Michigan Thursday: 2012 QB Recruiting

There is an un-written rule that you take a QB every year, no matter what your depth looks like.  Kids get hurt and transfer and you never want to be left in a situation where you only have a couple QB's on scholarship.  Michigan's roster currently only has 2 QB's on scholarships (Robinson and Gardner). When Texas QB Russell Bellomy gets here this summer it will be 3.  

Michigan has a Junior in Denard Robinson and most likely a red shirt freshman in Devin Gardner with true freshman in Russell Bellomy.  Michigan has also received a verbal commitment from instate QB Shane Morris for the 2013 class who has been lighting up camps and 7 on 7 tournaments this summer.  

So who does that leave for the 2012 class?  Well, I can tell you who it doesn't leave.  4 star QB Zeke Pike picked Auburn over Michigan and others, now recent Michigan camper Austin Appleby committed to Purdue last night.  Austin is 6'5 225 pounds and was hoping to earn an offer at Michigan's camp.  He didn't and committed to Purdue.

That leaves really two more prospects for the Wolverines at QB.  5 Star QB Gunner Kiel who seems to be leaning harder towards Oklahoma or Indiana (his brother is on the team and he is from IN) or Maty Mauk.   Maty was just in Ann Arbor again a couple of weeks ago and has an offer list from the likes of ND, Illinois, Cincy, Missouri and Vandy. 

So where does that leave Michigan for a QB in that class?  Since it seems Michigan has missed out on Zeke and Gunner and back plan Austin is now headed for Purdue.   Is it Maty or Bust? 

Yes and no.  Michigan really doesn't need a QB in this class with Shane coming in 2013.  In fact, many have said that Shane out preformed Zeke and others at the Elite 11 Camp at Ohio State a number of weeks ago.   Gunner was the hands down best QB at that camp but recruiting insiders believed that Gunner started to lose  interest in the Wolverines after Shane's strong performance.

Which I believes leaves the following strategy for the Wolverines at QB:

1. Take a QB in this class.  If Maty doesn't turn Blue, Michigan could snake oil Austin or another 2012 3 star prospect later in the recruiting cycle.

2:  Red shirt Russell Bellomy so he would be a red shirt freshman in 2013 with Gardner a red shirt sophomore and Denard a senior. (Shane would be a true freshman of course).

They have told Russell that he can compete for 3rd string but of course the coaches will want to red shirt him either way.   With Denard and Devin both skilled at running the ball, they will need to have Russell prepared to play either way.

So I will leave you to ponder this:  Would you rather have Michigan take QB in this class or an extra 5 star offensive lineman/4 star DE or DT?  (Diamond, Kalis, Peat - Pipkins, Washington, O'Brien)

I vote for a lineman on either side of the ball!

NCAA Football 12 Demo & Teambuilder Impressions

Before I get into the review I need to let you know that I had to look at this from two angles; one as someone new to the game, and one as a veteran of the NCAA Football series. I am a long time fan of the series, and over the years EA has been dragging its feet in a number of areas (which I will get to a little), so my opinion of the game has been tainted by years of disappointment and flimsy excuses. I tend to frequent the EA forum for the NCAA Football series, so I know what kinds of comments the players make every year and how EA responds, so I had to look at this game from two perspectives to be fair.

The demo was released on June 28th, and the Teambuilder website went live on June 30th, so I've had a few days to fiddle with both. Sadly, and most likely on purpose, EA has not given the demo the instant replay or screen grab functions so I've had to borrow from Operation Sports (www.operationsports.com) and Pasta Padre (pastapadre at Youtube.com) to spruce up this post. The demo is also limited to 2:00 halves, so the games went quickly and I wasn't able to scrutinize the game play as much as I'd hoped.

PRESENTATION

This was no surprise since EA beats us over the head with all of the presentation improvements. I like to call it a new shade of lipstick for the same old pig, and over the years it seems that they spend the bulk of their time and energy on this, and it shows. This year they introduced a number of program specific team entrances, implemented High-Dynamic-Range (HDR) Lighting, and three dimensional grass. Only downside of the entrances is that not all teams have one, but I didn't really expect them to do this. Hopefully they removed the horribly generic and half-baked bands they introduced in '11.

A few team entrances (Thanks to Pasta Padre)

EA has also continued to add more and more equipment for personalization, but they seriously failed in the player customization department. I have to give them credit for adding more helmet, face mask, glove, and miscellaneous equipment options. I can't personally view these options until the game comes out, but I've seen enough pictures to feel comfortable that they are in the game. As for the player models, I think '12 has one of EA's biggest jokes. For years players have wanted hair options back in the game, and many have flooded the forums with requests for hair (the demand for dreadlocks was high), so what did EA do? They gave us dreads, one kind on a single player model. All they did was add a single African American player model with long black dreadlocks, and I can't tell if I should be disappointed or insulted.

Oregon-Texas (Operation Sports)

The majority of the presentation is perfectly fine, the three dimensional grass can only be seen in up close shots and I don't really care about it all that much. The game looks really good, as it has in past years, so I'm mostly happy with this. Score : 9/10.

FEATURES

I really wish they had given us access to some of the features, like custom playbooks, but the only thing you can do in the demo is play an Oregon-Texas or Alabama-Florida State game. The big features they have been touting this year are custom playbooks, custom conferences, and something they are calling the Coaching Carousel.

I'll have to reserve some judgement on these, since I can't give you a first hand account, but I know the fans have been screaming for custom playbooks for years. It looks like we can finally build our own and choose which plays and formations we want to use, which for me is a big deal. I'm pretty lukewarm on the custom conferences because they gave us a half-baked version of it in '11 that left everyone disappointed, and now we get a functional version.* From what I've seen you can build conferences from scratch, assign title games and affiliated bowls, and even toggle AQ status. The Coaching Carousel has "We'll get it right next year" written all over it for me based on the existing information. Apparently you can start in a dynasty as an offensive or defensive coordinator and only have control over your side of the ball (very nice), and as the seasons go on you have the option to move to other schools and take on a head coaching position (also very nice). What hasn't been made clear is whether or not you can hire an OC/DC when you are a head coach, and they haven't said anything about the effect an OC/DC has on recruiting. I'm pretty disappointed here, just see the custom conferences rant below.

* Quick tangent on EA and their incomplete features. They seem to make it a point to add features that don't work properly, or don't function as they should, with the intention that in the future it will work. In '11 you could only swap teams, or replace an existing team with a Teambuilder one. If you replaced a team, the Teambuilder team would inherit the rivals of the team it replaced with no way to reassign them. You were also limited by the existing conference structure, if you wanted to create a new 12 team conference with a title game (like the Pac-12) you would have to dismantle an existing 12 team conference and possibly lose your AQ standing.

Score : N/A.

GAME PLAY

I didn't play that many games, and the ones I played were limited to 2:00 quarters, but I didn't need long to spot all of the red flags. When it comes to the issue of game play I need to be upfront about my feelings on '11; it was awful. I hated the game play in '11, and as far as I was concerned it was a low point in the franchise. EA refuses to put enough effort into fixing the game play, instead opting for presentation (the new shade of lipstick) and false improvements. In '11 they touting an improved blocking system, which fooled me enough to buy the game, but after hundreds of games (and even more expletives) I realized that all they did was put defenders on rails (more about this later) and make holding legal and frequent. Those who bought the game right away were met with the Route Mirroring fiasco, where defenders in man coverage would run a receiver's route before they did, so you would have receivers following their defender and nowhere to throw the ball.

Despite my previous comments, I was pleasantly surprised with the new upgrades. The biggest game play upgrades this year were improved animations/player interactions and zone coverage. The game has been plagued by "warping" for years, where blockers/receivers will slide or warp into place to make a block or catch a ball. This has been attributed to flaws in the animation sequence, and based on what I have seen so far this may have been fixed. They also made momentum a factor, as in previous years a stationary defender could absolutely destroy a player running at full speed and send him flying backwards. This year the animations look much better, and the momentum improvements look great.

As for zone coverage, I'm a little torn here. Zone coverage in '11 was a joke, just completely useless. Players would drop to their zones, and just stand in the middle of the zone. If you ever used a zone coverage against the CPU it would completely eviscerate you, and it was marginally useful against other players in zone blitzes. Aside from that, I wouldn't be caught dead calling a zone coverage. This year they improved the coverage, but may have gone a little too far (like the Route Mirroring fiasco) from what I've seen. For years EA has failed to understand that a defender in a back pedal, no matter what position, isn't even remotely as fast as a player running forward in a full sprint. This failure remains in '12, and when you add this to the new zone coverage you get a bunch of guys in backpedals in short bursts of perfect man coverage. I've seen a number of clips where a defensive lineman is able to cover a WR effectively in zone coverage, and this makes me extremely wary. In '11 defensive lineman were better in pass coverage than most defensive backs, this included jumping up in the air and battling balls down way over their heads with perfect precision. I like the attempt at making the coverage useful, which I found it in the games I played, but I'm certain that further scrutiny will reveal enormous problems.

Some game footage (Pasta Padre)

It didn't take me long to notice the return of the single biggest problem with game play for me, and it pretty much doomed '12 in my eyes. The defenders are still on rails, a deal breaker for me that signals that the blocking AI is still atrocious. In '11 EA put the defenders on rails, which means that the defensive line and any blitzing linebacker will essentially run a route. These defenders rush to spots on the field, and they will always rush to those spots no matter where you move the defender. If you have two blitzing outside linebackers coming inside the defensive ends, and then decide you want to flex them outside of the ends and pinch down the line, you get this comical situation where your defenders run all the way over to their assigned spots (See diagram below). I hate this, its stupid, its how EA "improved" the blocking schemes in '11.

Defenders on rails.

The CPU also seems to play by a different set of rules yet again. I did like that the pass rush was more realistic, but when I was on defense I was getting absolutely no penetration and my lineman were being held. I wasn't able to get to the QB to see if they fixed the issues with a QB being tackled getting off a perfect pass 20 yards down field, but I'm willing to bet they didn't fix it. My biggest problem with '11 was how bad the defensive AI was, and it seems like nothing has changed aside from the zone coverage.

This pretty much killed '12 for me, especially when I saw my defense was still on rails. Score : 4/10 (as a long time player), 8/10 (new player).

TEAMBUILDER 2012

I'm not going to spend too much time on this, but I am going to say this is a perfect example of how EA revels in its lack of innovation. For the third lackluster year in a row they don't provide a variety of generic stadiums, all you can choose from is a generic bowl style and a generic pro style. Yet again they don't have Ohio State's shoulder stripe template, but they did get Iowa's face mask color right after two years of making them grey. Still no generic mascots, and from what I can tell they only added one new one. The field design options are extremely limited, but they really weren't thinking when they gave us the option to use an existing field for a custom team.** The final straw for me was the same three font choices for the third year in a row, and to make it worse the chest text option is still a steaming pile of crap. You are limited to ten characters and the same three fonts nobody uses. I applaud EA's commitment to a lack of excellence here.

** Ok, sorry for another tangent, but this pissed me off. So people have been demanding more endzone design options, like Tennessee's and Notre Dame's. So what does EA do? They give us the existing fields. I want a checkered endzone, but what the hell am I going to do with Tennessee's field if my team isn't named Tennessee and the school colors aren't orange and white? This is yet another sign that EA doesn't care about improving the game, just making enough changes to market a "new" game. So frustrating.

Score : 2/10 (as a long time player), 6/10 (new player).

FINAL VERDICT

After playing the demo and being horribly disappointed by Teambuilder (yet again), I can confidently say I'm not going to be buying this game or any other NCAA Football game for a few years. I didn't even get into the lack of FCS schools, and I won't, but maybe when the PS5 comes out EA will put out a decent game for once. With that in mind, if you have never played an NCAA Football game before you will probably like it. I'm excited about a number of the features I mentioned, and I like the presentation alot, but I won't be enjoying them.

Overall : 5/10 (as a long time player), 8/10 (new player).

Wolverine Wednesday: Has Some Quick Camp Updates

Here is some positive information from Allen Trieu, Midwest Manager from Scouts on 3 star Michigan Commit Ben Branden:

When Braden committed to Michigan earlier in the year, he was still somewhat of an unknown. He had a good camp in Ann Arbor last year, and we had seen him twice in the fall, and he had earned offers from Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Syracuse. So we knew he was good, but he has proven to be even better. He dedicated himself in the weight room this offseason, adding good weight and getting up to 319-lbs. Even at that size, he was moving well enough to be considered a left tackle prospect. He's strong, technique is improving and he's more athletic than previously thought. He has a chance to move into the top 7-8 in-state and the four-star range when rankings are updated.


Here is another instate guy, I keep hearing good things about as well:  Dennis Norfleet, RB

He's been a hot name recently, especially on the heels of the IMG 7 on 7. Folks in Florida got to see what folks in the Motor City have seen for three years. Norfleet is a dynamic playmaker with excellent hands and he has great explosion and ability to make defenders miss after the catch. He has proven time and time again that he can overcome his lack of prototypical size. We had him in the top 10 in the state already, but he will be going up a couple spots.

• CBS Sports/Max Preps ranks Michigan's 2012 Class #2 in the nation at this point.

• TomVH updates RB recruiting with Alden Hill.  Tom is not confident in Alden turning Blue at this point.  With 5 star RB Dunn sort of one foot in and one foot out with OSU, maybe the Wolverines should look at Dennis Norfleet for the one RB spot in this class.  Just throwing it out there.

• A Quick Memo to recruiting fans that follow recruits on Facebook and Twitter.   Please use common sense.  There have been a number of reports of badgering recruits on both services for Kyle Kalis and Terry Richardson.  I actually would prefer you didn't follow these kids, but if you elect to, please just read their updates and don't message them back. Mostly if they make a decision you don't agree with.  

Michigan Tuesday: Waiting is the Hardest Part

Michigan seems to be on a 3 commit watch with 3 Ohio prospects. 

First is Chris Wormely from Toledo, the rumor mill is saying he could commit at any time now.  

Second is Kyle Kalis from Cleveland, who just de-committed from OSU and the Buckeye fans are not happy.  I wonder what they are going to think if he goes to Michigan.

Third is Jarrod Wilson from Akron who is scheduled to announce on 7/8.   


Austin Hatch Update:  From Hatch's CaringBridge.org page a recent CT Scan shows no worsening in his condition, and the major objective is to minimize stimulation to allow him to heal. His Care Team is limiting visitors to immediate family only to aid in his healing.



Dr. David Bojrab, a family friend, confirmed Hatch was still in a drug-induced coma Monday. Along with a head injury, Hatch also suffered a punctured lung, a broken collarbone and fractured ribs.


"They're not going to wake him up for a few days," Bojrab, Stephen Hatch's medical practice partner, told the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette.

Michigan is working with the NCAA on what they can and can't do.  Since Austin hasn't signed there are NCAA rules regarding his name being mentioned and how many visits he can have from Michigan coaches, etc.  They will make some type of special agreement to allow Michigan to get involved in his care and future well being.

• Great story about Michigan RB recruit Greg Garmon and beating Cancer. 

Michigan Monday: Welcomes the 17th Commit to the 2012 Class

First thing first:  Austin Hatch seems to be doing better and the doctors are expected to pull him out of his doctor induced comma today.   Please continue to keep Austin in your thoughts as I am sure the loss of his family will take longer to heal then his physical injuries.  

Blake Bars joined Michigan's class last night: "Ten minutes ago I committed to Michigan. My family is cheering here, and we're pumped. I was just sitting here and I asked my family why did I not commit to them yet. So I called up Coach Smith and told him. I then called up Coach Hoke and told him. It's been a really exciting night."

Blake is 4 stars to Rivals but 3 stars to Scouts, ESPN and 24/7.  Which is a little odd since it's usually just the opposite with Rivals giving 3 stars and other services being 4.   Blake is 6'5 and 275 pounds and had a four star type offer list which included: Florida, LSU, Kentucky, Penn State, Miss. State, Clemson, South Carolina, Louisville and others. 

Here is Blake's pancake special:



He is another offensive line commit that will shrink the class just to the notable recruits that Michigan is after.   Michigan is expected to sign a full class of 25 players which would leave only 8 spots left here at the end of June.   It seems only like a month ago, many Michigan fans were worried about this class because it didn't have any commits, now it's all most full. 

Michigan's offensive line recruiting will focus on two guys, Kyle Kalis and Jordan Diamond.  Both who happened to be in Ann Arbor the last two weeks.  Jordan has been to Ann Arbor many of times and Kyle made his first visit this weekend after he de-committed from OSU last week.  Even though Jordan has had Michigan #1 for what seems like a year, his high school seems to prefer to have it's players commit later in the recruiting period.   There were plenty of rumors floating around that Kyle may commit to the Wolverines this past weekend but didn't. 

Michigan might also hold a spot for the likes of mega recruits: Andrus Peat, Joshua Garnett or Zach Banner.   Michigan will have 2 spots for those 5 commits.  First come first serve.

Defense:

Michigan is looking for 1 safety and a number of defensive line/end prospects to fill out this class. 

• Ohio Safety Jarrod Wilson is announcing Friday 7/8.   Michigan is expected to be in good shape.  His final 3 are Michigan, Penn State and ND. 

• Michigan DT Danny O'Brien camped at Michigan last week and doesn't have a leader right now.  It seems his recruitment is going to play out over the football season.

• Missouri DT Ondre Pipkins has had Michigan high on his list all year.  He is planning a visit to Ann Arbor in July or August. 

• Ohio's DE Chris Wormley recruitment reminds me of Jordan's Diamonds.  He was in Ann Arbor this weekend and many wonder when he is going to commit.   

Top Guys Michigan has a chance with but still has some work to do:

• Ohio DE Adolphus Washington is trying to schedule a visit to Ann Arbor with is teammate WR Dwayne Stanford.

• Ohio RB Bri'onte Dunn is still committed to OSU but there are several rumors he is about to de-commit.  If that happens many believe Michigan is in good shape to land him. 

• PA Running Back Greg Garmon, who was just offered by OSU this weekend.

Bob, get your crystal ball out and tell me what is going to happen?

I think Michigan will get Wilson, Wormely, Pipkins, Diamond and Kalis.   Which will leave 3 spots that Michigan might keep open for the likes of Dunn, Washington, Stanford and O'Brien.  I just hope Diamond doesn't wait too long and miss his window. 

I now believe Michigan won't take a QB or FB in this class.

Michigan Adds Commit #17

More to come in the Michigan Monday Post but Tennessee OL Blake Bars has committed to the Wolverines for the 2012 class.  Blake is a 4 star prospect to Rivals and is Michigan's 17th commitment to the 2012 class.   

This class is getting full and I will go in depth on what that means for Michigan's high profile recruits in the next post. 

Welcome Blake!

Big House Prayers Out to Austin Hatch

Austin Hatch a Michigan 2013 basketball recruit is in critical condition after a plane that his father was piloting crashed in Northern Michigan. The crash took the lives of Austin's father and step mother. Tragically, this isn't the first plane crash the Hatch family has had to deal with. In 2003, Austin lost his mother, sister, brother and family dog when a plane Austin's father was piloting hit an electrical pole in Indiana.

The Hatch family had a summer home in Northern Michigan and would travel by private plane from Ft. Wayne to Boyne. Both of Austin's parents graduated from U of M.

The latest updates on Austin's condition from mgoblog is that he is in a medically induced coma.  He suffered a broken clavicle, ribs and a fractured leg.  Along with that, both of his lungs were punctured and his skull was fractured.  There is minor swelling in his brain, but doctors claim to have it under control.  He is in critical condition, but doctors do believe they have control over the situation.  

This is time for the Michigan nation to come together and take care of one of it's own. I don't care if Austin ever plays a minute of basketball in Crisler Arena, he has lost his entire family. He is now part of the Michigan family and has a million family members looking out for him. Keep your prayers and thoughts for this young man to heal his body and mind after two un-thinkable tragedies.

Michigan Friday: Gray Shirts and Big Visits

Michigan added a "Gray Shirt" commitment from Jeremy Clark a 6'4 185 pound safety from Kentucky.   Jeremy was at Michigan's camp this week and impressed the coaches as a lock down safety.    Jeremy had a number of MAC offers and 1 BCS offer from NC State. 

Some of you might be wondering what a "gray shirt" means?:  It means that Jeremy will join the 2012 class but he will pay his own way until January or maybe even the next school year.  After that they will give him a scholarship or earlier if one becomes available.  

This is a nice find for the Wolverines.  "Yes, I'm a Wolverine," he reported. "After talking with my dad last night, we kind of knew where we were going."



Clark says after camping at Michigan, he knew it was the right school regardless of when the scholarship would be there.

"I felt at home at Michigan. The coaching staff was good and I fell in love with it there."


As far as what the plan would be for next year and beyond, Clark simply stated, "We haven't talked about that yet."

• OL Eric Olson that visited Ann Arbor recently, committed to Northwestern today.

• It seems that Kalis had a good visit to Ann Arbor today but did not commit.  He is headed back to home now.  No word on Wormley yet.

• There are rumors flying around that Michigan could get commitments this weekend from Kalis, Wormley and Jarrod Wilson.  Now that would be a recruiting "Hat Trick"!  Update:  Jarrod Wilson has set his announcement for July 8th at 2:30 at his high school.

• Walk on News:  Michigan has accepted 2012 walk on from Lake Forest (Ill.) WR Bo Dever.  Bo was named after Bo Schembechler and his dad played at Michigan. 

Congratulations to Darius Morris on getting drafted.  I know he was upset that he was drafted in the second round but he has a great opportunity to go home and play for the Lakers that need a point guard.  I wonder if Darius will get advice on an agent from Kobe and hire former Wolverine Basketball Player now agent Rob Pelinka.

Michigan Thursday: Will The Worm Turn Blue This Weekend?

One of the names that Michigan fans have been tracking this year is Chris Wormely a 4 star DE from Toledo.   Chris was offered by RR and Staff and that continued with Hoke and Mattison as well. 

One of the first recruits Greg Mattison met with was Chris Wormley after he was hired and that resonated with him.  Chris has been pretty quiet in his recruitment during track season with just letting folks know that Michigan and OSU are his top two.  With all the turmoil in Columbus, Michigan has seemed to have cemented their position as Chris's #1 school. 

Even 5 star offensive linemen Kyle Kalis thinks Chris is headed to Ann Arbor:  "The biggest thing about going to Michigan would be going against Tom (Strobel) and Chris Wormley every day (in practice)," Kalis told Bill Kurelic of Bucknuts.com. "I've pretty much come to the conclusion that Wormley is going to Michigan."


Will it be this weekend?  Not sure, but I think the Wolverines chances for a commitment sooner rather then later are pretty high.

• 2013 recruiting is starting to heat up.  Mega recruit QB Shane Morris has already jumped on board and now he needs some guys to block for him.   The two latest prospects to be offered are instate recruit Steve Elmer and Colorado's Chris Fox who was just offered yesterday.  Chris was at Michigan's camp this week and must of impressed the coaches.

• 4 star offensive lineman Blake Bars is planning a decision in the next week or so.  He visited Ann Arbor last weekend and Michigan seems to be one of this top schools.  (I personally like when they list their top schools and mention Michigan first) I'm really evaluating a top five of Michigan, Penn State, Florida, LSU, and Vanderbilt. We'll just lay out all those schools and what they have to offer. --- Yeah, I'm going to make my decision within the next week. We're going to sit down and evaluate each school on a different number of levels. Talk about how I would fit in, the level of football, and what it would do for me after football. We'll just go from there and then say where I want to go. We might be taking one more visit this weekend to either Boston College or Florida, but that's if my mom can find a good flight. After that we'll be done with visits.

• Former Wolverines Maurice Williams, Amani Toomer and Drew Henson are participating in the NFL's Broadcast Boot Camp in hopes of becoming NFL or College color TV announcers. 

• Steve Breaston comes strong with his lock out poetry work.  Another clear example of a Michigan Man!  Well done Steve.

Good luck tonight Darius!  I hope you go in Round 1.

Wolverine Wednesday: Hot Month - Hot Recruiting

Michigan's Camp as a couple more days left but the recruiting trial continues to be "hot" for the Wolverines. 
Here is some more news to keep an eye on:

• 5 Star OL Kyle Kalis has de-committed form OSU and will be in Ann Arbor this weekend, there are also rumors floating around that 5 star RB Bri'Onte Dunn might also pull this verbal from the Buckeyes.  Michigan seems well positioned for both guys if they want to stay close to home and play Big 10 Football.

• Michigan has offered OH RB Alden Hill who preformed well at camp this week. They want me as an all purpose back, a full back and running back. Someone they don't have to change personnel if they switch plays out of the two back system. I'm definitely good with that role, it's good for competition. I actually just got an offer from Iowa too, so the Big Ten is starting to come in now.

• Ondre Pipkins is a player Michigan has very high on their board.  He seems to be very interested in the Wolverines as well. The process might end a little sooner than I expected. I can't wait to get up to Michigan to visit.

• 
  I don't think we should expect it, but it would be nice if Chris Wormley pulled the trigger on a Michigan verbal this weekend. 
• TomVH catches up with Danny O'Brien after his camp performance and clarifies his Michigan recruitment:  There was basically some confusion during the spring on how they wanted things to go and they told me they wanted me to come to camp and prove myself. They told me that there's basically only a couple defensive tackles with offers and they will probably only take one interior guy. They're going to recruit me really hard now and they gave me the pitch and everything. Danny doesn't have a leader but would be a nice addition to the class.  I think it's really important to lock down the instate guys.  I believe they would take both Danny and Ondre if you are keeping score at home. 

Michigan Tuesday: Big House Bites

• Update 3:15: Out of left field, Ann Arbor visitor last weekend Trey Keenan committed to Texas Tech today.

• OSU verbal commit OL Kyle Kalis is going to be in Ann Arbor this weekend to visit U of M.  Some might remember that Kyle called OSU after the Tressel fall out to de-commit and was talked out of it by the OSU coaches.  Kyle is friends with Tom Strobel and Chris Wormley and wants to see Ann Arbor.   Kyle is a 5 star prospect from Scouts but is still committed to the Buckeyes right now.

• It seems Ohio DE Chris Wormley will be joining Kyle on his visit to Ann Arbor this weekend.

• Jordan Diamond didn't commit to the Wolverines last weekend and it seems he wants to continue the recruiting process.

• Danny O'Brien is at Michigan's camp and there has been some buzz that Tennessee is no longer his leader.  We will see how these next days go.

• Ohio Safety Jarrod Wilson continues to talk to his high school coaches about his college choice.  Don't expect an announcement this week (may this weekend at the earliest).

• Ohio RB Alden Hill spent some time at camp this week with Coach Jackson and really enjoyed it.  He is interested to see if he earned an offer.

• Michigan TE Ron Thompson is expected in Ann Arbor today, I don't know anyway he could be part of Michigan's 2012 class?

Michigan Monday: Busy Time at Schembechler Hall

Michigan's football camp is underway and there are a number of guys looking for offers and other guys looking to standout.  The names that interest Michigan fans the most are:

• Danny O'Brein is an instate 4 star DT that Michigan fans have been interested in for sometime now.  Danny has been pretty quiet about his recruitment but ranks Tennessee as his top school.  Danny is friends with Michigan commit Matt Godin and they have discussed playing together.  The Michigan hype around Danny has been a bit quiet as both sides might have back off each other a bit.  This camp will give Danny the feel of how he would be coached at Michigan and might light the maize and blue flame under his recruitment or blow it out.

• OH QB Austin Appleby will be in Ann Arbor this week and trying to earn a Michigan offer.  Austin is considered to be an option if Gunner Kiel and Maty Mauk pick other schools.   

• Instate 2013 OL prospect who made big splash at the Sound Mind and Sound Body Camp last week is 6'6 297 pound Steven Elmer.   Steven just received a Michigan offer on Saturday and will be one of the top players in Michigan for the 2013 class.   Steven made news a the Sound Mind/Body by holding his own against Matt Godin in drills.

• 2013 DE Matt Miller who is the brother of soon to be Wolverine Jack Miller.  

TomVH caught up with 5 star visitor Andrus Peat:  For sure, I was really impressed with everything. I could definitely see myself playing there. I don't know when I'll make my decision, just whenever I feel right. I will probably take official visits and then decide after my senior season.

There was a rumor last weekend that Se'Von Pittman a highly ranked DE from Ohio wanted to commit to Michigan but the coaching staff asked him to delay his decision awhile.  Michigan has high interest in Chris Wormley and Adolphus Washington.  He didn't wait and committed to MSU on Sunday.

Texas OL Trey Keenan visited Ann Arbor on Saturday and has "short listed" the Wolverines. TomVH interview:  All the places I've been to are southern schools and I've never really been to a place like Michigan. It's flattering to be here and see all the tradition and history in the buildings. They have national championships and all americans so it's pretty cool to be here.

We're going to the morning session of camp tomorrow [Monday]. I'm going to work out with Coach Funk to get a feel for him and how he interacts with his players. We do have a short list right now and Michigan is on that short list. I don't want to say how many are on it yet. We're going to take the next week then talk about everything with my coaches and family. All my planned summer visits are done with so we'll figure out what's going to happen next. This visit did nothing but up Michigan's status though.

Michigan recently offered GA WR Jason Croom and his mom happened to be in Detroit for a wedding and visited with the coaches this weekend.  Jason was playing in a 7 on 7 tournament.

Scouts Allen Trieu updates us on some local 7 on 7 at EMU:  Michigan commit Devin Funchess did not disappoint either. He's long, lean, and runs good routes. We knew he could go up and get it, but what he did here that we hadn't seen as much, was display run after the catch ability. He caught a short out, turned upfield and out ran an entire defense on one touchdown. He'll have weight to add to become an effective tight end, but he's a matchup problem waiting to happen. 

Allen also mentions that wide receiver Aaron Burbridge preformed well.

Michigan Friday: Recruiting Blitz

Brady Hoke and staff has been very busy since "they walked to Ann Arbor" in January to take over the Maize and Blue program.   They had to finish up the 2011 class and start to build relationships for the 2012 class as well. 

Over the past couple of months, the Michigan staff has done a tremendous job getting recruits to Ann Arbor.  Michigan now has 16 verbals in the 2012 class and only about 9 spots left.   Players are excited about Brady Hoke, the direction of Michigan's program, Greg Mattison with his Raven experience and the implosion of the school in Columbus doesn't hurt:

"When I filled out Strobel's evaluation card after talking to him, I wrote down, '95 percent going to Ohio State,'" CBS College Sports recruiting analyst Tom Lemming said. "I thought he was a lock and I thought the Top 10 recruits in Ohio would all end up going to Ohio State.


"But now, with Tressel gone and so much uncertainty hanging over the program, I'm not so sure."

Well, one man's misfortune is another man's opportunity, as the saying goes, and other schools could benefit from Ohio State's dramatic fall.



"Michigan, man," said Doug Plank, a former Ohio State and NFL defensive back now working for NCSA, a recruiting firm that connects athletes and their families with schools. "They are back in the recruiting business in Ohio."

Hoke had a reputation of being a very good recruiter when he was brought on board.  I had my doubts on that statement in January, I no longer do:  "Knowing the coaches so well when they were at San Diego State; knowing the style of offense they were running and where they would take the program at Michigan made me want to stay in touch with them. I called Coach Funk when he was hired to take me on board with them. They stuck with me, and when I committed, they were very excited."
 
"The odds are not very high I would have signed at Michigan, Magnuson said. "I had so many offers, going that far away without Coach Hoke probably wouldn't have happened."

Michigan's focus still remains on both lines with these last nine spots.   The Wolverines will also be looking for a QB, RB, WR and maybe a FB. 

Here is some latest news for guys that could be Wolverines:

• Jordan Diamond who is expected back in Ann Arbor today got a 5th star from Scouts in it's latest rankings.  Jordan has been a Wolverine lean for some time now and it would be great for him to pull the trigger soon.  I heard some 'talk" that Jordan's high school prefers that recruits wait a while to commit so they can build up some extra PR as signing day gets closer.   Chris Bryant commitment to Michigan was an example of that policy.   With the way this class is filling up, I would prefer Jordan to jump on board sooner rather then later.   

• 6'5 Texas Offensive Tackle, Trey Keenan is planning a visit to Ann Arbor.

• Michigan's Football Camp starts on Sunday so there will be a number of guys on campus this weekend.  Here is a list of visitors from TomVH.

• 2013 CB prospect that played well at the Sound Mind and Body camp named Shaq Wiggins got a Michigan offer this week.  He will be in Ann Arbor this weekend at Michigan's camp, coming off an MVP performance at Sound Mind and Body.

• It seems teams are starting to back off Tate Forcier as he sent a packet to the University of Hawaii this week to see if they are interested.   Looks like Tate is trying to sell his services, instead of schools recruiting him.   I hope he figures it out at some point.   

Michigan Thursday: Now The Basketball Team in Doubleing Up

If your in Ann Arbor these days maybe you should buy 2 lottery tickets or maybe 2 ice cream cones (I recommend the Washtenaw Dairy) .  It seems recruiting for Michigan's two major sports continue to happen 2 by 2. 

Wednesday was no exception as John Beilien's squad added two 2013 recruits with the commitments of Austin Hatch a 6'6, 214 pound wing from Canterbury, Indiana and Mark Donnal a 6'9, 200 forward out of Wayne, Ohio.

Austin is your classic John Beilein "sleeper" recruit that is pretty much under the radar on the recruiting sites but a guy with a skill set that Beilein loves.  Mark on the other hand is pretty well known and is ranked in the top 100 by ESPN. 

Both gave their verbal commitment today, which also happened to be the first day they could receive and accept offers.   Look for Michigan to add at least one more player to this class and the smart money is on Flint's Monte Morris.

Monte, Mark and Austin were all at Michigan's elite camp last week. 

• TomVH says that Stanford but not Washington will make it to Ann Arbor this weekend.

• Mass Offensive Lineman, Eric Olsen is near a decision on his future school

• Jordan Diamond was in town for the Sound Mind and Sound Body camp and stopped by A2 for a quick visit with the coaches.  He is planning to be back in Ann Arbor later this week.

• Remember Ron Thompson? The guy that was very high on Michigan before 2 guys took his position.  Well it seems Ron is back on Michigan's radar and he might even visit this weekend.

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Wolverine Wednesday: This Weekend Might Be Great For Both Lines

If you ask some coaches they will tell you every good team is strong on both the offensive and defensive lines.  Michigan has been up and down on both over the past 3-4 years.  The offensive line is trending up and the defensive line needs some quality recruits for depth.  

To keep Michigan's offensive line trending to be one of the best in the Big Ten, Michigan needs quality recruits in this class.  Currently, Michigan has Ben Braden and Caleb Stacey both 3 star prospects.  They also just landed the 34th prospect in the nation (via Rivals) in Erik Magnuson this past weekend. 

That leaves a couple of spots still left on the offensive line for this class.  This weekend Michigan might try to field those spots with visitor Jordan Diamond and 5 star prospect from Arizona Andrus Peat.  I would expect that Jordan is close to a commitment but it would be a surprise is Andrus made a decision that quickly.

Also visiting this weekend is the high profile Cincinnati combo of WR Dwayne Stanford and DE Adolphus Washington who both are 4 star prospect.  I suspect Adolphus could end up being a 5 star recruit when everything is said and done.   The rumor is Michigan might lead for both but Adolphus right now is planning to announce at the Under Armour game in January.

That is 4 very high profile guys on campus at the same time.  3 out of the 4 plays on either the D or O lines.   This weekend could go a long way on how but of those units look in the next 2-3 years. 

• Zach Banner one of the best OT prospects in the country is down to 9 final schools and Michigan is one of them. 

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Michigan Tuesday: Thinks There is a 30 - 30 Documentary at WVU

So how is that West Virgina Football Program doing these days?  The Bill Stewart hire after RR left for Michigan has to be considered  a very poor decision after he blew out Oklahoma with RR's players in the Fiesta Bowl.  I remember a prominent booster said something to the effect, "they just hired the JV coach" when Bill took over the program.

Back in December, I predicted the 1 year coach in waiting would not work.  In fact, it was the most bizarre college coaching situation I have ever seen.  The first day of business school they tell you partnerships don't work.  This one didn't even last 6 months before Bill tried to go project "National Enquirer" on Dana Holgorsen.

Well done Bill!  Your first head coaching job you got fired for a racially-insensitive comment.  You get fired from your second head coaching job because you tried to air your coach-in-waiting dirty laundry in the media. 

I see now why the WVU fans were so upset when RR left.   It set the the program back years.    He is available for hire if the Mountaineers current coach goes on another casino bender.

Think about all the drama this program has had the past 3 years. 

• A healthy QB thump (or finger I don't remember) away from the NC game
• RR takes the Michigan Job
• The RR shredding documents thing
• WVU blowing out Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl
• Bill Stewart gets the head coaching job
• RR fights the buy out
• Michigan pays most of the buy out
• NCAA investigates RR practice schedule at Michigan and WVU
• RR fails at Michigan
• Dana Holgorsen is hired to replace Bill Stewart in 2012 and will be coach-in-waiting in 2011
• Bill Stewart releases "dirt" on Holgorsen to the media
• Bill Stewart gets fired  resigns

This has to be a 30/30.

• Pryor signs with Drew Rosenhaus.  Shocker, I guess Rob Pelinka wasn't available?

• Kyle Dodson a 4 Star Offensive Line prospect spurns the Buckeyes and committed to Wisconsin last night.  Michigan was also recruiting Kyle.  Many had thought he was a Columbus lock.

• Love this quote from new Wolverine Erik Magnuson on taking other visits:  “I’m not sure. I will definitely be going to Michigan for an official visit, and if coach is ok with me taking an official visit to place where I have friends at, then I might do that, but if not then it’s not a big deal to me. I’m going to Michigan. I don’t care about any other school.”

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Michigan Monday: Recovers From Another Wild Recruiting Weekend

Michigan landed another pair of 4 star recruits this weekend.  It seems the "word is out" on the Wolverines building a really strong recruiting class.  With 16 guys already in this class that leaves anywhere from 6-9 spots left.  Before the recruiting season started most recruiting insiders thought the Wolverines would sign a class of around 20 guys but there have been a couple of transfers and some guys in the 2012 class might be able to enroll early.  (If a recruit enrolls in January the team has the right to use an available scholarship from the 2011 or 2012 class). 

Two positions to keep an eye on are QB and DE recruiting from here on out.  QB is not a huge need for the Wolverines in this class with Devin expecting to receive a medical redshirt (which would make him a redshirt freshman next year) and Shane Morris coming in 2013.  Still Michigan would like one in this class and have been doing some Big Game Hunting with names like Zeke Pike and Gunner Kiel.   Zeke picked Auburn and Gunner is said to be close to a decision.   A rumor got floated around this weekend because Gunner canceled his planned announcement yesterday because he was re-thinking Michigan.  Most believed Gunner was expected to pick Oklahoma on Sunday.

Maty Mauk is still on the board and if Michigan loses out on both of these guys, look for them to take a look at Elite 11 Camp QB Austin Appleby from Ohio.

DE recruiting is starting to get very interesting.  Michigan has three guys already in the fold with the commitments of Tom Strobel, Pharaoh Brown and Mario Ojemudia (I consider Godin a DT).  They also are very strong in the recruitment's of Chris Wormley, Se'Von Pittman and Adolphus Washington.  How many DE's do they really need?  Chris has been a strong Michigan lean and Adolphus is probably Ohio's best player and a 5 star prospect.   There was also another rumor this weekend that Se'Von was close to committing to the Wolverines as well.

Michigan could really use some true DT's and are recruiting Ondre Pipkins and Aziz Shittu very hard.

I am no longer worried about the offensive line recruiting with Magnuson committing this weekend. Michigan seems to be in great position with Jordan Diamond, Eric Olson and Adam Brisnowaty.   There was also word this morning that 5 star tackle Andrus Peat might visit Ann Arbor this weekend as well.

So I guess the big question is:  Can Michigan take 1 QB, 1 WR, 1 RB, 2 more DE's, 2 DT's, and 2 more Offensive Lineman.  (Michigan is also recruiting the FB position)  That's 9 by my count and a I think a pretty good estimate on how the class finishes up.

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