With the early signing day approaching tomorrow, December 15, it certainly seems like things have gone wacky. Gone are the days when teams lost and hired new coaches around the New Year, giving those staffs five or six weeks to come together and sign players in early February. Welcome to the days of coaches being fired or jumping ship so the school can have someone in place to try to salvage recruiting classes for mid-December. I won't say it's an unforeseen problem - plenty of us talked about it - but it has put fans, players, coaches, and schools in positions we've never seen.
Here's a list of current Michigan commits:
- QB Jayden Denegal (early enrollee)
- RB C.J. Stokes
- WR Tyler Morris (early enrollee)
- TE Marlin Klein
- TE Colston Loveland (early enrollee)
- OL Andrew Gentry (transfer from Virginia)
- OL Connor Jones
- OL Alessandro Lorenzetti
- DT Mason Graham (early enrollee)
- DT Kenneth Grant
- DE Ethan Burke
- DE Kevonte Henry
- LB Aaron Alexander (early enrollee)
- LB Micah Pollard
- LB Jimmy Rolder
- LB Deuce Spurlock
- CB Will Johnson (early enrollee)
- CB Myles Pollard (early enrollee)
- S Zeke Berry
- S Damani Dent
- S Kody Jones (early enrollee)
Hit the jump for more.
ANY SURPRISE DECOMMITS?
Okay, if there are any "surprise" decommits, then they're not really surprises. So yes, there's always a chance. You may want to watch out for two prospects in particular, though, and those are defensive end/outside linebacker Kevonte Henry and safety Kody Jones. Henry was targeted by recruiting coordinator Courtney Morgan, who ditched Michigan in favor of Washington; Henry took an official visit to Washington over the weekend, and I would not be surprised at all if he ended up signing with the Huskies. Jones has long been committed to Michigan, but he's also long been flirting with the home-state Tennessee Volunteers and has taken multiple visits there.
ANY SURPRISE COMMITS?
Once again, surprises are called "surprises" for a reason. I'm not aware of any potential signees that could be floating unseen below the surface, but there are several players Michigan is pursuing who could sign their National Letter of Intent to Michigan on Wednesday (in order of ranking):
- Joshua Conerly, Jr. - OT - Seattle (WA) Rainier Beach: Conerly is a 6'5", 275 lb. tackle who has visited Michigan a couple times. He's a 5-star, the #3 offensive tackle, and #23 overall. Conerly is waiting to sign in February, so while the Wolverines still have a chance there, I'm not expecting any news on his commitment this week.
- Kiyaunta Goodwin - OT - Charlestown (IN) Charlestown: Goodwin is a 6'8", 340-pounder who's a 5-star and the #25 player in the country. He's committed to Kentucky and took a visit to Michigan for The Game, but I don't think there's any serious chance for Michigan here.
- Derrick Moore - DE - Baltimore (MD) St. Frances: Moore's a 4-star, the #12 defensive lineman, and #79 overall. At 6'4" and 250 lbs., he's a bit of a defensive end/defensive tackle tweener. Michigan has to get an exception to sign him since his high school head coach used to be Biff Poggi, now a Michigan staffer. As of Monday night, his most recent crystal ball is for Michigan. The only others are for Oklahoma, a school from which Moore decommitted.
- Keon Sabb - S - Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy: Sabb is a 4-star, the #9 safety, and #94 overall in the class. He recently decommitted from Clemson after taking an official visit to Michigan for The Game, and it's unclear who else really even seems to be in the picture. There's a good chance he ends up signing with the Wolverines.
- Darrius Clemons - WR - Portland (OR) Westview: Clemons is a 6'3", 205 lb. wideout who has bounced around the country a little bit, from Michigan to Idaho to Oregon. He's a 4-star, the #19 wide receiver, and #131 overall. A childhood friend of Michigan wide receiver Andrel Anthony, he may be convinced to join up in Ann Arbor. Auburn, Oregon, and Penn State are also in decent shape to land him, though the biggest contender seems to be Auburn. Clemons took an official visit to Michigan this past weekend.
- Deone Walker - DT - Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Walker is a 6'6", 340 lb. player who could play defensive tackle or offensive line at the college level. He's a 4-star, the #30 defensive lineman, and #243 overall. Things seem to have been trending toward Kentucky lately, where he took an official visit this past weekend. However, Michigan's coaching staff got him to take another unofficial visit to Ann Arbor upon his return on Sunday, so there's still a chance this goes in favor of the Wolverines. It seems to be 50/50 right now.
- Alex Orji - QB - Sachse (TX) Sachse: Orji is a 6'2", 226 lb. quarterback who could maybe play linebacker at the next level. He's a 3-star, the #28 quarterback, and #422 overall. He took an official visit to Michigan this past weekend, but I feel like the interest has only been lukewarm. Michigan was on him, then they were off him, and now they seem to be back on him a little bit.
- Amorion Walker - WR - Ponchatoula (LA) Ponchatoula: Walker is a 6'4", 175 lb. kid who could play wide receiver or defensive back. He's a 3-star, the #33 athlete, and #527 overall. He has been committed to Notre Dame since March 2021, but he has been flirting with Michigan over the past few months. There have been three crystal ball picks for him to flip to the good guys.
- Bryce Archie - QB - Powder Springs (GA) McEachern: Archie is a 3-star, the #53 quarterback, and #826 overall. He's committed to Coastal Carolina. His teammate, wide receiver Kaleb Webb, recently committed to Tennessee. I think it's possible that if Webb committed to Michigan, Archie might have joined him. But at this point, I don't see Archie signing with the Wolverines.
- Koen Entringer - S - Walled Lake (MI) Western: Entringer is a 6'2", 190 lb. prospect with offers from Iowa, Michigan, and Wisconsin, among others. He's a 3-star, the #120 athlete, and #1489 overall. He took a recent official visit to Michigan, and the two leaders seem to be Michigan and Wisconsin.
- Deamonte Trayanum - RB - Arizona State: Trayanum took a recruiting visit to Michigan this past weekend. At 5'11" and 235 lbs., he's mostly a between-the-tackles runner who could somewhat fill the role of Hassan Haskins. Trayanum rushed 78 times for 401 yards (5.1 yards/carry) and 6 touchdowns this past season. He had an offer from the Wolverines when he came out of high school at Akron (OH) Hoban.
- Olu Oluwatimi - C - Virginia: Oluwatimi is a 6'3", 310 lb. center who was a finalist for the Rimington Trophy as a Cavalier. As a grad transfer, he would be immediately eligible and could probably be penciled in as Michigan's starting center in 2022.
HOW DOES THIS CLASS END UP?
As of Monday night at about 10:00 p.m., here's who I think will end up in Michigan's class:
- WR Darrius Clemons
- WR/DB Amorion Walker
- C Olu Oluwatimi
- DT Deone Walker
- DE Derrick Moore
- S Keon Sabb
I also think Kevonte Henry will end up at Washington.
So 21 current commits, if we lose 1 and possibly gain 5, that puts the count at 25 (larger than expected) with another 1-2 transfers inn. I would have to think that finishes as a top 10 class. Pretty solid given how things started out.
ReplyDeleteVery solid. Not sure why it slowed as much as it did, but the finish is what counts
ReplyDeleteInteresting that they're recruiting Trayanum, especially with limited space. I get that running between the Tackles is our identity, but would assume Dunlap would be better prepared to spell Corum next year, and that Edwards should progress enough to get more than just a decoy carry per game
Michigan needs more backs, or else they're in the same spot as they were this year. The scary part this year was that they were down to Haskins/Corum/Edwards/Dunlap.
DeleteNext year without Haskins, they would be down to Corum/Edwards/Dunlap/Stokes.
Teams should be trying to carry 5-6 scholarship backs.
This suggests that RBs matter. Certainly the coaches know better than that
DeleteGotta disagree with you here Thunder. Nothing to be afraid of. Michigan had 2 of their top 3 backs hurt this year and went ahead and beat PSU on the road anyway. Arguably their best and/or most talented back went down at a key stretch of the year and it was fine. Plug in a freshman or a walk on. No problemo.
DeleteThe new coaching staff (especially Gattis) get this and they've modernized their approach. It's working. And they appear to be sticking to it.
Haskins out Stokes in. I'm not strongly opposed to bringing in a another back, particularly if he can help in short yardage but I don't think it's a need. Corum is a stud. Edwards is a 5-star already already impactful. Chances are that Stokes or Dunlap will be perfectly fine as long as the OL stays on track.
Speaking of that -- much bigger deal what happens with the 3 OL than at RB. We'll see.
Michigan got lucky that their one healthy back was a workhorse who never got hurt and never fumbled (knock on wood), and he was able to handle 30 carries per game for a few weeks. If Haskins/Edwards had been the ones to get hurt, it's a much different situation with Corum/Dunlap as the guys carrying the load.
DeleteI don't think it's luck. Charbonnet got the ball 30 times his second game in college. Perry had 50 carries. It used to be pretty standard for a guy to carry the ball 25-30 times a game and you can always fall back on that. at least in the short-term.
DeleteIf Haskins was the one who got hurt instead, Corum would have carried a bigger load. Once Edwards was healthy he stepped up with a bigger load. It's fine. It doesn't matter. Might affect some playcalling but not going to change an outcome.
2 backs are nice to have but you can lean on one for a few games as needed. And at places like Michigan you can always give carries to walk-on types (like Tru Wilson) or replacement level backups (like Drake Johnson). I used to be able to include FBs in this mix but we don't seem to recruit those anymore. Again, this staff knows what it is doing.
You hit on the key point before -- which is that there are different skills back there and they can be utilized differently. You NEED someone who can pass block but otherwise it's just a matter of perhaps affecting playcalls. But in terms of outcomes? Nah. Corum goes down and the beat goes on.
People keep acting like there are problems at RB. We should worry about this!!! But no - it never is a problem and it never would be if Michigan kept recruiting 5 or 6 guys for one position. Now that they are recruiting 4 the chances that it's a problem are higher, but it still hasn't happened, and likely won't. We just saw it! It was not luck.
The thing you shouldn't forget is that the top 3 scholarship backs left unexpectedly after 2018 and...it was perfectly fine. A freshman, a walk-on, a converted LB. Yet one of the best offenses we've had over the last couple decades. Meanwhile, last year's RB group might have had 4 NFL RBs on it and that didn't matter at all.
You know what happens when we have 4 NFL caliber DEs? It matters. You know what happens when we have an NFL caliber QB? It matters.
Do we need to waste a scholarship on a 6th best RB? Hell no!
The data guy isn't very good with data
DeleteWe had two RBs miss time, but the one game mentioned we were only out one. In that game, Haskins carried 31x. The other guy? 1!
We passed 29x. This is a fairly even split for Harball, and to credit Gattis awakening use of speed in space ignored the fact that Edwards finished that game with ... zero catches
Too easy
@JE
DeleteYou're ignoring that Edwards was returning from injury and was likely limited against PSU.
Corum's touches have gone from 20 or so a game to 5 or 6 the last couple games. Hint: it's not because the coaches don't like him or trust him or that he's a bad RB.
Michigan hasn't had all 3 backs healthy since Northwestern. At PSU they were down to 1. It hasn't mattered.
RB is just one spot out of 11 and sometimes, increasingly often, it's empty backfields. Edwards emergence as a receiving threat is unlocking the offense in similar ways to using McCarthy as a runner. Not bad for a couple of guys who I guess aren't good at their positions based on their limited use in traditional ways.
Yes, I am ignoring your speculation ... Edwards got 1-3 carries a game before injury, and 1-3 after returning. Meanwhile his targets shot up against Maryland. Gattis figured out - or convinced Harbaugh - how best to use those hands and that speed
DeleteToo easy
Your speculation is that he was healthy and available for a full workload one week after being entirely out. That's clearly not true for Corum, though I guess that's just more speculation. Maybe Corum is healthy and he got benched... or do you only use that logic when it suits your argument?
DeleteEdwards was used in the passing game all year. He was unleashed against Maryland because a) he was healthy and b) Corum wasn't. Things have evolved but more gradually than poof "Gattis figured it out one day".
Too easy... for you to be wrong.
I'm not the one speculating. Nor would I in this matter, because - for those of us who played and/or coached - it's common sense that every player has some degradation due to bumps & bruises
DeleteThe speculation - on your part - is that Edwards carries at PennSt were due to such boo boos, when even slight familiarity with the stats show his carries remain constant throughout conference play. As a pass catcher? Well, he caught a whopping TWO passes in the first ten games, and then 15 in the last three games
That's the data. From a schematic point, we *should* see that Gattis & Harbaugh shifted from inside zone to counters right around Northwestern. Their play design, play calling, and use of personnel adapted to how opponents defended them. Another such change was incorporating Edwards. He wasn't getting it done as a runner, so they used him in the passing game
*should see it. But only if you understand the game
Too easy
Wrong, you are. And now you're speculating on what my speculation is. No self awareness ever.
Delete"He wasn't getting it done as a runner" is false. Data - Edwards averages 5.1 ypc on the year, more than Haskins.
Edwards was incorporated when he was healthy enough to take on a load and Corum wasn't. That's what happened against Maryland.
You are twisting and turning and flailing about to argue against what is obvious and evident. Like always, you fool no one.
But hey you said something correct for a change:
"Their play design, play calling, and use of personnel adapted to how opponents defended them."
Congrats!
Um, what was Edwards YPC OOC, and what was it during B1G play?
DeleteCome on, you don't know how to use the data, and can't bother to try talking schematics, so you rant on about blah, blah, blah
Merry Christmas Lank. Maybe next year?
So - it's a small sample size according to you. But you want to parse it even further to support your point. Telling on yourself again.
DeleteYou've still not answered the question --
Why are the coaches CHOOSING to give the ball to Edwards in meaningful situations if he is a bad RB?
Yes, it's a small sample size. Odd that you acknowledge this, but still bring up YPC. That's desparate
DeleteHas this question been asked previously? I don't recall, but many of my points address it: Edwards was used very little early - you know, when you didn't think much of him - and only passed to twice. It wasn't until game 11 that his touches & use increased dramatically. While carries remained unchanged - very few - it was as a receiver that he got the ball more often ... because he's really good at it, and improves the lethality of out offense in that role
I never said he was a bad RB. This is you arguing a point not made, typical of Lank. I did say he is not ready for between the Tackles workload, needing to work on leg drive/strength, balance, and footwork. This is OK for a TrFR, and something he can improve on in winter & summer weight training
Merry Christmas Lank, and you're welcome to continue learning, so long as you remain civil
Corum vs. Big Ten: 93 carries, 532 yards, 5.7 YPC
DeleteHaskins vs. Big Ten: 212 carries, 1007 yards, 4.8 YPC
Edwards vs. Big Ten: 16 carries, 41 yards, 2.6 YPC
The numbers speak for themselves.
He knows
Delete@JE
DeleteThunder said Edwards was a bad RB. You agreed.
Why would you give the ball to a bad RB by choice? Thunder never answers.
Your answer seems to be because he is good at catching the ball. Yet he has 30+ carries on the year, and you say they didn't start throwing it to him until very late in the year. That's contradictory.
It also doesn't explain why he would get to carry the ball in a tight game against Nebraska, or early against OSU with Corum available. So even if we pretend it's all about his pass catching, it doesn't hold up.
So thanks for trying but your answer, while it has several true statements, is not really addressing the question. A less obvious dodge but still a dodge.
@Thunder
DeleteJE is right that I already know that. We've already covered how this "speaks for itself" but I'll go back through it again. It doesn't.
16 carries. Half of his season total and less than 1/3 of his touches.
In the preseason I told you it was silly to bring up Corum's YPC as reason to doubt him because the sample was too small 26 carries. Told you the same about Isaac and Cox. You carted out small sample size alarm bell YPCs then too - they didn't "speak" either.
So yeah, we can't draw big picture conclusions of 30 carries either but it's about twice as meaningful as 16.
Setting aside some cherry-picked stats, there is zero reason to think Edwards isn't a good RB. He is third string behind a couple guys who are playing great. Yet the coaches give him the ball anyway, in meaningful situations. As a runner, as a receiver, as a passer, as an all around weapon from RB.
I don't remember reading that from Thunder. I most certainly wouldn't agree. Is this another example of you arguing points not made?
DeleteI've said repeatedly why Edwards gets carries. He's a 5star back with loads of talent & potential. You have to feed a guy like that (unless he is bad), or he leaves. This is part of development, but what you fail to grasp is how limited his use is, how his carries never increased as the season went along. Or what almost every other casual observer can see: Edwards is inserted as a decoy, given a carry or two, and then thrown the ball. Playing him only as a pass threat would be a dead giveaway, a frustration we dealt with in previous Harbaugh years (McDoom comes to mind)
*I still don't get why you use YPC in making a case for Edwards, but historically have dismissed the stat - even in this thread. Just to argue?
You mean like how you flipped me saying "you shouldn't assume Milton will transfer because of impatience due to sitting behind McCaffrey" into "Milton won't transfer" even though I said he might? Or like how you flipped me saying "you shouldn't doubt the coaches playing time decisions" into "coaches are right about everything and beyond being questioned ever"?
DeleteNope, not like that. Thunder said it before Maryland and after Maryland.
"
ThunderDecember 1, 2021 at 4:37 PM
LOL. I hate to break it to you, but Edwards still isn't a good running back. He's good at catching the ball. Hooray! I'm happy for it."
ThunderDecember 3, 2021 at 7:56 PM
I mean, if he doesn't look like he's stumbling over his own feet as soon as he gets the ball, that would be an improvement.
and you argued about it too:
je93December 3, 2021 at 12:13 AM
He's a good RB, but he gets 1 of the 40 carries on the day ... when was the last time a Harbaugh RB got such a small portion of the carries?
je93November 14, 2021 at 4:40 PM
We should all be grateful Haskins is healthy. Edwards trips over grass, and Franklin/Dunlap aren't close to ready
je93November 14, 2021 at 10:38 PM
No one is giving up on him. But at this point in his career, there's work to do, and a lot of it
*two carries showed the coaches knew he didn't have it in him. As does his production between the Tackles in other contests ... Maybe he will someday, but not this season
he's not the RB for Harbaugh's offense ... right now. He needs to hit the off-season weight training program.
You: Lies
Me: Receipts
Playing time is the meaningful indicator. But you don't buy that for some reason (be it Edwards or Peters or whoever else) so I use what Thunder used for Isaac and Cox. I've pointed out the weakness of it repeatedly but I'm trying to speak your language. Of course it's falling on deaf ears because facts don't matter when facing up to your assertions being wrong.
DeleteYou guys were wrong about Edwards and that was shown emphatically over the last few games. Kid can play. He's a weapon.
Donovan Edwards vs. Big Ten opponents: 16 carries, 41 yards, 2.56 yards per carry.
DeleteWow, it's like you try to lose ...
DeleteYou went back and copy/pasted old posts, yet none of the five say Edwards is a bad RB
Again, arguing points never made ... too easy
https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/not%20good
Delete"as in bad"
Stand up for what you say with honor... or talk tough then fall back like a little weasel.
Delete"A good RB would not get small portion of the carries"
"trips over grass"
"lots of work to do"
"coaches know he doesn't have it in him"
"not the RB for Harbaugh's offense"
That's bad in anybody's book.
Unless you're a weasel trying to dodge their L.
Interesting that the coaches are still offering Orji/Archie given the fact that we have Denegal. I hope this is not a sign that we are going to have attrition at the QB position.
ReplyDeleteI like the class overall but DB especially.
ReplyDeleteQB situation is intriguing. Loveland too. WR versatility. OL class is small but OT focused which seems wise. Trust Hart at RB.
On D, the DB class is big (6) and versatile with every type of player. Would like to see more Edge guys with upside than ILB projects but people can move around. All that talk about Don Brown recruiting small DTs but after 2 classes the haul is one jumbo NT type (and a transfer who hardly played) who is clearly a guy Brown would have not recruited. TBF they tried and will likely keep trying. Graham sounds like a nice get there. But that secondary... even without Jackson it's an excellent haul and a clear point of emphasis. The right approach in modern football.
I haven't been paying attention this year and am slightly bewildered by this year's recruiting season, how is it the North Carolina pulls a top ten recruiting class this year.
ReplyDeleteMack Brown is calling it the best class in NC history.
And seemingly we're back in the soup at Bellville.
Perhaps the simplest answer is a dollar signs but there are fluke years sometimes in recruiting and it's not always "real". That said --
DeleteUNC seems to be stepping into Clemson's void a bit. TAMU benefiting from LSU's wane. Michigan benefitting from stability with a lot of instability elsewhere - who would have thought that a year ago?
Bama, OSU, Georgia on another level still.
We're where we need to be to contend, obviously, though it's always nice to get a couple more elite recruits.
This kid seems like he's going to fit in.
ReplyDeletehttps://twitter.com/CapersStokes/status/1471203900002906112?s=20
An impressive finish to the class
ReplyDeleteI have to admit I was a bit concerned that we didn't surge as the wins piled up, but for the second year in a row, Harbaugh & staff closed beyond expectations. Let's Go