Grading out Michigan's 2011 NSD Class

I tip my hat to Brady Hoke and staff for the hard work the past two weeks.  It has to be really hard to keep and build a recruiting class in a couple weeks when your competition has a 2 year head start on you.   If you consider that liability, this was a pretty strong effort.   Michigan's class right now is ranked #21 in the nation by Rivals.  Many believed this class was going to finish in the 30-40 range.

Michigan addressed needs on defense at LB and in the defensive backfield.   They also whiffed on the DT position with zero signed players.  They did sign 3 DE's in this class and 2 might be able to convert to DT's down the line.

Michigan is very young at DB and they added 5 more freshman in 2011 to add to depth down the line.  Let's hope all these guys get a chance to learn the position before they are thrown on the field.

Hoke's staff elected not recruit the WR position by turning down potential commitments from Hakeen Flowers and Devin Lucien.   I would have taken Devin without thinking twice.   The other need positions were TE, QB, and Kicker.  All targets at those positions were signed.

Offensive line after low numbers in the 2010 class was another high priority and Michigan got 3 guys in center Jack Miller, OG/OT Tony Posada and Chris Bryant.   3 was probably the least amount the Wolverines could have taken in this class and would have preferred at least one more. 

Running back was also a strength of this class with two instate guys in Justice Hayes and Thomas Rawls. 

Anyone left?  Maybe.   Michigan still has a 4 star LB on the fence that expects to announce on Thursday in  Leilon Willingham who was/is a silent commit but getting a ton of pressure from his local University of Colorado. 

Big Misses?  Yes, plenty.  Clearly, the 5 star loses of Dee Hart and Kris Frost but you also have to include instate prospects Jake Fisher and Anthony Zettel.  Michigan also was not able to land the NSD signature of defensive tackle Darin Cooper.    All these guys could have and should have been blue, even with a coaching change.  (with the exception of Dee Hart)  

Not having a DT in this class is a huge hole and a big need for 2012. 

All in all I grade this class a B+.  Michigan went 2-2 today on NSD signatures with still one pending.  This was not a top 10 -15 type of class which they could have achieved if they were able to sign the 'big miss guys".  Right now, Michigan is two scholarships short of a full class and I hope they land Leilon tomorrow. 

16 Posts Today

If you're just tuning in.  We provided 16 posts today starting at 5:30 this morning.  If you want to see how the day un-folded please hit the "older posts" link at the bottom of the page.

Chris Barnett Newest Wolverine

Rich Rodriguez never used tight ends in his offense until he got to Michigan.  Then he really found an effective way to use the position but had a terrible time recruiting guys to play it.  With only two TE's on the roster getting one in this class was very important. 

Brady Hoke did a good job of getting Chris Barnett a 6'6 245 pound 4 star TE to Rivals and 3 Star to Scout and ESPN on campus and he really enjoyed the visit.   Chris has an amazing list of 24 scholarship offers which included the likes of Notre Dame, USC, Tenn, UCLA, Florida State, Oklahoma, Miami, and many other major programs.  He was also a one time Arkansas verbal commit. 

Chris has a chance to earn some playing time right away but would be better off served using a redshirt year so he could learn from guys like Kevin Koger but his big body which will equal a big target might be hard to keep of the field. 

More on Chris from Tim at Mgoblog.

Not Looking Good For Fisher

Inside word is saying that Jake Fisher is leaning towards heading to Oregon.  It's not over for Michigan but right now it's looking like the Ducks.

His announcement on Wednesday is 8:00AM not 8:00PM.

• Darian Cooper will announce at 12:00 on Wednesday on ESPNU
• Frank Clark Tonight at 8:00 PM
• Chris Rock still solid with Michigan.

Early NSD News: Thomas Rawls is Blue

So a question for you?  If your a running back from Flint, Michigan and you break Heisman Trophy winner and former Alabama running back Mark Ingram's (who's from Flint) local rushing records, how many offers and stars would you be expecting?  4 or 5 stars and I would say 20+ offers. 

Not the case for Thomas Rawls, which is too bad for other schools but a big break for the Wolverines.  The reason other programs were not recruiting Thomas very hard was the lack of a qualifying test score on one of the standardized tests.   Thomas had offers from CMU, Cincinnati, and Toledo.  But today he is a Michigan Wolverine with a qualifying score.  (the rumor mill is saying that Thomas has some more work to do in the class room but there is line of site to qualifying)

Thomas is 5'10 and 214 pounds and ranked 3 stars by both Rivals and Scouts.  His head coach is Fred Jackson, Jr, the son of Michigan's running backs coach and brother of Michigan WR Jeremy Jackson.

Senior Stats are 150 carries for 1,585 yards and 19 touchdowns. (I also saw a report of 21 touchdowns)

Thomas Rawls Moves Announcement to Tuesday

Due to a winter storm approaching Michigan, Thomas Rawls has decided to switch his announcement time from National Signing Day to Tuesday at 1:30. 

He will choose between Michigan and Central Michigan.

Michigan's 2011 Recruiting Class State of the Union

The recruiting news has been coming fast and furious the last few days and this class is starting to fill up.   I thought this would be a good day to take a quick inventory of where we are at with this class and who might be still left on the board.

The 2011 Class Verbal Commits:

Offense:

QB:  1 -Russell Bellomy

RB: 1 - Justice Hayes

WR: 0

OL: 2 - Tony Posada, Jack Miller

TE: 0

K:  1 - Matt Wile

Defense: 

DB:  5 - Greg Brown, Tamani Carter,  Blake Countess, Delonte Hollowell, and Raymon Taylor.

DE:  3 - Brennen Beyer, Keith Heitzman,  Chris Rock

DT:  0

LB:  3 - Kellen Jones, Desmond Morgan, Antonio Poole

Michigan's class right now is 16 players strong with maybe 4-6 spots still open.  Sometimes it doesn't always make sense to use all your spots so that you can have a scholarship for a walk-on, transfer, or to bank it for next year.   It's clear that Michigan has holes in this class at defensive tackle and could use a couple more offensive linemen.   Keith Heitzman could play TE or DE.  I am hearing they want him at DE right now.

Who is left on Michigan's board?

Guys Michigan has a good shot at:

• Frank Clark, TE
• Thomas Rawls, RB
• Chris Bryant, OL
• Jake Fisher, OL (former commit)
• Leilon Willingham, LB

Guys Michigan is in on and has a fighting chance:

• Darin Cooper, DT - Michigan was at his school and in home with him yesterday.  Trying to get him to visit this weekend.  Need him in this class but Michigan has some ground to make up in a hurry.
• Trayion Durham, FB - a former Wisconsin commit is visiting this weekend.  He is rated as a top 5 FB in the country to every major service.
• Floyd Raven, CB - Might be visiting this weekend.  There has been stories about him committing to Texas A&M on Monday and now Ole' Miss on Tuesday.  I guess we will see if he visits this weekend.   I wouldn't hold my breath on this one.
• Ryan Nowicki (a PSU soft commit), OL is visiting this weekend.
• Chris Barnett, TE also visiting this weekend. 

Any Surprises?
With only a week left before signing day, maybe but I think the final commits will come from the top list. 

I wish Kris Frost would re-consider his Auburn commitment.  I know he loves Michigan, Auburn was a little delayed in taking his commitment, and he could be coached by Ray Lewis's coach Greg Mattison at Michigan.   We also don't have a WR in this class and he wants to try to play there in college.  I know this probably won't happen but damn I wish it would! 

How do you want to see the class finish?

Out of the 5 guys Michigan has a good shot at, I really want Jake Fisher to come back and Chris Bryant to become Blue.  Both are strong 4 star offensive linemen.  I think the other 3 are silent commits.

Clearly a DT is a major need and Darin Cooper has to be near the top of Michigan's list right now. 

The Michigan coaches only had two weeks to recruit and has done an outstanding job in putting this class together.   The only thing I would have done differently is keeping the recruitment of Devin Lucien alive, a 4 star WR from California that was very high on the Wolverines.

Michigan Monday: Recruiting Blitz

This is the time of the year where young men make decisions on where they want to go to school and play football for the next 4-5 years.  Before Rich Rodriguez was asked to hit the Railroad, Michigan was building a top 15 2011 recruiting class .

Most of the Wolverines fans were concerned with David Brandon's timetable for evaluating the old coach and hiring a new coach and how it might effect recruiting.  Both took too long and now the football program is starting seeing the effects of that process.

Going, Going, Gone?  

Kicker Matt Goudis - If you remember he was committed to Boise State and then changed to Michigan before Christmas.  He visited Miami this weekend and changed his mind again and is now committed to the Hurricanes.  A kicker that has been committed to 3 different schools?  Ok. This is Miami's second kicker in this class, which is also strange.

CB - Dallas Crawford:  Most recruiting insiders are saying that it's over with Michigan and Dallas.  Which is too bad.  Dallas seemed to love the former coaches too much.

OL - Jake Fisher: Has re-opened his recruitment.  He visited MSU last weekend and thinking about trips to Oregon, Florida, or Notre Dame.  Michigan was in early on Jake and he committed right away.  Now he has blown up and with the Michigan staff blowning up, he is going to take some visits.  Not looking good here either.

You put your left foot in you put your left foot out........

Tony Posada:  Took a visit to Mississippi State this past weekend and will be in Ann Arbor next weekend. 

Blake Countess: Visited Penn State this weekend.

Kellen Jones:  Visited Colorado.

All three guys seem to love Michigan and just need some love from the the current Wolverine coaches.   Let's hope that the current staff can lock them down.  The rumor mill is saying that the coaches will be down to Houston to see Kellen, Blake has already talked to the coaches, and Tony will be in Ann Arbor this weekend.

Ok, with the current class a mess, is there any new guys Michigan can get?

Yes, Michigan has two official visitor weekends left and this class will come down to the last second.  

LB/WR Kris Frost - still hasn't heard from Auburn (which seems like a bad sign for him).  Michigan has been in contact with him with the new staff.  Everybody and their brother is probably knocking down his door.  He will not be enrolling early and will graduate with his senior class this spring.

WR Hakeen Flowers - per TomVH at Mgoblog was planning to talk to Brady Hoke on Sunday.  He is planning to announce next Sunday.  Many believe Michigan has a great shot at landing him.  I'm not in that camp, I think he is leaning towards NC State or UCLA. We will see.

WR Devin Lucien - seems very interested in visiting Ann Arbor but the coaches haven't contacted him yet.  He visited UCLA this past weekend.  This is a 4 star guy and I hope the Michigan coaches call him soon to set up a visit to Ann Arbor. 

OL Chris Bryant - Chris has been on "commitment watch" for months, he really seems to love the school and the Michigan program.  Chris took a visit to Pitt this past weekend (many former Michigan coaches are now at Pitt).  He stopped by Ann Arbor on the way back to Chicago and met with Brady.  Chris and his father stayed the night in Ann Arbor, which we hope is a good sign.   Update from TomVH with an interview with Chris this morning: 

TOM: Did you and your parents come away comfortable with the coaches after the meeting?



CHRIS: My parents are both comfortable, and so am I. They asked their questions and said it was a great conversation overall. I feel comfortable with him too. He was a funny guy, he's a player's coach. He's someone that you would want to coach you.


TOM: Feeling comfortable with the coaching staff now, do you still feel the same way about Michigan overall?


CHRIS: I had a good relationship with the coaches there before, but coaching is a business. It's just an adjustment and you need to go on with it. Michigan is Michigan, and they're not going to just bring anyone in. I still really like Michigan.

DB Floyd Raven- Another 4 star guy and was just offered this weekend.  He might visit Ann Arbor in the next two weeks.  

Coming in this Weekend:

• Frank Clark TE from Glenville.  Michigan needs a TE in this class could it be Frank? 3 Star Prospect
• CB Raymon Taylor, a local Michigan prospect who was committed to Indiana.  Raymon has been a Michigan fan growing up and really has wanted to take a visit for a few weeks now.  He is a 4 star prospect.
• Tony Posada - mentioned above
• DB Stefan McClure is a new offer and will be visiting this week.  McClure is a 4 star DB and Army All American.  Great to see new 4 star guys in the loop.
• A new kicker offered and will visit:  Matt Wile from California.  He is a 2 star prospect like Goudis and another Army All American.

Getting guys on campus and securing all of the current verbals will be very important for Brady and Staff.  Speaking of staff, Michigan needs to really finish off their defensive staff.   A high profile defensive coordinator wouldn't hurt. 

It seems Michigan's recruitment of Zettel and Arnett seem to be a lost cause at this point.  Things also don't look real good for a QB in this class, with the loss of Forcier is now a big need.

Je'Ron is Blue

Today has been a good day, a couple of losses but some huge pick ups as well. The latest is 4 star WR, Army All American, Je'Ron Stokes!

Welcome to Ann Arbor!!!

Je'ron Stokes is a 6"1, runs 4.4 and is ranked the 14th WR in class by Rivals. He had orginally commited to Tennesse but changed his mind after the coaching change.

This is a huge pick up and after the decommitment of Bryce McNeal during the fall. Many believe Stokes to be a better WR then McNeal.

4 More LOI's in to Ann Arbor

• Cameron Gordon
• Denard Robinson
• Adrian Witty
• Craig Roh

All the LOI's are in. Now we wait for Je'Ron!

2 Up, 2 Gone: Michigan Loses DQJ

• Report is that DeQuinta Jones sent his LOI into Arkansas.

Recap: Michigan gets: Denard Robinson, Adrian Witty, Quinton Washington

Michigan loses: DeQuinta Jones and Peralie Graves two 4 star DT's.

Still in Play: Army All American WR Je'Ron Stokes planning to announce at 3:30.

Coach Rod doing his press conference at 3:00, you can see at mgoblue.com. He is also all over ESPN and ESPN U.

Florida Teammates Go Blue!

Michigan got what they needed in another QB in Denard Robinson and one more DB in Adrian Witty. Both just choose Michigan!!

Video of DRob for your pleasure:

Snake Oil Alert: A Syracuse verbal Dale Peterman who is a 3 star corner from Youngstown, OH, just got offered by Michigan today.

2 More Guys Signed LOI's

• Taylor Lewan, OT is in!
• Jeremy Gallon, Slot WR is in!

Michigan loses it's first one on the day

• Pearlie Graves has sent his LOI into Texas Tech. This is a big loss if Michigan loses both Graves and Jones.

Let's get it started in here..........

Welcome to signing day! It could be wild ride, so buckle in, and enjoy the show.......................

• Anyone in yet? You bet Michigan has received the LOI's from the #1 rated player in Ohio: Justin Turner and one of the fastest cats in this class, Running Back from Cass Tech: Teric Jones. Update: More guys are in! Michael Schofield OL is IN, Isaiah Bell LB/Safety is IN!, OH, RB Fitzgerald Toussaint is IN!. Big Q is offical and in! Quinton Washington is in the House! Kicker Brendan Gibbons is in. Safety, Thomas Gordon is in!

• DQJ: DeQuinta Jones has been a "soft" commit to the Wolverines since this Fall but that seems even softer now after the big man's comments last night: “I could change my mind, but I’m leaning towards Arkansas. I’ll make a final decision (Wednesday),” said Jones, who took an official visit to Auburn in addition to Arkansas, Tennessee and Michigan. “Basically, I like everything about Arkansas. I really like the coaching staff.”If Jones has an 11th-hour change of heart, Tennessee would appear to have the inside track.“I want to play SEC ball,” Jones said. “That’s what I grew up watching.” So the big man is "playing" everyone or his won't be in the Maize and Blue this fall. Of course, after his visit to Ann Arbor he told everyone he would be playing his college ball at Michigan and you can print that. So who knows what DQ will do. He should head back to Ann Arbor so he can visit the legendary Dairy Queen at the corner of Washtenaw and Packard. He could be DQ and the DQ! He will announce at 12:30. Let's not hold our breath on this guy.

• Lots of activity around both Je'ron Stokes and Denard Robinson. I still believe Michigan looks good for these two very important recruits but it will be a relief to hear Michigan's name when they announce!