Recruiting - Last Four Spots

Submitted by StephenRKass on

With the commitment from Chesson at WR, Michigan  filled perhaps the greatest remaining need for the incoming class.

From my understanding, this leaves only two solid needs, and a third lesser need:

  • OL - Josh Garnett, Jordan Diamond, Alex Kozan, outside chance for Kyle Dodson.
  • TE - Sam Grant, Pharaoh Brown, and outside chance for McNamara.
  • CB - Yuri Wright, Armani Reeves.

I definitely see a positive outlook for a commitment from at least one in each of these position groups. Should that happen, and if it works out for 3 to enroll early, Michigan would have one last spot for the best available athlete at any spot (or, there is an unexpected 5th year renewal, or a scholarship to give to a walk on, an unexpected transfer in.)

Am I missing anything? (other than sleep.)

mgorecruit

December 24th, 2011 at 6:18 AM ^

I'd be tempted to put OL Dan Gibbs on that list as a guy that could get offered if we strike out with Garnett, Kozan and Diamond. 

For TE, I think McNamara and Brown are pretty much off the board. If we lose out on Grant, J.P Holtz is probably the next guy to get on campus for a visit. 

The ideal situation would be landing Garnett, Grant and Reeves, and then taking Yuri Wright in February as the 'best player available' option. (You could swap Reeves and Wright around, but if PSU hires a coach soon, Reeves' decision will likely come first). 

DGDestroys

December 24th, 2011 at 8:12 AM ^

I think we had a good shot at Holtz at one time..but putting him on the backburner for Grant has hurt us, definitely. He now has a top 3 that doesn't include Michigan. If we were to go hard after him, maybe we could re-enter the picture, but if we miss out on Grant, our window of opportunity for Holtz may have already closed.

DGDestroys

December 24th, 2011 at 11:39 AM ^

They offered him a preferred walkon spot either in late summer or early September. Right now, he's just waiting to see they'll elevate it to a full scholarship. Either way, based on the interest he's shown and the number of visits he's taken to AA (seems like he was an unofficial visitor at every home game this year, lol), I think he'll probably end up at Michigan.

ken725

December 24th, 2011 at 6:29 AM ^

TE:

After Koger and Watson graduate we only have 2 scholarship TEs.  Of the two, only Moore has seen significant playing time.  We still don't know what kind of role Ricardo Miller is going to play in this offense because we don't really know how he is at blocking.  Borges has said that he likes to run multiple TE sets as a part of his base offense.

With Brown we would have had 3 TEs because the coaches told him that he could play that position when he gets here.  It's pretty clear that they want 3 TEs in this class, so just going off of that I say our best chances are at Sam Grant.

When the OP says we have an outside shot at McNamara he means we have 0%.  He wanted to enroll early, but there was an issue with him being an EE at Michigan.  Since then we have dropped outside his top group that he is considering.  

OL:

The player I want the most is Josh Garnett.  All of the analysts are saying that keeps things close to the vest.  What we have on our side is, Erik Magnuson and Ondre Pipkins.  Erik Magnuson and Garnett are very good friends and constantly talk about playing together.  Pipkins was correct about Chesson and he said on twitter that we shouldn't worry about Garnett.  I just hope Pipkins is 2 for 2 on his statements.  

Our OL haul is already top notch.  If we got JG it would give us 3 of the top 10 OT in this class, according to rivals.

CB:

I don't know if we take both, but I would be very happy if that were to happen.  

WIth Reeves, we don't know for sure if he is even going to decommit.

 

 Mike Farrell 
 
Pretty good day for  stuff. Shepard and Greenberry 100%, hearing Elijah Shumate and Yuri Wright both favor  as well

Hopefully we can impress him more when he comes on his visit.  I thought it was going to come down to Michigan vs. Colorado, but it seems like these damn domers want to get involved.  They already have 4 DBs and I'm not sure how many more they would take.  

JD_UofM_90

December 24th, 2011 at 9:11 AM ^

that always sticks out for me, about Yuri Wright was how has stated several times how Michigan was his "Dream / Favorite" School growing up....... Sam Webb even pointed this out in one of this roundups........ I will be more shocked/disappointed if he goes somewhere else other than us.....We have gotten burned the last few years about guys growing up Michigan fans, then going elsewhere.  But with the coaching staff we have now, I think they have a better shot at closing the deal with someone like Yuri...

turd ferguson

December 24th, 2011 at 10:55 AM ^

Yeah, it makes sense that Yuri would be blown away by ND right after seeing Colorado. What Michigan offers is much more similar to ND than CU, so as long as he doesn't surprise everyone with a sudden commitment, I think we're well positioned.

dinsdale613

December 24th, 2011 at 11:37 AM ^

ND has two very highly rated corners already commited in this class in Darby and Tee Shepard.  They are both rated 5 stars to at least one site.  if Wright wants to come here, he would be the top CB in the class, edging out Richardson.  He would also be our biggest corner (in terms of size).  If he looks at this rationally in terms of playing time,  he would be in much less of a dog fight at michigan.  Now, we know recruits don't always think like this, so we shall see

85Lee

December 24th, 2011 at 7:00 AM ^

want to see Josh Garnett and Yuri Wright.  Especially Yuri Wright he is a highly ranked cb and i beleive he was like 6 plus foot.  It is nice to have at least one tall cb on the feild to match up with the other teams big play guys.  Reeves and Richardson seem talented but very short and just may not match up with certain receivers.  If you have a tall cb and a short one you cantry to shift and move to get your matchups.

jbibiza

December 24th, 2011 at 8:23 AM ^

Reeves is not short for a corner.  The average NFL corner is about 5'11" and Reeves is close to that.  Plus he is a solid 185 lbs. and much more polished than Yuri (or T-Rich for  that matter).  He would be a great pick up and then we could add Wright who would definitely need a year or two to get his technique to catch up with his raw talent.  

Seems like Grant is trending our way and as he is getting a late push from both Okla. and Ark. (both good TE schools) it would appear that he is underrated by the services and is more like a 4*.  

Sam Webb thinks we might bank the last (28th) spot if we get OL, CB and TE covered .......   In any event it's all Win-Win from here on in.

SeaWolv

December 24th, 2011 at 10:58 AM ^

has Armani Reeves listed 5'9", Scout has him 5'10" so does that mean he's somewhere in between or they're both off? Yuri Wright is listed by both at 6'2" and has a higher position ranking.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting/football/recruiting/player-Armani-Reeves-108051

http://recruiting.scout.com/a.z?s=73&p=8&c=1&nid=4785346

wlubd

December 24th, 2011 at 7:19 AM ^

We looked at David Perkins but haven't offered. Nothing saying we aren't still looking for another RB but the last spot is probably going to be more of a best-available player type scenario or we'll just hold on to it.

jbibiza

December 24th, 2011 at 8:29 AM ^

Mike Cox for sure and probably Terrence Robinson if we need the room (for DeAnthony Arnett and/or Anthony Zettel??!).  We are not obligated to give a 5th year and conversely the players are not obligated to return.

That said, there will likely be other attrition from the roster so we may seek to keep T-Rob as he has been a terror on special teams.

UMICH1606

December 24th, 2011 at 8:41 AM ^

T. Robinson was a stud on special teams this year, so it would not surprise me one bit if he was asked to come back. Anthony Zettel will not cost Michigan a scholarship as per B1G transfer rules, he would have to pay his own way if he went to another B1G school.

Aarronn

December 24th, 2011 at 9:17 AM ^

2 scholly TE's is playing with fire... Especially when considering 1 hasn't been a game changer (Moore) and the other is a position change (Miller).
<br>
<br>Bringing 1 in is almost a must. Borges loves 2 TE sets and won't be able to run them without an influx of talented players.
<br>
<br>I bet if gorgeous Borges had his way, we'd bring in 2 or 3 this year.

In reply to by bouje13

denardogasm

December 24th, 2011 at 12:31 PM ^

Agree with your main points but those are definitely not the two best TE in the pros.  They're just the two TEs with Brady throwing to them. Great TEs, not the best.

In reply to by bouje13

turtleboy

December 24th, 2011 at 8:22 PM ^

I wouldn't say never. Funchess is essentially a WR,  Williams is essentially an OT, and many TE's essentially play FB. All 3 could play at the same time like that, so we could take 3 and still be 1 deep.

Also: Dustin Keller, Jermichael Finley, Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzales, Jimmy Graham, Jason Witten, Tony Moeaki, Fred Davis, Owen Daniels, Brent Celek, Kellen Winslow, Vernon Davis, Jake Ballard, Heath Miller, and Brandon Pettigrew all have at least 500 yds receiving this year in addition to Gronk and Hernandez. 5 TE's lead their teams in receiving this season. 3 qb's will likely all simultaneously break Marinos single season passing record because of dominant TEs.

Mr. Yost

December 24th, 2011 at 3:09 PM ^

Who do we have a TE next year?

Moore was HORRIBLE at the beginning of the year and average at the end. Rico Miller couldn't beat out Moore or Watson for the #2 TE spot, so how can we assume he's anything special?

TE is one of the most pressing needs on the team. AJ Williams looks like an OT and all we have is Funchess who is more of a pass catching threat right now.

We have no TE on the team or in this class that I trust blocking next year. Unless Williams sticks at TE.

Not saying Grant or anyone left on the board is the answer for next year. But down the road when Shane is the QB, he's going to need TEs.

Wow, that comment was BEYOND shocking.

We can't load up on OLmen, there are only 5 position on the field and we're going to need to take players next year. Otherwise every 4-5 years we'll be trying to recruit 7 players. Typically you want to redshirt EVERY freshman offensive lineman. Even Jake Long.

At CB we have Countess, Avery, Hollowell and Taylor who all played some minutes. Richardson is in the class. Floyd is coming back next year. I mean add Wright or Reeves and that's plenty. Add both and it's a luxury compared to our situation at TE both next year and down the road.

Tater

December 24th, 2011 at 8:17 AM ^

I don't search a lot for recruiting info, other than coming here, and consequently have no inside info.  However, it seems like every year around NSD there is always at least one surprise decommit and one surprise recruit who wasn't on the radar or was "solid" to another team.  

In other words, it's a long way to NSD.  

TheOnlyOne

December 24th, 2011 at 8:57 AM ^

Well said. I do expect us to land one player from each of these positions, but I won't be suprised if we land a player that hasn't been mentioned or lose a verbal to someone else. It's the nature of the beast.

Whatever happens I hope it happens soon. We were beyond spoiled at the beginning of this cycle, but boy has it died down.

Philbert

December 24th, 2011 at 9:34 AM ^

According to Michigans scout twitter apparently there is some big news coming. Is someone announcing soon or I this just another way scout wants to drive me crazy and make me pay for it? Any help would be nice. Thanks guys

turd ferguson

December 24th, 2011 at 10:51 AM ^

Not recruiting-related and not bad makes for a surprisingly hard puzzle. Maybe there's scheduling news for 2013 or later? A coaching contract extension? A restraining order on anything that resembles Pop Evil or a man in a wolverine suit?

turd ferguson

December 24th, 2011 at 10:47 AM ^

I love Reeves as a player, but I think it's unlikely that we get him. It seems like when guys wait out a coaching change, the new staff usually convinces them to stay. In those cases, I figure that the recruit really likes something about the school and coaches are savvy enough that they can usually find the excuse the kid is looking for to stay. Plus, now would be the easiest time for him to switch to Michigan, since he wouldn't really have to upset any coaches at PSU with a decommitment.
<br>I hope we get him, but I'm feeling much more optimistic about Wright.

SeaWolv

December 24th, 2011 at 11:01 AM ^

hope we get Garnett, considering what he's said about UM in his most recent interview and how important academics are for him plus his desire to go to med school should bode well for us.

Mr. Yost

December 24th, 2011 at 11:01 AM ^

25. Sam Grant - As it's been stated, McNamera is out. Brown is still in play, but I think Grant is the one that fills the spot. Holtz and others are being slow played, IMO.

26. Josh Garnett - Zach Banner is relatively out, in fact TomVH called him a "longshot" last night. Kozan is right there, I wouldn't be surprised to see his name instead (or along WITH Garnett).

Diamond wants to wait to Signing Day and I think the spot will be filled by then. Plus he's played few too many games for my liking...he LOVED Michigan, we thought he'd be in the class over the summer. Then it was reported that he wanted to get exposure to his teammates...alright cool. Then it was "wait til the season is over. And now it's Signing Day or around then, clearly he's not NEARLY as high on Michigan as many of us first thought. I'd love to have him - not holding my breath.

27. Yuri Wright - I think ND leads for him right now, however we have yet to get a visit. I think we can really wow him with our staff. But you never know. He seems to be more interested in some of the "other things" on a visit (not implying anything in particular, just going off his comments from his visit to Colorado and ND). I think we can offer anything ND can and way more. The only thing is that he'll have a longer time to bond with those players and he has teammates and former friends on the team.

I think we have a shot a switching Reeves the same way we did Michael Shaw. However, I'm not as confident. Right now I'm guessing 49% for Wright, 40% for Reeves. With ND and PSU the only other competition respectively.

28. ??? This is where it gets dicey, I'm not confident on anyone filling this 28th spot and I could seriously see us taking "just" 27. This spot was Dunn, Diggs, and others. I do think this spot could get filled by Kozan along with Garnett or Reeves along with Wright. 

If the coaches REALLY want 28...I wouldn't be shocked to see a sleeper in there, David Perkins name seemed to come and go. But there are plenty of other guys. Remember how quickly we flipped Russell Bellomy last year? January after the bowl game will big interesting because our staff will be in full recruiting mode for a month. I wouldn't be shocked if there is a RB out there that ends up in this class. Hell, if we offer and put the press on Norfleet, does he come take a look? Stay tuned!

StephenRKass

December 24th, 2011 at 11:20 AM ^

Re:  OL, I agree with Diamond (tired of games.) If we got Garnett, I would consider the class complete. Banner, I have heard nothing about, and assumed he was gone.

TE, I find it interesting that Mattison visited Brown in home AFTER the incident (visit elsewhere, such that he was no longer considered a commit. I would prefer Brown, but would be more than satisfied with Grant.

CB, PSU is toxic. Reeves should come if he knows what is good for him. (I'd be shocked if Peterson left Boise to go there.)

Regardless, I don't know that we will see any further commits until signing day, which is ok with me.