Change alert! Gut NOW as of this morning says the number of LBs #Michigan takes has a strong chance of being > 2. Recruiting = #ForeverFluid
Looks like things are looking good for Gedeon and McCray. Also, it looks like the questions of will we turn away Levenberry or O'Daniel have been answered as well. The coaches must be telling kids we are taking 3-4 LB's again this year.
I had a feeling this was
you say crowded...I say
you say crowded...I say competitive!!
I wouldn't worry about crowded depth at LB
LB is a very fluid position. It isn't uncommon, especially at the college level, to rotate LBs a lot during the course of a game or for particular game situations. If you watched Alabama play at all, they do this a ton. They also get injured a bit more often as they are always in plays and, as you can imagine, get twisted up and hit a lot more than some other positions. Also, LBs have some movability in that they can grow and play with a hand down; if they are behind athletically but have the right mentality, they can be good fullbacks as they have that same type of personality a lot of time; they are typically pretty good special teams players.
So I wouldn't worry about that part of it.
The rumblings...
... are starting to sound more and more likely that O'Daniel will be a much tougher pull that expected, he just had a good visit to Clemson who he is also very high on,.
Also hearing the staffs' interest is not nearly as high as the other 3 linebackers. O'Daniel is basically the same linebacker as Ross from 2012 and we were interested in O'Daniel and Fuller duo (and pulling Fuller from Va Tech is as likely as getting stealing the third plumlee brother from Duke)
If we land land McCray and Gedeon we will hold a spot for Levenburry (5* talent) and we should be very happy about that. All three of those LB's offer something slightly different, and they have the impressive size at the position that we didn't have in 2012.
My guess is we land all three, I hope we do it quick and move on to the next positions. The current guess is that this class will be around 23 ish, sure "rankings" don't matter but you have to be excited that how "the team" is shaping up.
"This might sound arrogant and if it is, it is .... but we're Michigan." -Brady Hoke
Holy Moley
Holy Moley
Not that I loved Rich Rod less, but that I loved Michigan more.
Holey Moley!
I would be surprised if he
I would be surprised if he did, but this probably does mean that we are in very good shape with >2 LBs.
Also, it's Gedeon.
Even 3 would be high given last year's haul
but talent is talent. And based on past history, attrition at the LB position has been high. When you factor in how depleted we've been in the last 4 years or so, I'd say this is very good.
"You owe it to every man, woman, and child in the State of Michigan to beat the Buckeyes and silence their fans! Now go out there and make it happen!"
- Bo Schembechler (Result: U-M 22 OSU 0)
Gadeon and Lavenberry? Do
Gadeon and Lavenberry? Do you have an aversion to typing E's as the real second letter of a person's last name?
ED: Thanks for correcting them.
Monday
Brain dead on a Monday. Figured Sam's update was the more important info in the post anyways. Thanks for the catch. It's been fixed.
Like a blind man at an orgy, I was going to have to feel my way through
i think we take 3, but if
i think we take 3, but if they all want to come we need to take them. it will give us a lot of flexiblity in the future
toomer18
That depends on if we can
That depends on if we can afford to leave another position group a little thin. Where can we skimp on recruiting if all 4 want to come?
First off, the team doesn't
First off, the team doesn't have that many linebackers on the roster, and it loses 2 for sure this year (Demens and Hawthorne), with Mike Jones and Isaiah Bell also redshirt juniors. If you look at that list of LBs on the team in 2013, it's heavily reliant on 2012 kids to make their mark.
If you want to look at a crowded position on the roster, look at the safety positions.
Also, the team really doesn't need another kicker until 2015.
Your point is spot on
I expect Michigan to lose 4 LBs next year. They need to replace bodies with LBs. The main positions people seem to be fretting about are WR and DT.
WR will be recruited.
As for DT, don't forget that people tend to move down and inside, meaning that DEs can become DTs, DTs can become NT, etc. Also, with the numbers at O-line, if players start to get stuck in the depth chart don't be surprised if they flip them to the other side. Those players will probably continue to be depth players, but it just points out that depth shouldn't be an issue at any position on this team after the next couple years. Attrition and uneven classes really messes with the depth charts at the end of RRs tenure and Michigan is now just trying to build it back up to where it needs to be.
So...are we taking 2 or 4?
So...are we taking 2 or 4?
'Try growing up in Texas a Michigan WOLVERINE'.
Try this:
Are we taking 2 or 3? Also, if they all want to come, will we take 4?
Pure speculation
Purely speculation - I think this means a lesser chance on an extra DB or DE - not sure which one. Fine by me as we have a billionty DBs now and one will likely be starting for the next 2-3 years (Countess) and our coaches are high on some of the young guys that didn't play much.
Or maybe (hopefully) we just added a number to our estimated total class size.
Intensity is a lot of guys that run fast.
Just opinion but i feel we
Just opinion but i feel we have the bodies in the secondary...just not sure if its the most talented group..id love to land a top FS and a 6ft or plus CB
Uhoh, did I unbuckle from
Uhoh, did I unbuckle from this weekend prematurely?
This is Michigan fergodsakes!
This is Michigan fergodsakes! Stay buckled at all times!
I think we should
treat this like airline safety. "Please remaind buckled at all times for you safety and the safety of the MGo Users around you."
From the Red Cedar Message Board: "God hates us." Yes He does Lil Bro, yes he does. Everyone hates you.
DEFENSE BABY! DEFENSE! Last
DEFENSE BABY! DEFENSE! Last thing I ever want is visions of Troy Smith from watching Braxton Miller scramble. We need the LBs to face plant him when he tries.
Huh.
I could have sworn half his recruiting roundup this morning was him saying how they were only taking two, and then a big explanation on how taking more than you say you're going to take makes recruits want to open up their recruiting. He flip-flopped fast. He's not even off the air yet.
Edit: Maybe I'm not getting this twitter thing, but your link doesn't have that tweet..his last tweet there was an hour ago.
"I love him, he's a great coach, he's a great mentor, he's a great friend. He's every single thing you want a college coach to be, and he does it flawlessly." -David Molk
Twitter
I'm not sure what is going on with the link to Sam's twitter feed either. I am looking at my twitter home screen with all of the posters I follow and it is still there, however when I look at Sam's page or the Michigan Insider page who RT'd it, it isn't showing up. Maybe he removed it already.
Like a blind man at an orgy, I was going to have to feel my way through
Now we can say.....
"We're linebacker U!!!"
And not just
"Out helmets have wings on 'em"
Taking four LBs seems a bit
Taking four LBs seems a bit of a stretch unless the coaches anticipate any of them to potentially move to DE or safety. Four linebackers would bring us to 17 commits for this class and we still need 1 RB, 1-2 WR, 1 DT, 1 CB, maybe 1 more TE, and maybe 1 more S.
For the strength of the pack is the Wolv, and the strength of the Wolv is the pack.
Here's the linebacker corps
Here's the linebacker corps in 2013:
Morgan - Ryan - the 2012 freshmen, Mike Jones, Isaiah Bell.
That leaves you with confidence? They need 3 or 4 linebackers.
Point taken but I feel better
Point taken but I feel better about that group than the 2013 WRs or TEs. I'd rather see an extra receiver in this class than 4 LBs.
Also Cam Gordon, no?
For the strength of the pack is the Wolv, and the strength of the Wolv is the pack.
I'll believe Cam Gordon can
I'll believe Cam Gordon can play linebacker when it happens. I don't doubt he has the potential to do it, but it's yet to happen.
Wasn't Cam Gordon a freshman
Wasn't Cam Gordon a freshman All-American (or something similar) as a linebacker?
He's the fastest linebacker
He's the fastest linebacker and one of the biggest hitters on the team.
But...
A season in the 3-3-5 as a frosh (1 of the few bright spots that year) and a season with a back injury is reason enough to write him off completely. I can't argue with that logic.
Bears Beets Battlestar Galactica
Well . . . believe it.
Well . . . believe it. Because it happened for the second half of the 2010 season.
But how in the world will it
But how in the world will it happen again without Greg Robinson coaching him?
Yes, and also Poole
Yes, and also Poole
Eating is murder.
Perhaps
But I think we're less not deep at LB than we are at some other positions, and 8 LBs is a LOT for two classes for a team that runs a 4-3 Under.
I wouldn't mind them taking more LBs
But yeah, that corp wouldn't freak me out. You've got two guys who have shown a lot of potential for three spots, and a great class that will be sophomores to fill one spot and depth, backed up by at least 2 more stud freshmen. That's a decent rotation in a 4-3.
But I wouldn't mind having more.
"I love him, he's a great coach, he's a great mentor, he's a great friend. He's every single thing you want a college coach to be, and he does it flawlessly." -David Molk
Dont forget about Antonio
Dont forget about Antonio Poole he has bigtime potential
You forgot Poole who can
You forgot Poole who can develop into a solid WIL and in 2013 will be a red shirt Sophomore.
jbibiza
That leaves me with confidence....
Morgan, Ryan, RJS, Bolden, Ringer, Ross, Jones, Bell, Antonio Poole, Cam Gordon, and the 2013 freshmen. That's 10 already on the roster. If we pull in 4 more this recruiting class, that's 14 on the roster for 2013. That seems a little on the high side for me for 3 positions. If we had 4.66 deep at every position, we'd need a scholarship limit of over 100, and that's not including kickers, punters, or longsnappers.
In 2013, the 2012 freshmen will be 2013 sophomores. I feel very comfortable with Ryan/Gordon, Bolden/RJS, Morgon/Ross as the two deep.
Position moves
McCray could be SAM or DE and O'daniel can be a SS. There's a way we could take 4 lb's but really only have 2 stay at lb
I don't think O'Daniel would
I don't think O'Daniel would play SS for Michigan. He's been a linebacker, and usually guys don't move back in the defense. He seems like a WIILL or maybe a MIKE if he hits a growth spurt.
Show him some Kovacs film
If you show O'daniel how Kovacs is used he can clearly see that you can play SS and still live in the box and make a ton of tackles
Kovacs was not used in the
Kovacs was not used in the way that Mattison would like to use his safeties. He was used almost exclusively as an in-the-box safety because of his limitations in coverage. Mattison would like to have a SS he can use interchangeably with the FS, but that just wasn't the case. Michigan in 2011 was not the prototype for where Hoke/Mattison want the defense to be.
HS players tend to gain
HS players tend to gain weight when they enter college, not lose it, and he's already at 205-210.
Twitter // Recruiting Work// Email
Would love to see us take all
Would love to see us take all 4. If there's anyithing we need, in my opinion, its defense. These guys are studs and would make our defense very competitive in practice and on the field.
This means we won't be
This means we won't be getting Gedeon any time soon. Don't hatevme for saying it, but it means the little play to pressure Gedeon into committing by saying McCray would take his spot failed. Gedeon was the one they wanted, so now they have to make room for both. That's what was happening if you read between the lines of what Webb was saying. Or...Webb might not have known what he was talking about to begin with. I'd believe that.
Don't quote laws to us. We carry swords.
-Pompeius Magnus
?
So the conspiracy to pressure one into coming so we could make sure we lost out on talent after that failed? Those dastardly coaches how dare they.
Its called a royale with cheese
Webb predicted we would take
Webb predicted we would take either Gedeon or McCray, then hold out for Levenberry. McCray had hit announcement scheduled. Bringing Gedeon up was an attempt to pressure him into committing before McCray, which was the optimal result. It did not work. This is how Webb saw it. The inference would be that the coaches are reevaluating whether they would really cut Gedeon out.
This is not dissimilar to what happened with Reeves last year, before we temporarily stopped recruiting him during the summer.
And all of this is if you believe Sam Webb.
Don't quote laws to us. We carry swords.
-Pompeius Magnus
Position switch
McCray's future definitely seems more promising at DE.
I don't know a 6'-4"
I don't know a 6'-4" linebacker that runs a 4.6 sounds pretty nice to me. Prescott Burgess reincarnation?
You know, Dude, I myself dabbled in pacifism once. Not in 'Nam of course.
I had a feeling this was going to be the case. Those guys are just too good to turn away. But like others have mentioned, theres going to be a crowded corps of LBs.
THOSE WHO STAY WILL BE CHAMPIONS