Status of the 2011 Recruiting Class

Blake Countess has been the jewel of Michigan's 2011 class

QUARTERBACK (1)
Rich Rodriguez recruits: None
Brady Hoke recruits: Russell Bellomy
Scoop: Bellomy redshirted in 2011, made a brief and inauspicious debut against Alabama, and proceed to have a horrendous game against Nebraska in relief of Denard Robinson in 2012 (4/21, 46 yards, 0 touchdowns, 4 interceptions on the year). He then tore his ACL in the spring of 2013 and has scarcely been heard from since. Most observers seem to think he will be looking up at current freshman Shane Morris for the remainder of his career.

RUNNING BACK (2)
Rodriguez recruits: Justice Hayes
Hoke recruits: Thomas Rawls
Scoop: Hayes redshirted as a freshman, played sparingly in 2012, and saw his time increase a little bit in 2013. Brady Hoke stated that his future will be at slot receiver, but Hayes played as a third down back pretty frequently down the stretch this year. He has 1 carry for 7 yards and 3 catches for 18 yards on the year. Going in the opposite direction is Rawls, who went from the primary backup to Fitzgerald Toussaint last year to 3 carries for 12 yards and 1 touchdown in the season opener, since relegated to special teams. Neither player looks to have much of a shot at winning the starting job in 2014, and while Hayes might see some time in the slot or as a backup running back, Rawls could find himself buried on the depth chart yet again.

TIGHT END (1)
Rodriguez recruits: None
Hoke recruits:  Chris Barnett
Barnett never even made it to his freshman season, ended up at a junior college, and is reportedly out of football. If he had stuck with it, he could have found ample playing time in 2012 and beyond.

OFFENSIVE LINE (3)
Rodriguez recruits: Jack Miller, Tony Posada
Hoke recruits: Chris Bryant
Scoop: Miller and Bryant are both in similar situations. Miller took over the starting center job this year, only to be supplanted by former walk-on Graham Glasgow halfway through the year. It does not look like Miller will earn back his job anytime soon. Meanwhile, Bryant has suffered numerous injuries, was given a chance to start mid-season, and was promptly benched in favor of freshman Kyle Bosch. Neither one looks like a superstar, but both could be serviceable backups until they run out of eligibility in 2015.

DEFENSIVE END (1)
Rodriguez recruits: Chris Rock
Hoke recruits: Frank Clark, Keith Heitzman
Scoop: Hoke scored pretty well with defensive ends late in the recruiting process, nabbing two starting-caliber guys, including a Second Team All-Big Ten performer in Clark (42 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, 1 fumble returned for a touchdown this year). Heitzman isn't particularly gifted but can hold his own (8 tackles, .5 tackles for loss). Rock left Michigan after one year, eventually transferring to Ohio State, where he walked on to their football team and rides the bench.

LINEBACKER (4)
Rodriguez recruits: Brennen Beyer, Kellen Jones, Desmond Morgan
Hoke recruits: Antonio Poole
Scoop: Beyer has been a starter or key backup all three years on campus, with his best performance coming here in 2013 (25 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 1 interception returned for a touchdown). Morgan is a 2.5 year starter and earned Gerald Ford's #48 Legends jersey (73 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 interception in 2013). Jones transferred to Oklahoma and then Clemson; he played a fair amount at the former as a true freshman, but has been mired on the sideline at the latter stop. Poole suffered an pectoral injury early in his career, and while he still attends Michigan, his career is likely over.

CORNERBACK (4)
Rodriguez recruits: Greg Brown, Blake Countess, Delonte Hollowell
Hoke recruits: Raymon Taylor
Scoop: Countess turned into a First Team All-Big Ten performer here in 2013 (42 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 6 interceptions, 1 touchdown, 4 pass breakups) after tearing his ACL in 2012. Hollowell has been mostly a special teamer throughout his career. Taylor, meanwhile, is tied for the team lead in tackles (81) and has added 4 interceptions and 9 pass breakups. Brown left after one year and now plays for a community college in Iowa.

SAFETY (1)
Rodriguez recruits: None
Hoke recruits: Tamani Carter
Scoop: Carter redshirted in 2011 and then left the team before his second year.

SPECIALISTS (1)
Rodriguez recruits: None
Hoke recruits: Matt Wile
Scoop: Wile has had an up-and-down career. With fairly accomplished players ahead of him, he has averaged 40.6 yards/punt, notched 61.4 yards/kickoff, and made 3/6 field goals as the long distance kicker throughout his three seasons.

OVERALL
Rodriguez: 6/10 of Rodriguez's recruits are still on the team.
Hoke: 7/10 of Hoke's recruits are still on the team.
Scoop: Hoke had a tough task with trying to pull in recruits over the span of about three weeks, and he did a solid job as far as pure numbers go. Two of his ten recruits have turned into solid players (Clark, Taylor), and a third (Wile) has been decent but nothing special. A couple guys flamed out, but it's tough to blame Hoke for recruiting Poole, who was at least earning some practice buzz and scheduled to be the backup WILL before the injury. Rodriguez's guys suffered more attrition, and it's tougher to excuse his flameouts (Posada was too lazy, Brown was a bit of a head case, Jones got in trouble almost immediately after arriving on campus, and Rock transferred to the hated Buckeyes). Of course, Rodriguez also brought in the best player of the class (Countess), a pretty good linebacker (Morgan), and a solid LB/DE tweener (Beyer). If we're talking about talent, Rodriguez wins the battle here, but neither coach had a home run class.

Mailbag: Does Hoke deserve blame for lack of OL depth?

Do you think Hoke deserves any blame for not going after OL/DL last year? I realize time was short, but he managed to snag a QB, TE, DE and LB - guys that hadn't been targeted before.
Shouldn't he have seen the potential train-wreck coming at OL and tried to address the situation? I'd imagine there were some marginal 3-star types available that could have at least contributed to depth. DT is probably a different story - since competition is so stiff and freshman can contribute right away. But OL...the needs been there for a long time. Besides Rodriguez's class of 6 guys in '08 Michigan has under-recruited the OL position since 2005 (no more than 3 OL in a class). Rodriguez recognized the need and immediately worked to rectify it. Yeah, he had more time, but we didn't even hear of any new names pop up at OL in the 2011 class.

I think that Rodriguez deserves a little less blame for the OL situation. 1st, he was forced by Carr into recruiting a giant OL class in '08. with all the other needs around he couldn't keep taking 5 guys a year. So, the small OL classes in 09 and 10 were somewhat justifiable. 2011 was looking strong but the transition cost UM Fisher and probably some other OL recruit. I don't think it's all on him that the '09 and '10 OL classes now look to be so damaging.

The question above comes from a commenter in Tuesday's recruiting update post.

No, I don't think Brady Hoke deserves blame for not going after offensive linemen and defensive linemen last year.  First of all, he was hired less than a month before National Signing Day.  With that short of a start, I don't think he can really accept any blame whatsoever.  But secondly, he did  go after linemen.  Hoke offered:

• Ohio DE/DT Keith Heitzman (Michigan)
• New Jersey DE Max Issaka (Rutgers)
• Arizona OT Ryan Nowicki (Penn State)
• Florida DT Trevarris Saulsberry (Tennessee)
• Florida DE Jordan Williams (Tennessee)

Furthermore, he continued to recruit former Michigan commit Jake Fisher, who ended up signing with Oregon.  I got the feeling that the new coaches were really pushing for Fisher and wanting to make him believe that he was their priority at the position.  The fact that Fisher chose Oregon was very disappointing to me, because I think Fisher is going to be an excellent lineman and he has already earned solid reviews in Eugene.

Rodriguez offered just 17 linemen in the class of 2010; one committed (center Christian Pace, who has since left the program).  Rodriguez offered just 13 linemen in the class of 2009; three committed (Taylor Lewan, Michael Schofield, and Quinton Washington, who has switched to defensive tackle).  Furthermore, by the time Rodriguez was fired in January 2011, he only had three offensive linemen committed (Fisher, Jack Miller, and Tony Posada).

The offensive line recruiting at this point has nothing to do with Lloyd Carr.  Carr left behind a mediocre group (Justin Boren, David Molk, and Steve Schilling along with a bunch of journeyman types), but Rodriguez had a few years to fix it.  And while Rodriguez did a decent job of bringing in talent, he clearly didn't bring in enough of it.  This roster is full of Rodriguez recruits, Mark Huyge, David Molk, Rocko Khoury, and Elliott Mealer; Lloyd Carr hasn't coached a game since January 1, 2008, yet two starters and two key backups remain from his regime.  Here's a breakdown of who's responsible for the expected 2012 offensive line:

• Carr: Rocko Khoury, Elliott Mealer
• Rodriguez: Ricky Barnum, Chris Bryant, Taylor Lewan, Jack Miller, Patrick Omameh, Michael Schofield
• Hoke: Blake Bars, Ben Braden, Kyle Kalis, Erik Magnuson, Caleb Stacey (plus a presumed sixth commit)

In other words, the guy responsible for two full recruiting classes and parts of two others will have six guys on the roster . . . and the guys who are responsible for one full recruiting class and parts of two others will have seven or possibly eight guys on the roster.  And keep in mind that, unlike Carr's classes, none of Rodriguez's recruits on the line will have graduated by the beginning of next year.

Lastly, you state that Rodriguez had so many other needs that he couldn't commit more scholarships to linemen.  I think that's a farce.  Every team has 85 scholarships to use.  Every team needs roughly the same number of cornerbacks, receivers, quarterbacks, etc.  Rodriguez had five slot receivers on the roster by the time he started recruiting for 2011 (Martavious Odoms, Jeremy Gallon, Terrence Robinson, Drew Dileo, and D.J. Williamson), yet he still offered five more slot receivers for the 2011 class.  Virtually every coach - except perhaps Rodriguez - would tell you that offensive linemen are more important than slot receivers, but Rodriguez whiffed on too many offensive linemen in the class of 2011.  After taking only one in 2010, he was on his way to taking only three in 2011.  The position group was going to continue to be thin under Rodriguez.  We're talking about a difference of one guy (Fisher) between the current team and the team Rodriguez would have had.

With all that out of the way, take a look at what Hoke is doing now.  He threw out a late offer to Nowicki and didn't get him.  Rather than poaching 3-star linemen from places like Vanderbilt and Purdue, he decided to throw himself into grabbing 4- and 5-star linemen for the class of 2012.  The Wolverines have enough depth for the 2011 season, so we're talking about 2012 (and beyond).  Is a 3-star redshirt freshman loads better than a true freshman Kyle Kalis or Erik Magnuson?  Yes, it's ideal that every lineman redshirts, but that doesn't mean you necessarily take age over talent.

The 2012 offensive line looks to be:

LT: Taylor Lewan
LG: Ricky Barnum
C: Rocko Khoury
RG: Patrick Omameh
RT: Michael Schofield

The backups will be Elliott Mealer, Jack Miller, and Chris Bryant, plus a bunch of freshmen.  It looks like a pretty good starting offensive line, but whether the next guy in is a 3-star redshirt freshman or a 4-star true freshman, there's bound to be a significant drop-off.

I don't blame Hoke for any of the 2011 recruiting class, but I give him credit for Russell Bellomy, Tamani Carter, Keith Heitzman, Antonio Poole, and Matt Wile.  I also don't blame Rodriguez for not getting a viable quarterback in 2008, but I do give him credit for pulling in Ricky Barnum, Justin Feagin, J.T. Floyd, Taylor Hill, Martavious Odoms, Patrick Omameh, Terrence Robinson, Roy Roundtree, and Brandon Smith.  But I will hold Hoke responsible if any of those five players wash out, just like I blame Rodriguez for wasting scholarships on Feagin, Hill, and Smith.

Chris Barnett Plans to Continue with Football

As reported earlier today, freshman TE Chris Barnett is no longer with the University of Michigan football program. Per our conversation this afternoon, Barnett is back with his family in Texas and intends to enroll at another school after he reviews all of his options. "Everything is moving so fast," he said. "[I'll be looking] at whatever's out there." Barnett stated he will address his reasons for leaving the program after "declaring a new school." A time frame for that decision has understandably not yet been established.

Chris always presented as a respectful, humble young man during our conversations, often addressing me as "Sir" and describing himself as a "family man." I'm sure I speak for the Michigan community when I say that we wish him only the best going forward. To learn more about Barnett as both a player and a person, check out an interview with him from earlier this summer.

TTB Ratings: Class of 2011

Freshman offensive guard Chris Bryant

These ratings are listed on the 2011 Offer Board as well as on each player's commitment post, but I thought it would be easier for some to see Michigan's 2011 commitments ranked in order.  For an explanation of what the numerical scores mean, you can find it at the top of the page:

OG Chris Bryant: 87
CB Blake Countess: 84
TE Chris Barnett: 82
DE Brennen Beyer: 82
LB Antonio Poole: 82
LB Kellen Jones: 78
LB Desmond Morgan: 76
QB Russell Bellomy: 74
RB Justice Hayes: 72
C Jack Miller: 69
RB Thomas Rawls: 68
CB Raymon Taylor: 67
DE Keith Heitzman: 63
FSTamani Carter: 62
LB Frank Clark: 59
CB Delonte Hollowell: 58
DE Chris Rock: 58
OG Tony Posada: Inc.*
K Matt Wile: Inc.*

*I haven't seen much of Posada and I know very little about kicking.

Getting to Know -- Raymon Taylor

Raymon Taylor (#1) terrifies an Inkster wide receiver into dropping a pass

Freshman defensive back Raymon Taylor is fast. Actually, after clocking a 10.6 in the 100 meter on a bad foot, it's probably more accurate to say that this former track star is really fast.

Raymon brings his track speed to Ann Arbor from Highland Park, MI, which is a blue collar town completely surrounded by the city of Detroit. Although both Highland Park and Detroit have experienced their fair share of recent struggles and negative press, Raymon is proud of his city.

"It's really a small little city, right in inner Detroit. I love it. I was there [at Highland Park High School] for four years, playing football and running track. I knew everyone, so it was really easy for me to fit in. But other people from Detroit come to my town to come play for Highland Park; they really like it, too. It really is a fun city. It's all about hard work, playing sports and doing school."

Part of Raymon's exceptional experience at Highland Park can be attributed to significant involvement by his dad. Mr. Taylor coaches softball and JV football at Highland Park High, which made it easy for him to "keep an eye" on Raymon by "being out there, saying what to do to get better [at football]." Interestingly, one strategy to get better at football included getting better at track.

"Oh yeah, track helped me a lot with football...it made me faster. I feel that I was born fast, though. It just took me to the next level, got me real, real fast. It really is about the workouts. You gotta put in your work to get fast."

Raymon is expecting to continue with his second sport by running track for the Wolverines during his sophmore year. But for right now, Taylor is focused on making an impact on the football field. His versatility and athleticism make playing time as a freshman a strong possibility and open doors for offensive contributions down the road.

"Right now, [I'll be playing] defensive back and taking kickoff returns and punt returns. But they said if I work hard and do the right things, I can help on offense my second year...I'm trying to be like Charles Woodson...I'm going to come in and play hard, workout hard, so I should touch the field [in 2011] -- I will touch the field. I know it. I'm good enough to play with anybody. I'm going to come in, take care of business, work out hard, and I'll be on the field this year."

On game days, Raymon will be busy preparing to see the field by doing track drills while listening to his "#1 song" through headphones. Coming from a strong family of Michigan fans, also expect Mr. Taylor to continue keeping an eye on his son's football season. But this year, playing in front of a packed Big House crowd, Mr. Taylor won't be the only person keeping an eye on Raymon.

Getting to Know -- Chris Rock

Freshman defensive lineman Chris Rock--not to be confused with the comedian Chris Rock--recently moved from Columbus to Ann Arbor to join forces with the good guys. Hail to the Victors. But as awesome as that is, the fact remains that most people think of the comedian when they hear the name Chris Rock. So against my better journalistic judgment, I began the interview with Chris by asking him what it's like to share his name with a megastar, and he was kind enough to humor me.

"Well, my parents wanted to name me Christopher, and when they named me that, Chris Rock wasn't famous yet or anything. And when I was growing up, I didn't like the name Christopher, so everyone called me Chris. And then Chris Rock became famous. So now not a day goes by that someone doesn't say, 'Oh, your name's Chris Rock!'"

Okay, since that's now out of the way, we can return to the real story, which includes Chris becoming a Michigan Wolverine despite being raised deep inside enemy territory. And as you might expect, the decision to come to Ann Arbor was met with some resistance.

"I hear so much every day, like 'You're going to Michigan! Why?' They just love talking crap to me. One time they actually wrapped up my stuff, like all my Michigan gear, and wrote [on it], 'Go Bucks!' So I use that sort of stuff for motivation."

In September, Chris will be channeling that motivation for the Wolverines as he runs out of the Big House tunnel and touches the banner. But it wasn't too long ago that even he was on the other side of the most bitter rivalry in college football.

"Um, it's hard to say this, but I grew up an Ohio State fan. I used to love Ohio State; I loved Ohio State right up until my freshman year, until I started to be recruited. I guess you take a different mindset when you're thinking about which colleges to go to."

Chris even rooted on the Scarlet and Gray during a visit to Ann Arbor in seventh grade. But now sold on the Maize and Blue, Rock joins his new Michigan teammates, one of whom is Patrick Omameh, who hails from Chris' same Ohio powerhouse football program: St. Francis DeSales. Obviously, Omameh is an established force on the offensive line at Michigan, and it sounds like Rock is looking to make a similar impact on the defensive line.

"My mindset is I'm going to do whatever I can to play [during the 2011 season]. I know I'm not guaranteed anything, so I'm trying to work my butt off and see what happens."

Strongside defensive end is the position for which Chris was recruited; however, many Michigan fans--including myself--look at the depth chart and believe that a player or two slotted for that position could/should move to defensive tackle. For his part, Chris is open to the idea, and he's quickly putting on muscle mass. At 6'5'' tall, Chris now weighs in at 270 lbs., an even 20 lbs. more than his previously reported weight. Don't be surprised to see him add an extra 10 -15 lbs in the upcoming years to provide flexibility and utility along the defensive line.

Let's hope that when Michigan fans hear the name "Chris Rock" five years from now, they think of the football player rather than the comedian. This kid from Columbus is about to make a name for himself -- in Ann Arbor.

Getting to Know -- Jack Miller

Jack Miller has been around football his entire life. His father, a former Division 2 college football player, introduced Jack to the game at a young age. This early exposure instilled in Miller a love for the sport and led him to begin playing organized football before most of his peers knew what a first down was. Growing up, Jack also watched a lot of the NFL, rooting passionately for the Cleveland Browns. Of course, this made a lot of sense since Jack lived in the exact same neighborhood as several Cleveland Brown players.

"Yeah, I remember all of their names. A lot of them were lineman, guys like Shaun O' Hara, who now plays for the Giants, or Ryan Tucker, who's retired, or Ross Verba, who's retired. There were plenty more - Courtney Brown, who was the #2 pick in the draft. I could go on and on with guys that we knew."

Wow. That sounds like a nice neighborhood -- in more ways than one. But Jack doesn't live in that neighborhood anymore. Not only did Miller move to Ann Arbor on the 25th of June, but his family relocated from Cleveland to Toledo when he was an adolescent. The distance between the two cities is only a couple of hours, but after Jack made that relatively short travel, he noticed a change among the fans and learned more about the University of Michigan.

"Like I said, I'm from Toledo, but I grew up in Cleveland my whole life, which is completely Buckeye territory. Toledo is a lot more supportive [of Michigan] than it is over in Cleveland. So I didn't know that much about Michigan...but when I opened up to Michigan more, I realized what a special place it is. And here I am, a few days away from heading up there [to Ann Arbor]."

Jack began "opening up" to Michigan as a recruit by familiarizing himself with the university and building relationships with the coaching staff. But that coaching staff, of course, was fired only weeks before signing day. Viewing Miller as a priority, Coach Hoke didn't waste any time reestablishing Jack's relationship with the Michigan coaching staff.

"He [Coach Hoke] was able to come down to my house a few days after he got hired. I was able to talk with him, and I just knew he was the right guy for the job. I really believe that. He's the kind of guy I want to play for...but as personalities go, I think Coach Hoke and his staff are a little bit more laid-back. They're a little more easy going. Now they're going to get after you. I think it's just a more laid-back, calmer atmosphere."

Recently, Jack has been busy preparing himself mentally and physically for the upcoming season. More specifically, he said that he was able to score "some film on NFL centers" through his aforementioned "NFL contacts." It sure doesn't sound like Jack's life around football is about to come to an end anytime soon.

- For more on Jack, check out his conversations with TomVH and Kyle Warber.

Getting to Know -- Chris Barnett

New TE arrival Chris Barnett thinks it's great to be a Michigan Wolverine. After previously committing to both Oklahoma and Arkansas, Chris couldn't be happier with his final decision to don the winged helmet. "From visiting with Chris and talking with him about it, he loved everything about his visit to Michigan," states Barnett's high school coach Mark Smith. Likewise, Michigan should be pleased with what Chris brings to the table, Coach explains.

"A couple things come to mind when I think of Chris and the way that he plays: #1 is that he's versatile, and #2 is that he's explosive. We used Chris in a variety of different ways. We used him in the traditional tight end position; we also used him in the backfield as the fullback, motioning him around a little bit. And we also split him out wide, going three by one, putting him out there by himself -- matching him up against a corner and using his length, his athleticism and his physicality to our advantage."

Chris' athletic ability may have allowed him to wear many offensive hats against high school competition; however, most observers expect Barnett to play a typical TE role at Michigan. So Coach Smith speaks to that as well.

"Blocking was critical for us and when he got his hands on you, then you were going the other direction. But what I liked about him was how physical he was. And I think Michigan is going to get a really physical, mature player -- right away"

So I'd imagine that it's cool to be Chris Barnett right now. He's about to receive a free world-class education while showcasing his athletic abilities in front of 110,000 people every Saturday. But while Chris thanks god for his talents and is a "family man," circumstances for him haven't always been so positive.

"Growing up, it was always a back and forth situation between my mom's and my dad's. I never had a secure place to be; I never really knew who wanted me and who didn't...I mean, we've been homeless and I was sleeping on a washing machine and dryer. I had to take my jeans off and wrap my shoes up in my jeans and use it as a pillow. So life's been a struggle. And that's where football came into it...."

Despite these hardships, Barnett has developed good relationships with many members of his sizable family, several of whom are also athletes. His brother, Eryon Barnett, plays CB for the Texas Longhorns, and a close cousin plays FCS ball. No stranger to adversity, however, Barnett experienced an injury on the football field at the beginning of his senior year.

"I tore my ACL in early October, and I didn't have surgery for it until December, because like I said, me and my mom, we struggle. We don't have a whole bunch of money. So the injury thing wasn't to the point where I could go get surgery. But I've been working out really hard...I came up on the spring game, and I was 295 [lbs]. Right now, I'm 272. Coach wants me to be 280 -- no [not any] more than 280. But at the same time, I'm getting stronger. I'm crisp [while] running. My knee that I had surgery on still isn't 100%, so I go about 80/85%. But talking to Coach, I still have 2 months [before the season starts] to rehab with them. I don't know, but I'm trying. But if I'm not ready and Coach doesn't let me play and I got to redshirt, then I got to redshirt. It is what it is. And if it is, well, then I feel sorry for whoever we play next year."

With a host of mitigating factors, it's difficult to predict whether or not Chris will see the field his freshman year. But it doesn't appear that his HS coach would be surprised to see Barnett on the field in 2011.

"Chris understands that he has to go in and earn a position there and find a hole that he can fit into and he can play. I know when Coach Hoke and the staff were here [in Texas], they expressed that they didn't have many tight ends on the roster. At that spot in particular, they were going to have to have some freshman contribute. I know Chris and the way that he works and his habits on the field are going to put him in a position to contribute right away...."

Early PT or not, it sounds like Chris is doing his best to help "lay the foundation" for Michigan's future. Not only is Barnett keeping in shape and preparing for the season, but he is also creating a winning mindset.

"We [Chris Bryant, Frank Clark, Justice Hayes] have been talking constantly, like every day, about the things that we're trying to accomplish. And I told everybody, 'this is the coaches' first year; we're the freshman recruiting class; we're the first people to come in with them...so it's really our job to lay down a foundation."

Chris was so excited to start laying the foundation that he caught a plane to SE Michigan early in the morning on Friday June 24th. Presumably, Barnett then unpacked his bags, said "what's up?" to his new roommate Chris Bryant and began breaking ground.

Getting to Know -- Desmond Morgan

Desmond Morgan had his sights set on Michigan during the recruiting process. Originally committing under the Rodriguez regime, Desmond remained firm in his pledge to the university from the beginning to the end of the coaching change. "I committed to the school, not just the coaching staff," he stated. And although Morgan is currently undecided about his college major, he is a 4.0 student who should fit in nicely with his chosen school's academia.

Desmond grew up in Holland, Michigan, which is located on the far west side of the state. Taking advantage of his surroundings, Morgan often enjoyed going to the beach with friends and listening to music while playing a pick-up game. Rap/Hip-Hop is his preferred style of music, and although I don't listen to a lot of that genre, I do have the internet, so I know what it's about.

When I caught up with Desmond, he was preparing for the 2011 Michigan High School Football East West All Star Game and also getting interviewed by people other than me. He performed well in the contest, tallying six tackles. But it's clear that Desmond isn't complacent about his football capabilities:

"What are my greatest weaknesses? I'll be honest; I have quite a few of them. I'd say my biggest one would be my pass coverage and recognizing when two receivers are crossing, which one is the biggest threat, and [recognizing] which DB needs the most help picking up a guy coming across, things like that. So I'm working on that, getting depth and recognizing the different routes and being able to get underneath, making a play on the ball. In high school, we didn't have to do that as much, especially with all of the man coverage that we ran. And with line backing, I'd say we were usually more focused on the run. So the biggest thing I'm working on is helping my pass coverage game out."

With his intelligence, work ethic and willingness to look in the mirror, Desmond sounds like a coach's dream. It's just not yet completely clear which coaches will get the opportunity to work with Morgan. Although Desmond was definitely recruited as a linebacker, it has been speculated on this blog that Morgan's skill set could lead to playing time at another position, such as fullback or upback. We are not alone: Desmond and his dad see that as a possibility too.

"Most of the talks [with the coaching staff] have been playing linebacker. To be honest, I don't even know which position, as far as one of the linebackers, it will be. But my junior year I played fullback as well; I actually started at fullback. So I kind of understand the fullback position a little bit. But I'm open to anything. At this point, the way I look at it - any position that they need me to play that will allow me to help the team and see the field, I'll do....My dad had read some of the online stuff, and I think that planted the idea in his mind too, and he said, 'What do you think about fullback?' And I was like, 'What do you mean?' And he said, 'With the new staff, they might be looking for fullbacks - would you be open to that?' And I said, 'Yeah, sure, whatever it takes to get on the field, I'll do it.'"

During Desmond's senior year, he didn't see much/any time at fullback because he was too busy playing quarterback. Yep, if you didn't already know, he played middle linebacker and quarterback. That's quite the unusual pairing, but as unusual as it may be, Thunder often writes that playing QB in HS contributes to a player's overall development and understanding of the game. So I asked Morgan about it.

"I grew to understand offenses a lot better. It helped me to see my keys on the other side of the ball, recognize pass coverages, see pre-snap stuff...but first and foremost I think it's leadership. Before my junior year I played middle linebacker and was the captain of the defense, I guess, and I understood the leadership role...but I definitely gained a whole new respect for leadership by playing quarterback because I didn't realize how close the two positions were in regards to leading their sides of the ball. And playing both of them helped me grow into more of a team leader."

Although Desmond's days as a QB are almost certainly finished, he should be able to peruse through the offensive playbook at his convenience since he's rooming with 2011 QB Russell Bellomy. Here's to Morgan's success in the winged helmet -- be it at linebacker, upback, fullback, quarterback or slot receiver.

2011 Countdown: #64 Kellen Jones, Wolverine

Kellen Jones

Name: Kellen Jones
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 225 lbs.
High school: St. Pius X High School in Houston, TX
Position: Linebacker
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #52
Last year: Jones was a senior in high school (no commitment post)

For a moment I forgot why I never posted about Jones' commitment.  Now I remember - I was vacationing at the beach and had better things to do (in other words, sitting in a hot tub, playing Frisbee, using my superior height to dominate in pool volleyball, and checking out the . . . sunsets).  But I'm not at the beach now, so this might be a little long winded.

I was thoroughly excited about Jones' commitment.  He's a missile-like 6'1" and has reportedly put on 10 lbs. since his senior year year, when he was listed at 215.  The size isn't particularly intimidating right now, but he obviously works hard in the gym and has been following Michigan's workout regimen this spring.  I see no reason why he can't bulk up to 240-ish pounds in a couple years.

Jones had offers from the likes of Arizona, Arkansas, Boise State, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Purdue, Stanford, Texas A&M, and Virginia, among others.  Scout ranked him as a 4-star and the #12 middle linebacker.  He was a 3-star, the #29 inside linebacker, and the #69 player in the state of Texas to Rivals.  ESPN placed him as a 3-star and the #35 outside linebacker, and 247 Sports ranked him as a 3-star, too.  As a senior in 2010, he had 110 tackles, 32 tackles for loss, and 8 sacks.

The best parts of Jones' game are his intelligence and instincts.  He has a knack for finding the ball even if he has to wade through the trash.  Furthermore, as a high school middle linebacker, he has experience playing the position, which ought to enhance the speed with which he picks up the college game.  Once he finds the ball, he's a solid tackler who could be a devastating hitter once he puts on the necessary weight and refines some tackling technique issues.  There are times where he just hits guys and lets his weight drag down the ballcarrier, which isn't going to work in the Big Ten, at least not until he hits 240 or so.

Jones' size has led some to believe that he'll be headed for the WILL position at Michigan, but he was recruited to play the MIKE.  And when I watch him on film, the MIKE seems to be where he's best suited.  Jones plays sideline-to-sideline rather than downhill.  As a MIKE in a 4-3, he needs to flow from side to side and make tackles all over the field.  The WILL linebacker needs to read the play and go now (a skill that 2012 linebacker James Ross possesses in spades), and while Jones diagnoses plays quickly, it just doesn't seem to be his style to get upfield.  Other than when his coaches sent him on blitzes (which was often), most of his plays seemed to be made a couple yards beyond the line of scrimmage.

If you had asked me back in January, I would have said that Jones might be the #2 middle linebacker this fall. However, the return of Marell Evans to the team makes that a little more questionable.  Evans played well at MIKE this spring and while I expect him to play WILL this fall, he could slide over to MIKE if Demens suffers an injury.  It would seem that Jones will be in a constant battle for playing time with Demens a redshirt junior and then the stellar 2012 linebacker class (Royce Jenkins-Stone and Joe Bolden, in particular) pushing him after Demens graduates.

TTB Rating: 78

Prediction: Special teams contributor; backup linebacker

2011 Countdown: #89 Jack Miller

With the hairstyles of many of his future teammates, this picture is more
fitting than any actual pictures of Jack Miller.

This is the first post of the 2011 Season Countdown (the 2010 version can be found here).  In order from least to most, this countdown will outline the importance of the significant contributors on Michigan's football team to the 2011 season.  This is NOT a list of players ranked from worst to best.  Rather, it's a ranking of who is the most valuable to the team right now.  For example, last year's #2 Troy Woolfolk might be less important this season now that Courtney Avery and J.T. Floyd have starting experience and there will be an influx of talented freshman cornerbacks; furthermore, Michigan has experienced options (Jordan Kovacs, Carvin Johnson, Marvin Robinson) at safety, another position at which Woolfolk could contribute.

On with the show . . .

Name: Jack Miller
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 270 lbs.
High school: St. John's High School in Toledo, OH
Position: Center
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Miller was a high school senior.

TTB Rating: 69

At #89 on the list, Miller looks like the most likely freshman to redshirt.  Linemen almost always take their first year off.  And that's especially true when there are at least five guys already on the roster who are capable of snapping the ball (David Molk, Rocko Khoury, Ricky Barnum, Elliott Mealer, Christian Pace).  If Miller needs to play in 2011, that means bad, bad, bad things have occurred.

Check out his commitment post from last June for highlights and analysis of his game.

Projection: Redshirt

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Scout 300 Released

Dorial Green-Beckham is the #2
prospect in the country,
according to Scout.com

Scout.com released its top 300 players for the Class of 2012, and it shows an interesting recruiting trend, if you're into that sort of thing.

Brady Hoke and his staff were receiving some flak for offering so many prospects early in the recruiting cycle.  By my count the Wolverines have offered scholarships to 139 players at this juncture.  You will find 108 of them on this list, which means 77.7% of Michigan's offers are to players considered to be in the top 300 prospects nationwide.

Compare that to Rich Rodriguez.  By the end of the 2011 recruiting cycle, he (and Brady Hoke, who tossed out a handful of offers between his hiring and National Signing Day) had offered 190 players.  On the final Scout 300 list, there were only 94 Rodriguez/Hoke offerees.  So only 49.5% of Rodriguez offers went to the top 300 players in the country [Thanks to commenter Anonymous for catching my math error.].

Of course, this isn't the final Scout 300.  Prospects could move up or down on this list, they could fall out of the top 300, etc.  But if you were unsure about the quality of recruits Michigan is pursuing, it seems that our new staff has taken a different - and dare I say better - approach to the recruiting process.

Here are the players Michigan has offered, with any current pledges noted in parentheses:

1. Arik Armstead - DT - California (USC)
2. Dorial Green-Beckham - WR - Missouri
3. Andrus Peat - OT - Arizona
4. John Theus - OT - Florida
5. Keith Marshall - RB - North Carolina
6. Noah Spence - DE - Pennsylvania
8. Mario Edwards - DE - Texas (Florida State)
12. Jarron Jones - DT - New York
13. Avery Young - OT - Florida
14. Eddie Goldman - DT - Washington, DC
15. Kwon Alexander - LB - Alabama
16. Stefon Diggs - S - Maryland
17. Gunner Kiel - QB - Indiana
20. Malcolm Brown - RB - Texas (Texas)
21. Adolphus Washington - DE - Ohio
22. Kyle Kalis - OT - Ohio (Ohio State)
24. Josh Garnett - OG - Washington
25. Zeke Pike - QB - Kentucky
26. Darius Hamilton - DE - New Jersey
27. D.J. Humphries - OT - North Carolina
28. Brionte Dunn - RB - Ohio (Ohio State)
30. Jordan Simmons - OG - California
31. Leonte Carroo - WR - New Jersey
34. Kyle Murphy - OT - California
38. Ellis McCarthy - DT - California
40. Jordan Diamond - OT - Illinois
41. Brian Poole - CB - Florida
43. Jordan Jenkins - DE - Georgia
44. Wes Brown - RB - Maryland
45. Zach Banner - OT - Washington
46. Tommy Schutt - DT - Illinois
47. Ronald Darby - CB - Maryland
49. Tee Shepard - CB - California (Notre Dame)
50. Aziz Shittu - DT - California
52. LaDarrell McNeil - S - Texas
56. Matt Jones - RB - Florida (Florida)
58. Ifeadi Odenigbo - DE - Ohio
60. Jordan Payton - WR - California (USC)
63. Brock Stadnik - OT - North Carolina
64. Sheldon Day - DT - Indiana
65. Greg Garmon - RB - Pennsylvania
69. Michael Starts - OG - Texas
71. Troy Hinds - DE - Utah
72. James Ross - LB - Michigan
73. Jonathan Taylor - DT - Georgia
76. Avery Johnson - WR - Florida (LSU)
78. Se'von Pittman - DE - Ohio
84. Aaron Burbridge - WR - Michigan
86. Bryce Treggs - WR - California
90. Taylor Decker - OT - Ohio (Notre Dame)
91. Elijah Shumate - S - New Jersey
95. Peter Jinkens - LB - Texas (Texas)
96. Erik Magnuson - OT - California
98. Vincent Valentine - DT - Illinois
99. Dan Voltz - OT - Illinois (Wisconsin)
100. Evan Boehm - C - Missouri
101. Deaysean Rippy - LB - Pennsylvania
102. Jabari Ruffin - LB - California (USC)
104. Martin Aiken - DE - South Carolina
105. Royce Jenkins-Stone - LB - Michigan
106. Dwayne Stanford - WR - Ohio
107. Kendall Sanders - CB - Texas (Oklahoma State)
110. J.J. Denman - OT - Pennsylvania
111. Paul Thurston - OT - Colorado
112. Chris Wormley - DE - Ohio
116. Maty Mauk - QB - Ohio
119. Reginald Davis - WR - Texas (Texas Tech)
125. Jaquay Williams - WR - Georgia
127. Connor Brewer - QB - Arizona (Texas)
131. Danny O'Brien - DT - Michigan
137. Ron Thompson - TE - Michigan
139. Terry Richardson - CB - Michigan
143. Camren Williams - LB - Maryland (Penn State)
146. Devin Funchess - TE - Michigan
150. Devonte Fields - DE - Texas
151. Jarrod Wilson - S - Ohio
153. Ryan Watson - OG - Maryland
159. Greg McMullen - DE - Ohio
163. Devin Fuller - QB - New Jersey
164. Amara Darboh - WR - Iowa
165. Taylor McNamara - TE - California
166. Dalton Santos - LB - Texas (Oklahoma State)
170. Mike Madaras - OT - Maryland (Maryland)
171. John Michael McGee- C - Texas
174. Shane Callahan - OT - Colorado
176. Derrick Woods - WR - California
177. Armani Reeves - CB - Maryland
180. Mario Ojemudia - DE - Michigan
185. Zach Kline - QB - California (Cal)
188. Ondre Pipkins - DT - Missouri
191. Kyle Dodson - OG - Ohio
200. Tom Strobel - DE - Ohio
202. Ty Darlington - C - Florida
206. Kaleb Ringer - LB - Ohio
218. Vince Biegel - LB - Wisconsin
222. Deon Bush - CB - Florida
224. Evan Baylis - TE - Colorado
226. Jeremiah Tshimanga - LB - Texas (Oklahoma State)
237. Drew Harris - RB - Pennsylvania
238. Joe Bolden - LB - Ohio
246. D.J. Singleton - S - New Jersey
255. Sean Price - TE - Florida
259. Malik Gilmore - WR - California
260. Raphael Kirby - LB - Georgia
263. Wayne Morgan - CB - New York
264. Vonte Jackson - RB - Wisconsin (Wisconsin)
271. Brent Wilkerson - DE - Maryland (Penn State)
281. Latroy Pittman - WR - Florida (Florida)

Ray Vinopal, ex-Wolverine

Ray Vinopal makes a tackle against Illinois

Safety Ray Vinopal, who just finished his freshman season at Michigan, has left the team due to personal reasons.  Coach Brady Hoke did not elaborate on the reason for Vinopal's departure.

When Vinopal was recruited out of Cardinal Mooney (Youngstown, OH) last year, I was not a fan.  I pegged him as a probable backup and special teamer, but Vinopal ascended to the starting free safety role halfway through the season.  His rapid ascension was at least partially due to the ineffectiveness of early-season starter Cam Gordon; the departures of Vlad Emilien and Justin Turner; and injuries to J.T. Floyd and Troy Woolfolk.  My guess is that one of the latter three would have moved ahead of Vinopal at free safety once Gordon proved he wasn't up to the task.  And yet we saw #20, a 2-star recruit, find his way into the starting lineup.

Vinopal exceeded my expectations, but his play was nothing special.  He ended the season with 33 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1 interception, and 3 pass breakups.  He made a couple decent plays throughout the season (a pick against Bowling Green, a critical tackle on Mikel Leshoure of Illinois), but he was outmatched by the majority of Michigan's 2010 opponents - too small, a step too slow, or both.

Regardless of his shortcomings, he may have been the frontrunner for the starting free safety job in 2011.  Now Michigan will probably be in the same position it has been for the past few seasons - starting a very inexperienced youngster at the secondary's most critical position.  It was Jordan Kovacs, Mike Williams, and Woolfolk in 2009, Gordon and Vinopal in 2010, and . . . someone else in 2011.  Options include sophomores Carvin Johnson, Marvin Robinson, and Cullen Christian; freshman Tamani Carter; or a converted cornerback like Woolfolk or Floyd.  The situation is less than ideal.

As for the 2010 recruiting class, this is yet another blow to its quality and numbers.  Twenty-seven kids signed National Letters of Intent in February 2010, and only 21 remain.  Safety Demar Dorsey (now at Grand Rapids Community College), quarterback Conelius Jones (Marshall), linebacker Antonio Kinard (Miami), linebacker Davion Rogers (Youngstown State), and running back Austin White (Central Michigan) preceded Vinopal in leaving the program.

Vinopal has not announced a destination, although rumors have floated around that he might be headed to play at Pitt.  His former position coach at Michigan, Tony Gibson, is now the cornerbacks coach for the Panthers.  For those of you who are wondering, Pittsburgh is about one hour and fifteen minutes from Vinopal's hometown of Youngstown.  Ann Arbor is three hours and thirty minutes away.

Maize 'n' Brew: 2011 Recruiting Grades - Defense

Noy Alexander

I put up my weekly recruiting post over at Maize 'n' Brew if you're interested.

Maize 'n' Brew: 2011 Recruiting Grades - Offense

Sofia Vergara will read it.  Maybe.

I put up a post this morning over at Maize 'n' Brew that hands out grades for the 2011 recruiting class.  Head on over there to check it out if you're interested.

Statistical Analysis of 2011 Recruiting: By State

Last year I became curious about how successful Michigan was at recruiting each state.  That curiosity has spilled over to the 2011 class, and the chart above shows the percentages of successfully recruited players from each state.  This is all based upon offers recorded on the 2011 Offer Board located at the top of the page.  I can't promise that it's 100% accurate, because sometimes reporting of offers is a little bit iffy.  But it's the best I could do.

It should also be pointed out that Brady Hoke's late hiring as Michigan's coach somewhat skews the numbers.  Players who decommitted (Jake Fisher from Michigan; Matt Goudis from California; Kevin Sousa and Dallas Crawford from Florida) would have changed the numbers slightly.

As might be expected, Michigan was the most successfully recruited state.  Nearly 50% of in-state offers were accepted; the decommitment of Fisher was the only thing standing in the way.

Texas was a bit of a surprise.  Michigan pulled in three commitments from Texas - a heavily talented state - while only giving out eleven offers.  But it's a bit curious that Michigan's coaches didn't pursue more players in the state.  Running backs coach Fred Jackson has some contacts in Texas, and even though several Rich Rodriguez assistants had connections in Florida (where Michigan tossed out 43 offers), the success rate in Florida over the past couple years has been abysmal.  Michigan went 3-for-46 (7%) in Florida last year, and that number looks like an unbridled success when compared to the 1-for-43 showing this year (2%).

After crunching the numbers for two consecutive seasons, it seems that Michigan's coaches probably wasted quite a bit of time recruiting the Sunshine State.  Maybe it was a risk-reward thing with Rodriguez (after all, Denard Robinson is from Florida), but a batting average of .020 is horrible, no matter how you slice it.  When you hand out 190 offers, you probably spend quite a bit of time talking to kids or the coaches of kids who have very little chance of attending your university.  Perhaps Rich Rodriguez and Co. would have benefitted from making more intimate connections with fewer kids rather than, as one commenter said, "carpet bombing" the country with offers.

Ohio was once again recruited with some success (37% in 2010; 24% in 2011), and Hoke will surely continue to work hard in the state.  Even though Rodriguez got a large number of 2010 recruits from Ohio, he didn't seem to hit the state very hard in his last season.  The percentage of accepted offers jumped significantly once Hoke was hired.  He reeled in four recruits in approximately three weeks on the job, including the likes of Tamani Carter, Antonio Poole, Keith Heitzman, and Frank Clark.  Prior to his arrival, Rodriguez had accepted only three commitments from Ohioans - Greg Brown, Jack Miller, and Chris Rock.

Altogether, Michigan offered players from 27 different states.  The Wolverines struck out in twenty of them, including:

Pennsylvania: 12
Louisiana, New Jersey: 8
Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, South Carolina: 6
North Carolina, Virginia: 5
District of Columbia: 2
Arkansas, Colorado, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Wisconsin: 1

2011 Recruiting Awards

Offensive guard Chris Bryant

This is something I do every year, and it's a fun exercise for me:
2009 Recruiting Awards
2010 Recruiting Awards

Best overall recruit:  OG Chris Bryant
Bryant has the size, strength, footwork, and athleticism to be a great offensive lineman at Michigan.  As long as he can get rid of some of his bad weight and stay well conditioned throughout his career, I think he'll be an All-Big Ten player by the end of his career.

Best offensive recruit: Bryant
See above.

Best defensive recruit: CB Blake Countess
Countess isn't the biggest or fastest kid out there, but he's got a good quality for a cornerback - sticky.  Receivers just don't seem to get away from him.  He probably needs to bulk up before playing (we all saw what happened to Courtney Avery and Terrence Talbott last year), but he could be a slot corner early in his career before taking over on the outside after a year or two.

Recruit most likely to make an early impact: K Matt Wile
If former walk-on Seth Broekhuizen or redshirt sophomore Brendan Gibbons steps up his game, then Wile might not be needed as a freshman.  But those first two combined for 4-for-14 on field goals last season.  It's also entirely possible that Wile will redshirt as a freshman, but Michigan returns the vast majority of its two-deep from last season, so a lot of these 2011 recruits will probably be redshirted.  Wile seems like the best candidate.

Fastest recruit: CB/S Raymon Taylor
Taylor reminds me of departing cornerback James Rogers in many ways.  While Taylor is probably more physical, he has good straight-line speed and a smooth stride. 

Strongest recruit: Bryant
Bryant reports a bench press of 395 pounds and a squat of 420.  Even if he couldn't bench press Charlie Weis, all Bryant had to do with most high schoolers was get a hand on them and they fell to the ground, begging for mercy.

Best under-the-radar recruit: LB Desmond Morgan
Michigan has a good history with linebackers from western Michigan, and I like the fact that Morgan was a bulldozing quarterback in high school.  Quarterbacks just seem to understand the game better.  I think there will be a good battle for the middle linebacker job between Morgan and classmate Kellen Jones once redshirt junior Kenny Demens graduates.

Most overrated recruit: LB Frank Clark
The problem with this "award" is that nobody's rated very highly.  And while my choice if Rich Rodriguez were here would be Justice Hayes, I actually think Hayes will fit better in Hoke's system than that of Rodriguez.  I don't think Hayes is a threat to start anytime soon, but he could be a very good change-of-pace back.  So I'm going to go with Clark, who is only a 3-star.  But I haven't seen anything from Clark that shows me he's going to be a successful college football player, especially as a linebacker.  If he were rated as a 2-star recruit, I probably wouldn't bat an eyelash.  He has some potential with his size and speed, but he needs a lot of coaching.

Personal favorite recruit: LB Antonio Poole
This kid looks like the future at weakside linebacker.  He can run, he can hit, and best of all, he plays downhill.  He might have to bide his time for a couple years, but he might be the second coming of Larry Foote.

Statistical Analysis of 2011 Recruiting: By Team

Desmond Howard was one of many Michigan greats who grew up in Ohio

There's no real breaking news to report here.  It just gives you an idea who Michigan's biggest foes are in the recruiting world.  As you can see below, Ohio State is Enemy #1.  (For comparison's sake, not one of Michigan's commits this year had an offer from the Buckeyes, as far as I know.)  After that it falls off to Auburn, then Florida State, then a tie between Tennessee and Wisconsin, and then everyone else.

Below is a list of each school that pulled in at least one Michigan offeree.  For particular players, check the 2011 Offer Board:

Ohio State: 12

Auburn: 8

Florida State: 7

Tennessee, Wisconsin: 6

Alabama, Georgia, Miami, Notre Dame, Penn State, Pitt, Rutgers, South Carolina, USC: 5

Florida, LSU, North Carolina, Virgina, Virginia Tech: 4

Boston College, Clemson, Michigan State, Nebraska, Oregon, Texas, Texas Tech, UCLA: 3
Cal, Iowa, Mississippi, Stanford, Wake Forest: 2

Arizona State, Arkansas, Central Florida, Colorado, Georgia Tech, Houston, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa State, Kent State, Kentucky, NC State, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Purdue, SMU, Syracuse, TCU, Texas A&M, Troy, Tulane, Utah, Vanderbilt, West Virginia: 1
_________________________________________________________

Brady Hoke has stated that he wants to get back to recruiting the midwest, and that means beating Ohio State for recruits.  You can see that Wisconsin's recent success has made them a formidable opponent in recruiting.  And with as much as Rodriguez recruited the state of Pennsylvania, they lost out on 10 total recruits to the big state schools (PSU, Pitt).

Michigan State, as you can see, did not win many recruiting battles with Michigan.  Brennen Beyer, Frank Clark, Justice Hayes, and Jack Miller were all kids with MSU offers who chose the Wolverines.  And there has been some disagreement about whether MSU running back Onaje Miller was actually offered by Michigan, although I include him because his Rivals profile says so.  Overall, I would say Michigan came out the winner against their in-state rivals.

The Wolverines still have an uphill battle to win recruits away from Ohio State, and that's tough to do because Ohio typically has more talent than Michigan.  But if and when Michigan starts winning some of those battles on the field, I expect more and more recruits from the Toledo area (which is geographically closer to Ann Arbor than Columbus) to take interest in playing for the Wolverines.

Statistical Analysis of 2011 Recruiting: By Conference

If you tally the offers above, Michigan handed out 189 offers to high school recruits for the Class of 2011.  These offers were reported by recruiting sites (Rivals, Scout) or news sources (such as local newspapers).  Surely 189 isn't the exact number of offers sent out, because some kids probably never bothered reporting their Michigan offers and some kids probably exaggerated on their recruiting profiles.  But this represents all offers that were made available to my attention, both from Rich Rodriguez and new head coach Brady Hoke.

For comparison's sake, Rich Rodriguez offered 190 recruits in 2010.

Although Michigan can receive National Letters of Intent until April 1, it seems that the class has been capped at 20 recruits.  So some quick math tells us that 10.6% of recruits who were tendered scholarship offers from Michigan actually accepted that offer (compared to 14.2% last year).  Combining those 20 recruits with the 34 who pledged to other Big Ten schools (including Nebraska), a total of 54 offerees chose the Big Ten.

The twelve-team SEC was actually Michigan's biggest competition, accepting commitments from 42 players who were offered by the Maize and Blue.  The ACC reeled in the same number as the rest of the Big Ten: 34.

Jumping down the list, five recruits remain undecided or might be headed to junior college: Jadeveon Clowney, Shawn Conway, Taques Franklin, Prince Holloway, and Dexter Staley.  As #1 recruits are wont to do in recent years (Terrelle Pryor in 2008, Bryce Brown in 2009, Seantrel Henderson in 2010, etc.), this year's consensus #1 recruit, Jadeveon Clowney, has yet to make a decision.  He will likely choose an SEC school (probably South Carolina), further cementing the SEC as Michigan's prime competition for recruits.

One player, kicker Connor Loftus from California, chose to attend the University of Pennsylvania, an FCS school.

Interestingly, this is the exact same order that appeared during the 2010 recruiting cycle (NOTE: last year's chart did not include Michigan commitments in the Big Ten's total).  The 2010 class even featured the Big Ten garnering 54 Michigan offerees, an exact replica of the 2011 class.  That's flippin' weird.  Anyway, the Big Ten was then followed by the SEC, then the ACC, Pac-10, Big East, Big 12, etc.

That, folks, is a pattern.  Or . . . well . . . at least a coincidence.

2011 Offer Board Update

Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney

The 2011 Offer Board has been updated for nearly the last time.

A few prospects remain uncommitted, and the most notable one is the consensus #1 player in the country, Jadeveon Clowney.  He's likely to go to South Carolina, but he hasn't made anything official yet.  News is still pending on guys like receiver Prince Holloway and tight end/defensive end Taques Franklin, but at this point, uncommitted kids might be going the JUCO or prep school route.

For all the signing day updates and recent commitments, here's the list from Wednesday.

Meanwhile, I've started updating the 2012 Offer Board.  If you have any recruits to add to that list, please e-mail me or leave a comment.  Official offers can't be handed out until August 1, so all we have to go on right now is reports of verbal offers.