Wednesday Recruitin' Is Da Linebackah U

The 2012 offer board lives here.

Kaleb Ringer and Royce Jenkins-Stone Go Blue

Michigan commitments come in pairs this year, as two offensive linemen committed within a day of each other several weeks ago, and Michigan picked up a Friday-Saturday linebacker combo this week.

OH LB Kaleb Ringer was the first, dropping on Friday. Commitment video from the local ABC affiliate. Dayton Daily News reporter who ran with the commitment early runs a non-apology apology on the DDN website. I'll take the word of the kid who's upset about it over the reporter trying to cover his own ass.

Up next was MI LB Royce Jenkins-Stone, who dropped for the Wolverines on Saturday following his visit to the Michigan spring game. The consensus is that he's a great athlete, but fundamentally raw - like many prospects coming out of Detroit's public schools.

Hello posts for Kaleb and Royce can be found here and here, respectively. Welcome, guys.

So Long, Zeke Pike?

KY QB Zeke Pike is set to announce his college decision at 2:45 today, and although he was very high on Michigan a couple weeks ago, the consensus across the internet seems to be that he'll pick Auburn.

Michigan has plenty of irons in the QB fire - including a potential offeree in OH QB Austin Appleby in the past few days - so missing out on Pike will be a shame, but not a crushing loss (and if they don't land an elite QB in 2012, there's always in-state phenom Shane Morris for next year).

Happy Trails

NY DT Jarron Jones is a soft commit to Penn State.

MD CB Ronald Darby, one of the top athletes in this class, has committed to Notre Dame.

A Little Closer...

MI TE/Ath Ron Thompson (looking disturbingly similar to a svelte Will Campbell at right) has transferred from East Detroit High School to to Southfield High School for his senior season. Most think that Thompson will become a Michigan commit in the near future, which could help the Wolverines land his new teammate, MI CB LEVITICUS PAYNE.

A late March junior day visit to Michigan almost ended Thompson’s recruitment. He grew up following the Wolverines and has visited their campus several times in recent months. He toyed with the idea of committing to Michigan over the last couple weeks, but has decided to hold off and continue weighing his options.

Ron still sounds pretty high on Michigan, but his timeline for a decision has been extended.

CO TE Evan Baylis will be making a decision soon. Although he visited Michigan, Tom thinks he probably won't select the Wolverines. So long as Brady Hoke and co. don't fall out of favor with Thompson, this wouldn't be a huge loss.

OH LB Joe Bolden visited last week, and let Tom know how it went. The upshot:

My uncle [also his high school coach] wasn't at school today, but we'll probably sit down in the next couple days. I really don't have a timeline, it could happen tomorrow or it could happen in February. I'm not sure yet.

Michigan is in strong position but with two new linebacker commits, who knows what will happen.

FL S Deon Bush will narrow his list soon.

Michigan "still has a shot" with MA CB Armani Reeves ($, info in header). He told Tom that he's going to narrow to a top 5 - which will include Michigan - soon.

Etc.

Michigan is still in the top 5 for FL QB Bennie Coney. Florida State, Notre Dame, and Cincinnati "are not concerned about" his past transgressions, possibly the least-flattering way to phrase that point (to all parties) and are his top three.

PA RB Greg Garmon is tougher than you. He beat cancer:

"You know, with surgeries and chemo(therapy) and radiation treatments, it was hard," Garmon said. "The doctors told me we had to play it by ear. It was crazy. Me being the football maniac that I am, even with stuff still in my chest I'd sneak off and play football. My mom didn't know until I got caught."

It's a pretty cool story, so I encourage you to click through.

IL OL Jordan Diamond had a solid visit to Ann Arbor ($, info in header). Scout's header implies that Michigan is atop his list. He told Tom that he plans to take all 5 official visits during the season before coming to a final decision. His teammate, QB Robert Gregory, might not be as much a Michigan target with the switch to a new offense, but he can throw it, too. He could be a late offer if other QBs fall by the wayside.

OH OL Kyle Dodson was the subject of Sam Webb's Detroit News recruiting column last week. The four-star tackle talked to Webb about his game:

"I'm real, real aggressive and competitive. You will see me out there going crazy. I think (opponents) should be scared because I'm very aggressive. I'm angry. If you just look at me wrong on the field, I'm going to scream at you and you're going to get scared."

From a football perspective, Scout's Allen Trieu talks specifics:

"Dodson stands out because of his ability to move, pull and get into the second level at his size," said Allen Trieu, Scout.com's Midwest regional manager. "He's very naturally strong and I like how he finishes his blocks. He's very raw, but he does play at a school that spreads it out, so he has experience in pass protection as well as the running game. His upside is tremendous."

Dodson says distance from home won't be a factor in his decision, and he'll visit both Michigan and Michigan State once more in the coming months. He plans to decide on a school before his senior season of high school.

PA OL Chris Muller holds a Michigan offer, and has interest from a number of other schools, including LSU and Ohio State.

CA OL Max Tuerk will visit Michigan this summer. He has no timeframe to narrow his college choices, but is leaning toward attending school outside of California.

Michigan lived up to the expectations for PA OL JJ Denman, and solidified their position in his top 5 ($, info in headers). He will take all 5 officials before deciding.

OH DE Chris Wormley is Bucknuts' #1 prospect in the state.

PA DE Noah Spence skipped Penn State's spring game because it rained on Saturday:

Harrisburg Bishop McDevitt's Noah Spence, one of the top-rated defensive ends in the country, was scheduled to make the trip with teammate Brock Dean but decided to stay at home because of the rain, BlueWhite Illustrated reported on its website. Spence has already made several unofficial visits to Penn State and is believed to have the Nittany Lions near if not at the top of his list of prospective colleges. He is the only pure defensive end the Lions are recruiting in this class.

He still hasn't had a chance to visit Ann Arbor.

Michigan is "skyrocketing" with MI DE Mario Ojemudia. Michigan, Michigan State, and Stanford are his top 3 schools, but an offer from Ohio State or Penn State could change that.

The first edition of 2012 Big Ten Recruiting Class Rankings are here.