Under Armour All-American Game Participants: Michigan

Joe Bolden (#27) is one of the latest Michigan commits to play in the Under Armour All-America Game.

The 2016 Under Armour All-American Game will be played in January 2016.  The following participants have committed or signed a Letter of Intent to play for Michigan:

2015
Brian Cole, WR - Saginaw, MI

2014
Juwann Bushell-Beatty, OT - Paramus, NJ
Michael Ferns III, LB - St. Clairsville, OH#
Drake Harris, WR - Grand Rapids, MI#
Bryan Mone, DT - Salt Lake City, UT
Jabrill Peppers, CB - Paramus, NJ
Wilton Speight, QB - Richmond, VA
Jared Wangler, LB - Warren, MI#

2013
David Dawson, OT - Detroit, MI
Ty Isaac, RB - Joliet, IL**
Patrick Kugler, OG - Wexford, PA
Mike McCray, LB - Trotwood, OH
Shane Morris, QB - Warren, MI
Henry Poggi, DT - Baltimore, MD
Logan Tuley-Tillman, OT - Peoria, IL

2012
Joe Bolden, LB - Cincinnati, OH
Terry Richardson, CB - Detroit, MI

2011

2010
Demar Dorsey, S - Lauderdale Lakes, FL
Devin Gardner, QB - Inkster, MI

2009
Isaiah Bell, LB - Youngstown, OH
Taylor Lewan, OT - Scottsdale, AZ
Craig Roh, DE - Scottsdale, AZ
Quinton Washington, OG - St. Stephen, SC

2008
Ricky Barnum, OG - Lakeland, FL
Dann O'Neill, OT - Grand Haven, MI

*Committed to playing in next year's game
**Transferred to Michigan
#Will not/did not participate due to injury

Ex-Wolverine Updates

Demar Dorsey

CB Demar Dorsey: Dorsey has been signed by the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League. The last time he played football was in 2012, when he played four games for Arizona Western Junior College, making 12 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 1 interception.

K Anthony Fera: Fera hit a 42-yard field goal, had a 44-yarder blocked, was 1/1 on extra points, and average 38.3 yards on 9 punts as the Longhorns lost to Baylor by a score of 30-10 in the Big 12 Championship game.

Defensive coordinator Greg Robinson: Robinson's Longhorns defense gave up 508 yards and recorded zero turnovers in the 30-10 loss to Baylor.

CB Adrian Witty: Witty had 4 tackles in Cincinnati's 31-24 overtime loss to Louisville in their final regular season game.

You can find other players and their stories in the Ex-Wolverine Encyclopedia.

Ex-Wolverine Updates

The guy in black was Jake Fisher in high school.

Former Michigan TE/DE commit Pharaoh Brown: Brown had 1 catch for 26 yards as Oregon beat Tennessee Tech by a score of 63-14.  He has 2 receptions for 42 yards on the season.

Former Michigan CB commit Demar Dorsey: Dorsey and former Michigan LB commit Antonio Kinard are both on Western Arizona Community College's football roster.  Dorsey was supposed to head to Hawaii and Kinard was supposed to be at Miami by now, but both have run into academic and/or legal issues.  Western Arizona CC is a repository of former high school talent, including former USC wide receiver Markeith Ambles and former South Carolina quarterback Tanner McEvoy.

Former Michigan OT commit Jake Fisher: Fisher jumped on a De'Anthony Thomas fumble in the end zone after Thomas caught a pass at Tennessee Tech's 49-yard line and almost scored himself.  It was Fisher's first career touchdown, which is probably an obvious statement.

Former Michigan RB commit Dee Hart: Hart had 4 runs for 21 yards as Alabama beat Arkansas by a score of 52-0.

Former Michigan S Carvin Johnson: Johnson had 5 tackles and 2 pass breakups, but Hampton lost to Florida A&M by a score of 44-20.

Former Michigan DT commit DeQuinta Jones: Jones had just 1 tackle as Alabama ran over Arkansas, 52-0.

Former Michigan RB Sam McGuffie: McGuffie did not have a good day on Saturday, as he had 1 rush for -5 yards, 1 catch for -3 yards, and 2 kickoff returns for 25 yards.  Rice lost to Louisiana Tech by a score of 56-37.

Former Michigan WR/CB commit Dewayne Peace: Peace had 10 receptions for 103 yards, but Houston lost to UCLA by a score of 37-6.

Former Michigan WR Je'Ron Stokes: Stokes had 1 reception for 12 yards, but Bowling Green State lost to Toledo by a score of 27-15.  By the way, Denard Robinson's former teammate Cassius McDowell plays for Toledo now; he had 8 carries for 40 yards and 4 receptions for 40 yards for the Rockets.

Former Michigan S Ray Vinopal: Vinopal had 1 tackle in Pitt's 35-17 upset of Virginia Tech.

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.

Ex-Wolverine Updates: The Class of 2010

Former Michigan signee Demar Dorsey played for Grand Rapids
Community College during the 2011 season
(image via MLive)

Former Michigan cornerback Cullen Christian redshirted at Pitt this past season due to NCAA transfer rules.  He transferred to Pitt in order to follow former Michigan defensive backs coach Tony Gibson, who has since been hired for the same role at Arizona.  Christian made several negative comments on Twitter about Gibson and Pitt head coach Todd Graham for leaving Pitt so soon.  Christian will presumably remain at Pitt with new head coach Paul Chryst, since he's already transferred once and he's near home.

Former Michigan signee Demar Dorsey spent this past season at Grand Rapids Community College in Michigan.  He played in just seven games and ended the season with 10.5 tackles, 1 interception (for 51 yards), 4 pass breakups, and 2 kickoff returns for 51 yards.  He's going to need a new place to play, though, because GRCC disbanded its football program this past week.

Former Michigan commit Tony Drake spent 2010 as a wide receiver/running back at Colorado State, but was declared academically ineligible for the 2011 season.  It's unclear if he will return to the program.

Former Michigan safety Carvin Johnson left the football program in the middle of the 2011 season.  He was enrolled at Michigan throughout the fall semester.  Prior to his departure, he played in eight games for the Wolverines and made 14 tackles, 1 pass breakup, and 1 fumble recovery.

Former Michigan signee Conelius Jones was academically ineligible to play at Marshall this past season.  Since graduating in 2010, he has yet to appear on a college roster.  His current status is unknown.

Former Michigan signee Antonio Kinard attended Hargrave Military Academy in 2010, then signed with Miami in 2011 . . . and was declared academically ineligible at Miami, too.  He is headed to Arizona Western to play football in fall 2012.

Former Michigan center Christian Pace injured his shoulder during practice in 2010 and left the team this past off-season on a medical scholarship.  He is still enrolled at the University of Michigan.

Former Michigan linebacker Davion Rogers spent the 2011 season as a 6'6", 215 lb. linebacker at Youngstown State.  He played in 11 games and made 45 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 5 pass breakups, and 1 interception (which was returned 27 yards for a touchdown).  He also blocked 2 kicks.

Former Michigan safety Ray Vinopal sat out the 2011 season at Pitt due to NCAA transfer rules.  In much the same situation as Cullen Christian (minus the childish Twitter rant), he will be a redshirt sophomore in fall 2012.

Former Michigan running back Austin White sat out the 2011 season at Central Michigan due to NCAA transfer rules.  He will be a redshirt sophomore at CMU in fall 2012.

The current whereabouts of former Michigan defensive tackle Terry Talbott and wide receiver D.J. Williamson are unknown.

Class of 2011 Bonus: Former Michigan offensive lineman Tony Posada is no longer playing football.  Thanks for yet another wasted scholarship, Rich Rodriguez!

For further updates on ex-Wolverines and former commits, check out the Ex-Wolverine Encyclopedia.

An Update on Demar Dorsey

Demar Dorsey

Eric Lacy of the Detroit News wrote a piece on former Michigan commit Demar Dorsey, who is now at Grand Rapids Community College.

For updates on other ex-Wolverines, check out the Ex-Wolverine Encyclopedia.

Ex-Wolverine Encyclopedia Update

The Ex-Wolverine Encyclopedia is really interesting to me. I'm not sure why that is because ex-wolverines don't impact Michigan Football whatsoever, and in many cases, the players have spurned Michigan in one way or the other. On the other hand, I find the case study aspect interesting, and I like to know whether or not the players would have made an impact at Michigan if they had stayed.

Here's an update on a few players. For a complete ex-wolverine list, go here. As always, please email/comment with any info/updates.

Justin Turner

Turner reportedly enrolled at Notre Dame College of Ohio after leaving West Virginia during the 2010 season, which Justin was scheduled to sit out due to transfer rules. But an assistant coach at the junior college said enrollment never happened: "we thought for sure he was going to enroll, but then he dropped off the map." The coach also heard that Turner may attend "a college in California" but wasn't sure about the credibility of what he had heard.

Demar Dorsey

After being denied admission to Michigan, Dorsey enrolled in Grand Rapids Community College. Coach Andrews, the school's defensive coordinator, said that Dorsey chose GRCC because he knew several of the players on the team who are from Florida and, as a child, Demar even played little league football with a couple of his GRCC teammates. Despite a rocky start, Coach Andrews said that Dorsey has attended all of the team's voluntary workouts this summer and is slotted to see action as a defensive back and kick returner this fall, but he doesn't expect Dorsey to see any action on the offensive side of the ball.

Also of note, Coach Andrews recently spoke with Chris Singletary, who indicated that Michigan would still be interested in Dorsey if he continues to demonstrate positive behavior and invest in academics. For reasons unknown to Coach Andrews, Oregon is Dorsey's current "leader" although Dorsey hasn't had any recent contact with the University. "Maybe it's because they were just in National Championship game; maybe it's because he likes their uniforms," Coach Andrews speculated half-jokingly.

Conelius Jones

After failing to academically qualify at Michigan, Cornelius enrolled at Marshall University, a former member of the MAC and a current member of Conference USA. A Marshall blog posted an article that says Jones had more academic problems at the University, but the writer then added an emboldened "Edit" bit at the end of the page that says Conelius just wanted to be closer to home. Either way, it doesn't look like Jones will be continuing with his football career.

Justin Boren

Perhaps my least liked ex-wolverine, Boren signed on to play for the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent immediately following the NFL lockout.

Tate Forcier

Although most people seem to be disinterested with the Forcier saga, I find it fascinating for a couple reasons. Firstly, had he kept his academic house in order, I would have enjoyed seeing the role he might have played in the Borges offense. Secondly -- the first half of 2010.

So if you don't already know the story, Forcier reportedly committed to play for Miami (FL) but backed out because the school was too far from home. He then showed interest in Hawaii--which is a similar distance away from his San Diego home--but was denied enrollment due to issues with his Michigan transcript. Here's to hoping he lands on his feet.

Austin White, ex-Wolverine

Okay, this is getting old. A couple weeks after cornerback Justin Turner transferred (reportedly to WVU), now freshman running back Austin White has left the team as well. White was a 3-star recruit and the #10 all-purpose back in the Class of 2010, according to Rivals; Scout.com ranked him the #15 overall running back and a 4-star recruit. The reasons for his departure have not been explicitly stated by the University, but it seems as though his departure was more the program's decision than White's. Rumors have sprouted up that there were several violations of team rules that occurred, even after White was given a second chance.

If you read my comments on White over the last year and a half, you'll see that I was not impressed. That's four separate posts where I was largely indifferent to White's commitment and talent. Despite the fairly impressive rankings from Scout and Rivals, I have never been enamored with his abilities. I even suggested that he would be a candidate to change positions within a couple years, once he and the coaches realized that he would only be an afterthought to the other running backs on the roster. White has adequate talent to play at the Big Ten level, but the only thing that really stood out about him was his ability to catch the ball.

This leaves Michigan with five running backs on the roster: Michael Cox, Michael Shaw, Vincent Smith, Fitzgerald Toussaint, and Stephen Hopkins. White was almost surely headed for a redshirt in 2010, and both Toussaint and Hopkins (both with higher ceilings, in my opinion) have freshman eligibility as well. So Michigan won't feel this loss on the field. There's plenty of other talent at the position.

However, the Wolverines might feel it in their APR score. Michigan is already hovering dangerously close to the lower end of the spectrum due to all of the post-Carr-era transfers (incomplete list here). The recent departures of Turner and White will further drive that APR score into the ground, and Michigan could be facing scholarship limitations in upcoming years for their failure to graduate a sufficient number of scholarship athletes. This is a problem.

I'm also somewhat frustrated with the recruiting of White in the first place. As I have mentioned, I have never been excited about his talent. Furthermore, rumors circulated even prior to his commitment that he had caused some problems when in high school at Livonia Stevenson. Words like "prima donna" and "cocky" were thrown about, and there was allegedly a bit of a spat with the coaching staff. One can never be sure how much weight to give rumors like that, but in my experience, "where there's smoke there's fire" seems to be a decent rule.

Rodriguez recruited him despite those rumors, and now he's essentially been banned from the team prior to his freshman season. This is the fourth wasted scholarship from the Class of 2010 (following the failures to qualify by Antonio Kinard, Conelius Jones, and Demar Dorsey). Furthermore, there were other, more talented backs in the Class of 2010 who were considering Michigan, such as Dillon Baxter (USC), Dietrich Riley (UCLA), Corvin Lamb (Louisville), and Eduardo Clements (Miami-FL). Even Cassius McDowell (Toledo) and Brandon Gainer (Kentucky) would have been better fits if they actually, you know, had the ability to remain on the team. It's hard to tell how running back recruiting would have played out if a spot hadn't been taken by White, but it's conceivable that one of those kids could have been wooed to Ann Arbor in his stead.

In a positive light (I guess), much of what I said in yesterday's post about Troy Woolfolk's injury can be amended. Woolfolk's return in 2011 would have lowered the number of scholarships available to 16, but White's official departure puts that number back at 17. This now allows Michigan to add at least seven more players to the Class of 2011, perhaps including a linebacker (which will make some of yesterday's posters happy).

Troy Woolfolk has an Ouchie

I hope this makes you feel better.

Reports and statements after practice today strongly suggest that senior cornerback Troy Woolfolk dislocated an ankle today. If that rumored prognosis is accurate, Woolfolk will most likely miss the entire 2010 season.

Who will take Woolfolk's spot at cornerback?
This practically cements the starting cornerbacks as redshirt sophomore J.T. Floyd and true freshman Cullen Christian. Floyd was probably set to be the #2 cornerback. Christian is the most talented of three incoming freshmen at the position, with more talent and potential than Terrence Talbott and Courtney Avery. Senior cornerback-turned-wideout-turned-cornerback James Rogers will also be in the mix.

Will any position changes occur to fill the void at cornerback?
Michigan doesn't have the talent or depth at other positions to move many guys. Sophomore Teric Jones played cornerback last year but moved to Bandit in the spring. When redshirt freshman J.T. Turner decided to transfer last week, head coach Rich Rodriguez stated that Jones would get practice reps at Bandit and cornerback. I imagine that Jones will make a full-scale move to cornerback now. Another option is true freshman D.J. Williamson, a 6'1", 170 lb. receiver who played a little defense in high school. Longshots to move include true freshman safety Ray Vinopal and redshirt junior safety Michael Williams, who has seemingly been squeezed out of the competition at Spur. None of these players should be considered as challengers for the starting cornerback job, however.

How did the depth at cornerback get so . . . shallow?
From the Class of 2007, wide receiver/cornerback Zion Babb ran off after Rodriguez arrived in Ann Arbor. Five-star cornerback recruit Donovan Warren entered the 2010 NFL Draft early, only to go undrafted. Cornerback/safety recruit Michael Williams suffered a knee injury and moved to safety full-time after Ron English was let go.

From the Class of 2008, Boubacar Cissoko took stupid pills once he arrived on campus and was booted from the team in mid-2009.

From the Class of 2009, athlete recruit Denard Robinson was pegged by some teams as a cornerback; he came to Michigan as a quarterback and has seemingly taken the lead in the race to be behind center in 2010. J.T. Turner arrived on campus out of shape and remained out of shape; he decided he'd had enough of Mike Barwis and his crazy "stay in shape" demands, so he received his transfer papers last week. Robinson's high school teammate Adrian Witty failed to qualify initially, and then once he qualified, Michigan's Admissions department failed to admit him for January 2010.

From the Class of 2010, prized defensive back recruit Demar Dorsey failed to meet Michigan's admissions standards (and apparently Louisville's, too). The late pursuit of Dorsey may have curtailed Michigan's chase for a couple potential mid-level cornerback recruits, particularly Rashad Knight and Tony Grimes. Athlete recruit Conelius Jones failed to qualify.

Overall, that's nine potential cornerbacks who are either playing other positions (Michael Williams, Denard Robinson) or no longer on the team. I can't blame Lloyd Carr or Rodriguez for most of those position changes and such. However, the handling of the cases of Adrian Witty, Demar Dorsey, and Conelius Jones should come into question now. Why were those three allowed to sign Letters of Intent if they weren't qualified? At such an important position - and one in such dire need - Rodriguez couldn't afford to hand out scholarships to kids who would never play a down for Michigan. He did anyway. I hope I'm wrong, but this could be a major failure of the Rodriguez regime at Michigan.

Are there any positives that could come of this?
Well . . . uhhh . . . since Woolfolk played as a true freshman in 2007 (a waste of a redshirt at the time), he's only a fourth year senior this season. He could possibly regain his health enough to play as a redshirt senior in 2011.

How much does this impair Michigan on the field in 2010?
Significantly. The likely starter at free safety is a true freshman who changed positions from wide receiver in the spring. One starting cornerback is a guy who many (including me) believed should be a safety . . . that is, if Michigan had enough depth at cornerback to move him. The other starting cornerback is either James Rogers, a senior who has barely seen the field in three years, or a true freshman. Michigan's defense was going to be bad in 2010, anyway. The loss of Woolfolk not only affects the passing game negatively, but also exchanges a solid tackler for an 18-year-old kid who admittedly needs to improve his tackling (Christian). This injury probably lowers Michigan's win total by one or two games.

Conelius Jones, ex-Wolverine . . . kind of.

Well, it's kind of a good thing that Rich Rodriguez probably wasn't going to rely on incoming QB recruit Conelius Jones very much this year, because Jones didn't get a qualifying score on his SAT.

No matter what anyone says, Rodriguez has been recruiting a higher number of non-qualifying kids than Lloyd Carr was, at least in Carr's last half-dozen years. This is non-qualifier #3 this year, after Demar Dorsey (who qualified for the NCAA but wasn't admitted to Michigan) and Antonio Kinard (who will also try to get into Michigan after a year of prep school). To reiterate, it's rare for a non-qualifier to get into Michigan later. Most of them move on to other schools, like Adrian Witty (Cincinnati) and Quinton Woods (junior college, then Kansas).

For a team that's been short on scholarship players for the past couple years, this is not a positive trend.

2010 Countdown: #72 Devin Gardner

Name: Devin Gardner
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 195 lbs.
High school: Inkster High School in Detroit, MI
Position: Quarterback
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #7
Prediction for 2010: Redshirt

Gardner was arguably Michigan's top recruit in the class of 2010 and ended the recruiting cycle ranked as the #1 dual-threat quarterback in the country, according to Rivals. Actually, the argument is probably null and void now that Demar Dorsey wasn't accepted to U of M and will be attending Louisville instead. But anyway, Gardner is good. Everybody thinks so. He has great size, very good speed, a strong arm, and excellent leadership qualities. He has a few mechanical issues, but plenty of time to fix them . . .

. . . because Gardner is going to redshirt this year . . . I think. He should, anyway, unless Forcier and/or Denard Robinson gets hurt. There's no reason to have three extremely talented quarterbacks over two classes. Redshirting Gardner would give him potentially two years to start once Forcier and Robinson graduate after 2012 - perhaps more, if he beats them out. The young man you see above could be our starting quarterback through 2014. But in the meantime, he should stand on the sideline and learn how to make complicated hand signals.

2010 Countdown: #85 Antonio Kinard

Name: Antonio Kinard
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 210 lbs.
High school: Liberty High School in Youngstown, OH
Position: Weakside linebacker
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Prediction for 2010: Junior college

Okay, the reason Antonio looks so sad in the above picture must be that he's not coming to Michigan in the fall. The stupid thing about college is that you have to graduate high school first. Lame. Antonio, being from the Worst State Ever, has an Ohio Graduation Test to pass. This is the same test that prevented cornerback/safety Justin Turner from joining fall camp on time last year.

Kinard was likely looking at a redshirt this fall, anyway. He's too skinny and too raw to have played as a freshman, so it doesn't really hurt Michigan on the field in 2010. It does potentially hurt the Wolverines in 2011-14, though, because there's little to no depth at inside linebacker. Once senior Jonas Mouton graduates, that essentially leaves Mike Jones as the only weakside 'backer on the squad.

I am not optimistic that Kinard ends up at Michigan anytime in the future. If you look at the last few guys who have been non-qualifiers, all or most have taken their talents elsewhere. Demar Dorsey (Louisville), Adrian Witty (Cincinnati), Marcus Witherspoon (Rutgers before being booted), and Quintin Woods (nowhere, as far as I know) never stuck (EDIT: Quintin Woods currently plays for the Kansas Jayhawks). Marques Slocum attended prep school for a year, then came to Michigan only to get kicked off the team. He finished his playing career at Eastern Arizona and is currently fighting for a spot on the Washington Redskins after going undrafted in 2010.

So long, Antonio. We hardly knew ye.

I don't know what's going on . . .

Hey, this looks like fun!

For being June 9, the number of college football stories going on right now is ridiculous.

Between Demar Dorsey getting his scholarship release . . .

. . . and the sanctions of Michigan's football program . . .

. . . and all the conference expansion scenarios . . .

. . . my brain verges on explosion.

I just read a rumor that the Eastern State University Timberwolves, the Texas State Armadillos, and the Urbania Little Giants are joining the Big Ten in 2012.

Also crazy:

Admit Demar Dorsey to Michigan

2010 Recruiting Grades: Cornerback

Demar Dorsey: good football player, questionable dancer

Michigan picked up four commitments in 2010 from players who will likely end up at cornerback. Cornerback was a glaring need in the 2010 class, considering that the Wolverines enter this coming season with only three scholarship cornerbacks (Justin Turner, JT Floyd, Troy Woolfolk) on the roster, one of whom (Woolfolk) might play safety like he did in early 2009. These four cornerbacks might not immediately fix the defensive backfield, but they'll at least fill up the depth chart and offer some competition.

The first player to commit was Courtney Avery from Lexington, OH. Avery played quarterback - and played it well - as a high schooler, and if he were any taller than 5'10", he might have been worthy of some scholarship offers as a signal caller. Avery had been committed to Jim Harbaugh's Stanford Cardinal prior to pledging for Michigan, but impressed enough at Michigan's summer camp to garner an offer. Shortly afterward, he became a Wolverine. Avery has some shortcomings as a defensive back. He is an aggressive tackler, but he's small-ish and might lack ideal speed for man coverage. I think he'd be better off as a corner in a largely zone scheme, but he's the type of kid who could be a solid backup and perhaps contribute as a gunner on the punt team.

Following Avery, Terrence Talbott from Huber Heights, OH, committed to the Wolverines in mid-August. (His brother, Terry, is a DT commit in this class.) Talbott is a little sturdier than Avery at 172 lbs., and he's a bit smoother of an athlete. Talbott has good speed and excellent leaping ability. He's also a solid tackler and potentially a player who could see some time on special teams. I like him a little more than Avery, and I also think Talbott has better man coverage abilities.

Longtime Michigan lean Cullen Christian finally committed to play in Ann Arbor around Thanksgiving 2009. At the time, Christian was the highest rated defensive back and desperately needed in the wake of Boubacar Cissoko's departure from the team. Christian is a bigger cornerback at 6' and 180 lbs. He has the ability play deep safety but has insisted that he wants to play cornerback, and that's where I think he'll stay. I have some questions about his speed, but his technique is sound; he's a decent tackler but needs to improve in that area.

Demar Dorsey was the last cornerback to commit to Michigan, waiting until National Signing Day. Michigan fought hard to steal him from the likes of Florida and USC. He was an Under Armour All American and while he's rough around the edges, he has swagger and speed to burn. I think he'll be a free safety eventually, although Michigan's most immediate need is at cornerback, which is where he'll begin his career. Dorsey has had some off-the-field issues as a youth, but if he can keep those behaviors behind him, the sky is the limit.

Predictions: Courtney Avery will almost surely redshirt in 2010; I think he'll be a decent backup and special teams player throughout his career. Terrence Talbott will likely join his brother and Avery in the redshirt brigade (no relation to the band, by the way), but I think he has a chance to be a one- or two-year starter late in his career. Christian will play in 2010, whether he starts or not; he reminds me of Donovan Warren in some ways. Dorsey is the most likely to play this coming season; like Denard Robinson, he's just too talented to keep off the field. Whether he's returning kicks with Darryl Stonum, starting at corner, or the backup deep safety, his speed and athleticism can't spend a year on the bench.

Grade: A. Rodriguez and Co. did as well as anyone would have expected. I was underwhelmed early on when Avery and Talbott were the only ones onboard and Cullen Christian kept postponing what many thought would be an early commitment, but it all worked out in the end. In two or three years, Michigan's secondary is going to be crawling with speedy, hard-hitting athletes.

Demar Dorsey, Wolverine

I will unleash my 175 lbs. of fury upon you!

This is a few days old, but that's what happens when 25 inches of snow pour down and you have to retreat to safer shelter.

On National Signing Day, Demar Dorsey from Lauderdale Lakes, FL, committed to Michigan. In the overall rankings, Dorsey is #12 to ESPN, #162 to Rivals, and #203 to Scout; many would latch onto that #12 ranking, but ESPN proves over and over again that they know nothing about recruiting, so take that with a grain of salt. Anyway, Dorsey's commitment was somewhat of a surprise, since he wasn't on Michigan fans' radar until about a month before NSD. Dorsey had been committed to Florida for over a year and seemingly visited just to have a good time with his cousin, Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson.

According to Dorsey, though, he knew during his official visit (that coincided with Michigan's basketball victory over Connecticut) that Michigan was The Place. It's unclear whether Florida dropped Dorsey or vice versa, but either way, he also visited Florida State and USC late in the process, so he had the experts confused; most seemed to think he'd ultimately sign with FSU.

I would be remiss not to mention Dorsey's issues as a minor. He had some trouble with the law, but was never found guilty of any wrongdoing and participated in a diversionary program. I will not go into details, as they have been discussed ad nauseam elsewhere. I'll let it suffice to say that Rodriguez is taking a bit of a public relations risk with Dorsey, on the heels of the Justin Feagin situation last year; however, most football coaches taken chances on talented kids with checkered pasts. Hopefully, the diversionary program worked for Dorsey and he can move on to be a productive student and citizen at Michigan.

Back to football, though, Dorsey's position is a bit up in the air. The coaches told him he could play some wide receiver, and he could probably help in the return game, but but he's a defensive back of some sort. Some project him as a strong safety at Michigan; others predict he'll be a cornerback. I feel fairly confident in predicting that Dorsey will battle for playing time at the cornerback position as a freshman in 2010. Michigan has zero experienced cornerbacks returning in 2010 with the departure of Donovan Warren to the NFL. Besides redshirt sophomore J.T. Floyd, every other cornerback on the roster will have freshman eligibility - Justin Turner, Cullen Christian, Courtney Avery, and Terrence Talbott. Michigan needs to throw every available body at the cornerback spot and whichever one performs best should get the job.

Michigan's most experienced cornerback isn't really a cornerback, but a strong safety - Troy Woolfolk. Some have suggested that Woolfolk should move to cornerback and Michigan should play a freshman at strong safety, but that would be disastrous. The only time Woolfolk got burned at the strong safety position was in the 2009 opener when he and the aforementioned Floyd got burned against Western Michigan. In practice, Woolfolk earned the nickname "The Eraser" for his ability to cover up for everyone else's mistakes. Experience is necessary on the back end of your defensive backfield, because young guys get out of position and get fooled by double moves, play action, etc. It's no coincidence that Michigan's defense went south once Woolfolk moved to corner in mid-2009.

With Woolfolk at strong safety and presumably Justin Turner at one cornerback position, the trio of Floyd, Christian, and Dorsey should fight it out for the other corner. Michigan's coaches did everything they could to keep Floyd off the field in 2009 (they'd rather have Jordan Kovacs playing strong safety than have Floyd play corner), so I sincerely doubt he'll start. Dorsey is a better athlete than Christian, but the latter's coverage skills are more refined, so that's kind of a toss-up.

Dorsey is a burner. As a junior, he finished second to Denard Robinson in the state 100 meter finals with a time of 10.60 seconds (compared to Robinson's 10.44). He later ran a 10.55 and has even claimed to have run a 10.3, although I can find no recorded evidence of that time. This athleticism should allow him to run with just about every receiver he faces. It also would allow him to cover a lot of ground from the strong safety position.

However, we can see some of his rawness in the video below. First of all, he's only 175 lbs. In the second still shot (the one from the Under Armour All American game), we can see his scrawny little leg; he has a decided lack of bulk. In the first highlight from the UA game, he causes a fumble on kick coverage. He does a good job of mirroring the returner, but then he reaches and grabs the jersey, flinging the ball carrier to the ground and causing the fumble; this is the tackling technique of a raw cornerback, not the strong safety who is supposed to be a team's last line of defense. Later in the highlights, he plays a ball from the deep middle safety position. Unfortunately, he takes a bad angle to the football; instead of meeting the ball at its highest point or at least aiming to punish the receiver, he takes the path of least resistance and gets a hand on the ball after it gets past the receiver.

All of these factors lead me to believe that Dorsey will be better off starting his career at cornerback. Further evidence exists in that Rich Rodriguez said as much in his signing day press conference. This does not mean that Dorsey couldn't move to strong safety eventually. He could probably be a pretty good strong safety with some technique and experience under his belt. But that won't happen until at least 2011.

My projection for 2010:
CB: Justin Turner
CB: Cullen Christian
FS: Jordan Kovacs
SS: Troy Woolfolk

National Signing Day predictions

A couple quick predictions, as I don't/haven't had much time to write:

- Rashad Knight already announced for Rutgers, and I don't think Michigan will end up with Sean Parker (who will announce at 10 a.m.) or Demar Dorsey (who will announce at 1 p.m.), either. And that is unfortunate.

- I do think we'll see a surprise commitment or two from a linebacker and/or an offensive lineman. Rodriguez needs to fill these scholarships, and those are positions that are lacking. I think he'll toss out a late offer or two to some guys who are waiting until the last minute. He pulled out Ricky Barnum and Roy Roundtree a couple years ago, and I think something similar will happen again, although maybe not surprises of the 4-star variety like those guys were.

- Nobody will decommit at the last minute.

We'll see how it goes. Happy National Signing Day!