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Programming Update

Basketball UFRs will be posted sometime this week. The reason for the delay is that I’m currently separated from my DVR. I should have it available to me before the Purdue game, but no guarantees. If there’s interest I can post the plus/minus data before then. It’s the part most people said in the CIL was more interesting, and I don’t need to re-watch the whole game to do them. Let me know in the comments.

Football offseason posts will continue, though they might be slightly more theory-oriented until spring pratice begins and there’s actual news to talk about. While on the topic of spring practice, I should have a bonanza of information up during that period, and it should be a fun time to be around here. I’ll spread news about some of those items as they get a bit more solidified.

I’m hopefully going to get the podcast up and running again, since we haven’t really made one since the end of football season. Possible topics include the end of basketball season, football and recruiting (obviously the bread and butter here at VB), or baseball. Let me know how much interest there is in each of these things (and a podcast in general).

Baseball coverage will continue to go strong with new contributor FormerlyAnonymous, who never got a proper introduction. Without further ado: FormerlyAnonymous is the newest member of VB, bringing the total to 3. He’ll bring the baseball coverage, making Varsity Blue the #1 site for Michigan Wolverines baseball coverage.

Recruiting update #1 for the week should be coming tomorrow. Sorry for the delay, but baseball season has left VB up to our ears in content, and I want to make sure every post get the attention that it deserves.

Thanks for bearing with us at a (surprisingly) busy time for the blog.

Posted under Blog News

Taylor Lewan Goes Blue

Taylor Lewan, a 6-7, 280-lb offensive tackle from Scottsdale, Arizona. Lewan is a high school teamate of Michigan defensive end commit Craig Roh, and becomes the 21st commitment in Michigan’s class of 2009.

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

Posted under Football, Recruiting

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Sam McGuffie Leaves Michigan

…and there was much sadness.

Freshman running back Sam McGuffie has announced his intentions to transfer from Michigan. McGuffie was Michigan’s 2nd leading rusher on the year, but missed parts or all of several games with concussions. He received his unconditional release from Michigan this morning, according to both pay sites.

McGuffie-and-Michigan never was a perfect fit after the departure of Lloyd Carr and the pro-style system, and McGuffie will likely transfer somewhere closer to home that is a better fit for his skill set. His injury history and family issues are reported to be the reasons for his departure from Michigan.

Varsity Blue wishes McGuffie the best of luck with whatever he plans to do in the future. Scholarship count will be updated accordingly.

Posted under Football, Personnel

Big Ten 2009 Recruiting Class Rankings 12-12-08

Action since last rankings:
12-7-08 Notre Dame gains commitment from Jordan Cowart.
12-8-08 Michigan State gains commitment from Corey Freeman. Purdue gains commitment from Xavier Melton.
12-9-08 Indiana loses commitment from Kenny Watkins.
12-11-08 Michigan gains commitment from Cameron Gordon.

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)

#9 Indiana – 15 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
DE ** Javon Cornley
#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
WR ** Gary Bush
QB ** Rob Henry
WR ** Josh Johnson
DT ** Brandon Taylor
DB * Chris Quinn
DT * Xavier Melton

Posted under Football, Recruiting

Cameron Gordon Goes Blue

Wide receiver Cameron Gordon of Inkster, Michigan has given his word to sign with Michigan in February. Gordon is a 6-3, 210-lb player who has been measured at 4.6 in the 40-yard dash. He is Michigan’s 21st commit in the class of 2009.

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.

Posted under Football, Recruiting

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Blogpoll Final Ballot: Week 15

Rank Team Delta
1 Oklahoma
2 Florida
3 Texas
4 Penn State
5 Southern Cal
6 Alabama
7 Texas Tech
8 Utah
9 Ohio State
10 Boise State
11 TCU
12 Georgia Tech
13 Georgia
14 Cincinnati
15 Oklahoma State
16 Missouri
17 Michigan State
18 Virginia Tech
19 Iowa
20 Brigham Young
21 Pittsburgh
22 Oregon
23 Boston College
24 Northwestern
25 Oregon State 1
Dropped Out: Ball State (#25).

With no comments on the draft ballot, everything remains as it was. Again, the deltas are inaccurate, so pay them no mind.

Posted under BlogPoll

Iowa v. Northwestern

With Michigan idle during the bowl season, I’ll take a little closer of a look at the rest of the Big Ten. Let’s start today with Iowa v. Northwestern.

Lake the Posts, poster-blog for “hey give us respect, guys!” posting, has yet another issue with not getting what the Cats “deserve.” 8-4 Iowa has been selected to the Outback Bowl over the 9-3 Wildcats, who also hold a head-to-head victory on the season. Well, for once there may be a legitimate gripe here. Let’s take a look at the resumes:

Resumes
Team #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11 #12
Iowa 24-23 PSU 55-0 Minn 38-16 Wisc FIU 42-0 IU 45-9 Purdue 22-17 IaSt 17-5 Maine 46-3 21-20 Pitt 16-13 MSU 22-17 NU 27-24 Ill
Northwestern Minn 24-17 Iowa 22-17 Ill 27-10 Duke 24-20 Purdue 48-26 Mich 21-14 Ohio 16-8 Syr 30-10 SIU 33-7 45-10 OSU 37-20 MSU 21-19 IU

Neither resume is particularly impressive, and they’re fairly hard to differentiate at this point (aside form the head-to-head win). Let’s break it down further.

Resume Breakdown
Common Opponents Non-conference Other
Game Minn Purdue IU Ill MSU #1 #2 #3 #4 #1 #2
Iowa 55-0 22-17 45-9 27-24 16-13 42-0 FIU 17-5 IaSt 46-3 Maine 21-20 Pitt 24-23 PSU 38-16 Wisc
Northwestern 24-17 48-26 21-19 27-10 37-20 24-20 Duke 30-10 Syr 16-8 Ohio 33-7 SIU 21-14 Mich 45-10 OSU
Edge Iowa NU Iowa NU Iowa NU Push Iowa NU Iowa Iowa

Northwestern gets the non-conference nod, though it’s slightly skewed because they didn’t lose a non-conference game, whereas Iowa lost to the only legit opponent either team played. Northwestern’s crappy non-con schedule gets a bump of one spot at each position. If you were to sort just by quality of opposition, ignoring win/loss record, Iowa’s slate would take Northwestern’s behind the woodshed.

Overall, the resumes are very similar, but Iowa’s seems to be better on the whole, despite the head-to-head loss and the slightly worse record. The common opponents occupy a high slot on Northwestern’s resume, and their wins were eith
er comparable or not as impressive. In loss, Iowa was competitive in every game they played (and let’s not even get into how they should have beaten both Michigan State and Pitt), whereas Northwestern was either getting blown out by good teams, or losing to Indiana, of all teams.

Posted under Football

Friday Night Lights 2009: December 7

Posted under Football, Recruiting

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Big Ten 2009 Recruiting Class Rankings 12-7-08

Action since last rankings:
11-25-08 Iowa loses commitment from Justin Lattimore.
11-29-08 Illinois gains commitment from Kraig Appleton.
12-2-08 Northwestern gains commitment from Jeff Budzein.
12-4-08 Purdue gains commitment from Cody Davis.
12-5-08 Purdue gains commitment from Xavier Reese.
12-6-08 Wisconsin gains commitment from Darius Thomas.

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

Posted under Football, Recruiting

More Possible Attrition

At the annual football bust, according to every media outlet with a UM beat writer, Sam McGuffie, Carson Butler, and Avery Horn were not present. Butler’s (as-yet-still-unofficial) departure from the team may be the worst-kept secret in America, and Horn wasn’t expected to ever contribute.

McGuffie, on the other hand, had a transfer rumor circulating a few weeks back, and until now, it had appeared that everything was back on track for him to remain in Ann Arbor. Of course, his absence from one event is not a sure sign either way that he is on his way out, but certainly something to keep in mind.

Eligibility Chart as yet not updated, but certainly on notice for official word on any of these guys.

Posted under Football, Personnel