Wednesday Recruitin' Knows There's Always Next Year Comment Count

Tim

The 2011 class is over, so it's time to look ahead to next year. But first...

...A Denouement

As you may recall, Michigan signed 19 talented high schoolers last Wednesday, including a signing Day surprise(ish) in TX TE Chris Barnett. Yes, I mostly just wanted an excuse to use this picture again.

Of course, OH S Greg Brown was already enrolled in Ann Arbor, and didn't need to fax his LOI.

As for the other prospects who were still on the table:

  • MI OL Jake Fisher signed with Oregon. The former commit switched to the Ducks.
  • MD DT Darian Cooper signed with Iowa. He had been favoring the Hawkeyes for some time, and a late push by Michigan (courtesy of defensive coordinator Greg Mattison) couldn't sway him to be blue.
  • CO LB Leilon Wilingham signed with UCF. He committed to Texas A&M without ever visiting, and then had reported silent commitments to Colorado and Michigan before switching to the Knights on Signing Day. He's a loss for Michigan's class, but sounds like a kid who can't make up his mind, either.
  • For those who can't stop asking about FL WR Prince Holloway despite repeated claims he wouldn't come to Michigan, he signed a letter of intent to a Junior College in Kansas.

The Wolverines' 2011 recruting class may not be completed yet, as IL OL Graham Glasgow will visit Ann Arbor this weekend. As Brian noted yesterday, he seems more like a preferred walkon-type.

Tom expands on Touch the Banner's exploration of where Michigan offerees signed.

On to the Next One

Since I've been actively neglecting the 2012 class in favor of in-depth coverage of 2011 for the past couple weeks, updates from rising seniors should be hectic throughout the month of February. Things should settle down by the end of the month, and look for a recruiting board (with revamped format) by that time.

First, let's look at a list of 2012 recruits with offers:

Michigan offered FL QB Bennie Coney in the fall, and they're currently in his top 6. As I said at the time, he has character question marks, so we'll see if his offer from the Wolverines holds up with the new staff.

KY QB Zeke Pike has a Michigan offer ($). He's one of the top QBs in the country, a mobile pro-style guy.

Michigan has offered ($) IN QB Gunner Kiel. Offer confirmed by a free source. ESPN's Chris Pool says he may be one of the top quarterbacks in the nation.

Michigan - along with the rest of the country - has extended an offer to MO WR Dorial Green-Beckham. He has a good shot at being the #1 overall recruit in the 2012 class, so he's a definite longshot.

OH WR Dwayne Stanford holds a Michigan offer ($), along with Ohio State and a number of other top programs.

MD WR Stefon Diggs - a teammate of 2011 CB signee Blake Countess - has an impressive highlight reel:

He was named MVP of the Army Combine, and has already been invited to next year's Army All-American game. He told Rivals that he wants to hear from Michigan, and though the Wolverines took a while to offer, he sees himself as a "Charles Woodson type" at the next level, which certainly doesn't hurt Michigan in his mind.

Michigan has offered ($, info in header) OH TE Sam Grant. He's a big tight end who could be a devastating blocker at the next level.

FL TE Sean Price also has a Michigan offer.

OL Jordan Diamond - one of 2011 signee Chris Bryant's good friends - may be a package deal with his teammate, QB Robert Gregory (more about him below). Diamond already holds an Ohio State offer, and will be on Michigan's campus next weekend. I don't have confirmation yet, but it's sounding like that may be the Wolverines' first junior day. Diamond will decide early(ish) in the process ($, info in header).

Michigan has an offer out to WA OL Zach Banner, who has already committed to participate in next year's Army All-American Bowl. He's one of the top prospects in the nation, and is probably a longshot for the Wolverines.

Scout's Allen Trieu says it'll probably boil down to Michigan or Tennessee for MI DT Danny O'Brien - whom he thinks is the top prospect in the state at this point. Tennessee has the slight edge at this point.

Michigan has an offer out to IN DT Sheldon Day, and it sounds as though he really likes the Wolverines.

IL DT Vincent Valentine, who holds a Michigan offer, was recently profiled by STLToday.com.

Jim Stefani gets back on his blogging game, and shared that Michigan has offered OH DT Greg Kuhar.

DC DT Eddie Goldman, one of the nation's top defensive linemen, holds a Michigan offer, but is probably a longshot.

Ohio State-centric recruiting experts are already conceding OH DE Chris Wormley to the Wolverines. His reasoning gets a little muddled, but if Ohio State will give up Wormley in order to land Adolphus Washington and Greg McMullen, more power to them.

Yes, I want Wormley. No, I am not going to lose any sleep over his decision to go to Michigan should be choose to do so. Great kid and I wish him all the best should that be where he chooses to spend the next four or five years of his life.

Wormley is going to be a solid 4-star or borderline 5-star guy, so Michigan's recruiting class should get a great early boost should he decide for the Wolverines.

Looks like the Wolverines are pounding the pavement on defensive ends from Ohio. OH DE Ifeadi Odenigbo recently received a Michigan offer. Ohio State fans don't think he'll receive a Buckeye offer, and they're terrified about the prospect of facing him in coming years. Michigan has offered OH DE Tom Strobel. Another Michigan offer is out, to OH DE Pharoah(!) Brown.

MI LB James Ross wants to play in next year's Under Armour All-American Game with his friend, MI CB Terry Richardson, who's already been invited. Ross is intrigued ($, info in header) by the hiring of Greg Mattison.

There may be a couple more offers out there, but this is (almost) all of them that I'm aware of. A couple guys are already committed to other schools - such as FL WR Avery Johnson to LSU - so I haven't included them.

The Unoffered

Before expressing worry about "Hey, this kid loves Michigan and we're slipping because we haven't offered him yet," keep in mind that the Michigan staff wants to evaluate prospects on film before extending an official offer. Some of them may even be close to committing if they held a Michigan offer, and the coaches want to know for sure whether it's a prospect that they really want before the kid potentially joins the Class of 2012. Offers should be coming soon for a lot of these guys, so it's not a huge delay, especially for a new coaching staff. Here are some of the guys for whom that possibly applies:

IL QB Robert Gregory has Michigan near the top of his list. However, they weren't in his top five in mid-January, as Iowa, Notre Dame, Oregon, Miami (YTM), and Northwestern got the honor. Gregory has dual-threat ability, but is looking to play in an offense that's primarily pro-style. Michigan's newfound pro-style offense with room for a dual-threat (hello: Denard Robinson) is a huge benefit there, as is their pursuit of Jordan Diamond.

OH WR Monty Madaris has the Wolverines near the top of his list.

Michigan's increased presence in California may give them a boost with CA TE Taylor McNamara, one of the nation's top recruits at the position.

Michigan's coaches have been in to visit CO OL Shane Callahan. Probably convenient as they were heading out to check on 2011 LB Leilon Willingham, though Leilon ended up siging with UCF.

IL DT Tommy Schutt already has a decision timeline in mind ($, info in header). As he's just a junior, "before his senior season" is a good bet.

OH DE teammates LaTroy Lewis and Greg McMullen from Akron Hoban are hearing from Michigan. Lewis's father briefly attended Michigan, but it seems as though Ohio State leads for him.

Michigan has "shown interest" in OH LB Mason Monheim.

NJ LB Elijah Shumate doesn't mention the Wolverines to Palmetto Sports's Eric Guimaraes, and his top five is South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, Rutgers, and LSU.

WI LB Vince Biegel plans to visit Michigan.

bambradley.jpgTheRinger.com profiles OH S Bam Bradley (pictured at right):

A safety with that size and instincts, a sound tackler who is comfortable in both the run and pass is going to be a big time recruit. Should be a prospect that can come in and player earlier than later. The weaknesses we see are nothing that can’t be corrected with solid coaching and a willing learner, which Bradley is.

Bradley's from Trotwood-Madison, one of Michigan's favorite schools of late.

Happy Trails (already!) to AZ QB Connor Brewer. One of the top pro-style QBs in the country committed to Texas.

Other Lists!

Offensive and Defensive hotlists from MGoUser JC3, and Tom has a huge list of prospects to keep an eye on in his Weekly Update. We'll look at it in more detail next week, when we're not crunched for space. Scout's Allen Trieu has a preliminary list of top in-state prospects. Some top prospects from Lakewood (OH) St. Edward. Michigan has already offered a couple of them, and OL Kyle Kalis is already committed to Ohio State. On today's Recruiting Roundup, Sam mentioned that Brady Hoke has dropped by the schools of a few top juniors, including Wormley and Diamond.

Comments

JJB2

February 9th, 2011 at 3:09 PM ^

I was sad to see Michigan not on the list, yet, of Barry Sanders, Jr.  It would be nice to have a Sanders back in the area.  Doubtful but it would be cool. 

TXmaizeNblue

February 9th, 2011 at 4:33 PM ^

I'm pretty sure Barry Sr. had his fill of Michigan...unfortunately.  The kid is a spitting image of his dad.  In the words of Mr. Hoke "tremendous" field vision and cut-back skills, plus lightening fast.  I think he could give the old man a run for his money - especially if he ends up on a team that can actually block...

Wolvmarine

February 9th, 2011 at 3:23 PM ^

I am hoping the CASS guys all make it to the Junior Days that are coming up.  Tim, do you know exactly when those are going to be?  I have heard rumors about around Feb 20 or early March.  Why is it taking so long for RJS to get an offer, when guys like Ross have already gotten one.  I am assuming that Ross received an offer while RR was still the coach.   Any insight into new regimes evaluation process?  Does Hoke have a history of seeing guys face to face before offering?  

See the Forest

February 9th, 2011 at 3:59 PM ^

Is Michigan a longshot at some of those top-rated recruits because it has fallen in stature over the last few years, or because they have not had time to build relationships with these recruits, with the new coaching staff? Is it something else, or are they longshots for all teams?

john22

February 9th, 2011 at 4:28 PM ^

update,we are in on alot of top guys.My early wish list would be Robert Gregory,Stefon Diggs,Jordan Diamond,Chris Wormley,Danny O'brien,James BIGGS Ross,Royce Jenkins Stone,Terry Richardson,and Bam Bradley.Plus a couple more OL,DL,and a couple skill players GO BLUE!!!

umhero

February 9th, 2011 at 4:36 PM ^

Here's a list of all of the players that Scout and Rivals list as having offers from Michigan.  I thought this would be a good compliment to Tim's post.

Targets         Offer
Quarterbacks
Zeke Pike 6'5" 220 lbs. 4.7 Dixie Heights HS, Edgewood, Kentucky Yes
Gunner Kiel 6'4" 220 lbs. N/A East HS, Columbus, Indiana Yes
Bennie Coney 6'2" 205 lbs. 4.8 Plant City HS, Plant City, Florida Yes
Running Backs
Matt Jones 6'2" 200 lbs. 4.53 Armwood HS, Seffner, Florida Yes
Wide Receivers
Stefon Diggs 6’1″ 185 lbs. 4.4 Our Lady of Good Counsel, Olney, Maryland Yes
Dorial Green-Beckham 6’6″ 215 lbs. 4.4 Hillcrest HS, Springfield, Missouri Yes
Dwayne Stanford 6'4" 200 lbs. 4.5 Taft HS, Cincinnatti, Ohio Yes
Aaron Burbridge 6'0" 175 lbs. 4.35 Farmington Harrison HS, Farmington Hills, Michigan Yes
Tight Ends
Sam Grant 6’6″ 230 lbs. 4.8 St. Edward HS, Lakewood, Ohio Yes
Sean Price 6'4" 206 lbs. 4.9 North Marion HS, Citra, Florida Yes
Devin Funchess 6'5" 205 lbs.   Farmington Harrison HS, Farmington Hills, Michigan Yes
Offensive Linemen
D.J. Humphries 6’5″ 265 lbs. 4.9 Mallard Creek HS, Charlotte, North Carolina Yes
Jordan Diamond 6’6″ 289 lbs. 5.0 Simeon Vocational HS, Chicago, Illinois Yes
Zach Banner 6'9 295 lbs.   Lakes HS, Lakewood, Washington Yes
Defensive Ends
Chris Wormley 6’4″ 255 lbs.   Whitmer HS, Toledo, Ohio Yes
Ifeadi Odenigbo 6’4″ 210 lbs. 4.44 Centerville HS, Centerville, Ohio Yes
Pharaoh Brown 6’6″ 220 lbs. 4.7 Brush HS, Lyndhurst, Ohio Yes
Tom Strobel 6'6" 240 lbs. 4.9 Mentor HS, Concord, Ohio Yes
Mario Ojemudia 6'3" 215 lbs. 4.65 Farmington Harrison HS, Farmington Hills, Michigan Yes
Defensive Tackles
Tommy Schutt 6’3″ 301 lbs.   Glenbard West HS, Glen Ellyn, Illinois Yes
Eddie Goldman 6'4" 307 lbs.   Friendship Collegiate Academy, Washington, District of Columbia Yes
Vincent Valentine 6'3" 300 lbs.   Edwardsville HS, Edwardsville, Illinois Yes
Sheldon Day 6'2" 268 lbs.   Warren Central HS, Indianapolis, Indiana Yes
Danny O’Brien 6’4″ 255 lbs. 5.1 Flint (MI) Powers Catholic Yes
Greg Kuhar 6'3" 265 lbs.   St. Edward HS, Concord Township, Ohio Yes
Linebackers
Deaysean Rippy 6’2″ 198 lbs.   McKees Rocks (PA) Sto-Rox HS Yes
James Ross 6’0″ 203 lbs.   Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary’s Yes
Cornerbacks
           
Safeties
Elijah Shumate 6'1" 205 lbs. 4.5 Don Bosco Prep, Ramsey, New Jersey Yes
D.J. Singleton 6'3" 195 lbs. 4.5 St. Peters Preparatory School, Jersey City, New Jersey Yes

 

Denarded

February 9th, 2011 at 5:27 PM ^

If we get Diggs, Wormley, Diamond, O'Brien, Ross, Jenkins-Stone, Richardson, Laron Taylor, Godin, Mahone, Bam Bradley, Gant, Idefali, Devin Funchess, Mario Ojemudia,and Pharoah Brown I think that'd be a Top 10 national class, possibly 5.

Gentlemen, start your engines for 2012!!!

Jorel

February 9th, 2011 at 5:33 PM ^

I was surprised not to see OH S Allen Gant on the list of prospects that may be offered in the future.  Any indication on where Michigan is (or isn't) with him?

Tim

February 10th, 2011 at 7:39 AM ^

Gant is certainly among those who might receive an offer, he's just not one of the guys that people are constantly asking about, and there were no updates on him this week. Since there was a crunch for space, I didn't include anyone who didn't fall into those two categories.

As far as where Michigan stands, he's said to be a big Ohio State fan, so they definitely lead. If the Buckeyes offer, I assume he's Columbus-bound. Michigan is probably in the next group of schools.

GunnersApe

February 10th, 2011 at 7:01 AM ^

The Death Star is almost back to 100%, I can post at work again!!  Now If Brian can just figure out how to guard the thermal exhaust port so the Malware rebels cannot get through again.

 

Thanks Tim, love all the local kids plus there is a good crop of Trench kids.

cclark22

February 10th, 2011 at 1:01 PM ^

Bummed to see this kid already sign with Texas. IMO he is the best QB in the class and can make any throw... kids really good. Also I have mentioned this before, but can we PLEASE pursue Aaron Burbridge as much as we can. I still cant get over what I saw from him in the state championship game. He could definetely be that big time reciever we have been looking for. Hopefully he loves the offer and is an early sign.