Prior to serving as Michigan’s linebackers coach in 2008, Jay Hopson spent the previous three years as the Defensive Coordinator and Secondary Coach at the University of Southern Mississippi. Of course, I believe we can get into this discussion without getting sidetracked into an exploration of why he went from secondary at USM to linebackers at Michigan. No?
OK, tangent time:
As Scott Shafer is held responsible for the poor play by Michigan’s defense this year by people who, no offense, clearly weren’t paying enough attention this year, let’s look at something. Tony Gibson was the safeties coach, and Michigan’s safeties were pitiful this year, even compared to the historical standard. Would it have made more sense for Shafer to only serve as DC and let Hopson take control of the secondary (check out his credentials as a secondary coach from MGoBlue:

Prior to his appointment as defensive coordinator, Hopson coached the defensive backs for the Golden Eagles from 2001-03. In 2002, his unit led the nation in fewest passing touchdowns allowed and finished fourth nationally in pass efficiency defense. Southern Mississippi led C-USA and finished fifth nationally in pass defense during the 2003 season. Each year of his tenure, USM ranked in the top 15 nationally in scoring defense.)

, while finding a good linebackers coach instead of having Tony Gibson turn Stevie Brown and Brandon Harrison into (or, “let them remain,” as it were) nightmares in the defensive backfield? Almost certainly yes. Lloyd Carr was criticized for year for refusing to fire Mike DeBord and Andy Moeller. Tony Gibson (admittedly, in only one year to effect change) has so far proven to be no more effective, and retaining him forced other coaches out of their areas of expertise.

End Tangent.

Back to the point. If Hopson is to become Michigan’s defensive coordinator, it is certainly relevant to see how his teams performed during his time at the same position for Southern Miss.

So, in all, acceptable but not thrilling numbers (keep in mind USM’s non-conference games were often against teams with much better talent).

So when the numbers don’t tell a definitive tale, we go to someone who watched the games with an analytical eye, and get his opinion. If only there was a great CFB blogger who also happened to be a Southern Miss grad. Wait a minute, we’re in luck! The venerable SMQ/Dr. Saturday on Hopson:

At a sparsely attended game like Saturday’s, USM fans have pretty much free reign on the field afterwards, and SMQ took the North end zone as a shortcut to his car. When he ran across Hopson en route to the locker room, he told the coach, “Nice job hanging tough by the defense,” which was not much consolation but was true: it gave up a couple drives, including the 60-yard, game-tying march over the final four minutes of regulation, but it also scored as many touchdowns as either offense, on a length-of-field interception return by no-name Eddie Hicks that momentarily turned the tide at the end of a frustrating ECU drive, and held the Pirates to the field goal attempt in the overtime after allowing them to get first-and-goal at the three…
In regulation, USM’s defense allowed 10 points (the first ECU touchdown was a kick return) and about 275 yards. It gave up no true big plays. You have to be able to win with that.

So, happy but not enthused, just as the stats would imply. Interestingly, Hopson seems to be a proponent of the 3-4 defense (with one of the linebacker positions occupied by a safety) that Michigan saw this year in its “Okie” package, rather than a true 3-3-5 stack. How much of the tension between position coaches would this change actually alleviate? That certainly remains to be seen. For more from SMQ, check out Brian’s post from yesterday.

Of course, now that Michigan followers are attempting to pick apart Hopson’s resume for any relevant information, someone else will be appointed coordinator, and this will all have been a waste.

Posted under Football

MI WR Jeremy Jackson
Huron went 4-5 and missed the playoffs.
Chelsea (L, 27-35) Jackson had touchdown catches of 7 and 29 yards.
Tecumseh (L, 34-42) No mention of Jeremy in the game article.
Dexter (W, 44-21)

“Our coaches said we must win this game,” said Huron wide receiver Jeremy Jackson, who tallied 151 yards [and 1 touchdown] on seven catches. “This was our game of the year and we played like it.”

Temperance Bedford (L 7-33) No mention of Jeremy in the game article.
Yspilanti Lincoln (W, 40-12) No mention of Jeremy in the game article.
Pinckney (W, 30-0) Jackson had 4 catches for 59 yards.
Adrian (W, 42-41) Jackson had three touchdown grabs. One was for 20 yards and one was for 10. No mention of how long the other was.

“The whole defense was talking to me, telling me that I was overrated and all that,” Jackson said. “I just had to come out and play.”

Pioneer (L, 10-34) No mention of stats, but:

Twice during the game, Ryan Griffin broke up slant pattern passes to star Huron wideout Jeremy Jackson that possibly could have gone for touchdowns.

Saline (L, 28-40) Jackson had a 6-yard touchdown reception.

FL WR Ricardo Miller
Dr. Phillips went 9-1 and lost in the second round of the playoffs.

Posted under Football, Recruiting

The new site has given us a lot of new options that we didn’t have on Blogger. The ablity to do something like this easily and locally is probably the biggest.

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.

Posted under Blog News, Recruiting

The Michigan Athletic Department reports that Michigan Defensive Coordinator Scott Shafer has resigned from his position.

Shafer was in his first year as defensive corrdinator at Michigan, and the unit, which was expected to carry the offense through a rebuilding year, was unable to perform to expectations. The search for a new defensive coordinator will likely start immediately.

As someone who watched the games with something of an analytical eye, this move irks me somewhat. It appeared that players were often in position to make plays, but failed to wrap up their tackles, or made poor plays on the ball. At what point are players and position coaches responsible for poor safety and linebacker play?

Posted under Coaching, Football

Recruiting Boards:
2009 & 2010.

2009 LA DT Commit DeQuinta Jones was his district’s Defensive Player of the Year. Teammate Rueben Randle, who is nominally still listing Michigan, was his offensive counterpart. Picture by Kita Wright of the Bastrop Daily Enterprise.

Chalk another Michigan commit up to the national All-star game list:

a Michigan-bound Tiger football player will be headed to San Antonio for the
All-American Bowl, as J.T. Turner has been chosen to play in the ninth edition
of the game on Saturday, Jan. 3 at the Alamodome.

As the date approaches, I’ll make sure to keep you updated on who to watch in each game.

2009 MD RB Tavon Austin decision details:

Austin has narrowed college choices to West Virginia, Maryland, Michigan and North Carolina. He said he will wait to decide until the Feb. 4 signing date.

This is consistent with what has been coming out of the Austin camp recently. It wouldn’t seem that Michigan has a great shot at him, but with McGuffie leaving, the situation with Austin can only be helped.

Removed FL S Jonathan Scott from the 2009 board:

And now, Jonathan will choose between West Virginia, South Carolina and Alabama, the three schools that have offered him a free ride so far.

After getting on him early, Michigan never really seemed to be a real player for Scott, so this is no surprise.

2009 SC DE Sam Montgomery will visit Michigan in January. The 4-star is favoring LSU over the Wolverines, UNC, Tennessee, Oregon, and the in-state South Carolina schools.

Removed MI TE Dion Sims from the 2009 board. I was never high on him as a recruit for Michigan (we don’t need a TE in this class, and he doesn’t seem to have the nasty edge to play DE – never mind the fact that his heart isn’t in football at all). He will choose between Ohio State, Michigan State, and Miami of Florida.

Added to the 2009 board: AL LB Tana Patrick. Info in a Scout Header:

Alabama linebacker Tana Patrick still denies a leader, but mentioned Alabama, Auburn, Michigan, Miami, Florida State and LSU as his six favorites

2010 OH LB Scott McVey was Player of the Year according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. He should be a bigtime recruit not too far down the road. Ohio State has already offered.

Pahokee is likely to be a recruiting point of emphasis for the foreseeable future. 2010 Slot Dennis Hall highlights from SoFlaFootball:

Dennis Hall from SoFLAfootball on Vimeo.

Posted under Football, Recruiting

Every 2009 commit’s season has now finished. The 2010 commits’ junior wrapup is forthcoming sometime this week.

New Commits
MI WR Cameron Gordon
Season Totals: Inkster 8-1. Lost in the state finals.
Individual stats for Inkster are hard to come by, but Gordon did have 4 catches for 58 yards to go along with 6 tackles in the state championship game.

AZ OL Taylor Lewan
Season Totals: Chaparral 9-1. Lost in the state finals.

Still Playing
FL RB Vincent Smith
This Week: Pahokee v. Trinity Catholic. Pahokee wins 21-17. Article 2.
Season Totals: Pahokee 8-3. State Champions!

FL LB Brandin Hawthorne
This Week: Pahokee v. Trinity Catholic. Pahokee wins 21-17. Article 2.
Season Totals: Pahokee 8-3. State Champions!

Seasons Over
CA QB Tate Forcier
Season Totals: Scripps Ranch 7-3. Lost in the third round of the playoffs.

TX QB Shavodrick Beaver

MI RB Teric Jones
Season Totals: Cass 7-2. Lost in 2nd Round of the playoffs.

Season Totals: Liberty 8-2, lost in first round of playoffs.

FL Slot Jeremy Gallon
Season Totals: Apopka 8-2. Lost in 3rd round of the playoffs.

Also, 1 KO return TD.

IL OL Michael Schofield
Season Totals: Sandburg 6-3. Lost in first round of playoffs.

OK DT Pearlie Graves
Season Totals: East Central 10-0. Lost in 3rd round of playoffs (state semifinal).
Graves: 61 Tackles, 4.0 Sacks, 2 fumble recoveries for touchdowns.

LA DT DeQuinta Jones
Season Totals: Bastrop 9-1. Lost in 4th round of the playoffs.

AZ DE Craig Roh
Season Totals: Chaparral 9-1. Lost in the state finals.

NJ DE Anthony LaLota
Season Totals: Hun 4-4. Missed the playoffs.

FL LB Mike Jones
Season Totals: Edgewater 5-5. Missed the playoffs.

OH S Isaiah Bell
Season Totals: Liberty 8-2, lost in first round of playoffs.

FL S Vladimir Emilien
Season Totals: Plantation 6-4, lost in first round of playoffs.
Emilien missed the entire year with knee ligament damage.

MI S Thomas Gordon
Season Totals: Cass 7-2. Lost in 2nd Round of the playoffs.

Obviously Gordon’s stats are woefully incomplete at this point. If you can help out, leave a message in the comments.

OH CB/S Justin Turner
Season Totals: Washington 6-4. Lost in first round of playoffs.

TX CB/WR DeWayne Peace
Season Totals: SGP 7-3. Lost in 1st round of playoffs.

Peace must have been hurt near the end of the year, because his production dropped off completely, and they stopped trying to get him the ball in the run game.

FL K Brendan Gibbons
Season Totals: Cardinal Newman 2-8, missed the playoffs.

Posted under Football, Recruiting

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

…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

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:

Up: Robinson (From 1)

Posted under Football, Recruiting

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