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| Southfield (MI) Southfield defensive end Malik McDowell |
Defensive line: 57%
The coaches are still recruiting Southfield (MI) Southfield defensive end Malik McDowell, but it appears to be McDowell or bust. The only other uncommitted players are two southern kids who are going to stay down south.
Running back: 16%
Sarasota (FL) Booker's Marlon Mack committed to Louisville yesterday, and the coaches have stopped recruiting Minneapolis (MN) Washburn's Jeff Jones. Jones apparently does not plan to take his qualifying standardized test until March, which makes signing in February questionable. All other options are off the table unless the coaches offer someone new.
Safety: 9%
The program just lost fifth year senior Josh Furman to a transfer, and I wanted Mack in the class partly for his abilities on the defensive side of the ball. However, Michigan has some cornerbacks who can potentially switch positions.
Offensive line: 8%
Michigan is only bringing in two offensive linemen in this class, but with zero linemen scheduled to graduate in 2014 and a 2013 class that included six linemen, this isn't a big spot of need.
Wide receiver: 2%
The Wolverines already have three commitments in this class, and while new offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier might spread it out a little more than Al Borges did, they'll still use tight ends and H-backs, so there's not a big need for more receivers.
Quarterback, tight end, linebacker (tie): 1%
I would have moved quarterback up on this list if I were prioritizing, because I'm not sold on Wilton Speight as a future starter. The Wolverines have recruited a ton of tight ends and linebackers in recent years, so they're fine there.
Cornerback, punter/kicker (tie): 0%
Cornerback is another position that has been recruited a great deal in recent years, and along with scholarship specialists Matt Wile and Will Hagerup, the Wolverines have brought in some quality walk-ons in the form of Kenny Allen and J.J. McGrath.
On Speight: I first heard about him on this site and I remember comments to the effect of "amazingly accurate under pressure" and "someone who could light it up a few years down the line at a place like Texas Tech." Just curious ... have you soured on him a bit since you first saw his film? If so, why? How would you describe his ceiling at this point?
ReplyDeleteHere's the article I wrote about him.
Deletehttp://touchthebanner.blogspot.com/2013/02/scouting-report-2014-quarterbacks.html
He was #8 on my list of quarterbacks who had Michigan's interest, so I was never that high on him, anyway. I haven't seen much from his senior year to suggest that he'll exceed those expectations. It will be interesting to see what Nussmeier does offensively, but I don't see Speight having a lot of success at Michigan.
Like everybody else, I'm wanting McDowell, but failing that, I'd sit on Jeff Jones here if I thought I had a chance. I'm not knocked out by any of the other names being tossed around. Although the qualifying exam thing is a red flag if ever there was one. Your hope here is that he's studying, the fear of course being that he can't get it together.
ReplyDeleteWe have a pretty nice batch of backs that will get better as the holes get bigger. The holes will get bigger as the focus gets smaller. Nobody mentions Dennis Norfleet because he's such a runt, it's highly unlikely that he's gonna block anybody effectively, but they handed him the ball in high school and he can scoot out into the flat for you, giving you two options they have to worry about if he lines up in the backfield.
We're a little thin at Running Back, but like the Safety position, it isn't dire unless the iowa Running Back Hating God thing shifts it's attention North and East.
Have I ever mentioned that I like at Sione Houma at RB?
I wouldn't assume Norfleet can't block given the Vincent Smith precedent. I would agree it's too soon to give up on him as a RB entirely.
DeleteNorfleet has been bounced around so much (RB, WR, CB) that I'm not sure what to think. I wouldn't be opposed to him getting the ball out of the backfield, but I do think blocking would be an issue, Vincent Smith be damned. Norfleet just doesn't have that toughness in him, I don't think.
DeleteHow dare you damn Vincent Smith!?!
DeleteNorfleet looks tough and strong to me. He's small, there's not doubt, but I think he brings it - as shown on defensive special teams.
I would never object to passing on a player who's struggling to qualify. It's a bit much to expect him to succeed academically here. I hope he does well somewhere, but Michigan shouldn't be the best fit.
DeleteOL isn't super critical, but it's not something to sleep on, either. Sure, we have a ton of guys in the 2013 class, but I feel like a few of those 4-stars are going to transfer when they find themselves on the bench. I know nothing about the actual depth chart or player attitudes, but we haven't heard much about Fox (due to injury), Bars, LTT. The loser of the Bosch/Dawson battle -- I don't think Dawson came here expecting to sit on the bench behind Bosch for 3 years and only start for one year. All this depth we think we have could all end up being a mirage.
ReplyDeleteAlso - none of those guys are proven yet. We hope we can find 5 starters there...but what if we can't?
DeleteNumber of bodies is one thing, number of PROVEN bodies is another.
A Jake Butt in the hand is worth two 4-stars in the bush! [kinda-Butt-jokes!]
Right now our O-linemen are questionable as starters, although Kalis, Magnuson, and Bosch all seem promising given they actually played as youngsters. Need to find a few more and hope no attrition hits.
The OL remains the biggest worry on the roster to me. Recruiting '14 players maybe isn't going to fix that but until the problem is sufficiently solved I'd like to see continued attention. I'd rather cut corners elsewhere to see ensured success on the OL.
Nah, recruiting on the OL is overkill. The guys are plenty talented. If they can't develop, it's a coaching issue. If it's a coaching issue, you get a new coach. There's no point in spending more scholarship on linemen. We have plenty.
DeleteDisagree - even when we had coaching that was proven, busts along the OL were not uncommon. The nature of recruiting is that talent doesn't ensure production. Michigan is crossing it's fingers that they'll get a full OL out of essentially two recruiting classes. It's a risk. Not an unreasonable one, but a significant one.
DeleteI find it remarkable that Michigan's staff experiences such a dichotomy of success in their recruiting regarding the timing. UM takes off like a rocket in spring and early summer and then...poof...the wheels fall off and they land almost no one of consequence after the season starts through signing day.
ReplyDeleteWeird.
That's what happens when your team goes 8-5 in 2012 and 7-6 in 2013. You have all these guys that are on the fence waiting to see how the season turns out, many of them deciding between U-M and teams like OSU, MSU, and Alabama. When U-M looks like crap and fires the OC while the other three are all in BCS bowls, they commit elsewhere. I've been impressed that we haven't had more decommits. I will be very glad when next Wednesday comes and everybody signs on the dotted line.
DeleteThe early success has been overstated. M gets 10 commits before anyone else and suddenly their class ranking is top 5 but the drop is inevitable when other schools catch up in numbers.
DeleteFurthermore, a school like Texas that traditionally had their pick of talent realized there were significant drawbacks to filling up your entire class before kids get a chance to play their senior years.
I think M fans tend to overrate the early commitments. Some of it is just "yay we got a guy!" but a lot of it is "Hoke is killing it on the recruiting trail." It's nice for the coaches but ultimately what matters is the class that signs, not their commitment date.
Theres a lot of talk about 'momentum' and recruiting from people like Shane Morris but I'm not convinced by it. Ricardo Miller's class didn't do much despite all the hype about him bringing other guys in. Speight and Peppers didn't affect Hand. Cole couldn't convince Campbell to stick. Etc.
The thing I look at more than anything else is offers. If we're beating OSU and Notre Dame for kids, we're doing well and I perk up. If their offer list is unexceptional, the needle doesn't move unless there is something specific to get excited about. In other words, if a kid signs in July that's a spot gone for another kid that might sign in February, so whatever.
"The wheels fall off" is kind of an overreaction. Michigan has missed out on a couple high-profile guys (like Da'Shawn Hand) that had plenty of other suitors and good reason to choose other schools. You know what? Literally every school out there could say the same thing. Michigan has offered 128 prospects in this recruiting class. The bottom line is that when you're taking a class of 17 or so, you're bound to miss on 120+ prospects. Michigan got to 16 commits in August and was only pursuing a couple more guys, so that's more like "The coaches need to get the left rear tire patched" rather than "The wheels fell off."
DeleteI think the dichotomy is the result of too much consideration of recruiting rankings - which really shouldn't take class size into account, at least not before signing day.
DeleteHey Thunder, do you think that MIchigan will offer Alex Malzone a PWO spot? I really don't want them to give him a full ride, becuase there are so many better QB's on the market.
ReplyDeleteI think that would be a little insulting. Malzone has FBS offers, and he can play at that level. I agree that Michigan has bigger fish to fry at the QB position, but I think the best scenario for both parties would be for Michigan to get another QB and for Malzone to go somewhere else and potentially thrive.
DeleteWhile I definitely agree with you, Ryan Glasgow had a few FBS offers aswell, in conferences bigger than the MAC, yet he went to Michigan as a PWO.
DeleteRivals lists Glasgow's offers as being from Illinois State, North Dakota, North Dakota State, South Dakota, and Wyoming. Malzone already has better offers than that.
DeleteWyoming>Western Michigan, MWC>MAC
DeleteWell, according to 247, he has offers from: Bowling Green, CMU, Old Dominion, Toledo, and WMU. I am thinking he MIGHT accept the PWO option given where he is from (a Detroit suburb, so Michigan is the closest from home) and academics. I am sure Malzone would want a scholarship, but if that's not going to be the case wouldn't be want U of M as PWO? He's in-state so the tuition also wouldnt be much.
DeleteNo, Suduri, because if he accepted a PWO to Michigan over MAC offers, that pretty much solidifies him never having a chance to even make it to the two deep on Michigan's roster, but if he went to a MAC school on scholarship he'd have a great chance of being at least considered for a starting position.
DeleteI know Benji. It would be a tall order for him to see the field, but he'd be part of Michigan. That might be better than going to some school that nobody heard of. He should realize by now that he won't make it in the NFL unless something drastic happens. Why not go to a better school and be part of something great in the process?
DeletePlease call me Ben or Benjamin, I don't really like the name Benji. And, it's very hard to convince a 17 year old to go to a school because of academics when he's almost guaranteed playing time at a lower level school. Honestly, the only way he'd get a PWO offer is if he still only has MAC level offers well into January and shows signs of interest in Michigan still.
DeleteOkay Ben, sorry I have a friend named Benjamin who goes by that.
DeleteIt really depends on the kid, I think. Some kids might care more about playing time, and that' ok too. But if he is smart and cares about life after football, which is going to be most of his life, then he should consider academics as well. And he's a local kid (Oakland County), so if i was a coach then I'd try to reel him in using academics. Basically nobody in the country knows about schools like Toledo or WMU except those living in Ohio and Michigan, and their academics don't stand out (no offense to anyone who went to those schools). You won't get any advantage in the job market.
Why not get the Michigan education and still be part of Michigan football team? That's what I'd do.
How bad is the football program going to be hammered for the Brendan Gibbons sexual assault and cover up?
ReplyDeleteWell, it is a new low. I hope this is an isolated incident without involvement of coaches, other students, etc. I know this happened during the RR tenure, so Hoke's staff wasn't directly involved. But the question is why did it take so long to get to this state.
DeleteThis also explains a bit about the lackluster performance in the bowl game. Some student-athletes might have been disillusioned with what happened re: Gibbons.
Get out of here, there is no way that what happened with Gibbons had anything to do with the bowl performance.
DeleteIt might have taken the air out of guys. Obviously a number of guys on the team didn't give their best efforts. This is according to what the guys said in the postgame interview.
DeleteWould you let that go already? There is no way Michigan played that bad because of something that probably half the team didn't know about
DeleteI said "a bit." It might've been a factor. That's all I am saying. These are 18-22yr old kids.
Delete