Michigan Monday: Recaps Basketball, New Walk-On and RB Numbers

I know this Michigan Basketball take will not be a popular one.   I first want to thank Zack and Stu for all they have done for this Michigan Program.   They have gone to 3 NCAA Tournaments and are leaving Ann Arbor as Big Ten Champions.   The Athletic Department should consider retiring their numbers for what they have given to this program.   Well done guys on a wonderful career. 

With that said, something happened to this team after the Purdue loss on senior night.   They looked confused on offense with only Burke and Hardaway being options and played very little defense.    Zack was getting beat often on defense and Stu was missing lay ups.   If Michigan was to make a run in either the Big 10 or NCAA Tournaments they needed something from the seniors and got almost nothing.  Both of those guys needed to be averaging in double figures and I don't think 20-30 points between them was too much to ask.   Michigan didn't get that and two Ohio schools took Burke and Hardaway away and got beat twice.     Ohio is a good team but Michigan got beat in every aspect of that game.   In fact, the score was much closer then the game really seemed.  

Michigan will miss Zack and Stu the next couple of years.  They will miss their leadership and stability but if Michigan is going to make the next step in this programs development, they are going to need some athletic players in those roles that can be a defensive stopper/rebounder and score in double figures.    The last three weeks have been very frustrating to watch after a very solid regular season.

• Michigan landed their second RB in the class on Saturday with the commitment of DeVeon Smith.   What was up for debate was if Michigan would take a 3rd RB in this class with Ty Isaac visiting two weekends ago and Derrick Green coming in on Sunday.  The coaches told Derrick that they would be taking a 3rd running back and they liked him a lot.   I believe this means Michigan would take another RB if it's Isaac or Green but probably are not going to recruit other guys.

• Michigan had a TE prospect visit this weekend in Scott Orndoff who had de-committed from Wisconsin when most of the offensive coaches went to Pitt.  Well, Scott visited Pitt on Sunday after his trip to Ann Arbor and quickly gave his verbal commitment to the Panthers. 

• Just when you thought Mike Cox had played his last game at the Big House!  He is planning to transfer to UMass who will visit Michigan on 9/15. 

• Walk On News:  Michigan continues to fill depth issues with Preferred Walk-On's for the 2012 class.  The next guy to raise his hand in Fenton's TE Quinton Mandle.  Below is his highlights and he isn't ranked by any recruiting services.  The kid looks like a nice athlete with great hands.  He is 6'5 220 pounds and carries just below a 4.0.   Welcome Quinton! 

Michigan Tuesday: One for 2012 and One for 2013

The Michigan coaches like to pick up commitments in pairs.  It happened in the 2012 class and it seems it still is happening.  But this time, one came for the class of 2012 and another for 2013.

Michigan got a big 2012 offensive lineman on Monday night in Dan Gibbs.   Dan is 6'7 320 pounds lineman from Birmingham (Mich.) Seaholm.  Dan is rated as a 3 star prospect from Scouts and had some MAC school scholarship offers.  He is a very good student and it's reported he has a 31 on his ACT.

The key here is Dan is joining the team 133 as preffered walk-on next year.  He of course could earn a scholarship during his 4-5 years in Ann Arbor.   

Dan is one of those guys that fell through the recruiting cracks.   If you want to be a big time prospect you have to have a great junior year and go to all the "Shoe Companies" football camps and combines.  If you don't go to the camps or maybe played behind a very good senior, you might be missed.  I don't know Dan's story but I am guessing that might be the situation with him.   I heard he played very well has a senior and won a battle between him and 4 star DE and future Michigan teammate Mario Ojemudia.

2013:

Michigan added it's 3rd commitment to the 2013 class with the verbal of TE Khalid Hill from Detroit.   Hill is 6'3 225 pounds and is expected to play TE at Michgian.   Being a Wolverine is a dream come true for Khalid.  He visited Ann Arbor and Coach Hoke offered and Hill didn't waste any time becoming a Wolverine.   It is still early and many of the recruiting services have not ranked players yet.  Hill is expected to be a 3 or 4 star prospect.

Hill joins quarterback Shane Morris and defensive back Dymonte Thomas as Wolverines in the 2013 class.


Nothing new Kozan Update:

• Still no time table for a decision.  Could be a day or a week.
• Business school is on his mind
• Alex very much likes the S&C coach at Auburn
• Auburn already has 6 O-lineman in the 2012 class
• Our own Big House Blog Recruiting Insider Uncle Ron gives us this tidbit:  I do know for a fact that Alex has been getting alot of phone calls from the new OC from Auburn (Scot Loeffler) a friend of mine is good friends with him (SL). As he was with Jordan Diamond in the last few days of his recruitment. So they are surely pouring the heat on Alex. Scott is an excellent recruiter as Urban will testify. Scott was the one who had to talk Urban into finally going after Denard when he was at Florida.   If you don't know Scot was the long time QB coach at Michigan and was hired by Urban at Florida to help Tebow become a better passer.   Scot was the OC at Temple last year. 

Michigan Friday: The Big Ten Big 2

We all remember the days when it was Michigan and Ohio State fighting for the Big Ten Championship every year.  Last year OSU was done and the 3 years before that Michigan was done.   So we really haven't seen the two fighting for the Big 10 Championship since the #1 met #2 and the day after Bo died.  

Both OSU and Michigan new head coaches and both men can recruit.   Michigan and Brady Hoke had a head started on Urban Meyer but Urban made up some time and took advantage of Penn State programs being upside down at the moment.   Both programs are waiting on a couple of high profile guys to finish their 2012 class but it is clear already that Michigan and OSU signed the top classes in the Big Ten both teams have top 10 classes nationally.   Let's use Scouts as an example of how the Big Ten did:

#3 OSU
#4 Michigan
#36 MSU
#39 Iowa
#48 Northwestern
#49 Penn State
#50 Nebraska
#51 Purdue
#52 Indiana
#62 Wisconsin
#67 Minnesota
#69 Illinois

Wisconsin and Nebraska can out recruit Penn State when their program is a complete wreck and their new head coach is still doing another job?  That has to be very disappointing for both programs.   Wisconsin has the #62 class in the country after winning the Big Ten Championship and going to the Rose Bowl?  They are really hoping Diamond puts on a Wisconsin hat tonight.

I know Mark Dantonio in East Lansing loves to talk about what a strong recruiter he is.  Here are a couple of programs that out recruited him:  Cincinnati, Colorado, Rutgers, Kentucky and Utah.  Yikes!  They also had one player sign with the Spartans that was recruited by Michigan.  That player is Aaron Burbridge and that recruitment was a bit iffy due to potential qualification issues. 

• Jordan Diamond announces tonight at 8:00 est.  The latest buzz is not positive towards Michigan.  It seems Auburn has made a late push.  Auburn could come in and try to grab Diamond and Kozan this weekend.  Insert Cam Newton joke here.  I think Alex might be waiting to see what Jordan does and then could do the opposite.

• Michigan plays at MSU on Super Bowl Sunday.   I think the Spartans might be ready for this game.   

• For Michigan fans Sunday's Super Bowl has of course Tom Brady and Zoltan Mesko on New England.  The Giants have David Baas and Mario Manningham.  Tom has struggled against the Giants in the past and they can put pressure on him with their front 4.   Many are picking the Giants in this game, I don't bet against Tommy.   Patriots 28 NY 24  (look out for Chad Johnson deep - this is the classic hasn't done anything during the season and has his best game in the Super Bowl story)

NSD Hang Over

That was a fun ride yesterday watching all the letters come in and trying to get into the head of 17/18 year olds.  Jordan Payton has to be one of the funnier recruitment's I have seen in awhile, he verballed to Washington on Tuesday night on ESPNU and signed with UCLA the next day.  

Alex Kozan is the guy that Wolverine fans are following.   He is still considering Michigan, Iowa and Auburn.   We don't have a timeline for his decision but we know the Wolverine coaches want him.   Here is what Alex told ESPN: When asked if he were planning on holding off making a decision until Monday, Kozan responded, “Don’t know. Trying to decide ASAP. Want [it] to be done.”

Jordan Diamond will announce his decision on Friday night.   His announcement could effect Kozan since they both have Auburn and Michigan in their final group.    The latest buzz isn't great for Diamond to Michigan but who knows at this point.   Diamond tweeted he was going to shock the world on Friday.  Picking U of M really can't be considered a shock.  Don't hold your breathe on either of these guys coming to Ann Arbor. 

• Urban Hate:  Two Big Ten Coaches are not really happy with Urban Meyer.  One is MSU's Mark Dantonio, who only smiles once or twice a year.    He is upset that OSU came after one of their commitments in Se'von Pittman.   I guess when your best friend isn't running/cheating in Columbus things are different between those two programs. "They've got a new coach, there's differences when a new coach comes in," he said. "It's a new testing of the waters, but it's a two-way street, it's always a two-way street. There's always gotta be the other person listening, too. I think when it becomes a matter of twisting somebody, when you're a 50-year-old man or 40-year-old man twisting a 17-year-old, that's when it's wrong.  "I'm not saying that's happening in the Big Ten conference, but I see that happening around the country. That happens when somebody decommits on the day of signing day and you've got to wonder about that."     Next is Wisconsin's Bret Bielema on his thoughts if Big10 recruiting would chance with an SEC guy in the mix:  I hope it doesn’t change. I think the potential for change is there,” Bielema said. “There are a few things that happened early on that I made people aware of that I didn’t want to see in this league, that I had seen take place in other leagues. Other recruiting tactics, other recruiting practices that are illegal. “I was very up front and was very pointed to the fact, actually reached out to Coach Meyer and shared my thoughts and concerns with him. The situation got rectified.”

• Rumors are that Jim Tressel is taking some time of job at Akron.  It can't be as the head coach so who knows.

• Is Dan Gibbs an option for the Wolverines?  Could be, I don't believe he signed anywhere yesterday and could be weighing his options for a walk on or late Wolverine offer.  Dan has a couple of MAC offers and must be a good student becuase he is looking to walk on to Michigan, Stanford or Northwestern.

NSD Blitz Michigan Re-Cap

Surprise!

Michigan started off the day with a new 4 star RB back commit in Dennis Norfleet.  He is a fast RB that will run the ball, maybe play some slot and return kicks for the Wolverines.  This is a great last minute pick up for the Wolverines who had some open spots to fill.   Many have compared his new role to Darrin Sproles with the Saints

Protect This House

Between 7:15 AM and 1:00 pm in the afternoon, Michigan got all their 22 players signed and sealed.  Everyone expected to sign, did just that.  That is a huge accomplishment for any major program.  Kids get cold feet, what to stay closer to home and get calls from coaches begging them to join their program.  Keeping the class together on signing day is a huge win for the Wolverines.   

Signing Day Drama

The drama began around 11:00 AM when the word was that 4 star OL Alex Kozan was re-thinking his commitment to Iowa and was feeling rushed about his decision.   His final 3 are Iowa, Michigan and Iowa.

The word on the Internet and social media was going back and forth from Auburn back to Iowa and then Michigan.   Alex skiped his schools signing day ceremony and at this point is still un-decided. 

Done?

Michigan hopes their top 10 recruiting class can still grow by two as Alex and Jordan Diamond are still on the board.  Jordan is announcing on Friday night and Alex's decision could come down anytime.  Michigan fans and coaches have their fingers crossed for these two highly rated offensive lineman. 

How did Michigan do?

Rivals has Michigan's class #6 in the country
Scouts has Michigan #4
24/7 has Michigan #7
ESPN #8

What about 2013?

The Michigan coaches are now focusing on 2013 and getting that class going.  ESPN did their 2013 top 100 and Shane Morris is 5 Star prospect and Dymonte Thomas is a 4 star prospect.

Welcome to Commitmas! - Surprise!

It's 6:15 AM and we already have a NSD Surprise! 

Dennis Norfleet instate 4 star RB has committed to the Wolverines.   Dennis was verballed to Cincinnati before he committed to the Wolverines late last night.   His other offers included MSU and Tennessee.  He committed in August to the BearCats so other teams backed off.  Dennis is rated the #19 RB in the country by Scouts .

Here is what Scouts Allen Trieu said about Dennis: One of the most explosive players in the class, Norfleet has great acceleration, open field elusiveness and a natural knack for making defenders miss. Has excellent skills in the pass game, and is a dangerous receiver. Is also a great return man. He is not the biggest back, although solidly built, but he is a guy who can be used in a variety of roles, including slot receiver. He's also a tough, competitive kid who plays with a chip. - Allen Trieu

Dennis is 5'7 and 165 out of King High School in Detroit.   He could project to RB or WR in college.   Also look for him to return kicks and punts as well.  Watch the below highlights, this kid is fast.

Michigan Tuesday: Coffee is For Closers

Coffee is for Closers and the Michigan coaches are drinking Tea right now.    Don't get me wrong the Michigan coaches have put together a very good top 10 class.   With that said, they have laid an egg down the stretch.    Michigan had 5 top prospects they were after in the last few weeks and have been shutout with one prospect still announcing this Friday.   

The only positive side was a late visit and commitment for a Ohio DE/DT Willie Henry yesterday (well sort of, Willie is announcing today but his coach/Ted Ginn Sr. told Sam Webb from Scouts that he has committed to Michigan)

Thoughts on Armani Reeves and Sam Grant:

Armani wanted to play with his best friend so it was hard to second guess his decision.   It also seems that the NCAA's loss of scholarships won't hurt OSU because they will just cut players to make room for the players they want.   The Columbus Dispatch reported that OSU was full before Armani committed and they are also recruiting other players for this years class.   Urban learned a few tricks at Florida and brought those to Columbus.

Sam Grant picked Oklahoma over Michigan on Monday.   That was a surprise decision for many reasons; 1) Michigan was much closer to home 2) he has a 5 star teammate coming to Ann Arbor in Kyle Kalis 3) Oklahoma has 3 other TE's in the 2012 class  4) Michigan is higher rated school academically.   A head scratcher for sure.

Chris Muller who was 50/50 between Rutgers and Michigan is sticking with Rutgers because they tried to go out and hire a hot young coach from Florida International but they couldn't come to terms with him on a contract, so they made a rushed decision and gave the job to their offensive line coach.  Seems like a desperate move to keep the recruiting class together. 

Michigan has lost a ton of coin flips this week.

Signing Day at the Big House Blog:

I will be doing my regular Signing Day Event here tomorrow.  I will list all the LOI's as they hit the fax machines at Schembechler Hall.  I will also update any NSD changes for Michigan and other national schools.

This is the largest traffic day for this site, so please feel free to visit often.  I will be doing posts early in the morning to late in the afternoon.    BHB will be your spot for all your Michigan NSD News.

Willie Henry Goes Blue

1-4?  Willie Henry a 3 star DT/DE committed to Michigan today.   Willie was sort of a surprise for Wolverine Recruiting fans.  He visited Ann Arbor this weekend and picked the Wolverines today.

Willie is 6'3 around 275 pounds DT/DE from Glenville out of Ohio.  He has offers from Pitt, Syracuse, Cincy, Hawaii and a number of MAC schools.  (Can't remember the last time we were in a recruiting battle with Hawaii) Willie is a 3 star prospect to Rivals and Scouts.

I'm glad we got another DE/DT in this class and it's  always good to get another recruit from the talent rich Glenville.   Sure I would have loved to have landed Garnett, Reeves, Kozan or Grant but maybe our bad steak is over with Willie's commitment.

Michigan Monday: Updated Recruiting Scoreboard and it's Ugly

How does 0-3  0-4 sound right now?  Pretty bad. 

Josh Garnett to Stanford - Close to Home
Armani Reeves to OSU - Close friend/family attending there as well
Alex Kozan to Iowa - Iowa has always lead
Update: Sam Grant to Oklahoma.  Wow!

Michigan started the 2012 class arguably better then any other program in the country.  For the most part they have been able to hold on to the important members of this class and still ranked in the top 10.  The issue is Michigan was looking to finish just like they started, strong.  They have not and now has missed on the top prospect on their board (Garnett) and probably the position they need the most depth (Center and Kozan).   Michigan wanted another corner in this class and targeted Armani early on.   He is a small cover corner and Michigan has nice depth at that position already. 

Where do we go from here?

Jordan Diamond - Announces on Friday and visited Wisconsin.  Most services think Michigan, I haven't been very confident in Michigan the last 3 months or so. 

Sam Grant - Ohio TE and the rumor was we would announce last night.  We might hear today and it's between Michigan and Oklahoma.   Insiders are calling Michigan and I agree.  Could hear today.

New Names:

Chris Muller a 4 star OL who is verballed to Rutgers.  He is torn between staying with Rutgers or strongly considering Michigan.   Unless he get clarity in that decision in the next two days, I expect his decision might go past Wednesday.

Willie Henry: Is a 3 star DT/DE from Glenville in Ohio.  He has offers from Pitt, Syracuse, Cincy, and a number of MAC schools.   You know the kid is smart because he has a Hawaii offer and visited in December!  Willie visited Ann Arbor this past weekend and the rumor is he was offered a scholarship.  He is 6'3 and 275 pounds.   If Willie wants to go blue this could replace the loss of Pharaoh Brown who was a TE/DE hybrid player who broke Michigan's recruiting visit rules and is now an Oregon Duck.

It now looks like Michigan will not be able to fill all 5 remaining spots.  Which means they can give a scholarship to a walk on or bank it for a guy enrolling early next year.  Let's hope the coaching staff has a few surprises up their sleeve for signing day.   The only recruit I feel good about right now is Sam Grant but I know Oklahoma is pushing hard for him as well.

Michigan Final 5 Starts Off 0-1

We knew it was 50/50 decision between Stanford and Michigan for Josh Garnett.  Michigan lost that coin flip and no matter his decision this was the first domino to fall in finishing Michigan's 2012 class.  

So now what?

• This decision has to be a positive for Jordan Diamond.  When looking back at the last few months, it was probably too much to ask for two 5 star guys in the final 5.   Jordan has been to Michigan like 5 or 6 times in the last year and has a good friend on the team already in Chris Bryant.  Not real excited that he is announcing 2 days past signing day.

• Alex Kozan I hear is leaning towards Iowa but Coach Hoke has a visit with him this weekend.  I expect an announcement soon after.  Alex can come in and play a position of need, which is center and Coach Hoke can make a pretty good case for early playing time.   

• Michigan is now back in the picture for 4 star offensive lineman Chris Muller who was a Rutgers commit.  The story goes Chris and Kyle Kalis became friends at the Army game and Chris thought about visiting Michigan early in January before he decided against it.  Now Rutgers have lost their head coach to the NFL and he might take a visit to Ann Arbor.   I am betting Kyle in in his ear about Michigan right now.  Sounds like this could be a good plan B for Michigan and Chris. 

• Hoke had a in home visit with Sam Grant last night. I expect an announcement as early as today or this weekend.

• Armani Reeves is struggling with his decision between playing with his best friend at OSU or at Michigan where he has a better relationship with the coaches and has stronger academics.

• If Michigan misses out on Alex Kozan look for instate Dan Gibbs to maybe land a late offer from the Wolverines. 

• Ondre Pipkins was not happy camper last night about 6:15 on Twitter, he felt Garnett lied to him.

The big question mark now is:  Will Michigan pull in a few surprise guys late in the process to try to get to 28 or will they bank a couple scholarships for next year?  Right now it looks like a trip to the bank.  

Can someone please explain to me, why Michigan didn't have a scholarship for Arnett?  I don't understand that one at all.

Latest Buzz........

I am hearing that some of the Josh Garnett to Michigan guys are starting to think it might be Stanford.   Not sure they have any new information to say one way or the other. I guess we will find out in 4 hours.   Josh is still tweeting Erik Magnuson, so I hope that is a good sign.

I am sure you heard that former Michigan coaching candidate/Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano took the Tampa Bay job this afternoon   Michigan is interested in two current Rutgers commits in offensive lineman Chris Muller and JJ Denman.  It has been reported that Michigan might have already called Chris this morning.  Pretty sure Chris was the 'secret visitor" that was planning a visit to Ann Arbor a couple of weeks ago but never happened.

Michigan Thursday: What Will Josh Garnett Do?

Today is January 26th the day that 5 star offensive lineman Josh Garnett will make up his college decision known.   He did an interview late last night and says he is still 50/50 between Michigan and Stanford.   Since he is trying to make a decision between two good schools.  I thought I would do a Tale of Tape for him to help with the final decision:

Academics = Push
Football Tradition = Michigan
Program Trending Up = Push
Chance to Play = Push
Distance from home = Stanford
Good Friend in Recruiting Class = Michigan
Outlook for Program over the next 4 years = Michigan   (loss of Luck and Harbaugh vs Denard, Devin and Shane at Michigan)
2012 Recruiting Class = Michigan (Scouts = Michigan #3 Stanford #21)

Votes:
Michigan = 4
Push = 3
Stanford = 1

As you can see it is a very close decision and could go anyway.  Let's hope he goes Blue around 6:00 tonight!

Most recruiting services are calling Stanford which include Scouts, Rivals and ESPN.  The local recruiting guys are calling Michigan.   This decision will have a big impact on how the rest of the class goes with Kozan, Diamond and Gibbs.

• Bill Sheridan was just hired as an assistant coach at OSU.  I think Nick still has some eligibility left.   I don't consider this a big deal, Bill needed a job and found one.

• Denard was at the Pistons - Heat game last night. 

• Jordan Diamond will announce on 2/3 with his teammate Robert Gregory.   Robert is deciding between Arkansas, Minnesota, Kansas and Purdue.  The only reason I bring this up is both Robert and Jordan have Arkansas on their lists.  Package deal?

• Coach Hoke will be in home with Sam Grant tonight.

Wolverine Wednesday: A Couple Quick Updates

The Michigan Basketball team had a nice win on the road last night at Purdue.  The Wolverines got out to a quick lead in the game and started the second half by extending the lead to 10 points before Purdue made a run to take a lead with about 5 minutes to play.   The Wolverines played well and got points in the paint and got a 2 point win.   We hear about Burke and Hardaway but Michigan plays better when Jordan Morgan is active in the paint by scoring and rebounds.   It is also nice to see the team not living and dying by the 3.  Nice win guys!

• Sam Grant hosted Bob Stoops and the OK coaches yesterday afternoon.  Sam will host Coach Hoke on Thursday and make his decision probably on Friday (Could be Thursday).

• Armani Reeves hosted Greg Mattison late last night after his basketball game.  The visit probably started after 9:00, so we don't have any reaction yet.

• Josh Garnett makes his decision public tomorrow around 6:00 EST.   Both Scouts and Rivals are calling Stanford.

With a week away from signing day, it's clear its Garnett, Reeves, Grant, Kozan and Diamond.  I don't see any surprises unless they offer a late scholarship to Dan Gibbs.  It would be nice to wrap up Garnett, Reeves, Grant and Kozan before signing day and sit back and wait for Jordan to make his decision on the 3rd. 

Michigan Tuesday: It's all about Recruiting Updates

Armani Reeves hosted Urban Meyer last night and the rumors (just rumors) was that Urban was late and Reeves and family came away unimpressed.   I don't know if that is true or not but I sure like how it sounds at this point.  Greg Mattison is due in home today.  (Please be 15 minutes early!)  Michigan could be the team to beat right now.  Don't forget Urban called Greg Mattision the best recruiter in the nation. 

Since we are close to a week away from signing day many recruiting services are starting to predict where the top rated kids are going to school.  Since they talk like to recruits they get a good feeling where they might be headed. 

Scouts is split on Armani - One vote for OSU, one for Michigan.
Rivals is not split on Josh Garnett with 5 analysts calling for Stanford and 1 for Michigan.
Scouts is not split on Jordan Diamond, with 2 votes for Michigan.

Seems the twitter activity from Josh seems to be trending towards Michigan and his friendship with Magnuson but I guess we will know for sure in two days.   The Michigan coaches are in home with Mr. Diamond today.

• Not sure if you saw this or not but former Michigan QB Scot Loeffler is now the OC at Auburn.  Michigan has a former OC in Big AL and now Auburn as a former Michigan QB Coach.

• The Michigan Basketball Team looks to shake the road woes tonight against Purdue. 

• Recap of Michigan Seniors in All Star Games. 

Michigan Monday: Recruiting Weekend Update

Where in the world is Brady Hoke?  He is flying coast to coast trying to wrap up this 2012 class with a couple 4 and 5 star players.

Visit on Saturday:  To Armani Reeves who has made one decision.  He is not going to Penn State and has officially de-committed.   He really enjoyed the visit from Coach Hoke and his mother was really impressed. Armani now has a final 2 schools of Michigan and OSU.  His good friend Carmen Williams changed his schools from Penn State to OSU last week and I am sure that will play a role in his recruitment.  Urban is also going to be home with the Reeves today and Michigan's Ace recruiter Greg Mattison will be Armani's last visitor on Tuesday before he makes a decision.  I expect after the visits Armani will take some time to reflect and then announce his decision.   Armani picked PSU over Michigan this past summer because Michigan was a little late to recruit him.   Michigan has been there now for a long time now and lets hope those relationships mean something to Armani.  Don't forget that academics are very important to Armani and his family and the school "up North" is clearly superior in that category as well.

Visit on Sunday:  Josh Garnett, who is announcing on Thursday hosted Coach Funk and Coach Hoke last night.  Both coaches talked about what it means to be a Michigan Man and how they expect you to represent the University and his family while in Ann Arbor.  That message really resonated with Josh and he will make a tough decision on Thursday between Michigan and Stanford.  Josh is tweeting about how great it would be to be roommates with Erik Magnuson.  Which would seem like a great sign.  Side note: the new Michigan Blog: TreMendous has information and interviews for the above recruits. 

• Update on Jordan Diamond:  He visited Arkansas this weekend and will visit Wisconsin next weekend.  His final group is Michigan, OSU, Arkansas, Auburn and Wisconsin.  He has delayed his decision date past NSD on 2/3 and will have the Michigan coaches in home with him on Tuesday.

• Update on Sam Grant:  Sam officially de-committed from BC yesterday and will host Brady Hoke at his home this Thursday.   His recruitment seems to be down to Arkansas, Oklahoma and Michigan.  Sam is on "commitment watch" after Thursday's visit.

• Update: Coach Hoke and Funk will be in home with Alex Kozan on Saturday.  Alex is down to Michigan, Iowa and Auburn.  Alex lives in Colorado, so distance isn't an issue.

The word on the street is that Caleb Stacey's de-commitment will help Michigan's 2012 class instead of hurting it.   They now have 5 spots available and updates on 5 guys above.  Coincidence?

Michigan Friday: Setting the Table for NSD

Ok, Big House Blog Inmates it's time to check the invite list for the remaining 4 spots for Michigan's Football Dinner party on 2/1.

The Big Eaters/Offensive Lineman:

#1:  Josh Garnett - Down to Standford and Michigan.  Coach Hoke will be in home with Josh and family this weekend.   Josh will announce his decision next Thursday at 6:30 EST.   Both schools are as strong as they come academically and Josh's biggest question with Stanford is: Can they stay on top with out Harbaugh and Andrew Luck?  Distance is not a factor. 

#2: Jordan Diamond - This recruitment has been a roller coaster ride.  After his junior year it looked like Jordan was a lock to Ann Arbor.  He must have visited 4 or 5 times.   Then it seemed things cooled as other OL's committed to the Wolverines.   Jordan was in town last weekend and the visit went really well and there was even a rumor/tweet by Ondre Pipkins that Michigan just landed another top recruit and his hint was Kay Jewelers.  The recruiting sites are saying Jordan did not commit, but things sound positive.   Jordan is taking 2 more visits to Arkansas and Wisconsin before signing day and is planning a big signing day announcement party.

#3: Alex Kozan - Could announce at any time and has Michigan in his top 3.  The word on the street is that Iowa leads.   Michigan is looking at Alex at center.  


If you throw the salt he will catch it:

Sam Grant:  TE from Ohio that has been hot with late.  He is 3 stars but has come big offers from BC, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Michigan.  His teammate and good friend Kyle Kalis is Blue, will Sam be as well?  If Distance is a factor then Sam should be blue, I am hearing he liked Oklahoma as well.  I would expect a decision some time next week.

If you throw the salt to the wrong person, he will knock it down

Armani Reeves: 4 star DB that is committed to PSU.   I'm sure he is conflicted on what to do and has visited Michigan and OSU in the last week.   The Michigan coaches want him in this class and made him the #1 priority on the last spot on defense in this class.  I think he will take all the time he can right up to NSD to make a decision.    Michigan will be in home with him this weekend, so we will see what happens from here.  I also expect he might take another visit to Happy Valley before the 2nd. 


Recruiting Questions:

Do you expect any new names or NSD surprises?  At this point, I do not.  The above names seem to be the only prospects Michigan is looking at.

Would Michigan take 2 lineman out of Garnett, Diamond and Kozan?:  I believe they would.  They are announcing at different times, so I expect Michigan will have a good idea on how it might go down before signing day. 

What happens if Michigan gets shut out on all the guys above?  Not probable but it could happen.  If that did happen, I think the coaches would extend a late offer to instate lineman, Dan Gibbs who has offers from Ball State and EMU.  Dan is 6'7 320 pounds.   I would also scrach my head on why they couldn't find room for Arnett.

Michigan Thursday: Quick Recuriting Big House Bullets

• Jordan Payton will not be hosting Coach Hoke today and will visit UW this weekend.  Let's hope this is the end of his recruitment to Michigan.

• Monty Madris is heading to MSU this weekend.   This and the above info probably ends Michigan getting a 3rd WR in this class.

• Armani Reeves enjoyed his visit to Ann Arbor and is taking in Columbus today.  The Michigan coaches will be in home with him on Saturday.

• ESPN new 150 just got released.  Still doesn't seem to match up well with Scouts or Rivals with Michigan recruits.

Wolverine Wednesday: StoDone

Darryl Stonum was getting a second chance with the Michigan football program.  He had two rules that he had to follow; work hard and stay out of trouble - there wouldn't be a 3rd chance.   He didn't stay out of trouble and now this: 

"I love Darryl and wish him nothing but the absolute best," Hoke said. "However, there is a responsibility and a higher standard you must be accountable to as a University of Michigan football student-athlete. That does not and will not change. It's unfortunate because I believe he has grown a great deal as a person since the beginning of the season. My hope is that maturing process continues."

"I appreciate everything the University of Michigan, Dave Brandon and Coach Hoke have done for me," said Stonum. "I look forward to continuing my football career down the road, but more importantly, right now I'm focused on graduating from Michigan this Spring. I understand only I am responsible for my actions. I'm sad about how all of this turned out, but I completely understand. I love this school and my team and will miss them all greatly. But I'll always be a Wolverine. I know I have grown and matured as a person over the last nine months, and I will continue to learn and grow every day. I want to thank everyone for all of their support, and I hope they will support me in the future."

I wish Darryl all the best and wish it could have worked out differently.  We all make mistakes as college kids but he just made way too many serious ones.  I am happy he will graduate in the Spring and I hope he can play one more year at D1 school or D1A.  He would haven't to sit out if he transfers to a school with a graduate program that Michigan does not have. 

Now it's clear that Michigan wants a 3rd WR, too bad we didn't have space for Arnett to enroll right away.   I still believe MSU was his second choice.

This leaves a hole in Michigan WR and Kick Return plans for 2012.  Look for Gallon to take on more KR duties.

• One of the rumors that is floating around is that Michigan started to back off Yuri Wright after they read some of his inappropriate tweets.   I read some and yes, they were way out of bounds and not what you want prospective schools reading.   I know 18 year olds say that stuff, I just think they should keep it off Twitter.  He could be a good kid but he used very poor judgement here.

• The Michigan Basketball team pulled out their 3rd straight win against MSU last night.  It was a close one.  They did it on a night when Hardaway didn't have his best stuff but Trey Burke did.  This freshman can play!  Another nice win.   I love that Michigan Basketball is relevant again.  Love seeing Denard, Larry Foote, Woodley and Kelvin Grady at the game as well.

• This new Michigan blog is pretty much interviewing everyone.  Here is his latest interview with Kyle Kalis.   I predict this kid will start as a freshman. 

Rivals final top 100 is out:

#14 Ondre Pipkins
#22 Kyle Kalis
#33 Josh Garnett
#78 Erik Maguson
#93 Jordan Payton

Michigan Tuesday: 5 Star Search

Ondre Pipkins is arguably the most important Michigan recruit in the 2012 class.  Why?  Michigan loses Mike Martin and Ryan VanBurgen to the graduation and the NFL and only has a few options behind them.   We are all hoping for Big Will to turn into that 5 star prospect we all hoped he would be but behind him are either redshirt freshman or guys like Richard Ash.   Former offensive lineman Q Washington has gotten some good practice press but didn't play much during the year. 

Michigan has turned away other 5 star DL prospects from visiting because of Ondre Pipkins and now he is a 5 star recruit on Rivals thanks to a dominating Army All American game.   He still is 4 star on Scouts & 24/7 and unbelievably 3 stars on ESPN.  I expect him to move up on ESPN which many have questioned their ratings in the past.   (Some say he won't move up because he played in the Army game instead of ESPN's UA game).

Congrats to Ondre! 

• The Rasputin Recruit - Guess whose back? Yes, it's Jordan Payton.  The Michigan coaches are doing an in home visit with him on Thursday.  He is still committed to Cal who just lost their top recruiter to Washington.   So Jordan is going to continue to look around.  With Michigan visiting him, it is clear they want a 3rd WR in this class.  I still think distance for his family is going to be a concern.

• Everybody is checking in with Josh Garnett and what he will do.  He did mention in this interview that Michigan and Stanford are his top 2 and still hasn't made a decision yet but that Erik Magnuson is making it hard for him to go anywhere but A2.  We will see, he is a 9 days away from his announcement.  To answer a question that came up on the board a couple weeks ago, Coach Hoke will be in home with Josh and family this Saturday. 

• 2013 OL target Logan Tuley-Tillman participated in Camp yesterday wearing a Michigan jacket after visiting OSU this past weekend.  Logan is also the lead story on ESPN's Wolverination right now.

• Sounds like Madris is not visiting this weekend and that he maybe leaning towards MSU.

Michigan Monday: Time is Ticking Away for the Final 4 Recruits

Michigan had 3 guys in town this weekend that the Wolverine coaches would like in their 2012 class.  Those guys include Armani Reeves, Jordan Diamond and Sam Grant. 

Michigan's top guy on the board is Josh Garnett who was out to Standford for an official.  He visited the Farm for an unofficial a number of weeks ago, so this was his second visit to campus.  He had a good visit and right now doesn't have a leader from his final 3 of Michigan, Stanford and ND.  He is going to sit down these next two weeks and make his decision known on 1/26.

Sam Grant made it back to Ann Arbor on Saturday and has some in  home coaches visits this week and then will make his decision.  This final 4 are Arkansas, BC, Oklahoma and Michigan.

Jordan hung out with friend Chris Bryant and Big Will during his visit.  He had a good time and called it one of his better visits.  He will visit Arkansas and Wisconsin and will announce on signing day.  I am not holding my breath on this recruitment, mostly if Garnett (who will annouce) sooner.

• A top 2013 RB prospect Ty Issac calls his visit to Ann Arbor a 9 out of 10.

• A name we haven't talked about in awhile is Alex Kozan who the Wolverines want to play center.  He came to Ann Arbor in early December but keeps his recruiting process pretty quiet. His final 3 are Michigan, Iowa and Auburn.  All 3 schools are coming in home for a visit this week (including Washington).   Coach Funk will represent the Wolverines at the Kozan home.  He might announce by the end of the week.

•  Walk-On News!  Instate LB Mark Lawson has accepted a preferred walk-on spot on team #133.  Mark is from Ada where he is ranked 2 stars by Rivals and not ranked by Scouts.  He is 6'2 195 pounds and had over 100 tackles his senior year.   (He needs a couple of years to put some weight on in Michigan's S&C program)

• Michigan recruits dominate the Detroit News Dream Team.

• Monty Madaris seems to be the only potential visitor for next weekend at this point (this visit is still highly in question).  I expect some surprise names to pop up if guys start leaning towards other schools.