ish

May 21st, 2013 at 11:17 AM ^

anyone else left on the board?  unless there's a JC transfer we've been looking at that i don't know of, i can't think of anyone.

DGDestroys

May 21st, 2013 at 11:26 AM ^

I'm not sure there's really any evidence to support that. On Michigan's side, they've said they're looking for a 5th year transfer. From his end, he didn't even mention Michigan until his other finalists (USF, NC State, UAB, LA Tech, Northwestern State) were in contact and reported. Not to mention any coach evaluating him will probably have 4 years of practice tape and game footage to go over if they want to evaluate him, not sure throwing Michigan's name in there is going to change that. 

Leaders And Best

May 21st, 2013 at 11:33 AM ^

Mitchell was suspended at the end of last season for violation of team rules. Does not sound like the the type of player Hoke would look for in one year transfer. The coaches had been talking about chemistry when looking for a transfer and suspension does not seem to fit that mold.

Michigan may have done their homework on him and looked at his records, but I don't think he was ever offered and actively pursued (i.e. had the option to attend Michigan).

crazyjoedavola

May 21st, 2013 at 11:36 AM ^

Is it a sure thing that Morris will beat out Cleary for the backup spot?  Obviously one is a 4 star with a high ceiling and the other a 2 star walk on, but Morris will be on campus for 1 month before the season starts while Cleary is entering his second year...  

Space Coyote

May 21st, 2013 at 11:54 AM ^

I would be surprised if Morris' upside didn't lead to him improving to the point of being better by mid-way through the season. Cleary, after all, is only a redshirt freshman himself.

I would also expect for the coaches to go with Morris early in the season if needed. At that point, neither option is going to be great. The difference between Cleary and Morris will probably be minimal, and throwing Morris into the fire and getting him more snaps should allow him to reach toward his potential sooner. The fact that Cleary will never be the guy at Michigan, and will probably never even be the backup after this season, gives little reason to actually throw him in there before Morris (unless he was substantially better, which I just don't see).

So I think regardless of the situation, Morris will be your defacto backup once he hits campus, unless the coaches just want to reward Cleary in some mop-up duty early on in the season.

Section 1

May 21st, 2013 at 12:12 PM ^

"This is bullshit," Arkansas Head Coach Bret Bielema said in an exclusive interview.  "How can a guy transfer, and be eligible to play the next season?  I don't buy this crap about some graduate program that is not offered at the current school.  There oughta be a law against this..."

gwkrlghl

May 21st, 2013 at 12:32 PM ^

I'm not sure we ever had a great shot with a grad-transfer who was not also terrible. I doubt many guys leave their school after graduation to go to a place they're almost guaranteed to ride the bench at. Mitchell has a great shot to start at NC State. Unless you're pretty much all-conference yourself, it's unlikely anyone is going to come in and unseat Devin

MIMark

May 21st, 2013 at 1:27 PM ^

Given Mitchell's mobility he'll be a great fit in Doeren's system. Watch NIU the last couple of years with Harnish and Lynch and you'll see what I mean.