San Diego State Post Game

John T. Greilick / The Detroit News

I didn't expect this game to be boring.  I thought it would be a back and forth battle between two high powered offenses.   It turned out one offense was high powered in the first half and the other struggled the entire game.  The Michigan defense played well, maybe their best game since the opening win against UConn a year ago. 

Their counterpart on offense was a bit confusing all day.  Just like everyone wanted, the Michigan offense started fast and scored a quick 14 points in the 1st quarter and added one more touchdown in the second.  A 21-0 halftime lead seemed comfortable to the fans and maybe even comfortable to the players as the Wolverines slept through most of the third quarter.  They lost that quarter to SDSU and didn't put the game away until they won the 4th quarter 7-0. 

So Michigan started fast and started to fade late but found enough to win the game comfortably.  I'm not sure I understand the game plan on Offense.  I agree that it would be nice if Denard doesn't carry the ball 21 times a game and that Michigan gets some yards out of the RB position.  But where the hell is the short passing game?   Where are the screens?  Where are short routes?   I understand Denard is struggling throwing the ball but Michigan can't just rely on him running the ball and beating teams.  A good defense will take Denard away and what does that leave us?  Right now not much. 

Maybe Big Al isn't showing us everything? Maybe he is keeping things tight for Big Ten play.  Either way it looked like Michigan ran the same 3 plays most of the second half.  Those plays should be called Denard Go, because this offense is him and not much else.  Michigan had a total of 413 yards on offense and Denard had 293 of them.

On the other side of the ball, I thought the Michigan defense played one of their best games in recent memory.  They continued to stop Lindley (253 yards) and Hillman (109 yards on 21 carries) when Michigan would turn the ball over and give the Aztecs great field position.   This type of effort will go a long way in winning conference games, which start next week with the Little Brown Jug game.

Cheers and Jeers

Cheers:

• Holding SDSU to 7 points after losing the turnover margin 3 to 2.
• Craig Roh and Mike Martin putting pressure on Lindley all day.
• Welcome Blake "The Count" Countess! He had a very nice game for a true freshman.

• Denard and his running ability
• I thought the entire DL played well

Jeers:

• One dimensional/person on offense
• Troy Woolfolk and his ankle, hand, and other injuries.
• The 3rd quarter
• Turnovers
• Missed field goal
• The Passing Game
• 2nd half play calling on offense

If you had told me, Michigan would lose the turnover battle against SDSU I might have thought we had lost the game.  Instead, Michigan gave up just 7 points and 376 net yards.   Which is a testament to either a SDSU offense that had an off day or an improved Michigan defense.   I think the answer is somewhere in the middle between the two.   

Michigan's turnovers were not pretty, I feel bad for Stephen Hopkins because his last two carries have been fumbles and I expect his new role will include being a blocking FB for the rest of the year.  Denard also made some poor decisions on his two interceptions and missed some wide open guys. 

So Michigan is sitting here at 4-0 with still lots of work to be done.  The key is to get better each week and I clearly see improvement from the defense, now can the offense make the leap to be more balanced?  The schedule will only will get tougher as Big 10 play starts next week and the Wolverines will eventually have to go on the road at some point.

Wolverine Wednesday: How Come The Big Ten Isn't More Active?

Because, they like the stack of dollar bills they already have. 

The Big Ten likes its current position with the recent addition of Nebraska and the current revenue split.   If they added two more teams the pot of money gets smaller.   For Devil's Advocates sake lets take a look at a pair of teams that could be a nice fit:

The High Maintenance Couple:

Texas and Notre Dame:  These two are the prettiest girls at the party and they know it.  They each have their own TV contracts and want more money then the other schools if they agree to come to a conference.   These two are clearly big names but they come with way too much baggage and demands.   If they can't share, they won't get an invite.  That Longhorn network is already a mess and ESPN should shut it down.  ND says they would rather go to the ACC instead of the Big Ten, really?  Why?  ND is the girl friend you should never call again. 

Big 12 Raid:

Texas and Oklahoma:  We know the issues with Texas and Oklahoma doesn't have the academic record that the Big 10 is looking for.  But let's be honest, with MSU and OSU in the Big Ten, OK wouldn't be that much of an academic stretch.  The problem is OK travels with it's little brother OK State and there really isn't room for 3 and just the OK schools alone isn't really that attractive. 

Big East Raid:

I don't think any Big East schools make much sense for the Big Ten.  UConn and Rutgers Football Programs are too small.  Even though you would bring in the NY market, I'm not sure the risk is worth the reward for mostly a professional sports market.  You really don't relate NYC with college sports and I'm not sure the move to the Big Ten would make it a college football town.  It isn't a strong football recruiting area either.  They have a couple top prospects per year.    (Yuri Wright comes to mind)

The ACC has a $20M exit fee so strike that out. 

The latest news is the PAC 12 is staying at 12 (they don't want to over pay Texas either).  Missouri is knocking on the door of the SEC and asking to join the party.   WVU was already been rejected by the SEC and this weekend they have a chance to take it out on Les Miles and LSU.   So the net of this is, the Big Ten feels good at 12 teams and probably won't consider expanding unless Texas or ND call them and drop their revenue demands. 

----------

• SDSU might be the best team, Michigan has played so far this year this year.   This game on Saturday worries me.  Pat Forde is picking SDSU 28-27.

• One advantage that Michigan has on Saturday is not only Hoke and Staff coaching them last year but the noon kick off.  It's a fact in the NFL that West Coast Teams that travel East for 1:00 kick offs do not do well.  Having the noon kick off plays in Michigan's favor.  Let's hope SDSU is sleep walking for the first half and Michigan gets off to a quick start.

• Vincent Smith has earned the start at RB and I agree.  He seems fully healed from his ACL from the Ohio game his freshman year.

• I have real concerns with Will Heininger and Nathan Brink on the defensive line.  I'm not sure the walk on experiment is working.   Richard Ash must be struggling and we might see more of former offensive lineman Q. Washington or some rush linebackers.  I continue to give Craig Roh a pass due to his health.

• Oops!  If I can get a press pass, I guess this guy could sneak in.  Michigan pulled his.  (I hope I am still on the list :)

Eastern Michigan Post Game

John T. Greilick / The Detroit News

What did we learn?

There are a couple of reasons why you play an EMU early in the season.  Its good to get another check in the win column but you also hope to learn more about your team and your players.  So the question remains did we learn anything on Saturday about the 2011 Wolverines?

I think we did, here are my observations:

• Have you heard the saying, that you have to run to set up the pass?  Michigan needs to run the Spread to set up the Pro Style offense.  Al Borges seems to have one game plan in mind and then throws that out the window after two drives. 
• Hawthorne has locked down one of starting LB roles.  He has a nose for the ball and is pretty quick.
• Michigan still needs Cam Gordon to get better soon. Jake Ryan did some good things but I think that's Cam job when healthy.
• Raymon Taylor was the first freshman DB off the bench.  Which was a surprise.
• Michigan is feeling good about landing a RB in the 2012 class, why? Thomas Rawls got a few meaningless snaps.  Which would wipe out his redshirt unless he gets a mysterious back injury. 
• Both lines have improved but still have a long way to go.
• Al needs to give Denard some easy throws to start the game, he is so hyped up he is trying to throw the ball through a brick wall.
• Vincent Smith needs more touches at RB.

How is this team different then last year?  I'm not sure we are ready to answer that yet.  They seem fundamentally better on defense but still have a ways to go.  The slow starts concern me on both sides of the ball.  Defense I can understand but it seems Al Borges is trying to fit something into the offense that just isn't there.  I really need to see Michigan's WR's integrated better and some more creative running plays.  Sure you don't want to show a ton against The Eagles but I would like to see some more consistency out of the offensive unit.   Where is Roy Roundtree?  Not enough stuff to the TE's?  It seems to me, Denard is missing the open guy.

I have the same feeling I did last year.  It's good to be 3-0 but with too many question marks.  Look for Michigan to break the top 25 this week with a good SDSU team coming to town next week.   On Saturday we might have learned more about Michigan's rivals and the rest of the Big Ten, then we did about our own Wolverines.

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.

Notre Dame Post Game: Minute to Win It

David Guralnick/The Detroit News

I'm not sure I have the proper words to explain what happened last night.   I thought the final score would be about right, I just didn't expect Michigan to score all of it's points in the 4th quarter.  

The Tale of Two Halves

I thought Big Al called a terrible first half.  Not even trying to run the ball with the running backs and not doing anything to fool the ND defense with some creative run calls or screens.   The ND defense said to Denard and company "beat us through the air" and Michigan replied, "sorry we can't."

The loss of Troy Woolfolk was huge.  Side note:  Can we get a mobile bubble unit for this kid?  A padded bubble?  Since it seems Brady Hoke went to the Lloyd Carr school of misleading injury information, It looks to me that Troy had a sprained ankle, broken hand or fingers and now a cut or broken nose.  The Michigan coaches need to figure out how to keep him healthy because he maybe  is the most important guy on defense.

What was the deal with man coverage on Michael Floyd?  To go back to my earlier question; It was like the Michigan defense asked ND to beat them with Michael Floyd and Brian Kelly responded, sure!  No offense to JT Floyd or Courtney Avery but they can't cover Michael Floyd 1 on 1 under any circumstances.   The only person that had an outside chance would have been a healthy TWolf and he clearly wasn't. 

The first half of the game went to Notre Dame and without some big changes on both sides of the ball, it looked like it could be a blowout at half time. 

Watch Me Do Me

Nobody is going to confuse Denard's passing game with Andrew Luck's but after hating the play calls in the first half it seemed Al, thought to himself; "we need this kid to make plays even if ND won't let us."   In the 3rd quarter, Denard started to get "creative" and it helped with field position but it really wasn't giving Michigan any points.    The game was clearly on his shoulders to win or lose.   He fought hard but still wasn't sharp throwing the ball and wasn't getting any help from his wide receivers either.

On the other side of the ball, I kept wondering, "how the hell are we still in this game?".  It felt like Michigan was down 41-7 when it really was only 24-7.  The Michigan defense played well in spurts and the ND turnovers were the only reason, Michigan had a shot at the end of the game.   It seemed every time, Michigan blitzed ND had the answer with a short pass right at the guy that was blitzing.  Even when Mike Martin dropped into coverage (really?) they ran up the middle.  That formation on the last drive where it looked like Michigan was bringing everyone, which was a clear attempt to fool Tommy Rees failed and should have been the difference in the game.   When Michigan shows a blitz from Kovacs or a linebacker too early, they sometimes have to check back out of it.   Rees ate them up every time. 

In the 4th quarter the football gods were shinning on the Wolverines for keeping this game close.  The jump balls mostly went Michigan's way and even fumbles were bouncing to Denard for touchdowns.   The bottom line is, if ND CB's played the ball in the air better or didn't blow a coverage on Gallon on the last drive, the end result would have been different.  But who cares, I will take this exciting victory!

Denard played like he could through the air and on the ground.  He won the game for Michigan and the defense did enough to keep the Wolverines in shouting distance.

Cheers and Jeers

Cheers:

• The Big House at Night a Michigan's fan delight
• 2nd half Denard
• Big Will showing some emotion and actually getting some meaningful snaps
• Jake Ryan and Brandin Hawthorne had some nice plays
• The 9-11 tribute
• ESPN for starting the game on ESPN news due to the other game running long
• The Michigan offensive line that keeps having good games
• JR Hemingway's effort that kept Michigan close in the first half and most of the second.
• 4th quarter execution on both sides of the ball

Jeers:

• Al Borges play calls and Denard's execution in the first half
• Michigan's D showing the blitz packages way too early
• Single coverage on Floyd
• Use of the running backs - (Hopkins carrying the ball scares me.  Give him some confidence carries against EMU not ND!)
• Dropping Mike Martin into coverage, let him do what he does!
• Paging Craig Roh
• Some WR drops

Today feels very similar to where we were last year.  2-0 with another last second win against ND.  Denard is all over the media and Michigan is headed for another good start.  It's the good middle and finish we are looking for as well.  I will take any win against a rival on national TV with a last second touchdown but let's not fool ourselves that this team could even play with the Wisconsin's of the world right now.

It's clear, Michigan has work to do on both sides of ball.  Being more consistent on offense because everyone is going to try to take away Denard's run game and finding the right defensive personnel.  I think this defense could be average but we need to find the right guys.   I didn't see much of Brandon Herron in the game and saw Jared Van Slyke a number of times.  The Michigan defense line needs to find a way to get pressure on the QB without blitzing on every down.

The Michigan coaches have plenty to work on and hopefully Eastern will give them a chance to work on few things next week.   Either way, I will take another great win over ND and it sure was fun watching the 4th quarter.   I think Hoke said, games like this is where legends are born.  On Saturday night the Legend of Denard Robinson wasn't born it just continued to grow. 

I'm betting many Michigan fans around the globe didn't get much sleep last night!   Go Blue!

Michigan Friday: Looks to Speed Up the Clock

It's all most here folks, Michigan Football.   It will be hard to wait for the 3:30 kick off, I know you tailgaters like the later start so you can kill a few more bud lights.  Traffic will be a killer so leave your house early. 

Some random thoughts and info for the weekend:

• Something  I forgot to mention in my preview:  WR's and Kick Returners: Catch the Damn Ball!

• Skip Holtz vs ND:  Don't sleep on South Florida.

• TomVH now of ESPN tweeted RB Greg Garmon is expected to visit this weekend and maybe for the ND game as well. Greg is the 15th ranked RB in the country to Scouts.

• Best Games of the Weekend is Boise State vs Georgia and (the game Michigan will play in next year) LSU vs Oregon in Dallas.

• Vegas is betting that Western will cover the spread against Michigan.

• Sione Houma is now a 3 star FB now on Rivals.  He got a 1 star bump up.

• 5 star basketball prospect Mitch McGary is visiting Ann Arbor this weekend.   Michigan is in his final group.   He will make his decision in about 2 weeks.  

• Here is my prediction for freshman to play on Saturday: Wile, Morgan, Countess and Brown. 

• Look for a couple of shots deep for Roy and Jr. on Saturday.

• Danny O'Brein has cut his list to 4 which includes: UM, Tenn, MSU, and Alabama.

2 Deep for Western Michigan

MICHIGAN OFFICIAL TWO DEEP WMU GAME
OFFENSE                                         2nd Team         3rd Team
QB	D. Robinson	D. Gardner
RB	M. Shaw OR F. Toussaint	V. Smith	S. Hopkins
FB	J. McColgan	S. Watson
WR 1	J. Hemingway	K. Grady	J. Jackson
WR 2	R. Roundtree	J. Gallon	M. Odoms
TE	K. Koger	B. Moore	S. Watson
LT	T. Lewan	M. Schofield
LG	R. Barnum	E. Mealer
C	D. Molk	R. Khoury
RG	P. Omameh	E. Mealer
RT	M. Huyge	M. Schofield
DEFENSE
SDE	W. Heininger	N. Brink
NT	M. Martin	W. Campbell
DT	R. Van Bergen	Q. Washington
WDE	C. Roh	J. Black	F. Clark
MLB	K. Demens	J.B. Fitzgerald	M. Evans
WLB	M. Jones	B. Herron	B. Hawthorne, D. Morgan
SLB	C. Gordon	J. Ryan	B. Beyer
SS	T. Gordon	C. Johnson	J. Furman
FS	J. Kovacs	M. Robinson
CB1	T. Woolfolk	B. Countess	G. Brown
CB2	C. Avery OR JT Floyd	T. Anderson
SPECIAL TEAMS
P	M. Wile OR S. Broekhuizen
K	B. Gibbons OR M. Wile
PR	J. Hemingway OR D. Dileo OR J. Gallon OR M. Odoms
KR	J. Gallon	K. Grady	V. Smith

HT to Mgoblog

Not a ton of surprises, here is what sticks out to me:

• Big Will is backing up Mike Martin.  Looks like Michigan has 8 guys on the DL that will rotate all over the place.  


• No Cox and Hopkins is 3rd string RB. 


• Odoms is 3rd string at WR.  Gallon has leaped over a guy with experience.  Could be due to injury?


• SDE is a fight between two walk on's.


• Thomas Gordon beat out Carvin Johnson at SS


• Blake Countess beat out G.Brown who was on the team in the Spring.   Which is impressive.


• The reported battle between Avery and Floyd continues at CB


• WLB seems very un-settled to me


• The "or" in the punting and kicking game scares me

Thoughts.................

Michigan Monday: Gives 2nd Hand Scrimmage Updates

This past Saturday marked two weeks before the start of the season.  Which also meant a full contact scrimmage for the Wolverines.   This scrimmage will go a long way of creating the two deep for the Western Michigan game.  

Before we get into some of 2nd hand reports from the scrimmage, here are a couple of things I would like to give me two cents on. 

- Greg Mattison Defense:  One thing I think that hurt the Michigan Defense last year was the inability to play multiple players at the same position.  This year, I think Michigan will have more opportunities for players to sub back and forth.   For example, there is a ton of buzz around walk-on Nathan Brink taking over for Big Will Campbell.  We should not get too worried about who starts over who because I expect a lot of players to play and a ton of subs to keep players fresh.  Another example is Kovas and Marvin Robinson.  Want another? Thomas Gordon and Carvin Johnson.    So everyone that might be worried about these positions battles, don't because having a number of guys that can play is a good thing. 

I expect the locks to start on Defense are: Kenny Demens, Mike Martin, Troy Woolfolk, Ryan Van Bergen, Jordan Kovacs and Craig Roh.

The below buzz is from message boards and other Michigan sites on folks that saw the scrimmage.   I made sure I heard it from more then one source before it made the below list.  So take everything below with a grain of salt.

Scrimmage Buzz:

• Running Backs:  Michael Shaw and Fitz Toussaint had good days.  Fitz was said to be very impressive.


• Both Denard and Devin did well, made some mistakes but both had a good day.  (BTW: Isn't it nice to have a clear starter this year?  Haven't felt this way since Henne was on the team)


• There continues to be a lot of hype for Jeremy Gallon at WR.  Which is great to hear!


• It seems true freshman Desmond Morgan is getting a look at some playing time at LB.


• Buzz around Van Bergen moving to DT and Brink going to DE.


• Kenny Demens could be the star of this defense.


• Matt Wile is looking great at kicking field goals.   Let's hope that translates to the game.  


• Tackling was better and the defense brings a ton of people to the ball.


• Desmond Howard thought Denard looked faster.  (For those that listened to my offensive preview on the Michigan Man podcast, this is exactly what I mean.  Denard is much more dangerous if you don't know when he is going to run.  Last year, he threw the ball on passing plays and ran the ball on running plays.   If you are an opposing LB, what are you going to do when Denard drops back to pass and decides to run? )


• JT Floyd played well against the run (could be a battle between JT and Courtney Avery at the other CB position)

If you have heard other "highlights" please put them in the comments field so we can share them with all the Big House Blog Inmates. 

Today is the "last call" for the Next Two Recruits T-Shirt Contest. 

CTK Day 15: Talking WR's and The O Line

Weekend Wolverine: What Happened to the Class of 2009 Quarterbacks?

Jump into the time machine with me for a minute. I know it's not a great time so we won't stay there too long.  

Michigan was coming off the disaster that was the 2008 season where we had two quarterbacks that didn't fit RR's offense and it looked like it. Watching Threet trying to run the spread option was tough to watch, so was watching Sheridan trying to hit open receivers.

Michigan could offer the top rated QB's in the country (2009 class) immediate playing time. Which was a strong selling point for them to come to Ann Arbor. 5 star Kevin Newsome attended the Michigan Spring Game at Saline High School and decided he wanted to be a Wolverine. Shortly after that Shavodrick Beaver a 4 star QB said he was coming to Ann Arbor as well.

Both held true to their commitment for a few months and then both jumped to other schools. Newsome picked Penn State and Beaver Tulsa. Which sent the Michigan coaches scrambling to fill the QB void now in the class. Tate Forcier who was very high on the Wolverines jumped on board, which still left one open spot as signing day approached.

Michigan did get a QB commitment on signing day that year and it happened to be Denard Robinson.

Now jump back out of the time machine to current time:

•  Tate Focier was thrown out of school at Michigan due to academics after a long search has settled at San Jose State in the WAC.

• Shavodrick Beaver just left Tulsa for Midwestern State due to academics and playing time.

• Kevin Newsome just announced he is planning to transfer from Penn State after trying to do so after last season.

• Denard Robinson is going into his Junior year after playing two years for the Wolverines (1 as a starter). He was briefly a Heisman Trophy candidate last year and won the Big Ten MVP award in 2010. He also set the 1 year NCAA record for rushing yardage from a QB.

The last guy Michigan picked up that year turns out to be the best all around kid. The guy that most schools wanted to play CB instead of QB. Well Done Denard!

Michigan Thursday: 2012 Recruiting Starting to Get Clearer

Indianapolis 4 star DT Sheldon Day was high on Michigan early on in his recruitment.  Many thought he was primed for a commit, he delayed and Michigan continued to recruit him and other players.  Sheldon picked Notre Dame yesterday.   So he is officially off the board and now it's pretty clear it's Pipkins and O'Brien or bust at DT. 
The recruitment of Jordan Diamond is starting to take a different turn.  The longer his recruitment plays out the less and less a chance Jordan becomes a Wolverine.  Jordan's high school program prefers their kids don't commit early to any school, so they can continue to get more "exposure" for the program and other players on the team. Jordan is a 5 star player so he will have a number or options if Michigan's class fills up.  With 5 offensive lineman in this class and still a number of 5 star guys still considering Michigan, I am guessing Michigan is not pushing this recruitment as there were 3 months ago. 

Like I mentioned yesterday, Michigan re-opened it's recruitment of 4 star athlete/DB Armani Reeves, this could be the result of Terry Richardson taking visits or Michigan still wanting one more athlete in this class.

The recruitment of the Cincinnati teammates Dwayne Stanford and Adolphus Washington seems to be stalled.  Stanford has LSU #1 and many believe Washington will eventually head to Ohio State.

2013 RB/DB prospect  Dymonte Thomas tells his cousin Bri'onte Dunn on Facebook that if he (Dunn) signs with Michigan he will commit.

Ondre Pipkins tells Sam Webb after the BBQ:  "It was so fun, lots of fun meeting the recruits and seeing the Big House for the first time" 

"Seeing Michigan was way better then I expected"

His time table for a decision is still after the football season.

If I had to guess on Michigan's priority list for the next 5 spots, here is what I predict:

1. Ondre Pipkins
2. Danny O'Brien
3. WR (Payton or Darboh)
4. WR (Powe, Chesson, Madris)
5. OL, RB, DB  (Diamond, Dunn, Reeves, Morgan)

I think Michigan wants both Pipkins and O'Brien on the defensive line.  I also believe they want to take 2 WR's and they are recruiting 5 guys pretty hard.   Then I think the last spot could go a number of ways, if Dunn wants to come to Michigan it's his. Or there still could be a spot for Diamond or another 5/4 star OL that still list Michigan (Peat, Garnett, Banner or Bisnowaty).  

My gut is telling me the commit train could be slowing down with only a few spots left.  The only position Michigan could see a run on commits is WR, because there is some pressure to get at least one guy in and then we would see who would follow.

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 Tuesday: Thinks About the 2011 Class

With all the fan fare around the 2012 class which is shaping up to be one of the best in the country, we start to forget about the 2011 class that is either on campus already and will be there shortly.  

Here is my take on who from that class might contribute this year:

Best Chance:

• CB Greg Brown: The biggest reason is that he has been enrolled since January and preformed well in the Spring Game.  He has a shot to get on the field early and mostly if Michigan's DB's are not 100% healthy at the start of the season.  Also look for him in Nickel formations.

• Kicker Matt Wile:  The job is his if he kicks well in Fall Camp.  This is a similar situation to last year when Punter Will Hagerup got to campus. 

Outside Chance:

If your not going to contribute on offense or defense, it's hard to blow a redshirt on a guy just playing special teams.   Here are some guys that have a chance to contribute if they preform well or there are injuries ahead of them on the depth chart.

• CB Blake Countness: He was highly rated and if he is that good he could see the field pretty early.  Though we saw Cullen Christian flame out and he was in a similar position.   So I would rather seem him redshirt if he can.

• RB Justice Hayes:  Will there be Justice in 2011?  Michigan's RB situation is a mess with no clear leader in the club house.  There are plenty of candidates but it there a Mike Hart?  Justice is a versatile running back and could play WR or return kicks as well.

• OLB Antiono Poole:  Many thought Poole was the best player in the Big 33 All Star game this summer.  If he is that good he could play right away.  Many said the same thing about Jibreel Black last summer and he got a lot of time at DE in 2010.

Probably a redshirt but could happen:

• TE Chris Barnett:  Seniors in front of him but if he is a play maker, count him in.
• DE Brennen Beyer: Could he move to FB?  He also played TE in high school.  I could see him in on 3rd down and catching some short routes for first downs from the FB position.
• DB Delonte Hollowell:  Injuries or poor play could get him in there.
• LB Desmond Morgan: Could also move to FB to play right away.
• RB Thomas Rawls: was supposed to be the steal of the Midwest and a talented young man.  The only reason he was 3 stars was because he had some academic issues.  He qualified and could he be the next Mike Hart? 

I think the rest of the class is pretty much guaranteed to redshirt.  Did I miss anyone you think will contribute in this year?

Michigan Monday: OSU Finds Winning and Taking a Blind Eye Acceptable

A report from ESPN over the weekend made me laugh.  The highlight of the article is that back in 2005-06 former OSU AD called Tressel reporting of violations as "unacceptable".

In an evaluation of Tressel's job performance from 2005-06, then-athletic director Andy Geiger rated Tressel "unacceptable" in terms of self-reporting rules violations in a timely manner. The coach was also warned in a separate letter that he and his staff needed to do a better job of monitoring the cars the players were driving -- an issue that would arise again this spring.

What is interesting is this is following the Maurice Clarett situation and I had heard some whispers that former AD Andy Geiger and Jim Tressel were going to resign following this scandal.  The evaluation of Tressel's job performance was clearly an attempt by Geiger to protect himself.   Which didn't work because Geiger was asked to resign, Clarett was made out to be crazy and Tressel went on winning Big Ten Championships.  

This also proves my point that Ohio State knew they were "dancing with the devil" when they hired Tressel from Youngstown State.  The second point which the NCAA will use next month, is that Ohio State knew for a long time that Tressel "over looked' compliance issues and will get hit much harder then vacating their 2010 season. 

Ohio State fans find it hard to believe that Tressel was dirty and are putting the entire blame on Pryor.   As more of these stories come out, they more they are going to have proof that "the Vest" was protraying one thing and doing another. 

• Michigan has offered 2012 WR from Cincinnati Monty Madaris (6-2, 190) who is 3 stars to Rivals and 4 stars from Scouts.  He has offers from Nebraska, MSU, Florida State,Cincy, BC and others.  This is a clear sign that Michigan is concerned about Stanford's timeline and Burbridge's grades. 

• Speaking of WR's in 2012 class, mega recruit Jordan Payton will visit Ann Arbor for the ND game. 

• RJS has decided not to take any other visits and he reconfirmed his strong commitment to Michigan.  Great decision!

• 5 star RB from Ohio Bri'onte Dunn is considering making up for the BBQ at the Big House later this month.

Michigan Tuesday: Thinks the ESPN Kyle Kalis Story is Pretty Funny

We all know that ESPN isn't the greatest recruiting service out there.  They have been doing it for a few years, while Rivals and Scouts have been doing it for much longer.   The Kyle Kalis story has been a topic on SportsCenter and even on ESPN Radio the last couple of days. 

The premise of the story is the Kyle Kalis of course switched from OSU to Michigan and that he was OSU's only top 150 recruit.  ESPN has him ranked #140 overall.  Rivals has him ranked #18, Scouts #21 and new service 24/7 #52.  That is a pretty big difference.   ESPN has him as a mid 4 star and Scouts a 5 star and Rivals and 24/7 a high 4 star. 

The other thing on ESPN making news was this quote by Kyle:  "I believe the Michigan-Ohio border is now open. I think you're going to see eight or nine guys from the state of Ohio going over to Michigan this year."

ESPN's take is that many more Ohio players will now be going to play in Ann Arbor.  Really?  Maybe they should have looked at who is committed already, because there are 9 players from Ohio committed to playing for the Wolverines in the 2012 class. Many of these guys are 4 star players to Rivals and Scouts but since they don't hit ESPN's radar I guess they aren't news worthy.
 

• Some had wondered if Jeremy Clark would keep his gray shirt commitment if Jarrod Wilson picked the Wolverines.  Jarrod did and Jeremy is still staying committed, which is pretty cool.  If Jeremy's stock rises during his senior year and he gets more BCS offers, I expect he might go elsewhere, which makes a lot of sense.  If he really wants to come to Ann Arbor, we would love to have him.  Either way it's pretty cool that Jeremy wants to be a Wolverine so bad.

• Danny O'Brien will be working out at Tennessee's camp next week.

• Big Al on the new Michigan offense:  "What we're trying to do as we go is take the next step, understanding what we want in the offense, and his skills are going to be explored," said Borges. "We're probably going to run the quarterback more than I ever have because he is so talented we have to explore that option, but then develop other parts of his game. Because he wants to be a next level player, he's been very receptive.
  
  
  "So much of what they've done in the past has been based on Denard's ability to run. He would pull up and then kind of play-pass underneath, or throw the ball down the seams. They kill people with that stuff. They managed their play-pass stuff around his running style, and we will do some of that also."

Michigan Monday: Bookends the Weekend with 2 Big Commits

Friday started it off with the commitment of 4 star safety Jarrod Wilson and ended on Sunday with the commitment of 5 star offensive tackle Kyle Kalis.   That's 2 highly rated Ohio prospects in one weekend with a combined total of 9 stars from Scouts.  

For those keeping score at home, out of the 19 commits for the 2012 class so far, 9 are from Ohio and 7 from the State of Michigan.  Brady Hoke and Staff are taking care of home turf while OSU works out their situation with the NCAA. 

With 19 guys locked in (20 if count the Jeremy Clark a Gray Shirt commit), the big question is who will fill out the last 6-7 spots left?  The coaches are telling recruits they will take 26 guys even though a full class is 25 and many believe there only to be 20 or so spots open.  Which means there are a few guys expected not to get a 5th year or need a medical scholarship.   I expect the 26 spots could include Jeremy Clark.

If I were in the Hoke Recruiting Room, here is my best guess on how they would like to finish off this class!

• 2 Defensive Tackles:  Best Guess:  Pipkins and O'Brien
• 1 RB:  TBD
• 1 WR: Best Guess: Stanford or Burbridge
• 2 DE: Best Guess: Washington and Wormley
• 1 OL: Best Guess: Diamond

I listed 7 players for 6 spots, which means timing on commitments are very important.   The coaches are telling players they will only take one DT, but I believe they will take 2.  They also want Washington and Wormley, even though they have plenty of defensive ends in this class.  The odd position out, could be running back as Bri'onte Dunn seems to be strong with Ohio State if their self imposed penalty is not increased by the NCAA. 

Either way it seems Michigan might have most of its class wrapped before the season starts.  Max Preps now lists Michigan with the #1 class in the country. 

The BBQ at the Big House is scheduled for July 31st and many commits will be on hand to get to know each other.  Some 2013 guys will also be there. TomVH list the guys scheduled to be there.

Michigan Sunday: Welcomes Kyle Kalis

Kyle Kalis just did a reverse Justin Boren.  The 5 star (Scouts) offensive lineman from Cleveland who originally had given his pledge to Ohio State then de-committed after Tattoo Gate has committed to the Wolverines as thier 19th verbal commitment for the 2012 class.

This is a huge pick up for the Wolverines.  Kyle is 5 stars to Scouts and 4 stars to Rivals as their #4 offensive tackle and #18th prospect overall nationally.   Kyle comes in at 6'5 300 pounds and is considered one of the best prospects in Ohio/Midwest.  Kyle has offers from pretty much every major school in the Midwest and South including Alabama, Florida, LSU, Wisconsin, Penn State, ND, Miami and others.

Kyle joins an impressive group of commits on the offensive line for the Wolverines for the 2012 class including;  4 star Blake Bars, 3 star Ben Braden, 3 star guard/center Caleb Stacey and 4 star Erik Magnuson.

Now the big question is who will fill the last offensive line spot in this class?   5 star Jordan Diamond seems to be the likely choice, but could guys like Zach Banner, Joshua Garnett, or Andrus Peat beat Jordan to the commit?  Peat has been to Ann Arbor already but Banner and Garnett are not expected to visit until Michigan starts their season. 

Either way this class if filling up fast with two high profile guys committing this weekend.  I sure hope Jordan Diamond and Chris Wormley don't wait too long. 

Wolverine Weekend Update: 5 Star O Linemen to Visit A2 on Sunday

The rumor mill is swirling that 5 star Offensive Lineman Kyle Kailis is expected to make a return visit to Ann Arbor with his mom on Sunday.  Could he commit after his visit?

That remains an open question, but it's a very good sign he is back in Ann Arbor after his first trip a couple weeks ago.  This former OSU commit would be a huge recruiting win for the Wolverines. 

More to come on KK, so stay tuned

Wolverine Thursday: 2012 WR Recruiting

One of the spots that Michigan would like to add some depth in for the 2012 class is Wide Receiver.   Darryl Stonum's status with the team is fuzzy at best, Hemingway is a senior and Roy Roundtree is a junior.  There is room for 1 WR in this class and here are a few names to keep an eye on:

• Instate 4 star WR Aaron Burbridge who plays for Farmington Hills Harrison which historically has been an MSU feeder school but the Wolverines have already gotten verbal commits from Harrison teammates Devin Funchess and Mario Ojemudia in this class.  Could Aaron be the Harrison Hat Trick?  Aaron has visited A2 a number of times and there are some concerns/rumblings about his grades and if he has a commit-able offer from the Wolverines.  Could be one of those deals where if he gets his GPA up and a qualifying test score he will have an offer.

•  Dwayne Stanford from Cincinnati is another 4 star kid that has been rumored to be visiting Ann Arbor with his teammate Aldouphs Washington for a few weekends this summer already.  Neither Stanford or Washington has made it North on 75 yet but they both are keeping Michigan in their top group.  Aldouphs is having a hard time scheduling visits because of his AAU basketball schedule and it seems he and Dwayne would like to visit together.

• The latest name to get Wolverines fans excited is 4 star prospect from California, Jordan Payton who just de-committed from USC a couple of days ago.  Michigan seems to be running for his services and he hopes to make it out to Ann Arbor for a visit this summer.   This would be a great pick up for the Wolverines but we all know the disclaimer on West Coast kids coming to the Big Ten. 

Other names you might have heard of;

-Avery Johnson (no not that Avery Johnson) picked LSU.
-Durron Neal picked Oklahoma.
-5 star WR Dorial Green-Beckham.
-5 star WR Stefon Diggs.

As you can see with just one spot the Wolverine coaches are just focusing on top prospects.   If I had to guess, the best race for this spot maybe between Mr. Burbridge and a few text books.  I think a few names above would like to see first hand how Al Borgus uses WR's in the new Michigan offense.  Which is a pretty fair request.   Having Shane Morris locked up next year and 3 years of Devin Gardner doesn't hurt either.  This recruitment might go right down to signing day.

• Dee Hart just tore his ACL and is out for the season at Alabama. 
• Danny O'Brien says that Tennessee and Michigan will be there to the end in his recruitment.
• Don't forget that Jarrod Wilson has his announcement scheduled for tomorrow.  It's between Michigan, ND and Penn State.  I think Michigan is the favorite but look out for Penn State.  ND already has like 20 safeties in this class already.  

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!