football

It was a busy weekend for Michigan with both Chris Wormley and Kyle Kalis making it in to visit. With roughly ten spots left (Ed: Now 9!), remaining recruits are watching every move, and Michigan's coaches must be strategic in their actions. Here's a look at what's been happening and what could happen next. As always you can follow me on Twitter here, and if you have any tips or questions email me at TomVH@MGoBlog.com.

Chris Fox (2013)

6'6", 297 lbs.

Offensive Lineman

Parker, Colorado

Fox was a standout performer at Michigan's camp this past week. The Michigan coaches liked the 2013 prospect so much that they offered him once he left.

I talked to Coach Hoke and Coach Funk and they offered me. I got a Colorado offer a few weeks ago, too. The [Michigan coaches] told me that I fit what they're trying to accomplish, and that I look like a Michigan guy. 

Fox traveled all the way from Colorado to Michigan just to camp, the trip ended up being well worth the distance. Not only did he get his offer but he also started the foundation for a relationship with Coach Funk.

I'm definitely comfortable with Coach Funk and all the coaches there now. Coach Funk was out in Colorado and stopped by our school and I actually have some family that lives up in Michigan. I love Michigan, they have great football and it would be awesome to go there. Both my parents were born and raised in Michigan too. My family is kind of split in half with Michigan and Michigan State fans. Right now I've only heard from Michigan, MSU hasn't really contacted me.

The camp gave Fox a good look at how the Michigan coaches interact with players and a good feel for the campus.

I'd definitely like to get out [to Michigan] for a game this season. It would be great to get out there. I liked everything, the campus was incredible and the Big House is incredible. I don't have a list yet, I'm just going through the process with open eyes looking for my best fit. As of right now Michigan and Colorado are my top two because they've offered.

Now that he's been on campus and gained a level of comfort with the staff, he feels great about what Michigan has to offer and where he is in the process.

It just feels good to know that I have options this early and it feels good to know that I could go there. I'd like to make my decision before my senior year so that's probably what I'll do, sometime next summer. 

Fox is a name that seems to be popping up all over the place now, so I wouldn't be surprised if he got some big time attention soon. Early offers for offensive lineman are usually good signs of talent level and Fox should be right up near the top.

Chris Wormley

6'4", 255 lbs.

Defensive End

Toledo, Ohio

Wormley made a visit up to Ann Arbor this weekend. He's been relatively quiet lately and generally doesn't like talking to the media. I did catch up with him via text to see how his visit went, and where he's going from here. He briefly said the following.

It went very well. Yes I definitely came closer to a decision. My family and girlfriend [went on the visit], and I loved every part of it, but joking around with the coaches was the best part. 

I asked if he knew when he would like to make his announcement or decision and he said he will make it when it feels it's right. I can't imagine that it would be much longer though. This visit seems to have been a positive for Michigan moving him in the right direction, so we'll see when it happens.

LaQuon Treadwell (2013)

6'3", 190 lbs.

Wide Receiver

Crete, Illinois

Treadwell is the younger teammate of 2012 Michigan commit Anthony Standifer. LaQuon accompanied Standifer on his visit to Ann Arbor and immediately saw what his teammate liked so much about Michigan.

Going in I expected it to be great and that's what it was. I think it was overall a great experience, the buildings, the field, and the coaches were great. The field and the academic center where you do all your class work were probably the best parts.

Since he's new to the process he feels that he benefited from Standifer's presence on the visit.

Anthony was asking most of the questions so I was picking off of him and just going off of what he was saying. I'll probably do what Anthony did and decide in the summer too. He talks to me about Michigan a lot and him being committed there helps them with me.

Their coach does not let them visit other schools or decommit once they have committed to a school, so he wants to make sure he gets it right. Treadwell has also been hearing from Michigan State, Indiana, Purdue, and Vanderbilt.

Who's Left?

With 16 17 commitments already in this class it seems likely that Michigan will have most of their spots filled by the time the season hits. Here's who's left and where they are in the process.

Offensive line (1-2):

• Nashville OL Blake Bars: Committed on Sunday.
• Ohio OL Kyle Kalis: Just took a visit to Michigan. He isn't saying much to reporters right now, but I did speak to him today. I wouldn't be surprised if he makes his decision very soon. There are a lot of rumors out there, but like I said he's not saying much in public so be careful what you believe. 
• Illinois OL Jordan Diamond: Michigan is still in great position, as they always have been. Jordan's mother says that she's not sure when his decision will come but she wouldn't be surprised if he waited until after the season. He's gone back and forth so we'll just have to wait and see his final decision.
• Pennsylvania OL Adam Bisnowaty: His athletic director told me that ideally Adam would like to take a few official visits then decide. Adam has also been quiet (a theme here) but I should have something from him soon. He seems to be a forgotten name, but the Michigan coaches do really like him.
• Arizona OL Andrus Peat: I also reported how Peat's visit to Michigan went a week ago. Don't get too excited about Peat yet, I still think he ends up elsewhere but stranger things have happened. 
• Washington OL Joshua Garnett: Recently put Michigan in his top eleven and told me back in May that he would like to take an official visit to Michigan, which he still maintains. I should have more on him this week, but spots remaining could end up being an issue here depending on timelines and decisions of his peers.
• Washington OL Zach Banner: The same can be said for Banner as with Garnett. Timing and space might hinder this, but we'll see how it plays out.

Defensive Line (2-3):

• Missouri DT Ondre Pipkins: He told me last week that he will be making a visit to Michigan in July or August, we'll see which one it ends up being. He also might choose to move up his decision, which is interesting.
• Michigan DT Danny O'Brien: Performed well at Michigan's camp this past weekend and told me the coaches were impressed. He also told me the Michigan coaches expressed that they want one interior lineman, which seems to be between Pipkins, O'Brien, and kind of Sheldon Day. I do think there is still a chance they could take both. O'Brien would ideally like to take a couple official visits, but is also watching what Pipkins does in his recruitment.
• Ohio DE Adolphus Washington: He and teammate Dwayne Stanford are still trying to reschedule their trip to Ann Arbor. Stanford told me they are waiting because of the Fourth of July holiday. I don't think we'll know how interested they really are until they visit. They both were very fond of Ohio State so it could be interesting how it plays out.
• Ohio DE Chris Wormley: As mentioned above Michigan is in good shape with Chris and he's going to announce when he feels he's ready.

Safety (1):

• Ohio S Jarrod Wilson: I posted a few days ago that Wilson will be announcing in July 8th at 2:30pm EST per his coach's email and press release. 

Others:

• The other prospects Michigan is recruiting like Bri'onte Dunn, Ron Thompson, Aaron Burbridge, Amara Darboh, Jehu Chesson, Alden Hill, EJ Fatu, and Sione Houma are still somewhat in limbo. Dunn, for example is still committed to Ohio State according to his father. His father told me Bri'onte would be at Ohio State's camp this past week and it looks like that happened. I still believe they're waiting to see what the sanctions are before making a move.

Extra:

PA running back Greg Garmon told me that he received an offer from Ohio State this weekend. I was told that he worked out at camp as a defensive back and may have been offered as an athlete. It's interesting to say the least that he received an offer from them. He also told me that Michigan is still in it for him and that he, "Loves them."

New Jersey ATH Devin Fuller told me that he's not sure of the exact date but he would still like to make it out to Michigan this summer. 

If the Badgers get him what does this do for their prospects this fall since he can play in 2011? Seems as if they are making a pretty big deal about him so is my assumption that this will improve their O by a good measure, correct?

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/28438/russell-wilson-to-announce-decision-today

For Detroit Maximum Exposure, quarterback Shane Morris and running back Dennis Norfleet were voted co-mvps by Scout.com for leading their team to victory. The final score was Detroit 28 and Team Tampa 16, in a game that was not as close as the final score indicated.

Detriot quarterback Shane Morris, a Michigan commit and top 2013 prospect, struggled early Saturday; but once he found his game he was nearly unstoppable over the next two days.

http://michigan.scout.com/2/1082545.html

TomVH EDIT: This was a weird night. I sent a text to Blake Bars about 3 hours ago and asked if he had committed yet, he said not yet. I then got an email saying that he did commit about 30 minutes ago. 

I then got a call from Blake saying that he has committed and he did it with all his family around. He said he decided to do it tonight because he asked his family why he hasn't committed to Michigan, so he just made up his mind and did it. They're all excited and he'll be bringing his mom up either next week or the week after that.

Here are some of the quotes I posted on Twitter:

Ten minutes ago I committed to Michigan. My family is cheering here, and we're pumped. I was just sitting here and I asked my family why did I not commit to them yet. So I called up Coach Smith and told him. I then called up Coach Hoke and told him. It's been a really exciting night."

I posted a thread on this a few months ago, but I've expanded on a few features/have a wordpress blog up now, and wanted to share with the mgoboard a few things I have in store for this upcoming season.

In the past I've posted some games on MGoVideo; one of the issues with bittorrent though is that for 'normal' people, the concept of downloading and managing torrents is a bit confusing (I know, easy for most people on this board but yes, there are people out there who don't know about bittorrent/want a simpler delivery mechanism)

For this to work, you'll need an iOS device running 4.x firmware, an Apple TV (the black hockey puck sized version that came out last year). All devices need to be on the same wifi network.

If you navigate to mgomat.com on your iOS device, you'll see two videos embedded. When you click the video, it will start to buffer; give it about 15 seconds, and then tap the video again. Click the icon in the right hand corner and select the Apple TV to output the video to your Apple TV. I've embedded a video below.

You can expect the games this Fall to be posted on mgomat.com in this format by midnight on Saturday (directly after the game is over) so that you can enjoy/lament what happened just a three/six hours earlier. Timely posting has been an issue in the past; I can assure you that the resources have been gathered to get the games up by midnight that Saturday, at the latest. No other site will be able to compete with that speed ;)

Anyways, check out mgomat.com and feel free to test the two videos I have posted (ND and Iowa from last year). Oh, and one more thing - the reason I posted the Iowa game is that I wanted to demonstrate that this can do 60 frames per second (NBC is 30fps, ABC/ESPN/BTN are 60FPS). (YouTube highlights are all 30fps, and this is something that will not be change anytime soon)

Bah, embed isn't working. link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpbVz9GcpY4

Didn't see this posted and I always enjoy reading Paul's stuff at Pre-Snap Read.  If you've never read the blog, he counts down teams until the season starts.  WMU checks in at 71 and has some good info on who to watch, etc.

http://www.presnapread.com/no-71-western-michigan/#more-22613