Okay, I have been waiting for Rich Rodriguez to make a splash in recruiting for two years.

All he has produced is Michael Shaw, who will be a solid contributor next season, and Tate Forcier, who is a virtual lock as the starting signal-caller.

OK, so now you understand exactly how stupid “analysis” on the internet can be. Last year alone Rodriguez landed the following: Martavious Odoms (led the team in receptions and receiving yards as a true freshman), Brandon Smith (expected to start at strong safety as a redshirt freshman, and would have played last year if he hadn’t had an appendectomy shortly before the season began), Terrence Robinson (expected to start at slot receiver as a redshirt freshman, and would have gotten serious playing time last year save a preseason injury), Patrick Omameh (an offensive lineman from Columbus who picked the Wolverines over Ohio State), Ricky Barnum (a former Florida commitment who is expected to start along the offensive line as a redshirt freshman). He landed several other players as well, but those are the highlights of his first recruiting class.

His second class? Michigan is currently ranked #8 in the nation by Rivals.com, #13 by Scout.com, with plenty of scholarships (as many as 8) still to hand out.

And I can’t pass up this gem:

Sam McGuffie would have been as good as Jacob Hester was his junior year at LSU. to Carlos Brown may not even get used at all as a feature back under the new regime.

Yes, speed back Sam McGuffie was exactly the same type of player as NFL fullback Jacob Hester. Carlos Brown was injured this entire year (like his entire career thus far), and got a chance to star against Northwestern. If you ever run across Joel Bradley on the street, please inflict as much physical harm on him as possible. Some people shouldn’t be allowed on the internet, much less given a platform to spew their idiocy. There is s ton more stupid in the article if you’re interested in torturing yourself.

Mr. Bradley, thy name is FAIL.

The first-draft Scout 100 for 2010 has been released. Obviously it will change a ton even before signing day, but certainly by the time any of these guys sign anywhere. For now, it’s just a helpful way to see who some prospects might be (of course, remember some of these guys will completely disappear, and some will merely be replaced by other guys).

Recent indications have been that 2009 OL Quinton Washington might be leaning to Michigan. Might he now be looking towards South Carolina as his favorite? I’m not familiar with the source, so take that FWIW. At least he’s not claiming a favorite.

From the same article:
MN WR Bryce McNeal’s decision will be announced at the Army game. Obviously, I wouldn’t expect said decision to be for Michigan. SC DE Sam Montgomery’s official visit will be some time in January, and FL CB Jayron Hosley’s will be January 17th.

Not that I ever though Michigan had a chance with him, but maybe things are less dire than it seems with 2009 AL CB Dre Kirkpatrick? Michigan has been out to visit him, and it sounds like there might be a chance he’ll return the favor to Ann Arbor.

2009 FL K Commit Brendan Gibbons’s high school coach is retiring, and there is one item of note:

He coached 29 All-State players and three All-Americans (Davey Ford, 1996; Abram Elam, 1999; and Brendan Gibbons, 2008), and 11 of his former players are playing college football.

Cardinal Newman is not much of a huge pipeline, for what it’s worth. Hooray Brendan, though.

Scouting report on 2010 TX QB Aaron Johnson, including season stats:

Quarterback Aaron Johnson is only 82 yards away from topping the 1,000-yard mark [rushing] for the season… The Lobos can throw; Johnson has passed for 1,505 yards and 15 TDs, but has been intercepted seven times.

So, he’s productive, but perhaps not as accurate as one might hope? Take from it what you will. Also, in today’s “non-relevant information” department, take a look at the weightlifting facility of Lake Travis, the team Longview will be playing this weekend. Yes, that is a high school. Also, here are some highlights of last week’s Longview game.

Want some fluff on 2010 FL WR/S Eric Dungy? It’s your lucky day! Standard “he doesn’t have an ego despite having an NFL coach for a dad” stuff.

Removed 2010 OH LB/DE Jamel Turner. He has committed to Ohio State, giving them a good start for a second consecutive year.

Another recruiting post will be coming within a couple days, because there’s a lot more information to share.

Moved to Committed:
2009 MI WR Cameron Gordon. Commit article.
2009 AZ OL Taylor Lewan.

Moved from Committed:
2009 IN LB Jordan Barnes. From the sounds of it, he isn’t going to give Michigan a ton of consideration going forward after his decommit. He has been removed from the board.

Also removed from the board: 2009 VA QB Kevin Newsome, who has committed to Penn State.

Added to the 2010 recruiting board: AL WR BJ Chitty, a recent Auburn decommit (audio)

Might 2010 FL RB Corvin Lamb be favoring FIU?:

The kid you’re thinking about, Northwestern High’s Corvin Lamb, a junior, who has not committed to FIU just yet.

Uh, what? If FIU were to land this kid (likely a top-100 type), it would be something of a major coup. I guess stranger things have happened, so be on the lookout. However, other sources indicate he’s a big Florida fan. That makes a little more sense, considering it’s not crazy.

2009 OH S Commit Isaiah Bell will likely end up at linebacker at Michigan (info in header). Obviously, this stems from what the coaches have told him is his likely position here, though I guess that could theoretically mean a bandit-type position if there is indeed a coordinator change.

Among those visiting Florida last weekend was 2009 MD LB Jelani Jenkins. Michigan is in the mix to get one of his remaining official visits. Word on the street, however, is that he’s all but committed to the Gators, with Penn State as the only likely challenger remaining.

2009 JC DE Pernell McPhee enjoyed his official visit. So much, that he has now proclaimed he favors UM over Miss State. Oddly for a kid from Florida (via Mississippi), he likes the cold and snow, and he also enjoyed himself at the hoops game. He’s still nominally committed to Mississippi State, so he remains off the board for now, but UM might be right in this one. The JC signing period started yesterday, and he has not signed an LOI anywhere.

New offers? New offers:

“Michigan assistant coach Jay Hopson was in Coushatta, La., recently to check out one of the Bayou State’s top rising prospects – Red River defensive end Bennie Logan. After U-M’s evaluation, Logan had an offer from Michigan. Assistant coaches also extended offers to Tallahassee (Fla.) FAMU defensive end Alex Williams and Lancaster, Texas, cornerback Demontre Hurst on recent visits to their schools.”

Logan had already been added to the board. Williams will be added, and Hurst re-added after he was on it briefly earlier this year.

2010 FL LB Anthony Hamm really, really likes Florida. He’s now teetering on the edge of removal, and it sounds like he’ll commit to the Gators soon anyway.

Want to know who else sounds like a lost cause? 2010 Pahokee DT Doral Willis. When an article is entitled “I Would Commit to Miami on the Spot,” he’s pretty much a done deal, assuming the ‘Canes offer. I’ll leave him on the board for now, in case they don’t.

We have put together a page on each current 2009 commit and pulled information from the recruiting board, recruiting updates and Friday Night Lights posts.  Now almost all the information Varsity Blue has on a particular commit is in one place where readers can comment and discuss (and share video highlights, news stories, etc).

The page can be found here as well as in the Quick Links box at the top of the page.

Recruiting Notes
Lewan was unknown early in the recruiting season, but a solid senior year at a new position and a new school has given him the ability to pick from a virtual who’s-who of colleges. Michigan offered him after the first few games of his final high school campaign, and when they landed Craig Roh, it greatly increased their chances to land Taylor. However, Lewan’s father is a native Minnesotan, and attended the University in St. Paul. Because of his father’s roots, Lewan has described himself as a displaced midwesterner. After a Minnesota visit, Lewan maintained that he would still take trips to Michigan and Oregon before making his decision. Taylor visited Ann Arbor the weekend of December 13th, and attended Michigan’s basketball victory against Eastern Michigan. Shortly thereafter, he told Rich Rodriguez that he wished to be a Michigan Wolverine, and committed to the Maize and Blue.

Player Notes
In his junior year, Taylor Lewan was a little-known defensive end prospect from Cactus Shadows High School in Scottsdale, Arizona. A transfer to Chaparral High School (a more successful program) and a move to the offensive tackle position (at which he is a better physical fit) gave Lewan a new lease on football life. He has become one of the fastes-rising prospects in the country over the course of a few short months. Lewan is a true offensive tackle, and a four-star prospect to both recruiting sites. He plays with an edge to his game that sets him apart from other offensive linemen. New teammate Craig Roh had a mutually-beneficial relationship on the practice field with Lewan, and the pair helped each other improve. Roh has described Lewan as a gym rat that won’t be outworked by anyone. Roh and Lewan also faced

Video
Junior Film

New Rankings:

#1 Ohio State – 24 commits
LB	*****	Dorian Bell
RB	****	Jaamal Berry
DE	****	Melvin Fellows
CB	****	CJ Barnett
WR	****	James Jackson
MLB	****	Storm Klein
MLB	****	Jordan Whiting
RB	****	Jordan Hall
OG	****	Corey Linsley
OT	****	Jack Mewhort
S	****	Jamie Wood
WR	****	Justin Green
RB	****	Carlos Hyde
CB	****	Corey Brown
WR	****	Chris Fields
CB	****	Dominic Clarke
WR	***	Duron Carter
DE	***	Jonathan Newsome
TE	***	Reid Fragel
DT	***	Adam Bellamy
FB	***	Adam Homan
LB	***	Zach Boren
OL	***	Sam Longo
DT	***	Johnny Simon

#2 Michigan – 21 commits
CB	****	Justin Turner
QB	****	Tate Forcier
QB	****	Shavodrick Beaver
RB	****	Fitzgerald Toussaint
S	****	Vladimir Emilien
WR	****	Jeremy Gallon
OL	****	Michael Schofield
DT	****	DeQuinta Jones
DE	****	Anthony LaLota
DE	****	Craig Roh
DT	****	Pearlie Graves
WR	****	Cameron Gordon
S	***	Isaiah Bell
WR	***	DeWayne Peace
RB	***	Teric Jones
LB	***	Jordan Barnes
S	***	Mike Jones
LB	***	Brandin Hawthorne
RB	***	Vincent Smith
S	***	Thomas Gordon
K	**	Brendan Gibbons

#3 Notre Dame – 18 commits
RB	*****	Cierre Wood
WR	****	Shaquelle Evans
OL	****	Chris Watt
RB	****	Theo Riddick
DT	****	Tyler Stockton
OL	****	Alex Bullard
CB	****	Marlon Pollard
LB	****	Dan Fox
OL	****	Zach Martin
LB	****	Zeke Motta
S	***	Nyshier Oliver
S	***	EJ Banks
TE	***	Tyler Eifert
MLB	***	Carlo Calabrese
P	***	Ben Turk
K	**	Nicholas Tausch
TE	**	Jake Golic
OL	*	Jordan Cowart

#4 Michigan State – 17 commits
RB	****	Edwin Baker
RB	****	Larry Caper
SLB	****	Chris Norman
OL	****	David Barrent
WR	****	Donald Spencer
DT	****	Blake Treadwell
QB	****	Andrew Maxwell
OL	****	Nate Klatt
WR	***	Dana Dixon
LB	***	Tyquan Hammock
OL	***	Micajah Reynolds
WR	***	Patrick White
DE	***	Dan France
LB	***	Denicos Allen
WR	***	Bennie Fowler
TE	**	Derek Hoebing
DE	*	Corey Freeman

#5 Illinois – 16 commits
WR	****	Kraig Appleton
DT	****	Lendell Buckner
OT	****	Leon Hill
QB	****	Nathan Scheelhaase
RB	****	Bud Golden
WR	****	Terry Hawthorne
DE	****	Craig Drummond
OL	***	Andrew Carter
FB	***	Greg Fuller
OL	***	Hugh Thornton
DT	***	Tank Carradine
WR	***	Steve Hull
S	**	Tommie Hopkins
CB	**	Joelil Thrash
OL	**	Jake Feldmeyer
LB	**	Darryl Lee

#6 Penn State – 20 commits
OT	****	Eric Shrive
CB	****	Darrell Givens
DE	****	Sean Stanley
S	****	Derrick Thomas
S	***	Stephen Obeng-Agyapong
S	***	Malcolm Willis
C	***	Ty Howle
CB	***	Stephon Morris
WR	***	Brandon Felder
OT	***	Adam Gress
OL	***	Nate Cadogan
RB	***	Curtis Dukes
LB	***	Glenn Carson
ATH	***	Devon Smith
K	***	Anthony Fera
QB	**	Curtis Drake
OG	**	Frank Figueroa
WR	**	Christian Kuntz
OT	**	Mark Arcidiacono
DE	**	Garry Gilliam

#7 Wisconsin – 17 commits
DT	****	Jared Kohout
DE	****	Shelby Harris
DE	****	David Gilbert
RB	****	Montee Ball
LB	***	Conor O’Neill
DE	***	Tyler Dippel
OG	***	Ryan Groy
QB	***	Jon Budmayr
OT	***	Zac Matthias
TE	***	Brian Wozniak
MLB	***	Chris Borland
OL	***	Travis Frederick
LB	***	AJ Fenton
WR	***	Jeff Duckworth
OL	**	Casey Dehn
S	**	Jason Peprah
CB	**	Darius Thomas

#8 Minnesota – 15 commits
RB	****	Hasan Lipscomb
WR	****	Hayo Carpenter
QB	***	Moses Alipate
C	***	Ed Olsen
OT	***	Josh Campion
WR	***	Victor Keise
OL	***	Brooks Michel
LB	***	Kendell Gregory-McGhee
DB	***	Kerry Lewis
TE	***	Ra’Shede Hageman
DT	***	Joey Searcy
DE	***	Matt Garin
CB	***	Daryl Robinson
DE	**	Nick Rengel
K	**	Dan Orseske

Up: Robinson (From 1)

Recruiting Notes
Gordon started the recruiting year as someone Michigan fans expected to likely end up in the Wolverines’ recruiting class. However, it certainly ended up taking significantly longer than they expected (although he had always planned to take his time with a decision). At the end of his junior year, he announced that he would be transferring from Melvindale High School to Inkster, where he would have a better opportunity to excel athletically. During the summer, he attended Michigan’s summer camp. The Wolverine coaches told him that they liked him more as a linebacker, and told him that he would receive an offer if he was willing to play at that position in college. With a noncommittal answer, Michigan’s offer took significantly longer to arrive than Gordon would have otherwise liked. When he finally received his offer in November, Gordon took a visit to Iowa, who had been on him all along. However, the allure of the Michigan offer was too much to pass up, and he committed to Michigan today.

Player Notes
Gordon is a big, physical receiver, with large measurables for the position. He lacks elite speed, but is able to beat defenders, using his body well and catching it at the highest point with his biug hands. However, Michigan fans liked the physical play he could bring to a linebacker position at the next level. It will be interesting to see whether he remains at receiver when he gets to the next level, or at least be open to a potential position switch.

Etc.
This year, Gordon was catching passes thrown by 2010 dual-threat quarterback prospect Devin Gardner, who is certainly one of the top targets on Michigan’s recruiting board. Securing a commitment from Gordon should go a long way to helping Michigan land his teammate in the next recruiting class.

2010 OH TE Greg Gainey has transferred from Trotwood-Madison to Thurgood Marshall. Without the pipeline advantage, and at a position of little need, will he remain a Michigan target? He stays on the board for now, but he’s a candidate for removal.

2010 PA DE Dakota Royer was picked to his All-conference team on offense and defense. Stats? Stats.

56 catches for 1,099 yards (20 yards per grab) and five TDs. 132 tackles, 11 sacks.

He has offers from Penn State, Pitt, Stanford, and Maryland at this point.

Want some fluff on 2010 IL QB Detchauz Wray? It’s your lucky day!

Junior quarterback Detchauz Wray completed 133 of 228 passes (58.3 percent) this season for 2,564 yards and 38 touchdowns while throwing only five turnovers. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound signal caller also rushed for 260 yards and five touchdowns…

Wray’s impressive numbers have gained the attention of several Division I programs. The Flyers’ standout has already received offers from Arizona and Kansas State, Sunkett said. Illinois and Kansas have also shown Wray interest.

Sunkett said East St. Louis’ offense doesn’t call for the quarterback to run often but that Wray has the ability to be a dual threat. However, Wray’s stature may force him to change positions, possibly wide receiver or cornerback, at the next level.

For now, he’ll remain at QB on the board, but he is a definite position-change candidate down the road.

Though Minnesota recently lost their OL coach, the new hire has already hit the road to recruit a few UM prospects:

Meanwhile, new Gophers running game coordinator-offensive line coach Tim Davis, who left No. 1 Alabama last week for Minnesota, spent Monday, his first day with the Gophers, in Phoenix recruiting 6-foot-6, 265-pound Taylor Lewan [2009], a nationally sought offensive lineman. Today, Davis plans to be at Cretin-Derham Hall, which has 6-8, 296-pound junior offensive lineman Seantrel Henderson [2010], who is among the country’s elite prep players.

Lewan is heading to Ann Arbor this weekend for his official visit. Other prospects on the docket include:
NC CB Josh Hunter (North Carolina Commit).
FL S/LB Commit Mike Jones.
FL K Commit Brendan Gibbons.
Speaking of Gibbons, he’s been selected to the Army All-American Bowl. He will be headed there instead of the ESPNU game, to which he was already committed.

From yesterday’s WTKA Recruiting Roundup with Sam Webb:

• Will Campbell enjoyed his Michigan official last weekend. Both parents want Will to go to Michigan, and have mentioned that recruiters have seemed… disingenuous… at some other schools, particularly in regards to treating Will’s mother like an annoyance.
• 2010 OH RB Erick Howard grew up liking Michigan, and the Wolverines would start at an advantage if he is recruited down the road.
• 2009 MI TE Dion Sims has eliminated Michigan. I knew he was never really going to end up here, and I’ve been saying (even when he was still on the table) that he doesn’t seem like a guy who likes football or has the necessary intensity to enjoy it in Rich Rodriguez’s program. It’s sad to lose another instate guy, but c’est la vie.

Another recruiting post sometime late this week or early next week.

Recruiting Boards:
2009 Class & 2010 Class.

In case you thought he didn’t recruit, The Freep’s Mark Snyder confirms that Rich Rodriguez has indeed been on the road:

Nonetheless, Michigan’s football coach has been covering the country as part of his recruiting plan. He said he started in Detroit, was in Chicago on Wednesday and will hit California, Texas, Florida and Ohio this month before he’s off the road.

You can guess who he’s visiting in each place. Snyder also reports that Rodriguez expects 8 early-enrolling recruits from the class of ‘09. Those would be Tate Forcier, Shavodrick Beaver, Vincent Smith, William Campbell if he re-commits, Anthony LaLota, Brandin Hawthorne, Mike Jones, and Vlad Emilien.

Added to the 2009 Board: LA DE Bennie Logan, who has been offered (info in header).
Added to the 2010 Board: NE DB Darius Evans. He grew up in Ohio and likes the Big Ten (info in header).

There’s been something of a minor inter-freakout among the Michigan fanbase over a comment posted by DandyDon.com about 2009 MI DT William Campbell.

As for William Campbell, I list him at 60-40 because he has told an LSU commitment more than once that he was going to sign with LSU.

Not to besmirch the honor of Dandy Don, but regardless of his source, I don’t think the information is correct. All reports on Campbell’s LSU visit have indicated he was less-than-enthused, and barring a sea-change in his sentiments, I think Michigan is still the leader, especially after he stormed the court following the hoops upset over Duke. Also storming the court after the upset over the Blue Devils? 2010 DE William Gholston, pictured below in the lovely purple T-Shirt, along with Brandon Graham in the black jacket.

2009 SC OL Quinton Washington. He’s receiving his in-home visits, including one from his Michigan recruiter. He’ll go on a couple visits of his own following his participation in the Shrine bowl.

Still (somewhat surprisingly, given the lack of information about him relating to Michigan) considering the Wolverines is 2009 GA CB Darren Myles. Michigan appears to be in his de facto top 6, along with Alabama, LSU, West Virginia, Purdue, and Georgia Tech.

2009 FL CB Jayron Hosley plans to take an official to Ann Arbor the weekend of January 16.

2009 MD LB Jelani Jenkins is a finalist for the high school edition of the Butkus Award. Other notable finalists: MSU Commit Chris Norman, OSU commit Dorian Bell, AL LB Tana Patrick.

Though I thought he was planning to make a commitment a couple weeks back, 2009 MD RB Tavon Austin now says he’ll wait until signing day. West Virginia is his current leader, followed by Maryland, UNC, and Michigan.

2010 OH OL Matt James. He has now been offered by Notre Dame (info in header). They seemed to be right in the thick of things before they offered, I’d now assume they are an early leader.

New Rankings:

#1 Ohio State – 24 commits
LB	*****	Dorian Bell
RB	****	Jaamal Berry
DE	****	Melvin Fellows
CB	****	CJ Barnett
WR	****	James Jackson
MLB	****	Storm Klein
MLB	****	Jordan Whiting
RB	****	Jordan Hall
OG	****	Corey Linsley
OT	****	Jack Mewhort
S	****	Jamie Wood
WR	****	Justin Green
RB	****	Carlos Hyde
CB	****	Corey Brown
WR	****	Chris Fields
CB	****	Dominic Clarke
WR	***	Duron Carter
DE	***	Jonathan Newsome
TE	***	Reid Fragel
DT	***	Adam Bellamy
FB	***	Adam Homan
LB	***	Zach Boren
OL	***	Sam Longo
DT	***	Johnny Simon

#2 Michigan – 20 commits
CB	****	Justin Turner
QB	****	Tate Forcier
QB	****	Shavodrick Beaver
RB	****	Fitzgerald Toussaint
S	****	Vladimir Emilien
WR	****	Jeremy Gallon
OL	****	Michael Schofield
DT	****	DeQuinta Jones
DE	****	Anthony LaLota
DE	****	Craig Roh
DT	****	Pearlie Graves
S	***	Isaiah Bell
WR	***	DeWayne Peace
RB	***	Teric Jones
LB	***	Jordan Barnes
S	***	Mike Jones
LB	***	Brandin Hawthorne
RB	***	Vincent Smith
S	***	Thomas Gordon
K	**	Brendan Gibbons

#3 Notre Dame – 17 commits
RB	*****	Cierre Wood
WR	****	Shaquelle Evans
OL	****	Chris Watt
RB	****	Theo Riddick
DT	****	Tyler Stockton
OL	****	Alex Bullard
CB	****	Marlon Pollard
LB	****	Dan Fox
OL	****	Zach Martin
LB	****	Zeke Motta
S	***	Nyshier Oliver
S	***	EJ Banks
TE	***	Tyler Eifert
MLB	***	Carlo Calabrese
P	***	Ben Turk
K	**	Nicholas Tausch
TE	**	Jake Golic

#4 Michigan State – 16 commits
RB	****	Edwin Baker
RB	****	Larry Caper
SLB	****	Chris Norman
OL	****	David Barrent
WR	****	Donald Spencer
DT	****	Blake Treadwell
QB	****	Andrew Maxwell
OL	****	Nate Klatt
WR	***	Dana Dixon
LB	***	Tyquan Hammock
OL	***	Micajah Reynolds
WR	***	Patrick White
DE	***	Dan France
LB	***	Denicos Allen
WR	***	Bennie Fowler
TE	**	Derek Hoebing

#5 Illinois – 16 commits
WR	****	Kraig Appleton
DT	****	Lendell Buckner
OT	****	Leon Hill
QB	****	Nathan Scheelhaase
RB	****	Bud Golden
WR	****	Terry Hawthorne
DE	****	Craig Drummond
OL	***	Andrew Carter
FB	***	Greg Fuller
OL	***	Hugh Thornton
DT	***	Tank Carradine
WR	***	Steve Hull
S	**	Tommie Hopkins
CB	**	Joelil Thrash
OL	**	Jake Feldmeyer
LB	**	Darryl Lee

#6 Penn State – 20 commits
OT	****	Eric Shrive
CB	****	Darrell Givens
DE	****	Sean Stanley
S	****	Derrick Thomas
S	***	Stephen Obeng-Agyapong
S	***	Malcolm Willis
C	***	Ty Howle
CB	***	Stephon Morris
WR	***	Brandon Felder
OT	***	Adam Gress
OL	***	Nate Cadogan
RB	***	Curtis Dukes
LB	***	Glenn Carson
ATH	***	Devon Smith
K	***	Anthony Fera
QB	**	Curtis Drake
OG	**	Frank Figueroa
WR	**	Christian Kuntz
OT	**	Mark Arcidiacono
DE	**	Garry Gilliam

#7 Wisconsin – 17 commits
DT	****	Jared Kohout
DE	****	Shelby Harris
DE	****	David Gilbert />
RB	****	Montee Ball
LB	***	Conor O’Neill
DE	***	Tyler Dippel
OG	***	Ryan Groy
QB	***	Jon Budmayr
OT	***	Zac Matthias
TE	***	Brian Wozniak
MLB	***	Chris Borland
OL	***	Travis Frederick
LB	***	AJ Fenton
WR	***	Jeff Duckworth
OL	**	Casey Dehn
S	**	Jason Peprah
CB	**	Darius Thomas

#8 Indiana – 16 commits
LB	****	Jeremy Gainer
QB	***	Edward Wright-Baker
DT	***	Adam Replogle
WR	***	Jamonne Chester
WR	***	Duwyce Wilson
OL	***	Charles Chapman
QB	***	Dustin Kiel
OL	***	Colin Rodkey
CB	***	Lawrence Barnett
K	***	Mitch Ewald
S	***	Nick Zachery
S	***	Demetrius Carr
S	***	Ted Bolser
OL	***	Pat McShane
S	***	Kenny Watkins
DE	**	Javon Cornley

#9 Minnesota – 15 commits
RB	****	Hasan Lipscomb
WR	****	Hayo Carpenter
QB	***	Moses Alipate
C	***	Ed Olsen
OT	***	Josh Campion
WR	***	Victor Keise
OL	***	Brooks Michel
LB	***	Kendell Gregory-McGhee
DB	***	Kerry Lewis
TE	***	Ra’Shede Hageman
DT	***	Joey Searcy
DE	***	Matt Garin
DE	**	Nick Rengel
K	**	Dan Orseske
CB	*	Daryl Robinson

#10 Northwestern – 15 commits
OL	****	Patrick Ward
QB	***	Evan Watkins
RB	***	Mike Trumpy
DE	***	Anthony Battle
LB	***	Will Studlien
OL	***	Taylor Paxton
DB	***	Davion Fleming
RB	***	Arby Fields
OL	**	Brian Smith
WR	**	Drew Moulton
LB	**	Tim Riley
LB	**	Tyler Scott
DE	**	John Plasencia
K	**	Jeff Budzein
S	*	Cooper Gerami

#11 Iowa – 12 commits
WR	****	Keenan Davis
RB	****	Brandon Wegher
WR	***	Jordan Cotton
FB	***	Brad Rogers
OL	**	Drew Clark
DT	**	Scott Covert
OL	**	Brett Van Sloten
TE	**	Anthony Schiavone
LB	**	Tyler Harrell
LB	**	Shane DiBona
LB	**	Martin Hopkins
CB	**	Joshua Brown

#12 Purdue – 12 commits
DT	***	Eric McDaniel
DE	***	Shayon Green
TE	***	Gabrison Holmes
WR	***	Xavier Reese
DT	**	Cody Davis
DE	**	Trevor Foy
S	**	Ishmael Aristide < /td>
WR	**	Gary Bush
QB	**	Rob Henry
WR	**	Josh Johnson
DT	**	Brandon Taylor
DB	*	Chris Quinn

]]> http://www.umvarsityblue.com/2008/12/big-ten-2009-recruiting-class-rankings-12-7-08/feed/ 3 http://www.umvarsityblue.com/2008/12/recruiting-update-8/ http://www.umvarsityblue.com/2008/12/recruiting-update-8/#comments Thu, 04 Dec 2008 19:30:00 +0000 Tim http://panel1382.wordpress.com/2008/12/04/recruiting-update-8/ The Boards: 2009 & 2010

2009 MI WR Cameron Gordon has received his offer (Sam Webb audio). I personally would like to see him end up in Ann Arbor, though Iowa should provide tough competition.

2009 NC OL Travis Bond has been added to the North Carolina squad for the Shrine Bowl.

How’s this for a non-update from 2009 FL DB Angelo Hadley? His top 4 remains unchanged, and he will visit Michigan in January.

As has been the case for some time now, Hadley, whom Rivals.com rates as a three-star prospect, is still considering four schools: Florida, Georgia, Michigan and North Carolina… Hadley has taken an official visit to UNC and will trip to Michigan in January.

Among his favorites, Florida has not offered, and he can’t set up an official until they do.

Class of 2009 visitors this weekend, courtesy of the Free Press and Sam Webb (audio):
December 6th:
Thomas Gordon
Teric Jones
Isaiah Bell
Fitzgerald Toussaint
Justin Turner
MI DT William Campbell
FL (via a JC in Mississippi) DE Pernell McPhee. The former Pahokee Blue Devil is a Mississippi State commit.
GA WR Jamal Patterson (Stanford commit).
PA WR Je’Ron Stokes (Tennessee commit). Canceled per Webb.

A bevy of information from the Chicago Sun-Times on 2010 prospects:

Loyola defensive end Chance Carter is giving up basketball to concentrate on football… To live up to his enormous potential, he must dedicate himself to football.

C.J. Fiedorowicz of Johnsburgh, a 6-7, 240-pounder with 4.5 speed, is a high-bred tight end in high school. That will be his position in college.

Christian Lombard of Fremd, at 6-6 and 285-pounds, is one of the best offensive linemen in the country. Colleges came in to evaluate him in the fall and bragged about him. He has great feet, is fundamentally sound, very mobile and makes few mistakes. He was offered by Iowa as a freshman. At last count, he had 29 offers.

Michigan is among those offers. He is one of the top OL targets in the 2010 class.

2010 OH LB Scott McVey seems to be blowing up a bit:

McVey certainly was among the best players on display during Ohio’s showcase weekend of six state finals. His was the grand finale.

McVey was in on six sacks – four of them solo sacks – and hounded Elder quarterback Mark Miller on numerous other plays. He was credited with eight total tackles, but the numbers do not begin to tell the story of the 6-1, 220-pounder from South Euclid who spends his spring running over hurdles instead of through linemen.

His stock is on the rise. Might he be able to garner an offer soon? He now has one from the Buckeyes (info in header).

Removed:
2009 GA LB Devekeyan Lattimore. He has a final 3 sans Michigan (info in header).
2009 GA S/QB Donavan Tate. Commits to North Carolina.

Though no BCS title game, if the Heisman comes down to a 2-man race (which it appears with Bradford and McCoy), do you think voters will vote the “I feel bad for Colt since his team got screwed” card?

I can’t really think of an instance where that sort of of logic has come into play. On the contrary, it seems like the Heisman winner typically comes from one of the teams playing for the national title. Of course, the BCS mess is as big as ever this year, and I also can’t think of a time where a team that got screwed to the degree that Texas is (in the eyes of some), all the while having a viable Heisman contender.

At this point, it appears that Sam Bradford’s performance in the Big 12 Championship Game will determine whether it is McCoy or Bradford who ends up with the stiff-arm trophy. Considering the quality of the defense the Sooners face (Missouri is 91st in total defense and 80th in pass efficiency D), I imagine Bradford will get the trophy.

An Anonymous commenter:

If Will Campbell does not enroll early at Michigan, can we take that as a non-commit?

He said he would enroll early and isn’t looking like he is going to… so we can assume he is not committing correct?

This question was actually answered pretty well by WLA-er chitownblue in the same comments thread:

Anon – it would likely mean that he hasn’t made his decision soon enough to enroll early. Nothing more. He never said “I’m going to enroll early, specifically at Michigan, and late if I go somewhere else”. The two (going to Michigan/enrolling early) are two unlinked decisions.

Campbell has stated his intention to enroll early at whichever school he picks. If there is no wind of his enrollment at Michigan by the time we would expect to know about this (and it would probably have to be fairly soon, as students are already registering for Winter semester classes), it shouldn’t be a big deal. The important question is whether it comes out that he is enrolling early at another school. If not, it just means that he won’t enroll early anywhere.

RJ says:

Looking at the video of Breaston in the NFL makes me think that we didn’t use his talents well enough at U of M. On offense Breaston, was never utilized the way that the Cardinals use him now. It seemed like most of the passes he caught were short.

The old staff tried to use Breaston as a deep threat, but they never managed to get him to catch the ball over his shoulder on the go route. He was used over the middle in his time at Michigan as well. Essentially (especially in 2006, where he was one of the most underappreciated members of the team), he played a slot role (with some combination of Edwards-Avant-Manningham-Arrington outside). He would be a great fit in the slot in the new offense as well, despite not being sub-6-foot. I shudder with excitement when I think how awesome it would have been to have him at QB in the current offense.

Griffin Fraley asks in the comments:

On your recruiting board for 2010, where did you come up with the projected star ratings for the players? I’m looking at this link: http://www.fvsports.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=372&ltemid=94

Just curious if you have any other top 2010 lists i can look at.

I started with that list, then added a bunch of other prospects from other sources, assuming most of them were going to end up in the 3-star range. As I’ve heard more about particular prospects, I’ve either promoted or downgraded their rankings. I have also used the Scout.com 2010 instate rankings and Florida 2010 rankings from SoFlaFootball and the Varsity Sports Media Magazine.

For the most part other than that, they’re wild-ass guesses from me.

Bob asks:

Does Michigan have an offer on the table for [Cameron] Gordon? On either side of the ball?

It’s been reported on the premium site that Gordon got offered sometime last week. Sam Webb confirmed it to the non-paying world on today’s WTKA recruiting roundup. This information will be included in the next recruiting update. Since Gordon has been insistent that he wants to play WR, I imagine they said he’d have a chance to contribute there, and switch positions if it didn’t work out.

Cameron Gordon
He won’t wow you with his speed, but I was surprised how good his hands were (especially after hearing they may be something of a liability). He was definitely Inkster’s go-to receiver, and made a few good plays and showed no fear going after the ball in traffic. Defensively, he showed that he can lay a pretty big hit, though he wasn’t a huge factor on that side of the ball. I still think that, if he wants to play receiver at the next level, whichever team he picks will see enough skill to give him a chance there.

Devin Gardner
Watching Gardner play, it’s really natural to think “wow, he should know better than to do that,” until you remember that the kid isn’t a Division-I player yet. Hell, he’s not even a high school senior. He showed good escapability and running skills, though he’s not the easy-strider that other big run-pass QBs (i.e. Vince Young or Terrelle Pryor) have been. At this point, he’s still improving as a passer, though I don’t think he was as bad as many people who had never seen him play before were expecting. Prepseer:

Gardner has blossomed into a 5 star recruit, in my opinion. I don’t kow what his actual Rivals rating is. As a Junior, he may not be rated yet. But, he has a number of BCS offers and I’m thinking he will be a 5 star when rated next year…

I predict he will commit before next season.

I’m not sure about his making a commitment that early (he seems like the type who will at least take a couple visits, if not wait until January or February to make a choice), but you have to like hearing good things like this about a definite Michigan target.

AJ Westendorp
Michigan fans have been talking about this kid a ton lately, thinking he might deserve a scholarship offer. After having the chance to watch him, I’m not sure he’s quite that good, but he’s the type of guy I’d love to have as a preferred walkon if he’s interested. He plays a similar offensive system to Michigan, with a zone-read option game and lots of horizontal passing. He is also a tough runner – he reminds me a lot of CMU’s Dan LeFevour in that respect. He could also throw well on the run. The biggest knock on him is his arm strength – he simply doesn’t have enough to earn D-I scholarship offers. Anything thrown past the line of scrimmage was thrown with a big loopy path, and the deep balls tended to look like ducks, and hung in the air for a long time. His strength actually reminded me a bit of Nick Sheridan, though his game was appreciably better in just about every other respect. Prepseer:

I don’t think he has great arm strength (something that could keep him at the Div. 2 level), but he is extremely accurate and he reads the coverage very well. Several times he would go to the third, even fourth receiver all while eluding the DCD pass rush.

He’s a smart player who would certainly warrant a scholarship if he had a much stronger arm. His coach used to be at Glades Central, and Rich Rodriguez has always recruited the muck hard. Maybe there’s a relationship there that could facilitate a preferred-walkon situation.

MSU Commits Bennie Fowler and Max Bullough
Fowler actually impressed me a lot. He had much better size than I was expecting, and pretty good speed, too. He’s a guy who will have to develop a bit before he is ready to play at the Division-I level, but if you’re Michigan State, those are the guys you have to thrive on. I didn’t think Bullough was anything special, until I looked at the boxscore and realized he was the leading tackler – in any of the state finals games. He looked really small to me, though of course it’s important to remember he’s just a junior.

If happened to watch any of the finals games, be sure to fill in your thoughts in the comments.

Removed:
2009 FL CB Josh Robinson. Teammate of Vladimir Emilien commits to UCF.
2010 FL DT Todd Chandler. Commits to Miami of Florida.
2010 PA LB Mike Hull. Committed to Penn State a while back.

QB Devin Gardner of Inkster is likely to be one of Michigan’s top prospects in the class of 2010. His Vikings played East Grand Rapids in the state finals on Saturday, and we’ll hopefully have some video soon.

Some fluff from Sam Webb in the Detroit News:

His attendance this summer at the prestigious Elite 11 quarterback camp, sandwiched by camp visits to Michigan, Notre Dame and Michigan State, all helped to better hone his skills. “I’m stronger, faster, and my throwing motion has gotten better,” he said. “(The motion) is way higher than it used to be. Most of (the improvement) is decision-making, though.

There’s lots of talk about how awesome the coach at Inkster is. I’ve heard the same thing from lots of sources (many of them about 2009 WR Cameron Gordon) about Greg Carter. He seems to be a good disciplinarian and teacher of the fundamentals, and one of the best coaches in the state. More from Gardner:

“I think I can fit into Michigan real easy,” he continued. “They run the exact same offense that we run right now. I already knew the spread offense, but I’m learning (more). I’m doing everything better — way better. If I go to Michigan, I wouldn’t have to adjust that much.”

That sounds promising, but Gardner also has nice things to say about Michigan State and Ohio State, so don’t get too excited just yet.

I never really thought Michigan would have a great chance with 2010 CA RB Malcolm Jones (Michigan isn’t recruiting California as heavily anymore, the school is a traditional USC pipeline, etc.). I didn’t even realize, however, that he has an older brother at USC:

Sarkisian attended Friday night’s Oaks Christian High School playoff game. The Trojans have not yet offered a scholarship to junior tailback Malcolm Jones, the younger brother of USC safety Marshall Jones. Several Pacific-10 Conference schools already offered Malcolm Jones.

So he was already included on the board only tenuously – he’s now a candidate for removal at the next sign that he won’t be interested in Michigan.

2010 OH RB Erick Howard was going to move to Seattle but didn’t end up doing so, a factoid that, until recently, had confused the hell out of me. Well, now it’s a little more clear:

Howard’s mother, Ruth, wanted him to move to Seattle with her so he could spend time with his sister, who had just given birth to her first child. Howard resisted but followed and respected his mother’s wishes…
He missed his friends and teammates. He begged his mother to let him return… She was reluctant but eventually gave in.

…and now that makes a little bit of sense.

”Now, I always carry a pencil and I go to all of my classes trying to be as prepared as I can,” he said. ”I’m working toward stepping it up and being a better student and earning a scholarship to play football in college because my dream is to play in the NFL.”

So he’s trying to succeed through football, etc., etc. He was the district player of the year, and Michigan may get involved with his recruitment down the road.

2010 FL OL Jose Jose might be similarly unlikely to end up at Michigan (he loves the hometown Miami Hurricanes), but he is certainly a prospect that Michigan fans may find intriguing. Luke Stampini of SoFlaFootball.com brings the video:

2009 IL OL Commit Michael Schofield is playing in a high school all-star game in Hawaii. That rules.

Luk Stampini of SoFlaFootball.com on Pahokee 2010 Slot De’Joshua Johnson:

When De’Joshua told me before the game he was going to be the starting QB, I didn’t believe him. He does like to joke around a bit. After watching him play, he looks to be the best QB Pahokee has put on the field this year. Accurate passer, and when you have the athletes PK does, that’s all you really need to be as a QB. He doesn’t have the little things true QB’s have like knowing when to throw the ball away or when to tuck and run.

Verrry interesting. Might he be the type of guy Michigan tries to bring in to play slot, but giving him a chance to try his hand at QB first? It looks like some of the problems with his game at QB are a matter of inexperience at the position (aside from the fact that he’s 5-9, of course).

Ohio All-State teams:

Division 1
WR Michael Edwards (Cle. Glenville) 6-1, 180. 2009
OT Marcus Hall (Cle. Glenville) 6-6, 305. 2009
RB Erick Howard (N. Canton Hoover) 5-10, 210. 2010
LB Scott McVey (Cle. St. Ignatius) 6-1, 215. 2010
LB Jordan Hicks (Lakota W.) 6-2, 210. 2010
LB Jewone Snow (Canton McKinley) 6-2, 237. 2010
DB J.T. Turner (Massillon Washington) 6-2, 180. 2009

Division 2
OL Andrew Norwell (Cin. Anderson) 6-7, 275. 2010
DB Courtney Avery (Lexington) 5-11, 170. 2010 (QB)

Division 3
RB Fitzgerald Toussaint (Youngs. Liberty) 5-10, 195. 2009
DB Isaiah Bell (Youngs. Liberty) 6-2, 215. 2009

So, all of Michigan’s commits from Ohio were first team all-state in their divisions. Also: Fitz was the co-offensive Player of the Year in Division III.

Interesting comment from Black Shoe Diaries on Jelani Jenkins’s recruitment:

I have no concerns in this area whether we get Jenkins or not.

I’m sure it’s intended to sound so flippant, but it really comes off as though PSU fans couldn’t care one way or the other whether they land Jelani Jenkins. I’m sure Michigan fans don’t feel that way, and want Jenkins as the cornerstone of the 2009 LB class, not some cherry on top of it.

The new format for recruiting posts is still something of a work-in-progress, so feel free to comment on it.

Michigan passes Notre Dame to regain its throne as #2 recruiting class. Considering the fact that Notre Dame is likely to start hemorrhaging recruits when their coach is either fired immediately or effective following another shitty year in 2009, I doubt the Irish will get back up to the #2 spot. However, stranger things have happened.

New Rankings:

#1 Ohio State – 24 commits
LB	*****	Dorian Bell
RB	****	Jaamal Berry
DE	****	Melvin Fellows
CB	****	CJ Barnett
WR	****	James Jackson
MLB	****	Storm Klein
MLB	****	Jordan Whiting
RB	****	Jordan Hall
OG	****	Corey Linsley
OT	****	Jack Mewhort
S	****	Jamie Wood
WR	****	Justin Green
RB	****	Carlos Hyde
CB	****	Corey Brown
WR	****	Chris Fields
CB	****	Dominic Clarke
WR	***	Duron Carter
DE	***	Jonathan Newsome
TE	***	Reid Fragel
DT	***	Adam Bellamy
FB	***	Adam Homan
LB	***	Zach Boren
OL	***	Sam Longo
DT	***	Johnny Simon

#2 Michigan – 20 commits
CB	****	Justin Turner
QB	****	Tate Forcier
QB	****	Shavodrick Beaver
RB	****	Fitzgerald Toussaint
S	****	Vladimir Emilien
WR	****	Jeremy Gallon
OL	****	Michael Schofield
DT	****	DeQuinta Jones
DE	****	Anthony LaLota
DE	****	Craig Roh
DT	****	Pearlie Graves
S	***	Isaiah Bell
WR	***	DeWayne Peace
RB	***	Teric Jones
LB	***	Jordan Barnes
S	***	Mike Jones
LB	***	Brandin Hawthorne
RB	***	Vincent Smith
S	***	Thomas Gordon
K	**	Brendan Gibbons

#3 Notre Dame – 17 commits
RB	*****	Cierre Wood
WR	****	Shaquelle Evans
OL	****	Chris Watt
RB	****	Theo Riddick
DT	****	Tyler Stockton
OL	****	Alex Bullard
CB	****	Marlon Pollard
LB	****	Dan Fox
OL	****	Zach Martin
LB	****	Zeke Motta
S	***	Nyshier Oliver
S	***	EJ Banks
TE	***	Tyler Eifert
MLB	***	Carlo Calabrese
P	***	Ben Turk
K	**	Nicholas Tausch
TE	**	Jake Golic

Down: Shaquelle Evans (from 5)

Up: Steve Hull (from 2).

Moved to Committed:
FL S Vladimir Emilien.

New Information:
MD RB/Ath Tavon Austin. I was about ready to remove him, but not it looks like he’ll visit December 12th.
AZ OL Taylor Lewan. Visited Minnesota this past weekend. Maybe helping Michigan in this one: the Gophers just lost their OL coach.
MI DT William Campbell. Bama-related mention.
IN LB Commit Jordan Barnes. Same as above (link the same as well).
FL LB Commit Brandin Hawthorne. Visiting Pitt this weekend (info in header).
OH CB Commit Justin Turner. Not losing faith in Michigan.

Removed:
FL S Jonathan Scott. No apparent interest.
SC S DJ Swearinger. South Carolina commit.

Etc.:
UNC CB Commit Josh Hunter intends to visit Ann Arbor. I had been ready to eliminate OH OL Marcus Hall, because he had been naming a top group without us, but now it looks like he’s planning a Michigan visit. I still think the Wolverines don’t stand a chance, but he’ll remain on the board until they’re officially eliminated. GA WR Jamal Patterson remains “100% committed” to Stanford.

MHSAA Division 8 Final Fri 10AM
Crystal Falls Forest Park v. Muskegon Catholic Central

MHSAA Division 2 Final Fri 1PM
Muskegon v. Warren DeLaSalle
Terrance Taylor was a star at Muskegon (as was USC’s Ronald Johnson), and they are consistently one of the best teams in the state, and even the country.

MHSAA Division 6 Final Fri 4:30 PM
Montague v. Leslie

MHSAA Division 4 Final Fri 11PM
Holland Christian v. Detroit Country Day
Holland Christian Senior QB AJ Westendorp is a potential walkon candidate, though don’t be surprised if he accepts a scholarship offer from a different (likely smaller) school. Though he hasn’t even garnered an offer from GVSU, I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s where he ends up. Consider this your opportunity to determine if you think he deserves an offer.
Country Day has several prospects, including 2009 MSU verbal Bennie Fowler, in addition to 2010 players DT Chris Eddins and S Jason Ray.

MHSAA Division 7 Final Sat 10AM
Traverse City St. Francis v. Ubly
2010 MSU commit Max Bullough is the star linebacker for St. Francis. Offensive lineman Peter Rigan is also a potential Division-I player.

MHSAA Division 1 Final Sat 1PM
Rockford v. Lake Orion
Rockford has a 2010 linebacker of interest for Michigan fans, in Joe Stefanski.
Lake Orion is the alma mater of outgoing UM tackle Will Johnson and offensive lineman Ethan Ruhland of Michigan State.

MHSAA Division 5 Final Sat 4:30 PM
Ovid-Elsie v. Muskegon Oakridge
Ovid-Elsie has 2010 RB Chris Robinson, who could garner some bigger attention down the road.

MHSAA Division 3 Final Sun 12:30 AM
East Grand Rapids v. Inkster
Oddly, the best game (or at least one of them) is not airing until Sunday morning at 12:30 (It’s being played at 7:30, during a Red Wings game). 2009 WR/LB Cameron Gordon from Inkster has the attention of several BCS-caliber schools, including much of the Big Ten (and both instate schools). His 2010 teammate is the headliner, however, and QB Devin Gardner has his first opportunity to show off his skills on the big stage. It’s highly likely he’ll be doing the same over a year from now in one of the national all-star games.
East Grand Rapids, the alma mater of the Grady brothers, has the state’s most productive RB, Joe Glendening. They also sport TE/PF prospect Colin Voss, and Western Michigan commit TE Christopher Blair.

Player Notes
Emilien had a fairly impressive offer sheet prior to his commitment, and is known as a safety prospect who can play either position. He has good speed in the defensive backfield, and could excel under the tutelage of Mike Barwis. He has fairly good size as well, and will likely end up as a big run-supporting strong safety. Emilien has a good reputation of going 100% on every play, a good sign that he meets Rodriguez’s all-important criterion of “loves football.”

Recruiting Notes
Emilien was offered at the beginning of May, though it seemed even at that time that he was bound for Ohio State. All indications from the beginning of his recruitment showed that he was a heavy Buckeye lean. However, the OSU class filled up fairly quickly, and there was no longer room for him in the class of ‘09. When Ohio State allegedly pulled an offer from one of their commitments following an off-field incident, it appeared as though Emilien’s break may have come. However, he never committed to the Buckeyes, and after the Michigan State game official visit, the Wolverines may have taken over the top spot in his mind. Originally planning to announce yesterday, Vlad delayed his decision until today, and picked Michigan over Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Stanford.