football

According to Adam Schefter, former U-M linebacker David Harris has resigned for a big contract.

At one point in his recruitment Massachusetts DB Armani Reeves and Michigan had parted ways. He then named Notre Dame and Penn State as his top two schools and figured to decide between the two. Today might have changed his plans however as he talked to a few of the Michigan coaches about their future plans and his recruitment. Here's a look at Reeves' film and what he had to say about the conversation with Michigan's coaches.

TOM: Where are you at right now with your recruitment, and what did you talk to Michigan about today? 

ARMANI: I talked to Coach Hoke, Mattison, and Mallory. They told me that before they wanted me to commit and I wasn't ready. When the last DB committed that closed the deal to go our separate ways because they already had two corners committed. When they talked to us today they said that they wanted to bring in another high caliber cornerback and they felt I was the guy they want. Not only am I a great athlete, but they think I'm a typical Michigan player. They feel comfortable with me being the guy.

TOM: What was your reaction to that?

ARMANI: I kind of had mixed feelings because I wished I could have avoided the way everything happened, but they've always been one of my favorites. There was happiness and relief in there too. Penn State and Notre Dame are my top two so this shakes things up a little bit. It changes my path. It makes me want to think about everything and how I like the school so much with the academics. My major is there and the campus is great and all the guys there are really cool.

TOM: I imagine this is a lot to process all at once, do you know what you're going to do one way or the other yet?

ARMANI: I kind of have mixed feelings but I can't really say much about it right now. If you give me a couple days I'll have a better sense for it. 

TOM: Did they tell you why they are recruiting you again? Did something change?

ARMANI: I wasn't because of anyone going anywhere else, it was more because of the group of guys that they have now. They want another prime time corner. They want to get a top ten guy in there that can hold their own. 

TOM: I'm sure you have practice coming up and school starting, do you think you'll be able to visit Ann Arbor again before that starts?

ARMANI: We start practice in a couple weeks. I'm thinking about visiting, but we just got back from vacation yesterday. We're still trying to grasp everything and figure it out. We haven't crossed that bridge yet. We haven't really talked about it yet. If I do decide to continue everything with Michigan then I'll put them in the top three. I would definitely take my officials to the three schools [Notre Dame, Michigan, and Penn State] and then decide.

TOM: Do you think it helped or maybe showed how serious they are with what coaches were talking to you?

ARMANI: It definitely helped to talk to Coach Hoke and Mattison. Coach Mattison broke down the situation as far as continuing with everything. They explained everything to me very thoroughly. I felt very comfortable and they were very up front and honest with me. That helps and I'll get back to them in the next couple days if I want to continue or stick with the schools I have now.

Apologies if something like this have been posted before but with all the Detroit Lions posts popping up, I began wondering what NFL teams get the most support/love from the MGoCommunity.

What NFL team(s) do you support?  Why?

I'll start:  I live in Carolina so I generally support the Carolina Panthers.  But my heart lies with Tom Brady so I consider myself a fan of the New England Patriots.

I just watched the first film of Shallman as a RB running over people and am not sure what this kid will grow into since I have not seen him in person. I would be interested in projections based on what others have seen as to how much bigger he could get. 

I pulled sizes from Gerhart (I thought he was bigger) since he just ran over people last year, Jacobs since Borges made that comparison and Okoye since he was just a big dude. I was surprised to see that Shallman is likely be bigger than all of those guys. I used Scout profiles for the H.S. information. Shallman is already listed at 6'3" 248 assuming that is correct.

I guess the key would be to see how much his speed can improve since the guys above are running in the 4.5 range or so we are led to believe. Borges was obviously spot on with Jacobs' size since he has coached him. I wonder how much taller Shallman could get.

Nick Fairley was injured yesterday and has been in a walking boot.  Sorry if this was already posted,I searched and found nothing.

Sports Center said it could be a stress fracture.

http://www.detnews.com/article/20110802/SPORTS0101/108020401/1361/Rookie-Nick-Fairley-in-walking-boot--Lions’-concern-grows

[Ed: also check out Tom's Jehu Chesson interview.]

Detroit Catholic Central is the home of 2012 commit DE Matt Godin and 2013 RB target Wyatt Shallman (6'3", 248 lbs). Both were in attendance at Michigan's BBQ on Sunday and took in all the festivities. The event was probably more important for Shallman since his teammate Godin is already committed to the Wolverines. Here's a look at Wyatt's sophomore film and what he had to say about the event.

TOM: I know you're friends with a lot of the 2013 instate prospects, so did you guys all hang out at the BBQ?

WYATT: Yeah I was with the 2013 guys a lot. Shane [Morris] and [Jonny] Reschke. Their schools are two of our biggest rivals and usually Catholic Central kids wouldn't be caught dead with them. It was fun to sit down and not talk about high school football. It's interesting to talk about Michigan and to get a point of view from other teams about our high school. They're all a bunch of great guys, and they're all funny. Steve [Elmer] is a good guy too. He's a big dude; he's a beast. All of the 2013 kids are great.

TOM: Because of proximity I'm assuming you don't get to see Steve Elmer as much as the other guys. Was that your first time meeting him?

WYATT: The first time I ever met Steve I had heard about him during the season last year. I heard about some big dude and then I met him at the Notre Dame spring game for the first time. He's a teddy bear off the field but he's a killer on the field.

TOM: What was it like being out there with some of the guys that have committed already? Were they talking Michigan up?

WYATT: That was something that was interesting. A lot of the kids that were there today it's not like I knew them, I've played them though. Like James Ross. I know Danny O'Brien through Matt [Godin]. We were all just hanging out and playing catch out on the field and there was some chemistry with everyone. It was a different experience to get to know everyone in that atmosphere.

TOM: Since you're relatively close to Michigan have you been up there quite a bit, or was this all a new experience for you?

WYATT: I live twenty minutes away and the only time that I've really been there was to an Ohio State game in seventh grade, and also when I got my offer. This time we walked around campus, took a tour, and it was interesting to learn all the tradition and old things that are behind Ann Arbor. It's a cool little funky town. This visit was pretty sweet, I liked it a lot. Anytime you go on a visit and get good food and get to go on the field it's going to help. Plus the coaching staff is awesome, they're all really funny guys.

TOM: Since Matt Godin is your teammate and committed to Michigan has he been trying to recruit you at all?

WYATT: Matt and I, the recruiting has kind of cooled off because we're focused on the season. These visits aren't really the main attention right now. We start conditioning and two-a-days and we have our season right now to look at. He's been working hard though, and I'm really excited for his future. 

TOM: With your recruitment do you really know yet what you're looking for? 

WYATT: I don't know what I'm looking for yet, which is why I want to wait to decide. This isn't NCAA Football '12 where you can recruit a kid because he likes the college closer to home. There's a lot that goes into this, and there isn't one set thing that will make me go to a college. If it's the right fit for my family and I feel comfortable there then that's what I want.