Wednesday Recruitin' Scrambles, Sprints
With the wheels seemingly falling off the Class of 2011, it's going to take one heck of a finish for the Wolverines to end with a respectable commitment list. For current targets, commits, etc., check out the 2011 Michigan Football Recruiting Board. If you have recruiting tips or questions, tweet @varsityblue or e-mail [email protected].
Visits
With only two weekends before Signing Day left for official visits, each one carries a lot of importance for Michigan's new coaching staff. Here's this weekend's roster:
- OH TE/LB Frank Clark (pictured at right). The Cleveland Glenville product was also a target under the former staff. Rivals got a reaction to the hiring of Greg Mattison ($, info in header), so it's safe to say the Wolverines want him on defense.
- MI CB Raymon Taylor. He's an Indiana decommit who has already visited once this winter, for a bowl practice. Former teammate of Devin Gardner.
- CA CB Stefan McClure. Offered by Michigan (see below). He is a friend of former Michigan DB Leon Hall, and was a target of San Diego State. He speaks highly of Hoke and it sounds like he may have even committed to the Aztecs if they had played in a more prestigious conference.
- FL OL Tony Posada. Visiting Michigan this weekend, and plans to remain committed to the Wolverines, despite listening to what other schools have to say. He took an official visit to Mississippi State last weekend, but still says he's a Wolverine if they'll have him (and use his talents properly).
- CA K Matt Wile. Michigan has offered Wile, and the Army All-American is a strong possibility - who Michigan saw in-home the other night. With Matt Goudis out of the class, Michigan is looking for replacements. Derrick Mitchell, currently a minor leaguer in the Philadelphia Phillies system, considered walking on, but it doesn't seem likely at this point.
As always, things are liable to change as the week progresses.
Commits, Kinda Commits, Ex-Commits
TX LB Commit Kellen Jones visited Colorado last weekend and is still being recruited by Miami (YTM), Florida, and Arkansas. However, his dad says:
"I think it will have to be a really rare circumstance for Kellen to not be a Michigan Wolverine, but we have to be prepared.”
That article was published the day before Hoke was named, and after the naming of Greg Mattison as DC, Jones is excited about Michigan, canceling his upcoming visits to other schools.
MD CB Blake Countess seemed only a little iffy, but took an official visit to Penn State last weekend, and enjoyed himself enough to tweet about how it was better than expected, and "making this decision a lot harder." Michigan is in-home today, and Penn State tomorrow. By the end of the week, we should have a much better idea of Countess' ultimate plans.
MI DE Brennen Beyer sat down with Coach Hoke ($, info in header) the other day, and seems solid to Michigan.
MI OL decommit Jake Fisher visited Michigan State last weekend, and has Florida this weekend, and Oregon the weekend following that. If Brady Hoke wants to get him on campus before Signing Day, it will have to be on a midweek unofficial. Fisher has officially decommitted from Michigan, but the Wolverines are hopeful to re-secure him. According to his high school coach, he's still considering Michigan, but will take his remaining visits. Tom says it's not looking good for the Wolverines.
The next trio of former Michigan commits, on the other hand, are not going to come back to the maize-and-blue, as all have decided to take their talents to South Beach:
- OH LB Antonio Kinard probably wasn't going to be accepted as a class of 2011 commit.
- FL CB Dallas Crawford eliminated Michigan last week, and now he'll be a Cane.
- CA K Matt Goudis officially visited Coral Gables along with Crawford, and has also pledged to join Miami's class of 2011.
Finishing the Class
It sounds like Michigan is the favorite to land SC WR Hakeem Flowers. He announces on Sunday.
IL OL Chris Bryant was waiting to hear from Brady Hoke, and took matters into his own hands over the weekend. On his way home from a visit to Pittsburgh (where former Michigan assistants...), he talked with Coach Hoke, and things went well:
My parents are both comfortable, and so am I. They asked their questions and said it was a great conversation overall. I feel comfortable with him too. He was a funny guy, he's a player's coach. He's someone that you would want to coach you... I had a good relationship with the coaches there before, but coaching is a business. It's just an adjustment and you need to go on with it. Michigan is Michigan, and they're not going to just bring anyone in. I still really like Michigan.
Before the visit, Tom said there wasn't too much worry as long as it went well, so Michigan is in very good position with Bryant. He announces a week from Friday.
Michigan may have extended an offer to Minnesota commit KS QB Max Shortell, but the kid says he's only interested in Minnesota. Sounds like a similar situation to FL DT Travarris Saulsberry and his teammate, DE Jordan Williams, both of whom are committed to Tennessee.
Among other new players on the radar, CA DB Stefan McClure and IL OL Pat Flavin (an Illinois commit) are now getting Michigan attention - with McClure already netting an offer.
The Wolverines have also offered LA CB Floyd Raven ($, info in header), and are still showing interest in another Louisiana prospect at the position, Daren Kitchen ($, info in header).
Peace Out, Ya'll
Happy Trails, NJ TE Jack Tabb. He committed to North Carolina ($, info in header) after being unable to get in touch with Brady Hoke.
Auburn has accepted a commitment from NC WR/LB Kris Frost. Michigan might continue pursuing him ("hey, that other school doesn't even want you"), but he seems set on being a Tiger.
Last week, Tom said Michigan had "a great chance" with CA WR Devin Lucien, but Michigan now intends to recruit him only for defense, so it seems unlikely he'll end up a Wolverine. Lucien announces January 30th.
PA DE Deion Barnes will announce tomorrow between Georgia and Penn State. He crossed Michigan off his list with the coaching change.
January 19th, 2011 at 2:04 PM ^
Do you expect anyone out of left field to come into the picture with the hiring of Mattison or is it too late?
January 19th, 2011 at 3:06 PM ^
There might be a few MAC prospects they look at, but it's likely the coaches will get who they are in on right now and bank the extra scholarships for the 2012 class.
Which is going to be awesome, by the way.
January 19th, 2011 at 10:12 PM ^
Awesome is good...
January 19th, 2011 at 2:10 PM ^
Frank Clark on defense? Why? We need a TE in this class, imo.
January 19th, 2011 at 2:26 PM ^
I was wondering that too. I wonder then if the coaches have another TE that they are looking at or something.
January 19th, 2011 at 2:44 PM ^
I've seen rumors of Ricardo Miller moving to TE, that should help a little. I agree though a TE and a QB are musts in this class IMO, even if they are "projects".
January 19th, 2011 at 2:47 PM ^
Yeah I remember reading / hearing that also.
January 19th, 2011 at 2:56 PM ^
If DG gets his redshirt and Tate comes back I think next year becomes the critical year to secure another QB, not this year.
January 19th, 2011 at 10:13 PM ^
One of those 2 seems like a big if, so another QB might calm a few nerves, mine included...
January 19th, 2011 at 3:33 PM ^
There is always the possibility that he might change positions.
January 19th, 2011 at 2:14 PM ^
came with a little summary of where things are in the big picture, of where the team stands.
Anyone care to help me figure this out? How does it look? Salvageable? Grim? See you in 2012???
Just wondering ...
January 19th, 2011 at 2:28 PM ^
I would say salvageable to the point that we may pick up some good players. But also I think 2012 will need to be a big year for this staff to pick up some big time players otherwise the next few years may not be a whole lot better.
January 19th, 2011 at 2:32 PM ^
...what you're looking for is found in Tim's weekly Big Ten Recruiting Rankings post.
January 19th, 2011 at 2:36 PM ^
Here's where the class stands right now in the nation:
http://rivals.yahoo.com/michigan/football/recruiting/teamrank/2011/all/…
#43.... right behind Maryland and ahead of Southern Methodist.
Translation: we have work to do.
January 19th, 2011 at 5:13 PM ^
We started the week @ 30, now #43. Hopefully, by the start of next week will be back into the 20's.
January 19th, 2011 at 2:32 PM ^
...bumpy ride over the next two weeks.
January 19th, 2011 at 2:40 PM ^
Keeping Tate would be like getting a new recruit. He is a very talented kid who will be great insurance behind Denard and Deven. Has anyone heard anything new on Tate?
January 19th, 2011 at 2:41 PM ^
Tim said "It looks like Hart is likely to be the only defection in the class (coaching change-related, at least)."
Now, "the wheels (are) seemingly falling off the Class of 2011".
Steady ship here at MGoBlog.
Frost was a major loss, but many have been saying for a long time that Hart was unlikely to leave the SEC. Goudis and Crawford sound like they'll get replaced. Fisher may still be part of the class (and is IMO the #1 priority.)
The class was damaged by the debacle of a transition and the weeks of uncertainty surrounding RR to be sure, but the events over the last two weeks haven't dramatically shifted the outlook for the 2011 recruiting class.
January 19th, 2011 at 2:47 PM ^
The outlook has dramatically shifted. The attrition due to coaching change was much worse than expected, with the Wolverines losing
1) Frost, a 5-star athlete at a position of need
2) Crawford, one of their best defensive backs (if not the best)
3) Fisher, who is not currently part of the class (maybe he'll re-join, but the insider rumblings say that's unlikely to be the case)
4) Goudis - who, I'll admit, can likely be easily replaced.
January 19th, 2011 at 2:52 PM ^
All 4 of those guys were also in doubt 2 weeks ago. Your assumption that they weren't was incorrect.
January 19th, 2011 at 2:54 PM ^
Frost and Fisher were not.
I'm just reporting on the circumstances. When the circumstances change, the reporting changes. I apologize that you don't like it.
January 19th, 2011 at 3:09 PM ^
Circumstances were that RR was not our coach anymore and therefore there was great uncertainty.
You wrote that Goudis was "likely to be solid". I'm not sure that was anything more than speculation - not "circumstances".
You wrote that Crawford "opened up his recruitment, and no longer considers himself a Michigan commit" and wrote Fisher would "look around a little bit" and might be "considering a decommitment".
Yet, you concluded that "Hart is likely to be the only defection".
I'll agree that the Frost circumstances may have changed, but we already knew he planned to commit 2 days later and Michigan had no head coach...so the writing might have been on the wall there as well.
That apology is as necessary as it is sincere.
January 19th, 2011 at 2:54 PM ^
Just saying we, as fans, shouldn't be so quick with counting guys in or out of the class. Coaching change or no. Rumors are just that.
January 19th, 2011 at 3:19 PM ^
believed Fisher would still end up at M? He is a Must. Must. Must. Must. All of our attention here please. He doesn't need another visit to AA - the kid was at almost every game. Someone just needs to remind him that all the things he loved 2 months ago (besides coaches, and the new guys are great), and his whole life, are still here
January 19th, 2011 at 3:35 PM ^
If Fisher ends of picking another school, it seems like Pat Flavin might be our backup plan.
January 19th, 2011 at 2:43 PM ^
Can anyone explain this situation to me so my head stops exploding over and over?
January 19th, 2011 at 2:48 PM ^
I would guess that they only want to take one wideout in the class, and feel good about a different prospect (Flowers).
January 19th, 2011 at 2:49 PM ^
1. There is no need for more WR in this class. In terms of numbers, WR is the deepest position on the roster. We will have 13 people on the roster at WR (2 or 3 positions). 6 are underclassmen and another commit (Hayes) may make it 7.
2. Lucien isn't an elite target. Despite being a 4-star to rivals, his offer list, compared to say Hakeem Flowers, is not impressive. Because of the depth, Michigan has to be picky with the WR offers. Michigan is better off waiting for Flowers or focusing on 2012 WRs than taking Lucien.
January 19th, 2011 at 3:02 PM ^
I'll be honest that I'm still pretty confused by the decision on Lucien. I agree with you about depth, but I think Devin could have contributed early.
Besides that point, he loved Michigan and sometimes with recruiting you do things for the future. One of Lucien's teammates is 2012 OL Jordan Simmons (6'5", 295 lbs). This decision on Lucien won't necessarily hurt Michigan, but it probably would have helped them with Jordan next year. I'm not saying take a guy just to get his friend, but it would've made sense in this case.
Here's Jordan's film:
January 19th, 2011 at 3:20 PM ^
Lucien would probably have red-shirted in 2010, but you could make the case that 2011 had room for him to contribute. Yet, WR is still pretty well-stocked that season with Roundtree, Stokes, T.Robinson and the SIX receivers from the '10 class, plus maybe Hayes and/or Flowers. In Hoke's era at Michigan, they took far fewer WR.
Simmons look promising and that does make Lucien more attractive. OL remains a huge area of need. That said, I'm not sure Michigan is in a position to operate this way right now. They have too many immediate needs to fill (QB, TE, OL, DL) in the 2010 class to take a "luxury" like Lucien. This is the kind of mistake that RR made, so its good to see the new staff avoid it.
January 19th, 2011 at 4:26 PM ^
Could not see him getting on the field! Looked to be a red-shirt.
January 19th, 2011 at 3:30 PM ^
I'm still confused on this. Lucien looked awesome on film, very smooth/fluid athlete that caught everything that came his way. I haven't watched anything on Flowers, but I want to and hope I see a HUGE difference in talent levels.
Agree with Tom - Creating a connection to a possible future big time recruit is never a bad thing especially when we have room in this class to take Lucien.
January 19th, 2011 at 3:40 PM ^
Also Crespi would have been a nice pipeline to tap into. They produce some good prospects and it seems like they are usually in the conversation for a CIF title.
January 19th, 2011 at 3:02 PM ^
I know its been discussed, but I still do not understand how this kid would be unable to get in touch with any coach at Michigan. Is this a common thing? Could it really be that the logistics made it impossible to actually touch base? And, if it wasn't a simple logistic blunder, is it common practice to dodge calls of a potential commit that does not fit in with the current program? If so, that is a really, really sh-tty practice and one that I'll assume Michigan does not subscribe to . . .
January 19th, 2011 at 3:01 PM ^
IL OL Chris Bryant was waiting to hear from Brady Hoke, and took matters into his own hands over the weekend
Happy Trails, NJ TE Jack Tabb. He committed to North Carolina ($, info in header) after being unable to get in touch with Brady Hoke.
What exactly is the coaching staff doing at this point that is more important than talking to these recruits? Pretty bizarre if you ask me
January 19th, 2011 at 3:05 PM ^
I'm feeling much better about the coaching staff, but I really don't understand the handling of Lucien. Telling a highly ranked kid who's been so high on Michigan that he has to change positions at the same time they're going after Flowers? Don't really know much about Flowers (except the star differential, which isn't supposed to mean anything, right?), and so nothing against him personally, but is it only that Flowers is a couple of inches taller? Is it that they're still going after Kris Frost-- who's made it clear he wants a shot at WR-- and they'd rather chance losing Lucien by having him change over to defense as a back-up/bargaining chip for a guy who's already gone elsewhere and would only be lured back if he can "start out" as WR?
With scholarships to give and certain takers at a premium, I just don't get turning such a quality guy away.
EDIT: As usual, I spent so much time agonizing about this, others have posted before me. Still feel bad for him.
January 19th, 2011 at 4:01 PM ^
Given the spare room we seem to have, I think it is likely that the new coaches simply don't rate Lucien's offensive potential as highly as others. And two inches is actually quite a lot for a receiver.
January 19th, 2011 at 4:50 PM ^
its coming into focus. If you watch the Dough Karsh interniew of Borges - he makes the comment that they have "receivers galore" on the roster. Hoke is coming in with a mandate to fix the defense and so it appears that he is not going to take a lot of players on the offensive side of the ball - especially at receiver.
Not saying I agree, but that appears to be the thinking from inside Fort Hoke.
Also, right or wrong in their evaluation of him, they have given a very thorough evaluation of Lucien from their time at SDSU where he was also being recruited.
I certainly was impressed with his highlight film, and put a lot of stock into Magnus' evaluations which were very high on Lucien, but its not like these coaches havent seen hm before.
January 19th, 2011 at 3:07 PM ^
From Go Blue Wolverine front page
"Michigan headman Brady Hoke and recruiting coordinator Chris Singletary made their way to Highland Park yesterday to meet with standout corner Raymon Taylor. The surprise visit made a strong impression on the talented youngster"
January 19th, 2011 at 3:08 PM ^
It makes no sense for all these defensive players -- Crawford, Fisher, Frost --- to jump ship because of the regime change. We have gone from a head coach who paid no attention to defense and whose defenses were historically bad to a defensive-minded head coach who has brought in a top NFL DC. Go figure. Thank the Lord I no longer have to make decisions with a teenage brain!
January 19th, 2011 at 3:32 PM ^
Except for the fact that Fisher is an OT. He would probably care more about RichRod's offensive style instead of the defense. Rich liked his tackles lean and athletic, helping them to get to the second level for blocking. I am not sure that this is the same style with Hoke.
January 19th, 2011 at 3:53 PM ^
Athletic lineman matter regardless of the system. Try finding a successful NFL tackle that can't move (for a lineman).
January 19th, 2011 at 3:50 PM ^
If you think this way you have no idea about college football and recruiting. The truth of the matter is the realtionships that recruits and coaches form are important and help make their decisions. We didn't have a DC or position coaches for some time after Hoke was hired. It is also important for some recruits to know their positions coaches.
There is always the possibility that the new coach will not honor your offer/comittment. It is actually smart for players to at least have a backup plan. Much like what Countess and Kellen Jones did. Especially this late in the process classes are starting to fill up and they might not have spots available to them.
January 19th, 2011 at 3:59 PM ^
Yes, you are certainly right about the relationships, and about guys with back-up plans (which is a different issue from my point). So I'm not trying to give these young guys a hard time. I'm just saying that you would think, now that the dust has cleared, that we would be more attractive now, not less. It seems clear that alot of these guys really liked RR, but as a defensive player I don't know why they would be drawn to his teams.
January 19th, 2011 at 4:12 PM ^
I see what you are saying. Maybe if the staff was given enough time to actually lure in some recruits. Less than a month to put a class together and lure in recruits is a tall order.
January 19th, 2011 at 4:23 PM ^
Back to how late in the process we are now and the waiting game for a HC may or may not come back and bite us in the BUTT!!
January 19th, 2011 at 3:25 PM ^
Wlie would be a nice pickup. Looks more consistent than Goudis, and has with his size he has the potential to be a long-range kicker too.
Wow we really are recuirting dbs hard. Asking Lucien to be a db, Taylor, Raven, McClure. I have a feeling these guys really must have not liked Avery, Christian, and Talbott on film. Or the other explanation could be that they expect some of these guys to play safety (although I like the youngs guys we have at safety. Vinopal, T.Gordon, Johnson).
Either way no matter how bad your offense is, good defense can keep you in any game. I have no problem addressing the defense so heavily as of now.
January 19th, 2011 at 3:35 PM ^
I am not so sure about the players you listed as safeties. C. Johnson, C. Gordon, T. Gordon were all playing the hybrid role this year, and seem to be big, and not necessarily the fastest players to be safeties. I would like to see some more speed back there personally, and if some of these guys can bring that, let them come.
January 19th, 2011 at 3:41 PM ^
Carvin Johnson and maybe Thomas Gordon I was thinking SS (although Gordon is a little small for SS), certainly not FS. I wouldn't consider those players to be slow for a SS. Just about average in fact. And with a SS they can play near the LOS on run downs. I know those two aren't blazers, but I think they are fast enough to play SS. Now Cam Gordon on the other hand, I pray to god never sees another minute at safety.
January 19th, 2011 at 3:32 PM ^
"and if they use his talents properly".
Can a 300lb OL kick?
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