Michigan Monday: Loves in Game Adjustments

The one thing that really bothered me about the Carr Era was we never seemed to make any meaningful adjustments when something wasn't working.  When it seemed USC had our play book, nothing.   It drove me crazy and probably you as well.

I wondered what was the reason for that?  Did they try to make changes and it didn't work?  Was it Lloyd not letting his coordinators change the game plan?  What was it?  (Side note on the RR years, I think they tried to make some defense adjustments from time to time, they just didn't work)

I don't have the answer to the above questions but I do know when I see a good game plan working effectively and when I don't.  Both Greg Mattision and Al Borges has impressed me regarding the in game adjustments and changes.  Al is coaching like a 17 year old with the keys to a brand new Lamborghini.  He knows how to drive but has never had a car this fast.

Greg on the other hand is trying to find the right personnel in game time situations.   Both have made very good in game changes and the reason the Wolverines today are 3-0 and ranked 21/22 in the polls.  I continue to be impressed on how Coach Hoke is letting them both do what they do best. 

Let's compare those strategies to our Rival to the north.  I was excited to see the match up this weekend between ND and MSU.  Sparty has owned ND over the past 10 years but was running into a difficult situation with a quality team that now found themselves 0-2.   MSU was ranked #15 in the polls and was a road dog to an 0-2 team.  

What happened was a terrible game plan by Mark Dantonio and staff.  It was like they didn't review any tape on ND the past two weeks.  ND continued to turn the ball over and MSU couldn't capitalize.  They even continued to call gimmick and trick plays.  A fake field goal from the goal line?  (side note; does anyone think ND practiced fake field goals a little bit extra this week? - just stupid).  MSU's game plan wasn't working and they just kept it and got blown out.  No adjustments = big loss. They weren't out manned on Saturday they got out coached.   If I was a MSU fan, I would be very upset at Dantonio playing Tressel Ball all day.

•  Michigan has taken a 2012 walk-on commitment from Fenton punter Kenny Allen.  Kenny had 1 scholarship offer from Oregon State and decided to stay close to home and punt for Michigan.  Kicking guy Chris Sailer had this to say about Kenny:   Kenny is a very talented young punter. He has the size and athleticism to dominate in this area. Can hit a huge ball. Also a great kicker. A top combo prospect in the Class of 2012. Will be a scholarship pick!  Kenny is averaging 43 yards per punt this year and is also a place kicker.   This is a good pickup for the Wolverines.  Anytime you can pick up a guy with scholarship offers to D1 schools as walk on, is a huge bonus.   If I was a fly on the wall, I'm guessing the Wolverines are concerned about their scholarship punter Will Hagerup who has been suspended 4 out of the last 5 games and still has one more game to sit out.

• Michigan is 21 in the Coaches and 22 in the AP.

• Michigan is an early 9 point favorite over San Diego State.

• 2013 State of Michigan offensive line recruit Steve Elmer surprisingly committed to ND over the weekend while he was on a visit.   Steve and Shane Morris are the top two prospects in Michigan for the 2013 class.  Michigan was recruiting Steve and had been on campus a number of times.

• Jordan Diamond took a visit to Illinois this weekend.  Has Michigan cooled on Jordan or has Jordan cooled on the Wolverines?

• RB Greg Garmon has Michigan in his top 4.   A month ago I thought there was no way Michigan was taking a RB in the 2012 class.  I now think Michigan has a fighters chance at landing Greg or Bri'onte Dunn. 

Wolverine Wednesday: The Last 3 Plays

As you know, I have fun making fun of coach speak.  Press conferences are basically a waste of time for reporters to ask silly questions that we all know the answer to. 

Before the season:  How is Denard doing under center?  Big Al:  He is really making strides and a good athlete and QB.  He still has some learning to do but we will be ready for Western Michigan.

This week:  Do you think you have figured out the best way to use Denard?  "I think we know how to use him. We said we wanted him to carry the ball 15, 16, 17 times, but no promises. There may be games he carries it more, maybe less. But in terms of how we’re using him, I don’t have any reservations about that. That’s our issue now. We’ve only run like 80, 90 plays in two games. Our tailbacks would be getting more carries if we were getting more turns."

Basic stuff right?  What intrigues me, is the behind the curtain stuff, the information we don't get from practice.   One of those things came from Al's press conference yesterday regarding the last 3 plays:

Are last three plays the same three plays every game? “No, that changes every week, and it depends on how they defend you late in the game. That’s part of our film study is to see what kind of defense they have.”

So tie that into what Denard said after the game on ESPN; something to the effect that they had been working on the last 3 plays all summer.   Part of Big Al's offense game plan seems to be to script the final 3 plays each week and the 1st team offense practices those 3 plays over and over.  I found that interesting.

Other news was that Big Will and Hawthorne will get more playing time.  Hawthorne had a great Spring and Fall camps but turned his ankle before the Western game.  Greg Mattison said, Troy's ankle is fine (I don't believe it!).

In other Mash related news:  Fitz, Cam Gordon, Herron and Odoms all participated in practice on Tuesday.  None of the guys above played in the ND game and Gordon and Odoms haven't played yet this year.

Stonum who is red shirting this year has been running as the scout team WR. 

• David Brandon is letting the players keep the throw back jerseys they wore during the game.  He checked with compliance and got the OK.  Memo to Wolverines players, lets keep those off of eBay and Pawn Stars.

• It seems Michigan has added Akron to it's 2013 schedule.  Exciting stuff!

• Every time I write this recruit's name it makes me hungry:  Taco Charlton a 2013 DE recruit from Ohio got a Michigan offer last night.

• The Michigan line is -30 right now on Saturday.

Michigan Tuesday: Trying to De-code the Injury Updates and Some Recruiting Briefs

With a new coaching staff at Schembechler Hall you get new and different things.  One of the changes has to do with injuries.  I will give you an example:

Lloyd Carr when asked about injuries would smile and give a short response like this, "next question"

Rich Rodriguez:  Put out an injury report on Thursday night listing 3 level of injuries:  Probable, Questionable and Out.

Brady Hoke yesterday on the status of Troy Woolfolk:  Were you concerned about him being a little hobbled on his ankle? “He’s fine.”

It's clear Coach Hoke leans more towards Carr's policy then Rich Rod's.  Which some will argue is a good thing, "why give your opponent more news then they need?".  Others will argue the Vegas point, which was the reason the NFL made injuries public so betting insiders wouldn't have an edge. 

It seems Odoms, Cam Gordon and Brandon Herron continued to be banged up and probably won't play against Eastern.  I am willing to bet a beer we won't see Troy either.  That guy had more tape on Saturday then my first car. 

If we are not going to redshirt the likes of Blake Countess and Greg Brown, let's hope they get some good experience this weekend.   Blake has played on special teams and Greg looked pretty good in the spring game.

Craig Roh was suffering from Mono like symptoms during fall camp.  I don't think he is 100% yet as he has ZERO tackles in two games.

Fitz continues to get banged up in every game he plays. We didn't see him at all against ND and I would say he is questionable for EMU as well.

Back to Back Noon Starts

Michigan will have two back to back noon kick offs on the Big Ten Network.  Which seems like a big change coming off a 3:30 and 8:00 kick offs.   The one thing to consider is the "jet lag" of playing SDSU at noon.   I sort of thought that ESPN or ABC might pick up the SDSU game since there is plenty of intrigue playing Coach Hoke's former team.   BTW: SDSU beat Army 23-20 last week and has Washington State this weekend before heading to the Big House (they also play TCU the week after Michigan and Boise State in November).

• Denard was named the Big Ten Player of the week.

• Brady and Chad both played well last night on MNF.  Brady played better.  They nearly combined for 1000 yards passing.

• Sports By Brooks has photos from the charity event in question for the suspended OSU players.  It seems this "charity" event has been a good gig for OSU players for a number of years.  The NCAA spent 14 months in Ann Arbor and found a couple practice overages due to stretching and non-coaches coaching.  The NCAA is spending time in C-Bus and coming up with this type of stuff.  If Toledo had scored on the final drive last week, there would be a huge meltdown in Ohio right now.

• It  will be really strange for Mike Hart to be on the other sideline on Saturday as an EMU coach.  It's a great opportunity for Mike, just feels strange.

• Vegas isn't buying MSU right now as they are a 5 point dog to ND in South Bend.  MSU played three good teams last year and went 1-2.  The two losses weren't close.

Recruiting Updates

• 5 Star Mitch McGary spent the weekend on Tobacco Road at NC and Duke.  He enjoyed both visits.  
• One thing I hadn't considered is Michigan is recruiting lineman Zach Banner for Football and Basketball.  Michigan would let him play both if he is interested.  He is 6'9 310 pounds.  So, yes please!
• Brionte Dunn visited Penn State last weekend for the Alabama game as his cousin was committing to the Wolverines.  So it seems Brionte is serious about looking around as he stays verballed to the Buckeyes.

Michigan Monday: Helps Kelly With Anger Management

David Guralnick/The Detroit News

Kelly Anger Management

10 turnovers in 2 games is enough for any head coach to lose his mind on the sideline.  Brian Kelly has spent a lot of last week explaining his behavior on the sideline of the South Florida game. 

He had a couple of flare ups during the Michigan game but nothing major and do you want to know why?

He had a Grad assistant or team manager tap him on the back or shoulder when he started to lose his cool. If you re-watch the game, check it out.  It is pretty clear on TV a couple of times.  Many times, Kelly turns his back to the TV cameras when talking to players on Saturday Night.

I heard a Kelly interview about a month ago on ESPN radio, he said the #1 key to a successful season was success early.  They are now 0-2 with MSU paying a visit to South Bend this weekend.  Call in the tapper!

BTW: How did ND's last two trips to the State of Michigan turn out?  80 yards in 28 seconds for a loss at the Big House and the fake OT field goal in East Lansing.   Not a very good home coming for the former GVSU and CMU coach. 

2013 in the house!

The excitement of the entire day has moved at least one kid to verbal to Michigan.  The first player to drop a commitment for Michigan is Ohio athlete Dymonte Thomas.  Dymonte plays running back and safety in high school but probably projects to safety at the next level.   Mgoblog did a great write up of  Dymonte, so I won't re-create but he is a nice addition to 5 star QB Shane Morris in the 2013 class.    DT had offers from Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Pitt, Tennessee, UCLA, and West Virginia, he also had interest from Ohio State, Alabama, Florida, Cincinnati, and Northwestern.  He is expected to be a 4 star recruit when the rest of the 2013 rankings come out.

The wild card here is that Dymonte is cousins with 2012 RB Brionte Dunn.   This can only work in Michigan's favor of persuading Brionte to Ann Arbor next Fall. 

2012 Recruiting Updates

• The uncommitted 3:  Banner, Payton and O'Brien all had incredible things to say about the ND experience.  There was even a rumor that Danny O had committed on Saturday.  That turned out not to be true and his tentative announcement date is 10/7. Keep an eye on Payton for commitment watch this week. 

• Yuri Wright is planning to visit A2 for the SDSU or Minnesota games.

• The rumor mill is also saying that Michigan just needs to get Amara Darboh's guardians on campus in Ann Arbor for the Iowa WR to commit to the Wolverines.

Michigan Thursday: Recruiting Updates

Big Weekend for the Big House, lights, camera's and football for the first time.

Here is some notes from the recruiting world:

• With TRich not taking visits and sticking with Michigan, the thought was that maybe Michigan was going to back off Yuri Wright.  Nope, they still want him in this class for sure.

• Danny O'Brien's recruitment continues to look positive for Michigan.  I think he still wants to take visits but the "pull" of the Big House at night might convince him to be a Wolverine.  He will be in Ann Arbor on Saturday night.

• Jordan Payton the former USC commit will be in Ann Arbor for his official this weekend.  He is down to Michigan and CAL.   The word on the street is Michigan should have WR commit in the next week or so. 

• Not coming this weekend is WR Powe and OL Garnett.  Both want to reschedule and it seems Garnett is going to take visits after the season.  Both are on the West Coast and hard to travel across country with a game on Friday.

• There continues to be rumors that Bri'onte Dunn's verbal to Ohio is a "soft one".  He is 50/50 that he will be in A2 on Saturday night.

• Amara Darboh's legal guardian wasn't real excited about Brian Kelly's rage last weekend: “I know how emotional it gets out there,” [Dan Schafer, the guardian] said. “I understand that’s part of the game. I really do. But it did shock me. You hold Notre Dame up a little higher than that. It made me wonder how I would feel if Amara was treated like that on national TV.”

• Wow it continues to look good for a match between 5 star center Mitch McGary and Michigan Basketball.  I still don't want to think about it, because the awesomeness of M2 coming to A2 would be mind blowing.

• Current verbal Eric Magnuson will be in town on Saturday.

• There should be plenty of 2013 guys and current instate commits under the lights as well.

Wolverine Wednesday: Recruiting and Team Position Updates

Two Michigan commits got two real honors on Tuesday.  Mr. Ondre Pipkins probably one of the most important recruits in the 2012 class was awarded with a Army All American invite on Tuesday.  It was one of his goals and he made it.  If Ondre matches his camp/summer performances on the field this fall, expect him to add a 5th star.

Speaking of 5 stars, Michigan already has one in the bank for 2013 with the verbal of QB Shane Morris.  Shane was given 5 stars from Scouts in their first 2013 ranking. 

The new Rivals 250 ranking is out and there has been some Michigan Verbals movement:

Kyle Kalis (22), Eric Magnuson (44), Ondre Pipkins (53), and Royce Jenkins-Stone (97), James Ross (158), Joe Bolden (184), and Terry Richardson (214).

Others to keep an eye on:  Stefon Diggs (8), Andrus Peat (18), Aziz Shittu (21), Zach Banner (38), Yuri Wright (51), Adolphus Washington (74), Bri'onte Dunn (141), Danny O'Brein (154), Dwayne Stanford (163), Jordan Payton (118),  Amara Darboh (211), Jordan Diamond (226), Darius Powe (246)


The Team, The Team, The Team............ 

Sometimes as a fan you wonder why guys play over other guys?  The back up could be a 4 star guy that runs a 4.4 but for some reason can't get on the field.   The reason is coaches look for commitment on and off the field.  Two guys that look like have put in the time in the off season and during fall camp are Mike Jones and Thomas Gordon.

Here a quote from Coach Mattison on MJ:  "He has consistently come out everyday trying to do what he's supposed to do. I got a feeling Mike Jones came from a program where he probably either blitzed all the time or played 'sic'em' football. Now all of a sudden he's getting coached every single second. Some guys can't do it. He is one that I've been really excited about. It looks like everyday he's looking to get better and he's listening. I see signs of him -- now you did it right, you stayed back, you didn't run past the hole -- that kind of thing. And hes' a sophomore, that's what should happen."

Thomas Gordon on why he is starting: 
What did you do to earn the start? "I think it's more outside of football, just being more dedicated to football and being a team player. Coming along as an individual off the field has really helped me on the field."

How hard did you work this summer? "This summer, (I worked hard) with the new weight staff and Coach Wellman. They're a really dedicated staff, and they put their work in with me and all the other players, and it helped me tremendously on the field as far as size and speed. I hope it transitions to the field, and I'm waiting to see what the effects are going to be during the season."

If you want to play at Michigan it doesn't matter if you are a 5 star guy or a walk on.  If you follow the model from TG and MJ above you are going to play in the Big House.

I don't know why the below picture made me laugh, but Al Borgus reminds me of that 6 grade gym teacher we all had that wore his shorts and sweatpants way too high.  This year is already a success if we have more pictures of Big AL!   Thanks to Rivals for the photo.

Michigan Monday: Welcomes You To Game Week

Can't wait for Saturday.  The last time I saw the Michigan Football Program play a game, I was walking off the field at the Gator Bowl and it was clear Rich Rod has coached his last game at Michigan.  Today is a brand new day with a new staff at Michigan.    The talk is not about re-building it's about Championships.   I'm not sure the Wolverines are ready to make the leap to Big Ten Champs and BCS Bowls but I love the expectations that it is.  I have heard predictions from 5-10 wins this year.  That is a big gap and I will give you my rundown of the season later in the week.

I will break today's post into a few sections:

Redshirt years I wish we still had:

1. Denard Robinson:  I know Tate got beat up a few times during their freshman year (The Iowa game sticks out), but for only completing 14 passes (he did run 69 times), I wish we had another year in the bank with this special talent. 


2. Big Will Campbell:  This was a huge mistake by RR and staff to play Big Will a few snaps his freshman year.   It was clear that Will needed a year to learn how to play the DL and the Michigan coaching staff played him in some meaningless downs.   Big Will's high school coach Thomas Wilcher said last week that Will was a much better offensive lineman (then defensive) in high school.


3. WR's: Dileo, Stokes and Jackson:  I know Stokes left the team but he caught 1 pass last year for 11 yards and was a true Sophomore meaning he played his Freshman year as well.  Drew Dileo caught 1 pass for 3 yards but did contribute in the return game.  Jeremy Jackson had 4 catches for 55 yards.  It would be nice if both Dileo and Jackson were redshirt freshman this year.    I'm not sure their limited playing time last year was worth blowing their redshirt year.  If they had handled Stokes differently maybe he would still be on the team and had a better chance to reach his potential. 


4. Devin Gardner?  If RR has messed this up, playing him against BGSU and others, he owes us some of his buy out back.   I guess we won't know whether DG got his medical redshirt or not until his 5th year. 

In my mind DG's (if he doesn't get it) and Big Will's lost redshirt years are complete failures by RR and staff.  (I know, add it to the list of failures)

Recruiting News:

• 4 Star WR Amara Darboh that was expected to visit this weekend is said to be re-scheduling. 


• 4 Star WR Darius Powe from California is going to visit for the ND game.  (This will be the "HUGE" recruiting weekend)

High School News:

• Michigan Recruits faced off this weekend at EMU when Cass Tech faced Farmington Harrison.  It wasn't close as Harrison won in a blow out 43-7.  I wasn't there but here is what I gleamed from a number of accounts:

-RJS and Ross had a quiet night since Cass Tech was clearly out manned.
-Ojemudia and Funchess had very good nights and both very athletic.  There are reports Ojemudia really has improved over the summer from the camps he attended and new work out regime.  Reports from the game was that Cass couldn't block Ojemudia at all.
-The most anticipated match up of the night was Terry Richardson vs Aaron Burbridge.  I heard Terry held his own but Burbridge was one of the best player on the field and won the match up.    As you know, Burbridge is heading to MSU as many recruiting insiders said Michigan had to back off due to some academic issues. 

• Shane Morris lite up Ann Arbor Pioneer this weekend as well.  He was 14-18 for 224 yards in a 43-28 victory.


• Joe Bolden's team played on ESPN yesterday.

Captains:

Michigan voted team captains this weekend and picked seniors center David Molk, tight end Kevin Koger and defensive tackle Mike Martin. Perfect selections.

“The entire senior class has shown great leadership since the spring, and they all are looked up to as leaders of this football team,” Hoke said in a released statement. “Kevin, David and Mike are great representatives for our team and the University of Michigan. I will be honored to be led out of the tunnel by them and the rest of the seniors on the Saturdays ahead.”

Michigan Monday: Practice, Suspensions, Red Shirts and Recruiting --- O My!

Today starts Fall Camp for the 2011 Michigan Wolverines.  Today officially starts the preparation for year 1 in the Brady Hoke era.  There should be plenty of motivation and expectations for this group of Wolverines.
With the start of practice came a press release last night on 3 players: senior wide receiver Darryl Stonum, senior wide receiver Terrance Robinson and sophomore punter Will Hagerup.

We know Stonum has multiple DUI's and the coaches have decided to redshirt him this year to get his life together:  "While it would be great to have Darryl on the field this season, we feel it is in his best interest and the best interest of our program for him to redshirt," Hoke said. "Darryl will continue to be an important part of our team and family. He has done everything we have asked him to do, but our number one priority is to help Darryl grow as a person."  With Stonum using a scholarship in 2012 now, I wonder if the 2012 class size is now down to 25 players instead of 26?

Terrance Robinson will be suspended for season opener and Will Hagerup will be suspended for 4 games, both players broke team rules. 

Here is my take:  This was the right decision for Michigan and Stonum.  I hope he gets everything together and has a great 5th year next year and heads to the NFL.    Not sure what T-Rob did but he really hasn't ever contributed on the field for the Wolverines.  

Now to Hagerup.............What is going on Big Fella?  You are a punter and now have been suspended for the 2010 Ohio State game and for the first 4 games of the year.  Get your off field stuff in order and keep booming punts in Michigan Stadium.

Hoke:    "In order to build a championship-caliber culture, you have to be accountable to each other on and off the field. There are expectations at the University of Michigan you must live up to." 

Many remember the disaster that was the Ohio State game punting and are worried about how Michigan will punt for the first 4 games of the year.  Well, don't worry too much (worry a little) but incoming kicker Matt Wile is a pretty good punter as well.  He punted in the Army All American game and averaged 41 yards per kick.   I can hear the coaches talking to him today:  "Matt welcome to practice you now have 2 starting positions!"  I hope this kid has a ton of confidence.

Recruiting Weekend Re-cap:

• Michigan wants another elite corner in the 2012 class and they have targeted two guys out East.  We know about Armani Reeves and the second one is 4 star CB from NJ, Yuri Wright.  I expect both players to visit Ann Arbor for a game this season and maybe announce after the season.  Yuri plans to announce at the Army All American game.

• 2013 Offensive line prospect from Wheaton, Illinois Kyle Bosch visited Ann Arbor on Sunday.

• John Beilein has offered another 2012 prospect, this latest offer goes out to 6'8 200 pound forward Marshall Wood from Lynchburg, VA.  

• For those wondering whatever happened to Demar Dorsey, he ended up at Grand Rapids Community College. 

Michigan Monday: Wonders if there are any left over commits from the BBQ?

We now know that Chris Wormely thought the hot dogs and burgers at the Big House BBQ were too good to pass up and committed to the Wolverines on Sunday.   Michigan fans have wanted Chris to commit for some time now, so it was a good feeling to have him in this class. 

The big question is who is next?  Michigan has 5 spots left in this class and still with some needs.   The largest outstanding need is DT.  The coaches keep saying they will only take 1, I believe they will take 2.   Those two are Ondre Pipkins and Danny O'Brien.  

Ondre's father lives in Michigan (Ondre lives in Missouri) and from what I have heard Ondre is still in the Great Lake State and might make it back to Ann Arbor for another visit real soon.   Sunday was his first visit and some insiders that spoke to him feel like he might have been a bit over whelmed with the day and was just trying to take everything in.   The Michigan fans were hoping for a BBQ commit from Ondre which didn't happen.  Will it happen this week?  We have to wait and see.   I would like Ondre to do what Kalis did, visit take a few days to think about it and discuss with his family.   Come back to Ann Arbor spend some 1 on 1 time with the coaches and then make his decision.

Danny O is his nickname and he had another good visit to A2 for the BBQ.  I'm going to think about my comfort level this week and where I'm at with everything. I have a top six of Michigan, Tennessee, Florida, Alabama, Michigan State, and Iowa right now. I'm going to cut that down to three and then take official visits to those schools. I know Michigan said they're only taking one defensive tackle, but if they want to take two I will still consider them if someone commits before me.

I believe if both Ondre and Danny want to become Wolverines, the coaches will take both.

WR is the other need in this class and there wasn't much movement on that recruitment on Sunday with Cincinnati Madris not making it to the BBQ.   St. Louis WR Jehu Chesson visited Ann Arbor this week and so did Iowa WR Amara Darboh.  Michigan seems to be in pretty good shape with all these guys and it will be a race to who commits first.   If I had to predict a winner in this race, I think the quickest commit could come from Monty Madris.

Bri'onte Dunn enjoyed his visit up for the BBQ but I think there still needs to be some thinking for him to leave Columbus.  Having the NCAA hit them hard this Fall after their meeting in August would be huge.

Michigan also made up some ground with  some 2013 recruits at the BBQ including; OL Steve Elmer, LB Jonny Reschke, RB Ty Isaac, DE Wyatt Shallman and athlete RB/DB Dymonte Thomas.

Fall camp opens in a week, so the coaches really only have this week to spend quality time with the recruits.  After that some recruits might want to attend practice to see what how the coaches really coach.  

With only 5 spots left, I would assume many players feel like they need to make a decision sooner rather then later.

• BTW:  Jordan Diamond is visiting Iowa today. 

Michigan Thursday: Drunk Driving is a Serious Offense

There are three Wolverines with recent Drunk Driving offenses; Darryl Stonum is a current Wolverine who is suspended from the team for 2 violations, Jalen Rose who is a member of ESPN and a former Fab 5 member and of course Braylon Edwards former Michigan WR and current NFL Free Agent. 

There are whispers that Darryl is hanging on by a thread to his college career with Michigan and could face being kicked off the team to a 4 game suspension.  Let's hope he has learned his lesson, cleans up his act and gets to re-join the team some time this year. 

Jalen was just sentenced to 20 days in jail for pleading guilty to his DUI this winter.  Which seems to be a pretty harsh penalty but so was his crime.   I like Jalen a lot but what he did was serious and he is paying a high price.

Braylon won't face any jail time but will have his probation from a Cleveland fight extended one year and will serve 100 hours of community service.

I like all 3 guys and hopefully they will all learn from these serious mistakes. 

• TomVH catches up with WR Amara Darboh who visited A2 this week:  I feel a lot better with them. They all seem like really nice guys and they have a great staff there. This visit helped Michigan a lot, and it also helped with my comfort level, so yeah.

• The Big Ten Media Days start today.  Should be lots of coaches talk.  For example; We have a talented team but we also have holes we need to fill.

• New BBQ visitor is 2013 ATH Dymonte Thomas who will be there with his father and his cousin Bri'onte Dunn.   The early returns on Dymonte is he might be one of the best players in Ohio in the 2013 class and has Michigan #1 in his recruitment right now. 

• I know NFL transactions are flying around fast.  To catch you up on some Wolverines:  Mike Hart got cut by Indy,  Jonas Mouton signed his deal with the Chargers, Stevie Breaston is now with Kansas City, Martell Webb signed with the Eagles, James Rogers with Denver and  Perry Dorrestein to the Jets.   Good luck Guys!  (Obi Ezeh, Greg Banks and Adam Patterson are still looking for teams).

Michigan Friday: Looks at 2012 Running Backs

Michigan has 3 different positions in the 2012 class where they will only take one prospect.  Those positions include QB, RB and WR.  I have previewed options for QB and WR now it's time to look at running back.

#1 option is Ohio running back Bri'onte Dunn who is a 5 star to Scouts and 4 to Rivals.  The catch with Bri'onte is that he is committed to OSU but is concerned about the NCAA situation.  It seems Michigan is his close #2 school who continues to make up ground on OSU as they try to figure out the NCAA situation.  Bri'onte is planning to travel North  for the BBQ at the Big House and he will get a chance to rub elbows with many of Michigan's 2012 commits.  A unique twist in Dunn's recruitment is that his cousin is a one of the top players in Ohio for the 2013 class named Dymonte Thomas.  I have heard that Thomas and Dunn are close and have talked about playing together.  Thomas visited Michigan and loved it and the Wolverines are considered his leader right now. 

The big question between now and the end of football season will be, can the Wolverines sell Bri'onte on Ann Arbor over Columbus?

• Keith Marshall is rated the #1 RB in the country by Scouts and he is planning a Michigan visit.  Many insiders don't expect him to end up a Wolverine from North Carolina but if they get him on campus they have a punchers chance.
• Ejay Fatu is a FB from Texas and could fill the RB spot as well.  FB is sort of like field goal kicker recruiting, you find a lot of guys as walk-ons or take players from other positions.  So FB's normally don't get a ton of offers.  So for Michigan to offer Ejay he must be a strong prospect.

• Wes Brown sort of is similar to Keith Marshall situation.  Wes is a RB from Good Counsel in Maryland which usually has a couple top prospect every year.  Keith is a 4 star guy to both Scouts and Rivals.
• Greg Garmon is a 4 star RB from PA and mention here before is a cancer survivor.  Greg is another guy Michigan needs to get on campus for an official visit. 

You might be wondering where are the State of Michigan prospects?  This year is not great for running backs in the Great Lake State.  The best running back prospect is Dennis Norfleet who is 5'8 175 pounds and doesn't seem to meet the size requirements U of M is looking for.

The fact of the matter is this position recruitment will not be settled in the short term.  It seems Michigan has the best shot at Dunn right now even though he re-confirmed his shaky commitment to OSU a couple of weeks ago.  Attending the BBQ at the Big House is a great sign that he might be re-thinking the Wolverines.  

The thing to consider is if Ejay Fatu were to commit, would they still take a tailback in this class?

Michigan Thursday: Big House Bites

• Congratulations to Brian Griese whose broadcasting career seems to be moving in the right direction, he just landed the prime time spot on ESPNU's SEC Game of the Week for next season.

• Sam Webb does his Thursday thing on Big 2013 Tailback Wyatt Shallman from Detroit Catholic Central.  Wyatt is currently a junior and is 6'3 and 251 pounds and working out with Mike Barwis.  "They envision me as a big tailback like (New York Giants standout) Brandon Jacobs," he said of the Wolverines. "They want me to play tailback. That sounds great. I really want to." ----"My parents are both crazy Michigan fans," Shallman reported. "It is like a dream come true for them. My mom cried (when Brady Hoke extended a scholarship offer back in May). She's loved Michigan for so long. My mom is crazy fanatical. She loves Bo (Schembechler). She loves everything about Michigan. On our outdoor fridge she has an 'Oh, how I hate Ohio State' sign." -----"My dad went to one of the first Michigan camps back with Bo. His whole claim to fame at the camp was he ran a good route and made a one-handed catch. Bo came up to him and said, 'Good catch son!'"

• Kyle Kalis quote from A2.com:  “The thing about Coach Hoke that really sticks out to me is that he’s real,” Kalis texted. “What you see is what you get with Coach, and that’s how it should be. Coach Hoke will be the reason U of M gets back on top. And I’m not the only one who sees it that way, the whole class does and the amount of focus that we all have is incredible, and Coach Hoke instilled that in us.”

• TomVH says that Aaron Burbridge will be the Big House BBQ

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.

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 Monday: No Commits this Weekend but Is there Good News Coming?

Michigan got two verbals commits last week with 2013 QB Shane Morris and 2012 DT/DE Matt Godin.  With the early and midweek activity the Michigan coaches didn't get any verbal commits over the weekend, but they were busy with in school visits and continue to recruiting for both classes.   Michigan has 11 verbals for the 2012 class and might have 9-12 spots left in the class.  I estimate around 20 total spots which leave only a few spots for guys that want to be Wolverines. 

• Chris Wormley who was rumored to maybe the top player in Ohio (he did not make the Rivals 4 star list - which was a bit of a surprise since he has offers from the likes of Mich, OSU, ND, and MSU) is participating in track this Spring and talked to the Toledo Blade this weekend:  “Everything I do [in the three sports] helps all around,” said Wormley, whose top two colleges choices right now are Michigan first and Ohio State second, followed by Michigan State and Notre Dame. “It keeps me conditioned throughout the season. [Track] ties into everything.” Throughout Friday’s action, Wormley, who was ultimately named the meet’s outstanding male field events athlete, had his mind on an accident during warm-ups.  One of his practice efforts with the 12-pound shot put struck the forehead of Waite thrower Fred Schimmel, who sustained a significant head injury.  Schimmel reportedly maintained consciousness after the blow and was treated at the track before being transported to a local hospital by an emergency crew.  I hope that young man is ok.    The other news from that article is that Michigan is his leader and there are rumors he is getting closer to making a decision.  Probably after track season is over. 

• Coach Funk was in Texas to visit Offensive Lineman Trey Keenan last week.  Trey father is from Michigan and his grandmother still lives in metro Detroit.  Trey and his family are planning a visit to U of M this summer.

• There is more "buzz" around instate CB Terry Richardson making his announcement this week.  Many expect Terry is down to Michigan and MSU.  Terry's two close friends RJS and James Ross are both verbally committed to the Wolverines.  Terry and James visited Ann Arbor again this weekend.  Update: Terry's press conference is at 11:45 AM on Tuesay. He listed a top five of USC, Michigan, LSU, ND, and Alabama.  Go Blue TR!

• Michigan is expected to be getting a visit soon from highly rated teammates from Cincinnati, DE Adolphus Washington and WR Dwayne Stanford.

• TomVH reports there is another rumor floating around that the #1 QB in the nation Gunner Kiel might be making another visit to Ann Arbor.  Gunner doesn't really talk to recruiting services so there are a lot of rumors and speculation around his recruitment.  Gunner was in Ann Arbor for a quick visit a few weeks ago.

• We also would like to congratulate Coach Lloyd Carr on his acceptance to the College Football Hall of Fame!

Wolverine Wednesday: QuarterBack To The Future

One of the positives about Coach Hoke when he got hired was his reputation of being a very good recruiter.  Then he goes and hires Greg Mattison from the Ravens, who Urban Meyer called "the best recruiter in the country".    You would think that is a good match, right?  The answer is YES, a very good match. 

Michigan has seemly gone for 0 to 10 commitments in the 2012 class in just a couple of weeks.  With all the commitments coming from Ohio or Michigan.  Poor MSU is wondering what happened down there in Ann Arbor?

Now comes the news, Michigan has received it's first 2013 commitment from mega instate QB Shane Morris.  Yes, a kid that hasn't even started his junior year of high school and is expected to be the best player in the State in the 2013 class, has said, "Coach, I want to be a Wolverine!".  Unbelievable!  

Shane is a 6'3 around 185 pounds and plays for De La Salle in Warren, Michigan.   He doesn't have any Star Ranking yet due to him being a 2013 prospect.   He does have about 7 Midwest D1 scholarship offers.  

Here is what ESPN has to say about this young man:  QB Shane Morris (Warren, Mich./De La Salle) was in a class of his own. The 6-1, 174-pounder has a sensational arm, great vision, moves his feet well and carries himself like a pro. Talent wise, he is far beyond his age group and already has top-notch abilities.

He seems to be a regular at summer camps/combines which means he will get some great advice on improving his QB skills. 

Michigan Thursday: 2012 QB Recruiting

So there are plenty of obvious jokes regarding Zeke Pike picking Auburn:  He took the turn-Pike town south or just another big fish that got away.  Please remember to tip your waiter and waitress.................

Bad jokes aside where are the Wolverines looking for a QB now that 5 star Zeke Pike is heading to play for the National Champs?

#1 Gunner Kiel out of Columbus, IN.  Considered the top QB prospect in the 2012 class.  He has offers from everyone.  Has some ties to ND and that's probably where he will end up. 

#2 Maty Mauk out of Kenton, OH.  Brother played for Brian Kelly at Cincinnati but Maty has been up to Ann Arbor a couple of times and nearing a decision on where he wants to play next year.   He has offers from Cincy, ND, Ill, Missouri, Vandy and Michigan.   This could be Michigan's best shot at a QB commitment in the near future.

#3 Austin Appleby out of North Canton, OH.  Austin continues to be on Michigan's radar as a potential QB offer.  He is 6'5 228 pounds and has mostly MAC offers at this point. 

#4 Bennie Coney out of Plant, Florida.  RR was in on Bennie early and that has seemed to continue into the Hoke era.  Bennie has said he has Michigan in his top 5.  He has offers from Auburn, Louisville, FSU, BC, Texas Tech, VT, MSU and others.  Bennie had some school/team issues so he might have some baggage.

Michigan has also offered: Devin Fuller from NJ and Jake Rodrigues from CA.  Neither has shown a ton of interest in Michigan yet.

Don't forget about 2013 mega instate QB recruit Shane Morris but Michigan will still take a QB in the 2012 class for sure.

Wolverine Wednesday: Big Recruiting Week on Tap

The Spring Game is one of those yearly events that brings out a number of prospects to Ann Arbor to get a chance to see the Big House and what the new Michigan coaching staff might have in store for us next Fall. 

• TomVH gives us a list of attendees that are planning to make it to the game.

- Commit Caleb Stacey (6'4", 275 lbs)
- 2013 Michigan QB Shane Morris (6'3", 189 lbs)
- Instate TE Devin Funchess (6'5", 205 lbs)
- Illinois DT Vontrell Williams (6'2", 263 lbs)
- Instate LB Royce Jenkins-Stone (6'2", 215 lbs):
- Instate TE Ron Thompson (6'4", 210 lbs)
- Illinois OL Jordan Diamond (6'7", 289 lbs):Could be coming with his teammate QB Robert Gregory.
- Instate LB James Ross (6'0", 209 lbs)
- Indana TE Pierre Aka (6'4", 250 lbs)

Look for more additions to this list.  If RJS and James "Biggs" Ross make it to Ann Arbor expect that Terry Richardson to be with them.

• 4 star LB from Ohio Kaleb Ringer is still planning to announce at 6:00 on Friday.  Things look great for the Maize and Blue.  The Dayton Daily News has already broken the story a couple days early.  Why would they do that to a kid?

• 4 Star TE from Detroit Ron Thompson who many expected to announce his decision this week, has delayed his decision due to transferring to another high school.

•  Cincinnati 4 Star LB Joe Bolden was in town with his parents on Tuesday.   Joe has been saying he wouldn't make an early decision but now an early announcement seems likely.  If Kaleb and Joe jump on board does that fast forward RJS and James Ross timeline?  Michigan could use 4 LB's for sure, but that would be the max.    

Michigan Friday: It's all about the #4!

The two highlight of Thursday were Lion Kim at the Masters and the Michigan Hockey Team winning their Frozen 4 game. 

• Lion shot a decent +4 76 on Thursday.  Playing in your first major and with the likes of Davis Love III and former Master Champion José María Olazábal.  Right now it doesn't look good for him to make the cut unless he goes in red numbers today.  Either way it's a tremendous honor to play in the tournament and think he had done great!

• I will be the first to say that I know very little about Hockey.  What I do know is Michigan beat a great hockey team last night in North Dakota.  ND is said to be full of NHL players and pretty much blew out many of their opponents this year.  Either way, Michigan won a low scoring game last night and I even watched the last few minutes when Michigan scored the open net goal.  

 Other News:

• Michigan has already started on the 2013 class by already offering instate 6'3 187 pound QB Shane Morris who already has 4 BCS offers.   Shane and his family are Michigan fans. 

• With the new Big Ten Schedule formats - Michigan and Wisconsin will take 6 years off and the Wolverines and Badgers won't play until 2015. 

• ESPN loves Michigan Documentaries.  The Fab 5 was their highest rated 30/30 ever and now they are doing one on former Michigan QB Tom Brady, called the Brady 6. Which references the 6 QB's taken in the NFL draft before Tom.  Does any of these names ring a bell?  Chad Pennington (No. 18, Jets), Giovanni Carmazzi (65, 49ers), Chris Redman (75, Ravens), Tee Martin (163, Steelers), Marc Bulger (168, Saints) and Spergon Wynn (183, Browns).