Michigan Friday: Wolverines Tough Non-Conference Schedule

The Sporting News ranked Michigan's 2011 non-conference schedule the hardest in the Big Ten.  The reason?  They play two BCS Schools UConn and Notre Dame.  Sure there is a sighting of USC, Alabama, Miami, and the Arizona schools, but there are also Austin Peay, Towson, Arkansas State, South Dakota, every directional school in Illinois, and Northern Colorado.  I know Michigan has had it's share of mail in games, but this is somewhat embarrassing for the Big Ten in my opinion.  I didn't even know some of these schools played football. 

On a side note, I wasn't aware that Sam McGuffie was going to play against Big Ten school this year.  Northwestern plays at Rice.

1. Michigan: Connecticut, at Notre Dame, Massachusetts, Bowling Green

2. Iowa: Eastern Illinois, Iowa State, at Arizona, Ball State

3. Ohio State: Marshall, Miami (Fla.), Ohio, Eastern Michigan

4. Wisconsin: at UNLV, San Jose State, Arizona State, Austin Peay

5. Minnesota: at Middle Tennessee, South Dakota, USC, Northern Illinois

6. Penn State: Youngstown State, at Alabama, Kent State, Temple

7. Purdue: at Notre Dame, Western Illinois, Ball State, Toledo

8. Michigan State: Western Michigan, vs. Florida Atlantic, Notre Dame, Northern Colorado

9. Illinois: vs. Missouri, Southern Illinois, Northern Illinois, at Fresno State

10. Northwestern: at Vanderbilt, Illinois State, at Rice, Central Michigan

11. Indiana: Towson, at Western Kentucky, Akron, Arkansas State

• Lambeau Field says don't forget about us for the Big Ten championship game.  I'm guessing fans paying high dollar for thier tickets aren't going to want to sit outside in early December. 

• The Michigan Daily previews the 2011 Michigan Linebackers.  IMO, this unit has the biggest upside on defensive and really needs to step up if Michigan is going to win some ball games.  The DB's and defensive line are going to be young and going to make mistakes.   The linebackers core needs to play like seniors.  If Jonas Mouton and Obi Ezeh don't make 1st or 2nd team All Big Ten then I think they have had a poor year and Michigan has given up a ton of points.

• As we know, one of Michigan's top prospects for the 2011 class is currently on campus: Dee Hart.  I consider Dee, Kris Frost and Anthony Zettel, the top 3 prospects on Michigan's board for 2011.

Cullen Finds a New Home in the Big House

The Michigan Football team received much needed good news tonight when the #3 ranked CB in the country verbally committed to becoming a Wolverine next fall. Cullen Christian is a 6"0, 190 pound CB out of Pittsburgh. He has been a Wolverine fan all his life and will suit up for the Maize and Blue next year.

His offer list was long but included names like Ohio State, Pitt, WVU, and UCLA. He is rated 4 stars by both Rivals and Scout and is the 88th player in the nation per Rivals. The only negative that has been written about him, is that he might not have elite speed and could move to Safety. Which I respond to with, YES! Michigan needs great cover corners and great safeties so nothing but upside for Cullen in Ann Arbor. I expect him and Justin Turner to see the field a lot next year.

For more info on Cullen please visit Mgoblog's write up.

• Zoltan has been names to ESPN's Academic All American Team

• Two players get thrown off Michigan State: junior safety Roderick Jenrette and sophomore running back Glenn Winston have been removed from the team. Winston saw a lot of time at running back this year and spent some of his last off season in jail but was allowed to come back and play this year. The dismissals seem to come from a fight on the MSU campus.

• Former Wolverine will help find Michigan's new AD. Jed Hughes a former Wolverine and former assistant under Bo works for Spencer Stuart an executive search firms. Also Michigan has an internal search committee with includes Michigan Basketball Coach John Beilein. RR is not on the committee.

• The Big House is not only getting a face lift it's also getting new field turf after next years spring game. I hope the old turf can be donated to a Detroit Metro High School that needs it.

• The Owner of the Miami Dolphins (and huge Michigan Donor - See the name on the Business School) Stephen Ross who currently has Bill Parcells, Chad Henne, and Jake Long on the pay roll, says RR needs more time in Ann Arbor. "If he has a bad year next year, he'll have a lot more pressure," Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross told The Associated Press, standing near midfield before the Wolverines lost to Ohio State on Saturday to finish 5-7. "I don't think he has anything to worry about right now in my mind." -- "People take shots at him for whatever reason," Ross said. "Some people like to beat people when they're down. I think he's a great man and he's been a winner wherever he's been. "It's just that a lot of people don't like change. I think it will all work out."
  
  

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!

Michigan Tuesday: Toys and Trips

When do you become a sports legend?
Is it when you win a couple of Super Bowls?
Is it when you marry a super model?

All good answers, but not correct. It's when you have your own action figure. McFarlane Toys has a new line of former college football stars which include the likes of guys names Payton, Adrian, Ray Lewis and others. But for Michigan fans there is only one guy you would purchase in this new line and it's Mr. Tom Brady sporting the most famous jersey in college football.

• Seantrel Henderson is probably not taking an "official" visit to Ann Arbor. As you remeber, he visited back in the Spring and "loved it". Let's hope when he is visiting Ohio State, Oklahoma, Florida, USC and Notre Dame he doesn't forget that feeling. It's also interesting that he is visiting OSU when they play USC, ND when they play USC and USC with they play UCLA. Seems like a trend to me. His dad says: "We live here," Sean Henderson said. "He's been to Minnesota a thousand times. And he's made unofficial visits to Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa and Michigan State. Everybody is still a possibility.

• Former Michigan recruit Donavan Tate picked UNC over Michigan on signing day. Last night he picked the Padres' over Tar Heels. Tate was the Padres first round draft choice in the MLB draft and signed a deal worth $6.25m on Monday.

• Greg Palus is named the starter for Syracuse. Let's see, he has been in camp for a week, hasn't played football in 4 years, and admits to being a little rusty. But he is your starter? Ok, I guess there weren't too many other options.

• This past Saturday started two a days for the Wolverines and Coach Rod called out Michael Shaw and Boubacar Cissoko as players of the day on each side of the ball.

• Michigan doesn't seem to be a major factor in the recruitment of Alex Smith, TE out of Cincinnati. When asked to name his top choices Smith said, "Cincinnati, then Wisconsin, then North Carolina, and Kentucky is in there too." With maybe 4 spots left in the 2010 class, Michigan doesn't need to be taking a TE. They need to focus on defense and a punter.

• For no special reason at all I highlight the two number 40's on Michigan's roster today. Zac Baker is a 5"9 192 pound WR walk-on from Grayling, Michigan. I'm guessing poor Zac doesn't see much field time. Also Michael Williams a 5"11 Safety from California is a regular contributor on defense.

Michigan Football Friday

• ESPN is reporting that Justin Feagin who transferred from Michigan is planning to enroll at Appalachian State if his academics are in order. The famous App. State QB Armanti Edwards is out 2-4 weeks with a freak mower accident that cut his foot.

• Brandon Graham is on the Ted Hendricks Watch List.

• Former Michigan QB Matt Gutierrez was claimed by The Chiefs off the waiver wire.

• Pitt was also a candidate for the 2010 opening game. It also sounds like the UConn return date is in 2013.

• 4 Star outside linebacker prospect Khairi Fortt has Michigan in his top 6.

• No deal yet for the re-named Motor City Bowl to the Pizza Pizza Bowl.

• For every "shot" a player takes leaving the Michigan program or for what always seems like "bad news" about Michigan Football. I give you this video of the Wolverines and Offensive line coach Greg Fry. Enjoy! This is a perfect example of what it means to be Michigan Wolverine.

Michigan Monday: The Final Spots for 2010 Recurits

• Has Michigan lost it's lead with Florida's 4 star CB Rashad Knight? The Decommit is reporting that CB Merrill Noel has changed his commitment from Florida State to Wake Forrest. FSU was reportedly Rashad's first choice and a school close to home, but the Seminoles didn't have room for another CB. With Noel's change, FSU might come calling which means Knight will answer the call with a commit.

• Brandon Ifill enjoys his visit to Michigan; Again per the Decommit: Brandon was in Ann Arbor late on Thursday and spent most of the day on Friday touring the campus and meeting Mike Baris and Coach Rod. Michigan is recruiting two Penn Hills 4 star defensive backs: Cullen Christian at CB and Brandon at Safety. With potentially only 4 slots left in Michigan's 2010 class, this duo could make up 50% of the open spots and both fill a position of need for the Wolverines. Per Mgoblog, Brandon gives us some feedback on the trip: I mean, it's the University of Michigan. The tradition there is so much greater than any other school. (laughs) The Big House, there's no comparison to any other school, or stadium. That was the icing on the cake. Walking down that tunnel; I got chills. I wanted to put my pads on right there. Walking on that grass, there's been so many great players to play on that field." --- "The best part of the whole visit was talking with coach Rodriguez. He was just so laid back, and he really made me feel like he wanted to get to know me as a person. Most coaches talk about their program, and football. He made me feel like I was his friend, and he cared about what I liked. It was just a normal guy, that was talking to me about football and life. There was no big spotlight, or big ceremony, it was just real".

• The Michigan Sports Hall of Fame is having some serious financial troubles.

• Shavodrick Beaver talks about the real reason he choose Tulsa over Michigan: Proximity did play a role in his change of heart, he admitted. "I was committed there for six months, but every day I was thinking 'Do I really want to go there and be that far from home?' " said Beaver, who added he had about 30 scholarship offers. "It wasn't because of the other quarterbacks going there or the coaching staff ... the coaching staff at Michigan are great people."

• Marcus Rush a 6"3 235 pound DE picks Michigan State: Rush said he was leaning toward Michigan until he changed his mind after a visit Thursday to East Lansing. Reading between the lines here: Rush was scheduled to make a visit to Ann Arbor last week that was cancelled and then he happens to re-schedule for the very same day a trip to East Lansing. Which means Michigan "most likely" told Rush that they were full at his position and he didn't take the visit. Rush is a three star DE on Rivals (side note: even his coach thought he was going to Michigan. See the below post from Thursday)

Michigan Football: Commitments Everywhere!

What a crazy Tuesday, it's all most like a mini-signing day with all these commitments all over Michigan. We will first start with the good news and then move to the not so great news.

Michigan gets its second QB of the 2010 Class with the commitment of Spartanburg, S.C., quarterback Cornelius Jones. Cornelius had offers from Stanford, Wake Forest, and Duke before deciding to go Blue at Michigan's camp. He is 6"2, 195 pounds and carries a 3.5 GPA. Last year Jones had 1756 total yards including 1100 passing yards.

Here is the write up from Varsity Blue:

Recruiting Notes
Aside from the obvious prospects like Devin Gardner, Jones was one of the first players to enter Michigan fans’ collective radar for the class of 2010. Despite not playing football his freshman or sophomore year, apparently due to a disciplinary issue (or problem with the previous coaching staff; it’s never really been cleared up, Jones’s highlight tape from a spring scrimmage found its way into the hands of Michigan’s coaching staff. Rich Rodriguez and company liked what they saw, and extended a verbal offer (which the Detroit media, in full anti-Rodriguez mode at the time, spun to indicate that Rod was clueless or something). As it turned out, the offer did not come through at that time, but Michigan offered him in January, and was still among his first offers. It was that early interest that helped Michigan stay in the forefront of his recruitment, as the Wolverines led wire-to-wire. Jones always maintained that he was trying to work out a visit to Michigan, and that visit eventually ended up taking place for the Wolverines’ 2009 summer camp. At that time, he realized Ann Arbor was the place for him, and he committed to don the maize-and-blue.

Player Notes
Jones is a dual-threat quarterback in the same mold as Devin Gardner, who can really hurt you with his feet, and has some improving to do in the passing game (certainly understandable for a high school junior). Jones isn’t quite the physical specimen that Garnder is, but might be a slightly better passer at this time. That’s an exciting prospect for Michigan fans, as he’s only played football (and quarterback) for one year thus far! With further coaching at both the high school and college levels, he should blossom into a true threat in both phases of the game.

Good News #2: Texas Outside Linebacker/DE Holmes Onwukaife also committed to the Wolverines but has not spoken with Coach Rod yet. The Premium services won't run a verbal commitment until the recruit has officially committed to Coach Rod. Holmes committed to Coach Jackson. Holmes had 17 offers from everywhere from UCLA to Harvard. He is rated as a 3 star prospect from Rivals and is 6"3 220 pounds. He runs a 4.51 40 and has a 3.3 GPA and a 1340 on his SAT. He also is a great addition to the "all 2010 name team". More to come on Holmes when it goes official. Here is a video to wet your appetite:






Now on to the not so good news: Two highly ranked state of Michigan players go to State.

• Mgoblog is reporting that Will Gholston has committed to MSU.


• Mylan Hicks a DB from Detroit Renaissance has also committed to become a Spartan.

Neither one of these are a surprise and Will Gholston is maybe the highest rated player ever recruited by Mark Dantonio to Michigan State. These players are the 3rd and 4th players to commit to MSU for the 2010 class. The above commitments to the Wolverines are number 14 and 15 for the Maize and Blue.

More bad news for a small business in Ann Arbor:

• The MDen loses the Big House contract and will no longer be able to sell Michigan gear at Michigan Stadium.

The Big House BBQ is a Success and U of M BBall Gets Kansas on the Road

As we know, recruiting is a tough business. Kids are getting hundreds of calls and text messages from coaches all over the country. Their Dad wants them to go to a good football program, their Mom wants them to stay close to home, their coach has always been a "Gators fan" and their Uncle wants them to go to where they played football.

Which makes choosing a program a very difficult decision for a young man. One thing you keep hearing over and over on the recruiting trail is, "University XYZ just felt right". Meaning the kids had some type of connection with the coaches, the campus, or academic side of the University.

So if your a head coach, how do you show the special sides of your institution? One way is an "official" visit, but you can only go on a few of those. Another is an unofficial visit to a game, Spring Game, or just a visit anytime.

Coaches have to find new and interesting ways to showcase their programs. Rich Rod and Staff have found that in the second year of the "BBQ at the Big House". This is a rare opportunity for parents, friends, and family of a recruit to come to Ann Arbor for an unofficial visit and interact with the coaches and learn more about the special opportunity to become a Wolverine.

"It's definitely something different and something I haven't done on a recruiting visit,” said Livonia Stevenson running back Austin White. “It's more of a personal, family-type thing and I liked that about it.”

Michigan even had to charge for the event under NCAA rules. No matter if you like Rich Rodriguez or not, these are the kind of changes the Michigan football program has needed for years. It brings fresh ideas into the program and players that would have never considered the Wolverines are now really thinking hard about the Michigan Football Program.

Prospects like Hillside (Ill.) Proviso West wide receiver Kyle Prater, the nation’s No. 19 overall prospect, came away with a more favorable impression of the program. "That was the good thing about having a barbecue,” Prater said. “It lets you know that the coaches are real laid back and not real flashy.”

Michigan has already garnered one commitment from the BBQ (Christian Pace an OL from Ohio) and one more could be on the way with the announcement of Washington (Pa.) Trinity linebacker Ken Wilkins decision coming on June 9th.

• Michigan to play at Kansas on December 19th. One of the ways Tom Izzo gets his team ready for the NCAA tournament and the Big Ten Season each year is by playing difficult opponents at home, on the road, or in tournaments. It seem John Beilein has a similar philosophy. He has scheduled road trips to Utah, Kansas, and the Old Spice Classic in Orlando for next year.



• Kelvin Grady's HS coach likes Kelvin's chances with the Wolverines: “Kelvin on the football field is one of those guys where you kind of hold your breath,” said Stuursma, who also watched Grady change games with explosive kick returns. “He has the opportunity to take it to the house at any time. He’s electrifying and can take over the game with one play, a natural ability you can’t coach.”



• Former Wolverine Ryan Mallett injuries his right hand in a weight room accident. Arkansas expects him to be out only a couple of weeks and the injury should not require surgery. No word if this injury will allow Ryan to hold on to snaps during a game.

• Brennan Clay has U of M in his top 3. Brennan is one of the top RB's in the 2010 class and former HS teammate of Tate Forcier. BC is planning an offical visit to Michigan this September and visited Ann Arbor last season as well.

Is Recruiting Dangerous? A Michigan Coach meets with an LA Coach before one of his Players was Killed

This from the LA times:

Narbonne High School football coach Manuel Douglas gathered his varsity team Tuesday morning to talk about losing their teammate Dannie Farber Jr.

He said the last time he spoke with Farber was Thursday, when he was escorting a Michigan football scout out of the school. In the hall, Farber took his hand and pulled him, as if wanting to speak with him.

I said, 'Hold on, I'll be back,' " Douglas recalled.

When Douglas returned a few minutes later, Farber was gone. Now, Douglas keeps thinking about how he didn't give Farber a hug, something he always did.

"That's what's bothering me," he said.

Farber was shot later that night at a restaurant in Compton. Brown said that Farber was not in a gang and that police are still looking for the gunman. A surveillance camera inside the restaurant recorded the shooting, but the gunman's face is blocked by the hood and cap, Brown said.

It's unclear who from Michigan was at the school and which prospect he was there to see.

• Michigan to play at Wrigley Field? Maybe? The game could happen between Northwestern and Michigan in 2011. Northwestern could also work a deal with Illinois as well.

• Michigan Basketball Team to play Utah in Salt Lake. The game will be on December 9th and this was part of the football contract from last year where Utah opened their undefeated 2008 campaign in Ann Arbor.

• Fomer Wolverine Safety is now an Eskimo! The Edmonton Eskimos announced yesterday the signing of Michigan's Brandent Englemon.

See Below for new Walk On News!

Michigan Picks up it's 7th Commit for the 2010 Class

Tony Drake is a 5"9 RB from Dallas, Texas and has decided to join the Wolverines in the class of 2010 by making his verbal commitment to the Wolverines today.

Neither service has him ranked but he was recruited as an Athlete. Which means RB, Slot WR, or Cornerback in Rich Rod's system. He has a light frame at 5"9 160 but Scout reports a 4.35 40 which is crazy fast.

Tony's stat sheet on 10/10/2008 game: Tony Drake rushed for 66 yards on nine carries and two touchdowns to lead Skyline win.

At least he has the right initials: TD. Michigan could have used a few more TD's last year.

Michigan Friday is for Fundamentals

• So was Clemson Athletic or what? "You know, the first couple of minutes, I was like, 'DANG!' " U-M freshman Zack Novak said. You could see in the first half we struggled with it. I feel like I'm boxing out. They're getting rebounds. We came in at halftime and said, 'Look. They're athletic. But we just gotta be fundamental.' "

• Michigan plays Oklahoma on Saturday at 5:50.

• Both Michigan and MSU are recruiting Ohio hard: Both have offered 15 kids from Ohio. That is more then any other state including the State of Michigan. Some of the top names on that list include: Safety Latwan Anderson, DE Derrick Bryant, Defensive lineman Darryl Baldwin, and LB Jordan Hicks.

• Warren Mott's DE C.J. Olaniyan is sporting offers from Michigan, State, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Penn State. CJ is planning to visit Michigan again for the Spring Game. He was in Ann Arbor for Junior day and the Michigan coaches quickly offered the next week.

• Interesting Story on 2010 Michigan Basketball signee Blake McLimans. He sounds like a good athlete that has grown into his 6"10 body at prep school this year.

• Matt Vogrich (another Michigan 2010 signee) was named to the Sun-Times Class 4A All-State team.

• Cullen Christian a 2010 Michigan Football CB recruit from Pittsburgh is in Ann Arbor this weekend for an un-official visit. It's believed in the inner circles of recruiting that Cullen is a strong Michigan lean. He might even commit this weekend? CC is 6"0 and 180 pounds.

A Wild Ride..........Signing Day in Review

Want to know what happened today in just a few seconds? Well this post if for you:

• The day started out with a number of verbal commits sending in their LOI's early
• Then around 9:30, Michigan found out they had lost 4 Star DT Pearlie Graves to Texas Tech, I don't want to talk out of school but Mike Leach might have been doing some negative recruiting regarding Michigan and Coach Rodriguez.
• Then at 11:00 Michigan found out they landed the team mates from Florida Denard Robinson a 4 star Athlete QB and Adrian Witty a defensive back.
• Around 12:30 Michigan found out they lost another "soft" DT verbal commit DeQuinta Jones to Arkansas.
• At 3:00 Michigan learned they got the WR they had been recruiting since late fall and former Tennessee commit Je'Ron Stokes.

So to net it out for you, in the last 24 hours: Michigan signed 3 four star players (Quinton Washington, Je'Ron Stokes, and Denard Robinson) and lost 2 four star players.

This is a solid class which should rank around #10 nationally. Rich Rod and staff signed 22 of the 24 players they were recruiting. So it was a successful day, there still remains needs on the defensive line which will be a focus for the 2010 class.

Late Night Recruiting Update

• No word on QW yet: Washington was supposed to meet with his coach Art Craig today at school but Washington did not come to school. "He's a confused young man right now," Craig said. "He's torn completely in half," between USC and Michigan. Craig said he and Washington are to meet Tuesday morning to discuss the situation.

• From a Florida Gators Web site on Denard Robinson: IS THERE STILL A CHANCE? I don’t think this one is likely for Denard Robinson, but I have definitely been hearing some murmurs to suggest that Denard is a possibility in this class. Do I think it’s likely? ....

Rapid Fire Thursday

• Travante Stallworth confirmed his commitment to Auburn late on Monday. From what I've heard, this is a good kid with a good head on his shoulders. I wish him good luck at Auburn. He would have been a nice fit at Michigan and maybe even a good backup QB but Michigan really didn't need another Slot WR in this class.


• Allen Wallace has an interesting stat on Michigan's recruiting classes. Over the past 14 years the Wolverines have averaged the 6th ranked class over that period. That is the highest average of any program. Florida and USC are tied for second with the 8th ranked classes over the same time period. Michigan has some work to do in the last week to get their ranking up on Scouts which is currently 17th. Which seems a little low with commitments from the highest ranked players from the state of Michigan and Ohio.


• Rich Rod Flight Stalking had him in Tulsa last night to presumably visit Pearlie Graves. I hope the visit was short and sweet because they were only there for about 80 minutes.


• Michigan Basketball is struggling right now and really doesn't have a chance on the road. Last night was another example, in a 72-54 loss to Ohio State.


• Steve Spurrier is all over Michigan targets in this last week of the 2009 recruiting season. He first visited Sam Montgomery and yesterday was at the school of OL Quinton Washington along with 4 of his assistants. Quinton is heading to Miami this weekend and then will make his announcement. He is considering Tennessee, Miami, Michigan, USC, and Clemson.
• Funny Quotes from Wolverines at the Super Bowl: Larry Foote: "This Super Bowl, we've got seven Michigan guys playing. Tell Michigan State to take that!' " joked Steelers linebacker Larry Foote, a former U-M All-American who's always happy to stoke the in-state rivalry fires. "Seven of 'em. Does Michigan State have anybody here? Nope. Not a soul." Remember yesterday, when I joked about Woodley lighting up Breaston as he came over the middle? Well, I guess they have spoke about it as well: Here is Wood: "We went out to dinner last night, and I told Steve, 'Man, you might have to crack-back (block) me, and I might have to hit you,' " Woodley said Tuesday. "But that's just something we gotta do. At the end of the day, somebody's gonna have bragging rights, and somebody's not. But we're gonna continue to be friends."

Week Until Signing Day and The Wolverines Super Bowl Shuffle?

• How would you like to be a 4 Star Defensive End with offers from many of the top programs in the country? Well, Sam Montgomery is that young man these days and he is having to make some difficult decisions. Late on Monday he cut his list down. "Even though Oregon has a lot to offer, he felt that it was not the place for him," Mrs. Montgomery said. He will visit Tennessee this weekend. Sam was planning a mid-week visit to The Ducks/NikeTown this week. She said more cuts are coming. "We're going to do some serious soul searching," Mrs. Montgomery said. "It just hard to say good bye. You get to like them as a person." Sam will also be hosting coaches from Tennessee, North Carolina, and LSU this week.

• Don't forget the Wolverine Basketball team is playing OSU tonight in C-Bus. The game is an early tip at 6:30 and the Buckeyes are favored by 4.5. If you are looking to place a bet on sports or any other game try the guys at BetUS.com, they are good guys and a very professional site.
  The Georgia Bulldogs are making a late charge for Je'Ron Stokes and are trying to get him to campus for an official this weekend. Tony Ball the Bulldogs WR coach is recruiting Stokes and is working with OC Mike Bobo to see if they can get Je'ron an offer/visit for this weekend. On a funny side note: On Tuesday, he (Stokes) couldn’t call UGA until very late because Michigan coach Rich Rodriquez was at his Pennsylvania house for most of the evening.

• With 2009 Recruiting Closing Down, it's time to focus on 2010 recruiting efforts. 2010 looks to be a good class for QB talent in the State of Michigan. Devin Gardner, 6"4 195 lbs QB from Inkster already has offers from Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Nebraska, and many others. Just yesterday, Michigan offered Orchard Lake St. Mary's QB Robert Bolden, who also stands 6"4 and weighs 195. Robert isn't a secret either, he is sporting offers from Vandy, CMU, Nebraska, MSU, Northwestern, and Wisconsin.
  
  
• Are you into Flight Stalking? Per the Mgoblog message board it seems Coach Rod's plane last night went from Philadelphia to visit Je'Ron Stokes to Cleveland to maybe visit Marcus Hall. Check this link out and picture below.

• MSU has thrown Conboy completely off the team and he has left school. Tropp is done for the year and might not be asked back. Both kids were involved in the ugly incident at Yost Arena this past weekend.
  
  
• Wolverine SuperBowl Shuffle: Alan Branch former Wolverine DT and now a member of the Arizona Cardinals won the a rumba dancing contest at Super Bowl Media Day. The contest was organized by ET's Kevin Frazier and Warren Sapp was a celebrity judge. "It means a lot," Branch was quoted as saying in Tampa Bay Online, regarding his dancing victory. "I came here with a good game plan." With Alan's big win, your probably ready for the game on Sunday and remember no mater if your favorite team isn't in the game watching it with a few bucks down makes it much more interesting. The place I would recommend is Super Bowl Betting, check it out before Sunday. There are plenty of Wolverines to root for no matter if your a Steelers or a Cardinals fan. I just hope Woodley doesn't take Breaston out when his route calls for a short pass over the middle!
  
  
  

Alan is holding the hardware, Former Wolverine Gabe Watson is pictured above during the competition.

Recruiting Crunch Time

• Travante Stallworth a Slot and QB prospect and "soft" Auburn commit is down to his final 3, Michigan, Auburn, and South Carolina. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Stallworth told News staff writer Enea Zhonga he would talk things over with his parents. Stallworth said Mississippi State requested he make an official visit. But the receiver said he's likely finished with visits. Spurrier is planning an in home visit this week.


• DeQuinta Jones, DT is a Michigan "soft" commit and was in town this past weekend. Reports are that DQJ enjoyed his visit and was impressed with the University. Some recruiting services are saying DQJ re-confirmed his commitment to Michigan. Which is good news for a position of need for the Wolverines. I will be more comfortable with his commitment when the ink is dry and it's on a fax machine headed to a 734 area code.


• A common question that is floating around the Michigan recruiting message boards is: Would Michigan take Travante Stallworth, Je'Ron Stokes, and Willie Haulstead if they all want to come ot Michigan? I believe the answer is Yes! Stallworth is more of a slot then a WR and Michigan needs tall WR's in Stokes and Haulstead. Michigan also has room under their scholarship count, so I believe it's a no brainer.


• Quinton Washington, OL made an official visit to Tennessee over the weekend. Coach Rod visited Quinton at home last week.


• Sam Montgomery, DE is a busy man! He visited LSU over the weekend and will take a mid-week visit to Oregon followed by a weekend visit to Tennessee. Michigan coaches paid Sam an in home visit last week. Michigan's new DC Greg Robinson is planning to visit Sam soon as well.


• 2010 Dual Threat QB Prospect out of Michigan, Devin Gardner made two visits this past weekend to Ann Arbor and Columbus.
• Bennie Logan, DE former January visitor to Ann Arbor, got the LSU offer he was looking for a committed on the spot. Bennie was a backup plan if Michigan lost both Graves and Jones (both are DT's). Michigan's first choice at another DE is Sam Montgomery.

The Calm Before the Storm

This weekend seems to be very light on recruiting news with a week an half left before signing day (2/4). Kids are taking visits to schools on their lists and even hosting coaches at home before they have to make their final decisions.

Visiting Ann Arbor this weekend are DeQuinta Jones, DT ("very soft" commit to Michigan), a two star QB from Florida, Austin Dantin and a surprise visitor TE/WR Terrell Mitchell. Terrell is 6"6 220 and is rated 3 stars from Rivals. He has offers from Clemson, WVU, Miss. State, Louisville, Kentucky, and South Carolina. Terrell said recently, Michigan is in his top 2.

A goal for this weekend would be to get Jones commitment solid, decide if Austin is at all a candidate at QB and see if Terrell can fill a need for a taller WR for the Wolverines.

• Je'Ron Stokes cancelled his visit to Happy Valley and instead is visiting Ron Zook and Illinois this weekend.


• Appartenly, Florida will not be offering DB Adrian Witty. Which means if Denard Robinson and Adrian want to go to the same school it's between Kansas State and Michigan. Florida has an offer on the table for Denard.


• Marcus Hall who announced Michigan has his leader a few weeks ago after visiting Ann Arbor, now doesn't have Michigan in his top 2. Marcus is considered an Ohio State lock.


• Coach Rod was in the home of SC DE Sam Montgomery on Friday.


• FL WR Willie Haulstead who has been very interested in Michigan and also happens to be pretty tight with Tate Forcier is taking his official to FSU this weekend. Willie is a verbal commit to FSU.


• Michigan has a basketball game tonight against Northwestern which just upset State in East Lansing. The Wolverines are desperate for a win and will be running into a hot team. Let's hope the Wildcats are a little tired from being on the road and go cold. 8:00 tip, BTN.
• Update: It seems Craig Roh is taking an un-official visit to Ann Arbor this weekend as well. Hopefully, he is just getting one last tour before he signs on the 4th.

Louisville Football is losing more then games

As Wolverine fans, we have shared the pain of losing lots of things over the past 14 months or so. We have lost a 5 star QB, an offensive lineman that didn't like to run, a number of recruits, and 9 football games.

It seems if there was bad news in college football it was somehow related to Ann Arbor and our historic Michigan program. Well, hold your heads up high Wolverine fans. There is another program that is going through similar struggles and seem to be losing people and games at a higher rate.

The Louisville Football program hasn't been the same since Bobby Petrino left for his brief visit in the NFL. Louisville has had a similar hard time adjusting to"big change" and their new head man Steve Kragthorpe who is now starting his third year. The wins and losses on the field are one thing, but Louisville is losing coaches and players at a very alarming rate. Let's just take a quick look at the coaches and players that have left the program just this off season.

• Ron English, DC left for the head coaching job at Eastern Michigan (Ron was there for one year)


• Eric Lewis, DB Coach followed Ron to EMU to become the DC


• Bill Miller, was promoted to Louisville DC's and then quickly left for Kansas


• Tony Nelson, Running Backs coach left for Notre Dame


• Mark Nelson, Special Teams Coach was not asked back


• Matt Simms, Son of former NFL QB Phil Simms and brother of NFL QB Chris decided to transfer. Matt would most likely have been the starter heading into Spring Ball.

How can one program suffer so many losses in a matter of a few months? How are these changes going to effect recruiting? How can there be any stability in this program that is trying to rebuild itself back into a Big East power?

I don't have any answers to those questions, but it's easy to see how this program could struggle for years to come. This program has zero consistency right now. A coach can not rebuild his staff from scratch every year and think they will be competitive. Kids won't want to come to Louisville and even the kids in the program wonder if this is the right place for them. We all know recruiting is the lifeline to success in College Football and right now Rivals ranks Louisville's 2009 recruiting class #71 in the country with 18 verbal committed recruits and only 1 four star player.

As Michigan fans we feel Louisville's pain, let's just hope our turnaround is quicker and we don't see similar losses on and off the field.

Michigan Recruiting: Needs vs Recruits

Signing day is two weeks from tomorrow so it's time to start looking at the final needs vs recruits for the remaining 2009 class. One side note, we all know a "full" class is 25 kids. Michigan had a very unique thing happen this month, they had 7 kids enroll early (Campbell, Emilien, Forcier, Hawthorne, Jones, LaLota, and Smith). That is the largest class of early enrollees in Michigan history. If you have kids enroll early, you can use a scholarship from the current class (2009) or last seasons class (2008) if you had extra. Michigan does have extra spots due to the departure of two linebackers in fall practice and Sam McGuffie.

So from a numbers standpoint, Michigan currently has 7 kids locked in and 13 others verbally committed. Standard procedure would be to sign 5 more kids, but Michigan could easily sign as many as 8 more recruits on February 4th.

Now on to the needs vs recruits and how this class may shape up over the next two weeks:

Wide Reciever: Michigan has made it clear it still wants one more WR in this class. They are looking at two guys to fill that need. First is Je'Ron Stokes a 4 star WR and "soft" commit to Tennesse. Je'ron was in Ann Arbor last weekend and enjoyed his visit. Second, is more of a slot WR Travante Stallworth who coach Rod and staff are high on. Michigan really doesn't need another slot in this class but Travante has skills as a QB as well. Travante, is a "soft" commit to Auburn but Coach Rod and Coach Jackson are paying him an in home visit this week. Four star receiver Willie Haulstead currently a Florida State commit is also still on Michigan's radar and happens to be close to Tate Forcier. With that said, many believe Willie will stay in Florida. Look for Michigan to take Je'Ron and Travante if they want to become Wolverines. (they even could take Willie as well if he wanted to come North). Don't forget Michigan has two high profile WR's coming in 2010 as well.

QuarterBack: Why did Coach Rod go to the bank? He needed his Quarter Back. I know that is an old joke, but it happens to be true for the Wolverines. Michigan who once had 3 different highly ranked QB's committed to this class, currently only has one (who has already enrolled!). Which means Michigan needs to quickly find one more QB in this class for depth at the position. Michigan is recruiting this position hard and really only has two options at this point: One is 4 Star Athlete Denard Robinson out of Florida and basically a 2 star long shot Austin Dantin who is planning a visit to Ann Arbor. Michigan very much wants Denard and is also recruiting his teammate Adrian Witty who is a DB. If Denard goes Blue, Rich Rod and staff will also take Witty, if Denard stays in Florida look for Austin to get a offer. If neither work out, Michigan will look to preferred walk-ons to play a role as back up QB's.

Defensive Line: How could this be a need? Michigan has two highly ranked Defensive Ends in this class, One 5 star DT and two 4 star DT's. How can this still be a need you ask? Well, the two 4 star guys (Jones and Graves) are still taking visits to other schools and are considered "soft" commits until they sign their LOI at Michigan or another school. So Michigan keeps recruiting that position with out a Defensive Coordinator. The "word" on the street is Michigan will probably keep Jones or Graves but not both. Meaning, Bennie Logan a visitor to Ann Arbor last weekend is still in play as well as 4 star DE Sam Montgomery a visitor on January 9th. If Jones and Graves stay Blue, then Michigan would only take Montgomery but if conventional thinking prevails, it's most likely Jones and Logan on signing day. I would love to see, Jones, Graves, and Montgomery all sign Blue on the 4th.

DB: Michigan would love another cover corner but there really just isn't too many guys
available. It's most likely Witty as a package with Denard Robinson or bust.

LB: Is another area of need, but Michigan isn't really involved with two many prospects. Michigan has a deep class in Safeties and may look to covert some of those guys. Barkevious Mingo who visited Ann Arbor two weeks ago is not expected to become a Wolverine.

If I had to rate the positions of need 1-5, with 5 being a high need and 1 being low:

QB: 4
WR: 3
OL: 2
DL:3
DB: 3
LB: 3

Here is who I would love to see become Blue in two weeks. These guys are either high on Michigan or have stated Michigan is leading:

• Marcus Hall, OT from Ohio (most likely heading to OSU but still likes Michigan)
• Denard Robinson, QB
• Adrian Witty, DB
• Je'Ron Stokes, WR
• Sam Montgomery, DE
• Pearlie Graves, DT
• DeQuinta Jones, DT
• Travante Stallworth, Slot/QB

Michigan would take all these guys in a heart beat.

Big House NightLine Edition

Sorry for the late post today. I was traveling and didn't have time to put up a complete post.

• The search for Michigan's new Defensive Coordinator has been very quiet since Scott Shafer left his post. In fact, Scott has even found a new job as Syracuse's new DC. So what's the deal? Coach Rod keeps saying things; like he wanted to wait for the bowls to be over (they are!) and wants to take his time to get the right fit for his staff and Michigan. Mgoblog is reporting two potential candidates names are making rounds at this weeks coaching convention. One is former Michigan DC Jim Herrmann who is currently the Linebacker coach for the NY Jets and the other is DB coach for Florida, Chuck Heater. As Mgoblog puts it, the Michigan faithful almost ran Jim Herrmann out of town back in 2005 and would not be a popular choice to say the least. Chuck on the other hand is a former Wolverine player and has been known as a great recruiter but only has one year DC experience in a short stint at Toledo. More to come on this story.............
• Two big names are visiting Ann Arbor this weekend; Je'Ron Stokes a 4 star WR and "soft" Tennesse commit and Jayron Hosley a defensive back. The word is that Je'Ron is seriously considering Michigan and has become friends with 2010 Michigan commit FL WR Ricardo Miller. Jayron is a long shot at this point with some pretty good evidence that he will stay in Florida.
• Remember when Michigan had a ton of QB depth for 2009 with the likes of Kevin Newsome, The Beaver, and Tate Forcier? With the loses of Newsome and Beaver this position still needs some much needed depth from this recruiting class. Michigan took a preferred walk on status from local HS QB Nader Furrha and Florida 4 star athlete Denard Robinson visited last weekend. Michigan is now reportedly looking at a "not rated" 2009 QB from Louisiana named Brandon Mitchell. Brandon is a dual threat QB who also plays some basketball. He is 6"4, 220 lbs and runs a 4.5 40. Last year he rushed 116 times for 876 yards and scored 3 TD's, he passed for 2400 yards and 28 TD's with 5 picks. This kid could have some real potential! Brandon is also visiting Ann Arbor this weekend.
• At halftime of this weekends basketball game against OSU. Michigan will honor the 20 year reunion of Michigan's National Championship Team from 1989. It's been 20 years? Yikes! Let some of these names wash over you: Demetrius Calip (#13, Guard), Joe Czupek (Student Manager), Michael Griffin (#20, Forward), Sean Higgins (#24, Forward), Mark Hughes (#55, Center, Captain), Marc Koenig (#30, Guard), Terry Mills (#52, Forward), Dan Minert (Athletic Trainer), Glen Rice (#41, Forward, Captain, jersey honored, All-American), Eric Riley (#42, Center), Rumeal Robinson (#21, Guard, All-American), Greg Taylor (Student Manager) and Loy Vaught (#35, Center).

Good Night Now!