Weekend Wolverine: What Happened to the Class of 2009 Quarterbacks?

Jump into the time machine with me for a minute. I know it's not a great time so we won't stay there too long.  

Michigan was coming off the disaster that was the 2008 season where we had two quarterbacks that didn't fit RR's offense and it looked like it. Watching Threet trying to run the spread option was tough to watch, so was watching Sheridan trying to hit open receivers.

Michigan could offer the top rated QB's in the country (2009 class) immediate playing time. Which was a strong selling point for them to come to Ann Arbor. 5 star Kevin Newsome attended the Michigan Spring Game at Saline High School and decided he wanted to be a Wolverine. Shortly after that Shavodrick Beaver a 4 star QB said he was coming to Ann Arbor as well.

Both held true to their commitment for a few months and then both jumped to other schools. Newsome picked Penn State and Beaver Tulsa. Which sent the Michigan coaches scrambling to fill the QB void now in the class. Tate Forcier who was very high on the Wolverines jumped on board, which still left one open spot as signing day approached.

Michigan did get a QB commitment on signing day that year and it happened to be Denard Robinson.

Now jump back out of the time machine to current time:

•  Tate Focier was thrown out of school at Michigan due to academics after a long search has settled at San Jose State in the WAC.

• Shavodrick Beaver just left Tulsa for Midwestern State due to academics and playing time.

• Kevin Newsome just announced he is planning to transfer from Penn State after trying to do so after last season.

• Denard Robinson is going into his Junior year after playing two years for the Wolverines (1 as a starter). He was briefly a Heisman Trophy candidate last year and won the Big Ten MVP award in 2010. He also set the 1 year NCAA record for rushing yardage from a QB.

The last guy Michigan picked up that year turns out to be the best all around kid. The guy that most schools wanted to play CB instead of QB. Well Done Denard!

Michigan Thursday: Could 2 De-commits have Saved Rich Rodriguez Job at Michigan?

For those of you that don't care for RR you have a laundry list of reasons why: 

• Weird new offense
• Really bad defense
• Not a Michigan Man
• Paying him too much money
• Stretching too long before practice which lead to NCAA Violations
• A bad record
• Recruiting kids that are borderline academically
• Piped in music at the Big House
• Transfers
• De-commitments

I'm sure you can list many more.  What's strange is maybe two QB de-commits could have saved his job.

Let's take a trip down memory lane, shall we?  The time is August 2008.  Michigan will be starting a season where a walk-on and a non-mobile red shirt freshman are Michigan's only options at QB.   Though help was on the way through recruiting for the 2009 class.  Michigan had two 4 star QB's verbally committed to that class:  Shavodrick Beaver a 6'3, 180 pound QB out of Wichita Falls, Texas and Kevin Newsome a 6'2 225 pound QB from Portsmouth, Virgina. 

Both of these guys had solved Michigan's future QB depth problems and now the Michigan coaching staff could focus on recruiting Offensive Line and Defense.  Well, that good feeling at QB didn't last long as Kevin decided to de-commit from Michigan on August 19th and Shavodrick did the same in December.  From a comfortable feeling to a really bad feeling. 

Michigan went 0-2 on their QB recruits for 2009 but help was on the way, Tate Forcier a long time Michigan fan gave his verbal during the season and things were back on track.    Michigan still had only one QB recruit until signing day when Denard Robinson signed up.   So you could say that Shavordrick and Kevin's decision to not join the Wolverines gave the opportunities for Tate and Denard to.

So that is one interesting point.  The other is what has happened to all four players since then. 

• Shavodrick Beaver is a back up at Tulsa and in two years has completed 5-9 passes for a total of 41 yards.
• Kevin Newsome is 3rd string at Penn State and 14-24 in two years for 144 yards.
• Tate was 165-281 for 2050 yards in 2009 and 30-39 for 349 yards in 2010
• Denard was 14-31 for 188 yards in 2009 and 97-143 for 1319 yards in 2010

Ironically, Michigan on Saturday could face (he is questionable due to a concussion) Robert Bolden a true freshman QB from the State of Michigan that picked Penn State after Devin Gardner verbally committed to the University of Michigan in the 2010 class.  My understanding is that Kevin Newsome is third string behind walk-on redshirt sophomore Matt McGloin.  Tulsa on the other hand plays Notre Dame this weekend and "The Beaver" might see a few snaps.

It was clear that RR and staff did a great job in recruiting both Tate and Denard.  Will that recruitment save his job?  I think the next 3 weeks will go a long way in answering that question.

Michigan Tuesday: Updates on Former Wolverines

Sometimes you might be sitting in the Big House and think to yourself, "Whatever happen to the small RB from Texas?  What was his name? McDuffie or something?".  Actually it's Sam McGuffie at he is now at Rice.   So this year, I will track some former Wolverines or former recruits we thought were going to be Wolverines at their new school to see how they are doing.  Sure these guys are no longer "Michigan Men" but many of us still hope they succeed in college, football, and life. 

Steven Threet, Starter QB Arizona State:  Had a good first game at his third school.  Was 14-21 for 239 yards in the air, with 2 touchdowns and 1 pick.

Russel Sheppard, LSU:  Russell was the #1 dual threat QB in the country in the 2009 and was interested in the Wolverines before he quickly committed to LSU early in his recruitment.  Sheppard is now at WR for LSU and had 2 catches for 12 yards.  He also had 5 rushes for 68 yards.

Sam McGuffie, RB Rice:  Sam and his teammates got to open at Texas and Sam had 14 carries for 47 yards.   He had 1 catch for 7 yards.

Kevin Newsome, QB Penn State:  Kevin was once a verbal commitment to Michigan and then changed his mind.  Kevin is a sophomore QB and lost his job to Michigan true freshman QB Robert Bolden.  Kevin did play in Penn State's blow out win and had 3 rushes for 21 yards and one touchdown.

Shavodrick Beaver, QB Tulsa:  Same situation as Kevin above.  DNP in Tulsa's lost to East Carolina on Sunday.

Ryan Mallett, QB Arkansas:  A serious Hesiman candidate this year.  Threw for 301 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 44-3 win over Tennessee Tech. 


Something to ponder:  If Michigan has Newsome and Beaver on it's roster right now, they don't have Forcier and Robinson.

Slow Thursday News and Notes

• Kevin Newsome has trouble with commitment: We all remember Kevin Newsome, the 5 star QB that attended Michigan's Spring Game last year and quickly committed saying that Michigan was a the perfect mix of athletics and academics. Well, things have changed since then: He loses his 5th star due to poor throwing mechanics during the summer elite QB camps. Then Kevin decides to leave his high school Western Branch and transfer to Hargrave Military. Next he decides to de-commit from the Wolverines and re-open up the recruiting process. Now comes word he is leaving Hargrave Military for Churchland so he can enroll early at the college of his choice. He says he final list is Virginia Tech, Penn State, Ohio State and Boston College. Can anyone tell me how you can transfer High Schools in December and think you will be enrolling at college in January? Quick Prediction: Whichever college Kevin picks, look for him to transfer within two years (like he is going to sit behind Pryor for two-three years?). That Tate Forcier pick up is looking pretty good right now.
• Ohio State QB Sneak Killer and redshirt sophomore qurterback Pat Devlin has left Penn State and plans on transferring to Division 1AA school, so he can play right away.
• Latest rumor is that LSU is looking to hire former Syracuse coach Greg Robinson as it's defensive coordinator.
• From reports it looks like Skip Hotz has an offer from Syracuse and trying to make a decision to take the job or stay at East Carolina.
• Brady Hoke is very interested in the Auburn job and has interviewed with them. It sounds like Auburn is going in another direction.
• 2009 Tight End and Basketball prospect Dion Simms has eliminated Michigan from his list of schools. This is not a big loss for the Wolverines since Dion is not committed to playing football in college and prefers basketball.
• Michigan official visitors for this weekend include: Taylor Lewan, OT from Scottsdale, NC CB Josh Hunter (North Carolina Commit), FL S/LB Commit Mike Jones, and FL K Commit Brendan Gibbons.
• William Campbell is retaking his ACT this weekend, which could put his early entry into jeopardy.

When it rains it pours...............

I'm not a big fan of ripping 17 year old kids that want to think about their college choice even though it's disappointing. Boubacar did something similar last year when Carr retired, but then quickly re-committed to the Wolverines.

Will the same thing happen this time? It's a possibility but I doubt it. There has been a ton of pressure on Kevin to stay in state and play at Virgina Tech. Penn State has also been rumored to be recruiting Kevin hard. Either way, it's too bad and I think another reason why football needs an early signing period or some type of verbal commitment rule that doesn't start until the start of their Senior season.

Now what? Since Kevin committed early and now has de-committed early, Michigan has the chance to land a couple "available" high profile QB recruits: Tate Forcier and/or Eugene Smith. Both players are highly rated dual threat QB's and both are still seriously considering Michigan.

So here's the questions of the hour: Why did those two guys keep Michigan on their list after we got two verbals commitments? Why did we keep recruiting/offering these guys?

Maybe the worst kept secret was that Kevin was never a firm commit? I can't see why Michigan would have 4 offers out to Quarterbacks in a class where they most likely will take around 20 total players.

More bad news on another 5 star recruit Darius Wintson: (kevin was lowered to 4 stars at this years summer camps) :

What stands out about Ole Miss?
"I just love that whole coaching staff. I feel like they are going to turn it around at Ole Miss. I would love to be a part of that. I plan on taking an official visit to Ole Miss on Labor day weekend, when they play Memphis."
Anymore official visits on tap?
"That is it."
Should people read anything into that?
"I guess you could say that, yes sir (laugh)."

Gain a Kicker - Lose a QB

A day after Michigan received it's 15th commitment from a kicker, it lost one of their highest profile recruits Kevin Newsome. Kevin who verbally committed to Michigan after the Spring Game, has de-committed from Michigan (both Rival and Scouts) is reporting.

This does not come as a surprise and has been rumored for a number of months now. What is strange is the timing of this announcement after he transferred high schools and just recently had stated he was going to Michigan this fall.

Should Terrelle Pryor Red Shirt at OSU?

Yes, media days have come and gone and we are still a week away from camp opening when we can officially start rumors about who is looking really good at WR or this guy got hurt and maybe out for the year.

With that said, us Bloggers of the world have to look for posts anywhere we can find them. Well, one of the stories coming out of Media day was that Ohio State is looking forward to seeing what Terrelle Pryor can do on the field. I will attempt (yes, a Michigan Blog) below to make my case why TP should sit back a learn this year, let's see if you agree.

Case for TP Red Shirting:

• He can quickly learn his school is actually the Ohio State University and not UOS.


• He can learn behind a two year starter who lead his team to the National Championship game and may end up in the Arena league next year. (Columbus even has a team!)
  
• He would have 4 years to match up against Michigan's 5 Star QB Kevin Newsome.


• He will be one year farther away from the below picture (TP, try putting just one sock in your pants - you don't need four or five pairs - also 2 guys shouldn't be that close to your junk). Dude, I know your a freshmen and all, but come on your the #1 recruit in the country! (same goes for you Keith Wells - pictured to the right)

Case for TP playing:

• Boeckman and Pryor could go Leak and Tebow. Pryor could learn that great jump pass.


• If TP is really that good, he will only be in Columbus for 3 years anyway.


• With Youngstown State, Ohio, Troy, Minnesota, and Northwestern on the schedule, TP could get allot of exposure on the Big Ten Network.


• If Boekman continues his throwing troubles from last year, TP may end up the starter by the USC game.
• Boekman was a gray shirt and look how things turned out for him! (shouldn't gray shirt be renamed Grey Vest at UOS?)
  

What does the Vest have to say about all of this: "We always say, regardless of the position or what year someone is, you get as your work deserves," he said. "If Terrelle deserves to rotate in at quarterback (he will). The only little difference is at quarterback, there's a rhythmic thing to work out."

With both cases made, I think TP should sit out this year. For one, it is really going to be hard to play football with shorts like that. Second, Boekman has had the off season to learn and has stated he is going to hand off the football to "Beanie" as much as possible.

Future OSU Recruits: Please be aware of the above photo. At Michigan all you have to fear is Mike Barwis.

Dequinta isn't a Hotel but is a new Wolverine Commit

After losing a OL that seemed to be a strong Michigan lean to "goodtime" Charlie at ND yesterday, Michigan picked up a much needed commitment (rivals is reporting) from a LA DE/DT Dequinta Jones. DJ is 6-2 and weighs 275 and is ranked around the top 20 players in LA. He is a 3 star guy on both Rivals and Scout but fills a large hole in Michigan's recruiting class. DJ had offers from Arkansas, Cal, OK State, and Alabama.

Here is the update via Varsity Blue:

Jones is a big-time defensive end - something the Wolverines sorely need after missing on Nick Perry in 2008. He is considered more of a run-stuffer with speed than an edge rusher, but he shows ability to get to the quarterback as well. He has good size, and may even be able to grow into a defensive tackle unless the staff wishes to keep him at end. He comes from a winning program (Bastrop won the Louisiana state title in 2007) and hopes to bring his success to Ann Arbor. Jones was listed by the Times-Picayune as a player just outside the top 25 in the state of Louisiana. Blogger Dandy Don pegs him at #19 in the state, while praising his work ethic.

Newsome Update:

Many Wolverine fans have been worried about 2 things about Kevin Newsome (a 5 Star QB from Virgina and Michigan verbal commit).

#1 Worry: Many are reporting that Kevin is not fully committed to Michigan and has re-opened up his recruitment to places like VT or PSU. Well, here is what Kevin had to say: "I'm committed to Michigan," Newsome said. "Me and Bryce McNeal were going around bragging how we're going to beat Randall Carroll, who's going to USC, Cierre Wood, who's going to Notre Dame. We were bragging about things like that." Newsome said he really hit it off with McNeal. "It was great to be around a guy that's going to be a future teammate hopefully," he said. "He's a great guy. Bryce is a good, good guy. He's one of my boys now. We're going to really stay in touch." (Bryce is pictured below)

#2 Worry: Kevin has not shown his strong QB skills this summer at the elite football camps, after focusing on track this spring. Here is what Rival had to say about his performance at the Top Gun camp this weekend in Florida: But that Newsome wasn't the same guy who was on field at the All-Star Sports Complex this weekend. The Newsome on display at the Football University Top Gun Showcase Camp was confident, sure of his throws and accurate.
Kevin Newsome has worked to improve his throwing, and it shows.Instead of overthrowing or bouncing passes, he was making the right reads on progressions and nailing wide-open receiver after wide-open receiver. This was the quarterback who got college coaches and recruiting fans drooling.

"I've been throwing every day," said Newsome, who is one of the most physically impressive players in the nation at 6 feet 3 and 220 pounds. "I just decided to do it and stop complaining about the time I didn't have because of track. I just decided to start working harder to make up for the time I didn't have with track."

That hard work was on display first in Saturday's evening sessions and continued all day Sunday and again on Monday morning. After the other quarterbacks were done working out on Saturday and Sunday, Newsome was outside throwing passes at targets all by himself.

Kevin stays home for the weekend

Many Michigan fans wondered what Kevin Newsome might do this past weekend. Would he have BBQ in his backyard? Maybe take a dip in the local pool? Practice his deep outs? Or maybe just work out? The problem was this weekend was the weekend of Virgina Tech's Senior Football Camp and it's been rumored for weeks that Kevin's verbal commitment to Michigan was "soft" and that VT was coming on strong. A strong indication of that rumor (to be true) would have been Kevin's attendance at VT's camp this weekend. Well............

Quarterback Kevin Newsome, from Western Branch High in Chesapeake, was not at the camp. He has committed to Michigan but might be wavering. Newsome's younger brother, Keevon, a rising junior defensive end, did attend.

Camp Kevin

As Mgoblog puts it "we are on Kevin Newsome watch" this weekend. Meaning if Kevin shows up for Virgina Tech's camp he is not solid on his Michigan verbal commitment and is open to seeing and hearing what Tech has to offer.

The former Western Branch star, headed to Hargrave Military Academy for his senior season, has committed to Michigan. But his former coach, Lew Johnston, said recently that Tech coaches are still hotly pursuing Newsome and were hoping he'd come to this weekend's camp. Kevin Newsome Sr. said this week that his younger son, 2010 defensive end Keevon, plans to make the camp. He said didn't know about Kevin.

I have put together a top 10 list for Kevin on why he doesn't want to attend Tech's Camp:

1. Do you really want to play on Special Teams at Tech?


2. Tech is short for Technical and your really not interested in HTML or Java script are you?


3. Frank Beamer will most likely be the head coach at Penn State next year anyway.


4. Mike Vick is bankrupt - Tom Brady isn't


5. Zoltan punts for Michigan


6. Don't you want to play against Pryor for 2-3 years to see which one of you is the better QB?


7. Dude - Barwis!


8. Dude - Zingermans!


9. It's going to be really hot in Blacksburg this weekend, would it make more sense to work with T Martin instead? (Dude this is so not Band Camp)


10. Rich has 1.5 million reasons he needs a QB like you!

Think about it Kevin, there really isn't a reason to go camping this weekend. (have you seen the price of gas!!!) Stay home and relax!

Newsome Update from the Elite 11 Camp

Kevin Newsome news has been swirling around lately like a hurricane. Here are some of the story lines just from the last couple of months:

• Kevin commits to Michigan and may enroll early
• Michigan continues to recruit QB's and gets a commitment from the "Beaver" while other QB's are still considering Michigan (Forcier and Smith)


• Kevin doesn't preform well at a Nike Camp at Penn State (maybe better suited at WR or DB)


• Kevin might be a soft recruit as VTech and others continue to recruit him hard


• Kevin is running track and wins the State championship in the 110-meter hurdles.


• Kevin changes High Schools and his former coach doesn't like the Michigan choice.

Now ESPN has done a long article on him at the Elite 11 Camp. Here are some of Kevin's thoughts and some insight from former Tennessee QB Tee Martin.

"People think because you come out a week after you're done with track and not throw the ball well that you're not a good football player," Newsome said. "Even if I am not throwing the ball well, I just need a chance. You can't be perfect at everything. So I am giving up track and going to stick with my love -- and that's playing football."

Newsome, in contrast with most of his rail-thin peers at the Vegas combine, has a body more like Walter Payton's than Peyton Manning's. The 6-foot-2, 215-pounder who recently won the Virginia state championship in the 110-meter hurdles has skills that could translate to his lining up at wide receiver on offense or possibly in the defensive backfield.

"I am going to be a quarterback," he said. And, according to Newsome, Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez agrees.

The athletic quarterback quandary is one that Tee Martin, the former University of Tennessee standout who now coaches at the Elite 11 camps, knows plenty about.

"When I was in high school I remember being a guy who was very talented and athletic, and no one had really honed my QB skills until I got to college," said Martin, who spent a week working with Newsome this past spring.

"I think it will be a good fit for him at Michigan with what Coach Rodriguez is doing," Martin said. "I think it will be a great opportunity for him to go in there and get a system that will fit his skills."

Tom Luginbill, the national director of recruiting for Scouts Inc., said Newsome needs to refine some his fundamental quarterbacking skills.

"He needs to settle in as a passer, develop patience and discipline and work through progressions with speed and timing, yet play under control," Luginbill said. "He has a tendency with his strong arm to spray the ball around, and his improved footwork will help sharpen his accuracy."

"In Michigan's offense the quarterback just needs adequate arm strength but must have a very good sense of timing and accuracy in the short and intermediate ranges and must show they can throw when on the move," he said.

_____________________________

With him changing schools, working at camps like this, and dedicating himself to football I believe he will have proper skills coming into Michigan to play QB. If he enrolls early that will only help those skills develop faster.

Looks like I picked the wrong week (or day) to stop sniffing glue: Kevin Newsome News and Good Bye to the Mzone

As you know, I'm just back from a long golf weekend in Northern Michigan. For those of you worried about the Michigan economy and gas prices, you should be. TreeTops and other top resorts were noticeably not busy. That's a very bad sign for late June. I'm hoping they can maintain in this down economy, because Northern Michigan is just too good of a golf venue.

I roll in a few minutes ago to see there is a lot happening in the world of Michigan sports and Blogs.

Happy Trails to the MZone. One of the first few blogs I read. They were all about the comedy and Michigan sports. They ended their run today as life just got in the way as it usually does. Good luck and farewell to the Buckstache.

Excuse me, are your donuts made fresh everyday?

Kevin Newsome is transferring High Schools and a family friend doesn't like his Michigan commit.

Western Branch will be without its star quarterback this fall, as Kevin Newsome plans to play his senior season at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham. His father, Kevin Sr., confirmed the move this afternoon, saying his son wanted to "continue to improve at quarterback so he'll be in a better position to step in and help somebody as soon as possible when he gets to college."

Former Bruins coach Lew Johnston, a close family friend of the Newsomes, said colleges have continued to recruit the talented quarterback even after his Michigan commitment. Virginia Tech, a team Newsome grew up rooting for, is among those suitors. "I thought when he picked Michigan, he jumped the gun a little bit, and I was disappointed," Johnston said. "I told him that."

Johnston is not a big fan of Wolverines coach Rich Rodriguez, who told Newsome he was "their guy" and then continued to recruit several other top quarterbacks. Michigan received a second QB commitment just days after Newsome's pledge. "We're very close, and I've told him I'd like to see him stay closer to home," Johnston said. "I'm not going to push it, but there's something about playing in your home state." Johnston said Newsome was enamored of former Tech quarterbacks coach Kevin Rogers, now with the Minnesota Vikings, and likely would've chosen the Hokies if Rogers were still in Blacksburg.

Neither Newsome nor his father wanted to comment on any potential re-opening of his recruitment.

As you might expect, this isn't great news for The Wolverines and gives some credibility to the rumors that Kevin has re-opened his recruitment.

The Answer is Yes - He is all Blue!

Michigan fans have been waiting for the day when Michigan would get another top talent at QB. Today is the day Michigan landed the verbal commitment from Kevin Newsome a QB from Chesapeake (Va.). Kevin is a 4 Star QB prospect and ranked number 39 for all players in the class of 2009.

"I really loved the coaching staff with Coach [Rich] Rodriguez and Coach [Fred] Jackson," he said. "I love the winning tradition of Michigan. I really believe Michigan is the Godfather of college football and that's what makes the Michigan-Ohio State game so notorious. "Campus-wise, everything was big. It's the Big House. I can't even describe the different buildings, the practice field, the weight room – all those things were top of the line.

Kevin is the 6th prospect to verbally commit to the Wolverines for next year and the 3rd player from the Rivals top 50.

Look for Kevin to possibly enroll early. It would be great for him to get the Bowl Experience and the Spring Reps. Kevin is also a good student and participates in National Honors Society.

Newsome vs Pryor for 3 years sounds like a pretty good match up.

He is Blue but is he Blue?

As you know from my posts this week Kevin Newsome, the highly rated Dual Threat QB out of DC has been giving hints on his MySpace page. He is wearing a Michigan Sweatshirt and the song he is playing on his site is I'm Blue.

Now comes a rumor from a Buckeye Planet insider saying he committed to Michigan on Monday. That would be great if we could confirm it, but neither Rivals or Scouts is running with the story, so I believe it's just a rumor. We will keep our fingers crossed that it's true or will be true at some point.

From Super Prep: Another coach that has piqued Newsome's interest is new Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez.

"He's a great coach," he said. "I love the tradition at Michigan. It's Michigan! I think he'll be very successful there. Just look at what he was able to do at West Virginia. That's really impressive." Newsome says that the Wolverines are currently recruiting him the hardest. "Everywhere I look around my house I see a big "M", he said. "They definitely send me the most mail".

There is also an email from Tate Forcier on Kevin's site talking about both of them going to Michigan and doing the Tebow - Leak thing. Bring it on, but I bet if Kevin comes to Michigan, Tate would look somewhere else for playing time.

Aye bro! How sick would it be if we both went to Michigan? We could do like the florida thing with tebow an Chris Leak... Cuz dude if we both go there we could do some serious damage.

• Mike Hart told a radio host that he believes he will go in the Third Round on Saturday:

"Obviously the big question with me coming out is my size and my speed," said Hart, who finished as Michigan's all-time leading rusher. "I'll probably go in the third round (of the NFL draft). I don't think I'll get into the second.

• Reports are that Rich Rodriguez contacted Michigan first. I really don't care who called who, just happy that he is in Ann Arbor.
• A couple of Ohio HS recuits pick WVU:

  Choosing the Mountaineers over Ohio State is Steubenville High School standout Branko Busick (6-2, 228). Following a 25-minute meeting with Stewart, Busick gave his word to play for the Mountaineers. Also giving their commitments following the Gold’s 59-15 victory were middle linebacker Chris Snook from Highland High School in Medina, Ohio, and receiver Deon Long from Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C.