Dayton Daily News: Hoke speaks in Kettering, OH

Amanda Kay

I don't know what the Agonis Club is, but they had an awards banquet in Kettering, OH, and the guest speaker was Brady Hoke.  Like he often does, Coach Hoke said some funny things while talking about recruiting within the Big Ten, Roy Roundtree's jersey number, and a few other topics.

Video: Interview with Jaylan Grandison

Jaylan Grandison is a 6'4'', 190 pound 2014 wide receiver out of Montreal (Canada).  He recently spoke with Tom VanHaaren after a 7-on-7 tournament in Auburn Hills, MI, about his game, his cast and his visit to Michigan.  

Scouting Report: Devon Allen

Phoenix (AZ) Brophy Prep wide receiver Devon Allen

Name: Devon Allen
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 190 lbs.
Position: Wide receiver
Class: 2013
High school: Phoenix (AZ) Brophy Prep

Notes: Holds offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Colorado State, Duke, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Purdue, Stanford, Tennessee, UCLA, Utah, Vanderbilt, and Washington . . . Claims a 4.5 forty . . . As a junior in 2011, had 44 receptions for 844 yards and 14 touchdowns . . . ESPN 3-star WR, 74 grade, #70 WR . . . Rivals 4-star WR, #15 WR, #129 overall . . . Scout 4-star, #17 WR . . . 247 Sports 3-star WR, 86 grade, #48 WR

Strengths: Good route runner . . . Knows how to set up opposing defensive backs . . . Changes speeds well . . . Good deep speed . . . Fast enough to threaten over-the-top coverage . . . Enough burst to split safeties and force poor pursuit angles . . . Willing blocker . . . Able to catch ball in traffic

Weaknesses: Not a whole lot of wiggle . . . Lacks ability to create plays in small spaces . . . Lacks strength to break tackles and block . . . Needs to improve blocking technique, as many of his blocks could easily be holding penalties . . . Doesn't show much leaping ability or the judgment to catch jump balls

Projection: Split end or slot receiver.  A typical spread offense would likely use Allen at slot receiver, but Michigan's emphasis on the run suggests that a mediocre blocker like Allen would best be used out wide.  He has good straight line speed, but he can be corralled and tackled in tight spaces.  Added strength would be a huge plus for him if he can maintain his speed, because breaking one tackle could set him off to the races in single coverage.  Allen could also help out in the kickoff return game, although he likely lacks the lateral agility needed to return punts.

Reminds me of: Darryl Stonum

AnnArbor.com: Michigan football team trains with Navy SEALs

Brady Hoke and the Michigan coaching staff recently sent 22 senior players to California for some leadership training with the Navy SEALs.

Rivals250 for 2013 updated

The Rivals250 was updated on Wednesday morning.  Here's what it looked like back in February.  And here's what the Rivals100 looked like when it was released yesterday.

Here are the moves by Michigan recruits:

- Jake Butt dropped from #96 to #118
- Jourdan Lewis jumped from #167 to #147
- David Dawson jumped from #199 to #171
- Taco Charlton jumped from #183 to #175
- Wyatt Shallman dropped from #160 to #182
- Logan Tuley-Tillman dropped from #109 to #235
- Ben Gedeon dropped from #224 to #237

4-stars:
102. Evan Lisle - OT - Ohio (Ohio State)
104. Scott Pagano - DT - Hawaii
106. Greg Webb - DT - New Jersey (Penn State)
107. Steve Elmer - OT - Michigan (Notre Dame)
108. Keith Ford - RB - Texas (Oklahoma)
118. Jake Butt - TE - Ohio (Michigan)
128. Jordan Wilkins - RB - Tennessee
129. Devon Allen - WR - Arizona
132. Alvin Bailey - WR - Florida
141. Eldridge Massington - WR - Texas (USC)
145. Kevin Olsen - QB - New Jersey (Miami)
147. Jourdan Lewis - CB - Michigan (Michigan)
148. Al-Quadin Muhammad - DE - New Jersey
151. Billy Price - DT - Ohio (Ohio State)
154. Jordan Cunningham - WR - Florida
156. Darrell Daniels - WR - California
158. Ishmael Wilson - OG - Texas (Texas A&M)
161. Tim Harris - CB - Virginia (Virginia)
162. Sebastian Larue - WR - California
165. Brendan Mahon - OG - Massachusetts (Penn State)
171. David Dawson - OG - Michigan (Michigan)
172. Elijah Daniel - DE - Indiana
175. Taco Charlton - DE - Ohio (Michigan)
177. Maurice Smith - CB - Texas
179. Jayme Thompson - S - Ohio (Ohio State)
182. Wyatt Shallman - ATH - Michigan (Michigan)
202. Cole Luke - CB - Arizona
207. James Quick - WR - Kentucky
214. Paul Harris - WR - Maryland
220. Standish Dobard - TE - California (Miami)
221. Nadir Barnwell - ATH - New Jersey
222. Ross Douglas - CB - Ohio (Penn State)
230. Uriah LeMay - WR - North Carolina
232. Yannick Ngakoue - LB - Washington, D.C.
235. Logan Tuley-Tillman - OT - Illinois (Michigan)

237. Ben Gedeon - LB - Ohio (Michigan)

241. Jason Hatcher - DE - Kentucky

Video: Interview with Da'Shawn Hand

Ask a Question: Chris Wormley

Image via seanworkphotography.com

I should be talking with incoming defensive lineman Chris Wormley from Toledo, OH, in the next day or two.  If you have any questions for him, leave them in the comments section, and I'll address them in the interview.

AnnArbor.com: Borges is 2-0 against Alabama's Nick Saban

Marzia Prince

When Al Borges was Auburn's offensive coordinator, he went 2-0 against the Crimson Tide.  Hopefully he can continue his trend of beating Nick Saban-led teams.

Video: Interview with Csont'e York

Rivals100 for 2013 updated

Rivals updated their top 100 players for the class of 2013.  Here's what it looked like back in February when it was released and here's the original Rivals250 for added reference.

Movers and shakers for Michigan:

- Shane Morris dropped from #16 to #22
- Mike McCray dropped from #44 to #55
- Chris Fox dropped from #46 to #57
- Patrick Kugler dropped from #54 to #73
- Kyle Bosch dropped from #60 to #77
- Dymonte Thomas dropped from #77 to #95
- Jake Butt dropped out of the top 100

And here's the rest of the list:

5-stars:
3. Kendall Fuller - CB - Maryland
4. Jaylon Smith - LB - Indiana
7. Laremy Tunsil - OT - Florida
8. Su'a Cravens - S - California
9. Vernon Hargreaves III - CB - Florida
10. Montravius Adams - DT - Georgia
12. Derrick Green - RB - Virginia
13. Cam Burrows - CB - Ohio (Ohio State)

4-stars:
19. Eli Woodard - CB - New Jersey (Ohio State)
20. Joey Bosa - DE - Florida (Ohio State)
21. E.J. Levenberry, Jr. - LB - Virginia (Florida State)

22. Shane Morris - QB - Michigan (Michigan)

24. Ty Isaac - RB - Illinois (USC)
26. Eddie Vanderdoes - DT - California
27. Adam Breneman - TE - Pennsylvania (Penn State)
31. Marquez North - WR - North Carolina
33. Leon McQuay III - S - Florida
34. Robert Foster - WR - Pennsylvania
35. Jonathan Allen - DE - Virginia (Alabama)
36. Ethan Pocic - OT - Illinois
39. Laquon Treadwell - WR - Illinois
40. Dorian O'Daniel - LB - Maryland (Clemson)
41. Justin Davis - RB - California (USC)
49. Alex Anzalone - LB - Pennsylvania
51. Michael Hutchings - LB - California
52. Henry Poggi - DT - Maryland
55. Mike McCray - LB - Ohio (Michigan)
56. Larenz Bryant - LB - North Carolina
57. Chris Fox - OT - Colorado (Michigan)
61. Jake Raulerson - OT - Texas (Texas)
62. Demorea Stringfellow - WR - California
68. Priest Willis - S - Arizona
71. Joe Mathis - DE - California
72. Jake Oliver - WR - Texas (Texas)
73. Patrick Kugler - OT - Pennsylvania (Michigan)
75. Wyatt Teller - DE - Virginia
77. Kyle Bosch - OT - Illinois (Michigan)
78. Chris Hawkins - CB - California (USC)
79. John Montelus - OG - Massachusetts (Notre Dame)
80. Peter Kalambayi - LB - North Carolina
85. Tray Matthews - CB - Georgia (Georgia)
89. Michael Hill - DT - South Carolina
93. Antwuan Davis - CB - Texas (Texas)

95. Dymonte Thomas - S - Ohio (Michigan)

Tom Strobel Answers Your Questions

Mentor (OH) Mentor defensive end Tom Strobel (#36)

Defensive lineman Tom Strobel was indoctrinated into Ohio State culture from childhood, received an Ohio State scholarship offer, and even admitted to favoring the Buckeyes in the early stages of his recruitment.  Aside from being raised in Ohio and identified as one of the top prospects in the nation, Tom graduated with a 3.8 GPA, maintains a focus on academics, and talks about a strong commitment to his team and "doing things the right way."

In short, he's just the kind of recruit that Brady Hoke and the coaches love to reel in.

Tom was recently nice enough to volunteer a few minutes of his time to update Michigan fans on several topics and answer a couple reader questions.

Playing 5-tech, playing early:  "As far as right now, the plan is that I'm going to play the 5-technique - not necessarily starting but just getting in the rotation.  That's really what I'm looking to do. . . . The plan is to not redshirt me.  If they chose to, then I'd be more than willing to take it, but I'm ready to play whenever they need me."

Height and weight, greasy food:  "I'm 6'6'' and 255/260 [lbs.], but I'll definitely be putting on weight.  In the off-season I dropped weight because I started to get a little bit fat, so I'm putting on weight the right way now. . . As long as I can still move, I'll get as big as I can.  I've got so much room to put on weight - I'll get bigger right off the bat.  I'm nowhere near my full potential. . . . I try not to eat any greasy or fast food because that just destroys me.  I can tell the difference when I don't eat something right; I feel it in my workouts.  I know my body that well now."

Studying with Matt Godin:  "I'm looking to go into business and finance.  My ultimate goal would be to get into the business school.  That's difficult to do, but I'll buckle down and see if I can get in there because that will be better for my future and help me get a job, hopefully after I go to the NFL.  But I've been working so hard.  My parents have pushed me my whole life to do well in academics. . . . My roommate Matt Godin - who will also be doing business with me - we'll be working hard together."

Respect your enemy:  "There are just a lot of Ohio State fans [in Mentor, Ohio].  They're just everywhere.  You get the closet Michigan fan every once in a while who'll say, 'I'm so excited for you to go [to Michigan],' and then they walk away. . . . So I've adjusted, and my family's adjusted because we grew up Ohio State fans. . . . I think Ohio State is a great place, a great program, and they've done some awesome things, so all respect to them.  But aside from that, when they were recruiting me, the coaches would be around, but it didn't seem like they were truly 100% focused on you.  And that's what I look for, so it was like, 'Do you really want me that bad?  Obviously you don't.'  They stopped by and talked to me and gave me their little tour, but I didn't get that feeling from them or from the coaches that I actually had a future with the team, and they wanted me to do things with them.  They didn't really give me that push, so I didn't really like that about them.  And also, their academics are decent, but when it came to Michigan - I mean, hell, look at their reputation as being the Ivy League school of the Big Ten.  And the coaches at Michigan were so welcoming and helped me.  At first, I was like, 'Is this too good to be true?  Can these guys really be this nice?' And they really are.  And then at Ohio State, who knows where I'd be playing  there.  They wanted to move me down to defensive tackle or something. . . . It just wasn't very clear.  It was an uncertain future.  And that was before Tressel got booted.  I had no idea about that situation before I committed [to Michigan], whatsoever."

A singer and thespian:  "I love to sing.  I sing whenever I can. . . . I was in choir in ninth grade, and I was in a musical this year.  They were begging me for years to do some sort of play or musical with the school.  So I did the musical the Titanic this year, and I won the lead role.

Smart Football: Gus Malzahn discusses how to attack Alabama's defense

Hopefully Al Borges and Co. can have some success when they take on Alabama.

Video: NCAA Football '13 (Michigan vs. Maryland)

If you're bored, read the comments on the Youtube page for the video.  Some people are extremely oversensitive when it comes to video games.

Recruiting Update: May 28, 2012

St. Clairsville (OH) St. Clairsville linebacker Michael Ferns

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2013
Tampa (FL) Spoto athlete Eric Moate was offered by Michigan.  Moate is a very productive high school running back (111 carries, 1224 yards, 14 touchdowns), but at 5'11" and 170 lbs., Michigan probably prefers him for the cornerback position.  He's a very quiet recruit and doesn't talk much to the media.  Iowa, Purdue, South Florida, West Virginia, and others have also extended offers.


ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2014
Charlotte (NC) Christian tight end Jeb Blazevich received a Michigan offer.  Blazevich is a 6'5", 240 lb. tight end who had 32 catches for 513 yards and 6 touchdowns as a sophomore.  He already holds offers from Georgia, LSU, North Carolina, Ohio State, and South Carolina, among others. (Highlights here.)

Tarpon Springs (FL) East Lake offensive tackle Mason Cole was offered by Michigan.  He's 6'5", 267 lbs. and has offers from Florida State, Ohio State, and South Carolina, among others.  Most of his interest seems to lie in the south, so I wouldn't get my hopes up for him.

St. Clairsville (OH) St. Clairsville linebacker Michael Ferns was offered by Michigan.  He's 6'3", 235 lbs. and has been offered by Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Stanford, and several others.  As a sophomore in 2011, Ferns had 130 tackles.  He also plays tight end and could play there in college.


Florissant (MO) Hazelwood Central offensive tackle Roderick Johnson was offered by Michigan.  He's a 6'7", 310 lb. tackle with offers from Iowa and Missouri. (Highlights here.)

Wiley (TX) Wiley safety T'Kevian Rockwell received a Michigan offer.  The 6'1", 190 lb. defensive back already has offers from Nebraska and Virginia.

OFF THE BOARD
Ashburn (VA) Stone Bridge defensive end Jonathan Allen committed to Alabama.  I did a scouting report on him a few months ago, and I wasn't particularly impressed with what I saw.

Wayne (NJ) Wayne Hills quarterback Kevin Olsen committed to Miami.  I stopped paying much attention to Olsen a long time ago since Michigan has Shane Morris in the fold, but he does look like a capable quarterback.  If you look at the list of the top quarterbacks in the country for 2013, the vast majority of them have already committed somewhere.  That often seems to be the case, since once a quarterback - frequently the leader of a team - gets on board, he can start recruiting other guys.

Ashburn (VA) Briar Woods linebacker Matt Rolin committed to South Carolina.  Rolin never strongly considered Michigan, and the Wolverines are supposedly done with linebacker recruiting, anyway, so it's not a significant loss.

Big Ten Blog: Top 10 players in Big 10

Lisa Ramos

The Big Ten Blog's Brian Bennett writes about the top ten players in the Big Ten.  It's no surprise that Wisconsin running back Montee Ball is #1 on the list, but is Rex Burkhead really better than Denard Robinson?  I feel like Seth Meyers, but really?

Video: Oakland NFTC invites seven to The Opening

Mini Scouting Report: Derrick Green

Richmond (VA) Hermitage running back Derrick Green

I attended a 7-on-7 tournament on Saturday in which Michigan target Derrick Green participated.  Green is a 6'0", 215 lb. running back from Richmond (VA) Hermitage.  He has offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Clemson, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, USC, Virginia Tech, etc.

A 7-on-7 setting is not the best opportunity for him to show off his skills.  First of all, he plays running back, a position that's usually just used for checkdown purposes in 7-on-7.  Hermitage was running a lot of plays out of the Pistol formation, which means Green was aligned behind the shotgun quarterback.  They must be planning to use the Pistol this season because they were incorporating play action, even though you can't run the ball in 7-on-7.  On most plays Green would just sit and "block" at the line of scrimmage, so he wasn't targeted very often.  As far as I saw, Green didn't play a single down of defense.

Green is not very adept at catching the ball.  He dropped three passes that I saw, all of which were in the end zone - a flare, an out, and a wheel.  He fought the ball all the way in each time, too.  The balls were pretty well placed for him to catch, and he just bobbled them and eventually dropped them.  It wasn't a case of him letting them slip through his hands or turning his head upfield to run before he caught the ball; he just looked very clumsy.

He did, however, catch a couple flare routes later in the day.  One he caught just in front of a linebacker and was touched down after a couple yards.  On another he caught the ball with some room to run, and I can tell you that nobody would have wanted to jump in front of him once he got going.  It's clear that once he gets his 215 lbs. going upfield, he's going to be a force.

As for his size, I wouldn't bat an eyelash if you told me he was 220 or 225.  He's built like a Mack truck.  I was standing next to him at one point and 5'11" or 6'0" seems pretty accurate.  He's not any taller than 6'0".  There were spectators around who had no clue that Green was an elite recruit, and I heard whispers saying, "Let's go watch that #27."  He's quite a physical specimen.

Overall, nothing really surprised me about him.  He's huge, lean, and fast in a straight line.  He's not going to juke many people, and he doesn't appear to be a threat out of the backfield.  He was a pretty quiet kid.  He wasn't brash or cocky and genuinely seemed to fit in with his teammates.

AnnArbor.com: Michigan team still searches for #2 running back

Kate Upton

It seems as though people are still wondering who the second running back will be this fall, but it sure seems to me that Thomas Rawls has pretty much sewed up the role.

Photo: Roy Roundtree and Denard Robinson with Navy SEALs

Roy Roundtree and Denard Robinson pose with some Navy SEALs

There's nothing to this post except to share this photo, which was posted on the Michigan football team's Facebook page.

Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge

In what appears to be Rivals' response to ESPN's "The Opening," the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge will take place in Atlanta from June 22-24.  The recruiting service is inviting 80 prospects for the class of 2013 and 20 prospects for the class of 2014.

Here are the participants that Michigan is targeting:

Montravius Adams - DT - Georgia
Adam Breneman - TE - Pennsylvania (Penn State)
Cameron Burrows - CB - Ohio (Ohio State)
K.C. Crosby - LB - South Carolina*
Antwuan Davis - CB - Texas (Texas)
Justin Davis - RB - California (USC)
David Dawson - OG - Michigan (Michigan)
Chris Fox - OT - Colorado (Michigan)
Derrick Green - RB - Virginia
Da'Shawn Hand - DE - Virginia*
Chris Hawkins - CB - California (USC)
Sebastian LaRue - WR - California
Demetrius Knox - OT - Texas*
Brendan Mahon - OT - Massachusetts (Penn State)
Eldridge Massington - WR - Texas (USC)
Joe Mathis - DE - California
Mike McCray - LB - Ohio (Michigan)
Malik McDowell - DE - Michigan*
Leon McQuay - S - Florida
Marquez North - WR - North Carolina
Dorian O'Daniel - LB - Maryland (Clemson)
Jake Raulerson - OT - Texas (Texas)
Bo Scarbrough - WR - Alabama*
Jaylon Smith - LB - Indiana
Demorea Stringfellow - WR - California
Jalen Tabor - CB - Washington, D.C.*
LaQuon Treadwell - WR - Illinois
Casey Tucker - OT - Arizona*
Eddie Vanderdoes - DT - California
Shaq Wiggins - CB - Georgia (Georgia)
Ishmael Wilson - OT - Texas (Texas A&M)
Eli Woodard - CB - New Jersey (Ohio State)

*Denotes 2014 prospect

Phil Steele: Michigan is #22 team for 2012

Claudia Sampedro

Phil Steele has released his preview for Michigan, and he ranks Michigan at #22.  That seems a little low to me.  I think Michigan is probably a top 15 team, but we'll see how the season sorts itself out.

Phil Steele's preseason All-Big Ten Team

The famed Phil Steele released his preseason All-Big Ten list on Wednesday, and since Steele is often pretty accurate with his predictions, I'll give them a look.  You can click through to see the whole team, but here are Michigan's representatives on his four-deep list:

FIRST TEAM
QB: Denard Robinson
WR: Roy Roundtree
OT: Taylor Lewan

SECOND TEAM
RB: Fitzgerald Toussaint
LB: Kenny Demens
CB: J.T. Floyd
S: Jordan Kovacs

THIRD TEAM
OG: Patrick Omameh
DE: Craig Roh
PR: Jeremy Gallon

FOURTH TEAM
WR: Jeremy Gallon
S: Thomas Gordon

I don't have many qualms with Steele's selections, but if we're talking about pure talent, Fitzgerald Toussaint is superior to Rex Burkhead.  Burkhead is a fine back, but he's a four-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust running back.  Toussaint has speed, power, and elusiveness.  The only thing holding Toussaint back is the fact that he has to share carries with quarterback Denard Robinson in a "pro style" offense that also distributes the ball to tight ends and receivers.  For Nebraska, the ball is in Burkhead's hands or those of quarterback Taylor Martinez.  That's the only reason that the Cornhuskers running back had more rushing yards last season.  In total, Burkhead had almost 100 carries more than Toussaint (284 to 187) but only had 316 more yards (1,357 to 1,041).  If Michigan had given Toussaint the ball 97 more times and he only averaged 3.26 yards a carry, then he could have equaled Burkhead's output.  On the flip side, if Toussaint had maintained his 5.6 yards per carry for 97 more carries, he would have ended the year with 1,581 yards.

And that's my case for Fitzgerald Toussaint being awesome.

And I hate to be a Debbie Downer for Michigan fans, but Roy Roundtree hasn't shown that he can be one of the two best receivers in the conference; he was great as a slot receiver two years ago, but he struggled on the outside last season.  I would also probably take Darqueze Dennard and/or Terry Hawthorne over J.T. Floyd for the second team, but statistically, Floyd isn't a bad choice.

Attractive Michigan Girls of the Week

If you have any other pictures of girls wearing Michigan gear, drop me an e-mail.  Go Blue!

Q&A with Smart Football's Chris Brown

Denise Milani

I post links to Smart Football  rather frequently, and blog author Chris Brown recently turned some of his posts (plus additional material) into a book.  While I'm waiting for it to come in the mail, I here's a taste of what you might expect to find in the book if you're interested.

Video: Interview with Jack Wangler

Scouting Report: Jordan Wilkins

Jordan Wilkins

Name: Jordan Wilkins
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 200 lbs.
Position: Running back
Class: 2013
School: Cordova (TN) St. Benedict

Notes: Holds offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Cincinnati, Memphis, Michigan, Middle Tennessee State, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Notre Dame, Purdue, Tennessee, Texas Tech, Vanderbilt, and Wisconsin . . . ESPN 4-star RB, 83 grade, #17 RB . . . Rivals 4-star RB, #18 RB, #209 overall . . . Scout 3-star RB, #34 RB . . . 247 Sports 4-star RB, 93 grade, #4 APB, #147 overall . . . As a junior in 2011, rushed for 1,800 yards and 24 touchdowns

Strengths: Wilkins has good size and a solid frame . . . Should be able to handle the pounding of a big conference . . . Smooth pass catcher out of backfield . . . Shows nimble feet and pretty good lateral movement . . . Good acceleration through the hole . . . Gets to top speed quickly . . . Gets low in traffic . . . Does not go down easily on contact

Weaknesses: Not a true burner . . . Does not have a second gear to pull away from high level defensive backs . . . Carries ball a little loosely at times . . . Does not consistently keep ball in his outside hand, so there is a bit of a concern about ball security

Projection: Running back.  Wilkins looks a little like a poor man's Ty Isaac, which is interesting because Isaac was the #1 target on Michigan's board.  Wilkins's feet aren't quite as quick and he doesn't have the same top-end speed, but they're similar runners with good size and can catch the ball out of the backfield.  Wilkins could develop into a solid starter at a Big Ten-level school, but he doesn't appear to have an extremely high ceiling.

Reminds me of: Jason Ford (Illinois)

College Football News: 2012 Michigan preview

Christine Dolce

College Football News previews Michigan's 2012 season.  There's nothing groundbreaking here, but it is interesting if you're dying for football talk.

Tom Lemming Top 100 for 2013 update

Tom Lemming updated his top 100 for 2013.  Here's what it looked like back in April, and here's what it looks like now:

- Shane Morris jumped from #23 to #16
- Chris Fox dropped from #87 to completely off the list

Below is the list of all Michigan targets:

5-stars:
5. Su'a Cravens - S - California
7. Laremy Tunsil - OT - Florida
8. Ty Isaac - RB - Illinois (USC)
13. Marquez North - WR - North Carolina
15. Robert Foster - WR - Pennsylvania
16. Shane Morris - QB - Michigan (Michigan)
18. Adam Breneman - TE - Pennsylvania (Penn State)
22. E.J. Levenberry - LB - Virginia (Florida State)
25. Henry Poggi - DT - Maryland
26. Tray Matthews - S - Georgia (Georgia)
28. Leon McQuay III - S - Florida
29. Vernon Hargreaves - CB - Florida
30. Laquon Treadwell - WR - Illinois
33. Peter Kalambayi - LB - North Carolina
35. Jaylon Smith - LB - Indiana
36. Jonathan Allen - DE - Virginia (Alabama)
37. Kevin Olsen - QB - New Jersey (Miami)
38. Montravius Adams - DT - Georgia

4-stars:
40. Cam Burrows - CB - Ohio (Ohio State)
42. Kendall Fuller - CB - Maryland
43. Derrick Green - RB - Virginia
44. James Quick - WR - Kentucky
48. Ethan Pocic - OT - Illinois
50. Logan Tuley-Tillman - OT - Illinois (Michigan)
54. Jake Raulerson - OT - Texas (Texas)
57. Elijah Daniel - DE - Indiana
58. Antwuan Davis - CB - Texas (Texas)
63. Mike McCray - LB - Ohio (Michigan)
67. Joey Bosa - DE - Florida (Ohio State)
69. Priest Willis - CB - Arizona
74. Darrell Daniels - WR - California
75. Colin McGovern - OT - Illinois (Notre Dame)
78. David Dawson - OG - Michigan (Michigan)
83. Eddie Vanderdoes - DT - California
87. Justin Davis - RB - California (USC)
89. Kyle Bosch - OG - Illinois (Michigan)
94. Al-Quadin Muhammad - DE - New Jersey
95. Uriah LeMay - WR - North Carolina
99. Devon Allen - WR - Arizona
100. Michael Hutchings - LB - California

Video: Interview with DeShone Kizer

Tom VanHaaren talks with Toledo (OH) Central Catholic quarterback DeShone Kizer, a 2014 prospect who could be in line for an offer from Michigan if they like what they see.

Kelvin Grady, #19

Kelvin Grady

2011 Countdown: #45 Kelvin Grady

HIGH SCHOOL
Grady attended East Grand Rapids High School in Grand Rapids, MI.  He played basketball and football, but he was recruited mainly for his exploits on the hardcourt.

COLLEGE
Grady played basketball at Michigan for his first couple years on campus, but he struggled with his shot and eventually gave up basketball for a chance to walk on to the Michigan football team as a slot receiver for Rich Rodriguez.  As a redshirt sophomore, he caught 10 passes for 102 yards and 1 touchdown in 2009 as a backup to Martavious Odoms.  He enjoyed his most productive season as a redshirt junior in 2010, starting one game and catching 17 passes for 211 yards.  His contributions dipped with the return of a pro-style offense in 2011, catching just 5 passes for 75 yards.

CAREER STATS
32 receptions for 388 yards (12.1 yards per catch) and 1 touchdown; 5 carries for 28 yards (5.6 yards per carry); 3 kick returns for 57 yards (19.0 yards per return)

AWARDS
None.

SUMMARY
Grady was a valuable member of the football team, despite not making a huge impact statistically.  He struggled catching the football early on in his career, but became a reliable target as his football career continued.  He was always slight (5'10", 177 lbs.) but had good speed that allowed him to be somewhat productive running the ball and catching short passes.

PROJECTION
Grady participated in Michigan's pro day prior to the 2012 NFL Draft and reportedly ran a 4.35 forty, but considering his size and lack of production, his football career is likely over unless he wants to play in Canada or in the Arena Football League.

Detroit News: Former U-M TE Joppru recovering from stroke

Genesis Moreno

Yikes.  I did not know this previously, but former Michigan tight end Bennie Joppru suffered a stroke back in December.  Luckily, he seems to be doing well, and hopefully that trend will continue.

Video: Dallas Elite 11 - Shane Morris highlights

Mel Kiper's top five seniors by position for 2013

Mel Kiper, Jr. released his lists of the top five players by position in the 2013 NFL Draft class, and there are several Big Ten players in the mix.  Unfortunately, not many are from Michigan.  Players from the conference and other upcoming opponents include:

QB: None.

RB: #1 Montee Ball (Wisconsin)

FB: #2 Zach Boren (Ohio State)

WR: #5 Denard Robinson (Michigan)

TE: #3 Michael Williams (Alabama), #4 Jake Stoneburner (Ohio State)

OT: #1 Ricky Wagner (Wisconsin)

OG: #2 Chance Warmack (Alabama)

C: #1 Barrett Jones (Alabama), #3 Graham Pocic (Illinois)

DE: #1 John Simon (Ohio State), #2 Michael Buchanan (Illinois)

DT: #2 Kawann Short (Purdue), #3 Jesse Williams (Alabama), #4 Jordan Hill (Penn State)

ILB: #1 Manti Te'o (Notre Dame), Nico Johnson (Alabama)

OLB: #3 Gerald Hodges (Penn State)

CB: #1 Johnny Adams (Michigan State), #4 Micah Hyde (Iowa)

S: #3 Robert Lester (Alabama)

K: #3 Brett Maher (Nebraska)

Griese-Hutchinson-Woodson golf outing raises $1.3 million

Kelly Karloff

The annual golf outing put on by Michigan alums raised $1.3 million for Mott Children's Hospital this past weekend.

Video: Columbus Elite 11 - Shane Morris highlights

Recruiting Update: May 21, 2012

Sugar Land (TX) Dulles CB Maurice Smith

ADDED TO THE BOARD (2013, 2014)
Scottsdale (AZ) Desert Mountain wide receiver Mark Andrews, a 2014 prospect, was offered by Michigan.  Andrews is a 6'6", 225 lb. wideout who could grow into a tight end.  He also has offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon State, and UCLA.  As a sophomore in 2011, Andrews had 58 catches for 1,058 yards and 10 touchdowns.  His quarterback is Kyle Allen, a fellow sophomore who has already been offered by North Carolina and may be a Michigan target down the road.

Akron (OH) St. Vincent-St. Mary's linebacker Dante Booker, Jr., a 2014 prospect, was offered by Michigan.  Booker is 6'3", 210 lbs. and has offers from Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, and Penn State.  As a sophomore in 2011, he had 157 tackles, 11 sacks, and 3 fumble recoveries.  He visited Michigan this past weekend.


Fort Worth (TX) All Saints Episcopal offensive tackle Demetrius Knox, a 2014 prospect, was offered by Michigan.  He is a 6'5", 300-pounder with offers from Alabama, Baylor, Nebraska, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and UCLA.  While listed as a tackle, he looks more like a guard to me.  He grew up in Ohio as a fan of the Buckeyes, and he's also expecting a Texas offer in the near future. (Highlights here.)

Monroe (LA) Ouachita Parish offensive tackle Cameron Robinson, a 2014 prospect, was offered by Michigan.  He's a 6'5", 320 lb. lineman with offers from Alabama, Arkansas, and LSU, among others.  Don't get too attached, though - he seems destined for the home state Tigers.

Sugar Land (TX) Dulles cornerback Maurice Smith was offered by Michigan.  Smith is a 5'11", 179 lb. corner with offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas, and many others.  He attends the same high school as former Michigan cornerback Troy Woolfolk and linebacker Brandon Herron. (Highlights here.)

Houston (TX) Westfield defensive tackle Hardreck Walker was offered by Michigan.  Walker is a 6'2", 280-pounder with offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech, along with several others.

Dallas (TX) Bishop Dunne cornerback Nick Watkins, a 2014 prospect, was offered by Michigan.  He's a 6'1", 180 lb. prospect who already has offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Texas A&M, and a few others.  As a sophomore in 2011, he had 45 tackles, 6 pass breakups, and 5 interceptions.


OFF THE BOARD
Stockton (CA) Lincoln running back Justin Davis committed to USC.  Davis was the second 5-star/high 4-star running back to commit to USC with a few days, on the heels of Ty Isaac's commitment (below).

Joliet (IL) Joliet Catholic running back Ty Isaac committed to USC.  Isaac is the guy that many Michigan fans were hoping would be the jewel of the running back class.  I did a scouting report on him back in March and I was impressed with what I saw, but like I've said before, the guys Michigan has recruited on the offensive line are going to make Michigan's running game very good, regardless of who's running the ball.

WEEKEND VISITORS
Several recruits visited Michigan this past weekend, including Booker.

Spread Football: Notre Dame clinic notes

Sara Hoots

Know your enemy: Notre Dame clinic notes.

Initial TTB Ratings for 2013

Here's an update on the TTB Ratings for the 2013 recruits:

S Dymonte Thomas, 92
The combination of Thomas's athleticism with Greg Mattison's defensive system makes me think that Thomas should fill up the stat sheet for Michigan in a couple years.

OT Chris Fox, 90
I really like Fox's attitude as a defensive player, and he's a good athlete, too.  I think he could be a dominant right tackle or even play left tackle in college.

QB Shane Morris, 89
Morris would be rated higher if he had some more quality receivers, but right now his receiving corps looks somewhat average.

OG Kyle Bosch, 88
Bosch looks like a left guard to me.  He seems like a smart, quality kid and could compete for playing time rather early, depending on which position Kyle Kalis plays in the class ahead of him.

CB Jourdan Lewis, 86
Lewis has similar skills to Terry Richardson, whom I also like.  But Lewis is a little bigger, so I'm giving him a slight edge.

TE Jake Butt, 82
Butt isn't the speedy freak of an athlete that seems to be dominating college and NFL football these days, but he's a very good prospect and might look especially good with Morris throwing him the ball.

LB Ben Gedeon, 82
Gedeon could probably play any of the three linebacker positions, but he's an old school player who should be pretty good wherever he plays.

OT Logan Tuley-Tillman, 79
Tuley-Tillman could be great if he adjusts to the college game, or he could struggle to acclimate himself to the finer points of the game.

WR Csont'e York, 79
York is a solid route runner with good size and decent speed.  He should be a solid player but maybe not a future superstar.

DE Taco Charlton, 75
I really like Charlton's athleticism, but he doesn't use his hands well, which concerns me because it's a bit of an instinctual thing.

CB Gareon Conley, 75

WR Jaron Dukes, 70
Dukes could be a mover if he turns out to be faster than he's looked so far.  The ceiling is a little bit low for big, possession receivers.

TE Khalid Hill, 68
The position Hill will play somewhat limits his upside.  He could be a very good role player from the U-back position.

OG David Dawson, 67
With the guards in this class and the one ahead of him, Dawson might get lost in the shuffle for a few years.


RB Wyatt Shallman, 65
Shallman looks like a running back who could put up a lot of scores in short yardage situations.  He's a high floor, low ceiling type of player.

RB Deveon Smith, 63

C Patrick Kugler, Inc.
I have yet to see film on Kugler.

Video: Best of the 2012 NFTC One-on-ones

Big Ten Blog: Lewan maturing into a leader

Cassandra Marie Walker

Brian Bennett at ESPN writes about Taylor Lewan's leadership and growth.  It's been fun to watch Lewan over the past few years, and it's a little sad to realize that maybe this is his last year at Michigan.

Happy 4000000th page view!

Let's celebrate.

Arianny Celeste

Berenger Rose

Brooklyn Decker

MC Barao

CJ Miles

Weekend Visitors: May 18-20, 2012

Leon McQuay III

Akron (OH) St. Vincent-St. Mary's LB Dante Booker, Jr.: Booker received a Michigan offer this past week.  Ohio State also recently offered, and Buckeyes cornerback Doran Grant came from St. Vincent-St. Mary's.  Booker's father (Dante, in case you were wondering) played defensive line for the Auburn Tigers.  Many assume that Auburn and Ohio State are the two leaders for the younger Booker's services, but we'll see if Michigan's coaches can create some momentum with the 6'3", 210 lb. linebacker.  He had 157 tackles and 11 sacks as a sophomore last season.

Washington (OH) Massilon OT Nathan Devers: Devers is a 2014 prospect who does not yet have an offer.

Seffner (FL) Armwood CB Leon McQuay III: McQuay is a 6'2", 185 lb. defensive back with offers from just about everywhere.  While that size would preclude most players from playing cornerback at the next level, that's the position for which Michigan is recruiting him.  It is assumed by most that McQuay will end up staying in SEC country, and his recent fellow Armwood grads haven't ventured farther north than North Carolina or Tennessee except a couple MAC-level recruits who headed to Akron, Penn, Toledo, or Western Michigan.  The big-time recruits who have a choice generally seem to like the warmer weather.


Sturgis (MI) Sturgis QB Chance Stewart: The 6'6", 205 lb. Stewart only has one offer so far (from Western Michigan), but more are surely on the way.  Whether one comes from Michigan or not might be a different question.  He threw for 1,361 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions as a sophomore in 2011.

Detroit News: LaQuon Treadwell enjoying being recruited by Michigan

Shanda Michelle

As Michigan continues to search for big-play threats on offense, the commitment of Ty Isaac to USC makes someone like LaQuon Treadwell even more important to the 2013 recruiting class, whch Sam Webb discusses here.

Attractive Michigan Girls of the Week

If you have any other pictures of attractive women wearing Michigan gear, drop me an e-mail.  Go Blue!

Scouting Report: Cole Luke

Chandler (AZ) Hamilton cornerback Cole Luke (#11)
(image via East Valley Tribune)

Name: Cole Luke
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 165 lbs.
Position: Cornerback
School: Chandler (AZ) Hamilton

Notes: Holds offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Boise State, California, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon State, Purdue, San Diego State, Texas, UCLA, Utah, Vanderbilt, Washington . . . As a junior in 2011, had 62 tackles, 12 pass breakups, 6 interceptions (3 returned for touchdowns)1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 1 field goal block, 2 punt blocks . . . Claims a 4.45 forty . . . ESPN 4-star CB, 80 grade, #29 CB . . . Rivals 4-star CB, #17 CB, #198 overall . . . Scout 4-star CB, #10 CB . . . 247 Sports 4-star CB, 95 grade, #6 CB, #62 overall

Strengths: Long, lean kid with good wingspan . . . Not a true blazer, but very good speed . . . Shows good hip flexibility . . . Hard to get out of position . . . Good awareness of route combinations and what's going on in the backfield . . . Willing run supporter . . . Goes low on tackles because of size, but wraps up and hangs on . . . Good open field tackler . . . Maintains good position when ball is in the air . . . Looks to be working for turnovers, not just to bat ball down . . . At times tries to tip interceptions to himself


Weaknesses: No glaring weaknesses . . . Needs to bulk up a little bit, like most high school corners . . . Needs to work a little on footwork . . . Not the most elusive or dangerous runner with ball in his hands, but that's nitpicking

Projection: Cornerback.  Luke is a very smooth corner who does most things very well.  He's not the most explosive player you'll find, but more of a glider.  He doesn't get out of position and always seems to know what's going on around the field, and I think that awareness makes him a very safe bet to have a good career.  He's a high ceiling, high floor type of player.

Reminds me of: Donovan Warren but more athletic.  I'm having a hard time coming up with a comparison from recent Michigan history, because Warren was a smooth cover man but never wowed anyone with his speed.  A lot of other good Michigan corners in recent years were more physical (Ty Law, Marlin Jackson) and not as smooth.  Luke actually reminds me a little of Johnny Sears in the way he moves, but Sears was a moron both on and off the field.

Wolverine Nation: Recruiting news and notes

Ashley Nicole Arthur

There's nothing groundbreaking here, but Wolverine Nation's Tom VanHaaren gives a weekly recruiting update that includes tidbits about Maurice Hurst, Jr. and Bo Scarbrough.

Video: Mike Martin - Tennessee Titans DT

OMG shirtless Mike Martin!

Scout 300 for 2013 updated

David Dawson (#55) jumped almost 100 spots in the new rankings

Scout released a new top 300 for 2013, and there are some changes since the initial release back in March:

Changes for Michigan players:

- Shane Morris stays at #28
- Patrick Kugler drops from #25 to #31
- Dymonte Thomas stays at #35
- Kyle Bosch stays at #49
- DeVeon Smith jumps from #58 to #53
- Chris Fox drops from #137 to #139
- Jake Butt drops from #147 to #152
- Ben Gedeon jumps from #158 to #153
- Jourdan Lewis jumps from #251 to #173
- David Dawson jumps from #274 to #178
- Logan Tuley-Tillman drops from #153 to #190
- Wyatt Shallman drops from #179 to #263
- Mike McCray drops from #202 to #214
- Gareon Conley drops from #227 to #233
- Jaron Dukes drops from #287 to #294

And here's the rest:

5-stars:
4. Laremy Tunsil - OT - Florida
5. Su'a Cravens - S - California
6. Montravius Adams - DT - Georgia
9. Eddie Vanderdoes - DT - California
10. Robert Foster - WR - Pennsylvania
13. Vernon Hargreaves III - CB - Florida
14. Ty Isaac - RB - Illinois (USC)
15. Keith Ford - RB - Texas (Oklahoma)
17. Jaylon Smith - LB - Indiana
18. Justin Davis - RB - California
21. Justin Manning - DT - Texas
24. Joey Bosa - DE - Florida (Ohio State)
25. Kendall Fuller - CB - Maryland
26. James Quick - WR - Kentucky
27. Michael Hutchings - LB - California
28. Shane Morris - QB - Michigan (Michigan)
29. Adam Breneman - TE - Pennsylvania (Penn State)
31. Patrick Kugler - OG - Pennsylvania (Michigan)
33. Priest Willis - S - Arizona

35. Dymonte Thomas - S - Ohio (Michigan)

4-stars:
37. Jason Hatcher - DE - Kentucky
39. Darrell Daniels - WR - California
40. Elijah Daniel - DE - Indiana
42. Jake Raulerson - OT - Texas
47. Sebastian Larue - WR - California
49. Kyle Bosch - OT - Illinois (Michigan)
50. John Montelus - OG - Massachusetts (Notre Dame)
53. DeVeon Smith - RB - Ohio (Michigan)
55. Marquez North - WR - North Carolina
57. Ethan Pocic - OT - Illinois
61. Kevin Olsen - QB - New Jersey
63. Alquadin Muhammad - DE - New Jersey
69. Evan Lisle - OT - Ohio (Ohio State)
71. Jake Oliver - WR - Texas (Texas)
75. Laquon Treadwell - WR - Illinois
78. Colin McGovern - OT - Illinois (Notre Dame)
79. Alex Anzalone - OLB - Pennsylvania
83. Steve Elmer - OT - Michigan (Notre Dame)
87. Greg Webb - DT - New Jersey
90. Maurice Smith - CB - Texas
91. Eli Woodard - CB - New Jersey (Ohio State)
92. Larenz Bryant - OLB - North Carolina
93. Chris Hawkins - CB - California (USC)
94. Leon McQuay - S - Florida
95. Joe Mathis - DE - California
98. Peter Kalambayi - MLB - North Carolina
102. Christian Lacouture - DE - Texas (Nebraska)
104. E.J. Levenberry - OLB - Virginia (Florida State)
107. Cameron Burrows - CB - Ohio (Ohio State)
109. Standish Dobard - TE - Louisiana (Miami)
115. Cole Luke - CB - Arizona
116. Tray Matthews - S - Georgia (Georgia)
120. Jonathan Allen - DE - Virginia
126. Derrick Green - RB - Virginia
129. Kyle Hicks - RB - Texas (Texas)
130. Shaq Wiggins - CB - Georgia (Georgia)
132. Billy Price - DT - Ohio (Ohio State)
133. Devon Allen - WR - Arizona
134. Michael Hill - DT - South Carolina
135. Henry Poggi - DT - Maryland
139. Chris Fox - OG - Colorado (Michigan)
144. Dajuan Drennon - DE - New Jersey
146. Elijah Qualls - DT - California
148. Maquedius Bain - DT - Florida (Florida State)
149. Rob Wheelwright - WR - Ohio (Wisconsin)
152. Jake Butt - TE - Ohio (Michigan)
153. Ben Gedeon - MLB - Ohio (Michigan)
158. Dorian O'Daniel - OLB - Maryland (Clemson)
159. Hunter Bivin - OT - Kentucky (Notre Dame)
166. Ishmael Wilson - OT - Texas (Texas A&M)
167. Ryan White - CB - Kentucky (Louisville)
173. Jourdan Lewis - CB - Michigan (Michigan)
176. Eldridge Massington - WR - Texas (USC)
178. David Dawson - OG - Michigan (Michigan)
187. Antwuan Davis - CB - Texas (Texas)
189. Matt Rolin - OLB - Virginia
190. Logan Tuley-Tillman - OT - Illinois (Michigan)
193. Scott Pagano - DT - Hawaii
206. Darius Latham - DT - Indiana
210. J.J. Gustafson - OT - Texas (Texas)
213. Maurice Hurst, Jr. - DT - Massachusetts (Michigan)
214. Mike McCray - OLB - Ohio (Michigan)
221. Mike McGlinchey - OT - Pennsylvania (Notre Dame)
233. Gareon Conley - CB - Ohio (Michigan)
256. James Onwualu - WR - Minnesota (Notre Dame)
263. Wyatt Shallman - FB - Michigan (Michigan)
265. Cameron Walker - CB - California
274. Jacob Matuska - DE - Ohio (Notre Dame)
281. Yannick Ngakoue - MLB - Washington, D.C.
284. Marcell Ateman - WR - Texas (Oklahoma State)
286. Demorea Stringfellow - WR - California
288. Nadir Barnwell - CB - New Jersey
294. Jaron Dukes - WR - Ohio (Michigan)
297. Tim Harris - S - Virginia (Virginia)

AnnArbor.com: Demar Dorsey will attend Hawaii

Shera Bechard

Former Michigan recruit Demar Dorsey has taken a winding road, but perhaps he'll find some success in Hawaii.  Hailing from Lauderdale Lakes (FL) Boyd Anderson, he signed with Michigan, was not admitted to the school, played for Grand Rapids Community College in Michigan, and will now head to Hawaii to play for the Rainbow Warriors.

Video: Top running backs at Rivals/VTO camp

Running Back Recruiting

Cordova (TN) St. Benedict's Jordan Wilkins

Yesterday's announcement by Joliet (IL) Joliet Catholic running back Ty Isaac that he would be playing football at USC stunned some Michigan fans.  With his recent behavior, it was not surprising that heading to Southern California would be his choice.  Isaac started to withdraw from publicity a little bit, and it seems that when kids start to weary of the process, that's often because they're headed somewhere that won't necessarily be well received publicly.  A kid from Illinois spurning Notre Dame, Michigan, and other midwest schools is going to get a little blowback.  This doesn't necessarily mean that Isaac's recruitment is over, because schools will probably continue to make a push for him.  But for now, Michigan fans should operate under the assumption that he's permanently off the board.

Isaac was clearly the top running back prospect on the coaches' board, so where do the Wolverines go from here?  Well, they already have Warren (OH) Howland running back DeVeon Smith and Novi (MI) Catholic Central jumbo running back Wyatt Shallman.  Both are solidly considered 4-star recruits, they can both play a role at Michigan, and both seem to be strongly committed to Michigan.  What Michigan seems to lack in those two guys is a gamebreaker.  They're both grind-it-out types who can break tackles or score near the goal line, but neither appears to have the speed and agility to go 80 yards on any given play.

The two names that pop up most frequently are Richmond (VA) Hermitage running back Derrick Green and Cordova (TN) St. Benedict tailback Jordan Wilkins.  While Green claims 4.37 forty speed, that kind of acceleration and explosion isn't apparent on his highlight film.  The 6'1", 215-pounder looks more like a between-the-tackles power guy than a big play guy.  With Smith and Shallman already in the fold for 2013, taking a commitment from Green would seem a bit redundant.

Wilkins, on the other hand, looks a lot more like Isaac.  The Tennessee product has more lateral agility than Green, can catch the ball out of the backfield much like Isaac, and has the ability to break the big one.  While I don't know that I can justify saying that Wilkins is faster than someone who claims a 4.37 forty, comparing junior film of Wilkins and Green makes the former look like the big-play guy that Michigan should be seeking.

Outside of those two guys, who both have offers, the pickings get a little slim.  There aren't a great deal of options in the midwest, and reaching outside of the midwest is always a tough pull.  Chelsea (MI) Chelsea tailback Berkley Edwards is a Michigan legacy and the younger brother of wide receiver Braylon Edwards, but he's small and probably not the feature back that Michigan really wants.  Otherwise, he would have been offered already.  Pickerington (OH) North's Godwin Igwebuike is the teammate of 2013 tight end commit Jake Butt and has an offer from Wisconsin, but again, he's not a threat to take it the distance.  The only other big-time running back prospect in the Big Ten imprint appears to be Philadelphia (PA) Imhotep's David Williams, who has offers from Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Penn State.  Williams doesn't have a Michigan offer and it could very well be too late to get a foot in the door.

It seems most likely at this point that Michigan will once again go without an elite level running back in the 2013 class, which continues the trend that arguably started in the 2010 class.  Fitzgerald Toussaint, a 2009 recruit, was somewhat highly touted but not really a national recruit.  One might even make the argument that you would have to go all the way back to 2008, when Michigan snagged the highly sought after Sam McGuffie, to find an elite running back in a Michigan recruiting class.

AnnArbor.com: Troy Woolfolk listens to father before joining Lions

Emma Glover

Troy Woolfolk is a Detroit Lion for now.  He didn't have the greatest career at Michigan, but the Lions might be able to use any help in the defensive backfield that they can get.

Video: Full Ride Recruiting Profile - Shane Morris

247 Sports: Top 100 for 2014 released

New Michigan offeree Bo Scarbrough is the #7 player in the country for 2014, according to 247 Sports

A couple weeks ago, 247 Sports released their top 25 players for the class of 2014.  Now they've expanded that list to 100.  Here are some notable recruits from the list for Michigan fans:

7. Bo Scarbrough - WR - Alabama: Offered by Michigan this past week.  It will be tough to pull him out of the south, particularly away from Alabama.

10. Edward Paris - S - Texas: Offered by Michigan this past week.  Michigan just offered his 2013 cornerback/safety teammate Maurice Smith, so perhaps that will grease the wheels a bit.

11. Braden Smith - OT - Kansas: Offered by Michigan this past week.

19. Dante Booker - LB - Ohio: Offered by Michigan yesterday.

35. Budda Baker - ATH - Washington: No offer or strong connection here, but Baker plays for the same high school as former Michigan lineman (and current San Diego Charger) Stephen Schilling.

41. Clifton Garrett - LB - Illinois: No offer yet, but Garrett's highlight film is making the rounds and wowing some observers.  Considering how heavily Michigan has littered Illinois with offers during the 2013 cycle, I would not be surprised at all if Garrett gets offered in the near future.

66. K.C. Crosby - LB - South Carolina: Offered by Michigan several weeks ago.

67. Andy Bauer - OT - Missouri: Offered by Michigan several months ago, but committed to Missouri.

69. Casey Tucker - OT - Arizona: Offered by Michigan this past week.

73. Davonte James - LB - Ohio: No offer yet, but a high profile prospect from the state of Ohio is sure to get a look by the coaching staff.

78. Mark Andrews - WR - Arizona: Offered by Michigan yesterday.

83. Drake Harris - WR - Michigan: Offered by Michigan already.  He has been offered by the basketball program, too, and is a high profile prospect on the hardcourt.  Some think he's more likely to head to Michigan State.

85. Derek Kief - WR - Ohio: No offer yet, but receiver might yet again be a big need in 2014, depending on how the 2013 class shakes out.

91. DeShone Kizer - ATH - Ohio: No offer yet.  He plays quarterback but could also project to wide receiver or defensive back.

94. Michael Ferns - LB - Ohio: No offer yet, but likely to get a look despite living in the Worst State Ever.

96. Dareian Watkins - ATH - Ohio: No offer yet.  Much like Kizer, he could project to quarterback, wide receiver, or defensive back.