Death, Taxes and Tennessee Football

I always respected the Tennessee Football program.  They have big stadium, passionate fans and Payton Manning.  I didn't enjoy when they whined about losing the Heisman Trophy to Charles Woodson or when laid down in 1997 to Nebraska so Michigan had to share the National Championship but maybe that is just my problem.

They were a solid football team in the 90's and early 2000's and had some great games against Florida.  Then in 2009 they decided to fire their long term legendary coach Phil Fulmer after going 5-7.   They hire Lane Kiffin who was there for a cup of coffee and about 20 NCAA minor violations.   Lane skips town and takes the next flight to the West Coast and the Tennessee Athletic Department scrambles to hire someone and they only person they find available is Derek Dooley, the son of legendary Georgia coach Vince Dooley.

On a side note, Tennessee Basketball is now a tire fire (6-6) with their former coach lying to the NCAA and then getting embarrassed by the Wolverines in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and then gets fired right after that loss. 

Back to the Football Program.  Derek is trying to rebuild his program in the very competitive SEC.  So how's that been going?

2009: 7-6 (Kiffin)
2010: 6-7
2011: 5-7

Dooley hasn't had a winning season yet.  To be fair, those that live in glass houses with RR shouldn't throw stones.  .

Great, Bob what is the point of this post then?  

The point is recruiting.  Every good coach knows they are only as good as the athletes they put on the field.  Tom Brady makes Bill Belichick look like the best NFL coach ever.   Recruiting is the life line for any major college football program.  Tennessee has been doing decently in recruiting and has even ringed in a couple State of Michigan recruits.  Last year they pulled in 4 star WR DeAnthony Arnett and this year they have pulled in 4 star DT Danny O'Brien. 

DeAnthony played as a freshman at UT and had 24 catches for 242 yards and 2 TD's.   Not bad for a true freshman.  A couple things have happened since the season ended.  DeAnthony's father has gotten seriously ill and UT's WR coach retired.  Those two events have DeAnthony's rethinking being in Knoxville and wants to be closer to home as his father illness doesn't seem to be getting better.  

Arnett asked for his release from UT on Wednesday, so he could be closer to his family in Michigan.  The NCAA has been known to grant in similar situations a "hardship waiver" that could allow him to transfer to a D1 school with out sitting out a year due to his family illness.

As Michigan fans, we know about transfers.   Ryan Mallett, Sam McGuffie, Justin Boren, JT Turner and the list goes on.  As we know to well,  Boren even transferred to Michigan's biggest rival.   Michigan released those guys without any conditions, because that is the right thing to do for the kid.   Even when it was clear the former Michigan coaching staff was "poaching" Michigan kids to Pitt.  (that practice is illegal via the NCAA so that is purely speculation on my part, but there was plenty of smoke).  Now those coaches are at Arizona and those kids are still at Pitt.  There is also a Big Ten rule that you can't transfer within the conference and still be on scholarship.  This is a good rule because you don't want kids taking their playbook from one school and taking it to another conference school.

Yesterday, Derek Dooley and The University of Tennessee Football program released DeAnthony from his LOI and scholarship BUT he put conditions on the release that he could not attend U of M or MSU.   Tennessee public relations director Jimmy Stanton said on Thursday that Arnett was being released and can continuing playing division one football closer to his family but that Dooley is continuing to hold to his policy of not releasing players to schools that Tennessee competes with on the field and off the field in recruiting.

I would have no problem with this policy if Michigan or MSU was on their schedule in the next 2-3 years.  They are not.  Which leads me to the other part of the statement: off the field in recruiting.  Who doesn't UT recruit against?  You could make that statement against any BCS school in the country.    This is the biggest BS decision I have seen in awhile.  Dooley is acting like a kindergartner that just lost his Popsicle.  I know losing kids hurts your program and I know you want guys that are 100% committed to UT Football but you are making a huge "bush league" mistake here.

Let me explain, the football community is a very tight group.  High school coaches and other D1 coaches have long memories.    Coaches will use this against Dooley every time a school is in a battle with UT for a kid.  High school coaches will now consider this policy when one of their kids ask them if they should go to UT or not.   Dooley, you have made a terrible decision here and you better right the ship or you will go down with it.    Forcing a kid to not attend a BCS close to home is just a childish  decision.  Arnett choices are now Central, Western or Eastern Michigan. 

Some may ask why would he do this?  Your guess is as good as mine.   

My guesses include:

•  Michigan 75 Tennessee 45, March 18, 2011
• 2012 4 Star OT Recruit from Nashville, Tennessee Blake Bars  
• They still couldn't be holding a grudge from the 1997 Heisman Trophy, could they?

Way to take it out on a 19 year old kid, Dooley.    

Edit: Brian at Mgblog's post today says, Dooley has a history of making life difficult for kids that want to leave his program.   How this guy ever gets another kid to commit to Tennessee is beyond me. 

Arnett emailed out a statement:
Coach Dooley, myself or anybody doesn't know what the future holds for my Father and I feel that I represented the University of Tennessee the best way I can on and Off the field and I feel I have earned the right to be released unconditional to all schools in Michigan. Especially with The University of Tennessee not scheduling any program from the state of Michigan on their current or future schedules. Coach Dooley has singled two programs that I cant get a unconditional release to and that's the University of Michigan and Michigan State University. He told me I can attend any Mac school that I want and if I wanted to attend The University of Michigan and Michigan State University then I would have to pay for school instead of be on the scholarship. I dont know whats next my family cant afford to pay for school and my father health reason isn't good enough excuse for me to attend a BCS school close to home. (According to coach Dooley). Therefore as a student athlete i feel coach Dooley is trying to hinder my success by not allowing me to compete at a bcs level! And he's neglecting the fact that my father is severely ill.

Michigan Thursday: Rumors, Transfers, Injuries and The Pac 12

Let's first get to the Big 10 - Pac 12 news.  As you know by now the Pac 12 and Big 10 has signed a partnership to start playing games against each other in football and in other sports by 2017. 

The news on the partnership has been received very well by most Michigan fans and the media.  It makes sense for both parties because it opens up some nice recruiting areas in the West Coast for the Big Ten and just the opposite for the Pac 10.   Does going to Michigan now look better to Josh Garnett if the coaches can now say we will be playing on the West Coast twice in 4 years?  (assuming the schedule changes that quickly)  I think that would be very good news to Josh and his parents. 

On the other hand, Michigan has not played well over the past few years when traveling West during the regular season.   I can think of loses to Washington and Oregon in recent memory.   We also know the Wolverines record in the Rose Bowl.   So this will only make Michigan's schedule harder and if they keep ND on the schedule, lose one home game every other year. 

What to do with ND?  This announcement could have a huge effect on ND moving forward.  ND has regular season games with Purdue, MSU and Michigan from the Big Ten and Stanford and USC from the Pac 12.   If all those teams dropped ND from the schedule this could be a big issue for Fighting Irish.   If you are NBC how valuable is that TV contract if you lose those match ups?

I am sort of torn if this partnership means dropping the ND tradition and adding say Colorado.  ND would be 100% out if the Big 10 went to a 9 game conference schedule.

• The big rumor that has been floating around for a few weeks is that DeAnthony Arnett (4 star WR from Michigan in the 2011 class) is planning to transfer from Tennessee.   His father is ill and he needs to be closer to home.    Which means he could play at two BCS schools: Michigan or MSU.  Michigan is pretty close to full but I am hearing there could be mutual interest.   MSU fans believe he is a lock to the Spartans.   I think things need to play out here, but if I were a betting man, I would bet if that Michigan has room he would be in the Maize and Blue uniform next year.   One other thing to note is that the NCAA can and could give him a "hardship" waiver that would allow him to play right away (due to his father illness).   His scholarship would not count against the 28 limit in the 2012 class but would count against the 85 overall number.  Arnett had 24 catches for 242 yards and 2 TD's as a freshman at Tenn.

• Michigan is going to be light on the depth chart on the D-line for the Sugar Bowl.  Both Heininger and Brink are banged up and Heininger is questionable and Brink is out for the game.   Looks like it's time for Big Will to step up!  (I am still mad at RR for blowing his redshirt for a couple snaps on extra points in his freshman year.  What was he thinking?  If anyone needed a redshirt it was Big Will!)

• The Michigan Basketball Team opens the Big 10 season tonight at Crisler against PSU. (7:30 BTN)

• Recruiting Note:  Ohio TE Sam Grant was recently offered by Oklahoma.  Though former Michigan prospect Taylor McNamara just committed there yesterday.   Sam was planning a trip to OK but now maybe they are full at TE?  

Wolverine Wednesday: Final 4 Spots: DB's and TE

With just 4 spot left in Michigan's 2012 class, Michigan is targeting 1 TE, 1 OL and 2 DB's. 

The 2 DB's in question names are not a mystery to recruiting fans since the Wolverine coaches have been targeting these two guys for awhile now.  

First target is: Yuri Wright.  Yuri is a 4 star 6'2 180 pound CB from NJ.  What makes Yuri unique is his size and athleticism.  Finding a 6'2 corner who can play is like finding a Rolex under your beach blanket.   It's pretty uncommon to find a guy this size who has the ability, speed and hips to play the position.   I have heard Yuri is a great athlete that could use some college coaching on fundamentals of the position but has a huge upside.  He also has a frame that could grow into the Safety position.  Yuri is on record saying that Michigan was his favorite team growing up and will be in A2 on 1/13 for his visit.

Second target is: Armani Reeves:  Armani was seriously looking at Michigan before he committed to Penn State and is still committed at this point.   He wants to stay committed to Penn State until a new head coach in announced.  Armani expected that announcement before Christmas which didn't happen.   Since that saga continues, it sounds like Armani is going to give Michigan a visit in January (I don't believe a specific date has been set yet). 

Armani is another 4 star CB and comes in at 5'9 and 185 pounds.  He doesn't have the size of Wright but insiders say he is "college ready" in his CB skills.   Clearly, Michigan wants both guys and with the loss of Anthony Standifer they have room for both.   

The Michigan coaches don't seem to have any other DB's on the radar at this point and signing day is just over a month away.  What does that mean for the class?

I think it means if they only get one of the guys above or get shut out, they would take two offensive lineman if that option is available to them.   That is why you see new new names popping up on the offensive line and not at DB. 

As far at TE, Michigan seems to be targeting the blocking and catching TE from Cleveland (teammate of Kyle Kalis) Sam Grant.  Sam is 3 star prospect and is 6'6 240 pounds.  Sam has taken recent visits to Michigan and Arkansas.  He just got an Oklahoma offer but is still verballed to BC.   Sam wants to get his decision out of the way soon but now may take a visit to OK before he decides.    I think if you take all the factors into play: distance to home games, great education and friend on the team all plays in Michigan's favor. 

An early decision helps Michigan either way, if Sam goes elsewhere, the Michigan coaches have time to fill the spot with another player.  Right now only Sam seems to be on the radar.

Michigan Tuesday: Denard on Sports Science and More

Michigan Monday: Offensive Line Open Spots for the 2012 Class

Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend.  Time to get back to work and focus on recruiting and the Sugar Bowl.  We are almost a week away from Michigan football!

Michigan has a few open pieces left in it's highly ranked 2012 class.  Those spots include, defensive back, tight end and offensive lineman.

One of the most interesting spots left on the board is on the O-Line and how Michigan is recruiting that position.   Clearly the top guy of the list is Josh Garnett and Michigan has a good shot at this young man who puts academics #1.  Top that point, he is interested in all 3 Medical Schools.  His top 3 are Michigan, Standford and ND.   Michigan has a great shot here and look for Hoke and other coaches to visit Josh in January.  Maybe the Michigan coaches should take photo's of the new Mott's Children's Hospital with them?

Jordan Diamond has been to Ann Arbor 5 or 6 times and is planning one more visit in January.  This is a kid that enjoys the recruiting process and has a big announcement planned on signing day.   I thought Jordan was going to be Blue 6 months ago, now I'm not sure his timing and Michigan will match up. 

Others names to include is:  Dan Gibbs (Birmingham, Mich) who is visiting on 1/13 as a walk-on prospect.   Alex Kozan who visited Ann Arbor a couple of weeks ago, but has been pretty quiet in his recruitment.  Don't forget about Zach Banner either, he recently took Michigan out of his top 3 but I have heard recently that Michigan has made up some ground with him.

New names to watch:  Florida offensive lineman Evan Goodman who was a former ASU commit and is planning to visit A2 in January. Another guy to watch is Las Vegas prospect, Jeremiah Poutasi.  Both Goodman and Poutasi are 4 stars prospects.

How about 2013?  Keep an eye on Logan Tuley-Tillman who might take another visit to Ann Arbor in January with his family. 

My gut tells me that Michigan would take Garnett even if another offensive lineman jumps out in front of him and commits. 

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas! from the Big House Blog

Go Blue!

Michigan Friday: Apologizes to San Diego State

Dear San Diego State,

The University of Michigan and it's fans owe you an apologize.  We took your programs head football coach and top assistants and left you with little to no coaching talent.    It started in January of 2011 and continued through out the year. 

Then 8 months later, Michigan was not a gracious host in September and welcomed you to Ann Arbor by beating your team 28-7.  Again we are sorry. 

Clearly, Rocky Long your head coach is upset about the treatment from U of M and down votes the Wolverines in his final poll.   Which clearly is a way to stick it to the man, since a loss to a higher ranked Wolverines would help SDSU's ranking. 

Then earlier this month, you get confused on where your school is located and join the Big East.  Now, I can't really blame you for joining a BCS Bowl conference but that seems like a ton of travel for your school.   Since the Big 10 has 12 teams, maybe you can call your new conference The Big East West?

The last but not least straw, was your teams performance in the Super Dome last weekend.   (Hey, Michigan plays there in a couple of weeks!)  Your team lost to Louisiana-Lafayette, let me say that again Louisiana-Lafayette.   Here are some of the great coaching moves during the game:

• L-L sold out to stop the run against the nation's #3 rusher and SDSU continued to try to run the ball for little to no gains.  Pass the ball coach!

• SDSU gave up 470 yards through the air. 

• On the winning field goal, SDSU got an “illegal stemming”  penalty that got them 5 yards closer and made a 55 yard field goal a 50 yarder. 

• Late in the game, Rocky Long brought out his terrible kicker to try to kick a field goal.   This guy had hit less then 50% of field goals this year and I believe he had missed his last 5 attempts coming into the game.   He did make a short attempt early in the game but his 4th quarter attempt was shanked badly.   Good call coach.  

• The team you lost to was 3-9 last year and has 1 win in it's history over a BCS school.  L-L had lost 3 out of it last 5 games coming it to the bowl game.  This was their first bowl win.

• This is L-L's S&C Coach. He left that blood there the entire game.  

This is clearly all Michigan's fault and we apologize.   To make it up to you, please enjoy coach Steve Fisher for many more years.

Michigan Thursday: Denard Kicks The NFL 's Tires

Denard Robinson has filed paperwork with the NFL Advisory Board to predict where he might be taken in the NFL Draft.   This doesn't concern me and Denard should cover all his bases so he can make an informed decision.  Do I expect him to go to the NFL this year? The answer is no.   "A year under my belt is going to help me a lot," Robinson said. "I think I can do some special things next year."

I expect he will be back and facing Alabama next year in Dallas. 

• Congrats to Paul Chryst, Wisconsin OC who it seems will be getting the Pitt head coaching job. 

• Josh Garnett tweeted that a reporter asked him: Why Michigan?  He tweeted 1) He loves Erik Magnuson and 2) He hates Ohio State.  Come on down big fella! 

• David Brandon doesn't like OSU or any school having two coaching staff recruit during the December.  He believes it gives teams with 2 coaching staffs an advantage:  "No one will ever convince me of the merits of allowing anyone — including the University of Michigan — to have this kind of advantage, or that this is sensible in terms of being a fair and equitable approach," Brandon told The Detroit News last week. "Our coaches right now are sleep-deprived. They've got to plan to get 130 people to New Orleans (Michigan plays Virginia Tech in the Jan. 2  Jan 3 Sugar Bowl), practicing and preparing a game plan and doing all the things coaches do, and yet this is one of the busiest recruiting seasons of the year."

• The Michigan Basketball Team plays Bradley today at 6:30 BTN

• If you didn't hear, when Big Al was asked if he was interested in the Florida OC job, He responded:  “No. This is Michigan Fergodsake -- the noble words of someone we all know and love. Next question.”

Thursday Funny from the 7th Inning Sketch

Jehu Goes Blue

Michigan landed it's second WR today in the 2012 class in Jehu Chesson from St. Louis.  Jehu is 6'3 185 pound WR and 3 stars to Scouts and Rivals.  He has a good frame and will add some weight once he gets into Michigan's S&C program.   He is known as a speedster with good hands. 

Jehu had offers from Iowa, Northwestern, Akron, Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Purdue and UCLA.   There was some interest from Florida and a few other schools but his final 3 were Michigan, Iowa and Northwestern. 

I would expect Jehu to redshirt next year as he gains some weight and learns Big Al's offense.  Don't forget Stonum will back after his redshirt year next year, so Michigan doesn't need to rush him on the field. 

I expect his frame and speed were the upside the Michigan coaches were looking for.  This should be it for WR recruiting in this class, so I expect the ship has sailed with Monty and Jordan. 

The next recruits to keep an eye on is offensive line recruiting: Diamond, Garnett, and Kozan. TE: Sam Grant and DB's Yuri Wright and Armani Reeves.   4 Spots left.



 

Recruiting Notes

• WR Jehu Chesson could pick his college today after finals.  (He just committed to Michigan!)

• There is a rumor that QB Gunner Kiel will pick The Hat and LSU later this week.

• WR Monty Madaris is planning a visit to A2 on 1/13 joining Diamond and Wright.

• Joe Bolden is expecting to enroll at Michigan next month.

Wolverine Wednesday: Breaking Down the Buckeye Penalty

OSU was surprised and disappointed in the verdict from NCAA yesterday afternoon.   OSU's approach in this entire matter was to but the blame on a couple people, Jim Tressel and Terrelle Pryor.   They gave themselves light penalties and had hoped this would all fade away as they hired a big name coach and other Universities imploded (Miami and PSU).

That approach didn't work and I will tell you why.   Let's look at the penalty in full.  

- OSU vacated all 2010 wins and Sugar Bowl win, - who cares.  This really isn't a penalty and all it does is cost them a few dollars and some wins in the record book.  Zero impact.

- 1 year Bowl Ban and No Big Ten Championship Game - Strong Penalty.   OSU did not expect this penalty as they would have taken it this year if they did.  Some fans think it should have been 2 years but 1 year when most of the offenders in this case are no longer at the school (head coach and players) seems about right.   I don't see this effecting many of the recruits since they will not be playing much as freshman and may redshirt.  Who this effects is the seniors on the team.  Next year they will not be playing for championships, which has to hurt.    This is also somewhat of a slap in the face of the Urban Meyer hire.  If he thought next year would be a waste, he would have stayed at ESPN for another year?  I bet they would have kept Luke as head coach for another year if they knew this was coming

- Reduction of 9 Scholarships - Strong Penalty - I keep hearing how manageable losing on average 3 scholarships a year is.  (OSU can take the penalty all at once or over 3 years).  I disagree, anytime you lose scholarships it effects depth on your team.   Look at the teams in the National Championship game, both are known over signers.   So yes, players and scholarships are the lifeline to any program.  No it's not 30 spots like USC got, but this is going to hurt and will allow players from Ohio or other places to go to other schools.  OSU tried to go with 5 and got 4 more put on. 

- 5 year "Show Clause" Penalty for Jim Tressel - Severe Penalty -  The NCAA pretty much ended Tressel's career in college football with this penalty.   He will not be able to coach Akron or another school that might have an opening.  NCAA was also sending a message that you can't have a history of cheating like Tressel had at Youngstown State and OSU.   He knew this was coming after he lied to the NCAA last year. 

- 3 year probation - Regular Penalty - this is a regular penalty and means little to nothing if they keep their nose clean or don't get caught for the next 3 years.

Michigan fans will say these penalties are too soft and I agree they should have been more.   I would have hit them a bit harder on the scholarships losses.  I would have doubled the amount of players that were involved.  They played 7 ineligible players and I would have docked them 14 scholarships.   I never thought the NCAA would give them a 2 year bowl ban because that hurts the Big Ten and Big Ten revenue. 

The Big Losers in this Penalty:

• Jim Tressel can now only work in professional football.  Arena League?
• Urban Meyer who got sold a bill of goods when he got hired on.  OSU didn't want his first year to be a waste and now it will be.  They would have been happy to take the bowl ban this year.  He also has to compete with less then 85 scholarships for the next 3 years. 
• Some 2012 recruits who bought into the fact that Meyer was selling "no new penalties".
• The OSU seniors next year who are only playing for pride.

Last mention about Brionte Dunn:  He was really concerned about 2 things.  1) If OSU hired a spread coach that doesn't have a history of a power running game - which happened.  2) If OSU would get a bowl ban - which they did.   Heart over head decision.   There is a strong rumor that Urban was going to pull his offer if he took another visit to Ann Arbor which pretty much limited Dunn's options and he stayed with the Buckeyes.

OSU Penality Starting to Leak

Per C-BUS Dispatch


In its ruling to be made public this afternoon, the NCAA Committee of Infractions will levy the bowl ban and two other penalties on top of the ones the university already imposed on itself, the sources said. The NCAA will:

* Strip four more football scholarships over the next three years on top of Ohio State’s prior forfeiture of five scholarships over that span.

* Add an additional year of probation to OSU’s self-imposed two-year probation for the football program, meaning any violations through the 2013 season could draw harsher-than-normal penalties.

The NCAA also will hand a show-cause penalty to former head coach Jim Tressel for failing to report that some team members improperly sold memorabilia and for allowing ineligible players to compete throughout the 2010 season.

The show-cause penalty against Tressel signifies he is a serious offender and means that any NCAA school that hires him could be subject to sanctions for appointing him as football coach absent a showing it should escape penalties.

Breaking News: NCAA to Rule on OSU

At 3:00 today.  

Most expect the NCAA to accept OSU's self imposed penalty or add something "light weight" like maybe a year more probation or the loss of a couple more scholarships. 

There is plenty of buzz that the head of the NCAA and Gordon Gee and Gene Smith are all buddies and the reason Urban Meyer has been running around like a guy that knows something about the penalty or lack there of. 

I also expect Tressel to get a "Show Clause Penalty" that will not allow him to coach in college for at least a year.   Which OSU doesn't care about anymore.

We will see at 3.

Michigan Monday: Recruiting Quick Hitters

• Josh Garnett is down to 3 schools Michigan, ND and Stanford.  He will visit Stanford in January and make a decision.  

• 3 star WR Jehu Chesson is still planning on making a decision this week.   It's between Michigan, Iowa and Northwestern.  Edge to the Maize and Blue in this one.    If he does Go Blue, this week that would end the Wolverines WR recruitment for the 2012 class.

• OL Alex Kozan visited Auburn this weekend and a decision could come anytime now.   Alex visited Ann Arbor the week before and is considered one of the top center prospects.  Having Molk win all his awards has to help Michigan in his recruitment. Update: Looks like Alex is planning to announce his decision at the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl in Phoenix on 1/3/12.   He still isn't 100% sure on the announcement and might take a couple more visits in January.

• 4 star Safety Yuri Wright visited ND this weekend.  His Michigan visit will come after the holidays.

• Jordan Payton is now considering ASU and is no where near a decision.   After this week his Michigan opportunity might just fade away.   

Michigan Friday: BigHouse Bullets

• Jordan Diamond has Michigan in his top 5.  He is planning another visit to Ann Arbor in January and will announce at signing day.

• There is a rumor that Michigan has fallen out of Josh Garnett's top two which now includes Stanford and ND.  Let's hope not.

• David Perkins is getting recruited by everyone.  Arizona coaches were in to see him yesterday.

• As expected Urban Meyer is trying to recruit 5 star OL Kyle Kalis.  He said, thanks but no thanks.   He seems 100% Blue!

• Yuri Wright will visit Ann Arbor in January.  Michigan was his childhood favorite growing up. 

• Sam Grant, TE who visited A2 last weekend is heading the Arkansas this weekend.

• There was some conflicting reports that Greg Mattison stopped by to meet with Pharaoh Brown this week.   Is the door still open, could be but I doubt it.

• Molk and Martin got invited to the Senior Bowl.  Well done guys!

• Sam Webb Det News article on Armani Reeves who likes U of M but wants to wait to see who is hired at Penn State.  

Michigan Thursday: Loves Coaching Changes

I don't know about you, but I love College Football Coaching searches (when it's not happening to Michigan).   I just love how things unfold and how AD's pick their coaches.  Couple of changes to keep an eye on if you don't follow these things as closely as I do:

ASU: Picks Todd Graham from Pitt.   Graham was at Pitt less then a year after Pitt had hired a guy with recent domestic assault on his record.  Todd Graham is a RR disciple and was a head coach for Rice for a year, Tulsa for 4 years and now Pitt for a year before taking the ASU job.   Side note, Graham hired 3 RR's assistants when he got fired from Michigan, those assistants are now in state but working for RR down the road.  Also the recent Michigan transfers who left for Pitt are now with out the coaches that they transferred for.  So the question is now where does Pitt go for a head coach (don't forget they are moving to the ACC)?

Kansas:  Picked Charlie Wies for some reason.  Charlie got fired from ND for not under preforming and spent a year as Kansas City's OC and Florida's OC.   This is a clear case where Charlie is a better OC then head coach.  This hire makes zero sense to me, I understand big names are not knocking down the door to coach Kansas but the only positive thing Charlie did at ND was recruit.

Texas AM: Went from Mike Sherman to Houston's Kevin Sumlin who was the hottest candidate this year.  I think this is a good hire even though Kevin's team got blown out at home in the USA Championship game and a BCS Bowl on the line.  Not sure on a guy with Conference USA experience leading a team into the SEC.

UCLA:  A few years ago, UCLA tried to resurrect Rick Neuheisel career and it didn't work.  Now they go after another resurrection project with Jim Mora, Jr.   It seems UCLA is a job that most people don't want and there are rumors they are not committed to football financially.   They had a chance to make up some ground on USC and didn't.

Penn State: Is the biggest job still available.  This job right now is scary at best.  Their recruiting class is falling apart and who know what the future might bring.   I have no idea where they want to go with this one.  This seems like a no win situation at the moment.  I have heard they might be looking at Havard's head coach.

Ohio State: got the most successful coach on the board.   The OSU brass sold him on that the NCAA wouldn't do anymore harm and now he is selling it to recruits.   I know coaches say a lot things including this:  "But what I didn't want to have happen, and I made this clear to Jeremy [Foley], if I am able to go coach, I want to coach at one place, the University of Florida. It would be a travesty, it would be ridiculous to all of a sudden come back and get the feeling back, get the health back, feel good again and then all of a sudden go throw some other colors on my shirt and go coach. I don't want to do that. I have too much love for this University and these players and for what we've built."

Illinois: Let it ride with Zook as long as they could.  I don't think Illinois really draws top coaching talent and they picked a good young coach from Toledo Tim Beckman.   Good hire. 

Washington State: made the best hire out there in Mike Leach.  Mike is a different guy and doesn't need to be in the big city with a ton of media watching is every more.   This is a perfect place for him in a league where he could do some damage if he has similar success to his Texas Tech days.  Mike was able to get solid players at Tech to run his system when he had to recruit against Texas and A&M.  Hopefully he has learned a few things after being out of football and that concussions are a serious injury.

Wolverine Wednesday: It's Dunn - Time to Move On

Brionte Dunn took a visit from Urban Meyer last night and re-confirmed with the Buckeyes.   It was always clear that OSU was in his heart and this time heart won over head.   He said he was comfortable with Urban Meyer and was ready to end his recruitment.    I don't blame him at all for picking his childhood favorite school, I just wonder why make a decision with out waiting for what you said was your #1 concern, the NCAA Violations.    This situation reminds me of Seantrel Henderson who was the #1 recruit in the nation, wanted to wait for the NCAA decision before committing to USC.   Instead signed his LOI and NCAA brought the hammer he now is at Miami (not a good second choice). 

I know Urban is making news on the recruiting trail this week (taking MSU and PSU's top rated guys and now getting a re-confirm from Dunn) but one piece of advice, "Caveat emptor" .   The NCAA hasn't given it's final penalty yet.    I know the rumors are that NCAA is going to go easy on the Buckeyes, but if that is the case why is it taking so long for a final decision?  The Failure to Monitor charge is no joke and remember it took forever for the NCAA to rule on USC. 

Now lets consider whats to come with the 2012 class:

• I don't believe the Wolverines are going to take another RB in this class, look for 2013 for another RB.  Don't forget that Justice Hayes redshirted last year and Thomas Rawls only got a few carries.  (edit: Looks like I am wrong - see the David Perkins informaiton below.  David moved from K-Zoo last year to South Bend)

• Look for Jehu Chesson to be the next Wolverine WR commit.  I think Jordan Payton is going to CAL.

• Michigan needs to get Yuri Wright and Armani Reeves on campus in January.    I think both could commit to the Wolverines between their visits and signing day.

• I now could see the Wolverines taking two offensive lineman to finish this class.   I haven't heard much about Kozan's visit but he could be a guy. 

• Michigan has now offered (edit: they haven't offered yet)  4 star athlete out of Indiana, David Perkins.  He is 6'2 and 210 pounds.  He has offers from LSU, OSU, MSU and host of others.  They are looking at David at RB and hoping to set up a visit to Ann Arbor.

• I think Michigan saves a spot for Josh Garnett either way.  He just visited ND but I think it will come down to Michigan and Stanford.

• I also think we could get a commit for a player we are not tracking at the moment.  Hoke's staff really pulled a few rabbits out of the hat in recruiting last January with only a few weeks before signing day.

   
Side Note: I keep hearing about the Urban Meyer effect on Ohio State and Michigan should be worried.   Really? Why?  (BTW: this week he got two guys Michigan turned down and kept one of his commits from going to another school)  Let me give you some facts:

• He retired last year due to health concerns and to spend more time with his family.  Then takes a new job in less then a year.  So I guess his health is fine and he spent enough time with his family?   BTW: His former team finish 6-6 this year.  That is interesting.  

• During the Nebraska game, Urban was trying to make the case early that Denard should be benched for Devin Gardner.  Really coach?   Good Call. 

• 1/1/2008 Capital One Bowl - Michigan 41 Florida 35.  That same Florida team won the national championship the next year.  

• Urban has never had a 1000 yard rusher.  This year Michigan had 2. 

• Ohio State has always recruited Ohio well and will continue.  Two names that should end this discussion:  Desmond Howard and Charles Woodson.  Michigan will always get top talent out of the State of Ohio.   Michigan has 9 commits from Ohio this year including 5 star lineman Kyle Kalis.   

New uniforms for the Sugar Bowl.  The Michigan seniors voted for these uniforms in the Sugar.  In a year where we have worn 2 other jerseys, I have no problem with theses.  I still don't like us messing with Michigan's traditional uniforms, but if players want it I have no problem with it.  Michigan will be the away team:

Michigan Tuesday: Urban Recruiting and Bust Awards

First a couple of Michigan recruiting notes, Head Coach Brady Hoke will be visiting Ringer and Bolden today in Ohio.   Both are trying/planning to enroll next month.  Bolden tweeted he just picked his classes at U of M.  The rumor Bolden wants to take a visit to Columbus seems like its being fabricated by the Buckeye faithful.    I think Ringer is working on a couple things before he was cleared to enroll. 

Urban Meyer:

Is taking full advantage of being allowed to recruit while the current  Buckeye staff coaches.   Urban last night landed two recruits who were verballed to other schools.   He took Michigan State's and Penn State's top rated players in DE Se'von Pittman and DT Tommy Schutt.   Both of these young men were interested in Michigan but the Wolverines were full at both positions.   There was even a rumor Se'von tried to commit to the Wolverines.  

Team Bust:

All these players, "Lift me up".    Just kidding.

MVP: Denard

The Dr. Arthur D. Robinson Scholarship Award, given to the "leading senior scholar," was won by defensive tackle Will Heininger, who is majoring in sport management.

The Hugh R. Rader Memorial Award, given to the team's top offensive lineman, was won by Rimington Award winner David Molk.

The Roger Zakoff Award, given to the team's best linebacker, was won by middle linebacker Kenny Demens, who led the team with 86 tackles.

The Robert P. Ufer Bequest was split by defensive lineman Ryan Van Bergen and tight end Kevin Koger. The award acknowledges the senior who "demonstrated the most enthusiasm and love for Michigan."

And, last but not least, Mike Martin won the Richard Katcher Award, given to the team's best defensive lineman.

Michigan Monday: Updates The Recruiting Weekend

Let's get to the news on top of every one's mind, Brionte Dunn.   He took his visit to OSU this weekend and met some of the new coaches.   They tried to get him to re-confirm his commitment and no longer consider Michigan.  That did not happen and he will do an official visit to Ann Arbor next weekend.

The other big news is, he is no longer planning on being an early enrolle.  Which means it gives him more runway to make a decision (about a month).   Sam Webb, Scouts insider believes it has more to do getting his academic situation lined up in the next couple of days.   I think that delay could hurt Michigan more then it could help.   

• Sam Grant, the new TE offer that visited Ann Arbor last weekend, said he has a lot to think about.  He is currently a BC commit.  

• Darius Powe a WR that Michigan had offered committed to CAL this weekend.

• Your next question is, does that commitment have any effect on Jordan Payton's timeline?  Doesn't seem like it and my opinion is that the Michigan coaches are looking in a different direction right now. Jordan visited CAL this weekend as well.   The rumor mill is saying that his family wants him to stay on the West Coast.

• The Michigan coaches are out to see PSU soft commit (if at all) DB Armani Reeves.  I think they would like him to come out and visit Ann Arbor. 

• The boards are saying that Yuri Wright did not enjoy his trip to Colorado this weekend.  He is planning on visiting Ann Arbor in early January. 

• Michigan had a ton of commits visit this weekend and they all seemed to have a good time.   Many of them were trying to pick their roommates, etc. 

• Side note: Darius Morris signed with the Lakers this weekend as well.  I wonder if he was happy to learn that Chris Paul was no longer headed to LA?

Michigan Friday: 5 at 5:00

• Need Sugar Bowl Tickets? Michigan Wolverine fans can register for a chance to cheer on their favorite team live and in person at the Allstate^© Sugar Bowl^© by visiting the Allstate gazebo located at Good Time Charley’s in Ann Arbor this Saturday, Dec. 10.  Allstate will give away 10 pairs of tickets to see the Wolverines take on the Virginia Tech Hokies at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans on Jan. 3, 2012.
  As title sponsor of the Allstate^© Sugar Bowl^©, the ticket giveaways are Allstate’s way of rallying excitement among Michigan fans for the Wolverines’ second trip to the Sugar Bowl.
  Registration will be from 12 to 4 p.m. on Saturday. A pair of tickets will be raffled away every 25 minutes and fans must be present in order to win.

• Denard played with a staff infection during the season.  That explains the bandage on his arm during the year.  I'm glad it wasn't too serious.

• The Wolverines have their first bowl practice today and will practice this weekend as well.
• Yuri Wright has scheduled his visit to Michigan.  It's pay walled but I expect it to be January.  If you are wondering Yuri is projecting at Safety, which means Michigan is still in the market for one more CB as well.  
• Update from Brionte Dunn's visit from the Michigan coaches last night:  I heard his entire family was there, including 2012 Michigan commit Dymonte Thomas.  Big Al and Fred Jackson made the visit and I hear Brionte's mom also made a nice meal.  Let's hope this is good news going into his OSU visit this weekend.  Hoke can only do one in home visit, so they are probably waiting to do that one next week or soon after.

Being Bri'onte Dunn

When you are a high school senior and a 4 or 5 star recruit with good grades you are pulled in a 1000 different directions.  Everyone has an opinion on which school you should pick.  Bri'onte thought he had got that decision out of the way early on when he committed to Ohio State.  He grew up in Ohio and wanted to be a Buckeye, it was a no-brainer commitment. 

Then all hell broke loose in C-Bus and you know the story.   Bri'onte decided he wanted to look around to see what other colleges offered if his beloved Buckeyes got hit hard by the NCAA or if they brought in a new head coach that didn't fit his running style.   So Bri'onte Dunn took visits to Penn State and Michigan to see what those Universities offered.   Then all hell broke loose in Happy Valley, but to Bri'onte that wasn't a decision factor, it was always a OSU - Michigan battle.

As the season played out, Michigan started to gain some momentum in his recruitment.  His good friend and former OSU commit Kyle Kalis picked the Wolverines and then his cousin a 2013 DB recruit Dymonte Thomas picked the Wolverines as well.   So two people close to Bri'onte were coming to Ann Arbor and OSU was struggling on the football field and off as well as the NCAA sanctions continue to grow. 

So fast forward to a couple of weeks ago, when OSU visited Ann Arbor.  Bri'onte was an un-official visitor for the game.   Which I am not sure has never happened before, a player who is publicly committed to OSU has been a Michigan visitor for the biggest rivarly in college football. 

Since then Urban Meyer has been hired and the Michigan coaches have been in home with Brionte twice in the last two weeks including last night.   Kyle Kalis is doing his official visit to Ann Arbor this weekend but Brionte is going to Ohio State. 

The reason Bri'onte is feeling so much stress is because he plans on enrolling early at the school of his choice, which means he will be enrolled in less then a month.   His final decision has to come soon.

Since Bri'onte is clearly conflicted, I thought I would do a post for him on the Pros and Cons of picking each school.

OSU Pros

• Childhood favorite and always wanted to attend there
• Close to home, family doesn't have to travel too far for games
• Just hired a big name coach
• Clearly the first choice for him from the surrounding community

OSU Cons

• Program his been in disarray most of 2011
• Brand new head coach, who will be hiring many new assistants
• Just went 6-6
• The NCAA recently just gave OSU the "Failure to Monitor" violation for activity that was discovered after their August meeting.
• The NCAA has not levied the penalty against OSU and might not before Brionte has to make a decision.  Penalties could include bigger losses of scholarships and a potential bowl ban.
• Urban Meyer runs a spread offense and has never had a 1000 yard rusher.

Michigan Pros

• Current Success: 10-2, BCS Bowl and BIG 10 Coach of the Year
• A top school academically
• Two 1000 yard rushers this season
• Cousin and Kalis
• Between Bores and Fred Jackson they have (I believe) 5 NFL first round RB's
• Program is on a upswing with coaches and a program that will be consistent for years to come

Michigan Cons

• Upset OSU fans if Brionte picks Michigan
• Family might have a little more time on the road to attend Michigan home games

This is a heart vs head decision.  It was very similar to what the USC recruits had to face a couple of years ago.    USC did the same thing, got a big name head coach before the NCAA levied its final ruling and then many recruits were mad because USC has "soft petalled' that the NCAA wasn't going to hit them hard and left the program including the #1 recruit in the nation.  So the risk in picking OSU is will the upside of having Urban Meyer out weigh what the NCAA is going to do the Buckeyes.  

Or he could pick, Michigan which his head is telling him it's a better fit on the football field and in the classroom.    

This is a tipping point weekend for him.   Head vs Heart

My advice and I know it sounds stupid (since 18 year old kids don't think this way):  Think about your life after football whether it's in 4-5 years or if you are lucky enough to make the League.   Even if you do make it to the league, running backs only last a handful of years which means you could be reitred from football at around 30 years old.  You will want to be able to manage your money and have a career after football.   Pick the place that gives you the skills that will help you after football is over.


Other News:

• Congratulations to David Molk who won the Rimington Trophy last night as the top Center in the country.

• In sad news, former Michigan commit DB Anthony Standifer is no longer considered a commit.   I'm not sure what happened, but Anthony was scheduled to take his official visit this weekend and there is a rule if your not cleared by the NCAA Clearinghouse you are not allowed to take official visits.   You can still take un-officials. 

• This also explains Michigan recruiting current PSU commit Armani Reeves again.   Armani was very interested in Michigan before he committed to Penn State before the entire situation in Happy Valley happened. 

Michigan Thursday: Guys are Falling Off the Board

Rich Rod's approach to recruiting was to offer hundreds of guys and hoping he could land the best 20+ players out of that pool of young men.   Hoke and Staff seem to have a different approach, they offer guys they think will commit to Michigan.  It has worked well right now with a top 5 class for pretty much all the recruiting services. 

This time of year things happen to pull guys to Ann Arbor and things happen that push players to other schools.    A clear example of that was the Pharaoh Brown's secret trip to Oregon which cost him his Michigan commitment.  That is why you see the Michigan staff offering new TE's even this week.  

Other Guys that have fallen off the board include:

Taylor McNamara:  I don't have a reason yet, but I have heard the ship as sailed with him.  I am guessing the cost to take a visit from California.  He has used all his officials. 

Stefon Diggs:  The rumor mill is saying that the Michigan coaches had set up a time to meet with Stefon at his home.  When the coaches showed up he wasn't there and had decided to take an official visit to Cal instead and didn't cancel the meeting.   So that recruitment is pretty much done if that is the case.

Zach Banner:  Has Oklahoma as his leader, Michigan in no longer in his top group.


New Guys on the Board

OL Alex Kozan: Is one of the top centers/tackles in the nation and Michigan has renewed their interest in Alex and he will be taking a visit to Ann Arbor this weekend.  He is a 4 star prospect to Rivals and Scouts.  My thought is they are going to give Alex a full court press to commit.  I think the coaches believe Diamond's timeline is too long (he wants to do an official to U of M in January and make a decision on signing day) and even though Michigan is strong with Josh Garnett, I think they believe it will take a small miracle for him to go so far away from the West Coast.

TE Sam Grant - Was just offered this week and is a teammate of Kyle Kalis.  He is verballed to BC but is taking a visit to Ann Arbor with Kyle this weekend.   I would keep an eye on this one, Kyle was in the room when he was offered.  If he was looking at BC,  I would imagine academics is a priority for him.

TE JP Holtz:  Is a 6'4 240 TE that was committed to Penn State before all hell broke loose.  He has opened up and the Michigan coaches visited him last week.   He has done trips to Pitt and Purdue.  On a side note, Tony Gibson was recruiting him at Pitt but is now with RR at Arizona.  Michigan needs to get him on campus before he is a serious contender for a verbal.  He is a 4 star guy to Scouts and 3 to Rivals.

Congratulations to these Wolverines that made the Fall Big Ten All Acadmic Team:

Matthew Cavanaugh, Sr., economics, Alto, Mich.
J.B. Fitzgerald, Sr., sports management, Princeton Junction, N.J.
Jareth Glanda, Jr., movement science, Rochester Hills, Mich.
Cameron Gordon, Jr., general studies, Detroit, Mich.
Will Heininger, Sr., sports management and economics, Ann Arbor, Mich.
Zac Johnson, Gr., kinesiology, Morenci, Mich.
Jordan Kovacs, Sr., movement science, Curtice, Ohio
John McColgan, Gr., accounting, Saginaw, Mich.
Ricardo Miller, So., Literature, Science and the Arts/undeclared, Orlando, Fla.
Patrick Omameh, Sr., communication and sociology, Columbus, Ohio
Craig Roh, Jr., sports management, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Wolverine Wednesday: The Ups and Downs of Recruiting

The Michigan coaches are serious about finishing this class and I think they would like to have most of the pieces in place before Christmas.   Here is a quick update:

• Brionte Dunn will now be making a visit to OSU this weekend.  His dad says he will look at visiting Michigan the weekend of the 17th.   This is clearly a conflicted young man and I really think OSU is in his heart and Michigan is in his head.   Which one wins is where he will be enrolled next month.

• TE Recruiting:  Michigan is serious about recruiting a tight end and has just offered Kyle Kalis teammate Sam Grant.  There is a chance Kyle and Sam could take their officials to Ann Arbor this weekend.  Sam is a 6'6 TE and verballed to BC right now.   It's clear that Michigan wants another TE in this class and that want a commit sooner rather then later. 

• Rivals tweeted that Yuri Wright has Michigan and Colorado in his top 2.  He will visit Ann Arbor in January.  He will visit Colordo and ND in December.

• Stefon Diggs may also visit Ohio State, Michigan or Auburn this weekend.  Info came from a Rivals tweet.

• 2012 WR Jehu Chesson will visit Iowa on the 16th and then make a decision around the 21st.  His top items are comfort with the coaches and players at the school.   I think Michigan has a great shot at this young man.   It's down to Michigan, Iowa and Northwestern.

Michigan Tuesday: Recruiting Blitz

Besides preparing for a bowl game the Michigan coaches have 2 jobs on the recruiting trail.   1) Keep the current commits solid on the Maize and Blue and 2) Fill the last few spots. 

Michigan is expected to have a large number of commitments coming into town this weekend to do their officials.   As of right now that count looks like 15 commits will be in Ann Arbor.   Having this as their official lets the coaches spend a ton more time with them, then say during a game weekend. 

As for trying to fill the last few spots.........................

• Brionte Dunn is expected to have Coach Hoke in home with him and his family on Thursday.  There is also a chance that Brionte does his "official visit" this weekend as well. 

• St. Louis WR Jehu Chesson might be Michigan's next best shot at landing a WR commit this month.  He is planning a Iowa visit in a couple of weeks and would like to announce his decision by Christmas.  Chesson and Darboh were said to have developed a new friendship on their visits to Ann Arbor during the OSU game.  As we know, Darboh lives in Iowa and turned down the Hawkeyes to commit to the Wolverines.

• Michigan coaches visited Scouts #1 Center Evan Boehm last week and is trying to get him to visit Ann Arbor.  I am sure they are looking for the next David Molk.

• Michigan coaches are also trying to get TE Taylor McNamara to visit.  He was a AZ commit and saw the coaching change to RR and de-committed.  He might do an un-official soon, which will be costly because he lives in San Diego. 

• Last but not least is Safety Yuri Wright who will now start doing his visits after his team won the State Championship.   I expect him to visit in the next month or so, he continues to say he loved the Wolverines growing up. 

Old Dogs and No New Tricks

• I wonder how the NCAA is taking that Coach Tressel addressed the OSU football team before they drove up to Ann Arbor to take on the Wolverines?  What happened to the separation from the program?  Not good Bucky!

• Remember two weeks ago when Pitt's head coach said he wasn't worried about losing his assistants?  Well, he lost 3.  You might recognize the names: Calvin Magee, Tony Gibson and Tony Dews.  I agree with the Magee and Dews hire but how about Gibson coaching the DB's?  Really, how did that work out for him at Michigan?  Not very well.  Casteel is expected to be named the DC, which makes sense.  Not sure what is going on with Barwis, it seems if RR wanted to hire him, he could have done it two weeks ago.  The rumor I had been hearing is he is happy living in Michigan.   RR said he expects to have his S&C coach named this week. 

• Funny how history repeats itself:  2 Arizona QB's have decided to transfer, which leaves RR with 1 scholarship QB on staff.   

Detroit News and Sparty!

The picture says a 1000 words......................

(click the picture if you have a hard time seeing the green banner ad)

Michigan Monday: Sugar with Some Spice

Let's get to the Spice first: the commitment of 4 star WR Amara Darboh. 

Amara is a 6'2 200 pound WR from Iowa.  He he rates out  as a 4 star to Rivals, Scouts and 24/7.  He is considered a physical WR with speed.  He runs a 4.4 forty.   He had offers from the likes of Notre Dame, Florida, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas State, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Vanderbilt.   Amara seemed very interested in ND, Michigan and Iowa.  Kirk Ferentz was even in home with Amara this weekend to try to pull him to his home state program. 

Amara only played in 7 games as a senior due to a shoulder injury.   He wanted to get his college decision out of the way so he could get surgery and rehab for his freshman year of college.  

Michigan's recruitment started early this football season with a unofficial visit for an early game and an official visit for Ohio State.  The rumor was Amara needed to get his family to Ann Arbor before he committed.  He did that waited a week and announced his decision for Michigan.

I expect Michigan to take one more WR, it seems it's now a race between Jordan Payton and Jehu Chesson.  Jordan seems to be all over the place with a decision and Jehu was just in Ann Arbor for the OSU game.  Stefon Diggs recruitment will have to heat up quickly if Michigan will have a shot.  He hasn't been to A2 yet and seems to be planning to announce near signing day.

Now on to the Sugar:

Michigan was rewarded as a "brand name" with a 10-2 record and a 13 place ranking in the BCS.  Michigan and Virginia Tech passed over a few teams to get their spot including Boise State and Kansas State.   Usually, you don't see an ACC team that just got blown out in their Championship game get an at large bid to the BCS.   I guess the Sugar Bowl though Va Tech could sell a few tickets.  Speaking of tickets, I have been looking at EBay and Stub Hub for about a week on Sugar Bowl tickets.   If you are planning on going, plan on spending some money for tickets.  Most tickets I have found are in the $200 per range.   I was watching an Ebay auction that ended last night for lower bowl tickets.  His minimum bid was $500 for 4 tickets.   The two pair sold for a $1000.  You can get tickets through the U of M athletic dept starting at $125 per.      

I have no idea what Va Tech has this year and have only caught bits and pieces of a couple of their games.  Like most of us, we were watching the Big Ten Championship game on Saturday night.  

Speaking of Sparty, nicely done on Saturday.  They played a very competitive game and you could say they had most of the momentum from the second quarter on.   They lost the game on a roughing the punter penalty, when they shouldn't have even bring rushing the punter and setting up the return.   Sparty being Sparty.  Then they drop all the way to the Outback Bowl in Tampa. 

Instead of being upset they didn't get into a BCS Bowl they should be happy about a good match up with Georgia.    They both seem evenly matched and play good defense.  

"Our focus is on winning our last football game -- the bowl game," he said. "It’s important for out seniors -- the winningest four-year class in Spartan history -- to add a bowl victory to its long list of accomplishments." said Mark Dantonio who is 0-4 in bowl games.

Michigan State senior quarterback Kirk Cousins:

"I’m still hurting," he said. "I would be lying to you if I told you I was moving forward and feeling great. It’s tough to come that close two years in a row. Its almost a tease. And we just need to keep moving forward, stay positive. We have time to get back on our feet.

"This program is in great hands. If any other program had 21 wins in the last two years, they would be talking about them like they are the program. Think it is forgotten all the success we have had, how good we really are, how good we have been."
BTW: State didn't qualify for a BCS Bowl in the final rankings.   They had a chance and decided to try to block a punt.

How about the Urban Meyer Bowl?  His former 6-6 team vs his current 6-6 team.  Best line from last night was on ESPN when they called this the "Former" Gator Bowl.  

Breaking News: Sugar and A New Commit

More to come on Monday but............

Michigan got its first WR commit for the 2012 class with the public commit of Amara Darboh.  AD is a 4 star guy to Rivals, Scouts and 24/7.

I am hearing Michigan vs. Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl.   We should know for sure in a half an hour.

No Michigan Game Today

So enjoy these highlights from last weekend:  (watch it in full screen HD, so you get the full memory experience :)

Michigan Friday: Coaches are Hitting the Road to Recruit

One of the advantages of not playing in the BIG 10 Championship game is an extra week of recruiting on the road before bowl practices start.  Michigan will find out on Sunday if they are heading to the Sugar or Citrus Bowl.  This week though the assistant coaches are on the road to visit as many prospects as possible.  Think about a couple other things as well: OSU doesn't know who their assistant coaches will be and still waiting for the NCAA, PSU is worried about the off the field situation and they don't have a head coach either, Wisconsin and MSU are busy this week preparing for a game and Illinois needs a head coach, so the time is now to make up some ground on the local competition. 

Here are some of the visits we know of:

• Brinote Dunn
• Josh Garnett
• 2013 WR Kevin Gladney
• 2012 TE Taylor McNamara
• Today with Yuri Wright
• 2012 TE (PSU de-commit) JP Holtz
• WR Jehu Chesson
• 2012 Center Evan Boehm (4 Stars and Missouri de-commit)

Rumor Mill:

I love this time of year because so many changes are happening in college football. 

• Mike Sherman got fired last night from Texas AM - the rumored leading candidate is Houston's head coach, Kevin Sumlin who seems to be the "hot" candidate right now.  There is a report out that ASU has already offered Kevin as well.  Looks like if Michigan plays  "5 Slamma Jamma" in the Sugar Bowl, they might be with out their head coach.

• I watched WVU beat South Florida last night and wondered if Jeff Casteel would join RR in Arizona.  It's pretty strange that he hasn't hired any assistants yet.  I am sure Pitt and Indiana are trying to lock down their assistants right now.

• Have you ever seen such a bad championship game as the PAC 12 game tonight?  Oregon plays 6-6 UCLA who just fired their coach.  The Ducks are favored by 31 points.  Good game.  There are plenty of rumors that UCLA wants to target Chris Peterson from Boise State.   Chris said no the last time they had an opening but there is some thoughts that Chris might be more interested now.  That would be a huge hire for them.

• If Alabama plays LSU in the NC game,  I think Michigan and Ohio State should get their 2006 teams back together and play for the 2006 NC game again.   (I thought nobody wanted to see are-match?)  Both Michigan and OSU lost their bowl games by wide margins that year.

• There are plenty of rumors floating around that Mac Brown is about to retire at Texas.   That would be an interesting job opening. 

• Don't forget Monday's post on who you want to root for this weekend if Michigan can jump two spots an earn a BCS Bid.

Michigan Thursday: Brady "Big Ten" Hoke

Some people (including me) questioned the Brady Hoke hire when it happened.  We were wrong and it wasn't because he went 10-2.  It was because Brady Hoke is a smart leader and knows that a good leader is only as good as the people around him.  Brady brought Al Borges from San Diego and pulled Greg Mattison from the Baltimore Ravens.  Both guys either have some gray or no hair at all, they understand football and how to teach it to young men.   Desmond Howard last week on ESPN said, the two best hires in college football last year were: Brady Hoke to Michigan and Greg Mattison to Michigan.  I have to agree.

Brady yesterday won the Big 10 Hayes-Schembechler Coach of the Year Award he also won the media's version of the award as well.   This is a real honor for Brady and really points to the great job he and his staff has done this year to turn Michigan into a BCS caliber Bowl team.

Brady in the last 4 years has won coach of the year awards in the MAC, Mt. West and now the Big Ten conferences.   That is a pretty good streak and huge sign we have a good coach here.  I have never been so happy to have been wrong in my life. 

• Ron English won the MAC coach of the year and is being considered for some BCS schools head coach openings.

• RR let SI follow him on his first 48 hours on the job with Arizona.  It is clear he learned from his Michigan first press conference mess up and got the proper "schooling" from school officials and coaching.  What I think is strange is, I haven't heard that RR has hired any assistant coaches yet.  By the time hea lot hit Ann Arbor he had  of his staff already with him.  The story talks about Barwis joining him in AZ, but I am also hearing he might not go and loves Michigan and his new venture.

• The BIG Championship game is on Fox this weekend (because Fox owns 50% of the BTN) but ESPN now has the BCS games.  Here are the announcing crews for Sugar and Citrus:  Sugar Bowl :Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe. The Citrus is Joe Tessitore, Rod Gilmore and Quint Kessenich.

Big Ten Preview Week 14 - BIG Championship

The season is over with just the Championship Game left.  The big winners from last weekend were the Wolverines with a win over Ohio State and the Wisconsin Badgers with a win over Penn State and a ticket to the BIG Championship game. 

Wisconsin vs Michigan State at Indy:  Michigan State beat Wisconsin at home this season on a hail mary pass to end the game.  After that game, MSU lost on the road to Nebraska and then beat up on the poor teams in the Big Ten.   Wisconsin after that lost took a trip to Columbus and found another hail mary waiting for them.   After that game they went on similar winning streak to overcome Penn State and get into this game. 

The game will include two senior QB's and strong running games.   Michigan State which has sort of fallen out of the media exposure after their Nebraska loss still has a strong defense and a good passing game when Cousins doesn't get flustered and has time to find Cunningham. 

Neither team has played well on the road this year and it's hard to know how playing in a neutral site will effect either team.  For some reason, this game has very little hype and you can buy tickets on Stub Hub for as little as $8.  Most experts agree that Wisconsin is the better team and would have been in the NC hunt if they didn't lose on two last minute throws.    The winner goes to the Rose Bowl to play Oregon.  The loser might fall to the Outback or Citrus Bowl.  Vegas continues not to buy MSU and makes Wisconsin a  -9 favorite in the game.   Being inside I see a few points scored.   Wisconsin 28 MSU 21

The nightmare for the Big Ten would be having a ton of empty seats for this game.