Big Ten Recruiting Class Rankings 1-23-11
New Michigan commit(s), and this bad boy hits the front page. There's been tooooons of action since last rankings:
1-15-11 Michigan loses commitment from Jake Fisher. Illinois loses commitment from Carl Williams.
1-16-11 Indiana gains commitment from Bernard Taylor. Indiana loses commitment from Shafer Johnson.
1-17-11 Ohio State gains commitment from Ejuan Price. Notre Dame gains commitment from Chase Hounshell. Penn State gains commitment from Bill Belton. Illinois gains commitment from Eaton Spence.
1-18-11 Notre Dame loses commitment from Stephon Tuitt. Minnesota gains commitment from Steven Montgomery.
1-19-11 Notre Dame gains commitment from Stephon Tuitt. Michigan State gains commitment from Matthew Ramondo.
1-20-11 Penn State gains commitment from Deion Barnes. Minnesota loses commitment from Tamani Carter. Michigan gains commitment from Tamani Carter. Minnesota gains commitment from Joe Bjorklund. Nebraska gains commitment from Ameer Abdullah.
1-21-11 Indiana loses commitment from Jalen Schlachter. Michigan State gains commitment from Juwan Caesar.
1-22-11 Michigan gains commitments from Keith Heitzman, Raymon Taylor, and Matt Wile. Purdue gains commitment from Frankie Williams. Northwestern gains commitment from Jordan Perkins.
Big Ten+ Recruiting Class Rankings | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | School | # Commits | Rivals Avg | Scout Avg | ESPN Avg |
1 | Ohio State | 21 | 5.76 | 3.76 | 79.19 |
2 | Notre Dame | 23 | 5.73 | 3.57 | 78.96 |
3 | Nebraska | 17 | 5.71 | 3.41 | 78.25* |
4 | Michigan State | 19 | 5.63 | 3.21 | 76.84 |
5 | Iowa | 20 | 5.62 | 3.05 | 76.79* |
6 | Wisconsin | 20 | 5.60 | 2.95 | 73.75 |
7 | Penn State | 15 | 5.63 | 3.27 | 76.53 |
8 | Michigan | 14 | 5.61 | 3.14 | 77.43 |
9 | Illinois | 26 | 5.50 | 2.58 | 73.19 |
10 | Indiana | 16 | 5.54 | 2.88 | 75.13 |
11 | Northwestern | 15 | 5.54 | 2.87 | 76.53 |
12 | Minnesota | 21 | 5.54 | 2.48 | 69.94**** |
13 | Purdue | 14 | 5.51 | 2.57 | 73.58** |
Rivals rankings are on the "RR" scale, which is on a scale from about 5 to about 6.1. Unrated prospects are given a 5.1 rating, on par with the worst of any Big Ten commit last year. Scout is on the 5-star system (unranked players earn 1 star), and ESPN uses grades out of 100 (unranked is 40 or 45, except JuCo players, who aren't included in the average).
Full data after the jump.
#1 Ohio State - 21 Commits | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN |
Braxton Miller | QB | OH | 6.0 | 5 | 81 |
Doran Grant | CB | OH | 6.0 | 4 | 81 |
Michael Bennett | DT | OH | 6.0 | 4 | 80 |
Kenny Hayes | DE | OH | 5.9 | 4 | 79 |
Steve Miller | DE | OH | 5.8 | 5 | 82 |
Ryan Shazier | LB | FL | 5.8 | 4 | 81 |
Nick Vannett | TE | OH | 5.8 | 4 | 80 |
Chase Farris | DE | OH | 5.8 | 4 | 79 |
Brian Bobek | OL | IL | 5.8 | 4 | 79 |
Evan Spencer | WR | IL | 5.7 | 4 | 81 |
Ron Tanner | S | OH | 5.7 | 4 | 78 |
Devin Smith | WR | OH | 5.7 | 4 | 78 |
DerJuan Gambrell | CB | OH | 5.7 | 4 | 77 |
Jeremy Cash | S | FL | 5.7 | 3 | 80 |
Jeff Heuerman | TE | FL | 5.7 | 3 | 80 |
Joel Hale | DT | IN | 5.7 | 3 | 79 |
Chris Carter | OL | OH | 5.7 | 3 | 78 |
Conner Crowell | LB | MD | 5.7 | 3 | 78 |
Tommy Brown | OL | OH | 5.6 | 3 | 78 |
Antonio Underwood | OL | OH | 5.6 | 3 | 75 |
Ejuan Price | LB | PA | 5.5 | 4 | 79 |
Buckeyes pick up linebacker Ejuan Price.
#2 Notre Dame - 23 Commits | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN |
Ishaq Williams | DE | NY | 6.1 | 5 | 82 |
Stephon Tuitt | DE | GA | 6.1 | 5 | 81 |
Aaron Lynch | DE | FL | 6.0 | 5 | 84 |
Ben Koyack | TE | PA | 5.9 | 5 | 81 |
Matt Hegarty | OL | NM | 5.9 | 4 | 82 |
DaVaris Daniels | WR | IL | 5.8 | 4 | 81 |
Eilar Hardy | S | OH | 5.8 | 4 | 79 |
George Atkinson III | S | CA | 5.8 | 3 | 79 |
Ben Councell | DE | NC | 5.8 | 3 | 79 |
Everett Golson | QB | NC | 5.7 | 4 | 80 |
Jarrett Grace | LB | OH | 5.7 | 4 | 78 |
Anthony Rabasa | DE | FL | 5.7 | 3 | 80 |
Tony Springmann | OL | IN | 5.7 | 3 | 78 |
Josh Atkinson | CB | CA | 5.7 | 3 | 78 |
Chase Hounshell | OL | FL | 5.7 | 3 | 76 |
Nick Martin | OL | IN | 5.6 | 3 | 78 |
Brad Carrico | OL | OH | 5.6 | 3 | 77 |
Cam McDaniel | RB | TX | 5.6 | 3 | 77 |
Conor Hanratty | OL | CT | 5.6 | 3 | 76 |
Bennett Okotcha | CB | TX | 5.6 | 3 | 76 |
Jalen Brown | CB | TX | 5.5 | 3 | 78 |
Matthias Farley | CB | NC | 5.5 | 3 | 77 |
Kyle Brindza | K | MI | 5.4 | 3 | 79 |
Irish trade former Gator commit Chase Hounshell for Stephon Tuitt, then convince Tuitt to stay committed after all.
#3 Nebraska - 16 Commits | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN |
Aaron Green | RB | FL | 5.9 | 5 | 85 |
Tyler Moore | OL | FL | 5.9 | 4 | 78 |
Charles Jackson | CB | TX | 5.8 | 4 | 81 |
Bubba Starling | QB | KS | 5.8 | 4 | 81 |
Jamal Turner | QB | TX | 5.8 | 4 | 81 |
Ryne Reeves | OL | NE | 5.8 | 4 | 79 |
Ryan Klachko | OL | IL | 5.8 | 4 | 78 |
Daimion Stafford | S | CA | 5.8 | 4 | JC |
David Santos | LB | TX | 5.8 | 3 | 79 |
Zach Sterup | OL | NE | 5.8 | 3 | 78 |
Kevin Williams | DT | OH | 5.7 | 3 | 79 |
Ameer Abdullah | RB | OH | 5.7 | 3 | 74 |
Max Pirman | LB | OH | 5.6 | 3 | 78 |
Daniel Davie | S | NE | 5.5 | 3 | 75 |
Givens Price | OL | TX | 5.5 | 3 | 75 |
Taariq Allen | WR | TX | 5.5 | 2 | 75 |
Aaryn Bouzos | CB | CA | 5.4 | 2 | 76 |
Running Back Ameer Abdullah selects the Huskers.
#4 Michigan State - 19 Commits | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN |
Lawrence Thomas | LB | MI | 5.9 | 5 | 80 |
Donavon Clark | OG | OH | 5.7 | 4 | 78 |
Darien Harris | LB | MD | 5.7 | 3 | 79 |
Juwan Caesar | WR | FL | 5.7 | 3 | 79 |
Taiwan Jones | LB | MI | 5.7 | 3 | 78 |
Roger Williamson | CB | OH | 5.7 | 3 | 78 |
AJ Sims | CB | GA | 5.7 | 3 | 78 |
Ed Davis | LB | MI | 5.7 | 3 | 77 |
Arjen Colquhoun | S | ON | 5.7 | 3 | 76 |
Connor Cook | QB | OH | 5.7 | 2 | 76 |
Onaje Miller | RB | MI | 5.6 | 4 | 78 |
Joel Heath | DE | OH | 5.6 | 4 | 76 |
Jack Allen | OL | IL | 5.6 | 3 | 78 |
Nick Ramondo | DT | GA | 5.6 | 3 | 77 |
Shilique Calhoun | DE | NJ | 5.5 | 3 | 77 |
Mark Scarpinato | DT | WI | 5.5 | 3 | 76 |
Damon Knox | DE | MI | 5.5 | 3 | 76 |
Trae Waynes | CB | WI | 5.4 | 3 | 75 |
Paul Lang | TE | PA | 5.4 | 3 | 68 |
Spartans pick up defensive tackle Matt Ramondo.
#5 Iowa - 20 Commits | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN |
Jordan Walsh | OL | IL | 5.8 | 4 | 79 |
Rodney Coe | RB | IL | 5.8 | 4 | 79 |
Austin Blythe | OL | IA | 5.8 | 3 | 79 |
Ray Hamilton | TE | OH | 5.8 | 3 | 79 |
Quinton Alston | LB | PA | 5.7 | 3 | 79 |
John Raymon | DE | PA | 5.7 | 3 | 78 |
Mika'il McCall | RB | IL | 5.7 | 3 | 77 |
Dan Heiar | OL | IA | 5.7 | 2 | JC |
Torrey Campbell | RB | FL | 5.6 | 3 | 78 |
Jake Rudock | QB | FL | 5.6 | 3 | 78 |
Riley McMinn | DE | IL | 5.6 | 3 | 77 |
Marcus Grant | WR | MA | 5.6 | 3 | 76 |
Nick Law | CB | MD | 5.5 | 4 | 77 |
Melvin Spears | LB | TX | 5.5 | 3 | 79 |
Henry Krieger-Coble | TE | IA | 5.5 | 3 | 78 |
Jacob Hillyer | WR | TX | 5.5 | 3 | 76 |
Cole Fisher | LB | NE | 5.5 | 3 | 74 |
Jake Duzey | TE | MI | 5.5 | 3 | 73 |
Mike Orloff | LB | MA | 5.5 | 2 | 70 |
Austin Vincent | WR | TX | 5.4 | 3 | 73 |
No changes for Iowa, but updated rankings see them pass Wisconsin.
#6 Wisconsin - 20 Commits | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN |
Jake Keefer | LB | WI | 5.8 | 4 | 78 |
Melvin Gordon | RB | WI | 5.8 | 3 | 79 |
Austin Traylor | DE | OH | 5.8 | 3 | 78 |
Sam Arneson | TE | WI | 5.7 | 3 | 78 |
Jesse Hayes | DE | OH | 5.7 | 3 | 78 |
James Adeyanju | DE | IL | 5.7 | 3 | 77 |
AJ Jordan | WR | OH | 5.6 | 3 | 79 |
Mike Caputo | LB | PA | 5.6 | 3 | 77 |
Derek Watt | LB | WI | 5.6 | 3 | 77 |
Eric Steffes | TE | WI | 5.6 | 3 | 77 |
Austin Maly | TE | WI | 5.6 | 3 | 76 |
Terrance Floyd | CB | FL | 5.6 | 2 | 77 |
Devin Gaulden | CB | FL | 5.5 | 3 | 78 |
Ray Ball | OL | OH | 5.5 | 3 | 77 |
Jordan Frederick | LB | WI | 5.5 | 3 | 75 |
Darius Hillary | CB | OH | 5.5 | 3 | 75 |
Derek Landisch | LB | WI | 5.5 | 3 | 74 |
Frederick Willis | WR | WI | 5.5 | 3 | NR |
Tyler Marz | OL | MN | 5.5 | 2 | NR |
Kenzel Doe | WR | NC | 5.4 | 3 | 75 |
No change.
#7 Penn State - 15 Commits | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN |
Anthony Zettel | DE | MI | 5.9 | 4 | 80 |
Bill Belton | WR | PA | 5.8 | 4 | 80 |
Donovan Smith | OL | MD | 5.8 | 4 | 79 |
Shawn Oakman | DE | PA | 5.8 | 4 | 77 |
Deion Barnes | DE | PA | 5.8 | 3 | 78 |
Angelo Mangiro | OL | NJ | 5.7 | 4 | 81 |
Ben Kline | LB | PA | 5.7 | 3 | 78 |
Ryan Nowicki | OL | AZ | 5.7 | 3 | 77 |
Shyquan Pullium | WR | PA | 5.6 | 3 | 74 |
Anthony Alosi | OL | NJ | 5.6 | 2 | 70 |
Jordan Kerner | DE | PA | 5.5 | 3 | 77 |
Allen Robinson | WR | MI | 5.5 | 3 | 72 |
Kyle Carter | TE | DE | 5.4 | 3 | 76 |
Matt Zanellato | WR | VA | 5.3 | 4 | 76 |
Sam Ficken | K | PA | 5.3 | 2 | 73 |
Nittany Lions pick up Pitt decommit Bill Beltonas well as instate DE Deion Barnes. Sam Ficken is now rated by all three services.
#8 Michigan - 14 Commits | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN |
Justice Hayes | RB | MI | 5.9 | 4 | 79 |
Blake Countess | CB | MD | 5.8 | 4 | 80 |
Brennen Beyer | DE | MI | 5.8 | 4 | 79 |
Raymon Taylor | CB | MI | 5.8 | 3 | 77 |
Kellen Jones | LB | TX | 5.7 | 4 | 79 |
Delonte Hollowell | CB | MI | 5.7 | 3 | 79 |
Chris Rock | DE | OH | 5.6 | 3 | 78 |
Jack Miller | OL | OH | 5.5 | 3 | 78 |
Tony Posada | OL | FL | 5.5 | 3 | 78 |
Desmond Morgan | LB | MI | 5.5 | 3 | 78 |
Greg Brown | CB | OH | 5.5 | 3 | 77 |
Keith Heitzman | DE | OH | 5.5 | 3 | 75 |
Tamani Carter | CB | OH | 5.5 | 3 | 74 |
Matt Wile | K | CA | 5.3 | NR | 73 |
Big week for the Wolverines, as they grab four new commits. Their numbers have gone up to a reasonable level, but averages have taken a hit. Those should also improve before Signing Day.
#9 Illinois - 26 Commits | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN |
Dondi Kirby | S | PA | 5.8 | 3 | 79 |
Clint Tucker | DT | IL | 5.7 | 3 | 79 |
Reilly O'Toole | QB | IL | 5.7 | 3 | 76 |
Patrick Flavin | OL | IL | 5.7 | 3 | 75 |
Matt LaCosse | ATH | IL | 5.6 | 3 | 78 |
Zeph Grimes | S | SC | 5.6 | 3 | 77 |
Chris Boles | OL | OH | 5.6 | 3 | 77 |
Kenny Knight | WR | MI | 5.6 | 3 | 76 |
Ralph Cooper | LB | SC | 5.5 | 3 | 78 |
Josh Ferguson | RB | IL | 5.5 | 3 | 75 |
Chris O'Connor | DE | IL | 5.5 | 3 | 75 |
Donavonn Young | RB | TX | 5.5 | 3 | 75 |
Scott McDowell | OL | IL | 5.5 | 3 | 75 |
Tony Durkin | OL | IL | 5.5 | 3 | 74 |
Ted Karras | OL | IN | 5.5 | 2 | 77 |
Henry Dickinson | LB | TN | 5.5 | 2 | 75 |
Jeremy Whitlow | WR | OH | 5.5 | 2 | 74 |
Nick North | CB | FL | 5.4 | 3 | 76 |
Marquise Mosley | WR | TX | 5.4 | 3 | 74 |
JT Thornton | CB | FL | 5.4 | 2 | 77 |
Kenny Nelson | DE | MI | 5.4 | 2 | 75 |
Daniel Rhodes | TE | NC | 5.4 | 2 | 73 |
Justin DuVernois | K | FL | 5.4 | 2 | 70 |
Hunter Wells | OL | IL | 5.3 | 3 | NR |
Jordan Frysinger | WR | NY | 5.3 | NR | 73 |
Eaton Spence | CB | FL | 5.3 | NR | NR |
Illinois takes a big hit as Michigan and Penn State pass them on the basis of "quality over quantity." Illini lost LB commit Carl Williams this week, as well.
#10 Indiana - 16 Commits | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN |
Zack Shaw | LB | OH | 5.8 | 3 | 76 |
Cody Latimer | WR | OH | 5.7 | 3 | 73 |
D'Angelo Roberts | RB | IN | 5.6 | 3 | 77 |
Jake Reed | TE | IN | 5.6 | 3 | 77 |
Tre Roberson | QB | IN | 5.6 | 3 | 76 |
Ralston Evans | OL | IN | 5.6 | 3 | 74 |
Forisse Hardin | S | KY | 5.6 | 3 | 74 |
Bernard Taylor | DT | IN | 5.5 | 3 | 76 |
Mark Murphy | S | OH | 5.5 | 3 | 75 |
Nick Stoner | S | IN | 5.5 | 3 | 74 |
Kirk Harris | OL | KS | 5.5 | 2 | 77 |
Kyle Kennedy | LB | IN | 5.5 | 2 | 76 |
Jay McCants | WR | OH | 5.4 | 3 | 75 |
Kenny Mullen | CB | IN | 5.4 | 3 | 74 |
Mike Replogle | LB | OH | 5.4 | 3 | 74 |
Donte Phillips | DE | WI | 5.4 | 3 | 74 |
I did quite a bit of searching to figure out who should and shouldn't be included as an Indiana commit, as there was a lot of disagreement among the recruiting services. I think the current list is just about right.
#11 Northwestern - 14 Commits | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN |
Christian Jones | WR | TX | 5.7 | 3 | 81 |
Shane Mertz | OL | NJ | 5.6 | 3 | 79 |
Jack Konopka | OL | IL | 5.6 | 3 | 79 |
Zack Oliver | QB | LA | 5.6 | 3 | 78 |
Jarrell Williams | CB | IL | 5.6 | 3 | 76 |
Matt Frazier | OL | IL | 5.6 | 3 | 75 |
Jordan Perkins | RB | CA | 5.5 | 2 | 70 |
Max Chapman | DE | FL | 5.6 | 2 | 78 |
Mark Szott | TE | IL | 5.5 | 3 | 77 |
Geoff Mogus | OL | OH | 5.5 | 3 | 75 |
CJ Robbins | DE | IL | 5.5 | 3 | 75 |
Cameron Dickerson | WR | NJ | 5.5 | 2 | 73 |
Xavier Youngblood | WR | TX | 5.5 | NR | 76 |
Nick VanHoose | DB | OH | 5.4 | 3 | 74 |
Treyvon Green | RB | TX | 5.3 | 3 | 77 |
Wildcats grab running back Jordan Perkins. Their class is almost exactly the same as Indiana's, but I gave the Hoosiers the benefit of the ranking because they have one more commit, and a slightly better average to Scout (mostly because NU commit Xavier Youngblood is not ranked on that service).
#12 Minnesota - 21 Commits | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN |
Tommy Olson | OL | MN | 5.7 | 3 | 79 |
Mike Moore | LB | TX | 5.6 | 3 | 77 |
Peter Westerhaus | TE | MN | 5.6 | 3 | 76 |
Quentin Gardener | WR | TX | 5.6 | 3 | 76 |
Steven Montgomery | WR | FL | 5.6 | 3 | 76 |
Max Shortell | QB | KS | 5.6 | 3 | 74 |
Quinn Bauducco | LB | CA | 5.6 | 3 | 74 |
Josh Campion | OL | VA | 5.6 | 2 | NR |
Drew Goodger | TE | KS | 5.6 | 2 | NR |
Drayquan Crawford | S | TX | 5.6 | 2 | JC |
Kyle McAvoy | OL | IL | 5.5 | 3 | 79 |
Luke McAvoy | OL | IL | 5.5 | 3 | 75 |
Foster Bush | OL | WI | 5.5 | 3 | 70 |
Jephete Matilus | LB | FL | 5.5 | 2 | 77 |
Devin Crawford-Tufts | WR | MN | 5.5 | 2 | 74 |
Grayson Levine | S | MN | 5.5 | 2 | 73 |
Joe Bjorklund | OL | MN | 5.5 | 2 | NR |
Ge'Shun Harris | WR | CA | 5.5 | 2 | JC |
Junior Osunde | CB | TX | 5.5 | 2 | JC |
Marcus Jones | CB | NC | 5.4 | 2 | 74 |
John Rabe | TE | IA | 5.4 | 2 | JC |
Minnesota has a pretty big class, but it's also a really bad one, despite the numbers. The Gophers might see a mini-bump on ESPN when their final three commits are ranked.
#13 Purdue - 13 Commits | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN |
Frankie Williams | WR | FL | 5.7 | 3 | 77 |
Taylor Richards | CB | FL | 5.6 | 3 | 77 |
Robert Kugler | TE | PA | 5.5 | 3 | 78 |
Armstead Williams | LB | PA | 5.5 | 3 | 78 |
Russell Bellomy | QB | TX | 5.5 | 3 | 78 |
Brandon Cottom | LB | PA | 5.5 | 3 | 76 |
Akeem Hunt | RB | GA | 5.5 | 3 | 75 |
Michael Rouse | DT | IL | 5.5 | 2 | 73 |
Randy Gregory | DE | IN | NR | 2 | NR |
Doug Gentry | RB | TX | 5.5 | 2 | 76 |
Shane Mikesky | WR | IN | 5.5 | 2 | 73 |
AJ King | WR | FL | 5.5 | NR | 75 |
Sterling Carter | TE | CA | 5.4 | 2 | JC |
Akeem Shavers | RB | TX | 5.4 | NR | JC |
Some services are saying Armstead Williams is no longer committed to the Boilermakers, so keep an eye out for that next week.
January 23rd, 2011 at 4:32 PM ^
January 23rd, 2011 at 4:34 PM ^
have soft verbals included in their commits?
January 23rd, 2011 at 5:05 PM ^
Rivals and Scout say we have a silent commit. Scout is alluding to it being Willingham, Rivals is a little more vague.
Scout also says we're in really good position with Frank Clark and Beaver gave one of his goofy percentages.
EDIT: My original post was probably too close to stealing Premium info in that format.
EDIT2: I've edited my own post too many times. Self negging appropriately.
January 23rd, 2011 at 4:41 PM ^
remember when we all use to laugh at penn st'.'s class!! Oh the good ol' days : (
January 23rd, 2011 at 4:49 PM ^
January 23rd, 2011 at 5:14 PM ^
It is time to let the time table thing go.
Good coaches, good programs--these things work themselves out. We fans seem to have given ourselves over to being experts on these things because we can google the hell out of the world and get instant results.
It might be we DID get the best candidate in the BEST possible time frame--it seems to be playing out in terms of assistant hires (Mattison) and those possibly yet to come.
We had a search after Lloyd's retirement: didn't turn out so well. RR and his team deserved a bowl game anyway.
One so-so class is certainly not going to kill this program.
January 23rd, 2011 at 6:46 PM ^
January 23rd, 2011 at 4:54 PM ^
Always appreciate the work. I wouldn't be too concerned about the star rating. I mean there is no way that an all-american army kicker commiting should make our rating go down, but that's just the way the system works.
January 23rd, 2011 at 5:00 PM ^
It's painful comparing our list to those of OSU and ND, but that's where we're at right now. Hoke is doing what he can for the time being. We've got a lot of ground to make up in recruiting the next few years, gentlemen. A lot.
January 23rd, 2011 at 5:08 PM ^
Not anything against Hoke, it is a tough situation, but with 3 of the 4 new recruits being at the bottom of our list quality-wise, it is obvious that what has happened so far is what-was-to-be-expected: filling out the class with "replacement-level" players taken from other, weaker programs.
Now, if he gets a bunch of 4-stars to commit in the next week, that assessment will all change. But I'm not quite sure why people are so excited about what happened so far. Hopeful for the next week--sure.
January 23rd, 2011 at 5:13 PM ^
Hoke-Blood-Stone.
Lighten up Francis.
January 23rd, 2011 at 5:41 PM ^
Going forward, I would expect this number to go down. They may get a couple guys like McClure that are higher rated than the class, but they should also add several 3-star replacement level players at positions of need like OL, QB, TE, DL. We had a slew of names come from nowhere this week and I'd expect the same next week. As Hoke works to finish out the class, Michigan will have to take some "sleeper" players.
January 23rd, 2011 at 5:59 PM ^
McClure, Bryant, and Willingham would all raise the averages. Frank Clark is right near the average numbers, and wouldn't have a huge effect.
Unless they find a sleeper they like, the staff isn't going to take recruits just to get bodies into blue uniforms. I think the averages are likely to stay right about where they are.
January 23rd, 2011 at 6:38 PM ^
If Fisher doesn't sign back up they may add an OL line recruit, even if Bryant is added to the class. The need for OL is pretty significant with only 3 OL recruits over 2 classes.
QB is also an enormous need, so I'd expect a low ranking 3 star that maybe we haven't heard of yet.
Even if they add the 3 you mentioned they might also seek some sleepers at TE given that they have no one after Koger and Moore depart.
I think the staff has already added bodies just to fill in the uniforms. With a transition in style, this is the smart move. One of Rodriguez's greatest mistakes was not establishing a baseline of talent that fit what he ran. It seems like Hoke and Co. aren't going to repeat that mistake.
But hey, I hope you're right and they land guys like McClure and Barnett that do raise the average while filling roster needs.
January 23rd, 2011 at 6:47 PM ^
I think there's probably a good chance they re-and Fisher, unless he's blown away on his Oregon visit (he'd raise the average ranking). He's given positive-not-great reactions to his Michigan State and Florida visits, and is a lifelong Michigan fan.
As for tight end, my guess is that Clark would probably play there. They don't need to take a second one unless he's somebody they really like, because only Koger departs after next year (Moore has the 2012 season as well). The 2012 class has loads of talented players at the position, especially in Ohio, so they won't force it if they don't find anything they want in this class.
There are plenty of scholarship players on the roster now, a luxury Rodriguez was not afforded when he took over (and while that wasn't necessarily his fault, perhaps not filling in with "lesser" recruits was one of his undoings). Hoke doesn't need bodies to fill uniforms; he can bank for the next class.
January 23rd, 2011 at 7:30 PM ^
If the local TE pool is attractive, then they may factor into the coaches thinking. However, 3 TE (including a true freshman) is still very low for a typical pro-style offense, especially since you'd like to utilize some 2 TE sets. With an injury or any other unforseen attrition that would mean a slightly undersized true freshman being used (or a cut from your playbook). Its not impossible, but you're making a risky move from a roster perspective if you only recruit one TE in this class. Even for Rodriguez, TE was a need area.
There are "plenty of scholarship players on the roster now" - agreed. But the key word there is NOW. We may (probably will) see attrition. There is no reason for a player who is on the fence to make a transfer decision right now. He can wait till spring and see how the coaching staff fits with his expectations and then transfer in the spring or summer and still have a full year to acclimate to a new school. Furthermore, we can still expect injuries, academic problems, off-field stuff - all the norms of college football- that make the SEC's oversigning habit a logical (though risky and ethically dubious) approach.
For this reason Hoke and company would be wise to use all the available scholarships. Theres very little risk of being short come 2012. There's enormous risk that they're going to have to start freshman on the OL in 2013 or have a walk-on at QB in 2011, etc.
January 23rd, 2011 at 7:33 PM ^
I usually expect people to stay local or regional, but Fisher looking around so openly and decommitting - it makes you wonder.
IMO, the biggest need for the class is OL, so I'd love to see Fisher back to Michigan.
January 23rd, 2011 at 6:22 PM ^
any idea who he might be referring to?
via twitter:
I felt the weekend was productive! We got 3 commits. And one more who plans on committing! I'm so excited
January 23rd, 2011 at 7:08 PM ^
January 23rd, 2011 at 7:10 PM ^
No it's not. The tweet seems to be referring to guys who were visiting this weekend.
Check out Tom's weekly update post for ideas on who it might be.
January 24th, 2011 at 2:10 PM ^
Thought this was a pretty good weekend all n all
January 23rd, 2011 at 6:42 PM ^
I'm okay with this class - with all the turmoil that we've seen, it is still going to be a fringe top-30 class at the end and will (hopefully) address areas of need. Teams like Wiscy and Iowa typically have classes like UM's this year and are always competitive, and for the first time in years this class won't be expected en-masse to play immediately. Some of these kids should develop into good players, and I'm fine with that.
That said, I do think that closing out with a couple of decent 4* kids would be nice, just for appearances. I also find it impossible to believe that MSU has such a high-rated class with fewer 4* than basically everyone else. I know Thomas is a beast, but come on now.
January 23rd, 2011 at 6:44 PM ^
Picked up Darrius Caldwell who switched from GaTech today. WR Marquise Mosley looks to be decommitting sometime soon.
January 23rd, 2011 at 7:03 PM ^
I would think that any defensive player would want to at least look at UM with Mattison in the fold. Ties to the NFL always help.
January 23rd, 2011 at 10:20 PM ^
26 commits with nary a Scout 4 -star among them. I'd expect the attrition from this class to be fearsome.
January 24th, 2011 at 12:45 AM ^
Ouch. I like what we have coming potentially but it sucks to see us in the bottom half of the Big 10. Hoke will need to have early success to turn things around substantially IMO.
January 24th, 2011 at 10:27 AM ^
Dear Illinois, Indiana, Northwestern, Minnesota, and Purdue;
Suck it.
Sincerely,
Michigan
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