought high profile coaches would be lining up to coach the Wolverines. I was wrong and so are the ND fans that are throwing around names like Urban Meyer and Bob Stoops.

Here is what I learned regarding coaching searches. So fans from Notre Dame, Louisville, and Virgina please take note of the following bullets:

• Coaching Searches help current coaches get extensions and raises: The coaches that stay at their programs are the big winners in coaching searches. The mention of their names with any opening gets them big raises and contract extensions. For example look at TCU and Gary Patterson, he just got an extension yesterday on the belief teams would be asking him to interview. Notre Dame made one of the biggest mistakes in the history of college football when Charlie Weis name came up for an NFL job and they quickly gave him a 10 year - $40 Million contract.
• Big name jobs are not what they used to be: With the big name programs comes big spotlight. If coaches can stay at Iowa or Rutgers and still make the same money, why move? The expectations are lower and the pressure/stress is lower. Look at Rich Rodriguez as the example. He took the Michigan job: has won 8 games in two years, paid a large buyout, has an entire state hate him, been called a "Snake Oil Salesman" by another Big Ten coach and had a local newspaper accuse him of overworking his players which has lead to an NCAA investigation. I'm pretty sure none of those things would have happened to him if he had stayed in West Virgina. Good thing Ann Arbor is a great place to raise a family.
• Coaches are hired to be fired: Remember the last time ND was looking for a head coach? They went after all the big names like Shanahan, Gruden, Meyer, etc. Well, Shanahan, Gruden, and Belichick are Super Bowl winning coaches and available. What? They are not on a short list at ND now? Why? Because they got fired? They are still the same coach they were five years ago.
• If your at a major program and make big dollars why move? What would be the motivation for a Bob Stoops or Urban Meyer to take the ND job? I can't think of one reason. Both are at top successful programs that compete for national champions each year. Why would they want to rebuild ND?

So where do you go if you need a head coach?

You need to look at coaches at schools that can't match the money your going to spend. For example, University of Cincinnati can't pay Brian Kelly $4 Million a year. If your Louisville, Central Michigan can't pay Butch Jones a couple Million a year. That is where you have to look for your next coach. Don't forget Ohio State found Jim Tressel in Division 1A.

So ND swing for the fences and talk to Urban and Bob through third parties and have them tell you quietly "no thanks" and move on to the Brian Kelly's of the world quickly. The longer this plays out the worse it's going to get. You almost have to do what Ole Miss did a couple of years ago; Houston Nutt left his job at Arkansas and 10 minutes later was announced as the coach at Ole Miss. You almost need to have a "silent and quiet" deal with the replacement before you let your current coach go. That is why Athletic Directors hire 3rd party firms, so they can contact the coaches and gauge interest, salary, buy out, etc.

BTW: Terry Bowden is doing a great job at the University of North Alabama and is available to interview anytime you like.

Michigan Recruiting = The Silly Season

In golf they call the tournaments in between the Tour Championship and the first tournament of the new year the Silly Season. The reason is the tournaments don't count as a PGA Tour win but there is a lot of money at stake and some of the best players in the world travel around the world, play a few rounds and pocket big dollars.

Since the Michigan football team doesn't have to worry about preparing for a bowl game for the second season in a row their second or "Silly" Season is underway and the coaches are getting a quick jump on things.

State of the Union: Michigan has 21/22 players committed for the 2010 class. The reason I have 21/22 is the question mark around Adrian Witty. He is going to enroll in January and there are some open questions if he can count towards the 2009 or 2010 class. The usual limit per year is 25 scholarships (some programs bring in more kids if they have attrition and fall below the 85 scholarship limit).


All 21/22 seem solidly committed at this point, but there is a lot of time between now and signing day so things can change quickly, like we learned last year.

Some recent updates:

• Flordia 4 Star CB Rashard Knight, missed his flight for his visit for the Ohio State game. He plans to reschedule.

• Jonthan Hankins has an interesting ride in his recruitment. He plays a position of need for the Wolverines, plays in state at Detroit Southeastern HS and has offers from the likes of Florida, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, and others. But no offer from the Wolverines, until this week. He has visited Virgina and Florida and was in the Swamp for the the Florida State game and really enjoyed it. Now, the Michigan coaches are giving him the full court press and visiting him at his high school today. All along the Wolverine coaches have said, they would re-evaluated his offer after the season was over. It's over and they have now offered.

• Mgoblog recruiting guru Tom VH says that Torrian Wilson an offensive lineman from Miami and current Stanford commit is planning an official Ann Arbor visit. Torrian was a strong Michigan lean until he visited Stanford and committed. We will see what happens after the Michigan visit.

• Tony Jefferson one of the top rated Safeties in the country from California is planning to decide between USC, Oklahoma, and Michigan. ESPN reported it was between USC and OK but Tom VH heard from Tony that Michigan was still in the running and equal to USC and OK. If I had to guess, USC has to be in the drivers seat for Tony who has decommitted from UCLA and Stanford already.

• There has been reports that Jatashun "Big Tex" Beachum is solid with Arkansas but many insiders are saying that Michigan is still in the race.

• There are reports that 4 star safety from California Sean Parker will make his visit to Ann Arbor this weekend. He is considering Michigan, USC, Washington, Oregon, and CAL.

• California running back Dillon Baxter is staying with his USC commitment.

• Super QB Devin Gardner's team lost in the State finals and also does not plan on enrolling at Michigan in January.

• Tony Grimes and Clarence Murphy are still high on Michigan: "Michigan sticks out for both of us," Grimes said. "There we feel we can come in and play as true freshmen."