2012 Mock Class: 1st Edition
Michigan got an early start on many teams in recruiting, not only in the Big Ten but around the country. But with school over or ending soon for many athletes, 7-on-7 camps and visits have begun, and that means a lot of recruiting news will be flowing in over the next few weeks.
Right now Michigan is sitting at 12 known [Ed-M: and one known unknown /Rummy] verbal commitments. The coaches are recruiting for a class of up to 25 signees, and anything is possible at this point.
Every month or so I’ll post a mock cla
ss, and though this is my best-guess list, it is far from accurate or guaranteed.
Here is the 1st edition. Feel free to comment or question!
Edit: I know the rivals ratings haven’t come out, but if these players under 4-stars are less than 3’s I’ll eat my shoe.
| Pos. | Name | Location | Height | Weight | 40 time | Stars | Offers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | Tyler O’Connor | Lima, Ohio | 6'3 | 200 lbs | 4.7 | 3* | BC, BGSU, UC, Illinois, MSU, Toledo, Vanderbilt | Solid prospect. Michigan coaches watched him throw, may jump on an offer |
| WR | Durron Neal | St. Louis, Missouri | 6'1 | 195 lbs | 4.57 | 4* | Alabama, Ark, UC, GT, Kansas, K-St, MSU, Minnesota, Nebraska, ND, Oklahoma, Oregon, USC | Michigan was a very late offer, but piqued his interest. Need to get him on campus. |
| TE | A.J. Williams | Cincinnati, Ohio | 6'6 | 260 lbs | 4.9 | 3* | Ark, BC, Illinois, Louisville, MSU, NC St, WVU | Committed 4/22. Blocking TE, possible tackle? |
| TE | Devin Funchess | Farmington Hills, MI | 6'5 | 205 lbs | n/a | 3* | BGSU, UC, Illinois, MSU, Mizzou, Nebraska, UVA | Committed 4/22. Receiving TE/U-back. |
| OL | Jordan Diamond | Chicago, IL | 6'6 | 289 | n/a | 4* | AZ, Ark, FSU, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, MSU, Ole Miss, ND, OSU, UT, WVU, Wiscy. | Teammate of ‘11 commit Chris Bryant. Great LT prospect. Michigan leads, decision soon? |
| OL | Chris Muller | Boyertown, PA | 6'6 | 287 | n/a | 4* | BC, Uconn, Florida, MSU, ND, PSU, Pitt, Rutgers, WVU, UVA | Penn State had an early lead, but planning a summer visit to Michigan. Likes Mallory and Funk. |
| OL | Caleb Stacey | Cincinnati, Ohio | 6'4 | 275 lbs | n/a | 3* | BGSU, BC, UC, Illinois, Indiana, NC St, Toledo, Wake | 3/26 commit. Plays tackle for a great program, mauler. Will be solid guard at UM. |
| OL | Erik Magnuson | Carlsbad, CA | 6'6 | 275 lbs | n/a | 4* | AZ, BC, Cal, Miami (YTM), ND, Oklahoma, Oregon, USC | Huge recruit. National prospect. Really likes Funk and Hoke is recruiting him. Official to Michigan in fall. |
| OL | Ben Braden | Rockford, MI | 6'6 | 285 lbs | n/a | 3* | MSU, Wiscy | 3/24 commit. One of the top programs in state, first year at RT. Great potential. |
| DE | Pharaoh Brown | Lyndhurst, OH | 6'6 | 220 lbs | n/a | 4* | ASU, BC, CU, MSU, Neb, UNC, NC St, Oregon, Pitt, WVU, many. | Committed 5/7. QB and DE on HS team, raw but great athlete. |
| DE | Mario Ojemudia | Farmington Hills, MI | 6'3 | 215 lbs | 4.7 | 3* | CMU, Illinois, MSU, Iowa, Mizzou, Stanford | 5/07 commit. Looks like an LB, freakish speed off the edge. |
| DE/DT | Matt Godin | Detroit, MI | 6'5 | 250 lbs | 5.0 | 3* | BC, Buffalo, Duke, Illinois, MSU, Mizzou, Syracuse, Wisconsin | 5/12 commit. Big bodied athlete, may be a DT (think RVB if not). |
| DE | Chris Wormley | Toled, OH | 6'4 | 255 lbs | n/a | 3* (LOL) |
|
Michigan leads. Top 10 player in Ohio. Needs to be a force on defense. May be an OT? |
| DT | Ondre Pipkins | Kansas City, Mizzou | 6'3 | 325 lbs | n/a | 4* | Bama, Iowa, Kansas, MSU, Mizzou, Nebraska, UT, OSU | Top flight DT. Hails from Saginaw. Close friend is grad asst at UM. Blowing up nationally. |
| DT | Danny O’Brien | Flint, MI | 6'1 | 295 lbs | 5.1 | 4* | Bama, UC, Iowa, MSU, Pitt, UT, Vandy | Vols have an early lead. Best Friends with Matt Godin. Michigan is making up ground, loves coaches. |
| DT | Jaleel Johnson | Westchester, Illinois | 6'2 | 277 lbs | n/a | 4* | AZ, BC, Iowa, Minnesota, Iowa, MSU, UT, Toledo, Vandy | MSU, Wiscy, and Iowa lead. But very excited about Mich offer. Need to get him on campus. |
| LB | Joe Bolden | Colerain, OH | 6'2 | 225 lbs | n/a | 4* | AZ, BC, UC, UK, UNC, PSU, USF, Stan, UT, Vandy, many. | 4/29 commit. True middle linebacker. Hates ND and OSU? Check. |
| LB | James Ross | Orchard Lake, MI | 6'0 | 210 lbs | n/a | 4* | AZ, UC, Illinois, MSU, Nebraska, ND, OSU, PSU, Pitt, USC. | 5/2 commit. Great playmaker. Needs size. Top 3 in state. |
| LB | Royce Jenkins-Stone | Detroit, MI | 6'2 | 215 lbs | n/a | 4* | MSU, Florida, USC, Alabama, Mizzou, Oklahoma, want any more? | 4/16 commit. Great athlete, needs to get coached up. Cass Tech product. Top 3 in state. |
| LB | Kaleb Ringer | Claymont, OH | 6'0 | 220 lbs | n/a | 3* | UC, Illinois, Iowa, Louisville, Toledo | 4/12 commit. 2nd best LB in Ohio. Nephew of Javon Ringer. Great athlete, not great sized. |
| CB/S | Wayne Morgan | Brooklyn, NY | 5'11 | 188 | 4.4 | 4* | Alabama, BC, Maryland, Miami (YTM), PSU, Rutgers | Michigan in top 2 or lead? Announcing June 1st. Great prospect at S or CB. |
| CB/S | Anthony Standifer | Crete, Illinois | 6'1 | 175 lbs | n/a | 3* | Akron, BGSU, UC, CSU, Iowa, Minnesota, ND, Cuse, Toledo, WMU | Terrific CB/S combo. Great speed + hips. Michigan first BCS school to offer, 20+ offers. |
| CB | Terry Richardson | Detroit, MI | 5'9 | 165 lbs | 4.45 | 4* | Alabama, | 5/19 commit. Cass Tech CB lineage, one of the top corners in country. Top 5 player in state. |
| S | Allen Gant | Sylvania, OH | 6'2 | 205 | n/a | 3* | Ball State, BC, UC, Stanford, Toledo, WVU | Son of Tony Gant. Michigan leads. Strong safety type, solid player. |
Total Commitments: 24
At this point I have not included an RB in this class. Until something actually happens to OSU, I believe Brionte Dunn will remain a Buckeye. Michigan has fallen out of Greg Garmon’s top group, and Keith Marshall needs to get on campus for him to even be a possibility. Still, a lot could change.
I’ve only included one receiver as well. I do believe Michigan leads for Aaron Burbidge, but until he is more qualified I don’t want to list him just yet. At this point Michigan’s receiving recruiting is just heating up. I expect them to land a very good player, and maybe another receiver or two with the recent departures and graduation.
As for Ron Thompson, I believe he will be a part of the class. I’ll probably include him in the next edition.
Enjoy!
I was just curious, thought I might have missed a gut feeling or something. UM hasn't really stolen any recruits from anyone except MSU right? Maybe wormley would be, Neal and Magnusson certainly would.
Bama is a bigger player for Neal than OU, just imo.
The coaches have said that they want 6 OLs and that AJ Williams is a TE. They've also said that they want 4 DBs. An interesting question is whether they want to take 6 and 4 or will take 6 and 4.
If they do add 4 more OLs and 3 more DBs, that puts the commit total at 19 and that's without any DTs, WRs, a QB, Chris Wormley, Bri'onte Dunn (not that he's even close to being a sure-thing), or a fullback. A QB, two DTs, and Wormley gets it to 23, at which point you'd have to squeeze in Dunn as well as a fullback and/or a WR if any Michigan-caliber players were available at WR/FB. That's a tight fit even if they can't get Dunn or a FB.
I've heard two separate things regarding defensive backs:
3 cornerbacks, one of whom can also play safety
2 cornerbacks and 2 safeties
Taking together coaches comments, recruit comments, and insider comments one is left with the impression that the coaches want to take AT LEAST
1 QB, 2 RB, 1 WR, 2-3 TE, 6 OL, 6 DL, 4 LB, 3-4 DB. Thats a minimum of 25 guys if you use the low-end of the numbers.
I think that means the coaches won't necessarily do what they want but will be flexible depending on what prospects sign on and when.
I would have included Burbidge in this list because I really do think he'll get qualified, but other then that a great list.
Magnuson, Pipkins, and O'Brien are gonna be tough to pull, but we definitely have a good shot with all three.
I like the approach of looking at a more realistic class, as opposed to an ideal/desired class.
I have a couple of suggestions for the table:
1. drop the 40 times
2. limit the offers to 3-5 schools (the most relevant or impressive in your opinion)
3. make the notes column wider so that the table isn't so tall
- the 40 times are inconsistent, unreliable, and even just fake.
- don't think too many people are concerned with a full list of offers (e.g. MAC offers for a guy has if he has BCS options probably don't matter, Ross' Illinois offer is pretty insignificant compared to USC, PSU, OSU, etc.)
JC3, who is the OL from Colorado that seemed really interested in Mich? i know we were targeting 2 (at least) from CO, but one seemed very interested
thanks, and do you see us landing him if we go after him hard?
Paul Thurston
just curious, i know tha twe currently do not have room for 25 commits but recenty heard that a few select fifth year seniors may be asked to leave the program after the season to make room? Does anybody know about this or if this is true?? my buddy told me and even had a few names but it would be very disrespectful to go talking about certain kids like that?? just wondering if this was perhaps true???
People want the recruiting class to be big and awesome and that requires more spots, which means attrition. Yet no one wants to predict anything bad happening to the program or players, and most types of attrition are bad for the program and players.
The unrenewed 5th is seen more positively than other types of attrition because it is at the coaches discretion (happens by choice) and is ethically defensible (4 years of scholarship is considered an adequate opportunity, with the 5th year being 'earned' based on on-field production).
Therefore, the unrenewed 5th is an elegant solution to the conflict above. Nevermind that only one or two of the projected 5th year seniors appear to be reasonable options for being dropped without damaging the '12 two-deep.
The coaches are supposedly recruiting for a class that is 4-7 spots larger than currently available scholarships. No one knows where those are coming from so people are making guesses. I suspect the coaches don't know either, but are making reasonable estimations about attrition that can be expected between now and signing day or maybe even Fall of 2012 when this recruiting class arrives on campus. Sources of attrition are many (injury, academics, legal trouble, early entry to NFL, quitting football, transfers, etc.) but unrenewed 5th years are one that people are a little more comfortable discussing (though guessing at names is rather inappropriate).
I wouldn't expect too many. Unrenewed 5ths are not something the coaches want to do and I doubt they'll make those decisions until after the '11 season anyway.
None of the current commits is in danger of getting a 5th star (in my opinion).
QB - Gunner Kiel: After this weekend, Kiel seems a lot less likely to end up a Wolverine. The #1 QB in this class would be crazy to come to a school with a 2013 commit who beat him out for the NIKE Camp MVP, right? But right now, Kiel seems like the only QB with a Michigan offer that has serious interest in Michigan. I think Michigan will take a QB in this class, and right now, Kiel seems like the most realistic option.
Other options: There a couple of other kids that have interest in Michigan, however lack offers. Tyler O'Connor is one that stands out. He is very interested in Michigan and if he receives an offer, Michigan would probably leap into his top group.
RB - Someone will emerge...Hoke said he wants at-least one RB per class, however I don't see any viable options right now. Of the offered backs, Brionte Dunn is probably the one with the most interest, however, until he decommits from OSU, I'm hesitant to include him. It also seems like we have dropped of for Greg Garmon, however a visit might change that. Right now, I think Hoke will take a RB, but it will be a kid offered further along in the season.
WR - Aaron Burbridge: If he can get his grades in order, he will most likely be blue. With two teammates and friends already in fold, Michigan has an upper hand over in-state rival MSU.
Other options: WR Dwayne Stanford has Michigan in his top 5, and has a visit scheduled for this weekend.
TE - Devin Funchess: Commit
A.J. Williams: Commit, however will probably grow into an OL
Ron Thompson: Was close to committing a couple of times, but as new offers have emerged, Thompson has decided to take his time. Thompson grew up a Michigan fan, and if there is a spot for him, will probably end up a Wolverine.
Other options: None
OL - Ben Braden: Commit
Caleb Stacy: Commit
Erik Magnuson: Seems to have a strong bond with Hoke and Funk. Michigan is in his top 3.
Jordan Diamond: Michigan has always seemed to lead for Diamond. Diamond said he may be close to a decision and Michigan is the team to beat.
Paul Thurston: Thurston recently flew all the way out from Colorado for an unofficial, and lists Michigan as one of his top schools.
Other options: Zach Banner is a possibility, as he plans on taking an official visit to Michigan. Michigan is also involved in Shane Callahan, Trey Keenan, Chris Muller, as well as a couple others.
DE - Mario Ojemudia: Commit
Pharaoh Brown Commit
Chris Wormley: In a local article, Wormley recently named Michigan his leader, and is rumored to be near a decision.
Other options: Adolphous Washington is a teammate of WR Dwayne Stanford and friend of current commit A.J. Williams. He'll be traveling with Stanford on a visit this weekend, and we should get a better read on those two from that. Michigan is in his top 5. Michigan has cracked into Ohio DE Se'Vonn Pittman's top 6. Jordan Jenkins is planning to visit Michigan over the summer. Tom Strobel was up in Ann Arbor over the weekend, and Michigan is on the rise.
DT - Matt Godin: Commit
Sheldon Day: Early on, Day was called a Michigan lean, and even rumored to be the silent commit. He says he will take more time on the recruiting process (plans on narrowing it down to a top 15 soon?), yet Michigan is still in a very favorable position.
Ondre Pipkins: After a strong showing at the Nike Camp in Columbus this weekend, Pipkin's has been receiving a ton of new offers. While this recruitment may drag out a whiles longer, Michigan is still the team to beat.
Other options: Danny O'Brien is a big in-state name that has been thrown around as a possible commit, but I think he'll end up at Tennessee. Jaleel Johnson has serious interest in Michigan, and Michigan is in his top group. Penn St. soft commit Jarron Jones plans on visiting Michigan in the upcoming future. Stanford commit Aziz Shittu plans on taking an official to Michigan.
LB - Joe Bolden: Commit
Royce Jenkins-Stone: Commit
James Ross: Commit
Kaleb Ringer: Commit
Other options: Nope, this is pretty much set.
DB - Terry Richardson: Commit
Anthony Standifer: Standifer's recruitment has blown up lately. While it is rumored that Michigan is in a great position with Standifer, we'll know more following his upcoming visit.
Wayne Morgan: Possibly the silent commit? Morgan lists a top 2 of Michigan and Rutgers, yet it appears Michigan has taken the lead in Morgan's recruitment. He is set to announce on June 1st, and Michigan is in the driver's seat.
Allen Gant: Gant just received a Michigan offer, and appears to be a Michigan lean. Plans on announcing in about a month, and Michigan is the school to beat.
Other options: D.J. Foster - Foster recently received a Michigan offer, and appears to have serious interest in the Wolverines. However, I think the inconvenient distance might hurt Michigan with Foster. Another prospect that has Michigan in his top group is CB Armani Reeves. However, Reeves' good friend and teammate Camren Williams chose Penn St., and the two have talked about playing together in college. Michigan is in a great position for safety Jarrod Wilson. His coach played for UM and he has legitimate interest in the Wolverines. DB Will Hines just recieved a Michigan offer, and has Michigan in his top 5.
This projects a 25 man class. I think Michigan will have around that many scholarships open by signing day.
It's pretty similar to yours JC3. We differ in QB, RB, WR, 1 OL, and 2 DTs
Except that Gunner beat out Morris according to all three people in this article:
but I would imagine if Gunner could get in here and learn the system behind Denard and Devin, he'd have a leg up on Shane. I also think that taking an elite QB in this class might make Shane consider other schools (although he's said that won't be the case) especially when he gets littered with offers after winning MVP.
On the side, what are some of the issues with having a left-handed QB? Do you then put your best tackle on the right and basically reverse the O-line?
Yes, that's probably what you would do. Having a left-handed quarterback doesn't change a whole lot. You need a solid right tackle to protect his blindside, and you might become a left-handed running team (since your better run blockers might now have moved to the left side). It would likely be the same plays and personnel, just reversed in some ways.
Gunner beat Morris in Elite 11, but Morris beat Gunner for MVP at the Nike Camp. They both happened the same weekend, but they were different events.
Thanks for the clarification. I thought they were the same event. Couldn't figure out how everyone had Gunner rated #1, but Shane took the MVP.
Pretty sure Gunner did not compete at the Nike camp - only in the Elite 11 the day before.
that was my understanding as well
February is still along ways away. I remain confident that a top tier RB will like what he see's out of us this Fall and decide to Go Blue!
This kid Sean Arowolaju seems to be attracting alot of attention with his size and athleticisim. A hard hitting safety is what he would be at the next level. Potential Michigan offer ? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wo_igGRVE3g
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