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Jamarco Jones (presumed OSU lean) and Roderick Johnson are probably the next two up. After that, not much else activity right now.

Your 2014 starting secondary could be FS Jarrod Wilson, SS Dymonte Thomas, FC Blake Countess, and BC Jabrill Peppers.

In the words of Bacari: HALOL

He was a great player and I know reporters love questions about how X player might have been overshadowed or Y player might be underrated because he had a superstar teammate, but there's just no way that Timmy didn't benefit tremendously from being on the same team as Trey Burke. He's a great shooter, but if he was the focal point of the offense, he would have been asked to put it on the floor a lot more often and he would have struggled to do so.

I think NBA scouts probably have an excellent beat on his skillset and he'll have a productive career, but not everyone has to be "underrated", some guys can just be "rated".

Well yes, they may be on the decline now as Beamer gets older, but the series doesn't start for another 7 years. Whose to say they don't have Foster or an entirely different coach who has them highly competitive and revitalized?

Waaaayyyy too early to speculate as to the quality of the game at this point.

This is like Madagascar 3, but WAY WAY SADDER AND MORE TRAGIC

He attends St. Ed's in Cleveland, the same school as Kyle Kalis.

I may be in the minority, but I read pretty much every post on EDSBS so I enjoy posts like this immensly.

I'm still relatively young so there are a bunch of graduating seniors posting pictures of themselves day drinking outside today.

And I hate them so, so hard.

OSU people are speculating that Hubbard isn't a linebacker. They were looking to bring in 3 and have told kids they're still looking for 2, thus Hubbard is either a DE or an H-Back/TE.

In case you didn't know, I don't coach for Michigan, but...

I would love to see them pass on a running back this year and use that offer for a fourth WR or a third LB and then in 2015 go all out on Mikey Webber and Damien Harris in 2015.

It's a win/win for all parties really.

Quite honestly, if you get rid of that little kid Cubs fan in front, Ann Arbor becomes perfect.

While Notre Dame was busy working out Ways, we stole Ian Bunting from them.

Pretty sneaky, Michigan staff!

A phone call, a text message, an email, a carrier pigeon.

If you think about it, he can commit in Moe Ways than one...

Because absolutely every Michigan writer seems to think that Michigan leads for Da'Shawn Hand, but they're all terrified to say it and be wrong, so most of them put down Virginia Tech leads.

I agree that 247 really seems to be doing a great job as well. I have ESPN Insider because I think Tom is on his game and clearly a great guy, but I don't think I would ever pay for Rivals or Scout and I'm seriously considering it for 247.

Rivals may have the best rankings, but in terms of subscribing, it's hard to see what value they add that other sites can't cover. 247 does a good job facilitating discussion, and they're not afraid to say where they think a school is actually at with a prospect, which is ultimately what people want.

Man, two phenomenal posts the morning after the game. I'm not sure why I read anything else.

Thanks, Ace.

I punched a wall, then vomited in the hole. Now I'm dry-walling the hole.

NEVER HAPPENED.

With it being the offseason, him being from Ohio, and since the recruiting battle for him is seemingly the most competitive, both fanbases really seem to be flowing their competitive juices in the direction of his decision. There's going to be some high quality gloating and teeth gnashing when he comes to his decision in a couple months.

Can someone explain who the bee guy is and how that fits Iowa and who Northwestern is and why that fits?

Apologies for the ignorance.

FWIW Craig Roh has now mentioned both Willie Henry (on twitter) and Chris Wormley (on WTKA) as guys to watch out for on the line.

I read somewhere that they only have room for 34 this year.

HAHA JUST KIDDING THIS IS AWESOME

Make sure you figure out exactly which recruits are going to be there and chant their names. It is your direct responsibility to recruit these kids, and if you don't chant their names the have zero motivation to come to Michigan.

Do your duty, citizen!

And by that, I obviously meant in 18 minutes.

Obviously the coaches saw enough to offer him and this may seem like sour apples now that he's committed elsewhere, but I was actually hoping that Marshall might not end up at Michigan. He looks like a poor man's Taco Charlton to me. Look at his highlight tape, he never beats blocks. He's not as athletic or quick as Charlton and I don't know if he'll provide much more than some second string depth with the players they've been bringing in.

It will be interesting to see if he hits the camp circuit like Shane did. He certainly has a lot to gain in the rankings and it's never bad to get more time throwing the ball, but I've read he has a personal QB coach of some sort so maybe it wouldn't be as helpful for him.

As a follow-up, perhaps you could look at the assist rates and transition baskets when McGary and Morgan are on the floor to better understand the offensive efficiency numbers? If McGary passes better and creates more offense off of turnovers, you should be able to find it in there, especially as the year goes on.

It's even more of an outrage because he goes to Montgomery Bell Academy, home of 2012 commit Blake Bars and 2014 recruit Alex Bars. They've had plenty of time to scout this guy and they've completely whiffed!! Fire everyone!

I take issue with saying Michigan's defense isn't good. They're ranked 39th on KenPom. They're not "great" or "suffocating", but they are definitely good.

In fact, I think in many ways their defense is an expression of Beilein's offensive philisophy, just on the other end of the floor. They're not going to be really aggressive and try to disrupt the other team's flow, but take what the offense gives them with opportunistic blocks and steals and just constantly getting their hands in your face to contest your shot. But there are 347 Division I teams, if you're ranked 39th I would say you have a good defense.

There is a downside and upside to that I suppose.

Downside: All elite athletes should be lifting weights. I personally lifted weights in high school...for swimming.

Upside: He's going to get way, way better over the next few years.

Is the type of headline you put on your resume when looking for a new job. Fantastic.

MORE LIKE GREAT WHISPERING EYE, AMIRIGHT?

quietly shows himself out...

So Northwestern beat Baylor at home beat Kentucky at home...

Northwestern is better than Kentucky, you guys!!

In my opinion, Shane held onto his 5th Star because his ranking is based on his arm strength and camp performances. His high school season and sickness didn't change either of those things.

All you need is one that's willing to try it, and I don't think it's true that none would. It's hard to find success in the NFL, even with a regular coach, and coaching hires are really challenging. You have your choice of has-beens that have already proven they can lose somewhere else, up-and-coming coordinators with no head coaching experience, or college coaches. It's an inexact science obviously, and there's no reason that no one would take a chance with Kelly.

That last sentence makes Magnus so damn happy, although hipster Magnus discovered James Ross long before his sophomore record was going to come out.

O COOL I LIVE ON THE EAST COAST AND I DIDN'T WANT TO SEE MICHIGAN PLAY WITHOUT HAVING TO HOP ON A PLANE ANYWAY.

I will be there, and with my girlfriend if she's interested. I got excited for this when I saw it in the email, it was a great idea.

Michigan 27, Northwestern 16. Book it.

I agree, my own personal frustration was pretty low compared to some other losses. But you also went on a kitten picture binge on twitter, how did you not even mention that?!

That's going to get a high number of fakes from Ace I think...

The SDE spot is certainly the most interesting position battle going into next year, but I don't think Black will be the answer there. If he doesn't play the 3-Tech all that well, and it's a very similar position to the 5-Tech, how is he going to hold up any better there?

Long term I would still love to see Beyer moved over there. Maybe he'll be too small next year, but he's not a pass rusher and his strengths seem to be his intelligence and coachability. His senior year he could be fantastic.

Sort of related, sort of not, but my favorite part of this week and to a greater extent this year has been watching State fans try to reconcile their team in actuality with their pre-season expectations of it. They see the line for the game set at 10 points and their major struggles moving the ball and many are saying, "Excellent, this team performs so much better when they're the underdog!" But this relies upon some sort of warped assumption that there's just this switch they haven't been flipping that will somehow turn on against a highly motivated Michigan team with a singular focus on a Big Ten championship. You had 3 points at the half against Eastern Michigan! Adjust your expectations already.

27-13 Meeeeechigan

I can answer the first part. Yes, he came out of nowhere because he hadn't played organized football at any point in his life until a few months ago.

Which is insane, obviously.

There are Moe Ways than one to get a good recruiting class.

In all seriousness though, 2014 does look like a pretty down year for Michigan talent, especially from a depth perspective. The top end talent is there no doubt (Harris, Webb, McDowell) but there doesn't seem to be a ton behind that. I think Michigan will land 3-5 Michigan prospects this year and in general will give out a lot fewer offers than the past couple of years. I think they've got all of their offensive linemen from their offers so far except they might offer Kyle Trout. They might get up to 100, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them stay under the triple digits.

I actually hope he takes more time and sees a few more schools before he commits. Dawson committed within minutes of getting his offer and then continued to receive offers and attention from other schools. Better he does due process before committing than to feel trapped by the no visit policy (which I like, I'm not criticizing it). 

The kid's Dad died this year, he can do whatever he wants and football isn't everything.

P.S. Have fun in Bolivia!

Personally, I would like to see them go after a committed prospect before they offer Finely. Not only because Pocic, McGovern, Montelus are higher ranked, but because Finley's sister is at State and I actually think he would be less likely to make the switch. In general though, I'm not very optimistic that they'll be able to swing anyone else and I'm fine with 4 linemen.

They could always reach out to a couple of linemen, but you would think that those linemen have been building relationships with the schools they've committed too. Notre Dame has several commits with Michigan offers as well, so if they want another O-Lineman they can always reach out and there are 4 months to get in someone's ear...

I didn't forget about him, I've just never been all that impressed with him as he doesn't seem to do the little .5 point things Brian mentions that have made RVB and Roh successful. I think you would be more likely to see Heitzman there than Black. And Beyer is the same weight as Strobel right now (252), so if one can't put on the weight for the position then the other can't either.

I was looking forward to this all week, just to see how Jake Ryan would grade out. Count me not disappointed in the slightest. Mini-Clay Matthews indeed.

I've also been thinking about this for awhile and my not so bold prediction is that Brennen Beyer makes the same move this offseason that Craig Roh did last offseason and your UFR's next year feature Beyer as "mini-Roh" or "mini-RVB" as well. He's not much of a pass rusher at all, and it's obvious at this point that Ojemudia is at least coming along. With Frank Clark at WDE as well, the position is a bit crowded. Better a junior Beyer with game experience than a walk-on like Brink or a redshirt freshman like Strobel. Anyone else see this forthcoming?

Thanks, makes sense to me. Can PeeWee play the 3-Tech then in anyone's opinion?

I think Michigan will be playing ALL OF THE NICKEL.

The weird thing to me is that Denard seems to struggle almost exclusively against elite defenses under Borges (Iowa aside) and we have exactly zero evidence that either of those teams have elite defenses this year. I would be willing to bet Michigan against either of those lines.

They're beat writers, it's what they do. They know very little about strategy and they cater to readers that know very little about strategy as well. We're the fringe here, the crazies who want very specific knowledge and Brian and Co. fill a niche but so do the other reporters. It's just not your niche.

Glad to see you on here Martavious. I donated $35 the other day and can't wait to get the basketball shorts, and of course see what you do in the community as well. Growing some of your own food is really important for a community, this is a great way to start off and I know there are a lot more things you can do in Pahokee.

Go blue!

They're going to be running a whole lot of twin tight end sets, that's for sure. In general I'm just excited to see what Gorgeous Al can do with this passing offense over the next several years, as there should be no shortage of playmakers.

1. LSU: The defensive line is absolutely filthy and so is the stable of running backs they can roll out. They're going to wear teams out over 60 minutes, and they get Alabama at home. I just don't see USC running the table, especially when they'll probably have to play Oregon twice.

2. Florida State: They play in a weaker conference and EJ Manuel should be a lot better this year, plus they have a lot of talent on defense.

3. Michigan State: They just have so much proven talent on defense, and Leveon Bell should be very, very good as well. I hate myself for picking them, but unless some serious injuries occur I don't see them having a less than top 10 type year.

4. Ohio State: Also a talented defense and they'll get a bump from a weak schedule. I don't see them as suffering from any motivation problems either. They're not going to win everything or something stupid like that, I just think they'll outperform their spot.

5. Kansas State: Bill Snyder is a wizard. That is all.

6. Utah: They're going to surprise a lot of people this year. I see them as a Top 15 type team.

That's a great strategy from a game theory standpoint but just the worst possible one from an injury standpoint. The coverage team has enough time to get up to 100% full speed while the returner just stands back there waiting for the ball. Yikes.

It would completely defeat the purpose of the whole rule, which makes you wonder why the NCAA doesn't think these things through.

If you think nothing new came out today then you're not a Michigan beat writer. Kyle Meinke of annarbor.com is retweeting every single thing they say in between tweets about how pissed off he is that the BTN is getting more access in a day than he has as a local media member all year.

As Brian mentioned in today's Unverified Voracity, it's been rough doing their job this year.

Michigan's new offensive line two deep:

I would agree with that. He took over the event in 2011 and in the past two years it certainly seems like he's been using it to hype up some under the radar prospects and get them exposure as shown by a UCF commit "winning" it this year.

You didn't really voice your opinion on whether or not you think that's ok, but I really don't have an issue with it. Shane is good. Many, many people seem to know that he is very good and he will have his college paid for 4-5 years as a result of being good. Being named one of the best 11 QB's at an almost-but-not-really football competition isn't going to change that, but if someone gets more exposure and a scholarship offer because Dilfer hypes them a bit more than they should be, the benefit from that is a lot higher than an ego boost for someone like Shane.

Zeke Pike was named an Elite 11 QB and he's going to be a tight end(!!!) at Louisville(!!!), which isn't even the school he was planning on attending less than a month ago. There's no benefit to being an Elite 11 QB when your goals are "Be a really good QB at real football" and "make the league". None.

Ya, most people in Ohio assume he'll end up choosing them. The guys at 11W all seem to as well.

Well ya, I didn't say they were never drafted high, I just said they were less likely. The 2012 first round was 2 OT and 2 OG, 2011 was 5 OT 2 OG, and 2010 was 4 OT 1 OG. There's usually 1 or 2 in the first round, I just thought it might make them less likely to leave early than most other positions.

Yes, he is staying in Peoria for his senior season.

Always tuck the ball and keep your finger pistol ready in the opposite hand. Excellent form!

Wow, you can tell he doesn't play against very good competition because he plays ALL THE POSITIONS. By my count he played returner, tailback, halfback, tight end, in the slot, outside, and linebacker all in one season. I be like dang. Really excited to see what he can do in the very distant future.

Stealing the kid's thunder. Not cool Ohio Valley, not cool.

My cool story bro: Will Campbell ate a large bag of Doritos on my couch at 8 AM one morning for breakfast. Glad to see his dietary choices have changed since 8 AM Doritos are vomit inducing.

PSH, MORE LIKE LAQUON DIAMOND AMIRITE? WHAT A PRE-MADONNA, WE DO NOT WANT PLAYERS LIKE THAT ON OUR TEAM SINCE HE'LL PROBABLY END UP IN JAIL ANYWAY AMIRITE?

/s in case you're thick

I can already imagine how rough next summer is going to be for Devin Gardner, much like it is for Andrew Maxwell this year.

"So Not Denard, how do you plan on achieving anything, considering you're seemingly not Denard? Is there anything you've been doing to make yourself more like Denard? Do you have another name we can refer to you with by the way, perhaps an anagram of Denard so you'll have something to aim for?"

Does anyone know where I can apply to be the "Generic Tough, Black Athletic Type" they put in all of these new uniforms? Seems like a pretty lucrative career that will continue to grow. I'm looking for something recession proof.

Ya...this isn't going to last too long on here...

Him and Dymonte Thomas played a lot of 7 on 7 this summer and have become pretty good friends, there's a good chance that this is going to end well for the good guys.

Ya, but I guess my point is, if you're measuring welfare for everyone together, if you're living in Detroit and the cost of living is low but you're unemployed, well then you're not really doing well at all then. So is it better to have a 90% chance at an effective income of $57,000 or whatever or a 96.5% chance at an effective income of $52,000? It's all situational really.

Just because something similar stylistically doesn't mean it's plagiarism. There's a chasm between those two concepts. It's obviously influenced by DFW but it has it's own personal touches and stories and tone as well. And they're awesome reads, so there's that.

I completely agree on the don't follow recruits advice. I followed maybe a dozen of them and then it just felt creepy and excessive to get 80% high school thoughts and 20% relevant football stuff on my feed. I only follow Shane now and even that's a bit much at times. Do your civic duty people, follow the pros and you'll still get all of the relevant stuff.

When Brian posted that Manningham video I had a very hard time not thinking about Morris to Treadwell. Here's hoping we can get another one of those special QB-WR combos.

Couple interesting updates:

One negative:
@SBNRecruiting: Jaylon Smith looks very good. Super long and quick. QB Morris has not impressed through two games. 3/4 borderline sidearm not accurate

And one positive:
@SBNRecruiting: Very impressed with Khalil Hill. Michigan commit has the feet of a kid 30 pounds lighter.

I don't have insider information or anything but it really depends on the family and the situation. Look at OSU for 2013. Fans were certain they were going to get Mike Heuerman and Jaylon Smith this year because both of their older brothers are on the team and yet both of them are going to Notre Dame. Sometimes you just want to blaze your own path in life, other times if you're really close it sounds like a great opportunity.

I agree that OSU has an almost 100% chance of picking up a stellar 2014 linebacker haul. They have 2-3 really good ones at home and then for whatever reason Clifton Garrett out of Illinois loves them and then of course some national names might pop up. Unfortunately they'll be just fine.

You should also clarify something else for me. Are you a football playing dog or not?

It's official as of 8 minutes ago, per his twitter. It does not seem to be a grayshirt situation at this time.

I was wondering if/when you were going to reference that ESPN article. It made cringe when I read it. Did anyone else feel like they were interviewing Christopher Polyblend from the Nike Pro Combat series at BHGP?

So Webb posted that Gedeon is up to 230, McCray is apparently at 235 and both are rising seniors. Ferns is only a rising junior and is 230 as well. Jake Ryan's reported weight this spring was 230 as a RS Frosh, and he plays the strongside. Any chance any of these guys out grow the LB position?

Huzzah! The reviews are in!

"I laughed, I cried, I stared at Denard Robinson so long I forgot to eat!"
-Mahatma Ghandi

"I thought it was so good, I ordered copies for the entire athletic department (which will be covered with a $.50 ticket surcharge for all home games this fall)."
-Dave Brandon

"A book of words?! We don't understand! Our season preview was specifically catered towards the Ohio State fanbase: 50 pages of Urban Meyer making flirty eyes toward the "reader" with a back page of stickers that they can use to decorate the book."
-The Staff of 11 Warriors

If everyone's highlights represent their best plays (and why wouldn't they, really), doesn't comparing highlight tapes allow you to evaluate prospects on an apples to apples basis? The coaches put out a lot of offers based on game film alone as well. Believe it or not they are actually fairly representative of a player.

Ya, I had heard it was a track and field thing as well. I know football takes up a lot of your time, but wouldn't a full ride scholarship still be worthwhile, and couldn't he pull off both? It's certainly an interesting situation. If they don't get Finley they're going to be pretty desperate for OL this year since their only one just decommitted. They're going to have to start poaching whoever they think are the best sleeper options from lower tier B1G programs and MAC programs.

He served as an assistant coach to the novice team a few years ago, very hardworking and this is a great accomplishment. Best of luck to him.

While I would agree with you that the scouting sites sometimes overhype prematurely developed man-children (I personally think RB Green is the perfect example of it this year), I don't think that offer lists are necessarily more revealing to a prospect's potential than their physical attributes. There have been plenty of busts with offers from nearly everyone as well if you're going to look at it on an anecdotal basis. I think it's about finding a good fit for your offense or defense, your coaches goals and personalities, and your program, and hoping they have the drive and intelligence to succeed. There are so many factors and that's why things become murky.

What company do you work for? My company is headquartered in VA and bought out a company with an office in AA maybe a year ago or so. It would be pretty funny if it were yours.

We just got a legit walk-on long snapper last year. As the saying goes, why buy the cow...??

Our coaches say CB, most say safety. He could play either really. If he comes in and can't play CB due to his height, he will be a top flight safety as well.

So Sam Webb is reporting that he's going to be playing the 2-Tech as opposed to the 3-Tech. Can anyone with more football knowledge than myself explain what that is and if it still applies to the 4-3 Under and such?

Just my opinion, but I do like our chances with Poggi. His parents really seemed to love the visit and the coaches, and Alabama wants him as a tight end. I think it's very close, but I just think Michigan might have a 55/45 edge.

And no, I did not think Michigan would get Levenberry, so I don't think every prospect goes our way.

I'm guessing the stastical analysis of sports is personal. So maybe you should kill the five hookers for a job that provides you with enough free time to perform personal statistics of sports.