4* RB commit Eric Gray no longer visiting this weekend

Submitted by Diagonal Blue on November 15th, 2018 at 9:31 PM

Headed to Tennessee instead. Michigan might part ways per Steve Lorenz. Sucks as he's the #1 all purpose back in the nation and a top 100 recruit on 247. His competition isn't the greatest but his stats are absolutely bonkers.

kevbo1

November 15th, 2018 at 9:39 PM ^

We haven't had a lot of luck with RBs in recent years.  Would be nice to have that position stacked for a couple years.

The Fan in Fargo

November 15th, 2018 at 11:30 PM ^

Tru will get his yards next year. He won't break many open like Higdon can but he might have better vision and he'll wear teams down more because he doesn't break the big ones. Would love to see him add some more upper body weight to pack more of a hit. Ten to fifteen lbs. would be awesome.

GoBlueSean

November 16th, 2018 at 8:24 AM ^

Christian Turner is the truth... A friend of mine lives in Buford and said this kid was going to be a great one... Of course that was in High School but I have really liked what I have seen so far... Hopefully more tomorrow... On Grey, I hope he does what is best for him... We got Harbaugh so you know we will be good

DrMantisToboggan

November 15th, 2018 at 9:46 PM ^

Sat next to a couple Tennessee fans on my plane back to GA after the Penn State game (they came to their first Michigan game that weekend) and they expressed that the whole fanbase was waiting on this kid. I guess Pruitt has basically been selling him on being the face of the new Tennessee and telling him he'd be RB1 the day he got on campus. 

FatGuyTouchdown

November 15th, 2018 at 10:14 PM ^

Yea it's loose, but they're 5-5 after being 3-9 last year. They beat Auburn and Kentucky, which is a step in the right direction. I'd bet they split Mizzou and Vandy at the very least to get bowl eligibility. And they have a much easier schedule next year. No starter on their offense is a senior, and only two backups are, so they're going to return a ton. They should bring back 6 defensive starters, and there's a really good chance they sign 3 top 15 commits and put together a top 7 or 8 class. Pruitt has it trending upwards.

DrMantisToboggan

November 15th, 2018 at 10:23 PM ^

Yeah I know, I gotcha. A bunch of my family is from Tennessee so I tend to root for them when they're good enough to warrant paying attention to. 

Auburn and LSU kind of become my SEC teams when Tennessee sucks, but I'd love for Tennessee to be good again. Tennessee is kind of like the Penn State of the SEC where, they're not the biggest program, but they're one of the programs that just make the league and college football better when they're good.

GoBlueNorth

November 15th, 2018 at 9:51 PM ^

If we offered and he committed, there must be something there that the coaches wanted.  From that perspective this might be a loss if he does in fact flip.  If this happens we hopefully pick up another good recruit.  If he flips best of luck to him.  Not all kids want to leave home.  I hope we don't talk about him the way OSU fans are talking about Harrison.

Hail Harbo

November 15th, 2018 at 10:04 PM ^

Michigan has 11 running backs, losing just one, while Tennessee has just 4.  Ole Miss, with whom he also has a scheduled visit, has 8 running backs.  With Charbonnet also committed to Michigan, and I believe as an early enrollee, Gray probably didn't like his chances of seeing the field any time soon.

Hail Harbo

November 15th, 2018 at 9:59 PM ^

It sucks but I am not surprised.  As a four star I'm sure he'd like to be the face of the future, and let's face it, though Michigan doesn't have a lot of developed depth at RB, it has a lot of bodies that can be developed, not to mention Zach Charbonnet, who could well see the field 31 Aug 2019 against Middle TN.

Diagonal Blue

November 15th, 2018 at 10:06 PM ^

Higdon is gone after this year, Kareem Walker and Kingston Davis have both transferred, and Hasaan Haskins has already moved to linebacker. O'Maury Samuels can't get on the field at all and Turner is redshirting (although he looks promising). I see Charbonnet and a bunch of "guys" no "dudes" as Don Brown likes to say. Lorenz said UM was planning on a big role for Gray next year. This is a big loss if it happens IMO.

DrMantisToboggan

November 15th, 2018 at 10:29 PM ^

You're the Maizen guy right? RB is a main position to look at for attrition because of how loaded it is. O'Maury Samuels can't get on the field because there's a walk-on who is much better than he is and deserved a scholarship. We return/add:

1. Evans

2. Wilson

3. Charbonnnet

4. Turner

5. Samuels, unless he transfers because he's buried by the more talented players

6. Giles Jackson - he's a guy who we may have preferred at Slot, but who would absolutely get moved to RB if we needed the depth.

Losing a top 100ish RB is not fun, but it's not a position of concern. We're adding a guy who is going to end up a consensus 5 star and an Early Enrollee - Charbonnet will be a day one player. Evans and Wilson are established "dudes" as you like to say. We're fine there. 

The Denarding

November 15th, 2018 at 10:50 PM ^

Staff really liked him as an heir apparent to Chris Evans.   Guy who you can get into space and cause some real damage.   He has a meaningful amount of Alvin Kamara level talent to his game.  It is definitely a loss but I can't blame the kid at all.   I think if you are the face of a revival so to speak, that in and of itself carries a lot of weight.   His family can see him play, his friends can revel in his success, and he will be THE dynamic playmaker on that team the minute he steps on the field.   In situations where the choice for the recruit is far more meaningful from an impact basis than the loss for the team he is walking away from, neither party is suffering.   Hope he is happy at Tennessee.   He is a great talent and will be a great player for them for time to come.   As long as Harbaugh is here, Michigan as a program will be fine.  

As a side note, listen to Mantis!  His comments after the Notre Dame game when the crowd here was becoming insufferable with the confirmation bias of failure based on one game were rational and logical based on empirical evidence.  Once the din of BPONE resonated everywhere it felt like on here, he literally stated he was going to bow out from the nonsense until people regained sanity.   He and Bronx Blue in particular stood out as reasoned voices to me especially as I felt alone in my belief that Harbaugh was, is and always will be the right man for the job.   So then, as now, I trust in who they recruit and their evaluation of talent.   I also believe if that talent opts to go somewhere else, we will be fine and the recruit will be fine.   Trust has been earned.   Good luck Eric!