Tim

A new commit for the Wolverines means this hits the front page. Action since last rankings:

11-21-10 Notre Dame loses commitment from Justice Hayes.
11-22-10 Michigan gains commitment from Justice Hayes.
11-23-10 Northwestern loses commitment from Sean Cotton.
11-24-10 Iowa loses commitment from Melvin Gordon.
11-25-10 Purdue gains commitment from Doug Gentry.
11-27-10 Penn State gains commitment from Matt Zanellato.

Rivals and Scout have updated their rankings over the past couple weeks, so there are some shakeups in there.

Rivals rankings are on the "RR" scale, which is on a scale from about 5 to about 6.1. Unrated prospects are given a 5.1 rating, on par with the worst of any Big Ten commit last year. Scout is on the 5-star system (unranked players earn star), and ESPN uses grades out of 100 (unranked is 40 or 45). Full data after the jump.

A new commit for the Wolverines means this hits the front page. Action since last rankings:

11-15-10 Northwestern loses commitment from Derek Watt, Wisconsin gains commitment from Derek Watt. Indiana loses commitment from Max Pirman, Nebraska gains commitment from Max Pirman.
11-16-10 Wisconsin gains commitment from Darius Hillary.
11-18-10 Purdue gains commitment from Shane Mikesky.
11-19-10 Wisconsin gains commitment from Austin Traylor.  

Rivals and Scout have updated their rankings over the past couple weeks, so there are some shakeups in there.

Rivals rankings are on the "RR" scale, which is on a scale from about 5 to about 6.1. Unrated prospects are given a 5.1 rating, on par with the worst of any Big Ten commit last year. Scout is on the 5-star system (unranked players earn star), and ESPN uses grades out of 100 (unranked is 40 or 45).

Braxton Miller and Kenny Hayes get 1-point bumps on ESPN, while Devin Smith goes from 76 to 78.

No change.

Huskers steal Max Pirman from Indiana.

No change.

No change.

Badgers steal Derek Watt from Northwestern, and add a pair of Ohioans in Darius Hillary and Austin Traylor. That's more than enough to push them above Indiana.

Hoosiers lose Max Pirman to Nebraska.

No change.

Wildcats lose Derek Watt to Wisconsin.

No change.

No change.

No change.

Unrated Shane Mikesky joins the Boilermaker fold.

Meh, though unsurprising, since Fox has an ownership stake in BTN.

Press release:

BIG TEN CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES MEDIA AGREEMENT WITH FOX SPORTS

TO TELEVISE 2011-16 BIG TEN FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES

Big Ten Football joins Super Bowl XLV, World Series and Daytona 500 on FOX Sports

Park Ridge, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference has reached a media agreement with FOX Sports to serve as the official broadcast partner of the 2011-16 Big Ten Football Championship Games. The inaugural Big Ten Football Championship Game will be played in prime time on December 3, 2011, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, with the winner earning the Big Ten Championship and a chance to play in the Rose Bowl Game or Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game.

FOX Sports, the nation’s top-rated network for sports for 13 consecutive years, is well-known for its coverage of some of the biggest sporting events in the country, including the Super Bowl, World Series and Daytona 500. The network also served as the official television home of the Bowl Championship Series for the 2006-09 seasons and has broadcast the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic since 1999. The network will promote the Big Ten Football Championship Game as one of the premium sporting events in the country on all of its platforms, including FOXSports.com, FOX Sports Radio and during its coverage of major fall sports events, including the National Football League and Major League Baseball postseason.

“We are excited to announce that FOX Sports will be the official broadcast partner for the 2011-16 Big Ten Football Championship Games,” said Big Ten Commissioner James E. Delany. “FOX Sports is known for carrying the biggest sporting events in the country and is a leader in the acquisition, creative production and cutting-edge promotion of national events. Big Ten sports have achieved broad coverage in the American sports landscape through agreements with ABC, ESPN, CBS Sports, CBS College Sports Network and the Big Ten Network. We look forward to the addition of FOX Sports, which is committed to promoting Big Ten football and will air the Big Ten Championship Games to more than 115 million homes.”

“Since our inception in 1994, our goal has been to provide viewers with the biggest, most prestigious sporting events in America and the acquisition of the Big Ten Football Championship Game continues that tradition,” said David Hill, Chairman & CEO, FOX Sports Media Group. “We are thrilled to bring this contest to the network and we’re looking forward to providing it an unprecedented, multi-platform promotional effort while maximizing the synergistic opportunities between FOX Sports and the Big Ten Network.”

The Big Ten Network, a joint venture between the Big Ten Conference and Fox Networks, is the first internationally distributed network dedicated to covering one of the premier collegiate conferences in the country. The network is available to more than 75 million homes across the United States and Canada, and currently has agreements with more than 300 affiliates. FOX Sports’ coverage of the Big Ten Football Championship Game will allow the Big Ten Network to play a prominent role at the site of the game, including the possibility of shared talent.

In addition to the media agreement with FOX Sports to broadcast the Big Ten Football Championship Game, the conference currently has media agreements with ABC, ESPN, CBS Sports, CBS College Sports Network and the Big Ten Network to provide the conference with its greatest television exposure ever. The Big Ten’s current media agreements have resulted in the production and distribution of more than 850 events nationally on an annual basis, compared to 300 events prior to the launch of the Big Ten Network.

End release.

Fox doesn't do a greeaaat job broadcasting college football, either for the Big 12/Pac 10 or on the Big Ten Network. Still, as I said above, this is no surprise. If Chris Martin is tabbed to announce any Big Ten Championship Game, though, I will end my life.

That might sound like a joke but it's not.

A new commit for the Wolverines means this hits the front page. Action since last rankings:

11-12-10 Michigan gains commitment from Dallas Crawford. Purdue gains commitment from Akeem Hunt.
11-14-10 Penn State gains commitment from Anthony Alosi. 70espn NR rivals NRscout.

Rivals and Scout have updated their rankings over the past couple weeks, so there are some shakeups in there.

Rivals rankings are on the "RR" scale, which is on a scale from about 5 to about 6.1. Unrated prospects are given a 5.1 rating, on par with the worst of any Big Ten commit last year. Scout is on the 5-star system (unranked players earn star), and ESPN uses grades out of 100 (unranked is 40 or 45).

Braxton Miller moves up to 6.0, Jeremy Cash falls from 5.8 to 5.7 on Rivals.

No change for ND.

Rivals bumps Aaron Green down to 5.9, but David Santos goes from 5.6 to 5.8.

Darien Harris upgraded to a 5.7 on Rivals.

Lots of movers and shakers among the future Wolverines, on top of picking up a commit from CB Dallas Crawford. Demetrius Hart was described as "the best RB I've seen this year" by Barry Every... then Every's Rivals scouts proceeded to rank him the #5 RB in the country. He's up to the top 4-star, however. Everybody else is a faller, as Chris Rock goes from 5.7 to 5.6, Greg Brown and Tony Posada go from 5.7 to 5.5. Rivals still has Jack Miller at 5.5, about which LOL.

No change.

AJ Jordan loses his fourth star in Scout's re-rank, but Jake Keefer picks one up. Jordan also drops from 80 to 79 on ESPN. On Rivals, Makinton Dorleant goes from 5.5 to 5.6, and Bennett Okotcha goes from unrated to 5.6.

Ray Hamilton is stripped of his fourth star in Scout's re-rank, but he picks one up from Rivals. Go figure. Orloff gets a HUGE bump on ESPN from 69 to 70.

Green goes from unrated to 5.3 on Rivals.

Mike Moore is up to 5.6 (from 5.5) on Rivals. Cameron Brown and Samuel Oyenuga go from unranked to 5.5 on that service.

Thornton and Rhodes pick up 5.4 ratings from Rivals.

Finally a new commit, but still with the embarrassingly empty class.

Purdue picks up Akeem Hunt, and none of their other rankings are changed.

[press release]

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan men's basketball head coach John Beilein announced today (Tuesday, Nov. 9) the hiring of former Wolverine C.J. Lee as the administrative specialist for the Wolverine program, after Travis Conlan was elevated to the Director of Basketball Operations.

"I am thrilled to come back and formally be a part of the Michigan basketball program," said Lee. "This is an opportunity that I am very thankful for. I look forward to learning under Coach Beilein, his staff, and the entire athletic administration. My role will allow me to learn the operations side of collegiate athletics and see the game of basketball from a different perspective."

After transferring to Michigan from Manhattan College, Lee played in 67 games as a Wolverine and a 103 total in his collegiate career. Walking on to the Wolverines, Lee earned a second semester scholarship as a senior and closed the year earning his bachelor's degree in political science.

Returning for his fifth year, Lee was awarded a full scholarship from Beilein, was named a co-captain and was an integral part in a Wolverine late-season run and subsequent return to the 2009 NCAA Tournament, where U-M advanced to the second round.

Lee was named a Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winner and was a Michigan Daily Student of the Year, one of 10 recipients. He closed his career recording his first career double-digit scoring performance with 11 points against Oklahoma in the NCAA second round.

A two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, Lee was awarded the Thad Garner Leadership Award twice, the Wayman Britt Outstanding Defensive Player (2009) and the Steve Grote Hustle Award (2008) by the program.

In May of 2010, Lee completed his master's degree in public policy from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.

While continuing to finish his master's following his final season, Lee worked for the recent State of Michigan Governor-elect Rick Snyder on his campaign. He served as a travel aide and policy/communications staffer until April 2010.

After graduating, Lee began work at Ann Arbor SPARK. As a business development manager with SPARK, Lee helped established companies maneuver the local and state business climate by connecting them to the resources designed to help them succeed.

[/press release]

Good for CJ, and it seems like he'll be a valuable addition to the program. His contributions (and David Merritt's) to the 2008-09 team are often overlooked, but the Wolverines definitely don't make the tournament without those guys.

Action since last rankings:

11-1-10 Iowa gains commitment from Nick Law.
11-3-10 Nebraska gains commitment from Charles Jackson.
11-5-10 Ohio State gains commitment from Conner Crowell.

Rivals rankings are on the "RR" scale, which is on a scale from about 5 to about 6.1. Unrated prospects are given a 5.1 rating, on par with the worst of any Big Ten commit last year. Scout is on the 5-star system (unranked players earn star), and ESPN uses grades out of 100 (unranked is 40 or 45).

Buckeyes pick up Conner Crowell, whose recruitment was a serious battle, despite lack of accolades.

Scout's re-rank bumps Koyack down to 4 stars.

CB Charles Jackson joins the Huskers.

Nothing new for MSU.

No change for the Wolverines. The Illinois win might help solidify some of the current commitments, though.

No change.

AJ Jordan loses his fourth star in Scout's re-rank, but Jake Keefer picks one up.

Ray Hamilton is stripped of his fourth star in Scout's re-rank.

No change for Northwestern.

Surprising that Minnesota has held onto their entire class so far.

No change for Illinois.

They have to get some commits sooner or later, right?

Rouse drops to 2 stars on Scout. AJ King goes from 2-star to completely unranked.