Thursday Recruitin' Enjoyed UConn
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.
The Afterglow
Tom's weekly update had a quick rundown of how some prospects enjoyed the game. Most Michigan fans were expecting a commitment from FL RB Demetrius Hart (at right), so not landing him is a bit of a disappointment. Tom says Michigan still leads, and a commitment at the MSU or Iowa game is still a possibility. On Hart's teammate, FL S Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix:
Speaking with a few people about him makes me feel like he's pretty solid with Alabama. That's not to say that it would be impossible to sway him, it would just take quite a bit to do that. If Demetrius makes another trip up to Michigan and Ha'Sean were to come with him, there would be reason for excitement. I've been told that there may be some teammates (possibly former as well) trying to persuade him to go north.
Swinging Clinton-Dix would be huge for the Wolverines, and I'm willing to bet his former teammate talking up Michigan is one Ricardo Miller. Fluff on him. The Orlando Sentinel covers the visits of Hart, Clinton-Dix, and 2012 QB Nick Patti. No news other than "it was a little unseasonably cold." Patti has an early top 4 of Michigan, Oregon, North Carolina, and Florida State.
Click through to Tom's update to see reactions from OH WR AJ Jordan and MI OL/DE Anthony Zettel (who Rivals say was "impressed with U-M win" ($, info in header)), along with a few 2012 guys.
GA S Avery Walls said:
"The game was great, and the visit went great," he said... "This visit helped Michigan a lot. I'm going to be watching their next few games," he said.
MIchigan was already the presumed favorite, so if the Wolverines perform well over the next few games, a mid-October commitment is a possibility (he has west coast trips planned for the 2nd and 9th).
Tom also talked to 2012 OH DE Chris Wormley, who said Michigan's attention has picked up now that it's, you know, legal for them to give it. The visit helped Michigan in his recruitment.
Josh Helmholdt runs down some of the prospects who were in attendance in that one Detroit paper. Of note other than the known 2011 guys:
Flint Northern running back Thomas Rawls, Crockett linebacker Bilaal Collins and Lake Orion running back Marques Stevenson also attended the game.
The class of 2012 was also well represented. Notable prospects in attendance included Crockett quarterback Brian Blackburn and running back Marcellous McElrath; Catholic Central lineman Matthew Godin; Flint Powers defensive tackle Danny O’Brien; King running back Dennis Norfleet; Kenton, Ohio, quarterback Maty Mauk; Orchard Lake St. Mary’s linebacker James Ross; Cass Tech teammates Terry Richardson and Royce Jenkins Stone, and Toledo (Ohio) Whitmer defensive end Chris Wormley.
I also heard from a source on 2012 PA OL Tyler Alt:
Ty had a blast at the Mich game. Got chills walking out of the tunnel and the recpetion by the Mich fans was unbleiveable.
Good to see younger guys enjoying Michigan. If Rich Rod and Co. can put it together on the field this season, the 2012 class could be a special one.
On the other side of the fence, FL S Wayne Lyons is the only mutual prospect officially visiting South Bend for Michigan's game against the Irish.
Etc.
I won't put him back on the board just yet, but NC QB Marquise Williams says he'll decommit from the Tar Heels if the NCAA puts them on probation. If that comes to fruition, there's a chance he'd consider the Wolverines again, especially since he's still planning an official visit to Ann Arbor.
OH TE/LB Austin Traylor is still considering MIchigan ($, info in header).
FL DT Timmy Jernigan won't be announcing his decision at an All-Star game:
He'll probably trim his list to a final three schools by the midway point of his final prep football season. National Signing Day is Feb. 2.
"I hope by signing day, I am pretty sure I will have something figured out by then," Jernigan said. "Of course there is pressure but I am pretty sure I'll make the right decision."
No word on exactly when he plans to visit Ann Arbor, but he still plans to.
IL DE James Adeyanju does not have Michigan on his fall visits list. He took a trip to Ann Arbor this summer, and is still considering the Wolverines. Both Adeyanju and IL OL Chris Bryant will make decisions after their senior seasons.
Recruiting fluff on PA DE Deion Barnes. He'll make his selection at the Army Game (if invited), or at the end of his senior season. He also talks a bit about his game:
Once he gets to a college campus and in an enhanced weight lifting program, Barnes figures to fill out and become even stronger. For now, his quickness and instincts have proven him to be a natural at rushing the quarterback.
"My instincts and my experience, I would say those are my strengths," he said. "And I like to think of myself as probably one of the smartest guys on the field."
Michigan's efforts at both offensive line and defensive end will become much more clear when we figure out how the recruitments of Zettel and Bryant shake out.
KY LB Lamar Dawson has reportedly been selected to the Army All-American Bowl.
OH LB Sean Duggan breaks down his top five of BC, Wisconsin, Michigan, Virginia, and Duke. On the Wolverines:
Michigan- "Again they have great academics at Michigan. Football is big in Ann Arbor, which is great. The coaches there are great, and the tradition is huge."
All of his schools are academic powerhouses, so he's looking as much for a good education as he is for good football.
FL S LaQuentin Smith, (a teammate and friend of the Dr. Phillips guys), has added Michigan to his list of favorites. He plans to visit Michigan before making a final decision at the end of this month. His highlights:
Happy Trails
MD Ath Darius Jennings does not have Michigan in his top/final 10.
Re-removed NJ OL Keith Lumpkin, who is deciding between five non-Michigan schools soon.
The Distant Future. The Year 2012.
Fluff on MO WR Dorial Green-Beckham.
MI TE Matt Doneth is a prospect to keep an eye on ($, info in header).
LSU is the favorite for 2012 FL OL Nacho Garcia. There's still plenty of time for other schools to overtake the Tigers.
Michigan leads for MI LB Royce Jenkins-Stone ($, info in header). As noted above, he visited for the UConn game.
Michigan is recruiting PA S Okezie Alozie ($, info in header).
September 9th, 2010 at 10:39 AM ^
is a recruiting machine. After his college career, we might want to retain him in some kind of recruiting capacity.
September 9th, 2010 at 10:43 AM ^
Tom also talked to 2012 OH DE Chris Wormley, who said Michigan's attention has picked up now that it's, you know, legal for them to give it
I guess the rules for recruiting Nick Patti and Chris Wormley are different. Give it up, man.
September 9th, 2010 at 11:21 AM ^
Instead of negging him, maybe someone could respond with data. Are the cases different? I'd be interested in knowing either way.
Or maybe he's being negged simply for being a Mr. Sassy Pants.
September 9th, 2010 at 11:35 AM ^
Prospect-initiated contact (i.e. a kid calling a coach) is admissible at all times. Coaches couldn't call or visit the prospects until September 1st.
September 9th, 2010 at 11:43 AM ^
I'm inferring that Patti called the coaches and visited but Wormley didn't, and we kept our noses clean by not contacting him. I'm also inferring that tOSU didn't do the same with Wormley. Is that about the size of it?
Not a Blue Fan? Rebuttal?
September 9th, 2010 at 10:43 AM ^
Swinging Clinton-Dix would be huge for the Wolverines.
I for one would like a huge swinging Clinton-Dix to join the Wolverines next year.
September 9th, 2010 at 10:50 AM ^
How good is the possibility that Smith commits to UM? It would be great to get Smith and HaHa for next year. Duggan would be another nice pickup at LB too.
September 9th, 2010 at 12:13 PM ^
Yeah,
Back 7 on defense, especially safeties and middle linebackers to come in and compete would be real nice.
Again, the thing that is so promising is that we already have great athletes that are young and will be in the lead for those spots. Now we want to keep upgrading the level of players in the recruiting and let them compete like made in the offseason and during practice.
September 9th, 2010 at 12:20 PM ^
Yeah I agree. We already have that competition at the OL, QB, and WR / Slot positions. RB is close with some really nice guys back there. But we really need to have some LB and DB's come in next year and really push the guys on the team now to be great.
September 9th, 2010 at 10:51 AM ^
"Nacho" Garcia? Seriously?
September 9th, 2010 at 12:34 PM ^
But Gittleson would have preferred Pizza Romano.
September 9th, 2010 at 10:54 AM ^
Dr. Phillips must have some team with all the college prospects. I saw somewhere that one of the recruiting services has Smith at LB. Cass Tech, Trotwood-Madison and Dr. Phillips are best pipelines.
September 9th, 2010 at 11:13 AM ^
I think Smith probably projects best as a linebacker at the next level.
September 9th, 2010 at 11:00 AM ^
Heh.
You said "swinging Clinton-Dix."
That's dirty.
September 9th, 2010 at 11:24 AM ^
Dee Hart has got to be in the top 5 of most pictured doods on mgoblog. Of the two known Dee Hart pics, I prefer the hoodie pic that showed up yesterday.
September 9th, 2010 at 11:48 AM ^
Then we could have had a new hoodie picture.
September 9th, 2010 at 11:48 AM ^
I saw that Wayne Lyons is scheduled to attend the game this weekend at ND but are there any other prospects that have been looking solely at ND that a big win this weekend could put us on their radar? Of course I'm only speaking of those that would be of interest to us.
September 9th, 2010 at 11:50 AM ^
I'm wondering if anyone here has insight on recruits' feelings with the Denard show. I'm certainly happy with the decisive win, but wonder if some offensive recruits (RB, WR) might not be super excited at the prospect of watching Denard kick it Wilt Chamberlain style.
Of course, it was only one game and the 29 carries should not be the norm. Just curious...
September 9th, 2010 at 1:28 PM ^
I don't know about anyone else, but if I'm a DB or a RB I am salivating to get in a Michigan uniform. To me no RB stood out, at least not in the breakaway mold(like Dee Hart) The secondary depth chart is as promising as you could want for an incoming freshman that has the talent to play immediatley(like Ha-Ha) What more is there to want?? Oh wait, that the program is on the verge of something huge and about to return to national prominance again. Fuck I'd be committing at the drop of a hat, which will be happening next year with a good record this year. If everything goes as well as it did against UConn,2012 we will have a top 5 class, bank on it
September 9th, 2010 at 2:20 PM ^
The problem is that it's only your opinion that the program is on the verge of something huge. It doesn't matter how many of us UM fans share that opinion; what matters is whether Dee Hart and all the other recruits are convinced themselves. I would bet that one victory in the first game isn't going to convince many of them. Since he hasn't committed by now, I expect Hart to wait until at least the MSU game.
I agree that the opportunities at RB/DB would seem to be prime for recruits, but we've got UM blinders on. To most of them, UM is just one school among many.
September 9th, 2010 at 2:29 PM ^
I agree that stub DBs should be eager to get to A2, but not so sure I agree with the RB part. Of course, I'm not a star high school running back...so I could be wrong. I assume that once Denard's carries drop to normal levels, RBs should be able to get plenty of touches. Maybe it's just the star WR who might choose to look elsewhere.
In any event, my fingers remain crossed, but remembering the infinite tears of sadness (version 2009), I won't get ahead of prudence by suggesting that one win has us on "the verge of something huge". If we roll through ND, scrub, scrub, scrub and State...I'm inclined to agree in total.
September 9th, 2010 at 5:44 PM ^
I think that's why Michigan is looking at bigger, lower rated/unrated WR like Conway. The new MI WRs needs to be able to block like Odoms can and being 6'3 just makes that easier. Additionally, our #1 pass play is the screen to the slot where the outside WRs need to make blocks to stop the play from being a loss, so blocking is clearly crucial.
So certainly there are WRs that are not interested in Michigan but 5 years ago would already by signed, like Arnett. And I can understand the kids concerns. But I think this just opens up spots for guys that want to run block, which helps this team more. You're replacing high end elite #1 WRs with sure handed, tougher, team players. So basically less Manningham more Conways/Ricardo Millers.
I'm not saying we're going to put the equivalent of a LT out wide but I think run blocking is now a tool needed for MI WR. Either that or ninja like quickness.
September 9th, 2010 at 12:27 PM ^
Nacho Garcia? What, Piston Honda, Soda Popinski and Bald Bull didn't have any Blue interest? We need this kid, especially when Munchie Lageaux left us high & dry in the name department last year.
September 9th, 2010 at 12:29 PM ^
Really awesome to see the Wolverines getting some love from some big time athletes. I can really see the 2012 class being an insatiable haul. RR and company have done a really nice job. Recruiting the way he has the last few seasons with all the negative surrounding the program is nothing short of incredible. Should we continue to lay the lumber to teams this year and end with a nice record, many recruits will sign!
September 9th, 2010 at 1:40 PM ^
but if they thought that was a little cold...just wait until mid-January. Sure the weather can be annoying in the winter but if you love the school you'll look past all that.
September 9th, 2010 at 1:46 PM ^
Ehh I say just where a coat. It's only bad for a couple months or so anyways.
September 9th, 2010 at 2:10 PM ^
Vast lack of depth at DT in my opinion. Where are the 300 lb behemoths who we'll need to wrassle with the likes of Wisky and OSU offensive lines, or clog lanes of power backs like Clay? Campbell thus far is not looking like a lock to pan out, and he's already a sophomore.
September 9th, 2010 at 2:28 PM ^
We'll pick up a NT in this class (best bet is Darian Cooper), and then we have Richard Ash and Big Will. As long as Mike Martin doesn't declare for draft, then we'll be okay for next year, and in 2012 we'll have a senior Big Will and RS soph Richard Ash. Also some good prospects in next year's class for DT (Godin and O'Brien). Not concerned right now.
September 9th, 2010 at 2:13 PM ^
Nacho Garcia is a must get. We can finally get that Taco Bell endorsement we've all been waiting on pins and needles for. "Michigan Football sponsored by the new Crunchwrap Supreme" never sounded so delicious.
September 9th, 2010 at 5:48 PM ^
NACHO is one of the all-time great names!
September 9th, 2010 at 2:16 PM ^
On a general football question, what does a visiting school tend to recieve monetarily for a visit to the Big House? Is it above $500,000? I saw on Tom Shatel's column on Omaha.com, that Nebraska refused Boise State's offer to visit Lincoln in return for $1million. I don't know how that compares, though.
September 9th, 2010 at 2:23 PM ^
Typically for a one-off, 500k-1million is the going rate.
This game was part of a home-and-home, however, with Michigan heading to the East Coast in 2013.
September 9th, 2010 at 2:29 PM ^
Thanks, makes sense. So does that mean for Michigan and UConn, each school keeps the home gate?
BTW, this is the Omaha article that I was mentioning.
September 9th, 2010 at 5:15 PM ^
All the offense needs to do is to score more TD' in the red-zone and then our team will be unstoppable!
September 9th, 2010 at 5:20 PM ^
Lyons isn't much of a mutual recruit anymore, he backed off of UM and a couple other teams a while ago.
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