Phil Steele's 2015 Pre-season All-Big Ten team

Is Joe Bolden really Michigan's best player?

Phil Steele released his pre-season All-Big Ten teams (LINK). Since these are almost all potential opponents this season, instead I'll highlight guys whom Michigan recruited out of high school. Ohio State leads the way with 15 players on the four teams. Michigan State is second with 13. Rather than listing all of the teams ahead of Michigan, I'll just say that Michigan's six players on the list are only ahead of Illinois, Northwestern, and Purdue.

FIRST TEAM
Corey Clement - RB - Wisconsin
Leonte Carroo - WR - Rutgers
Taylor Decker - OT - Ohio State
Joey Bosa - DE - Ohio State
Anthony Zettel - DE - Penn State
Adolphus Washington - DT - Ohio State
Vince Biegel - LB - Wisconsin

SECOND TEAM
Nick Vannett - TE - Ohio State
Dan Voltz - C - Wisconsin
Darius Hamilton - DE - Rutgers
Ed Davis - LB - Michigan State
Joe Bolden - LB - Michigan
Mike Caputo - DB - Wisconsin

THIRD TEAM
Robert Kugler - C - Purdue*
Kyle Kalis - OL - Michigan
Chris Muller - OL - Rutgers
Vincent Valentine - DT - Rutgers
Desmond Morgan - LB - Michigan
Eli Apple - DB - Ohio State

FOURTH TEAM
Amara Darboh - WR - Michigan
Billy Price - C - Ohio State
Malik McDowell - DT - Michigan State
Lawrence Thomas - DT - Michigan State
Yannick Ngakoue - DE - Maryland
David Santos - LB - Nebraska
Jabrill Peppers - DB - Michigan
Blake O'Neill - P - Michigan

*Was not recruited by Michigan, but is the brother of Michigan center Patrick Kugler

Michigan State 35, Michigan 11

Devin Gardner (image via MLive)

Farewell, Brady Hoke. The last four games of the season can be considered Hoke's farewell tour. I had maintained that he could save his job by winning out or perhaps going 5-1 in the second half of the year, but this was the final nail in the coffin. Whatever happens from game nine onward doesn't matter. Michigan played uninspired football yet again, they looked disorganized, and they looked poorly coached. The guys on the opposite side were the opposite. Class of 2015 tight end commit Chris Clark might as well decommit now, because there's no point in pretending that Hoke has a shot at returning next year.

Coaching tip #1: Stop punting. If you're down by 25 points in the fourth quarter and you have a 4th-and-3, it doesn't really matter where you are on the field. You don't punt. Brady Hoke punts, though.

Coaching tip #2: Recover the onside kick. After scoring a touchdown to narrow the score to 28-11, Michigan elected to onside kick. Matt Wile kicked a pretty decent onside attempt, but Michigan's players barely seemed aware of where the ball was going. Their heads were down and looking at the Spartans' return team. Granted, you usually have guys designated to take out the returners and guys designated to get the ball, but everyone needs to be aware of the ball's location. Nobody was even close to challenging MSU wide receiver Tony Lippett for the ball.

Coaching tip #3: Stop calling so many timeouts. The number of timeouts Michigan wastes because of disorganization is mind-boggling. They wasted two early timeouts in the second half yesterday, which meant they only had one remaining late in the game when MSU was running down the clock. It really isn't that difficult to get the right people on the field and get them lined up properly. If you have so many problems with it, then you're either not coaching it properly or you're making personnel changes/formations/play calls too complicated.

Let your play do the talking. For some stupid reason, Michigan junior linebacker Joe Bolden stabbed a stake into the "S" in the middle of the field before the game. Much like Rich Rodriguez's homage to Josh Groban, it was a completely tone-deaf move by Bolden. Michigan is in the middle of a stretch of being dominated by the Spartans. They don't need to be incited further. When I was watching the game, it seemed like Bolden was the target of quite a bit of extra pushing, shoving, extracurricular activity, etc. in the pile. Once this news came out after the game, it didn't surprise me. And you know what? I don't blame the Spartans. Good for them. They were defending their own turf, and they were letting Bolden know that he was a moron for that move. Even going back to Mike Hart's "little brother" comments after the 2007 game, I hate it when players and coaches think their words are more important than their actions on the field.

Mark Dantonio is a pompous tool. He and Bret Bielema are the two coaches I hate most in college football. Dantonio commented going into halftime that running back Josh Langford "had to score twice" and "It doesn't get better than that" after the original touchdown run was ruled down at the half-yard line. Just play the game and don't be a smart-ass, especially when you're wrong.

Spartan fans are special. After MSU backup linebacker Chris Frey was ejected for targeting Amara Darboh on a punt return, Frey proceeded to get a standing ovation on his way to the tunnel. Only in East Lansing does one get a standing ovation for nearly decapitating an opposing player.

The wide receivers are ew. For a few years, I thought wide receivers coach Jeff Hecklinski had the best track record of player performance. He was a guy who developed Junior Hemingway into a clutch receiver, Jeremy Gallon into a record-setter, and several other guys in an upward direction. Then 2014 came along. Michigan dropped at least five catchable passes in this game, including 3 by #1 jersey wearer Devin Funchess and redshirt sophomore Amara Darboh. Funchess lacks concentration, drops too many passes, and doesn't seem to have broken a single tackle since the Appalachian State game. Meanwhile, Darboh runs crappy routes on a weekly basis and gets zero separation. No offensive position group is playing well, so I can't blame everything on the receivers, but Devin Gardner is getting no help.

Speaking of Devin Gardner, can anyone say "Notre Dame 2013"? The guy looked as clueless as he did 1.5 years ago. His mechanics are consistently screwed up, like they were on the R.J. Williamson pick-six that he floated in the middle of the field. And he consistently makes terrible decisions, like the shovel pass to no one that was intercepted by linebacker Taiwain Jones. Unfortunately, Gardner is the best quarterback on Michigan's roster. He finished the game 13/28 for 121 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. He also carried the ball 4 times for -18 yards.

Why Shane Morris for one snap? Late in the game, Gardner was yanked for one play. Hoke said in the post-game press conference that the coaches were going to make a change, but then they thought better of it because Gardner is a senior. Morris threw one incomplete corner route before being pulled. That just shows once again that the coaches are clueless and indecisive. You have an MSU possession to decide who your quarterback is going to be on the next drive, you decide on the backup, and in the 25 seconds it takes for him to run a play, you change your mind.

Michigan vs. Miami-OH Awards

Derrick Green

Let's see more of this guy on offense . . . Derrick Green. He saw plenty of action this past Saturday, but he looked pretty darn good. Green ended the game with 22 carries for 137 yards and 2 touchdowns. Granted, Michigan has played two patsies so far in the form of Appalachian State and Miami, but Green is on pace for 200 carries, 1,228 yards, and 12 touchdowns. That pace won't hold up, but he showed nifty feet and improved vision from the past couple weeks. He also got stronger as the game went on and started to run through some tackles. I was okay with the distribution of carries in this game, but it seems like Green is separating himself from De'Veon Smith. On a side note, Smith's body language suggested to me that he is none too happy about playing second fiddle to Green. I think that dynamic may be interesting to watch as their careers develop.

Let's see less of this guy on offense . . . Amara Darboh. I only say this because I want Devin Funchess back on the field. Darboh is a complementary receiver, and while he led Michigan in receptions and yardage, he just looks raw in several ways - route running, running after the catch, etc. He will improve over time, just like Jehu Chesson did last year, but Darboh's not ready to be a featured receiver.

Let's see more of this guy on defense . . . Blake Countess at nickel corner. My current feeling on the cornerback situation is that Michigan needs guys on the outside who can play press coverage, like Jourdan Lewis, Jabrill Peppers, and perhaps Raymon Taylor. It's tougher to play press man on slot receivers because of their alignment and such, so perhaps Countess would be better off inside.

Let's see less of this guy on defense . . . Delonte Hollowell. Hollowell didn't play a lot against Miami, but he played enough to get beaten for another touchdown on an out route. That's the second week in a row, and teams are probably going to continue to test him out there. He's best deployed as a special teamer, and he just doesn't have the quickness to be effective at corner, in my opinion.

Play of the game . . . Jake Butt's 29-yard touchdown catch. On a fake tunnel screen, Butt hit the corner and then turned upfield. Miami's secondary bit on the pump fake, and Gardner's pass was a wee bit too far. Butt was able to tip it to himself and jog into the endzone with no RedHawks in sight. That was the first time Michigan has shown the play so far, and they probably would have liked to have saved it for later in the year against a more formidable opponent, but Michigan was up just 17-10 at the time and it helped the Wolverines pull away.

MVP of the game . . . Derrick Green. There aren't many choices here on a team that was missing several key players - safety Jarrod Wilson, wide receiver Devin Funchess, and cornerback Raymon Taylor - and couldn't put away a MAC team on an 18-game losing streak. The Wolverines had some trouble getting open, protecting Gardner in the pocket, and getting Gardner on the edge, so Green's running was a big key in helping Michigan pull away in the second half.

Michigan 34, Miami-OH 10

Derrick Green (image via 247Sports.com)

That was too close. The final score said 34-10, but it was 10-10 in the second quarter, 17-10 at halftime, and Michigan didn't get separation until tight end Jake Butt caught a touchdown pass with 3:44 remaining in the third quarter. The offense was inconsistent once again. The Wolverines had 460 yards of total offense to Miami's 198, which should indicate a whooping. But Devin Gardner threw an interception through the hands of Jehu Chesson, Amara Darboh fumbled, and the kickoff return team botched a short kick, all in the second quarter. Maybe the Wolverines were still in shell-shock from last week's 31-0 loss, but Miami was on an 18-game losing streak and gave Michigan a scare. This game won't do much to alleviate the pressure on Brady Hoke.

We have running back answers? Derrick Green was the workhorse back on Saturday afternoon with 22 carries, 137 yards (6.2 yards/carry), and 2 touchdowns. Michigan had a stretch in the second half where they needed to run the ball and take some pressure off of quarterback Devin Gardner, which they did. Green was the guy they looked to, and he produced. The offensive line also did a decent job of opening up some holes, but Green seemed to find the creases that he missed last week. He showed some nifty feet and decent burst, and he started to run through some tacklers. He also had zero negative-yardage plays. Meanwhile, De'Veon Smith had 9 carries for 44 yards (4.9 yards/carry), and while he can still power through some tackles, his speed on a couple outside zone plays was once again lacking. Third down back Justice Hayes had 5 carries for 24 yards, and that's a fitting role for him.

Big plays are lacking without Devin Funchess. Devin Funchess missed the game due to the injury he suffered late in the Notre Dame contest, and it's unclear whether he'll be back next week or not. Michigan's receivers seemed to struggle getting separation from Miami's secondary at times, and I don't see anyone who can stretch the field or gain yards after the catch consistently. Jehu Chesson has some speed, Amara Darboh has the strength and decent size, and Dennis Norfleet has the ability to run after the catch, but nobody has all those qualities rolled into one. Darboh (6 catches, 88 yards, 1 touchdown) appears to be Gardner's go-to guy without Funchess available. The longest plays on the day were a 29-yard touchdown pass to Jake Butt and 27-yard runs by Green and backup quarterback Shane Morris.

I like Michigan's corners. Jabrill Peppers (3 tackles) played quite a bit on the outside, and while he looked raw in some aspects of coverage, he clearly has the speed, strength, and hips to be a very good corner. It's just a matter of time with him. Jourdan Lewis (1 interception) also looked like a good man coverage guy, which we already knew. They both seemed to get a little more playing time than Blake Countess, although I could be wrong about that. Once Raymon Taylor comes back, I think Michigan will be in good shape. Miami quarterback Andrew Hendrix was completing 48% of his passes but for 338 yards/game coming into this one, and he finished 12/26 for 165 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 pick.

Where's the pass rush? Michigan is getting some pressure on quarterbacks, but they're not getting home. Brennen Beyer got Michigan's lone sack on Saturday, basically by outworking Miami right tackle Collin Buchanan - who had 3 false starts on the day, if I remember correctly. Michigan didn't roll out the exotic blitzes they showed against Notre Dame, but they didn't sit back and rush four defensive linemen all day, either. The Wolverines just aren't beating guys off the line like you think they would once in a while. The pass rush improved as the 2013 season wore on, so hopefully that becomes the case once again. The Wolverines have just 4 sacks in three games this year.

The run defense still looks good. Miami isn't a good running team, but Michigan did well against Notre Dame on the ground and held Miami to 33 yards on 24 carries (1.4 yards/carry). The defensive linemen aren't getting a ton of penetration, but they're not losing ground, and the linebackers are doing a good job of cleaning up behind them. Joe Bolden even made a nice pass breakup on a post route, which is probably the first time I can say that during his career. The linebackers are pretty solid all-around.

WHY, JEHU CHESSON II, WHY?!?!?! When he got his hands on the Shane Morris pass in the endzone that would have made it 37-10 (before the extra point), I really thought my score prediction of 38-10 was going to come true. Chesson must read my blog - and he must not be a fan - because he made the Wolverines settle for a field goal that made it 34-10.

Coaching Thoughts: Post-Notre Dame

I find myself lacking the time to do "snapshot" breakdowns of particular plays, so while I would like to go into greater detail, please bear with me as I simply write about some of the technical breakdowns I saw in Saturday night's game. To point out these plays, I'm using the Notre Dame highlight video below:


Cover zero: The touchdown pass with 3:58 left before halftime was a result of a man-beater route combination called by Notre Dame, plus a physically outmatched slot corner in Delonte Hollowell. Hollowell correctly had inside leverage on the quick out, but he was aligned a little far off for my liking and did not have the makeup speed to undercut the route or challenge the catch. On the goal line, there's no need to play off the receiver. If the opponent tries to throw over the top, they have to complete the pass in front of the end line, which is tough unless you've got a good jump ball guy.

Seam routes: On the interception thrown with 12:34 remaining in the third quarter, it looks like Gardner simply didn't see safety Max Redfield in the deep middle. Gardner likely felt a little rushed because Notre Dame was getting a bit of a push. All the routes were covered, so I would like to see Gardner tuck the ball and run or throw it away. If he's going to make that throw to Khalid Hill, he needs to put some air under it with Hill being the only guy who could catch it. Hill would have had a chance to make the reception if it turned into a jump ball because Redfield was not in great position to defend a deep ball, but even then, a safety vs. a mediocre tight end is probably going to go the defense's way.

Free safety play: On the botched cover zero play involving Hollowell (above), blitzing safety Jeremy Clark gets chopped to the ground by running back Tarean Folston. Part of blitz technique is using your hands to stay on your feet when someone goes for a cut block, but Clark's eyes were in the backfield and he was caught completely off guard. If he had stayed on his feet, he would have been in Golson's face and potentially altering the throw. On the tunnel screen touchdown with 3:02 remaining in the third, it's well executed by Notre Dame. The guy who should be saving that play is deep safety Jeremy Clark. He reacted by trying to get over the top of the screen, but those plays are designed to come back inside. Because of his overpursuit, Clark took a bad angle. He should have been coming downhill, right up the tunnel. That would have given other defenders more of a chance to converge even if he didn't make the tackle. It turned out to be a pretty easy catch-and-run score. That's the inexperience of a redshirt sophomore safety project.

Scramble drill: Late in the third quarter, Devin Gardner dropped back to pass. With a decent pocket forming and several downfield routes - plus a well covered outlet option in De'Veon Smith - Gardner hung in the pocket looking for a receiver. At the 1:00 mark, he began to scramble - first to the right, then back, then to the left, and finally forward across the line of scrimmage. In the four seconds before he crossed the line of scrimmage, not one receiver re-entered the screen to save his quarterback. When a quarterback is scrambling, deep receivers are supposed to work their way short, and short receivers are supposed to work deeper. Instead, Gardner scrambled, spun, got blindsided, and ultimately fumbled.

Amara Darboh's route running: Darboh is big and strong, and he has decent speed. What Darboh lacks is precision in his route running. When Michigan got the ball back after Gardner's aforementioned fumble, the first play involved what looks like a 7-yard hitch route. Darboh does not provided the illusion of running deep, either with his footwork or his head. He simply hits 7 yards, whips his head around, and drifts. A receiver is supposed to come back down the chute to the ball, which prevents the corner from jumping the route. Sure enough, cornerback Cody Riggs jumps the route and beats Darboh to the spot. The pass may have been broken up anyway, but a good route there probably has Darboh catching the ball and getting tackled immediately for a decent 7-yard gain.

Pass protection: At roughly 2:44 left in the fourth quarterback, Notre Dame runs a six-man pressure with a seventh man playing a hug technique (blitz if the running back stays home) on running back Justice Hayes. It's a man blocking scheme, and everyone is accounted for except the hugger. Right tackle Ben Braden gets off balance and is caught off guard by an inside pass rush. Meanwhile, left guard Erik Magnuson's second step is that of a left tackle who is trying to protect the width of the pocket, instead of a step by a guard trying to protect the depth of the pocket. He opens up his left shoulder, which allows the defensive tackle to that side to get upfield. Despite Jehu Chesson coming open on a short crossing route, Gardner does not have time to throw the ball before getting hit by Braden and Magnuson's men.

2014 Season Countdown: #20 Amara Darboh

Amara Darboh

Name: Amara Darboh
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 211 lbs.
High school: Des Moines (IA) Dowling Catholic
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #82
Last year: I ranked Darboh #25 and said he would start at split end. He broke his foot prior to the season and missed the entire year.

Darboh had a rough year in 2013. He developed a rapport with quarterback Devin Gardner during the spring of 2013 season and entered fall camp as a favorite target. Despite not making a single catch during the 2012 campaign, he was going to be a frequent target. Then he broke his foot in August, had surgery, and missed the remainder of the year. In his stead, Michigan's receiving corps did well for themselves: Jeremy Gallon set records, Devin Funchess developed into a rising star, and Jehu Chesson grew up a little bit.

Here comes the 2014 season, and we still don't know exactly what to expect out of Darboh. Gallon is gone, and Funchess isn't messing around as a tight end anymore. There's one starting wideout spot available right now, and the battle for it comes down to Darboh, Chesson, and freshman Freddy Canteen. My guess is that Darboh will start opposite Funchess, because the coaches value his size and experience, and Gardner seems to like him. Some people might rank a starting wide receiver higher on a list like this, but the presence of Chesson would soften the blow of losing Darboh for any length of time. Michigan also has several other players who can take occasional snaps, such as Da'Mario Jones, Jaron Dukes, Drake Harris, and Maurice Ways.

Prediction: Starting split end; 30 catches, 450 yards, 4 touchdowns

An Average Season Under Doug Nussmeier

Devin Gardner has gone from catching touchdown passes against Alabama to likely throwing them
for Alabama's offensive coordinator.

Every team is different, but I wanted to take a stab at what kind of production we can expect from new offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier while he's here in Ann Arbor. I looked at his last five years, which he spent with Washington (2009-2011) and then Alabama (2012-2013). I then averaged those seasons together to come up with a rough estimate of what types of numbers the Wolverines will put up. The player listed with the projection is my early guess at the depth chart for this upcoming fall.

Quarterback (Jake Locker, Keith Price, AJ McCarron):
230/395, 2800 yards, 21 touchdowns, 11 interceptions
184/332, 2265 yards, 17 touchdowns, 9 interceptions
242/362, 3063 yards, 33 touchdowns, 11 interceptions
211/314, 2933 yards, 30 touchdowns, 3 interceptions
226/336, 3063 yards, 28 touchdowns, 7 interceptions
--------------------------------------------------------
2014 Devin Gardner projection: 219/348, 62.9%, 2825 yards, 26 touchdowns, 8 interceptions
2013 Devin Gardner stats: 208/345, 60.3%, 2960 yards, 21 touchdowns, 11 interceptions

Running Back #1 (Chris Polk, Eddie Lacy, T.J. Yeldon):
226 carries, 1113 yards, 5 touchdowns
260 carries, 1415 yards, 9 touchdowns
293 carries, 1488 yards, 12 touchdowns
204 carries, 1322 yards, 17 touchdowns
207 carries, 1235 yards, 14 touchdowns
--------------------------------------------------------
2014 Derrick Green projection: 238 carries, 1315 yards, 11 touchdowns
2013 Fitzgerald Toussaint stats: 185 carries, 648 yards, 13 touchdowns

Running Back #2 (Demitrius Bronson, Jesse Callier, T.J. Yeldon, Kenyan Drake):
19 carries, 89 yards, 0 touchdowns
77 carries, 433 yards, 0 touchdowns
47 carries, 260 yards, 1 touchdown
175 carries, 1108 yards, 12 touchdowns
92 carries, 694 yards, 8 touchdowns
--------------------------------------------------------
2014 De'Veon Smith projection: 82 carries, 517 yards, 4 touchdowns
2013 Derrick Green stats: 83 carries, 270 yards, 2 touchdowns

Wide Receiver #1 (Jermaine Kearse, Amari Cooper):
50 catches, 866 yards, 8 touchdowns
63 catches, 1005 yards, 12 touchdowns
47 catches, 699 yards, 7 touchdowns
58 catches, 999 yards, 11 touchdowns
45 catches, 736 yards, 4 touchdowns
--------------------------------------------------------
2014 Devin Funchess projection: 53 catches, 861 yards, 8 touchdowns
2013 Jeremy Gallon stats: 89 catches, 1373 yards, 9 touchdowns

Wide Receiver #2 (Devin Aguilar, D'Andre Goodwin, Kevin Norwood):
42 catches, 593 yards, 5 touchdowns
44 catches, 530 yards, 4 touchdowns
41 catches, 611 yards, 6 touchdowns
29 catches, 469 yards, 4 touchdowns
38 catches, 568 yards, 7 touchdowns
--------------------------------------------------------
2014 Jehu Chesson projection: 39 catches, 554 yards, 5 touchdowns
2013 Devin Funchess stats: 49 catches, 748 yards, 6 touchdowns

Wide Receiver #3 (James Johnson, Devin Aguilar, Kasen Williams, Kenny Bell, DeAndrew White):
39 catches, 422 yards, 3 touchdowns
28 catches, 352 yards, 2 touchdowns
36 catches, 427 yards, 6 touchdowns
17 catches, 431 yards, 3 touchdowns
32 catches, 534 yards, 4 touchdowns
----------------------------------------------------------
2014 Amara Darboh projection: 30 catches, 433 yards, 4 touchdowns
2013 Jehu Chesson stats: 15 catches, 221 yards, 1 touchdown

Tight End #1 (Kavario Middleton, Marlion Barnett, Austin Sefarian-Jenkins, Michael Williams, O.J. Howard):
26 catches, 257 yards, 3 touchdowns
4 catches, 31 yards, 0 touchdowns
41 catches, 538 yards, 6 touchdowns
24 catches, 183 yards, 4 touchdowns
14 catches, 269 yards, 2 touchdowns
----------------------------------------------------------
2014 Jake Butt projection: 22 catches, 256 yards, 3 touchdowns
2013 Jake Butt stats: 17 catches, 235 yards, 2 touchdowns

Tight End #2 (Chris Izbicki, Michael Hartvigson, Kelly Johnson, Brian Vogler):
3 catches, 7 yards, 1 touchdown
2 catches, 16 yards, 1 touchdown
8 catches, 30 yards, 1 touchdown
5 catches, 39 yards, 0 touchdowns
8 catches, 71 yards, 1 touchdown
-----------------------------------------------------------
2014 A.J. Williams projection: 5 catches, 33 yards, 1 touchdown
2013 A.J. Williams stats: 1 catch, 2 yards, 1 touchdown

Poll results: Who will be Michigan's leading receiver?

This is a poll I took over the summer, prior to the season. Then things got busy and I didn't have a chance to post the results.

Who do you think Michigan's leading receiver will be in 2013? All statistics are through seven games.

Jeremy Gallon: 79%
Gallon took a pretty commanding lead with his 369-yard performance against Indiana, but as of now, he has 45 catches for 831 yards and 7 touchdowns.

Amara Darboh: 10%
Darboh suffered a foot injury shortly before the season began, has not played, and is expected to miss the rest of the year.

Devin Funchess: 3%
Funchess has 23 catches for 492 yards and 4 touchdowns. He was pushing Gallon for the lead, but now he's 339 yards behind.

Drew Dileo: 1% (6 votes)
Dileo has 8 catches for 99 yards and 1 touchdown. I expect him to catch a few more passes down the stretch, but he's obviously out of the running.

Jehu Chesson: 1% (5 votes)
Chesson's 7 catches for 98 yards and 1 touchdown aren't particularly impressive, but the physical skills are there to be a leading receiver someday. He needs to work on his hands and on adjusting to balls in the air.

Jeremy Jackson: 1% (4 votes)
Jackson has notched 5 catches for 53 yards.

Da'Mario Jones: 1% (4 votes)
Jones has yet to see time on offense, although he has played on special teams.

Joe Reynolds: 1% (4 votes)
Reynolds has 3 catches for 56 yards after being passed up for playing time by Chesson.

Csont'e York: 1% (4 votes)
York has played sparingly this season and has yet to make a catch.

Other: 0% (2 votes)
I don't know who else might have received a vote. Maybe Dennis Norfleet's parents stopped by to vote.

Jaron Dukes: 0% (0 votes)
Yeah, nobody voted for him.

Amara Darboh out for the season

Amara Darboh (#82)

Sophomore wide receiver Amara Darboh will miss the 2013 season after injuring his foot last week, an injury that requires surgery. He was expected to be a starting wideout this fall, and various people were suggesting he would be an acrobatic Spider-man reeling in diving and one-handed catches. Not anymore, at least not until maybe a bowl game or the 2014 season.

Despite being pegged as a starter opposite Jeremy Gallon, I ranked Darboh as the 25th-most important player in the 2013 Season Countdown. I'm not quite on the bandwagon that thinks he'll be a star wide receiver, although I think he'll be a solid player. I've long suggested that redshirt freshman Jehu Chesson will be the better player in the long run, so this should give Chesson a few more opportunities to produce. The Wolverines also have a trio of seniors in the form of Drew Dileo, Jeremy Jackson, and Joe Reynolds, as well as a trio of true freshmen in the form of Jaron Dukes, Da'Mario Jones, and Csont'e York.

Teams always face injury issues, and this is just another example. Last year freshman defensive lineman Chris Wormley tore his ACL around this time, and sophomore Blake Countess tore his ACL in the first quarter of the opener. Darboh joins redshirt sophomore quarterback Russell Bellomy on the list of guys expected to miss the season, and redshirt junior linebacker Jake Ryan is out until late this fall with an ACL tear; would-be redshirt sophomore linebacker Antonio Poole took a medical hardship in the off-season after dealing with a chronic upper body injury.

2013 Season Countdown: #25 Amara Darboh

Amara Darboh and Jeremy Gallon (image via MGoBlog.com)

Name: Amara Darboh
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 213 lbs.
High school: Des Moines (IA) Dowling Catholic
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #82
Last year: I ranked Darboh #55 and said he would be a backup wide receiver. He was a backup wide receiver and special teamer who made 5 tackles.

Darboh entered last season as the more likely freshman receiver to play, due to his superior size over Jehu Chesson. He hit the field but never touched the ball. Michigan used him as a gunner on punt coverage, where he was probably a little bit bigger than most punt team gunners and made 5 tackles throughout the season. This spring a couple videos popped up on social media of Darboh making leaping catches, one-handed catches, etc. during workouts. The spring game wasn't the showcase for him that some expected, but it was somewhat limited in its passing due to a shortage of quarterbacks.

Someone is going to need to take Roy Roundtree's spot at flanker, and I expect that to be Jeremy Gallon moving over from split end. That means someone is going to need to take Gallon's spot at split end, and I expect that to be Darboh. He has the size to be a good blocker, and the athleticism is obviously there to make some acrobatic catches. I don't think Darboh will put up huge numbers because there are other receiving options (Devin Funchess, Jehu Chesson, Drew Dileo, etc.), but I think he will be the nominal starter at split end and attempt to make his case for the top wideout going into 2014.

Prediction: Starting split end; 20 receptions, 300 yards, 3 touchdowns

Spring Game Preview: Michigan vs. Michigan

Devin Gardner

Top five things to watch for when Michigan has the ball . . . 
1. That Devin Gardner's ACL stays intact. Michigan has already lost two players to ACL tears this spring (linebacker Jake Ryan and backup quarterback Russell Bellomy). An injury to Gardner would be catastrophic, since redshirt freshman walk-on Brian Cleary is the current backup and Shane Morris won't arrive until June.

2. The interior offensive line. Michigan's defensive line should be playing at a pretty high level because of the guys who return on that side, so will the three "starters" at left guard, center, and right guard get the job done?  Those three positions seem to be held by Ben Braden, Jack Miller, and Joe Burzynski currently, but there are a few players hot on their heels.

3. Who's next at wide receiver? We know Jeremy Gallon can be an explosive player, and we know what Michigan has in Drew Dileo and Jeremy Jackson.  Redshirt freshman Jehu Chesson has made some nice plays in practice, and sophomore Amara Darboh has done the same.  At least one of those two guys needs to step up by the fall if Michigan wants to have a high-powered offense.

4. Adequate Michigan running backs. The chance that we see a stellar performance from any of the currently available running backs looks slim.  With fifth year senior Fitzgerald Toussaint out with a broken leg, the job comes down to junior Thomas Rawls, redshirt sophomore Justice Hayes, sophomore Dennis Norfleet, and redshirt freshman Drake Johnson.  Rawls and Hayes have been unimpressive in their live game action so far - although Rawls did have a long touchdown in garbage time last year - and Norfleet was mostly limited to kickoff returns last season.  Drake Johnson has earned praise from the coaches at times, but he has looked so-so in a few spring practice clips.  It would be nice to see a developing, viable option this spring, but we might have to wait until Toussaint comes back or until Derrick Green arrives on campus.

5. What does the offense look like these days? Denard Robinson is gone, and we all loved him, but now Michigan should have an actual, bona fide quarterback.  The kind of quarterback that can sit in the pocket and throw the ball without tricking the defense into thinking it might be a run.  I don't expect Al Borges to give much away in a spring game, but we should get an inkling of the direction he wants to take the offense.  If the Pistol isn't installed by now, I would expect to see it in the fall; I also expect a little more threat of the downfield pass this year.

Top five things to watch for when Michigan is on defense . . .
1. How does Cam Gordon look filling in for the team's best defender? Cam Gordon had a pretty darn good season when he was a redshirt freshman playing free safety and linebacker, although the free safety thing was a bit of a stretch.  Since that 2010 season, he has mostly been an afterthought.  Jake Ryan was a terror of a pass rusher and made his fair share of plays against the run, too, and Michigan will have to manufacture a replacement for him.

2. Safety reps. Thomas Gordon is capable of playing both safety positions, and he's guaranteed to start at one of them.  Sophomore Jarrod Wilson can play free safety; senior Marvin Robinson can play strong.  Which player will get the most reps?

3. First world inside linebacker problems. Michigan probably has three starter-quality inside linebackers, along with some other guys who have potential.  As I have been predicting for a while, it appears junior Desmond Morgan will be your new middle linebacker (moving over from WILL) and sophomore James Ross will step in at weakside linebacker.  Meanwhile, sophomore Joe Bolden could conceivably be a starter at inside linebacker, although he might be a little large and stiff for WILL.

4. Cornerback depth. Redshirt sophomore Blake Countess might not do much in the spring game, since he's recovering from an ACL injury.  His replacement last year, junior Raymon Taylor, continues to fight for his job, and senior Courtney Avery appears to have abandoned the nickel corner position to compete at field corner.  Two of the three will presumably start in the fall, but the starting combo we'll likely see in the spring game will probably be Taylor and Avery.  It will also be interesting to see if young guys Delonte Hollowell and Terry Richardson have developed.

5. Freshman early enrollees. Defensive end Taco Charlton (6'6", 265 lbs.), cornerback Ross Douglas (5'10", 176 lbs.), and safety Dymonte Thomas (6'2", 187 lbs.) enrolled in January, and each one has a chance to contribute somewhere in the fall.  Charlton apparently looks the part, but his technique was rough coming out of high school; Douglas came in bigger than expected; and Thomas has been practicing some at corner and some at the nickel position, both of which are departures from what he played in high school.

Spring Practice Preview: Offense

It's time to see what the Inkster product can do leading Michigan's football team.

QUARTERBACK
Redshirt junior Devin Gardner is the clear front-runner for the quarterback job.  After Denard Robinson got hurt against Nebraska, Gardner started the next five games, going 75/126 for 1,219 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions.  Michigan appears to have a "franchise" type quarterback, but what will Michigan's offense look like with him fully entrenched at the position?  Gardner is better from under center than Robinson ever was, so the I-formation stuff should be more prevalent.  He can still run the shotgun passing stuff, but he's not a downhill runner in the same way that allowed Robinson to run for 1,000+ yards the past few seasons.
Others to watch: The only other scholarship quarterback on the roster for the spring is redshirt sophomore Russell Bellomy.

RUNNING BACK
With Fitzgerald Toussaint injured, Vincent Smith off to his post-college career, and Derrick Green not arriving until summer, the pickings will be slim this spring.  This should be Michigan fans' first chance to see redshirt freshman Drake Johnson, who earned some praise from Brady Hoke around bowl time.  He has good size and speed, but that doesn't always translate to success.  Junior Thomas Rawls (57 carries, 242 yards, 4 touchdowns) and redshirt sophomore Justice Hayes (18 carries, 83 yards, 1 touchdown) earned some carries, but neither one did much with his opportunities.
Others to watch: Sophomore Dennis Norfleet has moved back to running back after a short stint at corner for the Outback Bowl.  Sophomore Sione Houma and redshirt sophomore Joey Kerridge will fight for the fullback spot.

WIDE RECEIVER
In the five games that Gardner started at quarterback, fifth year senior Jeremy Gallon had 31 receptions for 511 yards and 3 touchdowns.  He looks to be the top receiver in 2013, but there's plenty of room for others to emerge.  Two other seniors return in Drew Dileo (22 catches, 331 yards, 2 touchdowns) and Jeremy Jackson (4 catches, 31 yards), the former of which is a jack-of-all-trades, the latter a lumbering possession receiver.  Then there's sophomore Amara Darboh, who played but was never targeted, and redshirt freshman Jehu Chesson.  Since Dileo appears to be nothing more than a complementary receiver, it would be good for Gardner and the Michigan offense to find another reliable target between Darboh and Chesson.
Others to watch: Fifth year senior walk-on Joe Reynolds (3 catches, 22 yards) worked his way into the rotation last season and has decent quickness.

TIGHT END
Sophomore Devin Funchess (15 catches, 234 yards, 5 touchdowns) should have playing time locked up at the U-back position.  Fellow sophomore A.J. Williams is a mammoth tight end who's more of a blocker.  The wild card in the mix is freshman Jake Butt, who enrolled early and is physically developed enough to play as a freshman.  Williams isn't much of a target downfield, so if Gardner can work out some chemistry with Butt in the spring (and summer), Michigan should have a nice 1-2 punch of receiving tight ends between Funchess and Butt.
Others to watch: Redshirt junior Jordan Paskorz has played in just one game (on special teams against UMass) during his three seasons, and the rest of the guys on the roster are young-ish walk-ons with little experience; the best of those is redshirt junior Dylan Esterline.

OFFENSIVE LINE
The two sure starters are the bookend, fifth-year senior tackles Taylor Lewan and Michael Schofield.  Between those two will be any combination of about a dozen other players, because the three interior starters graduated.  Redshirt freshman all-everything guard Kyle Kalis will probably step in at one guard spot.  That leaves the other two spots up for grabs between redshirt sophomore Jack Miller, redshirt junior walk-on Joey Burzynski, redshirt sophomore Chris Bryant, and redshirt freshman Ben Braden; the former two will probably vie for the center spot, while the latter two will fight for the right guard position.  None of them have played extensively, and if either Bryant or Braden starts the season, it will be his first ever game experience.  In the long term, Braden will probably end up at right tackle, so you could see Schofield and Braden flip if the coaches aren't confident in Braden's ability to pull.
Others to watch: Redshirt freshman Erik Magnuson will have every chance to succeed Lewan at left tackle, and classmate Blake Bars has practiced at both center and guard.  Both appear to be at least a year away from playing significant time.  True freshman Kyle Bosch has apparently impressed people with his size and work in the weight room as an early enrollee, but he's very young; if the coaches wouldn't play Kalis as a freshman, they probably won't play Bosch, either, unless injuries occur.  But it will still be interesting to see how Bosch fares in the glorified practice.

2012 Season Countdown: #55 Amara Darboh

Amara Darboh

Name: Amara Darboh
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 205 lbs.
High school: West Des Moines (IA) Dowling Catholic
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #82
Last year: Darboh was in high school.  He had 48 receptions for 765 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Final TTB Rating: 77

Darboh achieved the above statistics in just six games due to a shoulder injury, which required offseason surgery.  Despite the injury, he maintained a place in the various recruiting sites' top X lists.  He committed to Michigan in December over a pretty impressive list of offers that included Florida, Iowa, and Notre Dame.

Darboh has recently stated that he's 6'3" and around 210 lbs., which is very well developed for a freshman receiver.  People who have seen him this offseason say he looks like an outside linebacker rather than a wideout, which should bode well for his chances at earning playing time this fall.  In fact, that physical development is reminiscent of the now graduated Junior Hemingway (who was 6'1", 202 lbs. as a true freshman).  Hemingway played as a true freshman, though he made a minimal impact that season.  I expect a similar experience for Darboh as a freshman.  Numbers at the wide receiver position suggest that he, Jehu Chesson, or both will see the field this season in some capacity.  He probably won't touch the ball much, but he might catch one or two passes to get his feet wet.

Prediction: Backup wide receiver

Wolverine Nation: Entrance Intervew with Amara Darboh

Chantel Jennings interviews incoming freshman wide receiver Amara Darboh.

Amara Darboh Answers Your Questions

West Des Moines (IA) Dowling Catholic WR Amara Darboh

Four-star wide receiver Amara Darboh recently signed his National Letter of Intent for Michigan on February 1st, which was also his birthday. Less than 48 hours before his big day, Amara was nice enough to give us an update and answer several reader questions.

Experiences in Ann Arbor: "I've been there twice. I went there last summer and then I went there for the Ohio State game. When I went there in the summer, I got to see a lot of the town and it's a really fun atmosphere. And then the Ohio State game was just unbelievable. The atmosphere was great; the fans were great. We sat in the front row on the 50-yard line. . . There seems like a lot to do there."

Reasons for choosing Michigan: "When I went there it seemed like I connected with the players right away. And I was just talking to the coaches, and I had just got done talking with Coach Hoke and I looked out - because he has this balcony place outside his office - and I saw Devin Gardner and Jeremy Gallon playing catch. . . . Then I saw Roy [Roundtree] and I talked to him and Devin and Jeremy and we all got along great. That was one of the biggest things because you want to get along with the guys that you'll be playing with next year, especially the older ones because they're going to be the leaders. . . . And after I met all of the coaches, I had great feelings about them, and I can see why all of the players love them."

Positive recruiting: "There were coaches at other schools that would say stuff about other schools and ask questions about other schools. But it seemed like Michigan didn't really worry about other schools and just recruited me, so that was something I liked, too."

Early playing time: "That's something that I've always wanted to do. I'm not an impatient person, but I feel with my body type, I'm kind of like a mid-year guy already. . . . So yeah, that's something that I saw the chance for at Michigan."

Role at Michigan: "They [they coaches] are telling me that I'm more like the new Michigan type of receiver. Like an outside sort of a receiver, I have a bigger frame, and I weigh like 205 lbs. now. I'm a pretty big receiver, so I'll be playing outside. So what [the coaches] were telling me was about the direction that they're taking the program, and they like taking receivers like me. . . . They were comparing me to Hemingway and stuff; we're both big receivers."

Shoulder surgery: "I'm on the basketball team, but I had surgery during the year, so I only got a chance to play in a couple of games. . . . The surgery was on my labrum; I had dislocated my shoulder. So I decided to have [the surgery] early in basketball season so I could have time to recover and be ready by the time I go to Ann Arbor. It's feeling pretty good right now. It's been like a month since I've had the surgery. I don't have the sling anymore and I can move it, but I don't have full range of motion yet, but I'm going to physical therapy and it's getting better every day. I should be good by March. So I'll definitely be ready by the time July comes around."

Roommate: "I think I'll be rooming - at least during the summer - with Jehu Chesson. We took our official [visit] together and like talking."

The #1 Jersey: "Yeah, I've heard about it. We've got a few Michigan fans around here, so I've heard about it. Braylon Edwards wore it last, I think. It's one of my goals while I'm at Michigan, but it's not like my first goal. My first goal is to get there, earn a spot and some playing time."

College major: "I'm going to try to go into the business school. I don't know if it'll be like marketing, financing, or managing or what, so I'll take some basic business classes and take it from there."

The NFL: "That's a goal of mine. That's one of my goals for sure. I've worked hard before and I'm working hard now and in the end, that's where I'm hoping to get to. . . . I like watching Brandon Marshall and other guys like Andre Johnson and Calvin Johnson. . . . I really like watching Brandon Marshall, so if he wasn't on the Dolphins, I wouldn't really like the Dolphins, so I guess I don't really have a favorite [NFL] team."

Leisure: "I play a lot of video games with my friends, like Madden and NCAA. And then we get ping-pong going, and we play pick up games, football and basketball. . ."

Managing criticism and feedback: "I like my coaches to be honest with me, but then there are some people who will just say things and they don't know what they're talking about. I'm the type of person who if you say something and you don't know what you're talking about, I'll tell you. I won't be rude about it, but I'll tell you. But with my coaches, I feel like I'm a coachable player and I try to learn every day."

Dunkin': "I grew up liking basketball. I liked football, too, but basketball was more my thing back then. . .Yeah, I can dunk. I think that's [one of the reasons] why I like basketball. Going into eighth grade, that's the first time I dunked the ball. The one that I used to do all the time back in eighth is I'd throw it off the backboard. And then, have you seen when LeBron puts his hand behind his head and then dunks it? Yeah, I'd do that one a lot, too."

Read more about Amara and learn about his unique personal journey in an AnnArbor.com story titled "War-time orphan to big-time football: Michigan recruit Amara Darboh survives to become Freetown's finest." Make sure to also check out his TTB commitment post.

Ask a Question: Amara Darboh

Amara Darboh
(image via Ongo.com)

Four-star wide receiver Amara Darboh is expected to sign his LOI for Michigan on February 1st, which will also be his birthday. I'll be having a conversation with him on January 29th, so leave a question in the comments section below if you so desire, and I'll do my best to get it answered.

Final Rivals 250 Released for 2012

Joe Bolden is the nation's 111th-best player

Rivals released its Rivals 250 on Wednesday.  This comes on the heels of yesterday's Rivals 100, which I discussed yesterday.  Here's what it looked like in May 2011, August 2011, and then November 2011.

Michigan commits have made the following moves since November:

- Joe Bolden moved from #152 to #111
- James Ross dropped from #163 to #172
- Royce Jenkins-Stone dropped slightly from #182 to #184
- Amara Darboh dropped from #208 to #215
- Terry Richardson dropped from #217 to #224

There are still a couple weeks remaining to recruit class of 2012 kids, but at this point, Michigan has offered 115 of the top 250 (or 46%) players in the country.  During the last recruiting cycle, Michigan offered 84 of the top 250 players (or 33.6%).  Brady Hoke has sent out 190 reported offers this season, while Rodriguez (with a small dose of Hoke at the end) offered 195 kids in the 2011 recruiting class.  This supports my opinion that I've held since last spring that Brady Hoke is targeting a higher level of talent than Rich Rodriguez did during his tenure.

Here are the rest of Michigan's 2012 offerees on the Rivals 250:

103. Aaron Burbridge - WR - Michigan (Michigan State)
105. Dillon Lee - LB - Georgia (Alabama)
111. Joe Bolden - LB - Ohio (Michigan)
113. Elijah Shumate - S - New Jersey (Notre Dame)
127. Peter Jinkens - LB - Texas (Texas)
128. Scott Starr - LB - California (USC)
130. Drae Bowles - WR - Tennessee (Tennessee)
133. Keith Brown - LB - Florida (Louisville)
137. John Michael McGee - OG - Texas (Oklahoma)
138. Bri'onte Dunn - RB - Ohio (Ohio State)
147. Paul Thurston - OT - Colorado (Nebraska)
148. Evan Boehm - OG - Missouri (Missouri)
149. Dalvin Tomlinson - DT - Georgia
153. Dan Voltz - OT - Illinois (Wisconsin)
154. Pharaoh Brown - DE - Ohio (Oregon)
158. Sean Price - TE - Florida (South Florida)
159. David Perkins - ATH - Indiana (Ohio State)
161. Danny O'Brien - DT - Michigan (Tennessee)
163. Ty Darlington - C - Florida (Oklahoma)
164. Dwayne Stanford - WR - Ohio (Oregon)
165. Jake Rodrigues - QB - California (Oregon)
166. Leonte Carroo - WR - New Jersey (Rutgers)
167. Camren Williams - LB - Massachusetts (Penn State)
169. Deontay McManus - WR - Maryland (West Virginia)
170. Devonte Fields - DE - Texas (TCU)
171. Dominique Wheeler - WR - Texas (Texas Tech)
172. James Ross - LB - Michigan (Michigan)
173. Jaleel Johnson - DT - Illinois (Iowa)
175. Michael Starts - DE - Texas (Texas Tech)
178. Kyle Dodson - OT - Ohio (Wisconsin)
184. Royce Jenkins-Stone - LB - Michigan (Michigan)
188. Wes Brown - RB - Maryland (Maryland)
189. Taylor McNamara - TE - California (Oklahoma)
190. Matt Jones - RB - Florida (Florida)
191. Michael Moore - DE - Maryland (Virginia)
192. Greg McMullen - DE - Ohio (Nebraska)
193. Warren Ball - RB - Ohio (Ohio State)
195. Jonathan Williams - RB - Texas (Arkansas)
199. Jarron Jones - DT - New York (Notre Dame)
203. Adam Bisnowaty - OT - Pennsylvania (Pitt)
209. Ken Ekanem - LB - Virginia
212. Shane Callahan - OT - Colorado (Auburn)
215. Amara Darboh - WR - Iowa (Michigan)
216. Derrick Woods - WR - California (Oklahoma)
218. Latroy Pittman - WR - Florida (Florida)
219. Armani Reeves - CB - Massachusetts (Penn State)
221. Taylor Decker - OT - Ohio (Ohio State)
222. Kenny Lawler - CB - Washington, D.C.
224. Terry Richardson - CB - Michigan (Michigan)
226. Darius Powe - WR - California (Cal)
230. Jody Fuller - WR - North Carolina (South Carolina)
237. Reginald Davis - WR - Texas (Texas Tech)
239. Troy Hinds - DE - Utah (BYU)
244. Sheldon Day - DT - Indiana (Notre Dame)
246. Jason Croom - WR - Georgia (Tennessee)
247. Avery Johnson - WR - Florida (LSU)
249. Faith Ekakitie - DT - Illinois (Iowa)

Michigan offerees who fell out of the top 250 are:
- Indiana QB Zeke Pike (Auburn)
- Arizona QB Connor Brewer (Texas)
- North Carolina OT Brock Stadnik (South Carolina)
- Louisiana OT Derek Edinburgh (LSU)
- South Carolina DE Martin Aiken (Clemson)
- Tennessee RB I'Tavius Mathers (Ole Miss)
- Colorado OG Alex Kozan

Final Scout 300 Released for 2012

Lakewood (OH) St. Edward's Kyle Kalis is Michigan's top-rated player to Scout

The Scout 300 was released on Wednesday.  For a refresher on where kids used to be ranked, check out this post from April.

Michigan commits are in the following slots:

• 35. Kyle Kalis
• 65. Ondre Pipkins
• 69. Joe Bolden
• 82. Erik Magnuson
• 83. James Ross
• 93. Tom Strobel
• 111. Royce Jenkins-Stone
• 162. Mario Ojemudia
• 164. Chris Wormley
• 183. Terry Richardson
• 205. Amara Darboh
• 221. Devin Funchess
• 225. A.J. Williams
• 249. Jarrod Wilson

Michigan has offered 133 of these 300 players (44.3%).  As is the custom 'round these parts, here's a look at Michigan offerees in Scout's final 300:

5-stars:
1. Dorial Green-Beckham - WR - Missouri
2. Arik Armstead - OT - California
3. Shaq Thompson - S - California (Cal)
4. Mario Edwards - DE - Texas (Florida State)
5. Noah Spence - DE - Pennsylvania (Ohio State)
6. Stefon Diggs - WR - Maryland
7. John Theus - OT - Florida (Georgia)
9. Ronald Darby - CB - Maryland
10. Adolphus Washington - DE - Ohio (Ohio State)
11. D.J. Humphries - OT - Florida (Florida)
12. Keith Marshall - RB - North Carolina (Georgia)
14. Kyle Murphy - OT - California
19. Jordan Jenkins - DE - Georgia (Georgia)
20. Darius Hamilton - DE - New Jersey
23. Ellis McCarthy - DT - California (Cal)
25. Brian Poole - CB - Florida (Florida)
26. Eli Harold - DE - Virginia (Virginia)
27. Avery Young - OT - Florida
31. Eddie Goldman - DT - Washington, D.C.
32. Bri'onte Dunn - RB - Ohio (Ohio State)
35. Kyle Kalis - OT - Ohio (Michigan)
38. Gunner Kiel - QB - Indiana (LSU)
39. Tee Shepard - CB - California (Notre Dame)
42. Joshua Garnett - OG - Washington
43. Bryce Treggs - WR - California (Cal)
45. Cyrus Jones - WR - Maryland (Alabama)
47. Jordan Diamond - OT - Illinois
48. Tommy Schutt - DT - Illinois
50. Sheldon Day - DT - Indiana (Notre Dame)

4-stars:
51. Andrus Peat - OT - Arizona
52. Kwon Alexander - LB - Alabama
55. Elijah Shumate - LB - New Jersey (Notre Dame)
58. Se'von Pittman - DE - Ohio (Ohio State)
61. Nelson Agholor - S - Florida
62. Jordan Simmons - OG - California (USC)
63. Aaron Burbridge - WR - Michigan (Michigan State)
65. Ondre Pipkins - DT - Missouri (Michigan)
68. Michael Starts - OG - Texas (Texas Tech)
69. Joe Bolden - LB - Ohio (Michigan)
72. Zach Banner - OT - Washington
73. Kent Taylor - TE - Florida (Florida)
75. Ifeadi Odenigbo - DE - Ohio (Northwestern)
76. Jonathan Taylor - DT - Georgia (Georgia)
77. Taylor Decker - OT - Ohio (Notre Dame)
78. Javonte Magee - DE - Texas
79. Armani Reeves - CB - Massachusetts (Penn State)
82. Erik Magnuson - OT - California (Michigan)
83. James Ross - LB - Michigan (Michigan)
84. Leonte Carroo - WR - New Jersey (Rutgers)
85. LaDarrell McNeil - S - Texas (Tennessee)
88. Devin Fuller - QB - New Jersey
91. Wes Brown - RB - Maryland (Maryland)
92. Marcus Maye - S - Florida (Florida)
93. Tom Strobel - DE - Ohio (Michigan)
95. Jordan Payton - WR - California (Cal)
96. Max Tuerk - OG - California (USC)
99. Dan Voltz - OG - Illinois (Wisconsin)
100. Jaquay Williams - WR - Georgia (Auburn)
104. D.J. Foster - RB - Arizona
105. Durron Neal - WR - Missouri (Oklahoma)
111. Royce Jenkins-Stone - LB - Michigan (Michigan)
116. Evan Boehm - C - Missouri (Missouri)
119. Devonte Fields - DE - Texas (TCU)
122. Geno Smith - CB - Georgia (Alabama)
123. Zach Kline - QB - California (Cal)
124. Greg Garmon - RB - Pennsylvania (Iowa)
127. J.J. Denman - OT - Pennsylvania (Wisconsin)
128. Ryan Watson - OG - Maryland (Virginia)
129. Brock Stadnik - OT - North Carolina (South Carolina)
130. Paul Thurston - OT - Colorado (Nebraska)
135. Peter Jinkens - LB - Texas (Texas)
137. Matt Jones - RB - Florida (Florida)
139. Jabari Ruffin - LB - California (USC)
145. Scott Starr - LB - California (USC)
146. Yuri Wright - CB - New Jersey
153. Reginald Davis - WR - Texas (Texas Tech)
159. Monty Madaris - WR - Ohio
162. Mario Ojemudia - DE - Michigan (Michigan)
164. Chris Wormley - DE - Ohio (Michigan)
167. John Michael McGee - OG - Texas (Oklahoma)
170. Dillon Lee - LB - Georgia (Alabama)
172. Camren Williams - LB - Massachusetts (Penn State)
173. Jonathan Williams - RB - Texas (Arkansas)
175. Sean Price - TE - Florida
176. Raphael Kirby - LB - Georgia (Miami)
178. Faith Ekakitie - DT - Illinois (Iowa)
181. Kyle Dodson - OT - Ohio (Wisconsin)
182. Dalton Santos - LB - Texas (Tennessee)
183. Terry Richardson - CB - Michigan (Michigan)
185. D.J. Singleton - S - New Jersey (Wisconsin)
188. Troy Hinds - DE - Utah (BYU)
191. Aziz Shittu - DT - California
192. Nick Davidson - OT - Minnesota (Stanford)
193. Deaysean Rippy - LB - Pennsylvania
196. Warren Ball - RB - Ohio (Ohio State)
198. Derrick Woods - S - California (Oklahoma)
199. Martin Aiken - DE - South Carolina (Clemson)
200. Connor Brewer - QB - Arizona (Texas)
202. Ken Ekanem - DE - Virginia
205. Amara Darboh - WR - Iowa (Michigan)
209. Keith Brown - LB - Miami (Louisville)
212. David Perkins - LB - Indiana
214. Jalen Overstreet - S - Texas (Texas)
217. Deontay McManus - WR - Maryland (West Virginia)
219. Kendall Sanders - CB - Texas (Texas)
221. Devin Funchess - TE - Michigan (Michigan)
222. Dominique Wheeler - WR - Texas (Texas Tech)
223. Vince Biegel - LB - Wisconsin (Wisconsin)
225. A.J. Williams - OT - Ohio (Michigan)
229. Jarron Jones - OT - New York (Notre Dame)
231. Deon Bush - S - Florida (Miami)
232. Derek Edinburgh - OT - Louisiana (LSU)
236. Evan Baylis - TE - Colorado (Oregon)
240. Maty Mauk - QB - Ohio (Missouri)
242. Tyler Orlosky - OG - Ohio (West Virginia)
243. J.P. Holtz - TE - Pennsylvania
244. Tyriq McCord - DE - Florida (Miami)
245. Jarrod Wilson - S - Ohio (Michigan)
247. Drew Harris - RB - Pennsylvania
250. Dalvin Tomlinson - DT - Georgia
251. Michael Moore - DE - Maryland (Penn State)
255. Danny O'Brien - DT - Michigan (Tennessee)
264. Ty Darlington - C - Florida (Oklahoma)
270. Avery Johnson - WR - Florida (LSU)
277. Kenny Lawler - CB - Washington, D.C.
278. Jaleel Johnson - DT - Illinois (Iowa)
280. Jason Croom - WR - Georgia (Tennessee)
282. Zeke Pike - QB - Kentucky (Auburn)
285. Jake Rodrigues - QB - California (Oregon)
286. Pharaoh Brown - TE - Ohio (Oregon)
287. Hiva Lutui - C - California
292. Devan Bogard - S - Ohio (Ohio State)
297. Vonte Jackson - RB - Wisconsin (Wisconsin)
298. Ron Thompson - TE - Michigan (Syracuse)
299. Shane Callahan - OT - Colorado (Auburn)

Tremendous: An Interview with Amara Darboh

Camila Morais

The relatively new Michigan blog Tremendous  (I got clarification on the name) scored another pretty solid interview in the form of class of 2012 wide receiver Amara Darboh, where Darboh talks about hating Ohio State.

The above picture is not Amara Darboh.

Recruiting Update: December 11, 2011

Ellie Gonsalves wants to wish you a happy Sunday.

COMMITMENT
West Des Moines (IA) Dowling Catholic wide receiver Amara Darboh committed to Michigan on Monday.  You can read his commitment post here.

ADDED TO THE BOARD
Olney (MD) Good Counsel cornerback Kendall Fuller, a 2013 prospect, was offered by Michigan last week.  He's 6'0", 185 lbs. and has reported 4.5 speed in the forty.  Fuller already has offers from Cal, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, and several others.  Fuller is a speedy corner with excellent ball skills, but he lacks maturity on the field.  He doesn't run his feet when he tackles, he doesn't wrap up, and he's a little DeSean Jackson-ish with the way he jogs into the endzone on breakaways.  These issues are correctable, but they're a bit concerning.

Seffner (FL) Armwood safety Leon McQuay III, a 2013 prospect, was offered by Michigan this past week.  McQuay is a 6'1", 177-pounder with offers from Florida, Florida State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Tennessee, among others.  Michigan has unsuccessfully recruited Armwood before and McQuay is likely to stay in state, so I won't be getting my hopes up.

Olney (MD) Good Counsel linebacker Dorian O'Daniel, a 2013 prospect, received a Michigan offer last week.  He's a 6'1", 205 lb. weakside linebacker prospect with excellent speed.  He holds offers from Cal, Florida, Iowa, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, and several others.  O'Daniel attends the alma mater of freshman cornerback Blake Countess and is teammates with a couple of 2012 prospects Michigan has offered, wide receiver Stefon Diggs and running back Wes Brown, neither of whom is expected to commit to the Wolverines.

Warren (OH) Howland running back DeVeon Smith, a 2013 prospect, was offered by Michigan late last week.  The 5'11", 195 lb. Smith ran for approximately 2,200 yards and averaged around 13 yards per carry, according to him.  Michigan is Smith's first offer.  His older brother, Lance Smith, played running back for Wisconsin a few years ago but was kicked off the team for legal issues.

Crete (IL) Crete-Monee cornerback Anthony Standifer decommitted from Michigan late this week.  Rumors swirled that the departure was grade-related, although Standifer's mother has refuted that claim.  Standifer is the second prospect to exit Michigan's class in recent weeks, following Lyndhurst (OH) Brush tight end/defensive end Pharaoh Brown.


OFF THE BOARD
Lake Forest (IL) Lake Forest Academy defensive tackle Faith Ekakitie committed to Iowa on Wednesday.  Ekakitie is a 6'2", 255-pounder who was offered by the Wolverines several months ago but never showed significant interest.  He also held offers from Arizona, Illinois, Nebraska, Oregon, Stanford, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.  He joins Lombard (IL) Montini defensive tackle Jaleel Johnson, who was also offered by Michigan, as part of Iowa's recruiting haul.

Lakewood (CA) Lakewood wide receiver Darius Powe committed to Cal on Friday.  Powe is a 6'2", 186 lb. wideout who held offers from Arizona, Nebraska, Oregon, and Stanford, among others.  He ought to combine with quarterback Zach Kline and fellow wide receiver Bryce Treggs to create a very nice passing attack for the Golden Bears over the next few seasons.  Looking at Cal's recruiting class, they also have a linebacker named Hardy Nickerson, Jr., whose father played for several teams in the NFL, most notably the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.