Suitable Replacements?
Ok, so moving on from Beaver who else are we looking at?
Tajh Boyd doesn't have us listed on rivals, though I'm sure he may be interested.
Raymond Cotton recently de-committed from Auburn and on ESPNU they asked him about Michigan, possibilites?
And Denard Robinson, was he put on the backburner because of Tate/Shavodrick, so is he now a new frontrunner?
December 19th, 2008 at 11:23 PM ^
Eugene Smith might be another possibility. He kept us on his radar for a long time, especially considering we were getting commitments from other QB's. He just dragged it out too long and we filled up our class. Now that a spot has opened up, he might be interested in working with Rodriguez and Magee.
December 19th, 2008 at 11:24 PM ^
I believe Denard Robinson was still being recruited by Michigan. I don't know that I'd say he was put on the backburner, but they just wanted him to come in and play corner or receiver or maybe quarterback. But they might put on the full-court press now that Beaver is gone.
December 19th, 2008 at 11:25 PM ^
Everybody is a suspect.
FWIW, Eugene Smith would have undoubtedly been a commit a while ago if we didn't already have 2 QBs. No hard feelings?
I'd be pretty excited about going after Denard Robinson - if that sort of athleticism can be honed a la Pat White...schwing.
I have no doubt a highly-ranked replacement will commit. In the meantime, things suck.
December 19th, 2008 at 11:26 PM ^
Raymond Cotton looks like he might be a steal, but my only problem is his completion percentage (50.3%)
Maybe he won't be like that in college but I'd like a fine-tuned passer like Tate, or in between.
December 19th, 2008 at 11:26 PM ^
What about that Rollison kid who played Beaver on ESPN that night? He looked good.
December 19th, 2008 at 11:28 PM ^
From what I've heard, Rollison has grade issues and will probably go to a junior college. I don't think he's an option.
December 19th, 2008 at 11:31 PM ^
I was thinking the same thing, but at this point, I figured it was worth a refresher. Thanks.
December 19th, 2008 at 11:33 PM ^
How awesome would it be if we snake oiled Eugene Smith away from none other than WVU?
Do you think we'll be able to land a top tier guy for the second quarterback or will we adjust our recruiting tactics and just land whomever we can and ratchet up our 2010 recruiting of the dual threats in Michigan?
December 19th, 2008 at 11:51 PM ^
How about Jonathan Perry? He is kind of sleeper now.
December 20th, 2008 at 12:34 AM ^
FWIW, when addressing the QB situation, the guys at Rivals said Michigan won't scramble to desperately fill the slot with another QB. They didn't mention Smith's name (although you have to assume RR will call him), but they did mention Boyd (nothing substantial, just that he's a candidate to get a phone call). The gist of it though was that UM's coaches wouldn't think of it as the end of the world if they just took Forcier.
Beaver really screwed us. Big time. The recruiting dead period is about to start. Not exactly conducive to re-establishing contact with other quarterbacks.
Eight months committed, and he suddenly wants to stick close to home. Thanks, Shav.
December 20th, 2008 at 12:44 AM ^
I would hope that isn't true. Rich Rod and Co. need to scramble to find another quarterback, imho. Losing Shavodrick puts us only a couple of injuries away from seeing Sheridan again, not to mention the fact that we have no freaking clue if Tate Forcier can even play at the collegiate level. Depth and competition is desperately needed.
December 20th, 2008 at 12:52 AM ^
My interpretation of "scrambling to find a quarterback" means taking a 3- or 2-star quarterback.
Would that guy be any more talented than Feagin to run the offense?
I don't know the answer, but it's something to consider. If this hypothetical recruit exists, perhaps we would be spending another scholarship on a guy we already have in Feagin.
December 20th, 2008 at 12:59 AM ^
You just HAD to put it THIS way: "Losing Shavodrick puts us only a couple of injuries away from seeing Sheridan again,..."
Now I can't sleep.
December 20th, 2008 at 2:13 AM ^
Look on the bright side. Jeremy Gallon played qb. Worst comes to worst maybe he will line up? Please guys watch Barney and do some yoga, it really cleanses the soul and provides harmony.
December 20th, 2008 at 9:57 AM ^
MGoObes stated, in another post, that Beaver's de-commit opens things up for Devin Gardner in '10. I wonder how that would be impacted if UM were to sign Boyd or Smith this year.
December 20th, 2008 at 11:14 AM ^
Wasn't everyone here talking about Stallworth just a couple days ago? Everyone was talking about landing a third qb in this class. Well,let's get him. He's an athlete that wants a chance to play qb. He'd be a good fit, and if we don't need him at qb, we've still got a great receiver. And this opens the door for a top qb recruit in 2010. It's going to be tough to get a top recruit like Boyd to come in and sit behind Tate. I don't think a top recruit is willing to take that chance, hence, why Beav left.
December 20th, 2008 at 11:19 AM ^
I don't think the Beav was concerned with playing behind Forcier. All signs point to him wanting to stay home. Plus, I just read that Mrs. Beav called Rodriguez for him. Sounds like mother had something to do with this as well.
Check it out on MSC: http://www.michigansportscenter.com/2008/12/shavodrick-beaver-decommits…
December 20th, 2008 at 12:05 PM ^
I know everyone's freaking out, and I'll admit that this bothers me, but here's a theory. The majority would agree that Tate has the better arm. Beaver was more of the scrambler, and rated the 6th best scrambler in the country. So is it possible that Rich Rod brought both of them in to compliment each other? If Tate has the better arm anyway, it won't be hard for him to find another quarterback who might be a better scrambler, but doesn't have the arm Tate does. It seems like that would be the focus on the next kid he goes after. This could also be a big reason why they told Travante Stallworth that he could try out at QB. All we need is another scrambler. I'm not freaking out about this specific person decommitting, as much as I am with the amount of kids now. It is getting annoying.
December 20th, 2008 at 12:16 PM ^
I agree Tom. This recruiting season has been an up and down roller coaster ride. I'm hoping we end on a nice upswing. Stallworth would be a nice complement to Tate, and if he's not needed at QB, he can be a great receiver for UM. I'm more interested in a guy like Stallworth or Denard rather than Boyd.
December 20th, 2008 at 2:27 PM ^
I like Denard as well. He's lighting fast and has a huge upside. Michigan could give a shot at QB and if things didn't work out, he'd be an impact player at many other positions. Denard is a low risk high reward. Some of the other dual threat prospects are much more of a risk.
December 20th, 2008 at 6:22 PM ^
If I am RR I focus on Stallworth and Robinson and ultimately try to land both. I think, from watching some of their recruiting. Florida has the right idea. They recruit a lot of athletes and then put them into spots as needed. I mean they have experience at the positions in high school but are flexible to play others.
December 20th, 2008 at 6:39 PM ^
tajh boyd is highly rated by scouts rivals and espn and he has the offer sheet to match (osu, psu, louisville, florida state, bc, oregon, WV, Wake Forest, VT)
denard robinson is a highly ranked athlete who is generally projected as a reciever/corner, but is stated to have a very live arm. most note his height (5'11) as the reason he will likely not be qb at the next level. his offer sheet is also perhaps even more impressive (auburn, florida, georgia, miami, osu, wv, ucf) but most have offered him as an athlete. the real problem i see here, is that most sites have noted his decision making skills as a weakness, and that is a big concern wen running a spread option offense.
eugene smith is currently committed to WV, but that has never stopped us before. he had strong interest in michigan for a long time and is also highly rated across the board. his offer sheet includes (alabama, florida, clemson, florida state, louisville, miami, oregon, UM). mabe its time to unleash the snakeoil
tyrik rollison (texas) and raymond cotton (maryland) are also two relatively well ranked duel threats that are currently uncommitted and live in states that are somewhat on UMs radar. i havent herd anything about interest in either direction, any chance we take a look in ther ways.
December 20th, 2008 at 6:46 PM ^
Rollison is probably headed to a junior college because of grades.
December 20th, 2008 at 7:46 PM ^
Don't forget that Michael Vick was only about 5'10" or 5'11" even though he was listed as being around 6 feet tall.
December 21st, 2008 at 11:39 AM ^
lest we forget 5'10" perpetual pain in the ass Troy Smith.
December 20th, 2008 at 9:32 PM ^
I don't think UM should be going after a "qb only" prospect. What happens if Boyd commits and everyone is on his nuts. Tate gets pissed, doesn't want to sit for four years only to play one. He's gonna decommit, and we're in the same situation we are in now. We need to be going after guys that are projected for other positions but are capable of playing qb if Tate goes down.
There needs to be some type of offset between highly ranked qbs. Keep Tate, get an athlete who can fill in if needed, and grab us a top recruit in the 2010 class.
December 20th, 2008 at 10:50 PM ^
I think a versatile athlete is our best bet for this class. Looking at 2010 the real guy to go after is Gardner who is far better than any dual threat guy (i.e. Boyd, Smith, etc) we will get at this point. From what I've seen on video I really like Denard Robinson. Pat White is no monster, think he's listed at 6'1 so let the kid come in and compete. If he truly wants to play QB who knows, his work ethic might allow him too. You see too many cases of lower rated kids coming in and simply outworking others to become a better player.