Remaining spots/recruits

Submitted by FingerMustache on

I've been a bit surpised with the recruits that have been targeted lately, and specifically the positions. Hoke apparently has been telling recruits that he expects the class to get to 26 (I'm quite curious to see how we get there?!?). So we have 10 spots left. Based on the way we've been recruiting and giving out offers lately, I expect the target distribution for the remaning spots to look something like this:

QB: 1
RB: 1
FB: 1
Olineman: 2/3
WR: 1
DE: 1/2
DT: 1 (at least according to Danny O'brien)
S:1

Personally I dont completely agree with this strategy.

QB: I don't really think we need to grab a QB (despite what happened in recent history, that caused Sheridan into the starting spot). When the 2012 class gets on campus, denard will have 1 yr left, gardner will have 3 yrs left, bellomy will have 4 yrs left. With the exception of Zeke Pike or Gunner Kiel, anyone else we get is likely to be past over by Shane Morris (assuming he stays committed)

RB: We have a boat load of RB's on scholarship. Unless we can land an elite guy (Dunn, maybe Garmon), I think we can hold off until next yr. RB is a position where a freshman can come in and play. It really doesn't make sense to me to take a RB just for the sake of having one in the class.

FB: While it seems that FB will have an increased roll in the offense, I would only devote a scholarship here if Hopkins can't fill the role.

OLine: Although we already have three olineman committed, I think we need a minimum of 3 more.

WR: I feel like I am far more terrified about our WR depth than most people. When the 2012 class gets on campus, the WRs will be: Roundtree, Terrence Robinson (if he doesn't transfer), JeRon Stokes, Jeremy Jackson, Drew Dileo, Jeremy Gallon, and Jerald Robinson. At least three of those guys are slot receives, and only one of them has accomplished anything on the field thus far. It's a bit late at this point, but I would have liked us to have recruited this position harder, and grabbed at least 2.

DE: We have Pharoah Brown, Tom Strobel, and Mario Ojemudia committed (im assuming Godin is a DT). When this class gets on campus, we will also have: Roh, Black, Beyer, Rock, Wilkins, and Heitzman. To me that is a lot of players for two spots on the field. I don't see how we can afford to take more DEs, with the exception of elite guys (Washington and Odenigbo). I personally am not entralled with Wormley.

DT: If Danny Obrien was right, and the coaches are only looking to take one more DT, then I am terribly confused. I think at least two is a must.

S: We could definitely use a true FS

 

The group of most likely candidates (or at least the ones I can come up with off the top of my head) are:

QB - Maty Mauk, Devin Fuller, Austin Appleby

RB - Brionte Dunn, Greg Garmon, Alden Hill (FB?)

FB - EJ Fatu, Sione Houma

OT - Jordan Diamond, Kyle Kalis, Andrus Peat, Blake Bars, Adam Bisnowaty, Chris Muller, Eric Olson

WR - Dwayne Stanford, Aaron Burbridge

DE - Chris Wormley, Adolphus Washington, Jordan Jenkins, Ifeadi Odenigbo

DT: Ondre Pipkins, Danny Obrien, Jaleel Johnson, Sheldon Day, Aziz Shittu

S - Jarrod Wilson

 

 

Mr Mackey

June 22nd, 2011 at 2:18 PM ^

You should add Eric Olson to the OT category.

And I know we do this a lot, but what the hell. Here's mine

 

My ideal ten would be:

OL - Diamond, Kalis, Peat

WR - Stanford, Burbridge

DL - Washington, Pipkins, Wormley

S - Wilson

RB - Dunn

What I think the ten will be:

TE/WR - Thompson

QB - Mauk / Appleby

WR - Burbridge

RB/FB - Hill / Fatu

DL - Pipkins, Wormley

OL - Olson, Kalis, Diamond

S - Wilson

Beavis

June 22nd, 2011 at 2:54 PM ^

I almost agree with you 100%.  

The one thing I struggle with is Burbridge.  If we take 26, he's likely the 26th guy.  But will he get his grades up, and will he wait for us (and not commit to MSU)?  I don't know.  Too tough to tell until we learn what his Junior final grades look like.

Mr Mackey

June 22nd, 2011 at 3:07 PM ^

I was struggling on Burbridge as well. We haven't heard anything about him for a while, so I'm guessing (hoping?) he's working on his grades. Even if he doesn't come here, you've gotta hope the kid can play somewhere.

I think I might switch my "Dream Class" and put Fuller instead of one of the WRs, just so that we have the extra insurance at QB, and he can play other positions.

Does anyone know if we actually have any realistic shot at all with Fuller? Doesn't seem like we do..

animals77

June 22nd, 2011 at 2:57 PM ^

Waggles:  Where do you think Stanford and Washington will end up?  Also, I posted this on another thread, but should have posted it on here and it is for anyone who may know.  ESPN's rumor blog says that Michigan could get three 4 Ohio star players soon.  In my opinion two of them would be Wormley and Kalis (with the recent news of his interest in Michigan), but who is the third possibility?  There are Dunn, Wilson, Stanford, Washington, and now Hill, but none seem like they are on the verge of committing.  I don't have an ESPN account, so I am unable to get in.

http://insider.espn.go.com/ncf/features/rumors?&action=login&appRedirec…

Mr Mackey

June 22nd, 2011 at 3:04 PM ^

It wouldn't surprise me if they end up at OSU, even after everything. In Stanford's interview with Tom, he seemed like everything with OSU didn't really deter him that much.

If it's not OSU or Michigan, though, I could see them splitting up with Stanford to ND and Washington to the SEC.

As to the ESPN rumors, I don't really follow ESPN recruiting that much. I wouldn't think they'd have Hill as a 4-star, so my best guess would be...Wilson?

Profwoot

June 22nd, 2011 at 4:09 PM ^

That post is referring to Kalis, Wormley, and Dunn, but no new information.

A later one mentions that Banner and Garnett want to play at the same school, with Garnett talking about how he will give strong priority to great academic schools.

Yet another mentions that Paul Thurston is announcing on Friday, with Michigan being one of the finalists. I thought the ship had sailed on him.

Litt1e Rhino

June 22nd, 2011 at 2:19 PM ^

The coaching staff knows what we need more then us fans. It will work out.

Also the coaching staff is very high on Wormley. He will be a part of this class.

If I ha to say what the remaining spots would be like as of today I would say

Wormley, Obrien and Pipkens
Kalis, Diamond and bars
Wilson
Dunn
Appleby
then one of whoever the best athelete is.

Litt1e Rhino

June 22nd, 2011 at 2:19 PM ^

The coaching staff knows what we need more then us fans. It will work out.

Also the coaching staff is very high on Wormley. He will be a part of this class.

If I had to say what the remaining spots would be like as of today I would say

Wormley, Obrien and Pipkens
Kalis, Diamond and bars
Wilson
Dunn
Appleby
then one of whoever the best athelete is.

rockydude

June 22nd, 2011 at 4:26 PM ^

I think Rhino just repeated the post because he has a pretty good list there.  ;-)  It is pretty much what I'd draw out also. If I have to pick the miscellaneous athlete, I am going to to with Hill. I'm not going to say that he is set in stone yet, but it seems that he is likely to pull the trigger. I've always thought Diamond likes Michigan, and for whatever reason, I think Bars will be the that third lineman.

I agree on the Kalis and Dunn decommits as well. I think that for Dunn and for Wilson, we have to head off Penn State, but given that we are bringing in plenty of their Ohio buddies, I think we can do that.

The QB might be the toughest one to call, but I think Rhino is playing the odds well here. I know a lot of people want Fuller, on the assumption that we could move him around, but I don't think he'll buy the sales pitch, unless he is satisfied with the idea that he likely ends up at safety. I think someone else tells him he will be QB only, and pulls him in that way.

I think that Appleby will dance around less than Mauk, and end up being the commit. Just me, but I think Mauk should pull the trigger somewhere before the better programs fill up. I could easily see him losing out on Michigan and ND pretty soon.

Not only do I think that the Rhino list is realistic, I'd be pretty darn pleased if it worked out this way. We'd be hitting most of our needs. I will point out that I am not the huge QB collector some people are, and I'd prefer to take Burbridge instead of a QB. More likely might be that we take one less d-lineman though. I'd be disappointed, as I like all three of the aforementioned, but Hoke certainly knows what he needs on d-line. 

All in all, not only would this be one of the better classes in terms of objective talent, but the players are distributed well across differing positions, and it really addresses the dire need positions quite well. Rockyland will be a happy place, should this come to pass . . . 

Litt1e Rhino

June 22nd, 2011 at 5:05 PM ^

I agree with you in not taking a QB I think the offer could be used at wideout. But the coaches keep saying they want one so I think it will come down to appleby doin good enough at a camp and earn his offer with Morris already on board for next year.

Over all I would be thrilled if the class fill out the way I think it will. But it's still a long way to signing day and of one thing is sure it will change.

Also I ment to put Olson or Bars.

rockydude

June 22nd, 2011 at 5:11 PM ^

My take is that even though I would prefer the spot go to a WR, that we do use one on a QB. That doesn't traumatize me, it's just how I'd be likely to do it, but I certainly can respect the QB logic.

I also am going to do my Miss Cleo by saying that Bars goes blue and Olson goes to Boston College. No real reason to support either of those predictions, just my vibe . . . 

Farnn

June 22nd, 2011 at 2:21 PM ^

I think people are putting way too much confidence in Morris.  He may be pretty good, but he may not be.  He also won't be on campus til the 2013 season and at that point he will be a true freshman.  For that season we will have RS(hopefully) JR Gardner and RS soph Belomy as the only other 2 scholarship QBs.  And what if either of them has a career ending injury, decides to quit football, or transfers to find playing time somewhere else?  I'd rather have that extra QB to ensure that Morris can take a redshirt year and reduce the chances of 2008 happening again, than another recruit at a different position.

I would think that fans of a team who has started a new QB for 3 consecutive years would be less anxious about too much depth at the position.

AAB

June 22nd, 2011 at 2:32 PM ^

and then there's depth.  I understand taking a good QB prospect every year because some of them won't pan out.  I don't understand taking a QB every year just to take a QB every year.  It's not actually "depth" if the guy you take isn't likely to be very good. 

If we can get a good prospect (i.e., a high 3 star+ with a decent offer sheet), I'm cool with taking one.  If we can't, I'd rather pass than reach for a guy just to say we took a QB.

justingoblue

June 22nd, 2011 at 2:37 PM ^

I really like the idea of taking a guy who might start off at QB but has the ability to move in order to find playing time. Basically, what we thought Denard might turn out to be would be perfect for this class, an insurance policy that likely won't cost us anything if he's athletic enough to crack the two deep at S or WR or something.

Mr Mackey

June 22nd, 2011 at 2:39 PM ^

I agree. I'll take a guy like Bellomy who can play, but other than that, I don't want one.

Seems like the best choices are Mauk and Appleby for pure QBs. The perfect guy to get IMO would be Devin Fuller, as he's a great athlete and could play other positions, so he wouldn't be stuck on the bench.

FingerMustache

June 22nd, 2011 at 2:36 PM ^

First of all, I dont think people are putting too much confidence in Morris. If you recall, he did recently impress at the Elite 11 camp, supposedly out-performing everyone except Gunner Kiel (and including Zeke Pike). He will be a solid 4star at the least, which would put him higher than all of the qb's were looking at in the 2012 class, minus Kiel.

While I certainly recall our recent issues at QB, you seem to be arguing that you want a QB in this class, because you don't want a true freshman (Morris) to be the backup QB, which would only happen if one of the other two QBs has a career ending injury. Call me crazy for not being too nervous

BBB3

June 22nd, 2011 at 2:29 PM ^

There does seem to be "over recruiting" at some positions even when possible eventual position changes are factored in.  I believe this is a strong indication that Mattison and company are not overly impressed with more than a few of the players they inherited from RR & co.  The signs seem to indicate Hoke expects there will be far more attrition via transfer as the 2011 season progresses and concludes.

michgoblue

June 22nd, 2011 at 2:33 PM ^

I know that many will say "not another thread on this" but I actually like this post - rather than just bitching, the OP gave some good discussion on the various positions.  My responses to some of his points:

Personally I dont completely agree with this strategy.

QB: "When the 2012 class gets on campus, denard will have 1 yr left, gardner will have 3 yrs left, bellomy will have 4 yrs left."

That assumes that Denard doesn't prove to be a terrible fit for this offense (not remotely suggesting that will happen, just raising counterpoints).  It also assumes that neither of these guys gets hurt.  If Denard doesn't pan out and one of these guys gets hurt, we are down to a single QB.  Not likely, I know, but neither were the events that led to Nick Sheridan.

" With the exception of Zeke Pike or Gunner Kiel, anyone else we get is likely to be past over by Shane Morris (assuming he stays committed)"

The whole "assuming he stays committed" is the reason to take a QB.  Morris is 16 years old.  Kids that age are apt to change their minds, even if they appear level headed. 

RB: "We have a boat load of RB's on scholarship. Unless we can land an elite guy (Dunn, maybe Garmon), I think we can hold off until next yr."

100% agree.  In addition to the 5-6 guys on roster at RB, there are a few slot guys who might transfer there in the new offense.  Also, don't forget incoming Rawls (big back) and Hayes (highly touted fastish back).  If we can't get a stud, skip a year and sell playing time / depth chart to a top RB next year.

"FB: While it seems that FB will have an increased roll in the offense, I would only devote a scholarship here if Hopkins can't fill the role."

But we won't know if Hopkins can fill the role until midway through the season.  I am ok with taking a FB since the FB will feature prominantly in this offense.

"OLine: Although we already have three olineman committed, I think we need a minimum of 3 more."

Totally agree, but we can probably get by with 2 more if most of the 5 are studs.

"WR: I feel like I am far more terrified about our WR depth than most people."

I am right there with you on this point, as well.  We really need a receiver to stretch the field.  With our current roster, I am surprised that we can't attract a top candidate.  I imagine that Shane Morris will be working on recruiting top targets for 2013  But, I totally agree, we need some downfield threats.

DE: "I don't see how we can afford to take more DEs, with the exception of elite guys"

The guys that we are still looking at are all pretty elite, so if we get them, I will not complain. 

DT: "I think at least two is a must"

agree - I am sure the coaches are going to take 2 - if it is this obvious to us, . . .

"S: We could definitely use a true FS"

 Has been the story of our team for the past decade.

UMaD

June 22nd, 2011 at 2:35 PM ^

Lets just say, for arguments sake, that Morris was to not arrive to campus in Fall of 2012 for whatever reason (e.g., change of heart on signing day 2012, injury, academic/legal problem - again, this is a pure hypothetical, for discussions sake).  Then between 3 recruiting classes you've signed one quarterback - an unheralded 3-star stolen away from Purdue.

That's a lot of risk riding on one 16 year old kid.

I suspect it will work out great for Morris, but you can't take that kind of risk IMO. 

Furthermore, the staff seems to want to change from a run-spread to a passing west-coast offense.  If that's the case you want to stock the QB position with some guys who fit that profile.

They should take a QB.