Wolverine Weekend Update: The BBQ Brings A 2012 Verbal for Football and One for Basketball

The Worm has finally turned as 2012 4 Star DE Chris Wormley picked Michigan over Ohio State today at the Big House BBQ. 

Chris Wormley seemly had Michigan as his #1 school for what seems like a year and he finally pulled the trigger today.   Chris is 6'5 and 250 pounds and plays fast for his size.  He is a 4 star prospect to Scouts, 24/7 and ESPN.  He is 3 stars to Rivals.    It seems some services think he is bit of a tweener on which position he might end up at.  He is a DE prospect right now but could end up as a tackle as he adds some more weight and strength.

The recruiting insiders that cover Ohio have been high on Chris for awhile and as you know a Ohio State offer is what most kids in Ohio hope for.   Chris other offers seem strange for a 4 star player of his caliber which include the likes of Indiana, Illinois, MSU, Cincinnati and Toledo.   So either the other schools didn't bother to offer a guy who was either heading to Michigan or OSU or they were unsure of his position. 

Either way, Chris has been high on Michigan fans wish list for a long time and it's nice to have him on board.   Chris will be the last DE Michigan takes in this class, unless Washington wants to commit. 

The needs still remain at DT (probably 2), 1 more offensive lineman, and a couple WR's.  With this commit, Michigan has 21 guys wrapped up in this class and will take 5 more guys.   So I assume the coaches will be pretty selected.



Michigan fans had hoped for 1 or 2 2013  commits today and one highly ranked 2012 DT whose name rhymes with Ripken.   Still could happen but nothing yet.

• Michigan Basketball also got a commitment from Zak Irvin from Indiana who picked Michigan over the likes of Butler, IU, Tennessee and Purdue.   Zak is a 6'6 small forward and a commitment to the 2013 class.   Zak is pretty much a top 100 player to all the services and the third commitment to the 2013 class.

Michigan Friday: Talking Heads

Brady Hoke spoke yesterday and people took notes. It was pretty much of what we expected, no news on Stonum and Kellen Jones is not enrolled. He expects everyone to be in shape and ready to compete at the start of practice on 8/8. He is all about Michigan and showing some swagger. Maybe Brady should be the next Old Spice Guy. Look at Me, Look at my Defense, now back at Me.

• Danny O'Brien had a online chat on Rivals last night and will announce his top 6 schools on Friday. He pretty much said he liked all the schools he is considering (Alabama, Tenn, Michigan, Florida, Iowa, MSU, Ark and others) and will visit them all and make a decision during the season or after. He did say he would like to play college ball with his best friend Matt Godin.
  
• Aaron Burbridge committed to MSU yesterday. He was planning to be at the BBQ at the Big House on Sunday so the timing was unexpected the result wasn't. Good luck to him in East Lansing.  

• Allen Trieu of Scouts tweeted that Ondre Pipkins might commit somewhere sooner rather the later "if he feels it". He is visiting Ann Arbor this weekend. Let's hope he feels it!

• Former Michigan QB commit Shavodrick Beaver is leaving Tulsa for Midwestern State University.  He was planning to be an academic redshirt this year for Tulsa.   Out of the 4 QB's that verballed to Michigan in that class it seems the last one was the best.  If you wondering who was the last one was, see the below video.

Your moment of Zen with Denard and that Million Dollar Smile....................

Michigan Thursday: Drunk Driving is a Serious Offense

There are three Wolverines with recent Drunk Driving offenses; Darryl Stonum is a current Wolverine who is suspended from the team for 2 violations, Jalen Rose who is a member of ESPN and a former Fab 5 member and of course Braylon Edwards former Michigan WR and current NFL Free Agent. 

There are whispers that Darryl is hanging on by a thread to his college career with Michigan and could face being kicked off the team to a 4 game suspension.  Let's hope he has learned his lesson, cleans up his act and gets to re-join the team some time this year. 

Jalen was just sentenced to 20 days in jail for pleading guilty to his DUI this winter.  Which seems to be a pretty harsh penalty but so was his crime.   I like Jalen a lot but what he did was serious and he is paying a high price.

Braylon won't face any jail time but will have his probation from a Cleveland fight extended one year and will serve 100 hours of community service.

I like all 3 guys and hopefully they will all learn from these serious mistakes. 

• TomVH catches up with WR Amara Darboh who visited A2 this week:  I feel a lot better with them. They all seem like really nice guys and they have a great staff there. This visit helped Michigan a lot, and it also helped with my comfort level, so yeah.

• The Big Ten Media Days start today.  Should be lots of coaches talk.  For example; We have a talented team but we also have holes we need to fill.

• New BBQ visitor is 2013 ATH Dymonte Thomas who will be there with his father and his cousin Bri'onte Dunn.   The early returns on Dymonte is he might be one of the best players in Ohio in the 2013 class and has Michigan #1 in his recruitment right now. 

• I know NFL transactions are flying around fast.  To catch you up on some Wolverines:  Mike Hart got cut by Indy,  Jonas Mouton signed his deal with the Chargers, Stevie Breaston is now with Kansas City, Martell Webb signed with the Eagles, James Rogers with Denver and  Perry Dorrestein to the Jets.   Good luck Guys!  (Obi Ezeh, Greg Banks and Adam Patterson are still looking for teams).

Wolverine Wednesday: Makes Its Way to San Jose

If you haven't heard, former Michigan QB Tate Forcier announced on his twitter account that he will be playing for San Jose State next year.   After he sits out this year he will be eligible to play in the WAC conference against the following teams: Utah State, New Mexico State, University of Nevada-Reno, Fresno State, Hawaii, Idaho and Louisiana Tech.   Lets hope he takes his academics seriously and plays well on the football field.  Sort of ironic that he will be a Spartan now.   Look for him on Friday night ESPN games in 13 months.

Since we are down to the final 6 spots in the 2012 class, I thought I would estimate for you who could be filling out the class.

• Chris Wormley
• Jordan Diamond
• Danny O'Brien
• Ondre Pipkins
• WR from (Payton, Darboh, Powe, Madris)
• Wild card spot

Potential Wild cards will come from a list from the following players:

Bri'onte Dunn:  With the recent misleading news that OSU won't be hit hard by the NCAA, I think will keep him in Columbus.  The outside chance Michigan has is if the NCAA hits OSU hard or he falls in love with the coaches, the University, and players at the BBQ this weekend.  He is also visiting Penn State this week.

Ron Thompson:  Many thought that Ron would be Michigan's first commit of the year, he wasn't and still hasn't committed anywhere.   He played well at the Grid Iron Kings last week and keeps Michigan in his top 3.   This could be his way of getting more offers by keeping Michigan alive when Ann Arbor isn't a option or Michigan could be keeping his recruitment alive to see how this class fills out.

Wayne Morgan:  I have heard a few rumors that Michigan still might take another DB in this class.  Wayne was about to commit to Michigan a few months ago and then got cold feet when his family and friends said to wait and make sure you look at all options.  I think Terry Richardson will stay committed to Michigan but he still wants to take visits which is risky for the Michigan coaches.

Adolphus Washington:  Is a 5 star DE prospect from Cincinnati.   It seems his teammate Dwayne Stanford no longer has Michigan in his top group.   They both could go to the same school but it's looking more and more like that might not happen.   They both have been trying to get to Ann Arbor all summer and haven't yet.   Which is a sign because it's only a 3 1/2 hour drive to Ann Arbor.

With a FB in this class, I think it's Dunn at RB or Michigan is done with RB's in this class.  I also think highly ranked offensive lineman Banner, Gannet and Peat will stay on the West Coast.

There is also some buzz that Michigan might take 2 WR's in this class since they didn't take any in the 2011 class.    With the news of career ending injuries to DT Talbott and OL/C Pace, I now think taking 2 DT's is a must with the last 6 spots.  It sounds like Indy DT Sheldon Day might make it up for the BBQ as well.

Michigan Tuesday: Brings Lots of News

After a slow week or so the Wolverine news train seems to be running at high speeds the last 10 hours or so.

News Maker #1: Brady Hoke Gets His FB
Surprise Utah FB Sione Houma become Michigan's 20th commit to the 2012 class yesterday.  Houma is a 6'0 211 pound FB who ran for 1,211 yards and 9 touchdowns last year.    To say he is under the radar would be putting it lightly, he is not rated on Rivals,ESPN or 24/7 and is 2 stars to Scouts.  

His offer list included Utah, Utah State and Washington.

My take:  The coaches wanted a FB in this class and now they got one.  I will trust the coaches with this one but with now only 6 spots left at max, I sure hope have room for the impact guys Michigan is still in on.    I would have felt much better about this commitment last Spring.   Either way it's another player the coaching staff targeted and got.


#2:  Jones, Jones and Pace are officially off the roster.  
The Michigan Athletic Department confirmed that Kellen Jones is no longer enrolled at Michigan and both Teric Jones and Christian Pace careers are over due to injury.  

My take:  Losing Kellen and Christian are the biggest blows to future playing time.  Christian was the only offensive lineman in the 2010 class and there was high hopes for Kellen to maybe even play this year.    Look for Poole to take advantage of Kellen's departure.   Side Note: With Christian Pace is now gone, Cullen Christan left a few months ago for Pitt, should freshman basketball player Colton Christian be concerned?  :)

#3:  Michigan 2012 class ranks #2 on Rivals.
What a compliment to Brady Hoke and Staff.  To be able to recruit this well after being on the job for 7 months is pretty incredible. 

#4 Kyle Kalis and his OSU recruitment
Some people have speculated that with recent news from the NCAA that OSU won't face the "failure to monitor" penalty that Kyle would head back to Columbus.  Kyle said this:  Despite all the speculation about the limited sanctions that Ohio State will receive, I've grown to love Michigan too much to ever consider going back. I'm excited to get up there next season and to start what I know is going to be a new chapter in Michigan history, and with the amazing class that my head coach Brady Hoke is putting together.

My take: Love this kid! If you want to worry about a kid, I think our chances with Dunn probably dropped a few points, but if we can still get him up for the BBQ, I think we have a punchers chance at landing him.

Also don't forget that OSU could be found guilty of being a double offender which carries a big penalty as well.

Update:  It seems DT Terry Talbott career might also be over due to a back problem.  Terry is the brother of DB Terrance.   If you remeber Terry all most went to North Carolina on signing day but stayed with Michigan. 

If you wondered how Michigan had 26 spots in the 2012 class, these injuries are the reason.

Michigan Monday: 4 Star WR Set to Visit Today

The end of the week could be a big deal for the Wolverines with the BBQ at the Big House with a number of current commits, 2012 and 2013 prospects will get to share some burgers and hot dogs and get to know the coaches and the Michigan program a bit better.  Guys like Wormley or Dunn could take a few steps closer to becoming a Wolverine. 

Today and Tuesday a 4 star WR from Iowa,  Amara Darboh will visit Ann Arbor. Darboh holds offers from Florida, Iowa, Iowa State, ND, Nebraska, Wisconsin and others.  I'm going up to Michigan tomorrow [Monday the 25th]. Me and my basketball coach are going. He's a Michigan fan and he was able to give me a ride, so he wanted to go. We're taking off here at 8am on Monday, staying all day Monday, all day Tuesday, and then we might be back for a little bit on Wednesday too. 

I thought I'd have a top list already but I'm not going to have it until my season starts. Hopefully when my season starts I'll have it narrowed down to a top five and then just go from there. If I take an official visit somewhere and I feel comfortable and it feels right then I'll just commit there. Right now everything changes every now and then because I haven't seen everywhere yet. I don't want to name a list until I finalize it, but I think Michigan has a good chance to be in the top five. I'll know more about them after my visit.

With Stanford's interest in Michigan starting to slip, it seems Hoke and Staff will take the first 4 star WR that wants to commit.  With one spot in this class, I expect someone will commit in the next couple of weeks.

Bad News for former Michigan recruits:

• Pryor has had a bad 8 months but now reports are coming out the NFL might not allow him or even have a supplemental draft.
• We knew about Dee Hart blowing out his ACL.
• Now comes word that Kris Frost has a dislocated elbow and needs surgery. 
• Russell Shepard who considered Michigan his leader for about 5 minutes before committing to LSU, might have some eligibility issues.
• Jatashun “Big Tex” Beachum RB/DT who was considering Michigan near signing day for the 2010 class has left Arkansas program.
• If you didn't hear, Hawaii said, thanks but no thanks to Tate Forcier last week.   I think it's fair to assume that he has serious grade issues.  I'm guessing he will end up a Community College for a year.

Michigan Walk On Switch

As you might remember back earlier this year Michigan and OSU were in pursuit of a walk on offensive line prospect from IL named Graham Glasgow.  He picked OSU and that was that.  I guess it wasn't it.  
Graham showed up on Michigan's Media guide roster as a walk-on.  What happened here?  TomVH reports he changed his mind back in June and nobody seemed to have picked up on it.   What a great pick up for the Wolverines, this young man is 6'6 316 pounds.  The reason he wasn't highly recruited was because he was more of a basketball player then football.  He decided he wanted to play football and a number of big programs were looking at him as a walk on prospect.   He has strong academics and could be a nice addition to the offensive line in future years. 

(I guess this would be a reverse Justin Boren, who left Michigan to walk on to Ohio State)

Other Michigan Walk On info:

• Gary Yarden's commitment was highlighted here in a former (small) post.
• Joey Kerridge is a FB walk on from Traverse City.  He is 6'0 239 pounds.  Since Michigan is looking for a true FB Joey might have a great chance to see the field faster then some of the other walk-ons.
• Dallas Williams played at Huron and is 6'3 312 pounds but I really don't have much more information on him.  He did have 3 tackles in the Pioneer game this year.

Wolverine Weekend Update: The Numbers Game

The new Michigan Media guide just came out and incoming freshman have numbers and there are a few guys missing from the roster.  The missing guys make are the ones making the most news:
#1 Hot Topic is Kellen Jones:  Is/was an incoming freshman that isn't on the roster.  He was a 4 star LB to Scouts and 3 Stars to Rivals in the 2011 class.  There are plenty of message board rumors flying around, which we hope are not true.  Kellen was very high on the Wolverines and is considered a nice LB prospect.  He was very excited to be a Wolverine.

#2 Christian Pace: Was a 2010 class center recruit from Avon Lakes, Ohio.  He red shirted last year due to Molk and a number of rumored injuries.  I expect that his injuries continue to be a major issue and he needs to take this year off or his football career might be in jeopardy. (again just speculation)

5th Year Guys Not on the Roster:  (all were expected)  Michael Williams, John Ferrara, Zac Ciullo, and Kevin Leach.   Good luck gentlemen!

Freshman Numbers:  (HT Mgoblog)

No.	Name	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	State
3	Russell Bellomy	QB	6'3	178	TX
5	Justice Hayes	RB	5'10	175	MI
8	Blake Countess	DB	5'10	175	MD
20	Tamani Carter	DB	5'11	175	OH
21	Raymon Taylor	DB	5'10	170	MI
24	Delonte Hollowell	DB	5'9	170	MI
35	Greg Brown	CB	5'10	180	OH
36	Joe Kerridge#	FB	6'0	239	MI
38	Thomas Rawls	RB	5'10	220	MI
40	Antonio Poole	LB	6'2	210	OH
44	Desmond Morgan	LB	6'1	225	MI
45	Matt Wile	K	6'2	210	CA
57	Frank Clark	LB	6'2	210	OH
58	Chris Bryant	OL	6'4	330	IL
60	Jack Miller	OL	6'4	268	OH
61	Graham Glasgow#	OL	6'6	316	IL
62	Dallas Williams#	OL	6'3	312	MI
71	Gary Yerden#	OL	6'5	328	MI
79	Tony Posada	OL	6'4	330	FL
82	Chris Barnett	TE	6'5	250	TX
92	Keith Heitzman	DE	6'3	237	OH
95	Chris Rock	DE	6'5	250	OH
97	Brennen Beyer	DE	6'3	225	MI

#walk on

Number Changes:

Name	Pos.	Was	Now
Josh Furman	S	6	14
Jack Kennedy	QB	25	14
J.T. Floyd	CB	12	18
Thomas Gordon	S	15	30
Isaiah Bell	LB	26	34
Terrence Talbott	CB	22	37
Marell Evans	LB	9	51
Ricky Barnum	OL	56	52
Brandon Moore	TE	88	89

 I am doing research on the walk ons and will post on Monday.  Dallas played for Huron last year.

Michigan Friday: Looks at 2012 Running Backs

Michigan has 3 different positions in the 2012 class where they will only take one prospect.  Those positions include QB, RB and WR.  I have previewed options for QB and WR now it's time to look at running back.

#1 option is Ohio running back Bri'onte Dunn who is a 5 star to Scouts and 4 to Rivals.  The catch with Bri'onte is that he is committed to OSU but is concerned about the NCAA situation.  It seems Michigan is his close #2 school who continues to make up ground on OSU as they try to figure out the NCAA situation.  Bri'onte is planning to travel North  for the BBQ at the Big House and he will get a chance to rub elbows with many of Michigan's 2012 commits.  A unique twist in Dunn's recruitment is that his cousin is a one of the top players in Ohio for the 2013 class named Dymonte Thomas.  I have heard that Thomas and Dunn are close and have talked about playing together.  Thomas visited Michigan and loved it and the Wolverines are considered his leader right now. 

The big question between now and the end of football season will be, can the Wolverines sell Bri'onte on Ann Arbor over Columbus?

• Keith Marshall is rated the #1 RB in the country by Scouts and he is planning a Michigan visit.  Many insiders don't expect him to end up a Wolverine from North Carolina but if they get him on campus they have a punchers chance.
• Ejay Fatu is a FB from Texas and could fill the RB spot as well.  FB is sort of like field goal kicker recruiting, you find a lot of guys as walk-ons or take players from other positions.  So FB's normally don't get a ton of offers.  So for Michigan to offer Ejay he must be a strong prospect.

• Wes Brown sort of is similar to Keith Marshall situation.  Wes is a RB from Good Counsel in Maryland which usually has a couple top prospect every year.  Keith is a 4 star guy to both Scouts and Rivals.
• Greg Garmon is a 4 star RB from PA and mention here before is a cancer survivor.  Greg is another guy Michigan needs to get on campus for an official visit. 

You might be wondering where are the State of Michigan prospects?  This year is not great for running backs in the Great Lake State.  The best running back prospect is Dennis Norfleet who is 5'8 175 pounds and doesn't seem to meet the size requirements U of M is looking for.

The fact of the matter is this position recruitment will not be settled in the short term.  It seems Michigan has the best shot at Dunn right now even though he re-confirmed his shaky commitment to OSU a couple of weeks ago.  Attending the BBQ at the Big House is a great sign that he might be re-thinking the Wolverines.  

The thing to consider is if Ejay Fatu were to commit, would they still take a tailback in this class?

Michigan Thursday: Big House Bites

• Congratulations to Brian Griese whose broadcasting career seems to be moving in the right direction, he just landed the prime time spot on ESPNU's SEC Game of the Week for next season.

• Sam Webb does his Thursday thing on Big 2013 Tailback Wyatt Shallman from Detroit Catholic Central.  Wyatt is currently a junior and is 6'3 and 251 pounds and working out with Mike Barwis.  "They envision me as a big tailback like (New York Giants standout) Brandon Jacobs," he said of the Wolverines. "They want me to play tailback. That sounds great. I really want to." ----"My parents are both crazy Michigan fans," Shallman reported. "It is like a dream come true for them. My mom cried (when Brady Hoke extended a scholarship offer back in May). She's loved Michigan for so long. My mom is crazy fanatical. She loves Bo (Schembechler). She loves everything about Michigan. On our outdoor fridge she has an 'Oh, how I hate Ohio State' sign." -----"My dad went to one of the first Michigan camps back with Bo. His whole claim to fame at the camp was he ran a good route and made a one-handed catch. Bo came up to him and said, 'Good catch son!'"

• Kyle Kalis quote from A2.com:  “The thing about Coach Hoke that really sticks out to me is that he’s real,” Kalis texted. “What you see is what you get with Coach, and that’s how it should be. Coach Hoke will be the reason U of M gets back on top. And I’m not the only one who sees it that way, the whole class does and the amount of focus that we all have is incredible, and Coach Hoke instilled that in us.”

• TomVH says that Aaron Burbridge will be the Big House BBQ

Wolverine Wednesday: Waiting on Wormley, Washington and a WR

You can also add Diamond and Pipkins to that list (it just didn't fit the "W" title).

The next big recruiting event for the Wolverines is the BBQ at the Big House.   This is an event that Rich Rod created and a chance for current commits to meet each other, 2013 commits to visit and a few 2012 recruits to visit as well.  TomVH gives us an update on who is attending and who is tentative at this point. 

The guys that are planning on attending the event that are important prospects are Chris Wormley and Danny O'Brien.  Ondre Pipkins is expected to be on campus in that time frame as well but we are not sure if it will be for the BBQ or another weekend.  Jordan Diamond is also tentative. 

This is purely speculation but I am wondering if the commitments of Kalis and Magnuson have made Jordan soften a bit on the Wolverines?  I hope not since Jordan is a great prospect (5 stars to Scouts) but you have to wonder. 

The Cincinnati teammates of Washington and Stanford are not expected to take any visits until AAU Basketball is over.  Which probably means not until football season starts.  I would guess they would like to make it up for a game, the problem is will there still be spots.   Michigan continues to offer WR's and they already have a boat load of DE's and a strong possibility that Wormley will join the class in the short term. 

Michigan seems very interested in taking a FB in this class as well and their target seems to be Texas F EJ Fatu who is a 3 star prospect to Rivals and has an offer list of Arizona State, Utah, Arkansas and Syracuse.   If it comes down to a guy like Washington/O'Brien or a FB, I'm guessing the Michigan coaches will lean towards defense but I also think it's first come first serve.

Look for Michigan to get one or maybe two commitments from the BBQ.   BTW, the set up is that Michigan charges the family members and recruits to attend the event, because it would be an NCAA violation if they didn't.  The charge in the past was a few dollars and this seems to be a invitation only event.

Michigan Tuesday: Thinks About the 2011 Class

With all the fan fare around the 2012 class which is shaping up to be one of the best in the country, we start to forget about the 2011 class that is either on campus already and will be there shortly.  

Here is my take on who from that class might contribute this year:

Best Chance:

• CB Greg Brown: The biggest reason is that he has been enrolled since January and preformed well in the Spring Game.  He has a shot to get on the field early and mostly if Michigan's DB's are not 100% healthy at the start of the season.  Also look for him in Nickel formations.

• Kicker Matt Wile:  The job is his if he kicks well in Fall Camp.  This is a similar situation to last year when Punter Will Hagerup got to campus. 

Outside Chance:

If your not going to contribute on offense or defense, it's hard to blow a redshirt on a guy just playing special teams.   Here are some guys that have a chance to contribute if they preform well or there are injuries ahead of them on the depth chart.

• CB Blake Countness: He was highly rated and if he is that good he could see the field pretty early.  Though we saw Cullen Christian flame out and he was in a similar position.   So I would rather seem him redshirt if he can.

• RB Justice Hayes:  Will there be Justice in 2011?  Michigan's RB situation is a mess with no clear leader in the club house.  There are plenty of candidates but it there a Mike Hart?  Justice is a versatile running back and could play WR or return kicks as well.

• OLB Antiono Poole:  Many thought Poole was the best player in the Big 33 All Star game this summer.  If he is that good he could play right away.  Many said the same thing about Jibreel Black last summer and he got a lot of time at DE in 2010.

Probably a redshirt but could happen:

• TE Chris Barnett:  Seniors in front of him but if he is a play maker, count him in.
• DE Brennen Beyer: Could he move to FB?  He also played TE in high school.  I could see him in on 3rd down and catching some short routes for first downs from the FB position.
• DB Delonte Hollowell:  Injuries or poor play could get him in there.
• LB Desmond Morgan: Could also move to FB to play right away.
• RB Thomas Rawls: was supposed to be the steal of the Midwest and a talented young man.  The only reason he was 3 stars was because he had some academic issues.  He qualified and could he be the next Mike Hart? 

I think the rest of the class is pretty much guaranteed to redshirt.  Did I miss anyone you think will contribute in this year?

Michigan Monday: OSU Finds Winning and Taking a Blind Eye Acceptable

A report from ESPN over the weekend made me laugh.  The highlight of the article is that back in 2005-06 former OSU AD called Tressel reporting of violations as "unacceptable".

In an evaluation of Tressel's job performance from 2005-06, then-athletic director Andy Geiger rated Tressel "unacceptable" in terms of self-reporting rules violations in a timely manner. The coach was also warned in a separate letter that he and his staff needed to do a better job of monitoring the cars the players were driving -- an issue that would arise again this spring.

What is interesting is this is following the Maurice Clarett situation and I had heard some whispers that former AD Andy Geiger and Jim Tressel were going to resign following this scandal.  The evaluation of Tressel's job performance was clearly an attempt by Geiger to protect himself.   Which didn't work because Geiger was asked to resign, Clarett was made out to be crazy and Tressel went on winning Big Ten Championships.  

This also proves my point that Ohio State knew they were "dancing with the devil" when they hired Tressel from Youngstown State.  The second point which the NCAA will use next month, is that Ohio State knew for a long time that Tressel "over looked' compliance issues and will get hit much harder then vacating their 2010 season. 

Ohio State fans find it hard to believe that Tressel was dirty and are putting the entire blame on Pryor.   As more of these stories come out, they more they are going to have proof that "the Vest" was protraying one thing and doing another. 

• Michigan has offered 2012 WR from Cincinnati Monty Madaris (6-2, 190) who is 3 stars to Rivals and 4 stars from Scouts.  He has offers from Nebraska, MSU, Florida State,Cincy, BC and others.  This is a clear sign that Michigan is concerned about Stanford's timeline and Burbridge's grades. 

• Speaking of WR's in 2012 class, mega recruit Jordan Payton will visit Ann Arbor for the ND game. 

• RJS has decided not to take any other visits and he reconfirmed his strong commitment to Michigan.  Great decision!

• 5 star RB from Ohio Bri'onte Dunn is considering making up for the BBQ at the Big House later this month.

Michigan Thursday: Checks in on Rivals Top Players in Ohio List

Rivals just released their top players in Ohio list for 2012.  It seems Michigan has some quality commits but not as high as you might expect for some players. 

Take a look:

#1:  Kyle Kalis
#5:  Adolphus Washington
#7:  Dwayne Stanford
#8:  Bri'onte Dunn
#11:  Joe Bolden
#14:  Tom Strobel
#16: Jarrod Wilson
#17:  Pharaoh Brown
#21: Chris Wormley
#22: Caleb Stacey
#25: Kaleb Ringer
#28: AJ Williams
#29: Allen Grant

Players in Blue are Michigan commits. 

My first thought is, Ohio has more then 60 division 1 players in the state, which is pretty incredible.   My second thought is that I wonder how many times Michigan has taken the 29th ranked player in a state?  I would think not very often. 

Dunn is considered a 5 star RB to Scouts Recruiting Service and is ranked the 7th best player in the state on Rivals.   I heard on ESPN that they didn't consider Ohio a very deep state this year for talent.  I have to really question Tom Luginbill's take on that.   It seems to me that Ohio is loaded with talent and mostly on the defensive side of the ball.   Ohio has some very good DE's in 2012 with the names like: Washington, Odenigbo, Pittman, McMullen, Strobel, Brown and Wormley.   

Believe it or not but the rumor was the Michgian turned down the potential commitment of Pittman who a week later picked MSU.  Rivals ranks him the #3 player in the state.

Looking at this list, I think most Michigan fans would agree with Kalis ranking but feel that Wormley, Washington and Wilson are ranked way to low.  Maybe it's a "W" thing.  It doesn't really matter because when they commit to Michigan they will create a bunch of W's between 2012 and 2016. 

I would have to agree with Mr. Kalis, the border between Ohio and Michigan are open for business!

Wolverine Wednesday: Are Players Really Committed if They Take Other Visits?

Rich Rodriguez answer was no, they are not.  Charlie Weiss had the same policy at ND.  If you take other visits your at best a "soft" commit.  Rich and Charlie considered them not committed at all.

The reason for the post today is that on twitter both Terry Richardson and Royce Jenkins-Stone have said they are going to take a few visits to other schools but they are solid with Michigan. 

Here are my pro's and con's for them or other "committed" players doing the same thing. 

Con's:

• Let's be honest, some schools don't play by the rules (yes, we assume Michigan does).  One of these kids could end up with a new car for their family or a $5000 hand shake.  There is a risk that could happen and that player de-commits and goes to another school. 

• The Miami sun or Oregon's Nike Money is a pretty nice draw for some players.

Anytime a player is on another schools campus there is a chance they will fall in love with the place, coaching staff or another student.  These are 17-18 year old kids and if they find the girl of their dreams, don't think they won't leave the Wolverines in a second to chase a young lady.  

Pro's:

• Many of these kids have not seen the United States and they have a chance to take an all expenses paid weekend trip with a parent to see a Miami or a Los Angeles.  They can really get out and see some parts of the United States they have never seen before.  Should we really take that away from them?

• They will have a chance to compare other schools to the Facilities and Tradition of Michigan.  It could make their commitment even stronger? Maybe even help stay off any  transfer thoughts if they don't play right away.

• If this was your son, wouldn't you want him to weigh his options?

As you can tell, I am sort of torn on the topic.  I don't like that Michigan's 2012 committed players taking other visits, but on the other hand they have every right to take them.  Let's just hope they are doing this to see the country instead of looking at other options.  Michigan lost a very good safety prospect in Sean Parker on signing day last year due to one of those type of visits to Washington.   Sean got a lot of playing time as a freshman and would of probably started for the Wolverines last year.  That is the risk you take when a player visits another school.

Michigan Tuesday: Thinks the ESPN Kyle Kalis Story is Pretty Funny

We all know that ESPN isn't the greatest recruiting service out there.  They have been doing it for a few years, while Rivals and Scouts have been doing it for much longer.   The Kyle Kalis story has been a topic on SportsCenter and even on ESPN Radio the last couple of days. 

The premise of the story is the Kyle Kalis of course switched from OSU to Michigan and that he was OSU's only top 150 recruit.  ESPN has him ranked #140 overall.  Rivals has him ranked #18, Scouts #21 and new service 24/7 #52.  That is a pretty big difference.   ESPN has him as a mid 4 star and Scouts a 5 star and Rivals and 24/7 a high 4 star. 

The other thing on ESPN making news was this quote by Kyle:  "I believe the Michigan-Ohio border is now open. I think you're going to see eight or nine guys from the state of Ohio going over to Michigan this year."

ESPN's take is that many more Ohio players will now be going to play in Ann Arbor.  Really?  Maybe they should have looked at who is committed already, because there are 9 players from Ohio committed to playing for the Wolverines in the 2012 class. Many of these guys are 4 star players to Rivals and Scouts but since they don't hit ESPN's radar I guess they aren't news worthy.
 

• Some had wondered if Jeremy Clark would keep his gray shirt commitment if Jarrod Wilson picked the Wolverines.  Jarrod did and Jeremy is still staying committed, which is pretty cool.  If Jeremy's stock rises during his senior year and he gets more BCS offers, I expect he might go elsewhere, which makes a lot of sense.  If he really wants to come to Ann Arbor, we would love to have him.  Either way it's pretty cool that Jeremy wants to be a Wolverine so bad.

• Danny O'Brien will be working out at Tennessee's camp next week.

• Big Al on the new Michigan offense:  "What we're trying to do as we go is take the next step, understanding what we want in the offense, and his skills are going to be explored," said Borges. "We're probably going to run the quarterback more than I ever have because he is so talented we have to explore that option, but then develop other parts of his game. Because he wants to be a next level player, he's been very receptive.
  
  
  "So much of what they've done in the past has been based on Denard's ability to run. He would pull up and then kind of play-pass underneath, or throw the ball down the seams. They kill people with that stuff. They managed their play-pass stuff around his running style, and we will do some of that also."

Michigan Monday: Bookends the Weekend with 2 Big Commits

Friday started it off with the commitment of 4 star safety Jarrod Wilson and ended on Sunday with the commitment of 5 star offensive tackle Kyle Kalis.   That's 2 highly rated Ohio prospects in one weekend with a combined total of 9 stars from Scouts.  

For those keeping score at home, out of the 19 commits for the 2012 class so far, 9 are from Ohio and 7 from the State of Michigan.  Brady Hoke and Staff are taking care of home turf while OSU works out their situation with the NCAA. 

With 19 guys locked in (20 if count the Jeremy Clark a Gray Shirt commit), the big question is who will fill out the last 6-7 spots left?  The coaches are telling recruits they will take 26 guys even though a full class is 25 and many believe there only to be 20 or so spots open.  Which means there are a few guys expected not to get a 5th year or need a medical scholarship.   I expect the 26 spots could include Jeremy Clark.

If I were in the Hoke Recruiting Room, here is my best guess on how they would like to finish off this class!

• 2 Defensive Tackles:  Best Guess:  Pipkins and O'Brien
• 1 RB:  TBD
• 1 WR: Best Guess: Stanford or Burbridge
• 2 DE: Best Guess: Washington and Wormley
• 1 OL: Best Guess: Diamond

I listed 7 players for 6 spots, which means timing on commitments are very important.   The coaches are telling players they will only take one DT, but I believe they will take 2.  They also want Washington and Wormley, even though they have plenty of defensive ends in this class.  The odd position out, could be running back as Bri'onte Dunn seems to be strong with Ohio State if their self imposed penalty is not increased by the NCAA. 

Either way it seems Michigan might have most of its class wrapped before the season starts.  Max Preps now lists Michigan with the #1 class in the country. 

The BBQ at the Big House is scheduled for July 31st and many commits will be on hand to get to know each other.  Some 2013 guys will also be there. TomVH list the guys scheduled to be there.

Michigan Sunday: Welcomes Kyle Kalis

Kyle Kalis just did a reverse Justin Boren.  The 5 star (Scouts) offensive lineman from Cleveland who originally had given his pledge to Ohio State then de-committed after Tattoo Gate has committed to the Wolverines as thier 19th verbal commitment for the 2012 class.

This is a huge pick up for the Wolverines.  Kyle is 5 stars to Scouts and 4 stars to Rivals as their #4 offensive tackle and #18th prospect overall nationally.   Kyle comes in at 6'5 300 pounds and is considered one of the best prospects in Ohio/Midwest.  Kyle has offers from pretty much every major school in the Midwest and South including Alabama, Florida, LSU, Wisconsin, Penn State, ND, Miami and others.

Kyle joins an impressive group of commits on the offensive line for the Wolverines for the 2012 class including;  4 star Blake Bars, 3 star Ben Braden, 3 star guard/center Caleb Stacey and 4 star Erik Magnuson.

Now the big question is who will fill the last offensive line spot in this class?   5 star Jordan Diamond seems to be the likely choice, but could guys like Zach Banner, Joshua Garnett, or Andrus Peat beat Jordan to the commit?  Peat has been to Ann Arbor already but Banner and Garnett are not expected to visit until Michigan starts their season. 

Either way this class if filling up fast with two high profile guys committing this weekend.  I sure hope Jordan Diamond and Chris Wormley don't wait too long. 

Wolverine Weekend Update: 5 Star O Linemen to Visit A2 on Sunday

The rumor mill is swirling that 5 star Offensive Lineman Kyle Kailis is expected to make a return visit to Ann Arbor with his mom on Sunday.  Could he commit after his visit?

That remains an open question, but it's a very good sign he is back in Ann Arbor after his first trip a couple weeks ago.  This former OSU commit would be a huge recruiting win for the Wolverines. 

More to come on KK, so stay tuned

Jarrod Wilson is Blue

Michigan gets the 4 star safety they have been targeting.   Jarrod is the 18th verbal commitment to the 2012 class, which continues to be one of the strongest in the country.

More information on JW:

Like we have mentioned before Jarrod plays for former Michigan great Ricky Powers in Akron, Ohio.  He is a 4 star recruit to all the services (Rivals, Scouts and 24/7)  and will be coming to Ann Arbor 6'2 and 190 pounds.  He is a very good student and carries nearly a perfect GPA. 

His offer list included: Stanford, Syracuse, ND, Penn State, UConn, MSU, Vandy and others.   A strong academic university was clearly important to Jarrod and his family.  He is planning on graduating early and enrolling at Michigan in January.   That will help him get acclimated to college life and a chance to  participate in Spring Football 2012.

The book on Jarrod is that he has very good ball hawking skills for a kid with good size.   He does not have elite speed but many say he has good "football speed" for the position.   He also has to work on his tackling when he "pinches" on the run. 

This is a good pick up for the Michigan coaches since they pretty much didn't want to wait for another 4 star safety Wayne Morgan to make a decision during the season.  I really like this kids upside and hope he turns into a good college player for the Wolverines.

Michigan Friday: Will Michigan solve it's Safety Problem Today?

How far back in history do you have to go remember the last really good Michigan safety?  Jamar Adams is in the NFL.  I would say he was pretty good.  Stevie Brown is listed as a safety and is on the Raiders roster.  Steve struggled at safety at Michigan and really made his mark playing a linebacker hybrid role.  

Marlin Jackson is listed as a safety for the Eagles but is really a corner who is getting little older.  Do those count or do you have to go back in your mind to guys like Tripp Welbourne or Markus Ray. 

Either way, Jarrod Wilson a 4 star safety who plays for Ricky Powers in Ohio is announcing this afternoon.  He is down to Michigan, ND, and Penn State.  It's between Brady vs JoPA in my mind.  I expect Jarrod to be wearing a Michigan hat around 2:40 on the fact that Greg Mattison just coached Ed Reed.

• Maty Mauk picked Missouri as his college choice.  Now it seems Michigan will not sign a QB in this class unless Gunner wants to come to Ann Arbor.

• OSU vacates the 2010 season but doesn't restrict itself from Bowls or the Big Ten Championship game moving forward.  Seems a bit light but I guess that Columbus paper can take done that counter on how many days its been since Michigan beat Ohio State.  Congratulations to Rich Rod on not losing to Ohio State for one year.  :)

Wolverine Thursday: 2012 WR Recruiting

One of the spots that Michigan would like to add some depth in for the 2012 class is Wide Receiver.   Darryl Stonum's status with the team is fuzzy at best, Hemingway is a senior and Roy Roundtree is a junior.  There is room for 1 WR in this class and here are a few names to keep an eye on:

• Instate 4 star WR Aaron Burbridge who plays for Farmington Hills Harrison which historically has been an MSU feeder school but the Wolverines have already gotten verbal commits from Harrison teammates Devin Funchess and Mario Ojemudia in this class.  Could Aaron be the Harrison Hat Trick?  Aaron has visited A2 a number of times and there are some concerns/rumblings about his grades and if he has a commit-able offer from the Wolverines.  Could be one of those deals where if he gets his GPA up and a qualifying test score he will have an offer.

•  Dwayne Stanford from Cincinnati is another 4 star kid that has been rumored to be visiting Ann Arbor with his teammate Aldouphs Washington for a few weekends this summer already.  Neither Stanford or Washington has made it North on 75 yet but they both are keeping Michigan in their top group.  Aldouphs is having a hard time scheduling visits because of his AAU basketball schedule and it seems he and Dwayne would like to visit together.

• The latest name to get Wolverines fans excited is 4 star prospect from California, Jordan Payton who just de-committed from USC a couple of days ago.  Michigan seems to be running for his services and he hopes to make it out to Ann Arbor for a visit this summer.   This would be a great pick up for the Wolverines but we all know the disclaimer on West Coast kids coming to the Big Ten. 

Other names you might have heard of;

-Avery Johnson (no not that Avery Johnson) picked LSU.
-Durron Neal picked Oklahoma.
-5 star WR Dorial Green-Beckham.
-5 star WR Stefon Diggs.

As you can see with just one spot the Wolverine coaches are just focusing on top prospects.   If I had to guess, the best race for this spot maybe between Mr. Burbridge and a few text books.  I think a few names above would like to see first hand how Al Borgus uses WR's in the new Michigan offense.  Which is a pretty fair request.   Having Shane Morris locked up next year and 3 years of Devin Gardner doesn't hurt either.  This recruitment might go right down to signing day.

• Dee Hart just tore his ACL and is out for the season at Alabama. 
• Danny O'Brien says that Tennessee and Michigan will be there to the end in his recruitment.
• Don't forget that Jarrod Wilson has his announcement scheduled for tomorrow.  It's between Michigan, ND and Penn State.  I think Michigan is the favorite but look out for Penn State.  ND already has like 20 safeties in this class already.  

Michigan Tuesday: Fans Have Spoken, Don't Sign a QB in the 2012 Class

Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend!

I wrote a post last week, questioning if Michigan really needed a QB in the 2012 class with a probable redshirt for Devin Gardner making him a redshirt freshman next year, don't forget about true freshman Russell Bellomy coming this summer and 2013 instate QB Shane Morris already verbally committed to Brady Hoke. 

Michigan was also heavily involved in a number of top 2012 prospects but those kids seem to be looking elsewhere.    So what are the fans choice to fill that spot?  Well, it's not a QB.

I asked Big House Blog readers if they really wanted a QB in this class?  Over 85% said no.  

63% wanted a defensive tackle instead of a QB and I agree.   Michigan is in a strong position with 3 defensive tackles right now. 

#1: Ondre Pipkins, 6'3 325 pound player from Missouri has an impressive offer list from the top SEC schools and Big Ten schools.  He is a high 4 star prospect and won the defensive MVP at last months NIKE camp in Columbus.   Ondre has Michigan in his top 7 and the Wolverines might hold a slight lead at this point, even though he hasn't taken a trip to Ann Arbor yet.  Update: Latest plan is that Ondre will visit Ann Arbor on the 27th of this month.

#2: Aziz Shittu, 6'3 275 pound 5 star DT from California.  Has you might imagine Aziz's offer list has all the big time programs on it and Aziz seems truly interested in the Wolverines.  He tweeted last week that he hopes, Michigan's class doesn't fill up before he makes a decision.   So do I!

#3: Danny O'Brien, 6'2 295 pounds 4 star DT from Flint.  Danny seems to have been up and down on Michigan's priority list over the past 6 months.  He attended Michigan's camp and got everything worked out with the Michigan coaches and is now being recruited by Hoke's staff.  Danny is good friends with Michigan commit Matt Godin and I believe the Wolverines have a "fighting chance" to land him.   Danny originally had Tennessee leading in his recruitment but now declares he is open. 
Michigan was the second school to make an offer early last season, back when Rich Rodriguez was the coach. While O'Brien said all the right things about the embattled Rodriguez at the time, he believes that the program is heading in the right direction under new coach Brady Hoke.

"Their new coaching staff is unbelievable," O'Brien said. "Coach (Greg) Mattison (defensive coordinator) and coach Hoke are big defensive line guys. They start from the inside out is what they're selling me. They're really big in that area. I think they're going to make a big turnaround, especially with the recruiting classes they're pulling in."

#4: Sheldon Day, 6'2 268 pound 4 star prospect from Indy.  Sheldon was very high on the Wolverines this spring and even made two un-official visits to Ann Arbor.  Sam Webb did a Detroit News article on him and then it seems his recruitment to the Wolverines fizzled out.   What happened?   Not sure, but Sheldon remains a strong DT prospect and I hope the Wolverines can keep his recruitment alive. 

The Michigan coaches have told some of the recruits that they will only take one more interior defensive lineman in this class.   I think they will at least take 2.  Why?

• You don't turn down a 5 star guy if he wants to jump on board.
• Michigan needs depth and quality players at DT.
• Instate recruiting is important and if Danny wants to come to Ann Arbor, you need to find room for him.

So all of Michigan's "2012 QB eggs seem to be in Gunner Kiel's basket".  If he goes to Oklahoma or stays local and attends Indiana, Michigan should pass on a QB this year and sign another highly ranked DT.    I know spots are limited right now but you could talk me into taking 3 out of 4 guys on the above list.

Michigan Friday: Looks at Hoke's First 6 months

When you take a leadership position one of the things you try to do is effect change early on in your role.   Most leadership changes come with big changes needed to be made in the organization.  Michigan's football program is no exception. 

One of the measuring points for a new leader is how much change and how well has the organization preformed in the first 6 months on the job.   Since today is July 1 and since Brady Hoke as been in the job for roughly 6 months, I will give you the Big House Blog's set of  year 1 commitments and will rate Brady with a score of: over achieved, achieved or under achieved.  

Brady Hoke's Michigan Football Mid-Year Commitment Review:

• Finish off the 2011 Recruiting Class - Over Achieved.  Brady and Crew did a very good job of convincing kids to come to Ann Arbor with only a little over 2 weeks to do it.

• Get a good start to the 2012 Recruiting Class -  Over Achieved - Max Preps ranks Michigan's current 2012 class #2 in the nation.  Enough said.

• Unite the Michigan Fan Base - Achieved.  From his first press conference and his first sound bite ("we would of walked to Michigan") Brady has united the Michigan fan base again.  The hiring of Greg Mattison was huge and their joint recruiting is stronger then ever.  He has been a bit lucky, with the potential collapse of Ohio State program and MSU whiffing on the recruiting trial.   With that great start, Brady still has some work to do on the field to get all the Wolverine fans to buy in.  He clearly has much more support from the former players then RR ever did.   Either way, he is off to a great start!

• Win Games and Championships:  TBD

Overall Mid Year Rating:  Over Achieved

This is clearly Brady's dream job and he is preforming like he has been preparing for Michigan since he left Ann Arbor for Ball State.  With that said, the proof will be on the field this Fall.   The last bullet above is the most important but Brady clearly has done a wonderful job since getting the job.   I will be the first to say, I wasn't the biggest fan of the hire, but Brady has impressed me pretty much every week since he has gotten the job.  

Let's hope all this good will translates to wins on Saturdays.  

Have a great holiday weekend!  Feel confident that the Michigan program is back on track.