The Battle Off The Field Might Be More Important To Michigan's Future on Saturday

We all know what is at stake on Saturday for the Wolverines. An upset victory would mean a

• Win over Michigan's biggest rival
• A non-losing record for the year
• A Bowl Game

Those are all important things but we all know this Rivalry won't be truly back until Michigan puts a better product on the football field. The Wolverines took steps this year on the offense side of the football and will need to take major steps on defense in 2010 and beyond.

So Saturday's battle off the field is Michigan's biggest recruiting day of the year. A number of top recruits will be in the Big House to witness what it would be like to put on the famous winged helmet, a blue jersey, maize pants and play in the biggest rivalry game in the country.

Michigan needs to cement interest with the guys that have Michigan #1 on their lists, they need to convince players who have Michigan in their top 5 that Ann Arbor in the best place for them , and they need to even pull out a little "snake oil" and try to convince players committed elsewhere that being a Wolverine is a very special thing. (they also need the continue to lay the ground work for players in the class of 2011 as well). Saturday is a day where the Wolverine coaches will make thier money. They need to spend time with recruits, sell them on the Michigan program, and at the same time prepare to play it's biggest rival.

We all know Michigan has 20 players committed so far for the 2010 class. Which leaves 5 remaining spots or should I say 5 defensive spots. Michigan will still take a highly rated offensive player in that 5 but don't be surprised if all 5 go on Greg Robinson's side of the ball. Michigan expects 12 or more visitors for the Ohio State game this weekend.

Must Win's:

• Cullen Christian a top 100 player and 4 star CB out of Pittsburgh: who is attending the game and will make his announcement next Tuesday.
• Josh Furman a LB out of Maryland,(think Dhani Jones). Josh is a 3 star linebacker with a number of high profile offers including Oklahoma, Pitt, Virgina Tech, WVU and many others. (not planning an OSU game visit)
• Tony Grimes, a 3 star CB out of Florida. Tony maybe rated 3 stars but he has an offer sheet like a 4 or 5 star CB: Ohio State, Miami, Oklahoma State, Georgia, South Carolina, and so on. Tony will be in town on Saturday.

Really Need:

• Tony Jefferson, is a 4 star LB out of California and ranked in the top 50 of all players in the US. He has verballed to UCLA but has continued to take trips to Oklahoma and Arizona and will be in Ann Arbor on Saturday.
• Rashad Knight, a 4 star CB from Florida: could easily be put in the must win category. Has offers from mostly Big Ten, ACC, and Big East schools and will be in A2 this weekend.
• Dior Mathis, is a 4 star CB out of Cass Tech in Detroit. Dior has a final 4 of Michigan, MSU, Miami, and Oregon. He has been to a number of Michigan games this year already and comes from a school that usually sends it's top players to U of M. He is very similar in size and stature to Boubacar. He is 5"9 166 lbs. (rumor mill has Dior at State this weekend for the PSU game)

Nice to Have:

• Christian Jones, 4 star LB out of Florida huge offer list: Florida, ND, LSU and so on.
• Kenny Stills, a 4 star WR out of California
• Richard Ash, a 4 star DT out of Pahokee, Florida with a huge offer sheet including USC, LSU, and many other schools.
• Dillon Baxter, 4 star RB out of California and friend of Tate Forcier. A surprise visitor this weekend and has already committed to USC. Let's hope he has something to celebrate with his friend on Saturday night.
• Clarence Murphy, a DE and teammate of Tony Grimes. Could be one of RR's teammate specials. He is rated as a 3 star prospect and has offers from South Florida, Wisconsin, and Maryland.
• Kenny Shaw, a 4 star WR out of Florida. Played with Ricardo Miller last year.

Here is to Michigan finding a way to get two wins on Saturday! Go Blue!