Wednesday Recruitin' Awaits the Dee-cision Comment Count

Tim

[Ed: see what he did there?]

Remember, all-time updates can be found on the 2011 Michigan Football Recruiting Board. If you have any recruiting tips or questions, you can e-mail them to me at [email protected] or tweet @varsityblue. For game updates on Wolverine commits, check out the Friday Night Lights series.

Decision Time is Finally Here. Maybe.

WallsArmy.jpg

GA S Avery Walls has been named to the Army All-American game. His coach had plenty of good things to say about him too:

"Avery came to this school and just instantly was a great leader who showed great character," Gess said. "As far as him as a player, he just shuts down a whole side of the field because coaches won't throw or run that way. He also raises his teammates' level of play. He's a great representative of Eagle's Landing Christian and what they stand for."

He'll make a decision next month, after a couple visits to Oregon and Cal. Michigan was in great shape after his visit to Ann Arbor, and hopefully the Ducks and Bears do nothing to change that. Walls is an early-enrollment candidate.

If FL RB Demetrius Hart doesn't make his decision next week, it wouldn't be the first time he's changed his mind about an announcement timeframe. However, this is the most public he's been about when he'll pick his school. Hart is taking an official visit to Alabama this weekend. Tom hinted that Hart may take another unofficial visit in his weekly update, and I bet that would be to Michigan should he choose the Wolverines. It's still looking good here.

Assume the Position: D-Line

Michigan is hunting for at least one defensive tackle, and probably another defensive end. Who are some of the candidates?

FL DT Tim Jernigan will not decide until after his senior season. He's also started planning out some of his visits:

He said he plans on attending at least one game involving each of the schools, including the UF-Alabama game Oct. 2 in Tuscaloosa, Ala., the LSU-UF game in Gainesville on Oct. 9 and games at Michigan and USC.

That means no Michigan State game in Ann Arbor, leaving Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin weekends. If his coach is right:

The biggest factor the coach said would play into Jernigan’s decision is playing time.

With a college-ready frame and skill set, Howard said Jernigan is going to likely attend the school that can provide him a chance to play early.

That means Advantage: Michigan over all of his other contenders.

MI DE/OL Anthony Zettel gave raving reviews of his visit to Michigan State:

"It was an amazing game to be at," Zettel said. "I think that Michigan State is starting to become a very good team. I was able to have some small talk with a lot of the recruits at the game."

OK, maybe that's more "I was in attendance" than anything hugely positive for the Spartans. Scout's Allen Trieu explains to the Lansing State Journal:

Michigan looks like it could be the team to beat for Zettel, but the Spartans are in contention.

"He's been a life-long Michigan fan, and you just want to be able to stay in the game with him," Trieu said. "The fact that he hasn't committed to Michigan yet is a big thing for Michigan State."

At this point , when "not committed to Michigan quite yet" is the best thing you can say about State's recruitment of the kid, the Wolverines are looking good.

GA DE Ray Drew, Walls's buddy, wants to visit Ann Arbor:

"I would also like to go to Michigan to see the Big House. Every football player knows about that place... There are a lot of schools I would like to see before I decide on signing day.”

He says he's close to having all of his visits set up, so we should know soon when he'll be in the house. Drew won't make a decision until Signing Day.

The Others

MI RB Thomas Rawls is smashing Mark Ingram's Flint-area rushing records. If he can get his grades up, he could be a good addition to Michigan's class. At 5'10", 215, he's a differenet sort of back than Hart.

NJ TE Jack Tabb is taking an official visit to Iowa City this weekend ($, info in header), even though the Hawkeyes already have three (!) tight ends in this class. Michigan is in the running for one of his other visits, and he took a trip to Ann Arbor earlier this summer.

IL OL Chris Bryant, a recent visitor to Ann Arbor, has the Wolverines in his top 3/4 with Arizona, Stanford, and Illinois. From the tone of the article, Michigan is still on top.

KY LB Lamar Dawson has M in his final 7.

Dee Hart isn't the only Orlando Dr. Phillips guy with Michigan interest. It is highly unlikely that FL S HaSean Clinton-Dix will strongly consider Michigan anymore, but his fellow safety Roderick Ryles is looking for an offer.

Happy Trails

FL TE/DE Brandon Fulse has narrowed his list, and Michigan is no longer on it.

Happy Trails, FL DE Giorgio Newberry. He's committed to Florida State.

It appears as though VA CB Demetrious Nicholson is no longer planning to take a Michigan visit.

2012

FL QB Bennie Coney is holding a Michigan offer. It will be interesting to see what types of QBs Michigan goes after this season.

Just to clarify, Plant City is not the same Plant that 2011 OL Commit Tony Posada attends.

OH RB William Mahone is interested in Michigan, and attended a summer camp in Ann Arbor this summer. The Buckeyes already have two RB commits in 2012, so they won't be the competition.

As expected, MI DT Danny O'Brien received his verbal offer from Michigan at the Bowling Green game.

ESPN's Chris Pool reports that IL DT Tommy Schutt also holds a verbal offer from the Wolverines.

Also in attendance last Saturday was OH S Allen Gant. The son of former Wolverine Tony Gant (and nephew of Charles Woodson) plans to take his time making a decision.

Comments

Wolverine0056

September 29th, 2010 at 10:15 AM ^

Excited for Dee's and Walls' Hello Posts in the next week (Dee) and month (Walls).

Jernigan would be a really nice pickup to add to this class. Need a nice DT recruit.

Any news on Frost or any other LB recruits other than Dawson?

West Texas Blue

September 29th, 2010 at 10:34 AM ^

http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1130635

"I think Michigan leads for Hart and is the team to beat but Auburn is going to charge hard for him and Alabama could jump in at anytime as well, they just haven't been recruiting him that hard."

"As for Frost, I've always thought Auburn was the team to beat because of his relationship with Tommy Thigpen with Michigan second. It's interesting that the Wolverines are going head-to-head with Auburn for two major recruits"

So one good, one bad, according to Mike Farrell.

Wolvmarine

September 29th, 2010 at 10:42 AM ^

I always thought UNC was our initial main competion for Frost, that is until after Homework Gate and the negative ramifications that followed derailing the UNC season.; and that the love for Auburn is a relatively new(ish) phenominon. 
 

I am not as comfortable with the Frost situation as I am with the Hart situation(which, with a week to go does not say much).  What gives me hope is that Frost wants to EE and Michigan can pretty much offer him a starting spot right away (assuming he earns it). 

profitgoblue

September 29th, 2010 at 10:48 AM ^

I like both Dee-cisions and regular decisions.  I have enough problems in my life.  I can't take the wait and anticipation of decisions that 17- and 18-year old kids make and I am bitter that these decisions somehow have a big impact on my life.  Better call the therapist!

Dreisbach1817

September 29th, 2010 at 11:09 AM ^

Did anyone else listen to Sam Webb's Recruiting Roundup?  Apparently there is a 5 star who is looking to make a surprise visit to Michigan soon.  Not Jernigan or Watkins--those have been reported already.  This is a new one.  The first person that came to mind was Karlos Williams.  Did anyone have the same reaction?

philthy66

September 30th, 2010 at 12:15 AM ^

I would really like to see DeVondrick Nealy get a shout-out on this blog.  He is making a visit to Michigan October 9 for MSU game.  This dude is sick...and has managed to stay a secret to some, but others of us know better.  Small-school middle-of-nowhere Floridian.  We should all be so lucky to get a commitment from this nasty ass motherfucker

rpel84

September 30th, 2010 at 11:29 AM ^

I cant figure out why michigan isnt trying to talk to Taylor Decker a 6'8" 260 lb O-Lineman for Vandalia Butler (Vandalia Ohio) that can really play and mauls his oponents.  I coach him at Vandalia and this kid is getting looks from major colleges like MSU, OSU, Pur., ND UC, and so on.   Coaches from this school call us daily to talk to him.  He is a highschool junior but the kid can play.  I just cant figure out why Mich. hasnt talked to him.

Another kid I think we should talk to is Ryan Adams from Carroll High School.  He is a kicker with a big leg.  He just drilled a 52 yarder in a game last week and he has a great percentage of made kicks.  I think we definately need to help out our kicking position.  I'm not saying offer him a Schooly right now, but I think we should definately be contacting him or showing some slight interest.  He has no offers right now.