umhero

As we approach the finish line for recruiting, I thought it might be interesting to compare the Top 100 players for each of the top 3 recruiting sites.

As fans, we tend to favor the particular site that ranks our recruits the highest.  I thought it might be interesting to see how many players are universally lauded.

Seven of our current commits are in the Top 100 of at least one site, but surprisingly only two* of our current commits made all three lists.  Scout would seem to be our favorite service this year since they have five our our current commits on their list.

Other schools of note for their success:

- Alabama has ten recruits that make at least one of the lists.

- Florida State has seven recruits that make at least one of the lists.

- Texas has eleven recruits that make at least one of the lists.

- Miami (YTM) has six recruits that make at least one of the lists.

 

B1G Members & Notre Dame:

- Iowa has only one recruit that makes at least one of the lists.

- Michigan State has only one recruit that makes at least one of the lists.

- Northwestern has only one recruit that makes at least one of the lists.

- Notre Dame has seven recruits that make at least one of the lists.

- Ohio State has five recruits that make at least one of the lists.

- Penn State has two recruits that make at least one of the lists (one is Armani Reeves).

- Wisconsin has three recruits that make at least one of the lists.

 

With just a few weeks until signing day there are still 35 uncommited players that make one of the three top 100 lists.

The composite list in alphabetical order by School of interest:

Name	Pos	School	Hometown	Schools of Interest	247 Rank	247 Rating	Rivals Rank	Rivals Rating	Scout Rank	Scout Rating
Amari Cooper	WR	Northwestern	Miami, FL	Alabama	N/A	N/A	62	4 stars	N/A	N/A
Chris Black	WR	First Coast	Jacksonville, FL	Alabama	27	5 stars	37	4 stars	92	4 Star
Cyrus Jones	ATH	Gilman	Baltimore, MD	Alabama	93	4 stars	N/A	N/A	46	5 Star
Eddie Williams	ATH	Arnold	Panama City Beach, FL	Alabama	13	5 stars	23	5 stars	54	4 Star
Geno Smith	CB	St. Pius X	Atlanta, GA	Alabama	39	4 stars	61	4 stars	82	4 Star
Kenyan Drake	APB	Hillgrove	Powder Springs, GA	Alabama	73	4 stars	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Landon Collins	S	Dutchtown	Geismar, LA	Alabama	3	5 stars	15	5 stars	12	5 Star
Reggie Ragland	ILB	Bob Jones	Madison, AL	Alabama	66	4 stars	83	4 stars	36	5 Star
Ryan Anderson	WDE	Daphne	Daphne, AL	Alabama	51	4 stars	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
T.J. Yeldon	RB	Daphne	Daphne, AL	Alabama	16	5 stars	24	5 stars	59	4 Star
JaQuay Williams	WR	Sandy Creek	Tyrone, GA	Auburn	N/A	N/A	78	4 stars	N/A	N/A
Ricky Parks	TE	Callaway	Hogansville, GA	Auburn	67	4 stars	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Tanner Mangum	PRO	Eagle	Eagle, ID	BYU	43	4 stars	42	4 stars	N/A	N/A
Bryce Treggs	WR	St. John Bosco	Bellflower, CA	California	N/A	N/A	73	4 stars	47	5 Star
Ellis McCarthy	DT	Monrovia	Monrovia, CA	California	31	4 stars	17	5 stars	33	5 Star
Jordan Payton	WR	(Oaks Christian HS)	Westlake Village, CA	California	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	91	4 Star
Shaq Thompson	ATH	Grant Union	Sacramento, CA	California	10	5 stars	7	5 stars	11	5 Star
Zach Kline	PRO	San Ramon Valley	Danville, CA	California	72	4 stars	63	4 stars	N/A	N/A
Carlos Watkins	DT	Chase	Forest City, NC	Clemson	40	4 stars	86	4 stars	65	4 Star
Chad Kelly	QB	St. Joseph School	Buffalo, NY	Clemson	87	4 stars	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Germone Hopper	WR	Phillip O Berry Acad Of Tech	Charlotte, NC	Clemson	N/A	N/A	67	4 stars	97	4 Star
Travis Blanks	DB	North Florida Christian	Tallahassee, FL	Clemson	N/A	N/A	41	4 stars	88	4 Star
Brian Poole	DB	Southeast	Bradenton, FL	Florida	N/A	N/A	85	4 stars	28	5 Star
D.J. Humphries	OT	Mallard Creek	Charlotte, NC	Florida	9	5 stars	3	5 stars	19	5 Star
Jessamen Dunker	OT	(Boynton Beach Community HS)	Boynton Beach, FL	Florida	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	66	4 Star
Jonathan Bullard	SDE	Crest	Shelby, NC	Florida	44	4 stars	20	5 stars	31	5 Star
Kent Taylor	TE	Land O' Lakes	Land O'Lakes, FL	Florida	N/A	N/A	56	4 stars	86	4 Star
Chris Casher	WDE	WP Davidson	Mobile, AL	Florida St.	37	4 stars	43	4 stars	64	4 Star
Dante Fowler	WDE	Lakewood	Saint Petersburg, FL	Florida St.	50	4 stars	35	4 stars	79	4 Star
Jameis Winston	DUAL	Hueytown	Bessemer, AL	Florida St.	4	5 stars	10	5 stars	20	5 Star
Marcus Maye	S	(Holy Trinity Episcopal School)	Melbourne, FL	Florida St.	N/A	N/A	51	4 stars	94	4 Star
Mario Edwards	SDE	Ryan	Denton, TX	Florida St.	6	5 stars	4	5 stars	7	5 Star
Mario Pender	RB	Island Coast	Cape Coral, FL	Florida St.	36	4 stars	33	4 stars	50	4 Star
Ukeme Eligwe	LB	Stone Mountain	Stone Mountain, GA	Florida St.	N/A	N/A	38	4 stars	N/A	N/A
Justin Shanks	DT	(Prattville HS)	Prattville, AL	Florida State	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	90	4 Star
Markuss Eligwe	OLB	(Stone Mountain HS)	Stone Mountain, GA	Florida State	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	77	4 Star
John Theus	OT	The Bolles School	Jacksonville, FL	Georgia	8	5 stars	11	5 stars	4	5 Star
Jonathan Taylor	DT	Jenkins County	Millen, GA	Georgia	62	4 stars	55	4 stars	81	4 Star
Keith Marshall	APB	Millbrook	Raleigh, NC	Georgia	11	5 stars	31	4 stars	5	5 Star
Justin Thomas	ATH	Prattville	Prattville, AL	Georgia Tech	94	4 stars	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Ryan Ward	OL	Providence Catholic	New Lenox, IL	Iowa	N/A	N/A	84	4 stars	N/A	N/A
A.J. Leggett	CB	South Miami Senior	Miami, FL	list	96	4 stars	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Andrus Peat	OT	Corona Del Sol	Tempe, AZ	list	17	5 stars	14	5 stars	3	5 Star
Arik Armstead	OT	Pleasant Grove	Elk Grove, CA	list	1	5 stars	29	4 stars	1	5 Star
Avery Young	OL	Palm Beach Gardens	Palm Beach Gardens, FL	list	N/A	N/A	60	4 stars	N/A	N/A
Aziz Shittu	DT	Buhach Colony	Atwater, CA	list	79	4 stars	27	5 stars	68	4 Star
Bralon Addison	WR	(Hightower HS)	Sugar Land, TX	list	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	89	4 Star
Brian Nance	OLB	Trinity	Euless, TX	list	88	4 stars	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
D.J. Foster	ATH	Saguaro	Scottsdale, AZ	list	N/A	N/A	53	4 stars	N/A	N/A
Darius Hamilton	SDE	Don Bosco Prep	Ramsey, NJ	list	19	5 stars	5	5 stars	24	5 Star
Davonte Neal	ATH	Chaparral	Paradise Valley, AZ	list	86	4 stars	N/A	N/A	80	4 Star
Devin Fuller	ATH	N Valley Reg H Old Tappan	Westwood, NJ	list	21	5 stars	34	4 stars	N/A	N/A
Dorial Green-Beckham	WR	Hillcrest	Springfield, MO	list	2	5 stars	1	5 stars	2	5 Star
Eddie Goldman	DT	Friendship Collegiate Academy	Washington, DC	list	5	5 stars	2	5 stars	40	5 Star
Elijah Shumate	S	Don Bosco Prep	Ramsey, NJ	list	82	4 stars	N/A	N/A	60	4 Star
Javonte Magee	DT	Sam Houston	San Antonio, TX	list	35	4 stars	N/A	N/A	85	4 Star
Jeremy Liggins	ATH	Lafayette	Oxford, MS	list	99	4 stars	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Joel Caleb	WR	Clover Hill	Midlothian, VA	list	57	4 stars	71	4 stars	N/A	N/A
Joey O'Connor	OL	Windsor	Windsor, CO	list	N/A	N/A	87	4 stars	N/A	N/A
Jordan Diamond	OT	Simeon	Chicago, IL	list	60	4 stars	N/A	N/A	42	5 Star
Jordan Jenkins	WDE	Harris County	Hamilton, GA	list	38	4 stars	65	4 stars	30	5 Star
Josh Clemons	OLB	Lowndes	Valdosta, GA	list	63	4 stars	19	5 stars	51	4 Star
Joshua Garnett	OT	Puyallup	Puyallup, WA	list	47	4 stars	28	4 stars	38	5 Star
Kwon Alexander	OLB	Oxford	Oxford, AL	list	78	4 stars	N/A	N/A	35	5 Star
Kyle Murphy	OT	San Clemente	San Clemente, CA	list	7	5 stars	22	5 stars	18	5 Star
Leonard Williams	DE	Mainland	Daytona Beach, FL	list	N/A	N/A	70	4 stars	N/A	N/A
Mike Davis	RB	Stephenson	Stone Mountain, GA	list	65	4 stars	95	4 stars	N/A	N/A
Nelson Agholor	ATH	Berkeley Prep	Tampa, FL	list	28	4 stars	12	5 stars	25	5 Star
P.J. Williams	S	(Vanguard HS)	Ocala, FL	list	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	99	4 Star
Ronald Darby	CB	Potomac	Oxon Hill, MD	list	64	4 stars	72	4 stars	13	5 Star
Stefon Diggs	ATH	Good Counsel	Olney, MD	list	23	5 stars	8	5 stars	9	5 Star
Todd Gurley	RB	Tarboro	Tarboro, NC	list	49	4 stars	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Tracy Howard	CB	Miramar	Hollywood, FL	list	45	4 stars	16	5 stars	43	5 Star
Wayne Morgan	CB	Erasmus Hall	Brooklyn, NY	list	97	4 stars	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Yuri Wright	CB	Don Bosco Prep	Ramsey, NJ	list	25	5 stars	57	4 stars	75	4 Star
Zach Banner	OT	Lakes	Lakewood, WA	list	N/A	N/A	40	4 stars	39	5 Star
Avery Johnson	WR	Blanche Ely	Pompano Beach, FL	LSU	N/A	N/A	75	4 stars	14	5 Star
Gunner Kiel	PRO	Columbus East	Columbus, IN	LSU	12	5 stars	18	5 stars	16	5 Star
Torshiro Davis	OLB	Woodlawn	Shreveport, LA	LSU	71	4 stars	N/A	N/A	96	4 Star
Wes Brown	RB	(Our Lady Good Counsel HS)	Olney, MD	Maryland	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	58	4 Star
Sheldon Dawson	ATH	Ridgeway	Memphis, TN	Memphis	90	4 stars	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Deon Bush	DB	Columbus	Miami, FL	Miami (FL)	N/A	N/A	68	4 stars	N/A	N/A
Duke Johnson	APB	Norland	Miami, FL	Miami (FL)	29	4 stars	N/A	N/A	21	5 Star
Jelani Hamilton	DE	St. Thomas Aquinas	Fort Lauderdale, FL	Miami (FL)	N/A	N/A	90	4 stars	N/A	N/A
Randy Johnson	RB	Miami Norland	Miami, FL	Miami (FL)	N/A	N/A	39	4 stars	N/A	N/A
Raphael Kirby	LB	Stephenson	Stone Mountain, GA	Miami (FL)	N/A	N/A	89	4 stars	N/A	N/A
Tyriq McCord	DE	Jefferson	Tampa, FL	Miami (FL)	N/A	N/A	74	4 stars	N/A	N/A
Chris Wormley	SDE	Whitmer	Toledo, OH	Michigan	58	4 stars	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Erik Magnuson	OT	La Costa Canyon	Encinitas, CA	Michigan	61	4 stars	49	4 stars	N/A	N/A
James Ross	MLB	(St. Mary Preparatory School)	Orchard Lake, MI	Michigan	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	76	4 Star
Joe Bolden	OLB	(Colerain HS)	Cincinnati, OH	Michigan	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	95	4 Star
Kyle Kalis	OT	St. Edward	Lakewood, OH	Michigan	48	4 stars	21	5 stars	32	5 Star
Ondre Pipkins	DT	Park Hill	Kansas City, MO	Michigan	91	4 stars	59	4 stars	100	4 Star
Tom Strobel	DE	(Mentor HS)	Mentor, OH	Michigan	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	73	4 Star
Aaron Burbridge	WR	Harrison	Farmington, MI	Michigan State	70	4 stars	100	4 stars	62	4 Star
Channing Ward	WDE	Aberdeen	Aberdeen, MS	Mississippi	41	4 stars	88	4 stars	41	5 Star
Quay Evans	DT	(Morton HS)	Morton, MS	Mississippi State	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	29	5 Star
Ifeadi Odenigbo	DE	(Centerville HS)	Centerville, OH	Northwestern	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	70	4 Star
Deontay Greenberry	WR	Washington Union	Fresno, CA	Notre Dame	20	5 stars	69	4 stars	52	4 Star
Jarron Jones	DT	Aquinas Institute	Rochester, NY	Notre Dame	26	5 stars	N/A	N/A	56	4 Star
Keivarae Russell	APB	Mariner	Everett, WA	Notre Dame	80	4 stars	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Ronnie Stanley	N/A	(Bishop Gorman HS)	Las Vegas, NV	Notre Dame	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	78	4 Star
Sheldon Day	DT	Warren Central	Indianapolis, IN	Notre Dame	75	4 stars	N/A	N/A	45	5 Star
Taylor Decker	OT	(Butler HS)	Vandalia, OH	Notre Dame	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	74	4 Star
Tee Shepard	CB	Washington Union	Fresno, CA	Notre Dame	52	4 stars	82	4 stars	48	5 Star
Se'von Pittman	DE	McKinley	Canton, OH	Ohio St.	N/A	N/A	81	4 stars	57	4 Star
Adolphus Washington	WDE	Taft	Cincinnati, OH	Ohio State	22	5 stars	36	4 stars	15	5 Star
Brionte Dunn	RB	(GlenOak HS)	Canton, OH	Ohio State	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	26	5 Star
Tommy Schutt	DT	Glenbard West	Glen Ellyn, IL	Ohio State	100	4 stars	52	4 stars	44	5 Star
Noah Spence	WDE	Bishop Mcdevitt	Harrisburg, PA	OhioState	14	5 stars	9	5 stars	6	5 Star
Alex Ross	RB	Jenks Hs	Jenks, OK	Oklahoma	30	4 stars	N/A	N/A	93	4 Star
Derrick Woods	WR	Inglewood	Inglewood, CA	Oklahoma	N/A	N/A	98	4 stars	N/A	N/A
Durron Neal	WR	DeSmet	Saint Louis, MO	Oklahoma	76	4 stars	47	4 stars	N/A	N/A
John Michael McGee	OL	Texas	Texarkana, TX	Oklahoma	N/A	N/A	91	4 stars	N/A	N/A
Taylor McNamara	TE	Westview	San Diego, CA	Oklahoma	N/A	N/A	97	4 stars	N/A	N/A
Byron Marshall	RB	Valley Christian	San Jose, CA	Oregon	92	4 stars	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Isaac Seumalo	OG	Corvallis	Corvallis, OR	Oregon St.	33	4 stars	96	4 stars	83	4 Star
Armani Reeves	CB	Catholic Memorial	West Roxbury, MA	Penn State	59	4 stars	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Eugene Lewis	WR	(Wyoming Valley West HS)	Plymouth, PA	Penn State	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	63	4 Star
Rushel Shell	RB	Hopewell	Aliquippa, PA	Pittsburgh	54	4 stars	45	4 stars	17	5 Star
Chris Muller	OL	Boyertown Area Senior	Boyertown, PA	Rutgers	N/A	N/A	79	4 stars	N/A	N/A
Brock Stadnik	OT	Western Guilford	Greensboro, NC	South Carolina	74	4 stars	N/A	N/A	84	4 Star
Shaq Roland	ATH	Lexington	Lexington, SC	South Carolina	32	4 stars	80	4 stars	34	5 Star
Anthony Alford	QB	Petal	Petal, MS	Southern Mississippi	69	4 stars	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Alex Carter	DB	Briar Woods	Ashburn, VA	Stanford	N/A	N/A	66	4 stars	N/A	N/A
Barry Sanders	RB	(Heritage Hall Schools)	Oklahoma City, OK	Stanford	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	53	4 Star
Noor Davis	OLB	Leesburg	Leesburg, FL	Stanford	56	4 stars	46	4 stars	N/A	N/A
Adrian Colbert	S	Mineral Wells	Mineral Wells, TX	Texas	89	4 stars	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Camrhon Hughes	OT	(Harker Heights HS)	Killeen, TX	Texas	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	72	4 Star
Cayleb Jones	WR	Austin	Austin, TX	Texas	N/A	N/A	26	5 stars	23	5 Star
Connor Brewer	PRO	Chaparral	Paradise Valley, AZ	Texas	84	4 stars	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Curtis Riser	OG	DeSoto	DeSoto, TX	Texas	83	4 stars	94	4 stars	27	5 Star
Johnathan Gray	RB	Aledo	Aledo, TX	Texas	15	5 stars	6	5 stars	8	5 Star
Kendall Sanders	ATH	Athens	Athens, TX	Texas	N/A	N/A	64	4 stars	N/A	N/A
Kennedy Estelle	OT	Dawson	Pearland, TX	Texas	68	4 stars	50	4 stars	49	5 Star
LaDarrell McNeil	S	Wilmer-Hutchins	Dallas, TX	Texas	98	4 stars	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Malcom Brown	DT	Brenham	Brenham, TX	Texas	18	5 stars	30	4 stars	22	5 Star
Thomas Johnson	WR	Skyline	Dallas, TX	Texas	46	4 stars	32	4 stars	71	4 Star
Matt Davis	QB	(Klein Forest HS)	Houston, TX	Texas A&M	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	55	4 Star
Trey Williams	APB	Dekaney	Houston, TX	Texas A&M	24	5 stars	13	5 stars	10	5 Star
Dominique Wheeler	ATH	Crockett	Crockett, TX	Texas Tech	85	4 stars	77	4 stars	N/A	N/A
Michael Starts	OG	(La Vega HS)	Waco, TX	Texas Tech	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	69	4 Star
Darreus Rogers	WR	Carson Senior	Carson, CA	USC	55	4 stars	N/A	N/A	87	4 Star
Jabari Ruffin	OLB	Downey	Downey, CA	USC	81	4 stars	58	4 stars	N/A	N/A
Jordan Simmons	OG	Crespi Carmelite	Encino, CA	USC	95	4 stars	25	5 stars	61	4 Star
Kevon Seymour	CB	Muir	Pasadena, CA	USC	N/A	N/A	93	4 stars	N/A	N/A
Max Tuerk	OL	(Santa Margarita Catholic HS)	Santa Margarita, CA	USC	N/A	N/A	48	4 stars	98	4 Star
Travis Wilson	PRO	San Clemente	San Clemente, CA	Utah	77	4 stars	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Brian Kimbrow	RB	Memphis East	Memphis, TN	Vanderbilt	N/A	N/A	99	4 stars	N/A	N/A
Eli Harold	WDE	Ocean Lakes	Virginia Beach, VA	Virginia	42	4 stars	44	4 stars	37	5 Star
Kwontie Moore	ILB	Norfolk Christian	Norfolk, VA	Virginia	53	4 stars	76	4 stars	N/A	N/A
Cyler Miles	QB	Mullen	Denver, CO	Washington	N/A	N/A	54	4 stars	N/A	N/A
Bart Houston	QB	(De La Salle HS)	Concord, CA	Wisconsin	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	67	4 Star
Dan Voltz	OG	Barrington	Barrington, IL	Wisconsin	34	4 stars	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Vince Biegel	LB	Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln	Wisconsin Rapids, WI	Wisconsin	N/A	N/A	92	4 stars	N/A	N/A

* Edit - Corrected an error in the Rivals list and resorted by School of interest.  Thanks to RickH for pointing out the error (I left off two players on the Rivals list which moved all the players below them up two spots.)

Coach Hoke and his staff have been very active on the recruiting trail this year and even though we've still got ten months until signing day our top prospects for the class are taking shape.  I thought since many of us follow this pretty closely we might, as a group, be able to effectively handicap the candidates for the remaining spots.

It seems to me we have the following positions to fill:

QB - 1

RB - 1

FB - 0 to 1

WR - 1 to 2

TE - Devin Funchess, A.J. Williams, and 0 to 1 more 

OL - Ben Braden, Caleb Stacey, and 2 to 4 more

DE - 2 to 3

DT - 2 to 3

LB - Kaleb Ringer, Royce Jenkins-Stone, and 0 to 2 more

CB - 1 to 2

S - 1 to 2 

With this in mind, I've created a poll where the amateur recruiting experts on this board can vote for their best guesses.  Maybe collectively we can identify our next class.

 

Which QB will be part of this class? Pick 1
	Gunner Kiel
	Zeke Pike
	Maty Mauk
	Bart Houston
	Devin Fuller
	Bennie Coney
	Cyler Miles
	Robert Gregory
	Austin Appleby
	Tyler O'Connor
	Jake Rodrigues
	Other
pollcode.com free polls

Which RB will be part of this class? Pick 1
	Keith Marshall
	Brionte Dunn
	Greg Garmon
	William Mahone
	Drew Harris
	Wes Brown
	I'Tavius Mathers
	Other
pollcode.com free polls

Which WR will be part of this class? Pick 1
	Stefon Diggs
	Dorial Green-Beckham
	Dwayne Stanford
	Aaron Burbridge
	Amara Darboh
	Derrick Woods
	Corey Smith
	Other
pollcode.com free polls

Which TE will be part of this class? Pick 1
	Ron Thompson
	Taylor McNamara
	Evan Baylis
	Sam Grant
	Sean Price
	Other
	None - We are full for TE
pollcode.com free polls

Which OL will be part of this class? Pick up to 3
	D.J. Humphries
	Jordan Diamond
	Zach Banner
	Andrus Peat
	Kyle Murphy
	Jordan Simmons
	Mark Harrell
	John Theus
	Avery Young
	Kyle Dodson
	Paul Thurston
	Tyler Orlosky
	Josh Garnett
	Kyle Kalis
	Ryan Watson
	Jonah Pirsig
	Erik Magnuson
	J.J. Denman
	Other
pollcode.com free polls

Which DE will be part of this class? Pick up to 3
	Chris Wormley
	Ifeadi Odenigbo
	Pharaoh Brown
	Tom Strobel
	Mario Ojemudia
	Se'Von Pittman
	Adolphus Washington
	Jordan Jenkins
	Darius Hamilton
	Greg McMullen
	Noah Spence
	Ken Ekanem
	Other
pollcode.com free polls

Which DT will be part of this class? Pick up to 3
	Tommy Schutt
	Eddie Goldman
	Vincent Valentine
	Sheldon Day
	Danny OBrien
	Greg Kuhar
	Matthew Godin
	Aziz Shittu
	Ondre Pipkins
	Other
pollcode.com free polls

Which LB will be part of this class? Pick up to 2
	Deaysean Rippy
	James Ross
	Joe Bolden
	Antonio Morrison
	Laron Taylor
	Other
	None - We are full for LB
pollcode.com free polls

Which DB will be part of this class? Pick up to 3
	Elijah Shumate
	Jarrod Wilson
	Deon Bush
	Wayne Morgan
	Allen Gant
	Brian Poole
	Yuri Wright
	Armani Reeves
	Terry Richardson
	Anthony Standifer
	Geno Smith
	Other
pollcode.com free polls

 

If you choose other in the poll, please identify your other player in the comments section.

[Ed-M: Bumped to diary.]

I posted this the other day and it was well received. So, in light of TomVH's news, I thought I'd share the update.  

I refined the table a little bit.  I removed the column that says Michigan offered since that is evident and I added a column showing Scout's current player rank.

Targets	Ht.	Wt.	40		Scout Rank	Rivals 250	Commit
Quarterbacks
Zeke Pike	6'5"	220	4.7	Dixie Heights HS, Edgewood, KY	4 Star	Yes
Gunner Kiel	6'4"	220		East HS, Columbus, IN	4 Star	Yes
Bennie Coney	6'2"	205	4.8	Plant City HS, Plant City, FL	3 Star	Yes
Maty Mauk	6'2"	185		Kenton HS, Kenton, OH	3 Star	Yes
Connor Brewer	6'2"	195	4.7	Chapparal HS, Scottsdale, AZ	4 Star	Yes	Texas
Running Backs
Matt Jones	6'2"	200	4.53	Armwood HS, Seffner, FL	4 Star	Yes	FL
Keith Marshall	5'11"	190	4.32	Millbrook HS, Raleigh, NC	5 Star	Yes
Bri'Onte Dunn	6'2"	215	4.59	Glenn Oak HS, Canton, OH	4 Star	Yes	Ohio St.
Wide Receivers
Latroy Pittman	6'1"	190	4.7	North Marion HS, Citra, FL		Yes	FL
Stefon Diggs	6’1"	185	4.4	Our Lady of Good Counsel, Olney, MD	4 Star	Yes
Dorial Green-Beckham	6’6″	215	4.4	Hillcrest HS, Springfield, MO	5 Star	Yes
Dwayne Stanford	6'4"	200	4.5	Taft HS, Cincinnatti, OH	NR	Yes
Aaron Burbridge	6'0"	175	4.35	Farmington Harrison HS, Farmington Hills, MI	3 Star
Derrick Woods	5'11"	180	4.5	Inglewood HS, Inglewood, CA	3 Star	Yes
Deontay McManus	6'0"	209	4.5	Dunbar HS, Baltimore, MD	3 Star	Yes
Malik Gilmore	6'3"	195	4.67	Lakewood HS, Lakewood, CA	3 Star
Jordan Payton	6'2"	199	4.49	Oaks Christian High School, Westlake Village, CA	4 Star	Yes	USC
Leonte Carroo	6’1"	205	4.4	Don Bosco Prep, Ramsey, NJ	3 Star	Yes
Avery Johnson	6'2"	180	4.44	Blanche Ely HS, Pompano Beach, FL	4 Star	Yes	LSU
Jody Fuller	6'0"	186	4.52	Sun Valley HS, Monroe, NC	3 Star	Yes
Tight Ends
Sam Grant	6’6″	230	4.8	St. Edward HS, Lakewood, OH	NR
Sean Price	6'4"	206	4.9	North Marion HS, Citra, FL	3 Star
Devin Funchess	6'5"	205		Farmington Harrison HS, Farmington Hills, MI	NR
Ron Thompson	6'4"	225		East Detroit HS, Eastpointe, MI	NR
Taylor McNamara	6'5"	235		Westview HS, San Diego, CA	3 Star	Yes
Offensive Linemen
D.J. Humphries	6’5″	265	4.9	Mallard Creek HS, Charlotte, NC	4 Star	Yes
Jordan Diamond	6’6″	289	5.0	Simeon Vocational HS, Chicago, IL	4 Star	Yes
Zach Banner	6'9	295		Lakes HS, Lakewood, WA	4 Star	Yes
Dan Voltz	6’5″	289	5.3	Barrington HS, Barrington, IL	4 Star	Yes
Andrus Peat	6’6″	270		Corona Del Sol HS, Tempe, AZ	5 Star	Yes
Kyle Murphy	6’6″	255		San Clemente HS, San Clemente, CA	3 Star	Yes
Jordan Simmons	6’5″	295	4.9	Crespe HS, Encino, CA	4 Star	Yes
Taylor Decker	6’8″	270	5.0	Butler HS, Vandalia, OH	3 Star
Mark Harrell	6’5″	260		Charlotte Catholic HS, Charlotte, NC	NR
John Theus	6’6″	292	5.2	Bolles HS, Jacksonville, FL	5 Star	Yes
Avery Young	6’6″	273	4.9	Palm Beach Gardens HS, Palm Beach Gardens, FL	4 Star	Yes
Kyle Dodson	6’6″	315		Cleveland Heights HS, Cleveland, OH	NR
Paul Thurston	6’5″	265	5.1	Arvada West HS, Arvada, CO	3 Star	Yes
Defensive Ends
Chris Wormley	6’4″	255		Whitmer HS, Toledo, OH	4 Star	Yes
Ifeadi Odenigbo	6’4″	210	4.44	Centerville HS, Centerville, OH	NR
Pharaoh Brown	6’6″	220	4.7	Brush HS, Lyndhurst, OH	NR
Tom Strobel	6'6"	240	4.9	Mentor HS, Concord, OH	3 Star	Yes
Mario Ojemudia	6'3"	215	4.65	Farmington Harrison HS, Farmington Hills, MI	NR
Se'Von Pittman	6’5″	235	4.65	McKinley HS Canton, OH	4 Star	Yes
Adolphus Washington	6’6″	240	4.7	Taft HS, Cincinnatti, OH	4 Star	Yes
Jordan Jenkins	6’3″	225	4.69	Harris County HS, Hamilton, GA	4 Star	Yes
Defensive Tackles
Tommy Schutt	6’3″	301		Glenbard West HS, Glen Ellyn, IL	4 Star	Yes
Eddie Goldman	6'4"	307		Friendship Collegiate Academy, Washington, DC	5 Star	Yes
Vincent Valentine	6'3"	300		Edwardsville HS, Edwardsville, IL	4 Star	Yes
Sheldon Day	6'2"	268		Warren Central HS, Indianapolis, IN	3 Star
Danny O’Brien	6’4″	255	5.1	Powers Catholic HS, Flint, MI	4 Star	Yes
Greg Kuhar	6'3"	265		St. Edward HS, Concord Township, OH	NR
Matthew Godin	6'5"	253	5.03	Detroit Catholic Central, Novi, MI	3 Star
Linebackers
Deaysean Rippy	6’2″	198		Sto-Rox HS, McKees Rocks, PA	4 Star	Yes
James Ross	6’0″	203		Orchard Lake St. Mary’s HS, Orchard Lake, MI	4 Star	Yes
Royce Jenkins-Stone	6’2″	215		Cass Tech HS, Detroit, MI	3 Star	Yes
Vince Biegel	6'3"	210	4.53	Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln HS, Wisconsin Rapids, WI	3 Star	Yes
Kaleb Ringer	6'1"	225	4.45	Northmont HS, Clayton, OH	3 Star
Peter Jinkens	6'1"	208	4.45	Skyline HS, Dallas, TX	3 Star	Yes
Camren Williams	6'2"	200	4.58	Catholic Memorial HS, West Roxbury, MA	3 Star
Jeremiah Tshimanga	6'3"	226		Richland HS, N. Richland Hills, TX	3 Star	Yes
Cornerbacks
Terry Richardson	5'9"	160	4.5	Cass Tech HS, Detroit, MI	3 Star	Yes
Armani Reeves	5'11"	185	4.4	Catholic Memorial HS, West Roxbury, MA	4 Star
Safeties
Elijah Shumate	6'1"	205	4.5	Don Bosco Prep, Ramsey, NJ	4 Star	Yes
D.J. Singleton	6'3"	195	4.5	St. Peters Preparatory School, Jersey City, NJ	3 Star
Deon Bush	6'1"	177	4.44	Columbus HS, Miami, FL	NR	Yes
Jarrod Wilson	6’2″	190	4.5	Buchtel HS, Akron, OH	NR

We are up to 67 offers.  

• 5 QBs
• 3 RBs
• 12 WRs
• 5 TEs
• 13 OL
• 8 DEs
• 7 DTs
• 8 LBs
• 2 CBs
• 4 Ss 

BTW - I mentioned this in another thread, Scout currently has ranked 12 5 Stars and only 89 4 Stars.  They will end up with 50 5 Stars and 250 4 Stars.

Frequently posters lament the position breakdown of our team.  We hear we have too many slots, or not enough O-linemen; we hear that the defense is under-recruited or that we should have signed a particular player last year since we’re recruiting that position this year (Devin Lucien).

Inspired by the various posts debating the makeup of this team, I decided to analyze what a balanced roster would look like, how our current roster is allocated, and what the future may hold.

As we all know, the NCAA allows division I football teams to provide scholarships to a total of 85 players each year (while most players keep their scholarships for at least 4 years they are technically all one year scholarships).  Despite what the SEC may do with their scholarships, Michigan plays by the rules so 85 scholarships works out to 5 classes of 17 players in each class (5 classes assumes everyone takes a redshirt year).  A perfectly balanced roster would have no attrition; all players would stay five years; and 17 RS seniors would be replaced by 17 recruits each season.  Here’s what a roster like that would look like:

		SR	JR	SO	FR	RS	Recruit
TOTAL	85 (17)	17	17	17	17	17	17
OFFENSE
QB	4 (1)	x		x	x	x	x
RB	6 (2)	x	x	x	x	x	x
		x					x
FB	1		x
WR	10 (2)	x	x	x	x	x	x
		x	x	x	x	x	x
TE	5 (1)	x	x	x	x	x	x
OL	15 (3)	x	x	x	x	x	x
		x	x	x	x	x	x
		x	x	x	x	x	x
DEFENSE
DT	8 (2)	x	x	x	x	x	x
		x		x		x	x
DE	8 (2)	x	x	x	x	x	x
			x		x	x
LB	8 (1)	x	x	x	x	x	x
			x		x	x
S	8 (1)	x	x	x	x	x	x
			x	x	x
CB	9 (2)	x	x	x	x	x	x
		x	x	x		x	x
SPECIAL TEAMS
K	1			x
P	1				x
LS	1	x
TOTAL	85	17	17	17	17	17	17
		SR	JR	SO	FR	RS	Recruit

While we could debate the numbers by position group, this gives a pretty good blueprint for an ideal roster.  A team like this would rely primarily on upper classmen.  The structure would eliminate the need for desperation recruiting where the makeup of a position group is so dire that the coaches are desperate to land freshman to fill in the two-deep.  Obviously player attrition would make managing a roster so precisely impossible, however that doesn’t mean it’s not something quality programs should strive for.  Realistically, we could probably expect to lose anywhere from three to five players each season to the draft, injury, ineligibility, or home sickness; that would mean our recruiting classes would be 20 to 22 with 17 being redshirted and the remaining recruits added to the active roster.  It is well known that Wisconsin and Iowa start a high percentage of fifth year players each season, which may account for their quality play despite lackluster recruiting.

Let’s take a look at our current roster compared to the “ideal” roster:

Ideal									Actual
		SR	JR	SO	FR	RS	Recruit				'11	'12	'13	'14	'15	Recruit*
TOTAL	85 (17)	17	17	17	17	17	17		TOTAL	83	15	19	20	11	19	20
OFFENSE									OFFENSE
QB	4 (1)	x		x	x	x	x		QB	3		x		x	x	x
RB	6 (2)	x	x	x	x	x	x		RB	8	x	x	x		x
		x					x					x	x		x
FB	1		x									x
WR	10 (2)	x	x	x	x	x	x		FB
		x	x	x	x	x	x		WR	13	x	x	x	x		x
TE	5 (1)	x	x	x	x	x	x				x	x	x	x		x
OL	15 (3)	x	x	x	x	x	x				x	x	x	x
		x	x	x	x	x	x				x
		x	x	x	x	x	x		TE	3	x	x			x	x
DEFENSE																x
DT	8 (2)	x	x	x	x	x	x		OL	11	x	x	x	x	x	x
		x		x		x	x				x	x	x		x	x
DE	8 (2)	x	x	x	x	x	x					x				x
			x		x	x						x				x
LB	8 (1)	x	x	x	x	x	x									x
			x		x	x			DEFENSE
S	8 (1)	x	x	x	x	x	x		DT	5	x	x	x	x		x
			x	x	x									x		x
CB	9 (2)	x	x	x	x	x	x									x
		x	x	x		x	x		DE	9	x	x	x	x	x	x
SPECIAL TEAMS											x			x	x	x
K	1			x											x
P	1				x				LB	11	x	x	x	x	x	x
LS	1	x									x	x		x	x	x
TOTAL	85	17	17	17	17	17	17								x
		SR	JR	SO	FR	RS	Recruit								x
									S	7	x	x	x			x
													x			x
													x
													x
													x
									CB	10	x	x	x		x	x
													x		x
													x		x
															x
															x
									SPECIAL TEAMS
									K	2			x		x
									P	1			x
									LS	1		x
									TOTAL	83	15	19	20	11	19	20
											'11	'12	'13	'14	'15	Recruit*

*Recruits are projected for this class

As you can see, the team lacks consistency from season-to-season.  We have an abundance of WRs, a dearth of O-linemen and D-tackles, and a cluster of safeties all in one season.  I suspect that over the next couple of seasons Coach Hoke will try to remedy this by balancing recruiting the way I described above.  For some insight into the coach’s thinking, here’s a look at our current offers and the way I suspect the class will break down:

Targets					Offer	Rivals 250
Quarterbacks
Zeke Pike	6'5"	220	4.7	Dixie Heights HS, Edgewood, Kentucky	Yes	Yes
Gunner Kiel	6'4"	220	N/A	East HS, Columbus, Indiana	Yes	Yes
Bennie Coney	6'2"	205	4.8	Plant City HS, Plant City, Florida	Yes	Yes
Maty Mauk	6'2"	185		Kenton HS, Kenton, Ohio	Yes	Yes
Running Backs
Matt Jones	6'2"	200	4.53	Armwood HS, Seffner, Florida	Yes	Yes
Wide Receivers
Stefon Diggs	6’1″	185	4.4	Our Lady of Good Counsel, Olney, Maryland	Yes	Yes
Dorial Green-Beckham	6’6″	215	4.4	Hillcrest HS, Springfield, Missouri	Yes	Yes
Dwayne Stanford	6'4"	200	4.5	Taft HS, Cincinnatti, Ohio	Yes	Yes
Aaron Burbridge	6'0"	175	4.35	Farmington Harrison HS, Farmington Hills, Michigan	Yes
Derrick Woods	5'11"	180	4.5	Inglewood HS, Inglewood, California	Yes	Yes
Deontay McManus	6'0"	209	4.5	Dunbar HS, Baltimore, Maryland	Yes	Yes
Tight Ends
Sam Grant	6’6″	230	4.8	St. Edward HS, Lakewood, Ohio	Yes
Sean Price	6'4"	206	4.9	North Marion HS, Citra, Florida	Yes
Devin Funchess	6'5"	205		Farmington Harrison HS, Farmington Hills, Michigan	Yes
Ron Thompson	6'4"	225		East Detroit HS, Eastpointe, Michigan	Yes
Taylor McNamara	6'5"	235		Westview HS, San Diego, California	Yes	Yes
Offensive Linemen
D.J. Humphries	6’5″	265	4.9	Mallard Creek HS, Charlotte, North Carolina	Yes	Yes
Jordan Diamond	6’6″	289	5.0	Simeon Vocational HS, Chicago, Illinois	Yes	Yes
Zach Banner	6'9	295		Lakes HS, Lakewood, Washington	Yes	Yes
Dan Voltz	6’5″	289	5.3	Barrington HS, Barrington, Illinois	Yes	Yes
Defensive Ends
Chris Wormley	6’4″	255		Whitmer HS, Toledo, Ohio	Yes	Yes
Ifeadi Odenigbo	6’4″	210	4.44	Centerville HS, Centerville, Ohio	Yes
Pharaoh Brown	6’6″	220	4.7	Brush HS, Lyndhurst, Ohio	Yes
Tom Strobel	6'6"	240	4.9	Mentor HS, Concord, Ohio	Yes	Yes
Mario Ojemudia	6'3"	215	4.65	Farmington Harrison HS, Farmington Hills, Michigan	Yes
Defensive Tackles
Tommy Schutt	6’3″	301		Glenbard West HS, Glen Ellyn, Illinois	Yes	Yes
Eddie Goldman	6'4"	307		Friendship Collegiate Academy, Washington, D.C.	Yes	Yes
Vincent Valentine	6'3"	300		Edwardsville HS, Edwardsville, Illinois	Yes	Yes
Sheldon Day	6'2"	268		Warren Central HS, Indianapolis, Indiana	Yes
Danny O’Brien	6’4″	255	5.1	Flint (MI) Powers Catholic	Yes	Yes
Greg Kuhar	6'3"	265		St. Edward HS, Concord Township, Ohio	Yes
Linebackers
Deaysean Rippy	6’2″	198		Sto-Rox HS, McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania	Yes	Yes
James Ross	6’0″	203		Orchard Lake St. Mary’s HS, Orchard Lake, Michigan	Yes	Yes
Royce Jenkins-Stone	6’2″	215		Cass Tech HS, Detroit, Michigan	Yes	Yes
Vince Biegel	6'3"	210	4.53	Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln HS, Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin	Yes	Yes
Cornerbacks
Terry Richardson	5'9"	160	4.5	Cass Tech HS, Detroit, Michigan	Yes	Yes
Safeties
Elijah Shumate	6'1"	205	4.5	Don Bosco Prep, Ramsey, New Jersey	Yes	Yes
D.J. Singleton	6'3"	195	4.5	St. Peters Preparatory School, Jersey City, New Jersey	Yes

 

OFFENSE		DEFENSE		SPECIAL TEAMS
QB	x	DT	x	K
RB			x	P
FB			x	LS
WR	x	DE	x	TOTAL	20
	x		x		Recruits
TE	x	LB	x
	x		x
OL	x	S	x
	x		x
	x	CB	x
	x
	x

Currently we have made 37 offers, and we’ll probably make another 50 to 60 between now and signing day.  Based on what TomVH told us about signing percentages and our expectations for some of the players listed above, we can probably expect to sign around 12 or so of the players above and eight from future offers.  It will be interesting to see how close this projection will be.  It would be nice to return to the days when our teams didn’t rely on underclassmen too much.  Hopefully, roster management and recruiting will be some of Hoke’s strengths.

The deadline for declaring for the 2010 NFL Draft was Friday, January 15. As a follow up to an earlier diary, "How the 2010 NFL Draft will transform the Big Ten", I wanted to review the players who actually left college and how the Big Ten will change as a result.

Many prognosticators suggested that this year's draft would set a record for the most juniors to leave early. Some said that as many as 75 underclassmen would put their names in for draft consideration. It was a record-tying year for early entrants, but not the mass exodus that many predicted. 53 underclassmen declared that they would be available for draft consideration by NFL teams; tying the previous high set in 2008 and exceeding the 46 that declared last year.

As I discussed in my earlier diary, the reasons this draft inspired so many players to consider early entry were all related to the expiring labor agreement between NFL players and owners, and the chances of a lockout in 2011. Changes in the new contract might limit both player rookie earnings and prospects for free agency, so many agents were encouraging players to take a shot now.

It sounds like the NFL went out of their way to discourage underclassmen from leaving early.

"There will be no change in our current [rookie pool] system, at least until 2011," Goodell told ESPN on Saturday. "I've explained that to some college head coaches, athletic directors and league commissioners. Any underclassman who is hearing differently is probably hearing it from an agent or from another source who is misinformed." Source - ESPN

Players who submitted their paperwork and did not receive a grade within the first three rounds, were not informed of an official grade. Instead, they were told that they did not receive a grade within the first three rounds. As far as we know, in past years, players were told what round they were projected to get drafted in by the NFL Advisory Committee, even if it was a grade later than round three. Source - NFL Draft Bible

Roger Goodell's assertion that there won't be any changes to the rookie system until at after 2011 is probably true according to the Players Association. . . since they think that season will be locked out.

Union sources believe the likelihood of a rookie hard cap being in place by 2011 is remote because, as Smith inferred again, management is preparing for a lockout that season. Source - ESPN

So what effect will early entry have on college football? Here's a list of players that have declared (I included the Scout star ranking when they left high school or junior college):

POS	Player	Team	Status	Rank
QB	Jimmy Clausen	Notre Dame	Declared	5 star
QB	Jevan Snead	Mississippi	Declared	4 star
QB	Sam Bradford	Oklahoma	Declared	4 star
RB	Joe McKnight	Southern California	Declared	5 star
RB	Jonathan Dwyer	Georgia Tech	Declared	4 star
RB	Jahvid Best	California	Declared	4 star
RB	Toby Gerhart	Stanford	Declared	3 star
RB	Shawnbrey McNeil	SMU	Declared	3 star
RB	Darius Marshall	Marshall	Declared	2 star
WR	Arrelious Benn	Illinois	Declared	5 star
WR	Chris Bell	Norfolk State	Declared	5 star
WR	Dez Bryant	Oklahoma State	Declared	4 star
WR	Damian Williams	Southern California	Declared	4 star
WR	Golden Tate	Notre Dame	Declared	4 star
WR	Demaryius Thomas	Georgia Tech	Declared	3 star
WR	Dezmon Briscoe	Kansas	Declared	2 star
WR	Mico McSwain	North Alabama	Declared	2 star
WR	Mike Williams	Syracuse	Declared	2 star
WR	Carlton Mitchell	USF	Declared	2 star
WR	Antonio Brown	Central Michigan	Declared	1 star
TE	Aaron Hernandez	Florida	Declared	5 star
TE	Jermaine Gresham	Oklahoma	Declared	4 star
TE	Rob Gronkowski	Arizona	Declared	4 star
OT	Anthony Davis	Rutgers	Declared	5 star
OT	Brian Bulaga	Iowa	Declared	4 star
OT	Bruce Campbell	Maryland	Declared	4 star
OL	Maurkice Pouncey	Florida	Declared	4 star
DE	Jason Pierre-Paul	South Florida	Declared	5 star JC
DE	Carlos Dunlap	Florida	Declared	5 star
DE	Everson Griffen	Southern California	Declared	5 star
DE	Clifton Geathers	South Carolina	Declared	4 star
DE	Thaddeus Gibson	Ohio State	Declared	4 star
DE	Derrick Morgan	Georgia Tech	Declared	4 star
DE	Kevin Basped	Nevada	Declared	2 star
DT	Gerald McCoy	Oklahoma	Declared	5 star
DT	Brian Price	UCLA	Declared	5 star
DT	Abe Koroma	Western Illinois	Declared	3 star
ILB	Rolando McClain	Alabama	Declared	4 star
OLB	Jason Worilds	Virginia Tech	Declared	4 star
OLB	Rennie Curran	Georgia	Declared	4 star
OLB	Navorro Bowman	Penn State	Declared	4 star
S	Chad Jones	LSU	Declared	5 star
S	Eric Berry	Tennessee	Declared	5 star
S	Major Wright	Florida	Declared	5 star
S	Earl Thomas	Texas	Declared	4 star
S	Reshad Jones	Georgia	Declared	4 star
S	Morgan Burnett	Georgia Tech	Declared	4 star
CB	Donovan Warren	Michigan	Declared	5 star
CB	Joe Haden	Florida	Declared	4 star
CB	Dominique Franks	Oklahoma	Declared	4 star
CB	Kareem Jackson	Alabama	Declared	3 star
CB	Amari Spievey	Iowa	Declared	2 star

You'll notice that the list is made up of mostly 4 and 5 star players with an abundance of WRs and DEs.  Overall it's hard to say that the departures of these players will have a major impact on next season in college football.

The Big Ten only ended up losing six players.  So what kind of impact will departing players (including seniors) have on the Big Ten?

	Illinois	Indiana	Iowa	Michigan
QB	Juice Williams
RB	Daniel Dufrene*	Demetrius McCray*		Brandon Minor
RB		Bryan Payton*		Carlos Brown*
WR	Arrelious Benn**		Trey Stross	Greg Matthews
WR	Chris Duvalt			LaTerryal Savoy*
WR	Jarred Fayson
TE	Michael Hoomanawanui	Troy Wagner	Tony Moeaki
TE		Brian Zematis
OT		Rodger Saffold	Kyle Calloway	Mark Ortmann
OT			Bryan Bulaga**
OT
OT
OG	Jon Asamoah	Pete Saxon	Andy Kuempel*	David Moosman
OG		Mike Reiter*	Dace Richardson
OG			Dan Doering*
C	Eric Block		Rafael Eubanks
C
DE	Antonio James	Greg Middleton	Chad Geary*	Brandon Graham
DE	Doug Pilcher	Jammie Kirlew		Adam Patterson*
DE
DT	Rahkeem Smith*		Travis Meade*
DT	Sirod Williams
DT
LB		Will Patterson	A.J. Edds
LB		Justin Carrington*	Pat Angerer
LB		Matt Mayberry
LB
CB	Dere Hicks		Amari Spievey**	Donovan Warren**
CB
CB
S	Donsay Hardeman	Austin Thomas		Steve Brown
S		Collin Taylor*
S		Nick Polk
S		Matt Kurz*
K				Jason Olesnavage
P	Anthony Santella			Zolton Mesko
Total	15	16	13	12
	Michigan State	Minnesota	Northwestern	Ohio State
QB			Mike Kafka
RB
RB
WR	Blair White	Ben Kuznia*	Andrew Brewer	Ray Small*
WR			Kevin Frymire
WR
TE		Nick Tow-Arnett		Jake Ballard
TE
OT	Rocco Cironi	Matt Stommes*	Kurt Mattes*	Jim Cordle
OT	Mike Schmeding*
OT
OT
OG	Brendon Moss		Desmond Taylor*
OG
OG
C	Joel Nitchman			Andrew Moses*
C	John Stipek*
DE	Trevor Anderson	Cedric McKinley	Corey Wootton	Thaddeus Gibson**
DE	Colin Neely	Barrett Moen		Lawrence Wilson*
DE		Derrick Onwuachi*
DT	Michael Jordan*	Eric Small	Adam Hahn	Todd Denlinger
DT		Garrett Brown	Marshall Thomas*	Doug Worthington
DT				Rob Rose
LB	Brandon Denson	Simoni Lawrence		Austin Spitler
LB		Rex Sharpe*
LB	Adam Decker*	Nate Triplett
LB		Lee Campbell
CB	Jeremy Ware	Traye Simmons	Sherrick McManis	Andre Amos*
CB	Ross Weaver*	Marcus Sherels
CB
S	K. Davis-Clark*		Brad Phillips	Kurt Coleman
S	Ashton Henderson*		Brendan Smith	Anderson Russell
S	Dan Fortener
S
K	Brett Swenson
P		Blake Haudan		Jon Thoma
Total	17	15	11	14
	Penn State	Purdue	Wisconsin
QB	Daryll Clark	Joey Elliott
RB		Jaycen Taylor*
RB			Garrett Graham
WR	Patrick Mauti*	Royce Adams*
WR		Aaron Valentin
WR
TE	Mickey Shuler		Mickey Turner
TE	Andrew Quarless*
OT	Dennis Landolt	Zach Jones
OT	Ako Poti*
OT	Nerraw McCormack*
OT
OG		Zach Reckman
OG
OG
C	Doug Klopacz*	Jared Zwilling
C
DE	Jerome Hayes	Keyon Brown*	O'Brien Schofield
DE	Tom Golarz*
DE
DT	Jared Odrick	Mike Neal	Daniel Moore
DT			Dan Cascone*
DT			Jeff Stehle
LB	Sean Lee	Jason Werner	Jaevery McFadden
LB	Navorro Bowman**
LB	Josh Hull
LB
CB	Knowledge Timmons	Brandon King
CB	A.J. Wallace*	David Pender
CB	S. McCullough*
S		Torri Williams	Chris Maragos
S		Dwight Mclean
S
S
K
P	Jeremy Boone	Chris Summers
Total	17	15	8

* indicates non-starting contributor
** indicates early entrant
Source: www.rivals.com, www.foxsports.com, www.scout.com

Since the conference didn't lose as many players as my original diary suggested, the turnover won't have the repercussions I had hoped.  Unfortunately many of the stars decided to return to school, including most of the Ohio State defense and offensive stars like John Clay from Wisconsin and Evan Royster from Penn State. 

On the plus side the Big Ten should once again be strong out of conference, but it will make for a challenging season for our Wolverines. 

Go Blue!!

As I suggested in an earlier diary, "The NFL Uncapped Year and Donovan Warren", the NFL draft in 2010 may set a record for the most juniors to leave early in a season.  I recently heard on the NFL network that more than 75 underclassmen may put their names in for draft consideration.

The reasons this coming draft is inspiring so many to try to grab the brass ring are all the result of the expiring labor agreement between NFL Players and owners.  First, it is likely that the next agreement will include a slotted rookie draft with lower starting salaries, like the NBA currently has, so some players may be entering during an uncapped year to maximize the pay in their first contract.  Second, the next contract may extend the period before players can become unrestricted free agents, so they would like to get in now to start their counter toward that time.  Finally, the number one reason college underclassmen are being advised to enter now is the potential lockout in 2011, players getting in now can ensure themselves a payday rather than risking a year without a season.

The prospects for a lockout are very real.  The NFL Players Association is desperately trying to get the owners to negotiate a new contract but the owners are unwilling to meet.  The owners are looking forward to the uncapped year, not so that they can spend like crazy, instead it provides them an opportunity to dump bad contracts without penalty while locking up their young stars.  While many current NFL players have been looking forward to the uncapped year as a windfall, the owners included language in the contract that adds an extra transition tag to protect a teams best players and extends the unrestricted free agency period from four years to six for this coming season; locking up many of the league's best young stars when they expected their freedom.

Since we all know that most of college football's top players are merely using the NCAA as a launching pad to the NFL, they don't need too much encouragement to take a shot at the league.  Here's a list of players that have already declared or indicated that they are strongly considering it (I included the Scout star ranking when they left high school or junior college):

Pos	Player	Team	Status	Rank
QB	Sam Bradford	Oklahoma	Declared	4 star
QB	Jevan Snead	Mississippi		4 star
QB	Ryan Mallett	Arkansas		5 star
QB	Jimmy Clausen	Notre Dame	Declared	5 star
QB	Case Keenum	Houston		2 star
RB	Jonathan Dwyer	Georgia Tech		4 star
RB	Evan Royster	Penn State	Declared	3 star
RB	John Clay	Wisconsin		4 star
RB	Brandon Saine	Ohio State		4 star
RB	Toby Gerhart	Stanford		3 star
RB	Jahvid Best	California	Declared	4 star
RB	DeMarco Murray	Oklahoma		5 star
RB	Harvey Unga	BYU		2 star
RB	Joe McKnight	Southern California		5 star
RB	Darren Evans	Virginia Tech		4 star
RB	Delone Carter	Syracuse		4 star
RB	Ryan Mathews	Fresno State	Declared	2 star
WR	Dez Bryant	Oklahoma State	Declared	4 star
WR	Arrelious Benn	Illinois	Declared	5 star
WR	Damian Williams	Southern California		4 star
WR	Dezmon Briscoe	Kansas	Declared	2 star
WR	Demaryius Thomas	Georgia Tech		3 star
WR	Golden Tate	Notre Dame	Declared	4 star
WR	Vincent Brown	San Diego State		3 star
WR	Chris Bell	Norfolk State		5 star
WR	Dane Sanzenbacher	Ohio State		4 star
WR	Mike Williams	Syracuse	Declared	2 star
TE	Rob Gronkowski	Arizona		4 star
TE	Aaron Hernandez	Florida		5 star
TE	Weslye Saunders	South Carolina		4 star
TE	Jermaine Gresham	Oklahoma	Declared	4 star
OT	Brian Bulaga	Iowa		4 star
OT	Anthony Davis	Rutgers	Declared	5 star
OT	Gabe Carimi	Wisconsin		3 star
OT	Jason Pinkston	Pittsburgh		4 star
OT	Bruce Campbell	Maryland	Declared	4 star
OL	Bryant Browning	Ohio State		3 star
OL	Justin Boren	Ohio State		5 star
OL	Maurkice Pouncey	Florida		4 star
OL	Mike Pouncey	Florida		4 star
DE	Carlos Dunlap	Florida		5 star
DE	Cliff Matthews	South Carolina		5 star
DE	Cameron Heyward	Ohio State		4 star
DE	Derrick Morgan	Georgia Tech		4 star
DE	Everson Griffen	Southern California	Declared	5 star
DE	Greg Romeus	Pittsburgh		2 star
DE	Jason Pierre-Paul	South Florida		5 star JC
DE	Thaddeus Gibson	Ohio State		4 star
DE	Adrian Clayborn	Iowa		4 star
DE	Justin Trattou	Florida		5 star
DE	Ryan Kerrigan	Purdue		3 star
DE	Kevin Basped	Nevada		2 star
DE	Dontay Moch	Nevada		2 star
DT	Gerald McCoy	Oklahoma	Declared	5 star
DT	Brian Price	UCLA	Declared	5 star
DT	Marvin Austin	North Carolina		5 star
DT	Allen Bailey	Miami (Fla.)		5 star
DT	Stephen Paea	Oregon State		3 star JC
DT	Abe Koroma	Western Illinois	Declared	3 star
ILB	Rolando McClain	Alabama		4 star
ILB	Scott Lutrus	UConn		2 star
ILB	Quan Sturdivant	North Carolina		4 star
ILB	Travis Lewis	Oklahoma		4 star
OLB	Greg Jones	Michigan State		3 star
OLB	Navorro Bowman	Penn State	Declared	4 star
OLB	Rennie Curran	Georgia		4 star
OLB	Bruce Carter	North Carolina		3 star
OLB	Von Miller	Texas A&M		4 star
CB	Joe Haden	Florida	Declared	4 star
CB	DeAndre Morgan	North Carolina State		3 star
CB	Ras-I Dowling	Virginia		2 star
CB	Donovan Warren	Michigan	Declared	5 star
CB	Kareem Jackson	Alabama		3 star
CB	Dominique Franks	Oklahoma		4 star
CB	Amari Spievey	Iowa		2 star
CB	Johnny Patrick	Louisville		3 star
CB	Chimdi Chekwa	Ohio State		2 star
CB	Jimmy Smith	Colorado		3 star
CB	Kendric Burney	North Carolina		3 star
CB	Devon Torrence	Ohio State		4 star
S	Eric Berry	Tennessee	Declared	5 star
S	Morgan Burnett	Georgia Tech		4 star
S	Reshad Jones	Georgia		4 star
S	Major Wright	Florida		5 star
S	Chad Jones	LSU		5 star
S	Deunta Williams	North Carolina		4 star
S	Jermale Hines	Ohio State		4 star

Source: www.Scout.com, www.NFLdraftbible.com

As you can see, of the 87 players on the list 21 have already made their intentions known.  The 2009 draft had 46 early entrants, but only nine had declared before January 1.

So how will this impact the Big Ten?

There are 20 Big Ten players on the list and four of those have already declared.  Nine of the players play for Ohio State.  It is unlikely that all of the players above will enter the draft, however it is likely many will.  If you combine this group with graduating seniors the power in the Big Ten could change dramatically.  Here is a list of  contributors that will be gone from each team in the Big Ten:

	Illinois	Indiana	Iowa	Michigan
QB	Juice Williams
RB	Daniel Dufrene*	Demetrius McCray*		Brandon Minor
RB		Bryan Payton*		Carlos Brown*
WR	Arrelious Benn**		Trey Stross	Greg Matthews
WR	Chris Duvalt			LaTerryal Savoy*
WR	Jarred Fayson
TE	Michael Hoomanawanui	Troy Wagner	Tony Moeaki
TE		Brian Zematis
OT		Rodger Saffold	Kyle Calloway	Mark Ortmann
OT			Bryan Bulaga**
OT
OT
OG	Jon Asamoah	Pete Saxon	Andy Kuempel*	David Moosman
OG		Mike Reiter*	Dace Richardson
OG			Dan Doering*
C	Eric Block		Rafael Eubanks
C
DE	Antonio James	Greg Middleton	Chad Geary*	Brandon Graham
DE	Doug Pilcher	Jammie Kirlew	Adrian Clayborn**	Adam Patterson*
DE
DT	Rahkeem Smith*		Travis Meade*
DT	Sirod Williams
DT
LB		Will Patterson	A.J. Edds
LB		Justin Carrington*	Pat Angerer
LB		Matt Mayberry
LB
CB	Dere Hicks		Amari Spievey**	Donovan Warren**
CB
CB
S	Donsay Hardeman	Austin Thomas		Steve Brown
S		Collin Taylor*
S		Nick Polk
S		Matt Kurz*
K				Jason Olesnavage
P	Anthony Santella			Zolton Mesko
Total	15	16	14	12
	Michigan State	Minnesota	Northwestern	Ohio State
QB			Mike Kafka
RB				Brandon Saine**
RB
WR	Blair White	Ben Kuznia*	Andrew Brewer	Ray Small*
WR			Kevin Frymire	Dane Sanzenbacher**
WR
TE		Nick Tow-Arnett		Jake Ballard
TE
OT	Rocco Cironi	Matt Stommes*	Kurt Mattes*	Jim Cordle
OT	Mike Schmeding*
OT
OT
OG	Brendon Moss		Desmond Taylor*	Bryant Browning**
OG				Justin Boren**
OG
C	Joel Nitchman			Andrew Moses*
C	John Stipek*
DE	Trevor Anderson	Cedric McKinley	Corey Wootton	Cameron Heyward**
DE	Colin Neely	Barrett Moen		Thaddeus Gibson**
DE		Derrick Onwuachi*		Lawrence Wilson*
DT	Michael Jordan*	Eric Small	Adam Hahn	Todd Denlinger
DT		Garrett Brown	Marshall Thomas*	Doug Worthington
DT				Rob Rose
LB	Brandon Denson	Simoni Lawrence		Austin Spitler
LB	Greg Jones**	Rex Sharpe*
LB	Adam Decker*	Nate Triplett
LB		Lee Campbell
CB	Jeremy Ware	Traye Simmons	Sherrick McManis	Chimdi Chekwa**
CB	Ross Weaver*	Marcus Sherels		Devon Torrence**
CB				Andre Amos*
S	K. Davis-Clark*		Brad Phillips	Kurt Coleman
S	Ashton Henderson*		Brendan Smith	Anderson Russell
S	Dan Fortener
S
K	Brett Swenson
P		Blake Haudan		Jon Thoma
Total	18	15	11	21
	Penn State	Purdue	Wisconsin
QB	Daryll Clark	Joey Elliott
RB	Evan Royster	Jaycen Taylor*	John Clay**
RB			Garrett Graham
WR	Brett Brackett	Royce Adams*
WR	Graham Zug	Aaron Valentin
WR	Patrick Mauti*
TE	Mickey Shuler		Mickey Turner
TE	Andrew Quarless*
OT	Dennis Landolt	Zach Jones
OT	DeOn'tae Pannell
OT	Ako Poti*
OT	Nerraw McCormack*
OG	Lou Eliades	Zach Reckman
OG
OG
C	Doug Klopacz*	Jared Zwilling
C
DE	Jerome Hayes	Keyon Brown*	O'Brien Schofield
DE	Tom Golarz*
DE
DT	Jared Odrick	Mike Neal	Daniel Moore
DT	Ollie Ogbu		Dan Cascone*
DT			Jeff Stehle
LB	Sean Lee	Jason Werner	Jaevery McFadden
LB	Navorro Bowman
LB	Josh Hull
LB	Bani Gbadyu*
CB	Knowledge Timmons	Brandon King
CB	A.J. Wallace*	David Pender
CB	S. McCullough*
S	Cedric Jeffries*	Torri Williams	Chris Maragos
S		Dwight Mclean
S
S
K	Collin Wagner
P	Jeremy Boone	Chris Summers
Total	27	15	9

* indicates non-starting contributor
** indicates early entrant
Source: www.rivals.com, www.foxsports.com, www.scout.com

Mgoblog readers can extrapolate the data anyway you choose, but a few things to note.  Only two teams lose fewer player than the 12 that Michigan loses; Northwestern loses 11 and Wisconsin only loses nine.  Penn State loses 27 contributors while Ohio State loses 21 and Michigan State loses 18.  These departures don't include any transfers, nor do they include any disciplinary departures (see Spartans). 

We all know that good teams reload and often players on the bench outshine the player they replace, but I am happy to see how few holes we will need to fill relative to the rest of the conference.

It will be an interesting off season.  The NFL has made it a little more interesting.  We will know how many players are truly leaving on January 15, the last day to declare for the draft.

Go Blue!