School in the News: Wisconsin

Antonio Williams (image via 247Sports.com)

Well, head coach Gary Andersen pulled a shocker this evening when it was announced that he was leaving Wisconsin for the ripe football program at . . . Oregon State? In the world of rodents, I guess Beavers are cooler than Badgers.

I didn't care much when Oregon State lost Mike Riley to Nebraska, because Michigan doesn't compete with the Beavers for recruits very often. But Wisconsin and Michigan do cross paths quite a bit on the recruiting trail. In fact, class of 2016 running back Antonio Williams - who had developed a good relationship with Michigan assistant coach Roy Manning - just committed to the Badgers last week. So depending on the hire in Madison goes, Michigan might be able to get back in the equation if they make a good hire in Ann Arbor.

2015 commits with Michigan offers: None
2016 commits with Michigan offers: RB Antonio Williams
Roster players recruited by Michigan (with 2015 eligibility): OL Ray Ball (5th), LB Vince Biegel (RS Jr.), RB Corey Clement (Jr.), RB Melvin Gordon (5th), QB Tanner McEvoy (5th), DE Conor Sheehy (So.), OL Dan Voltz (RS Jr.), Robert Wheelwright (Jr.)

I wouldn't expect anything to come out of this for Michigan as far as transfers, but the coaching change may have a slight effect. There's no doubt that Wisconsin would want a run-heavy coach to fit their personnel since they've been having quite a bit of success, so someone like former Wisconsin offensive coordinator Paul Chryst (now the head coach at Pitt) makes sense.

School in the News: Nebraska

After going 9-3 this season, Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini was fired. Over his career at Nebraska - his first career head coaching stop - Pelini had a 67-27 record and never had fewer than nine victories and was 4-3 in bowl games. However, his three division conference titles were not followed by conference championships, and he lost at least four games in every season except the current one.

I do not expect the fallout from his firing to affect Michigan very much, since the two schools have not crossed paths very often in the current or upcoming recruiting cycles. Furthermore, nobody who chose Nebraska over Michigan was strongly considering the Wolverines.

2015 commits with Michigan offers: None
Roster players offered by Michigan: WR Kevin Gladney, S Charles Jackson, DE Greg McMullen, LB David Santos, S D.J. Singleton, OG Paul Thurston, DT Vincent Valentine, DT Kevin Williams

Pelini played college football at Ohio State and has spent a lot of time as a defensive coordinator, including at Nebraska, Oklahoma, and LSU. He has also spent some time as a position coach in the NFL. He could go somewhere else and become a head coach (after all, there are lots of teams who would love to win 9 or 10 games a season), or he could return to being a defensive coordinator at the college level.

School in the News: Florida

Will Muschamp was fired as Florida's head coach, even though he has agreed to coach the Gators' final two games of the year. He currently has a 5-4 record with games against Eastern Kentucky and Florida State remaining, plus a potential bowl game. His overall head coaching record stands at 27-20.

The recruiting impact of coaching changes is often minimal, so Michigan should not expect any of the fallout to affect them. The most interesting thing to watch will be whom Florida targets as the next head coach, because Michigan will also likely be looking for a head coach in the near future. Mississippi State's Dan Mullen and Arizona's Rich Rodriguez seem to be the coaches with the most buzz for the Florida job right now. Mullen could also be an option for Michigan; obviously, Rodriguez would not be.

Anyway, here's a look at Florida's current recruiting class and roster, should this development affect the Wolverines at all:

Offered 2015 commits: C Tyler Jordan
Offered players on roster: LB Alex Anzalone, WR Alvin Bailey, DT Jay-nard Bostwick, DT Khairi Clark, CB Vernon Hargreaves III, OT D.J. Humphries, S Marcus Maye, C Tyler Moore, S Brian Poole, LB Matt Rolin, CB Jalen Tabor, and S Quincy Wilson

Of those players, only Alvin Bailey was ever somewhat serious about coming to Michigan.

On a couple side notes, Cincinnati offensive tackle George Brown is committed to Florida; he was never offered by Michigan, but he did garner a lot of recruiting hype and Michigan's lack of interest was somewhat curious.

Also, former Michigan quarterback commit Kevin Sousa's brother, Ryan, is a freshman wideout for the Gators.

Also also, a couple former Michigan residents are on Florida's squad: Canton offensive linemen Cameron Dillard and Madison Heights Madison wide receiver Valdez Showers.

School in the News: Vanderbilt

James Franklin has finally been announced as the new head coach at Penn State, leaving Vanderbilt after building them up into the exciting next big thing in the SEC. Franklin, a young and energetic guy, grew up in Pennsylvania and played college football there, so he knows the area and could prove to be a thorn in Michigan's side as they try to recruit the state.

But in the meantime, the school without a head coach is Vanderbilt. As you can see, Michigan and Vanderbilt don't cross paths on the recruiting trail very often.

2014 commits with Michigan offers: None
Current roster players recruited by Michigan: WR Jordan Cunningham (Fr.), CB Ryan White (Fr.)

Cunningham and White were not heavily interested in Michigan during their recruitments, and I wouldn't anticipate that Vanderbilt's program changes will have any effect on the Wolverines going forward. As mentioned above, the bigger concern is that Franklin will now be coaching and recruiting for the Nittany Lions in what I would assume to be a long-term career in Happy Valley.

School in the News: Louisville

Charlie Strong

Louisville head coach Charlie Strong has informed the administration that he's accepting the Texas Longhorns head coaching job, meaning the Cardinals' recruiting class is up for grabs. Here's a look at the Louisville players Michigan has recruited:

2014 commits with Michigan offers: None
Current roster players recruited by Michigan: LB Keith Brown (So.), RB Corvin Lamb (RS So.), TE Zeke Pike (RS Fr.), WR James Quick (Fr.)

As you can see, Michigan generally doesn't have a big battle on its hands when it comes to Louisville. Strong's connections in southern Florida have helped him land guys like Brown and Lamb, and Pike is a bit of a troubled soul who landed at Louisville. The most notable guy is wideout James Quick, who was highly touted in the class of 2013, played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, and had 73 yards receiving as a true freshman.

Former Michigan defensive backs coach Vance Bedford has been Strong's defensive coordinator in Louisville, and I would expect him to head to Austin as well. He's developed enough of a resume that he would probably not be a candidate to rejoin Michigan in anything other than a coordinator role, and Greg Mattison isn't going anywhere soon.

School in the News: Penn State

Well, Penn State coach Bill O'Brien is off to the Houston Texans, putting the status of the Nittany Lions' program and recruiting class in question yet again. The two most logical choices to replace O'Brien are former Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano, who is a former PSU assistant coach and just got fired from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and current Miami Hurricanes head coach Al Golden, a former Nittany Lion player and assistant coach.

Roster players recruited by Michigan: DE Deion Barnes, RB Bill Belton, TE Adam Breneman, LB Ben Kline, OG Brendan Mahon, DE C.J. Olaniyan, DE Anthony Zettel, RB Zach Zwinak
2014 commits offered by Michigan: S Marcus Allen, CB Troy Vincent, Jr.

I would not expect any players to transfer to Michigan, and Michigan didn't pursue Allen or Vincent very hard in the first place, so I doubt O'Brien's departure will have any effect on Michigan in the immediate future. Olaniyan and Zettel are both from the state of Michigan, but both would likely be starting next season in Happy Valley. Obviously, the bigger question would be Penn State's recruiting going forward.

I saw O'Brien speak at a clinic in Pennsylvania a couple years ago, and while he gave a rousing speech geared toward PA coaches and taking pride in the Nittany Lions, the entire time I was thinking to myself, "This is great and all, but you're going to be out the door as soon as a bigger job opens up for you." Obviously, nobody should blame the guy for taking an NFL if that's what he wants to do, but it just shows that players should commit to programs instead of coaches. Freshman quarterback Christian Hackenberg, who had a solid season as the starter and was rated by many as the #1 quarterback in the 2013 class, is reportedly considering a transfer.

School in the News: Texas

After many rumors and much turmoil, Texas head coach Mack Brown stepped down from coaching the Longhorns on Saturday. Here's a look at their recruits and players that Michigan has pursued:

2014 commits: LB Otaro Alaka, CB Jermaine Roberts
2015 commit: OG Aaron Garza
Roster players: CB Antwuan Davis (Fr.), S Sheroid Evans (Jr.), K Anthony Fera (Sr.)*, OT Garrett Greenlea (So.), LB Jordan Hicks (Jr.), DT Desmond Jackson (Jr.), DE Jackson Jeffcoat (Sr.)*, LB Peter Jinkens (So.), WR Jake Oliver (Fr.), RB Jalen Overstreet (So.), C Jake Raulerson (Fr.), WR Kendall Sanders (So.), LB Dalton Santos (So.), S Josh Turner (So.)

*Seniors who would be unable to transfer

None of Texas's players or commits visited Michigan during the recruiting process, as far as I know. Most of them are from Texas or at least Big 12 country, and Jordan Hicks - who's from Ohio - never seemed interested in the Wolverines. Therefore, I don't expect that the coaching change in Austin will have any tangible impact on Michigan. Alabama head coach Nick Saban was thought to be a potential replacement for Brown, but now that Saban has signed an extension with the Crimson Tide, the Longhorns will presumably have to go in a different direction. Some of the names mentioned for the head job at Texas include Baylor's Art Briles, Florida State's Jimbo Fisher, Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy, Auburn's Gus Malzahn, Ohio State's Urban Meyer, LSU's Les Miles, UCLA's Jim Mora Jr., Stanford's David Shaw, and Louisville's Charlie Strong.

Schools in the News: Washington, USC

Southern California hired Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian away from the Huskies, which opens up recruiting season in the Pac-12. Michigan doesn't typically compete with Washington for recruits, but here's a look at the players and commits for each program that were recruited by Michigan.

WASHINGTON
2014 commits: None
Current players: TE Darrell Daniels, DE Joe Mathis, DT Elijah Qualls, S Sean Parker*, WR John Ross, WR Da'morea Stringfellow, S Shaq Thompson

USC
2014 commits: None
Current players: Hit the link.

USC's coaching/recruiting situation was addressed in the link above, which included a couple guys who thought seriously about Michigan. If they don't like what Sarkisian brings to the table, they could look to transfer. However, Sarkisian's history at USC and his relatively similar style of play to what the Trojans have been running will probably result in very little change of direction for the program.

As for the Huskies, we'll see whom they hire. Parker very nearly signed with Michigan several years ago, but that's water under the bridge. Mathis was very high on Michigan at one point, but he supposedly had some grade issues that scared off some teams, and he was also prone to saying very nice things about every school. Qualls was a part-time high school running back and seemed like another kid with fairly high interest in Michigan, but he never visited. Thompson, a 5-star safety, made some noise about visiting but was never a serious option, and the rest of the guys never showed much interest.

I do not expect this coaching development to have any effect on Michigan, but the guys to look at most closely would be Washington's Mathis and Qualls, plus USC's Ty Isaac and Leon McQuay III.

*Senior in 2013

School in the News: Oregon

Oregon head coach Chip Kelly will now be coaching another mostly green team with wings on its helmets, the Philadelphia Eagles.  Chances are slim that Michigan might benefit from this turn of events, but it's worth taking a look anyway.

2013 Oregon commit with Michigan offer: WR Darren Carrington
Current roster players recruited by Michigan: DE Arik Armstead, TE Evan Baylis, TE Pharaoh Brown, OT Jake Fisher, DT Ricky Heimuli, CB Dior Mathis, QB Jake Rodrigues, WR Dwayne Stanford, OT Andre Yruretagoyena

Oregon is expected to promote offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich to head coach, so the program won't change much, and I wouldn't expect mass defections.

Schools in the News: Wisconsin

News came out this afternoon that Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema, who played linebacker at Iowa, has been hired as the new Arkansas Razorbacks head coach.  The Badgers have generally lost to Michigan and other big-time teams in recruiting battles, but they have a few offerees who might be of Michigan fans' interest.

2013 Wisconsin commits: Rob Wheelwright
2014 Wisconsin commits: Conor Sheehy
Current roster players: LB Vince Biegel, RB Melvin Gordon, RB Vonte Jackson, OG Dan Voltz, RB James White

For what it's worth, I really liked Biegel and Voltz when they were coming out of high school; regardless, it's unlikely that Michigan could grab any current roster members from Wisconsin because players usually don't transfer within the conference.  Sometimes it's interesting to think about what could have been, though.

Meanwhile, Sheehy visited Michigan, and the Wolverines were supposedly high on his list, so it might be possible to coax him into decommitting.  Wheelwright never seemed to be seriously interested in the Wolverines, although Michigan would still like to add a wide receiver to the class.  The Badgers also have a commitment from 2014 quarterback Chance Stewart, a pro-style guy from Sturgis (MI) Sturgis. Several Michigan people thought that he would jump on an offer from Michigan, but he never earned that offer and one didn't seem to be forthcoming anytime soon.

I am somewhat surprised by Bielema's departure from Madison because he seemed like a Big Ten guy, but he may have realized that a national championship would be difficult to achieve at Wisconsin.  While he did an excellent job of taking mid-level recruits and turning them into Big Ten champions, record holders, and such, he just didn't seem to garner the elite athletes that one needs to win national championships and dominate the conference.  Now he'll have the SEC name, the weather, and the recruiting territory to build an even more athletic version of his teams at Wisconsin.  The biggest question to me is whether he'll be able to make the guys in the south buy into his program as well as he did with the Badgers.  Personally, I have never been a fan of Bielema because of his pompous attitude, so he'll fit just fine in SEC country.

It may be interesting to see what direction the Badgers go now with their coaching situation.  I would not be surprised to see former offensive coordinator Paul Chryst come back to Wisconsin.  He did a great job of running their offense prior to this season and would seem like a natural fit to keep that program running without any hiccups.  And that would be quite unfortunate for the Pitt Panthers, who could be on the cusp of losing a second coach after just a one-year stint.  Todd Graham coached there for the 2011 season before bolting for Arizona State, and now Chryst's old stomping grounds might lure him back after just one season in Pittsburgh.

Schools in the News

Danny Hope at Purdue, Tom O'Brien at North Carolina State, and Gene Chizik at Auburn have reportedly been fired.  This post is more for posterity's sake than anything, since Michigan rarely gets transfers and probably can't grab any of the commits listed, but it's still interesting to consider.

Here's a look at the guys on their respective rosters and commitment lists who were offered by Michigan:

Purdue 2013 commits: None
Purdue roster members: CB Ricardo Allen, WR O.J. Ross, DT Ryan Watson, LB Armstead Williams

North Carolina State 2013 commits: None
North Carolina State roster members: OT Rob Crisp, WR Hakeem Flowers

Auburn 2013 commits: DE Tashawn Bower, RB Jordan Wilkins
Auburn roster members: RB Mike Blakely, WR Quan Bray, OT Shane Callahan, OT Jordan Diamond, QB Kiehl Frazier, LB Kris Frost, TE Brandon Fulse, C Alex Kozan, DE Corey Lemonier, RB Tre Mason, CB Jonathan Mincy, WR Trovon Reed, OG Greg Robinson, OG Christian Westerman, WR JaQuay Williams, OT Avery Young