National Signing Day Primer

Placer (CA) Placer defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes

Signing Day has the potential to be a pretty boring day for Michigan fans, with very little news circulating about new targets and perhaps just one spot remaining in the class.  It's possible that Michigan throws out a late offer, and it's possible that the Wolverines bank the scholarship for next year's class.  Below is a list of Michigan offerees who remain uncommitted, although none of these players is likely to choose Michigan:

Montravius Adams - DT - Vienna (GA): One of the two or three most talented defensive tackles in the class, in my opinion, Adams has a final four of Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, and Georgia.  He appeared to be headed for Clemson, but Auburn and Georgia are making a push.

Jordan Cunningham - WR - Fort Lauderdale (FL) University School: Cunningham's top six schools include Alabama, Miami, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Stanford, and Vanderbilt.  Stanford was rumored to be the choice a week or two ago, but the Miami Hurricanes seem to have overtaken the lead.

Jason Hatcher - DE - Louisville (KY) Trinity: Hatcher was committed to USC, de-committed in January to consider Louisville and Kentucky, re-committed to USC a few days ago, and now it looks like he'll sign with Kentucky.

Cameron Hunt - OG - Corona (CA) Centennial: Hunt was thought to be heavily favoring Michigan at one point, but the commitment of Dan Samuelson squashed those chances.  Hunt then eliminated Ohio State, de-committed from Cal, and now it looks like he'll sign with Oregon.

Kyle LaPorte - WR - Piscataway (NJ) Piscataway: Information has been very thin on LaPorte.  He lists offers from Miami, Michigan, North Carolina, Penn State, Rutgers, and West Virginia.  Usually when there's no recent news, it seems like a kid isn't going to qualify or he's going to commit to a lower level school.

Eric Moate - RB - Tampa (FL) Spoto: Information has also been rare on Moate.  He's a quiet recruit who at one time listed offers from Auburn, Iowa, Michigan, Mississippi, Purdue, South Florida, and West Virginia.  I'll take a random guess and say he ends up at South Florida.

Yannick Ngakoue - LB - Washington (DC) Friendship: Ngakoue's final two schools appear to be Florida State and Maryland, with Maryland looking like the safe bet.  Ngakoue had been committed to the Terrapins for several months previously.

Laremy Tunsil - OT - Lake City (FL) Columbia: Widely regarded as the nation's top offensive lineman in the 2013 class, Tunsil was until recently expected to commit to Georgia sooner or later.  But in the last several days, the winds seem to have shifted and now he's expected to become a part of the class at Ole Miss.

Eddie Vanderdoes - DT - Placer (CA) Placer: Along with Adams, Vanderdoes is one of the top few defensive tackles in the country.  He was committed to USC for a long time, and both Alabama and Notre Dame have been heavily in the mix.  Most recently, however, his final destination has been rumored to be UCLA.

Class of 2013 Wish List: Offense

One guy we both agreed on was Warren (MI) De La Salle quarterback Shane Morris

Tremendous  and Touch the Banner  pooled together our information and came up with a wish list for the 2013 class.  This is purely a wish list based on guys who have either been offered by Michigan or, in a couple cases, are likely to get offered by Michigan at some point.

QUARTERBACK (Need = 1)
Touch the Banner: Warren (MI) De La Salle quarterback Shane Morris  is already on board, and he's one of the top two or three quarterbacks in the country.  Based on his talent and how much he loves Michigan, he's my pick to fill this spot.
Tremendous: Shane Morris - Doesn't really need much of an explanation. Turn to my interview if necessary. This kid has the physical and mental qualities to play quarterback for Michigan. The only question, and one that can't be answered yet, is how he'll respond to getting continuously hit throughout the long run of a full college football season.

RUNNING BACK (Need = 2)
Tremendous: Ty Isaac, Deveon Smith - Isaac is explosive and the type of home-run hitter that Michigan has lacked for quite some time now. He does run a bit upright, but the upside is too much to ignore here. He could contribute quickly, too. Deveon Smith is a tackle-breaking machine who has good vision/cuts in between the tackles. Both of his brothers struggled in college but I don't expect that to be the case with Deveon. Keith Ford would look good here, too, but despite the recent update I did on him, I don't expect him to end up at Michigan.
Touch the Banner: Michigan needs a big-play guy, and I think Stockton (CA) Lincoln's Justin Davis  could be that guy.  He's 6'1", 195 lbs. and could be the lightning to Cypress (TX) Cypress Ranch's Keith Ford's thunder.  Both can make big plays, unlike a couple offerees who look like pound-the-rock type guys only.

FULLBACK (Need = 0)
Michigan doesn't need anyone here.

WIDE RECEIVER (Need = 2)
Touch the Banner: Louisville (KY) Trinity wideout James Quick  would be #1 on my list because of his gamebreaking ability.  He's similar to former Michigan wide receiver Steve Breaston because he's a skinny guy who can take it the distance at any given time.  Crete (IL) Crete-Monee's Laquon Treadwell  is a big, physical kid who also has a little bit of speed and can stretch the field.  Michigan could use a couple big-time receivers to pair with Morris.
Tremendous: Jaron Dukes, Laquon Treadwell - Dukes loves Michigan and has the physical tools necessary to fit the old Michigan receiver mold. He's a bit of a project, but kids who love the program and want to be here are the types of kids that tend to succeed at Michigan. Treadwell is a five-star talent. Not much else to be said about him.

TIGHT END (Need = 2)
Touch the Banner:  Camp Hill (PA) Cedar Cliff tight end Adam Breneman  is considered by many to be the nation's top tight end for the 2013 class, and again it would be nice to find a good passing target for Morris.  Breneman is the type of tight end who could do damage as a traditional tight end or lined up in the slot.  Meanwhile, Pickerington (OH) North Pickerington's Jake Butt  is a tough, physical kid who has some good athleticism.  And if things didn't work out on offense, he has the athletic ability and demeanor to help out on defense, too.
Tremendous: Jake Butt, Adam Breneman - Butt is a likely commit who seems to be somewhat of a rising star within the rankings. I'd still say Breneman is better, but Butt has the frame to bulk up and remains quick enough on his feet for his size to do real damage in the passing game. Breneman is the real deal, a potential Gronk clone if he builds up properly. No reason not to choose a guy like him. Fast as hell for a TE, but more than big enough to block up front.

OFFENSIVE LINE (Need = 5)
Tremendous: Logan Tuley-Tillman, Chris Fox, Kyle Bosch, David Dawson, Laremy Tunsil - Four of these lineman are obvious choices based on ability alone. We really love Dawson though; he's a pancake machine who would be an epic addition to the run blocking game. The good news? Outside of Tunsil, Michigan has a good shot at all four of these guys.
Touch the Banner: I'm going to take one guy for each position.  Give me Lake City (FL) Columbia's Laremy Tunsil  at left tackle, Dallas (TX) Bishop Dunne left guard Ishmael Wilson, Parker (CO) Ponderosa right guard Chris Fox, and Lemont (IL) Lemont right tackle Ethan Pocic.  And then I'll take Wheaton (IL) St. Francis's Kyle Bosch  and move him inside to center, just because Michigan needs a center and I think Bosch could handle it.

Recruiting Update: November 16, 2011

That's an interesting use for a wife-beater.

ADDED TO THE BOARD

Ann Arbor (MI) Pioneer running back Drake Johnson was offered by and committed to Michigan.  You can find a full write-up here.

Lake City (FL) Columbia offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil was offered by Michigan.  Tunsil is a 6'5", 270 lb. class of 2013 prospect   Florida and Florida State look like Tunsil's early leaders, and the Seminoles hold what might be the trump card - Tunsil's former teammate Tim Jernigan, a defensive tackle who was recruited by Michigan for the class of 2011.  Tunsil was recently named the #3 overall player in the country for 2013, according to 247 Sports.

OFF THE BOARD

Allen (TX) Allen running back Jonathan Williams committed to Arkansas.  He had been committed to Missouri for several months, but decommitted from the Tigers in early November.  A few days later he was a Razorback.  Williams is a 5'11", 205 lb. bruising running back who also holds offers from the likes of West Virginia and Wisconsin.

TWO RECRUITING BITS...

First of all, there were some rumors that Glen Ellyn (IL) Glenbard West defensive tackle Tommy Schutt was considering decommitting from Penn State and flipping to Michigan.  While anything is possible, it seems that Michigan would not be interested in Schutt.  Remember that he tried visiting Michigan around the time of Ondre Pipkins' commitment, and the staff said, "Thanks but no thanks."  Of course, if the coaches are getting bad vibes from their other targets (Zach Banner, Josh Garnett, Jordan Payton, Amara Darboh, Bri'onte Dunn, etc.), then it's possible that Michigan could pursue Schutt.  At this time, though, the rumors seem to be dying down.

Secondly, it seems particularly frustrating to watch the 2012 class play out with the staff failing to recruit quarterbacks any further.  There has been some behind-the-scenes action with high-level recruits, but nothing too significant.  The struggles of Michigan's quarterbacks this year should be cause for concern going forward, since the only options for 2012 are Denard Robinson (52% completions, 13 touchdowns, 13 interceptions) and Devin Gardner (50% completions; 1 touchdown, 1 interception); and the only options for 2013 are Gardner, Russell Bellomy (currently a true freshman who is redshirting), and current high school junior Shane Morris.  That's a pretty unproven group, and it's a very thin group, too.  After having taken a quarterback in the last 14 classes, it seems odd for that trend to stop now . . . but that appears to be the case.