Wolverine Weekend Update: BG Dominates and Recruiting News

As Michigan fans we know how good Brandon Graham is. He was dominate all year on a bad defense and should have been a finalist for some national awards. Now most of the NFL Scouts know as well, as BG had two sacks, two fumble recoveries, and was named the Defensive MVP for the Under Armour Senior Bowl. Brandon's impressive play should now propel him into the first round, some services had him with a early second round grade.

• Former Michigan 2009 signee Adrian Witty has committed to Cincinnati. Adrian was not academically eligible to join the Wolverines in 2009 and stayed in Florida to work on his grades. The rumor is that his new grades and a higher test score were flagged as risky and the U of M admissions offices denied his admission, again just a rumor. You also don't need to make a big leap to think that Coach Rod's might have called his friend Butch Jones at Cincinnati to secure Adrian a spot. Mostly after taking Jibreel Black last week.

• Tony Grimes to Ole Miss: Tony has had Michigan as his leader for most of his recruitment and now he has decided to stay South and attend Ole Miss. The last few weeks of this recruitment seem strange. First, Jay Hopson his recruiter from Michigan takes a job as Memphis DC, then his teammate Clarence Murphy who he planned on going to Michigan with picks Maryland instead, and then Tony plays in high school all star game and doesn't like the cold. After all those things, Grimes went from a Michigan lock to a Michigan maybe. Now he will play his football at Ole Miss. So was it Tony that cooled on Michigan or did Michigan cool on Tony? Either way it doesn't matter now and we wish him good luck playing for Houston Nutt.

• Pitt to the Big Ten? The messages boards are running with a rumor that Pitt will be named as the Big Ten's 12th team sometime in the near future. Interesting choice (if true), it would give Penn State an instate rival. If this is true, I hope they build their own football stadium.

• RR said at halftime of the Michigan - Iowa game that he plans to take 26-28 commitments for the 2010 class. Michigan currently has 26 verbals with 3 guys left on the board: Parker, Dorsey, and Knight. He is also ok with Kelvin Grady playing both basketball and football and that he plans on hiring a new LB coach after signing day.

• A thought for the NFL: I know having the Pro Bowl the week before the Super Bowl has come under fire due to the loss of the Colts and Saints players, and the move from Hawaii. I also know the NFL would like to fill the void in between weeks. So my thought is to play the Senior Bowl at the site of the Super Bowl on the Saturday or Sunday the week before. Make it a big event and get it off the NFL network. Players would get a good idea what it takes to be a NFL player.

Michigan Friday: Recruiting Weekly Wrap Up

So we are down to the final days of recruiting. Michigan is still hot on the trial of 3 safety prospects to finish off the 2010 class. If you follow this blog, those 3 players do not come as a surprise; they are Sean Parker, Demar Dorsey, and Rashad Knight. All 3 are 4 star prospects and all 3 are planning to announce on signing day. Here is the latest:

• Sean Parker will announce his college of choice at 10:00 AM EST on ESPNU


• 5 Michigan coaches visited Demar last night at his house. He is still planning on visiting USC this weekend as well.


• Rashad is still down to Michigan and Rutgers. (Could what happens with Parker and Dorsey affect Rashad's decision? I'm guessing it probably does)


• Rich Rod was also in Springfield, Ohio this week to visit 2011 linebacker Trey DePriest.


• Corwin "Cornflakes" Brown former Michigan Wolverine and recently the DC for Notre Dame under Good Time Charlie took at job with the New England Patriots as their DB coach.


• Vladimir Emilien, Michigan Safety gives his takes on a number of subjects: Asked about the team exceeding NCAA limits for workout hours, as alleged in a Free Press report citing claims by current and former players: “hell naw we didn’t.”--- The team’s biggest trash talker: QB Tate Forcier.


• David Blackwell is the latest name popping up as Michigan's next LB Coach. David was the DC for South Florida and was not re-hired by Skip Holtz.


• Michigan is only hosting potential walk on's and a few 2011 prospects this weekend.

Michigan Thursday: RR visiting Recruits and more Walk On News

Rich Rodriguez is all over the country in trying to get a couple of top recruits to end the class. He is also recruiting his verbal commits so they sign their letters in Blue ink on Wednesday. RR was in home with Sean Parker on Monday and the Talbott brothers yesterday. RR is also rumored to be in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida today to maybe pay a visit to Tony Grimes and Demar Dorsey.

• Michigan is using the final official visit weekend before signing day to entertain preferred walk on's. The list of the prospects that are due to visit are: Quintin Tucker, LB - San Diego, Chris Eddins, DT - Detroit, Mason Krysinski, PK - Utica , John Haarer, TE - Ann Arbor, Kristian Mateus, OL - Forest Hills MI, Michael Hirsch, FB - Glenview IL, and Tiaan DeNysschen, OLB/DE - Bloomfield Hills.

• Big House Hockey? Yes, Michigan will play MSU next year at the Big House. The date is 12/11 and bring some warm clothes.

• Demar Dorsey has parted ways with Florida so it seems it's down to Michigan, FSU, and USC. I still believe FSU is in the drivers seat. Some have speculated that Florida pulled his offer/scholarship due to visits to U of M and FSU. Demar is also visiting USC this weekend as well. Demar is a cousin of Michigan QB Denard Robinson.

• The number one player in the state of Ohio and a player that is ranked in the top 10 by most services, Jordan Hicks, LB from West Chester will be announcing his college of choice on Friday. He is down to OSU, Florida, and Texas. Most believe he is heading to Texas.

Michigan Wednesday: 1 More Week Until NSD!

We are T- 1 week away from knowing who will be in Michigan's final 2010 class. Let's hope Michigan finishes strong. Here is an update on the latest rumblings from the recruiting trail:

• Demar Dorsey says he has not committed to FSU. So ok. The smart money still says he stays in the state of Florida.

• Tony Drake a running back/slot WR that has been committed to the Wolverines has now committed to Colorado State. The issue is Tony's recruitment was the SAT/ACT. The rumor mill was saying that Tony hadn't taken his tests yet. So you might ask, how is Tony going to get into CSU? Well, I guess that is for Tony and Colorado State to figure out. Good Luck Tony, I hope all that gets cleared up.

• Rashad Knight is down to Michigan and Rutgers and plans to announce on signing day. He will not take his visit to Ole Miss this weekend.

• 2011? I know it's hard to believe but now is the time Michigan starts looking to the 2011 class and they just offered Plymouth TE/DE Brennen Beyer who many expect to be one of the top 5 players in the State for 2011.

• Brandon Graham has been doing well at the Senior Bowl this week. He right now has a 2nd round grade but could find himself at the end of the 1st round if he continues to impress. He has interviewed with Steelers, Vikings, Seahawks, Chiefs and Bears so far this week.

• Michigan lost a heart breaker to State last night by one point at Crisler. I think John Beilein is a good coach and he will forget that amount of basketball that I know. With that said, I don't understand why Sims and Gibson are not on the floor at the same time. Michigan might have won 2-3 more games this year (including last night) if they could get more boards and have a better low post presence. I understand that someone needs to spell Sims when he comes out, but come on. I don't see any reason why they can't be on the floor together for 10 minutes a game. Michigan can't compete night in and night out with 4 guards and one forward. That's just my opinion.

• Recruiting Guy Tom Lemming likes Michigan's 2010 class: "It's an exceptionally athletic class," Lemming said. "It's a class full of athletes at every position. With (quarterback) Devin Gardner and (safety) Marvin Robinson, you're going to have more athletes at Michigan than in years."With these players, it's just a matter of time before (Rich) Rodriguez turns things around. Give him enough time, and it's a no-brainer he's going to turn things around."

• Greg Skrepenak a former U of M lineman pleaded guilty yesterday for taking a bribe of $5000 while a County Commissioner.
  
  
• Ohio Kicker Carey Spear picked a scholarship to Vandy over a preferred walk on to Michigan.

• West Virginia Running Back Allan Wasonga gets a 2011 offer from Tony Gibson and The Michigan Wolverines. Allan rushed for 2,200 yards and scored 28 touchdowns during his junior season and was named the West Virginia High School Gatorade Player of the Year.
  

Michigan Tuesday: Recruiting News

• Demar Dorsey: Seems to be off the board for the Wolverines. Reports are that he committed to Florida State. Michigan was always a long shot for Demar but it seems he will stay in-state at FSU.

• The Talbott Brothers: Terry took a visit this past weekend to North Carolina and reports are that he is currently torn between Michigan and UNC. His brother on the other hand, Terrance is firmly committed to the Wolverines. Will the brothers split up? Or will Terry come to Ann Arbor with his brother? Terry is a DT and Terrance is a DB. Coach Rod is planning an in house visit with the boys in the next week.

• RR is also planning an in home visit with Sean Parker before signing day.

• The reports are that Antonio Kinard is on track to be academically eligible for enrolling at Michigan this summer/fall, the last hurdle is the Ohio exit exam.

• Earnest Thomas is an in-state safety with offers from UCLA, Penn State, Illinois, WVU and others. He visited Minnesota last weekend. Michigan currently has not offered Thomas and there are questions if he will get a last minute offer or not. I believe the Michigan coaches are more interested in Knight and Parker at this point.

• Michigan vs MSU tonight at 7:00pm ESPN, Manny is back.

• Then there was 3: Not with standing a surprise Michigan's final 3 are: Parker, Knight, and Grimes.

• Michigan's 2010 class is currently rated #9 on Scouts and #18 on Rivals.

Michigan Recruiting: The Final 4

We are just over a week away from signing day and Michigan just received another big commitment this past weekend. Michigan is now heading down the final stretch and looking for 1 or 2 more big commitments from All American type of athletes. Most believe that Michigan has just one more spot left in this class but would find a way to squeeze in an extra player.

Welcome to Michigan's Final 4:

1. Sean Parker: 4 Star safety out of California. He visited Washington this weekend and many believe it's down to CAL, USC, and Michigan. Some recruiting insiders believe that Michigan is still the leader in the club house. Let's hope the Maize and Blue can keep that lead for 9 more days.

2. Demar Dorsey: 4 Star CB/Safety from Florida who visited Ann Arbor a week ago. DD visited Florida State this weekend and many services reported he had committed while on campus. That didn't happen, but most believe Demar will stay in state at UF or FSU.

3. Rashad Knight: 3 Star CB/Safety from Florida. Rashad visited Ann Arbor a week ago as well and was "blown away". He visited Rutgers this past weekend. I don't have an update yet on how his visit went.

4. Tony Grimes: 3 Star CB from Florida who had been favoring Michigan during a majority of his recruitment. Tony is reportedly down to Michigan and Ole Miss. Tony will play in the high school all star game USA vs the World Junior World Championship on Saturday.


Terry Talbot a current Michigan verbal visited North Carolina this weekend. Michigan has recruited brothers Terry and Terrance this year. Terry is a DT and Terrance is DB, they both expect to play together in college and Terrance didn't visit NC this past weekend. I expect both to be Blue a week from Saturday.

Michigan gets another Commitment to the 2010 Class

If your keeping score at home, this is Michigan's 27th or 25th commitment for the 2010 class with signing day just over a week away. Why the 27th or 25th you ask? Well, Michigan has had a strong 2010 recruiting class and a couple of players may or may not have some academic issues that would prohibit them from joining the Wolverines this year. Michigan most likely will take two more players in this class if they want to become "Michigan Man". If your reading this and your name is Sean Parker, Rashad Knight, Tony Grimes, or Demar Dorsey, we are talking to you!!

This latest commitment comes from a defensive line prospect from Cincinnati, Jibreel Black. Jibreel is a player the Michigan coaches have been very interested in for a long time. They have tired since this past summer to get him to Ann Arbor for a visit. He didn't make it up and quickly committed to Indiana where his brother plays. After a few months of seeing Indiana play he changed his "verbal" to Brian Kelly at the University of Cincinnati. Well, we know what happened to Brian and Jibreel open back up his recruitment. UC's new coach Butch Jones met with Jibreel recently and the "thought" by many recruiting insiders was he would stay a Bearcat but Jibreel kept his visits with MSU last weekend and Michigan this weekend.

Black is a 4 Star DT on Scouts and a 3 Star DE on ESPN & Rivals. He is 6"2 and 260 pounds and as you can see, can play inside or outside on the defensive line. This is a good pickup for Michigan on a couple of levels. One: he is an outstanding player and was named the Defensive Player of the Year in Ohio (he shared it with Travis Jackson who is heading to MSU). Two : Michigan needs athletic players on the defensive line and Three: Terry Talbot, DT a verbally committed player to Wolverines took a visit to North Carolina this weekend. It seems Rich Rodriguez and Greg Robinson rolled out the red carpet for Jibreel this weekend.

This pickup is very good news for the Wolverines. The one thing I suggest is not getting too excited, because there are 9 days before signing day and Jibreel lives about 10 miles from the campus he just de-committed from. Michigan is also the third school to earn his verbal.

I guess that's why February 3rd is one of the most exciting days in college football!

Michigan Friday: Spring Game and Recruiting Notes

• Michigan announced that the Spring Game will be on Saturday, April 17th. It will be the first time you get to see Devin Gardner in the Maize and Blue and Denard and Tate back under center. Who is going to be the top running back?

• Some have wondered why Devin dropped out of Rivals top 100 players. The reason is over the summer Devin worked hard on his mechanics with some top QB coaches. As the season wore on, his mechanics digressed a bit and his rating dropped. Nothing to worry about now that he is on campus and will get the proper coaching.

• Seems "Big Tex" Jatashun Beachum enjoyed his official visit to Arkansas last weekend and insiders expect him to stay at committed to the Hogs.

• With the 2010 recruiting season starting to come to an end that means it's time for Walk On News! Can you feel the excitement? I know you could! We know that RR's strategy on full backs is to take them as walk on's. Well it seems we have our first preferred walk on offer of the season: Niko Palazeti is a 6"0 230 pound FB from Northville, Michigan who played for Detroit Catholic Central. Niko currently doesn't have any scholarship offers.

• Sean Parker has been quiet with the recruiting services since his visit to USC last weekend. So we don't know if Lane and the boys impressed him or not.

• So the final two spots in Michigan's class looks like it comes down to: Sean Parker, Demar Dorsey, Rashad Knight, Tony Grimes, and A2 visitor this weekend Jibreel Black. I would say each player is 50/50 on being Blue. The Michigan coaches have a lot of selling to do before 2/3. I wonder if Rich Rod has used his in home visit on Sean Parker yet, if he hasn't I hope he does it in the next two weeks.

Michigan Football Early Thursday Recruiting Rumblings

• Urban Meyer's Florida Gators is now recruiting Michigan commitment DB Courtney Avery. Now word if he is interested in the Gators or not. Let's hope there isn't.

• 4 Star OL Skyler Schofner from Ohio had been quieting talking to the Michigan coaches about doing an official visit to Ann Arbor after being an MSU verbal. Skyler did his official last weekend to State and re-confirmed his commitment.

• Former Michigan LB/Safety Brandon Smith has transferred to Temple.

• Jibreel Black a DE from Cincinnati is still planning a visit to Ann Arbor this weekend. He visited East Lansing last weekend.

• Adrian Arrington got activated by the Saints this week.

Michigan Football Random Thoughts

• With Devin enrolled now, what do you do with Denard? Let's take this question in two parts. First Devin: It's really good news that Devin was able to work out graduation from Inkster High School early and enroll yesterday at Michigan. Having Spring Ball will give him 14 extra practices to learn the system and work on his mechanics. I can pretty much guarantee that the Michigan coaches don't want another Freshman starting for the Wolverines for the third year in a row. The best scenario would be for Devin to back up Tate and Denard in 2010 and learn. If there is an injury all bets are off and probably a redshirt as well.

• Denard? After watching Steve Breaston these past two weekends, I think about what he would have been in Rich Rod's offense. Steve had a nice career at Michigan but it could have been great if they found a way to get him the ball more often. Can Denard be a Steve Breaston type of player? Maybe there are some similarities, both were high school QB' and both have an extra gear. I would say Denard's might be a turbo though. It would be great for Denard to return kicks, get some time in the slot, run the Wild Wolverine, and even get some hand offs from Tate. The problem is, Michigan is still very thin experience wise at QB if Tate goes down. So maybe we see Denard more in the offense but I don't expect him to return kick offs anytime soon.

• Is Jake Ryan a good pickup? Off course it's too early to say. He seems to have the size and speed to play LB in college. What I see out of this class is a lot of outside linebackers and defensive ends. I don't see a lot of middle linebackers. In my opinion, it would be nice to have Jake in that role. Michigan last year had very athletic LB's, what they needed is a guy with great football knowledge. A middle LB needs to be able to read plays before they are run and fill the proper holes. Dhani Jones success in Cincinnati came after they moved him to the middle LB. Dhani said that he was getting bored at the outside position and that the middle position takes alot of knowledge and on the field thinking. As we all know, Dhani is a thinking man's linebacker. Let's hope Michigan finds a Dhani type LB soon.

• Be careful comparing Lane Kiffin to Rich Rodriguez: I have seen a number of articles on what's wrong with college football and mentioning the situations with Lane and Rich leaving their last jobs. I really see these as two different situations: Rich has had two jobs since November 2000. Lane has had two different jobs since November 2009. Rich has an overall head coaching record of 113-78, Lane is 12-21 including the time in the NFL.

• Is West Virgina mad at someone else now? I'm sure Rich Rod is still #1 on that list, but there is a new sheriff in town and he is starting to make some noise. As Brian from Mgoblog points out, Doc Holliday who left the WVU staff to become the head coach at Marshall, has been fishing recruits from WVU's pond. Doc has been able to pull 3 Florida recruits away from WVU to Marshall. Which is pretty big news, since West Virgina is in a BCS conference and Marshall isn't. To top it off, West Virgina's favorite son, Rich Rod has recently taken WVU former verbals Richard Ash and Davion Rodgers from the Mountaineers. Don't feel too bad for WVU they still have the 25th rated class on Rivals and 23rd on Scout. They also have $500,000 new reasons to feel good as well. Thanks to a Mgoblog reader, Morgantown way out searches Ann Arbor on Rich Rod topics on Google. So yea, he is still #1 on the list.

Michigan Morning Recruiting Update

• Tom VH from Mgoblog caught up with Rashad Knight after his visit to Michigan this weekend: An interesting note on his visit: Knight had concerns going into the visit about Rich Rod's job security, and he told me they were more than answered. He feels comfortable now with the coaching staff. He also felt the visit went much better then expected and could see himself in the Maize and Blue. Rashad has visits set with Rutgers and Ole' Miss the last two weeks of the recruiting season.

• I know there are a number of Michigan fans that are still holding out hope for Dillon Baxter in this class. The reports on Dillon is that he is still favoring USC and most likely will end up there. Coach Rod is trying to get an in home visit but the chances are very slim he ends up in Ann Arbor. Florida and Oregon right now have a better chance to stealing him away from SC.

• Mark Snyder a candidate for the Michigan LB job landed the DC job at South Florida.

• Demar Dorsey, a University of Florida commit enjoyed his visit to Ann Arbor this weekend and plans to consider Michigan in his final schools. He is also planning to visit Florida State next weekend. Some insiders have said, that the lose of Vance Bedford and Charlie Strong from Florida has opened the doors to other schools. When it's said and done I expect Demar to stay with Florida or maybe go to FSU.

To summarize, Michigan is looking good for two more safeties in this class: Sean Parker from California and Rashad Knight, from Florida. The risk here is both are signing day announcements and Michigan could go 2-0, 0-2, or 1-1. Let's hope both of these gentlemen tell Rich Rod and staff what they are planning to do before signing day.

Michigan Receives it's 26th Commitment to the 2010 Class

As predicted this morning, Jake Ryan from Ohio committed to the Wolverines. "I called Coach Rodriguez and told him that I want to be a Wolverine," he said. "He was excited and said I made his day. He said that you'll love it here and welcome to the family. He was really excited."

"I just thought it over and made a list of what I liked and what I enjoyed about the school," he explained. "Michigan had everything that I liked and enjoyed, so I chose them."

"It was just the whole entire academic picture, the Michigan name and everything about it. All the guys that are coming in - I really like them and they're good guys that you would want to play with for four years. I think all the coaches and facilities were amazing. All of it was just a great experience on the visit."

As mentioned in the morning post on BHB: Here is my write up at the time:
Jake Ryan, LB from Ohio. Your first thought might be who? Yes, Jake Ryan is a 6"3 220 pound Linebacker from St. Ignatius and was ranked first team in Ohio's top high school division. He is by all concerns a recruiting "sleeper" or "late bloomer" meaning he had a fantastic senior year and grew all most two inches from his junior season. (side note: a lot of recruiting services rate and rank players on their junior year. If a player was hurt or was playing behind a star they usually get missed or ranked pretty low). (New Info: Jake was hurt during his junior year). For example, teammate of Jake's is fellow linebacker Scott McVey a second team All Ohio player who is a 4 star prospect and heading to Ohio State. Jake was in Ann Arbor this weekend for a visit and got a Michigan offer. His offer list before Michigan looked like the who's who of the MAC. This is a guy the Michigan coaches seem pretty excited about and some insiders are talking about him playing as a Freshman. What a turn around! I expect Jake to be part of Michigan's 2010 class.




So is the 2010 class full? RR said yesterday, he would take 26. Michigan still has 1 or 2 guys in this class that might not make it academically, so there is still room for a 4 star safety or two!

Michigan Recruiting: State of the Union Week 1/18

So after weeks of not much happening in Wolverine recruiting circles this weekend cleared the way for what the Michigan class might look like when it's finished. Here's an update:

Enrolled: 7 players from the 2010 class
Verbally Committed: 18 other players
Expected not to make it to A2: 1 player due to academic concerns
Total expected class size: 26 (per RR at the basketball game yesterday)
Signing day: In 17 days and counting


Current commits including early enrolled players is 25 players, like I mentioned above one guy is not expected to make it in. So that leaves two more spots for the Wolverines. So who is left on the board?


Let's start by Who isn't left:

• Torrian Wilson an offensive lineman from Miami, committed to Louisville on Sunday. Not a big shocker here, Michigan had "cooled" a bit on Torrian since he is still recovering from a knee injury suffered early in his senior year. The Michigan coaches feel very good about their 2009 offensive line class and is expecting good results from the 2011 class at that position as well. Louisville made a great hire in Charlie Strong from Florida and they are starting to see a very early return in recruiting success.


• Michael Taylor, an All American LB and was recently a Tennessee commit. This was always a "Hail Mary" recruit for the Wolverines and they were never able to get him on campus for a visit and he picked Florida this weekend.
  

Fellas you better hurry is you want to wear the most recognizable helmet in college football:

• Jatashun "Big Tex" Beachum, at DT from Texas. When there is two weeks left in the recruiting season and your recruitment is not making any "noise, that means your staying put. I predict he stays with Arkansas.


• Jibreel Black, a DE from Cincinnati: Jibreel has been committed to Indiana, Cincinnati, and back to Open with the coaching change. If Jibreel drives the 3 1/2 hours and does a visit to Ann Arbor, Michigan has a chance. If he doesn't make it on campus, expect him to stay committed to Cincinnati. With good friend Butch Jones at UC now, I don't expect RR to push this recruit too hard to leave UC.


• Tony Grimes, DB Florida: Tony has been a Michigan lock for the entire year, until recently. Now it looks like he won't have a spot in this class. Which is too bad. I expect Tony to go to Miami.


• Demar Dorsey, a highly rated safety and currently a Florida commit took an official up to Ann Arbor this weekend. Demar had an opening in his visit schedule after Lane took a jet to the West Coast. Demar is tight with Devin and Denard and we will see if that was enough to change is mind about U of F. I expect Demar to stay a Gator.

Best Bets to Round off the Class:

• Sean Parker, 4 star Safety from California: Sean is announcing on signing day and took a visit to USC this weekend. Michigan recruiting insiders still expect Sean to be a Michigan lean and that there isn't much difference between Pete and Lane at USC. Let's hope that holds true and Sean is Blue on 2/3.



• Rashad Knight, CB/Safety from Florida: Rashad made it up to A2 this weekend and was "blown away" from the experience. People close to his recruitment expects that Michigan is back as Rashad's leader. Don't forget he is taking another visit to Rutgers this weekend, so we will see this time next week where he stands. I think there is a good chance Rashad wears the Maize and Blue.



• Jake Ryan, LB from Ohio. Your first thought might be who? Yes, Jake Ryan is a 6"3 220 pound Linebacker from St. Ignatius and was ranked first team in Ohio's top high school division. He is by all concerns a recruiting "sleeper" or "late bloomer" meaning he had a fantastic senior year and grew all most two inches from his junior season. (side note: a lot of recruiting services rate and rank players on their junior year. If a player was hurt or was playing behind a star they usually get missed or ranked pretty low). For example, a second team All Ohio player is rated with 4 stars and heading to Ohio State. Jake was in Ann Arbor this weekend for a visit and got a Michigan offer. His offer list before Michigan looked like the who's who of the MAC. This is a guy the Michigan coaches seem pretty excited about and some insiders are talking about him playing as a Freshman. What a turn around! I expect Jake to be part of Michigan's 2010 class.

So there you have it. One question you might have is: What if Sean, Demar, and Jake or Rashad want to commit, does Michigan have room? Yes, the Michigan coaches would find a way to get really good players into this class. (I wouldn't expect Michigan to take 3 safeties though with the remaining spots - they for sure will take 2)

Big Blue Sunday!

It seems for months that there hasn't been any good news coming out of Ann Arbor. Not today, my friends. Not today.

A plethora of positive information for the Wolverines today:

• The Michigan Basketball team beats #15 UConn 68-63. Michigan's first signature win of the season.

• Devin Gardner a 5 star QB has enrolled early at Michigan and starts class on Tuesday.

• Michigan earns a 2010 commitment from Davion Rogers an outside linebacker from Ohio. Davion was committed to WVU before his visit to Ann Arbor this weekend. He is rated a 3 star prospect from Rivals and is 6"6 220 and runs a 4.6 40. Michigan State had also offered and Davion is a high school teammate of DJ Williamson another Michigan verbal for the 2010 class. This is a good pick up for Michigan at a position of need from a guy with a high upside being 6"6. Davion most likely will red shirt to learn the college game and get a bit bigger.

• Delonte Hollowell a 2011 DB from Detroit Cass Tech has committed to the Wolverines for next years class. Delonte pretty much has been a Michigan guy and wanted to go ahead and commit during his visit to Ann Arbor this weekend. Delonte is another "under 6 foot DB" from Detroit Cass Tech. He comes from the same program as Boubacar Cissoko and Dior Mathis. Delonte is 5"8 and 125 pounds and rated 4 stars by Scouts and 3 stars by ESPN and Rivals. This is Michigan's second verbal for the 2011 class and second defensive back. For more on Delonte, check out Mgoblog.

Today at the basketball game RR said that he expects to sign 26 players in the 2010 class. Michigan currently has 7 members already enrolled (if you include DG) and a total of 25 players verbally committed. One member of that class is not expected to be able to make it academically. Which would leave two more spots in this class.

Denard "Flash" Robinson

Denard might have to change his nickname from Shoelace to Flash. Today, he won the 60 meters against Ohio State. "It felt really good to win that race today," Robinson told Mgoblue.com after his first indoor meet, having grown up in Florida. "I've been training very hard all week leading up to this point and I did it without really knowing what to expect. It was a new experience for me, but it wasn't any different than outdoor. It's still a race and it's still about being the fastest out there."

Here is a video from Mgoblog:



If your wondering, he didn't have his shoelaces tied and yes, there were a number of recruits and teammates watching.

Michigan Friday: Time to pay the Mountaineers

Rich Rodriguez first payment of $500,000 is due to WVU on Monday. How hard would it be to cut that check? It's not like your buying a house, your giving money to your old place of employment because you wanted a better job. Between all the cash the current Michigan coaches are paying WVU (Beilein and Rodriguez) you would think, Michigan was opening up a satellite campus in West Virgina. U of M Morgantown has a ring to it. How about the Beilein - Rodriguez Business School?

I think one of the mistakes Tennessee made was not making Lane's buyout much bigger. $800,000 is pocket change for USC, I'm sure USC didn't give it a second thought. Now if it was $4 Million that might have been a different story.

BTW: Huge props out to David Cutcliffe who has turned down Tennessee for the second time to stay at Duke.

• The Michigan coaches have been it a bit of a stealth mode lately on who they are recruiting outside the regular names. One of those "stealth recruits" maybe visiting Ann Arbor this weekend. That guy is Demar Dorsey an Army All American and 4/5 Star Safety with an offer sheet of just about everyone. Demar seems to be favoring Florida, but is still looking around.

• 2011 recruit from Columbus, Ohio Ron Tanner says that Michigan is currently leading for his services next year.

• Former Michigan walk-on QB Lee Mondol leaves South Dakota State. SDSU was his 3rd school. Now looking for a 4th.

• Leon Hall wins the co-MVP award for the Cincinnati Bengals this year. A good year for former Michigan DB's!

Michigan Thursday: Quick Recruiting Bites

• Dillon Baxter told Mike Farrell that he is considering Oregon, Florida, and USC. He enjoyed his visit to Michigan but it seems the Wolverines are out of it. This was also in the LA Times: San Diego Mission Bay running back Dillon Baxter also seems excited about playing for Kiffin, his coach, Willie Matson, said.

• ESPN is reporting that Ernest Thomas is planning on visiting Michigan this weekend. Ernest is a local S/LB prospect that just de-committed from UCLA and wants to stay closer to home. As far as I know, Ernest has not been offered by Michigan yet.

• Weekend Visitor Rashad Knight is visiting A2 this weekend and Rutgers next. His final 3 are Michigan, Ole' Miss, and Rutgers. From the sounds of this article it seem Michigan has some ground to make up this weekend.

• Denard "shoelaces" Robinson has joined the track team and will run the 60 meters against OSU. Denard along with football teammates Je'ron Stokes and Troy Woolfolk have all joined the team.

• Brandon Graham is #23 on Mel Kiper's NFL Draft Board

• Michigan may get a 2011 commitment this weekend from Detroit Cass Tech cornerback Delonte Hollowell:"I look at it like it's no point in waiting (to make a commitment) because what's the point?" Hollowell said. "I could always decommit. I think I'm going to make an early decision -- probably this month sometime. I got my (Michigan) offer Sept 1 and we've been talking about (committing to Michigan) ever since, so there's no point in waiting." I agree with you Delonte, let's get this thing over with!
  

Michigan's Recruiting Weekend

Michigan will be hosting a number of high school football players this weekend. Each group falls into 3 groups; current commits, class of 2010 players, and class of 2011 players.

Current Commits expected to make it to Ann Arbor this weekend:
- Devin Gardner
- DJ Williamson
- Ray Vinopal
- Cornelius Jones
- Jordan Paskorz
- Antonio Kinard

2010 Visitors Include:
- 4 Star Safety/CB from Florida Rashard Knight
- 3 Star Linebacker for Warren Harding, Ohio, Davion Rogers. Currently Davion is a commit to West Virgina and high school teammate of DJ Williamson.

2011 Prospects:
- DeAnthony Arnett
- Delonte Hollowell
- Justice Hayes
- Delonte Phillips
- Tony Springman
- a number of other Juniors are expected as well.

USC Hired Who?

January is becoming College Football's most exciting month. You have News Years Day, The BCS Bowls, Recruiting, and now the Head Coaching Exchange.

What is going on? Is this the NFL?

Pete Carroll leaves for the NFL because it was time or the NCAA is going to come in with a hammer and smack down the Trojans. There have always been "rumors" around the Trojans program with recruits and shopping trips. There is much more to this story then OJ Mayo and Reggie Bush. Still, USC is a top tier college program and losing it's coach is big news.

So USC, goes after Mike Riley, he says no. Then they go after Jack Del Rio and he declines. Steve Mariucci has been out of the game too long and heck even the Detroit Lions quit on him.

So whose next? Lane Kiffin at Tennessee. Are you kidding me? He is a walking recruiting violation. I'm sure the NCAA will look kindly on this hire. Isn't Tennessee being investigated by the NCAA regarding the practices of some weekend "hostess"?

Congratulations USC! I'm pretty sure a recruiting class isn't as important as selling your entire program down the river. Don't get me wrong, Lane can coach, knows the X's and O's, can recruit with the best of them and is a Pete disciple but what if the NCAA finds major violations at USC? Then does this hire make any sense?

The LA media from what I have read, loves this hire. Really? Why? Because he coached with Pete? I feel sorry for Tennessee, which is a major program in the SEC. They have lost most of their coaches and now under the gun to get a good coach and save their recruits.

USC moved fast to save their recruiting class. They should have taken a step back and thought about the entire University's reputation first, a different type of Class.

This has been one wild month and were not even half way done.

Michigan Football: State of The Recruiting Union - Week 2 January 2010

Michigan has 23 verbal commits with the presumed loss of Adrian Witty and Tony Drake from the 2010 class.

Michigan has 2 spots left for a full class of 25 and somewhere between 3-4 more spots for overflow recruits due to not signing a full class in 2009, early enrollees in this class, and players leaving early to the NFL.

Michigan has three more "visit ready" weekends before signing day on February 3rd. With official visits left, Rich Rod and other coaches on the road they will be "selling" the Michigan program and future success to the following high school seniors.

Below is my opinion of Michigan's Recruit Board:

1. Sean Parker, Safety from California: I believe Sean is Rich Rod's biggest priority to end this class. The safety position needs depth on the Michigan roster and having Sean in this class is very important. Sean just played in the Army All American game and has a final 3 of Michigan, USC, and CAL. With the changes at USC, Michigan has an opening to convince Sean to leave the state.
2. Dillon Baxter, RB from San Diego - Dillon was a USC lock before Pete headed to the Pacific Northwest. He visited Ann Arbor for the OSU game and was impressed but was still planning on enrolling early at USC. Now Dillon hasn't enrolled and maybe open to other schools, including Michigan. Tate and Dillon are friends, but it most likely will come down to who gets the USC job and what the NCAA does. Michigan lost a RB in this class due to academics and Dillon would be a "huge" get for the Wolverines.
3. Tony Grimes, CB Florida- Tony seemed to be a Michigan lock until recently when Michigan lost it's LB coach and Grimes recruiter Jay Hopson to Memphis. Tony also played in a cold weather all star game and didn't enjoy it. Michigan is still in the race but they will have to show Tony a lot of love the next 3 weeks. Miami and Ole' Miss are in hunt for Tony.
4. Rashad Knight, a Safety/CB from Florida. Rashad is planning a visit to Ann Arbor this month and Michigan might have to play catch up to Rutgers. So having a chance to get him on campus will be a great opportunity to get him to drink the "kool aide".
5. Jatashun "Big Tex" Beachum, at DT from Texas. Jatashun is committed to Arkansas and really enjoyed his visit to Ann Arbor this Fall. His recruitment has been quiet for awhile now and some insiders believe that Ann Arbor maybe too far from home for "Big Tex" and that the smart money is on him staying with Arkansas.
6. Jibreel Black, a DE from Cincinnati that has been committed to Indiana and Cincinnati already. If Michigan gets him to come up for a visit, I think they have a shot but I would say he ends up sticking with Butch Jones and UC.
7. Mike Taylor is a LB committed to Tennessee. He played in the UA game and played very well. Getting him to Michigan would be a huge last minute steal for the Wolverines. I would have him higher on the priority list, if I thought Michigan had a real shot of him changing his commitment. Michigan needs Parker and Taylor the most.
8. Torrian Wilson, Offensive Lineman from Miami and DT from the same school Todd Chandler. Both were planning a visit to Ann Arbor the last weekend in January but Michigan might get bumped for Louisville, which is coming on strong for both of these Miami teammates after Charlie Strong took over.
9. A Surprise Recruit or Two: A few recruiting insiders are saying that Michigan is working on a couple of "surprise" recruits. The word is they are on the Offensive and Defensive line. Michigan currently only has one offensive lineman in the 2010 class.

It's really getting down to crunch time and Michigan needs to keep their current commits committed and finish the class strong in the next 3 weeks. Many of the players are planning to announce on signing day and Michigan needs to know exactly where those kids are going. They don't need a repeat of 2009 where they landed Denard Robinson and Je'Ron Stokes but lost two defensive tackles.

Michigan lost out on two different defensive line recruits lately with Hankins and Murphy both going to other schools. They could use a DT, 2 DB's, a LB and a All American Running Back to finish this class.

Michigan Tuesday: Coaching Rumor Mill

• Footballcoachscoop.com is reporting that former Marshall head coach Mark Snyder interviewed with RR on Sunday for the open LB coach at Michigan. Mark is a former DC for Jim Tressel at Ohio State and Youngstown State. He was also a DC at Minnesota. It would make sense, since Mark and RR probably know each other from being in West Virgina at the same time. Mark would bring strong recruiting ties to Ohio and having defensive coordinator skills would also be a plus. He worked for "the Vest" which may rub some Michigan fans the wrong way. More to come on this story as this is the first reported interview for this position.

• The rumor mill is also saying that Skip Holtz maybe named the South Florida head coach over Michigan's Offensive Coordinator Calvin Magee.

• Central Michigan's new head coach is going to be Dan Enos, running backs coach from Michigan State. Dan was a former QB at MSU and has been known as a strong state of Michigan recruiter. An interesting pick for the "Chips".

• LA media is saying that Jack Del Rio has an offer to be the next head coach at USC. Jack denies that USC has offered him the job. Jack has said he is staying as the Jaguars coach.

• Steve Mariucci is rumored to be the next on USC's list.

• Update: Another assumed canidate for the Michigan LB job Chuck Heater from Florida said this today: "I have a deep respect and relationship with Urban that goes back more than 20 years," Heater told the Orlando Sentinel. "I'm joined at the hip with him. It's personal for me. "There are lot of positives right now. We just have to maintain that in February."
  

Breaking News: Charles Woodson wins the NFL Defensive Player of the year award. Congratulations!

Michigan Monday: Interviews, Extentsions, and More

• ESPN is reporting that Calvin Magee will interview for the open South Florida job. Michigan has already lost one assistant coach this off season, Jay Hopson to Memphis. Calvin coached at South Florida before he joined Rich Rod at West Virgina and Michigan. Calvin was also named American Football Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year in 2007. Hopson's loss has already had an effect on recruiting. Would Magee's as well?

• Michigan Basketball Coach John Beilein got a contract extension through 2016. Beilein's total compensation under the new contract will reportedly be $1.7 million in 2010-11, $1.8 million in 2012-13 and $1.9 million by the 2013-14 season.

• Former Wolverine Justin Feagin pleaded Gulity to one count of conspiracy to deliver less than 50 grams of cocaine in a recent court hearing. Let's hope he can turn his life around after this very poor decision.

How Pete Carroll Leaving USC Affects Michigan Football

The first thing that comes to mind is that maybe Michigan won't get "run" the next time Michigan and USC meet in a Rose Bowl. I guess you could replace "Michigan" with any Big Ten Team that has faced USC the last 7 years or so. But I digress, this really isn't about the past or what might happen on the field in future years, it's about Recruiting! The only thing that matters in January, is getting kids to sign with your program on February 3rd.

Here are 2 prospects this directly effects (regarding USC and Michigan):

• Army All American Running Back Dillon Baxter, who is a San Diego guy (and friend of Tate Forcier) who was scheduled to enroll today at USC. He visited Ann Arbor for the Ohio State game and came away impressed but it was not enough for him to change his commitment to Pete and USC. With the Pete heading to Seattle, this might open the door to Michigan. First off, let me say that this is a very unfortunate situation for Dillon who has always been a lifetime fan of USC and of course was ready to start school today. I'm not sure what Dillon will do, but many expect him not to enroll and wait to see what happens. Rich Rod I'm sure is planning an in home visit this week. This timing has not been good for all the USC recruits that were planning to enroll today but it could be worse, Pete could of taken the Seattle job next week after those kids had already enrolled.

• Army All American Safety Sean Parker: Reports have been that Sean has been favoring Michigan over USC and CAL, but many "insiders" on the West Coast felt that it would be difficult for Sean to leave California and would most likely stay at USC. (Sean has said before that he wanted to leave the State). Hopefully, having Pete leave only solidifies Sean's decision to become a Wolverine. (at least us Wolverines fans hope so)

So we will see what happens over the next week. Pete has resigned, so he is officially gone and is trying to take a number of assistants with him. USC will try to find a top tier coach fast to save the recruiting class. The next 3 weeks of recruiting is going to be very interesting.

Other Recruiting News and Notes:

• TomVH from Mgoblog says Rahard Knight CB/S from Florida is visiting Michigan this Friday. He is down to Michigan, Rutgers, and Ole' Miss.

• Tony Grimes another CB from Florida who was going to be a "package deal" with teammate Clarence Murphy. Well, Murphy just committed to Maryland last week and Grimes is now not looking good for Michigan. There are two reasons for this change: 1) His main Michigan recruiter Jay Hopson took the DC job at Memphis 2) He played in an All Star game in cold weather and didn't like it. So put those two things together and it looks like Grimes may now be favoring Miami.

BHB's Friday: 5 and Out

• How about them Wolverines? The Men's basketball team put up 16 points in the first half and went 0-14 in 3's before storming back in the second half to beat Penn State. A win is a win.

• Package Deal? RR likes to recruit high school teammates. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. A current Package from Florida lost one of it's members yesterday as DE Clarence Murphy decided to commit to Maryland. That leaves CB Tony Grimes potential commitment to Michigan up in the air. Both were going to decide on signing day but it seems Clarence jumped the gun for some reason.

• What to Watch? Unless there is a surprise, Michigan isn't supposed to get any announcements at this weekends Army All American Game. Still, Michigan fans will want to tune it to check out highly rated CB Cullen Christian, Punter Will Hagerup, and potential recruit Safety Sean Parker.

• Ryan Mallett has decided to stay in school and not go to the NFL. Ryan deciding to stay somewhere is always big news.

• South Florida's Jim Leavitt was shown the door this morning. I'm sure there won't be any tears shed at Schembechler Hall since Jim and Rich never seemed to get along. Rich took a number of assistants from South Florida (Rod Smith, Calvin Magee, and Greg Frey) over his tenure. One of those guys maybe a candidate for the head coaching job at USF. That guy would be, Michigan's OC Calvin Magee. That would be a big loss for Michigan but a great opportunity for Calvin.

Highlights from the Under Armour All American Game Including Devin's TD Pass

The Highs and Lows of Michigan Football Recruiting

Don't you just love this time of year? No, not for the national championship game tonight or the NFL playoffs. It's the final month of recruiting for the 2010 class. All the ranked un-committed high school football players are getting more attention then Paris Hilton at a Star Trek convention. Coaches are calling them and trying to get them to take official visits where they can serve them the local "kool-aide" and trying to get them to sign on February 3rd. They put in their heads, the dream of the NFL, playing as a freshman, and being a champion and holding that crystal trophy someday. It's like Christmas in January for these kids. It's also like a roller coaster if you follow it closely.

Dateline Yesterday:

• Michigan is expecting 9 players to enroll early.


• 6 actually make it in, with two having to wait until this summer.


• 1 is a hold over for the 2009 class that was working hard this off season to get his grades up, but for some reason (most likely) isn't going to qualify.


• 1 player that wasn't going to enroll early, also has grade issues and won't be in Ann Arbor even this Fall.


• An instate prospect on the defensive line picks Ohio State over Michigan and Florida.

Today:

• MSU, Saline QB, and Army All American Joe Boisture has not made it to practice this week in San Antonio. The word "is" that he has an injury (he did suffer a serious concussion in November). A reporter from Mlive believes it's because he threw 4 touchdowns with 8 picks his senior year and got benched but still got an invite to a game that only takes the top high school players in the nation. (this has nothing to do with Michigan recruiting - just interesting). Joe is an MSU verbal.



• A State of Michigan CB, Dior Mathis who is at the Army All American game and has a final 3 of MSU, Oregon, and Michigan is expected to announce for the Ducks or the Spartans on Saturday. But this ESPN reporter believes he will announce for Michigan. Many recruiting insiders believe that Michigan has stopped recruiting Mathis. The reason why? Well, he is 5"9 and 166 pounds. He can cover, but we all saw the issues Boubacar had early in 2009. So the ESPN insider really is out of touch or really has inside info.



• State of Michigan Safety prospect Earnest Thomas de-commits from UCLA today to stay closer to home. Does this have anything to do with Michigan? Don't know yet. He is rated a 3 star prospect from Rivals and the #47th ranked safety in the country.



• Tony Grimes, a CB from Florida that is part of a package deal that RR is working on for signing day is playing in another All Star Game in late January.

The Numbers Game:

How many kids can Michigan sign in this class? I have heard numbers as high as 29 with the loss of Warren to the NFL. If you now take out the current loses of Witty and Drake, that leaves Michigan with 23 committed players for the 2010 class (with 6 already enrolled/locked). That leaves Michigan with 2 players for a full 25 player class and maybe 4 more to fill out the roster.

Here are the current players "in play" for the Wolverines:

• Teammates from Florida Tony Grimes, CB and Clarence Murphy, DE


• Teammates from Miami Torrian Wilson, OL and Todd Chandler, DT


• California Safety Sean Parker (playing in the Army All American game this weekend)


• Florida Safety Rashad Knight


• Michael Taylor, LB and current Tennessee verbal


• Jibrell Black, DE and current Cincinnati verbal

Michigan will want to fill as many spots as possible with this class and getting the above list on campus for one of the remaining weekends will help Rich Rod and staff close the 2010 class. Similar to last year, this is going to come right down to the finish line.

Update on Michigan Early Enrollments and Future Recruits

Ann Arbor.com is reporting that Devin Gardner and Marvin Robinson will not make it on campus this week and will have to wait until this summer before joining the Wolverines.

This now almost guarantees that Devin will redshirt next year, since he won't have the luxury of spring ball. The more troubling situation for the Michigan Defense is the loss of spring ball for Marvin Robinson who plays safety.

• TomVH from Mgoblog is also reporting that Tony Drake a running back from Texas won't be part of the Michigan's 2010 class due to academic eligibility concerns. Good Luck to Tony in his football career.
• Sam Webb Michigan recruiting insider and GBW's Senior Editor, also said on the radio that he doesn't expect Adrian Witty to be enrolling early and most likely not making it to Ann Arbor at all.

So to net out the day: Michigan enrolls six 2010 recruits (Hopkins, Miller, Jackson, Robinson, Pace, and White) with two not making it early but still planning on signing with Michigan on February 3rd and losing 2 recruits all together. Let's hope the Michigan staff is busy recruiting the last 4 weeks before signing day.

Michigan's 2010 Season Starts Today: As 2010 Recruits Start Class at U of M

Most high school seniors look forward to their final semester in high school. They take a light load of classes, go to the prom, and enjoy the graduation ceremony in the Spring.

Not this list of 2010 Michigan Football Players! These guys get to start their college experience today and instead of the prom they get English 101, Mike Barwis, and Spring Football.

Here is the list of 2010 recruits that plan on starting class today at Michigan:

• Breaking News: The #1 rated QB in the country Devin Gardner plans on enrolling and starting school today. He played in the UA All American Game this past weekend and seemed to be 50/50 if it was going to happen.
• Texas running back, Stephen Hopkins
• Florida/Ann Arbor Pioneer WR Ricardo Miller
• Ann Arbor Huron WR/TE Jeremy Jackson
• Ohio WR Jerald Robinson
• Ohio Offensive lineman Christian Pace
• Michigan RB Austin White

There are two players who eligibility remain in question on enrolling early. 4 star safety Marvin Robinson is having some issues with classes he took this summer (should know today if he can enroll this week) and 2009 recruit and teammate of Denard Robinson, Adrian Witty.

The news on Gardner is really good. QB's need the extra time if they are going to play in 2010. Though many Michigan fans would prefer he redshirt. The other important recruit is Marvin Robinson at safety which we all know has serious depth issues. Tate Forcier arrived on campus in January 2009 and started at QB in September.

Michigan Tuesday: A little Recruiting News

• State of Michigan DT recruit Johnathan Hankins is expected to pick the Buckeyes today over Michigan and Florida. The "inside" word is his high school defensive coordinator is not a big fan of the Wolverines and would send his prospect just about anywhere else. Michigan was a little late in the game in offering Hankins after he showed up to summer camp out of shape.

• California Safety recruit Sean Parker is not expected to announce his final college decision at this weekends Army All American game. He is still planning on announcing on signing day between Michigan, CAL, and USC.

• There is a rumor flying around that Adrian Witty might not be academically eligible to join the Wolverines, which would end his recruitment to Ann Arbor. Let's hope it's just a rumor.

• Joe Dumars son Jordan has transferred from South Florida and has enrolled at U of M. He is planning to join the basketball team as a walk on next Fall when he is eligible again.

• The Michigan Regents are planning to vote this week on putting $20 million into Crisler Arena to update the facility. The vote is expected to pass and is being supported by new AD Dave Brandon as well.

• Braylon Edwards and his dad have come out and said that Braylon was not taking a shot at Rich Rod on Monday night. That he comes back to Ann Arbor in the summer and works out with Barwis. "Last night during my pre-taped introduction, as a way of paying tribute to Coach Carr, I indentified myself as being from 'Lloyd Carr's University of Michigan,'" Edwards said. "I had no intention of showing any disrespect to Coach Rich Rodriguez.
  
  "I love the University of Michigan and will always be loyal to its coaching staff past, present and future."
  

Michigan Welcomes the "Pizza Man" as it's new Athletic Director

Former Michigan football player under Bo and current CEO of Domino's Pizza Dave Brandon will be the new Athletic Director at the University of Michigan. Angelique S. Chengelis from The Detroit News broke the news: "I have a deep appreciation for the university," Brandon told The News in a telephone interview. "I will rely on my experience as a business leader, I will rely on my experiences as a student-athlete, I will rely on my experience as a regent. "More than anything else, I'm passionate about it, and anyone who knows me knows I'm a bit of a workaholic. I would never be disrespectful to any of the other candidates, but I bring a unique set of qualifications that will help me in this role."

Brandon has been close to the University for many years as a Regent, Working on special projects with University President Sue Coleman and a fund raiser. He knows the people he is going to work for and the situation at U of M very clearly. This isn't an big dollar alumni coming in and taking a job, this is a guy that loves U of M and has the business acumen to succeed in the job. There was rumblings that Brandon was also thinking about taking a run for Governor of the Great Lakes State but that will have to wait. He has signed a 5 year contract and will officially take over the athletic department in March.

So the big question that most people are asking is: How much rope does Rich Rod have before he gets fired? As a Michigan fan, you must hear it all the time as well right? Well, Mgoblog reports from an insider that: Brandon was a key supporter of Rodriguez's candidacy. He and RR have dinner regularly. 3-9 engenders some frustration, but one of the items cited was Rodriguez getting "too friendly with the media".

BTW: My answer to the above question is: at least through the end of his contract. Michigan is paying him a ton of money, they paid WVU a ton of money to get him out of his contract, they don't want to pay him a ton of money for him to coach somewhere else. RR is safe through his contract. Two things to remember, Michigan didn't have a ton of choices when Lloyd Carr retired and they gave Tommy Amaker all the time in the world to succeed.

As for the choice for AD. Dave Brandon is a good choice. He knows Michigan very well and has a solid business background. It's obvious he didn't take the AD job for money since you know he makes much more in his current role. So he took the job for his love of U of M and must already have enough dough. :)

Michigan Monday: Recruiting Tidbits and News & Notes

Recruiting Tidbits:

All football programs are coming off the recruiting dead period and looking to step up the process in the last month before signing day. Some have wondered what the dead period means: coaches are allowed to call prospects once a week but not allowed to do any in person visits or schedule any "official" visits to that specific University.

Michigan is still chasing a number of recruits on defense which include the defensive line, corner back, safety, and linebacker. Here are a couple of updates:

• 4 star safety from California Sean Parker said he would not take any more official visits. He had planned to take an official at USC on 1/15. Sean is playing in this weeks Army All American All Star game and many have wondered if he will commit this Saturday during the game. In the past, he has said he would commit on signing day on 2/3. Sean's final 3 is: Michigan, USC, and CAL.

• Florida corner back Tony Grimes told Mgoblog that, Michigan is still his leader and he plans on trying to visit Ole' Miss, Miami and Georgia. Tony has already visited Michigan and Maryland. Tony also confirmed that he and teammate Clarence Murphy plan on going to the same school. One concern for Michigan fans was the loss of Jay Hopson to Memphis, because Jay was Tony's main recruiter. Here's Tony's response: I wouldn't say it does, because he wouldn't be my position coach if I go there. I have been talking to coach Hopson this whole time, but I met the other coaches on my visit.

• Devin Gardner went 2-4 in passing for one TD and ran for 14 yards in the Under Armour All American game on Saturday. Sam Wyche former head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, said this about Devin: "Devin is going to be a big-time player at Michigan," Wyche said. "He and (Alabama commitment) Phillip Sims are guys to me that are going to come quickly to the scene. Devin has a great smile. He is going to sell a lot of product for somebody. He's got a great personality. He's smart -- you can change directions with him and it doesn't bother him at all. He is ready to go." Many have said that Devin is boarder line on enrolling early. Since he would have to enroll this week, I'm guessing it's a no go.

• Other future Wolverines in the Army All American Bowl include CB Cullen Christian and Punter Will Hag "time" erup.

• Michigan has been recruiting Tennessee commit LB Michael Taylor. Michael played in the Under Armour Bowl this weekend and played very fast. He is very much needed in Ann Arbor.
  
  

News and Notes:

• UConn looked really good against South Carolina on Saturday. They are going to be a very difficult W to start the 2010 season next year.

• Mike Hart had his first NFL touchdown yesterday for the Colts.

• The Michigan basketball team after losing a disappointing game against IU on the road on New Years Eve, beat #13 Ohio State at Crisler Arena on Sunday.

Saturday is an Important U of M Bowl Day

With the title of this post, some of you might think I had a little too much to drink on New Year's Day/Eve. Why in the world would Saturday be a Michigan Bowl day? Since Michigan didn't make a bowl game for the second straight year, I will give you 3 reasons why Saturday is important to the 2010 Wolverine Football Team.

#1: 11:00 am Under Armour All America Game: This will be the first time the world has a chance to get a good look at Michigan's number 1 recruit in the 2010 class and future QB, Devin Gardner. If Devin lights up the All Star game look for him to shoot up the recruiting rankings and start getting "Pryor" type hype. Many recruiting analysts say Gardner is a more polished passer at this point in his career.

#2: 2:00 pm Papa Johns.com Bowl: South Carolina vs UConn: Michigan's first opponent in 2010 in the New Big House will be the University of Connecticut. This is will be the last time we will see UConn before they enter the Big House on September 4th. Michigan fans and coaches will get a chance to scout the Huskies returning players.

#3: 9:00 pm The Suspension Bowl aka The Alamo Bowl: Michigan State vs Texas Tech: The only interest here for Michigan fans is to see how it's instate rival does in a Bowl that has made more news off the field that it possibly could on. Will Sparty keep up the Big Ten momentum from New Years Day? Or will they flame out being short handed? I guess we will have to turn in to see.


Random Thoughts from New Years Day:

• Congrats to the Big Ten with wins from PSU and OSU. Northwestern could have tied Auburn in over-time if they hadn't broken their kicker a few plays before. The last time a Big Ten Team had an impressive win on New Years Day was Michigan's win against Florida the year Tebow won the Heisman. (wow that seems like a long time ago)

• Memo to Buckeye Fan: If your 50 years old (and not in the band KISS) please layoff the make up and crazy hair. I'm sure your family is in hiding somewhere during game days. Wear your gear, but go with a regular baseball hat and a team shirt or jacket. That's it. Having nuts around your neck is...............(never mind)

• Congrats to Bobby Bowden going out a winner.

• How terrible was the Citrus Bowl's field? Was that game played in Pittsburgh or what? I know they are putting in Field Turf next year, but what are they thinking with all the games that are played in that stadium and thinking regular grass will hold up. Two Bowl Games in one week. Memo to Heinz Field: The same question goes to you as well.

• Just so I understand the coaching situation for the Sugar Bowl: UC's head coach is at ND. UC's interim coach is now the head coach at Buffalo and Florida's head coach is taking a leave of absence after the game. Tomorrow Cincinnati will be coached by Butch Jones and Florida will be coached by Steve Addazio. Sound right? I think I need a Coaching Roster for this game.

• Last but not least is the travels of Alex Legion from Detroit, a one time Michigan basketball recruit that committed and de-committed twice to the Michigan Basketball program that ended up signing with Kentucky. He then transferred to Illinois and today announced he was leaving Illinois and going to Florida International, playing for Isiah Thomas. Stephen Threet had no comment.

Happy New Year 2010

Happy New Year from the Big House Blog! Let's hope 2010 has nothing but good news for Rich Rod and our Wolverines.

Enjoy the games today.