Introducing The Recruiting Overview Board
Hello. This is an attempt to give you a 1,000 foot view of Michigan's current recruiting class. It lives as a wiki post under the "Useful Stuff" heading as well, and can be updated by anyone with 500+ points.
![21331723153_57af9f6024_z[2]](https://mgoblog.com/sites/mgoblog.com/files/images/Introducing-The-Recruiting-Overview-Boar_A613/21331723153_57af9f6024_z2.jpg "21331723153_57af9f6024_z[2]")
not eligible sry [Patrick Barron]
SCHOLARSHIPS
We assume Michigan will go to 28.
Michigan has 16 open spots right now plus three specialists who may be on one of those "you get the first spot that opens up" kind of deals. In addition there are 2-4 guys who probably won't get fifth years.
Thus Michigan is expecting to lose at least 5-8 current members of the roster (other than fifth years) before Signing Day. (Big Ten rules prevent teams from oversigning unless they can explain where the scholarship is coming from.) That's not an inordinate number given the roster composition, the sudden possibility of NFL interest, and the fact that this is the first year of a new coach. We know of one guy who is already planning a playing-time transfer, FWIW, and there are no doubt more.
CURRENT CLASS SIZE
We are not considering Dele Harding a commit. He was removed from the Rivals commit list and any insider you poke will tell you they don't expect him to end up at Michigan.
We have also heard that some of the camp commits in the class were explicitly offered grayshirt deals. We are not exactly sure who, but depending on how things go Michigan could end up with extra spots in the class as guys reclassify to 2017 or take opportunities for 2016 elsewhere.
In addition, Chris Evans, Kingston Davis, and David Reese have all announced plans to take visits and should be considered soft commits.
So: the current class is somewhere between 14 and 20 guys. Welcome to 'crootin.
ROOM LEFT AND WHO MICHIGAN IS TARGETING
Michigan can take somewhere between 8 and 14 additional players. They are targeting approximately
- one running back
- one wide receiver
- one tight end
- one OL
- one kicker
- two or three DL
- two or three LB
- one or two CB
- one or two S
The only spot that is definitively full right now is QB.
MICHIGAN FOOTBALL 'CROOTIN OVERVIEW | |||||||||||||||||||
| Position | On The | DECENT SHOT | TOP GROUP | LEADER | HARD COMMITS | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB(2) |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| RB(2) | K. Davis* | K. Enis | |||||||||||||||||
| FB (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| WR(2 +1) |
| B. Hawkins A. Mitchell | |||||||||||||||||
| Slot (1) | P Young C. Evans | ||||||||||||||||||
| TE (1+1) | D Asiasi |
| S. McKeon* | ||||||||||||||||
| OT(2) |
| E. Swenson D. Hamilton | |||||||||||||||||
| OG(2+1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| C (0) | | ||||||||||||||||||
| DT(+1) | B Tagaloa | R. Weaver | |||||||||||||||||
| NT (+1) | K Camp J Elliott | ||||||||||||||||||
| SDE(1) | C Murphy | R. Johnson | |||||||||||||||||
| WDE (1+1) | T Lucas# | Q Alexander | C Kemp | ||||||||||||||||
| SLB (0) | J McCulloch | ||||||||||||||||||
| ILB (3+1) | D Jackson | C Kelly J Jones | D Reese D Bush Jr | ||||||||||||||||
| CB (8+1) | A. Richardson S.P. Scott | ||||||||||||||||||
| S (1+1) | A Posey# | J Fuller C Brown | L Jackson | D. Gil J Metellus | |||||||||||||||
| P/K/LS (0+1) | Q Nordin | ||||||||||||||||||
| commits in bold | |||||||||||||||||||
Latest Updates: Debut
October 23rd, 2015 at 12:12 PM ^
LB depth is scary thin right now, especially with McCray's limited time on the field and Furbush and Wangler's complete lack of it. Same with safety and 3T.
Any chance we see TWJr move to DT?
October 23rd, 2015 at 12:23 PM ^
LBs has been discussed for many months now. There is some danger there of the "2013 OL" debacle although its only 3 guys (and in some formations 2 for UM) rather than 5.
Losing Michael Ferns was huge as was that miss of the GA LB who Harbaugh went to visit his mom last January to get him here. Furbush has been hurt the majority of his time on campus; Winovich is a "TE" now and you never hear much about Wangler. If 1 of those 3 can be something next year it will help.
Some think 5th year transfer might fit there.
The defense is going to be young period in 2017 - almost every single guy in the 2 deep will be gone except Hurst and Mone.
http://mgoblog.com/diaries/young-defense-2017-fb
Meanwhile the hurried 2015 class which was small to begin with only had 4 - count em 4 - defensive players. You usually recruit 12ish. And of those 12 you hope 7-8 make some sort of impact in their careers. So if you have 4 you hope 2-3 are impact players. 2-3 guys out of a class for one side of the ball is bad but that's the situation. The 2014 class was also not huge on defensive players; a few spots below normal.
So this 2016 class has to be the equivalent of 2 defensive classes in reality (2015 and 2016)- hence the "under the radar guys" we were stacked with on D had me worried as we need guys who will be ready to not just be role guys but be starters in 2 years in this class due to graduations, esp in the back 7.
This class has much more higher rated kids on O then D, but the guys on D are going to be playing sooner so I hope we land some of these high end safeties, corners, and LBs - because some of them are going to be starters in game 1 in 2017. And others will be key backups.
October 23rd, 2015 at 12:38 PM ^
I figured Winovich could be moved back to LB at some point, and the other guys will just compete for PT. Any freshman who wants to play early probably has a good shot to crack the two-deep there.
2017 could be tricky for the reason you point out, plus they open against Florida who I believe has something like 15 or 20 freshmen or sophomores on their offensive depth chart. They will all be upperclassmen for that game and presumably playing against a very inexperienced Michigan defense.
October 23rd, 2015 at 12:46 PM ^
I figured that too but it is not just that easy to move a guy like that. He has never played a down of college football; and if he spent a year training at TE every week in practice for 4 months plus your 6 weeks of spring ball - it sure seems like a negative to his LB development to throw him back there in Feb 2016 and say "welp start from scratch and forget everything we worked on you with the past 12 months."
If I looked at this depth chart and had Winovich as a projected starter in 2016 at LB or key backup, I'd be doing everything in my power this year to get him ready for that. Instead they have him at TE. So either a strange decision or all our assumptions are wrong.
October 23rd, 2015 at 1:29 PM ^
Am I crazy to think that one plausible option would be to move Peppers to LB?
October 23rd, 2015 at 2:28 PM ^
not only be plausible but entirely necessary. This LB discussion is a little alarming. Dymonte Thomas and Hill are both back are they not? Clark?
EDIT: I know they are not linebackers, I am trying to gauge how plausible moving Peppers would be.
October 23rd, 2015 at 3:11 PM ^
Move him? To a large extent that is basically what he plays now.
October 23rd, 2015 at 1:44 PM ^
I'm sure this isn't the case, but in my experience, practicing opposing positions like that can actually aid in your devlopment. It's not starting from scratch. Many football skills are transferable, and learning a new position can help you in the cognitive aspects of the game.
For example, let's take Winovich. Playing TE for a year, if he were to move back to LB, it might give him a unique perspective on the decision-making and play development for a TE. When he is asked to diagnose a play, or cover a TE, he will have a better understanding of what the offense is doing.
Way back when I played high school football, I played FB and MLB. My experience at FB helped me understand how a FB thinks, subtle nuances that might help me diagnose a play.
As I said, I doubt that's the case, but I wouldn't say that he's "starting from scratch" if he were to switch back.
October 23rd, 2015 at 12:55 PM ^
We're in deep shit if McCray's injury proves to be career-threatening.
October 23rd, 2015 at 12:13 PM ^
Could we get the 24/7 composite stars or rankings added to the chart?
October 23rd, 2015 at 12:14 PM ^
We are spoiled right now with our DL but have 5 that will be seniors next year. Need MOAR DL!
October 23rd, 2015 at 12:14 PM ^
Very useful. One suggestion - it'd be nice to have a total number at the bottom of each column.
October 23rd, 2015 at 12:15 PM ^
I haven't followed him closely, except that his name pops up in comments about how versatile he is. Is QB still his most likely position at UM (as I assume it is based on this chart)?
October 23rd, 2015 at 12:18 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
October 23rd, 2015 at 12:32 PM ^
Again, I've haven't tracked it closely, so I don't know what, if anything was promised him.
But considering our bevy of QBs (even assuming 1 or 2 transfer) and our lack of depth at LB (esp in 2017, as laid out nicely by alum96), it seems he could be real asset there.
October 23rd, 2015 at 12:33 PM ^
October 23rd, 2015 at 12:38 PM ^
And we need LBs badly. We have a gravy train of potential QBs even with a few transferring. He could be on the field as a true freshman LB next year based on depth chart as a backup; and be starting in 2017 if he works out. Same for any LB commit - i.e. Bush Jr.
We need to rebuild the LB 2 deep quickly.
October 23rd, 2015 at 12:55 PM ^
I'm mentally penciling him in as an LB, until I hear differently.
October 23rd, 2015 at 12:18 PM ^
That's probably just what he's listed as in his recruiting profile. Given the level of competition at QB, it's hard to see him ending up there unless he's just far and away better than everyone else.
October 23rd, 2015 at 12:33 PM ^
I'm really excited about this kid. I understand Peters is the more polished, hyped passer but Victor's tape reminds me of Tebow (in college) with a better arm and throwing motion. Tough runner, invites contact, moves the pile but can sling it down the field. If Peters or someone else wins the job, hopefully they find another spot on the field for Vicious Vic.
October 23rd, 2015 at 1:10 PM ^
to have the next coming of Tim Tebow at UM. And have him smash Urban's Buckeyes as he leads us to a NC!
October 23rd, 2015 at 1:20 PM ^
October 23rd, 2015 at 12:18 PM ^
I'm wondering if Harbaugh will continue to look at grad school transfers going forward or if the large number this year is a product of having open scholarship slots due to a very short recruiting window for a new coach. People keep talking about Taysom Hill at QB, and I think this actually might have some legs, even if Harbaugh likes what he's seeing from O'Korn. We have Gentry and Malzone, and I like their promise, but unless they are the next coming of Andrew Luck, I don't see either one taking the reigns next year. The same goes for Peters coming in as a true freshman. The other viable QBs (Morris and Speight) are strictly backups -- if they can't beat out a hand picked Ruduck who has been incredibly average, then I don't see them beating out a hand picked transfer QB in O'Korn.
Aside from Hill, are there any other potential grad transfers at other positions like Lyons at DB or O'Neil at punter?
October 23rd, 2015 at 12:55 PM ^
I don't think he is a grad year transfer, but there are rumors about Leon McQuay III transferring from USC.
October 23rd, 2015 at 1:09 PM ^
One player I would be interested in seeing as a grad transfer, assuming he'll have enough credits to graduate from Cincinnati after this year, is Gunner Kiel. He was such a highly touted QB out of high school and had a pretty good year at Cincinnati last year. He was injured early this year and hasn't played, but still shows up as top 10-15 NFL prospect at QB for the 2016 draft. He has one year of eligibility left. Would a year with Harbaugh be enticing for him to raise his draft prospects assuming Harbaugh would want him on the roster? He could go from a Round 6-7 or undrafted position to first round with a solid year under Harbaugh's tutelage.
October 23rd, 2015 at 4:07 PM ^
Committed to Indiana
Committed to LSU
Enrolled at ND in January 2012.
Rode the bench behind Golson, Rees, Hendrix in 2012
Transferred to Cincinnati April 2013
Fall 2013: Sat out transfer year
Fall 2014 and 15: Play for Cincinnati
2016: transfer again?!
October 23rd, 2015 at 1:26 PM ^
Hope he and Peppers collaborate both on and off the field.
October 23rd, 2015 at 1:39 PM ^
October 23rd, 2015 at 1:51 PM ^
I've heard he would be a grad transfer if he leaves USC.
October 23rd, 2015 at 5:09 PM ^
That is confusing because he was in the 2013 class. Wouldn't that make him a junior right now?
October 23rd, 2015 at 3:14 PM ^
I think grad school transfers are likely to be used as a take stock kind of thing. In that the coaches will recruit as well as they can to fill holes and if there is a particular area short on either depth, skill, or experience, the coaches may look to see who they can bring in at that position once the cycle is over. I don't see too much of it happening this year, but the combination of a huge class and a lot of Defensive needs in 2017 may mean we'll see a couple of imports that year.
October 23rd, 2015 at 12:18 PM ^
October 23rd, 2015 at 12:34 PM ^
There is no official anything of that nature. (see: Hand)
That's a battle to the end. Most think its Auburn v Michigan right now. Bama seems to have their nose in their too. UM has the most ballz.
October 23rd, 2015 at 12:35 PM ^
Ballz are a great thing to have a lot of.
October 23rd, 2015 at 12:57 PM ^
I read that Auburn has slipped because of their poor on-field results and LSU has actually moved past them.
October 23rd, 2015 at 1:34 PM ^
I recall reading that LSU made a brief appearance near the top of his list because of the influence of someone close to home; however, after investigation by Gary's mom, it became clear the influence was the result of self-interest and mom put the kibosh on it...the kibosh I tell you Jerry.
October 23rd, 2015 at 12:19 PM ^
What's the number under the position? I was going along assuming it was the approximate number the team would want to take at that position, but then got to CB and was like, we're going to take 8 corners? That can't be right.
October 23rd, 2015 at 12:25 PM ^
Same here. And how SDE has a (1), which makes even less sense since obviously we're not telling Gary to look elsewhere. Gary pls. Pls come.
October 23rd, 2015 at 1:37 PM ^
Yeah, I want more details on the 8 in the CB slot... I know we're thin, but is that for real or a mistake? Is the argument that we need to be looking to take a total of 8 CB/DB/S-types in this class alone?
October 23rd, 2015 at 3:00 PM ^
October 23rd, 2015 at 12:19 PM ^
Please note that the "commit" and "top choice" columns add up to... 28.
We are being sent a sign.
October 23rd, 2015 at 12:20 PM ^
October 23rd, 2015 at 12:22 PM ^
I couldn't figure out what the parentheses mean. I might be an idiot. But is it commits plus still-open spots? the 8+1 on CBs made me confused especially
October 23rd, 2015 at 1:38 PM ^
Yeah, is that for real? Do we really need to try to take *8* CB/DB/S-types??
October 23rd, 2015 at 12:28 PM ^
I think it would be useful in digesting the table to include some sort of indicator of those targets who are already committed to other schools (e.g. Walker, Hill, Camp).
October 23rd, 2015 at 12:29 PM ^
October 23rd, 2015 at 12:44 PM ^
October 23rd, 2015 at 12:45 PM ^
Read above both as to names being thrown around and as to why we shouldn't throw names around. It's a fairly short comments section -- might be a good idea to review prior comments before posting an obvious question like this.
October 23rd, 2015 at 12:33 PM ^
I often see Brian and Ace say that "M is targeting one RB, one CB," etc etc--do they know that, or is it intelligent speculation based upon the roster? Same thing for the oft written comment from Ace about so and so being "on top of M's board." That is just speculation, or info from insiders?
October 23rd, 2015 at 1:52 PM ^
We are guessing.
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