Floyd Raven - Back to Ole Miss?
Would still love to get this kid on campus, he seems to be in a state of flux right now, and Mattison can certainly make the picture clear for him.
January 26th, 2011 at 7:16 AM ^
but I would be ok if he didn't Go Blue. With countess back to solid verbal to Michigan, we are sittin' pretty good in the CB spot for this class. I'd like to see us focus more on the o-line and DT. Let me be clear. I would be ecstatic if he comes to UM, but I just think we have other areas that need addressed first.
January 26th, 2011 at 7:19 AM ^
I would really like to have a 6'2" CB, but there is certainly no guarantee that is where he would play. Many think he is better suited for FS and I feel we have a good collection of DB's in this class already.
I just wish we could land a nice DT, that is the only area that I feel needs addressed now after all of the additions over the last few days. However, that Issaka(sp) out of NJ looks like a beast of a DE and maybe he could develope into a DT.
January 26th, 2011 at 8:45 AM ^
Isaaka's a little too small to play DT. Anyway, our immediate need for DT has fallen, with BWC movin back to D and QWash staying there. With Martin, Ash, and Talbott all there next fall, we should be fine.
January 26th, 2011 at 8:52 AM ^
Yeah, I saw Issaka in person a few weeks ago. He's not going to be a DT unless he starts eating like Gilbert Brown and just balloons.
January 26th, 2011 at 7:41 AM ^
but Miss has 14 more verbals than spots (that's correct 14 more)!
So, if he chooses to go there he better be sure he's OK with being booted off the team if he takes longer to develop.
Source: http://oversigning.com/testing/
January 26th, 2011 at 8:11 AM ^
integrity at its finest.
January 26th, 2011 at 8:17 AM ^
Question, is the SEC the only conference who consistently oversigns recruits, or is this becoming a problem in CFB as a whole?
January 26th, 2011 at 8:47 AM ^
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/andy_staples/01/24/oversigning-data/index.html
SI article from Monday, should answer your question. Most SEC teams oversign, and about 1/2 of the Big 12 & C-USA teams. Minnesota has the most signings in the Big 10 the last 5 years.
January 26th, 2011 at 8:59 AM ^
It sure did, thank you for the assistance. Wow who would have thought a program like Troy would be on top of this list.
January 26th, 2011 at 8:12 AM ^
When is the NCAA going to step in and correct this injustice. I cna't believe these schools think it is acceptable to toy with these kids like this. I have heard the statement before and again recently that CFB has become a business. I do believe this, but on the other hand, these are still kids who don't make a pay check they are hurting with their unacceptable recruiting practices.
January 26th, 2011 at 9:25 AM ^
I know he's an 18 year old HS kid, but this information is very public and very available.
If he goes to Ole Miss, he must be OK with oversigning and knowing that many of his teammates will be booted and even wth that thinks Miss > Mich.
If he's cool with that risk, who are we to complain?
January 26th, 2011 at 7:44 AM ^
Apparently Michigan cooled on him because we firmed up Countess and we have more prospects at other spots.
January 26th, 2011 at 8:16 AM ^
I know Raven is/was a longshot, anyway, but he's better than any of the corners we currently have committed. Rodriguez has taken some flak for throwing out too many scholarship offers too soon, but without knowing how many scholarships the average school offers, it's hard to tell if that's actually true or not.
Still...Rodriguez took commitments from some mediocre players early on, and that might be backfiring on Michigan right now. Even if Raven wanted to come to Michigan now, Greg Brown is already enrolled and you can't risk backing off a long-time commit and local pipeline guy like Delonte Hollowell.
January 26th, 2011 at 9:24 AM ^
But then didn't Hoke exacerbate this problem by taking Tamani Carter (and maybe Raymon Taylor)? Not saying that those guys won't be good; just saying that it seems that the same criticism could be made about Hoke.
January 26th, 2011 at 9:27 AM ^
a) I think Hoke had to get guys quickly. He can't afford to wait on guys at this point. Rodriguez could have.
b) I think Taylor has more upside than a couple of these other kids, and I think Carter might fit at free safety (a position that we desperately needed to add depth).
January 26th, 2011 at 9:49 AM ^
16 committed:
- Jack Miller C
- Tony Posada OG
- Russell Bellomy QB
- Justice Hayes RB
- Brennen Beyer DE
- Keith Heitzman DE
- Chris Rock DE
- Kellen Jones LB
- Desmond Morgan LB
- Antonio Poole LB
- Greg Brown CB
- Tamani Carter CB
- Blake Countess CB
- Delonte Hollowell CB
- Raymon Taylor CB
- Matt Wile K
Assuming all of the above stick, that leaves six spots, as I understand it. With McClure and Raven likely out, players with offers and a halfway decent chance of coming seem to be:
- Chris Bryant OG
- Jake Fisher OT
- Ryan Nowicki OT (Penn State) -- Does this offer mean Fisher is gone for good?
- Trayion Durham FB
- Chris Barnett TE
- Darian Cooper DT
- Frank Clark LB
- Leilon Willingham LB
I'm sure I'm missing some possibles here, but getting six of these eight seems unlikely to me...
January 26th, 2011 at 9:49 AM ^
Chris Bryant, Trayion Durham, Frank Clark, and Leilon Willingham are all pretty good bets to end up at Michigan.
I think Issaka, Barnett, and Nowicki are going elsewhere.
Fisher and Cooper are wild cards.
And Rawls doesn't have an offer yet, but if the academic side lines up for him, he'll probably end up at Michigan, too.
January 26th, 2011 at 10:07 AM ^
So four probables, not counting Rawls. That's good news, I think -- seems like they can fit both Fisher and Cooper if they want to come.
January 26th, 2011 at 10:21 AM ^
What did you think of McClure? I thought I saw a bit of Woodson in him, with his ball skills, deceptive speed, awareness, tackling skills, and versatility. I am not saying he will be Heisman winner and All-Everything, but I loved his game and was hoping he'd come aboard. It looks fairly certain that he will remain our west, but I was wondering what your evaluation was.
January 26th, 2011 at 10:33 AM ^
I don't know if I see the deceptive speed thing. Woodson didn't really have deceptive speed - he just had speed. If you're looking for deceptive speed, I'd say Leon Hall looked slower than he actually was.
Regardless, I think McClure is a good player. I liked Floyd Raven a little more because Raven could have played free safety and he's a better hitter. McClure would have instantly been the best corner in this class, and perhaps even the team, though.
January 26th, 2011 at 11:48 AM ^
I agree and think he could have been and instant impact player.
January 26th, 2011 at 9:55 AM ^
Three of the final eight are extremely Blue: Clark, Willingham and Bryant. Durham also seems likely if he gets an offer. That leaves DT, OT and TE to hopefully be filled by Fisher,Cooper and ???.
January 26th, 2011 at 10:41 AM ^
January 26th, 2011 at 11:55 AM ^
Better than Countess? I know he's bigger but all the sites have Countess rated higher.
January 26th, 2011 at 12:24 PM ^
I don't pay much attention to position rankings, but I just took a look on Rivals. Countess is the #10 cornerback, and Raven is #12. There's not much of a difference there. And yes, I think Raven would be a better fit for Michigan because I think Raven could be a great FS.
January 26th, 2011 at 8:24 AM ^
He's back to Ole Miss, and this one's over.
January 26th, 2011 at 8:29 AM ^
Floyd as saying his school search is "Nevermore."
January 26th, 2011 at 9:09 AM ^
"Rivals quothes"?
January 26th, 2011 at 9:12 AM ^
Gotta love Poe jokes.
January 26th, 2011 at 9:10 AM ^
just checked FlightTracker, Mattison's 7 Layer Bean Dip is on its way to Louisiana right now