Ranking the top 5 Michigan football commits of the Brady Hoke era
Remember when Derrick Green committed to Michigan in January? And how it was kind of a big deal, because the Wolverines had never signed a No. 1 tailback in the modern recruiting era?
That was supposed to be a one-of-a-kind commitment.
Then Michigan got another program-changing commit in April from Drake Harris, who will become the best-ranked receiver to join the Wolverines if he signs next year... http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/index.ssf/2013/05/poll_which_brady_hoke_recruit.html
I don't know if you can call losing those 5 players a meltdown. It's not like Hoke had them and then pissed them off or something. They committed to the school they felt best for them.
And had Isaac committed to UM, Green might not have.
I'd say Garnett is the biggest one. Even Pip was upset he didn't go to Michigan, he acted like Garnett told him he was Blue or something.
I've read on other UM sites that David Shaw told Garnett that Hoke was leaving UM soon and that was helped push Garnett to Stanford. Supposedly, Peppers was initially not high on UM, despite being his childhood favorite, for the same reason: someone (quite possibly Shaw) told him that Hoke was bolting for the NFL.
Add in Shaw's recent douche-baggery on Twitter re: UM's academics not "measuring up" to Stanford's when tweeting to Peppers and Shaw is starting to climb his way up the "Douche-o-meter" scale of CFB coaches.
Knowing what we know now, I think the only ones I'd really still want are Isaac and Garnett. Not that they're guys we need, just that they're guys that I'd still be happy to take. The others have a few...questions...around them.
Peppers
Countess
Ross
Kalis
Pipkins
Didn't Countess originally commit to RR and maintain his committment after the coaching transition?
Yes, but the Countess re-recruitment was the first indication that Brady Hoke was pretty good at getting kids to be interested in Michigan.
He was a RR recruit that stayed on when Hoke was hired.
is an effort in futility because there are so many players to choose from, nice problem to have, I say.
My personal top 5:
1: Green
2. Peppers
3. Pipkins
4. Kalis
5. Harris/Morris
In my opinion
1. Jabrill Peppers
2. Kyle Kalis
3. Derrick Green
4. Bryan Mone (Everything about this kid screams superstar to me.. Maybe a bias that I can't locate)
5. Drake Harris
I love Shane Morris as a prospect, but his performance just hasn't lined up w/ his rankings yet... I think Wilton will compete with Shane tooth and nail, too.. I think Pipkins is close at #5, but I think Harris is a definite need for a MNC run...
1. Peppers
2. Green
3. Kalis
4. Harris
5. Dymonte
Top misses to date
1.Garnett
2.Isaac
3.Treadwell (smells fishy)
4. McQuay
5. Washington
Top Future 5 we need
1. Da'Shawn Hand
2. Malik McDowell
3. JuJu Smith
4. Nyles Morgan
4. Jamarco Jones
I think Morris has lived up to his ranking. He was great at The Opening. He only really had one bad performance at the AA game. I guess one bad performance is all it takes to go from a 5 star to a 4 star.
Actually, the most important performances are his actual high school games and in that regard Morris hasn't lived up to the hype. His stats from both his junior and senior seasons (I know he had mono as a senior, of course) were NOT impressive. Morris has mostly been hyped because of his tremendous arm strength...and that is pretty much it.
Except for his recruiting fervor, Morris wouldn't make my Top 10 list. Obviously, I hope he proves me wrong, but I am not expecting great things from Morris on the field. I'm not all that high on Speight, either. It seems like UM is trying to build a team that is NOT QB-centric a la Alabama: great OL, great RB, great defense, game manager QB.
You'd do Jonny Falk proud. He favorite ring is always "the next one."
I think the OP was asking to grade players based on their performance as high school players and t heir recruiting hype/ranking/profile, not how they grade as college players. I say that because there were a lot of posts early on giving the OP grief about some of these kids not even being on campus yet.
For me I think it would be hard to put anyone ahead of Peppers given that he is probably the highest ranked kid UM has ever got, not just in the Hoke era, but any era.I mean, I know we all want Shane Morris to be a stud QB, but he wasn't even top two at his position, let alone top two overall in the country. For me the list would be:
1) Peppers
2) Green
3) Thomas
4) Kalis
5) Harris
Of course if he picks up Hand than he would take over top spot and everyone would slide down a spot. I don't see any other recruit that we are currently in could position with that could change that list..there are a few long shots, but none that are being predicted to come our way.
1. All the O Lineman
2. Green
3. Peppers
4. Funchess
5. Pipkins
Basically, everyone
According to my TTB Ratings...
1. Jabrill Peppers
2. Derrick Green/Kyle Kalis
4. James Ross III
5. Drake Harris
6. Ondre Pipkins
7. Dymonte Thomas
8. Joe Bolden/Kyle Bosch/Jarrod Wilson
That James Ross ranks so highly too.
1. Green
2. Peppers
3. Kalis
4. Pipkins
5. Harris
Honorable Mention: datbull4life
And how it was kind of a big deal, because the Wolverines had never signed a No. 1 tailback in the modern recruiting era?When did the modern era start? Justin Fargas was the #1-ranked tailback in 1998.
He was an All American, and even wiki says Prep Football Report had him as the #2 running back. So someone probably had him as #1.
But that year with Fargas, Henson, Walker, and Terrell certainly had the #1 overall player among them.
And Tyrone Wheatley was one of the highest ranked kids recruited .... ever, period.
The #1 overall recruit that year was Ronald Curry, who went to UNC as a QB. All the guys you mentioned were in the top 10-15, though.
in Justin Fargas, arguably the no. 1 rated qb in Henson - always mentioned in top 5 - and for the first time since they've been keeping track we had 2 of the top 15 wrs in DT and AA. That has happened since, but this was the first. No, DT was not rated no. 1. ^Remember please I cannot get para breaks on this page so the ^ takes its place......sorry. I think the first three are ez to name in Green, Peppers and Kalis. I think Charlton will blow up. His lower body is just about identical to Kalis's and that is saying a lot. No one will push these two kids around. I think I will fence set on no. 5 and say one of the lber hauls in the last two classes will fill in the top five. ^Inasmuch as these things never turn out as predicted, i.e., Fargas, Grady, certainly an answer to a future trivia question such as, "Name the only 5* player-probably in any sport, in any league whose brother put up better stats in same sport as a walk-on, although he was recruited himself in another sport?" If not, it should be. ^ I think, although probably not as much fun because it gives us time to do some of our best guess work is naming the players who outplayed their status coming in. Top three on my list in the very recent past would have to be Hart, although given a 4th star at cb the moment he pledged to M, but recruited as a 3* runner, Jake Long and, of course, our most exciting offensive player ever, Denard Robinson. I'm guessing even those who can remember our first Heisman winner would have to give him the nod, although Tom definitely did more than DR as punter, passer, runner, receiver, etc. Then again, oh let's leave it there.....................
I've watched Shane Morris in high school and he is really good. Don't let the Sparties and Bucknutters get to you. He may not be Peppers good but he's still good.
TACO CHARLTON.... nobody mentioned him yet... he stole him from Ohio.... wait and see.... a year from now it'll be apparent that he belongs in the top 5 at this juncture.
In terms of on-field performance, probably Ross or Funchess. Norfleet maybe if they let him loose. Also, I'm higher on Pipkins than some people are just because big guys like that take time to develop and he hasnt embarrassed himself out there. As for the new guys, Morris, Peppers and Green are the biggest upside guys I see right now, with Harris one notch below along with Cole, who really feels like on of those dominant guards who you don't realize has been blowing guys off the line until you look at the rushing numbers.
I haven't read below, but mine are:
1. Jabrill Peppers
2. Kyle Kalis
3. Derrick Green
4. James Ross
5. David Dawson
his respective team to the top. His recruiting here, nonetheless, borders on spectacular. I have been watching M fb since Bo's first year, and I can't recall a consecutive three year period to match this. * Kalis is great and belongs among the top five. However, the fact that he had committed to OSU when many of them stayed makes his decision to move even more dramatic. I think, although he's rathed lower Marshall's commitment was significant as well. He was pretty much penciled in as going to EL by virtually all the recruiting gurus and one visit later, he pulls the plug. I'll stick with my five, and it didn't include Lawrence, but recruits of this nature are extremely significant because of the message it sends to those that thought they had the kids locked up. Surround the lesser recruited players with all these h.s. AAs and suddenly they have something to prove and many of them do. He's got a good system and once he got to a great school it didn't take long to see how it works.