Michigan's Recruiting Class (So Far)

Hey Big Ten fans, with National signing day coming to a close, we have learned a few things and found out where some big name players are going. The one thing we have not learned is where Terrell Pryor is going, and who knows when and where he will end up.

According to mgoblue.com (Michigan's official website) this is where the 2008 recruiting class stands:

Player	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Hometown (High School)
Ricky Barnum	OL	6-2	265	Lakeland, Fla. (Lake Gibson)
Boubacar Cissoko	DB	5-9	175	Detroit, Mich. (Cass Technical)
Mike Cox	RB	6-0	206	Dorchester, Conn. (Avon Old Farms)
Justin Feagin	QB	6-0	190	Deerfield, Fla. (American Heritage)
J.B. Fitzgerald	LB	6-3	230	Princeton Junction, N.J. (West Windsor Plainsboro)
J.T. Floyd	DB	6-0	190	Greenville, S.C. (J.L. Mann)
Taylor Hill	LB	6-2	205	Youngstown, Ohio (Cardinal Mooney)
Rocko Khoury	OL	6-5	280	Traverse City, Mich. (Traverse City West)
Kevin Koger	TE	6-4	220	Toledo, Ohio (Whitmer)
Mike Martin	DL	6-2	285	Redford, Mich. (Catholic Central)
Elliott Mealer	OL	6-6	280	Wauseon, Ohio (Wauseon)
Brandon Moore	TE	6-6	221	Trotwood, Ohio (Trotwood-Madison)
Patrick Omameh	OL	6-4	260	Columbus, Ohio (St. Francis DeSales)
Dann O'Neill	OL	6-7	295	Grand Haven, Mich. (Grand Haven)
Terrence Robinson	ATH	5-9	170	Klein, Texas (Oak)
Roy Roundtree	WR	6-0	154	Trotwood, Ohio (Trotwood-Madison)
Michael Shaw	ATH	6-0	185	Trotwood, Ohio (Trotwood-Madison)
Brandon Smith	DB	6-3	210	New Brunswick, N.J. (New Brunswick)
Darryl Stonum	WR	6-3	185	Stafford, Texas (Dulles)
Kurt Wermers	OL	6-5	260	Crown Point, Ind. (Crown Point)
Marcus Witherspoon	LB	6-2	225	Atlantic City, N.J. (Holy Spirit)

That stands at 21 commits. Missing are Kenny Demens a LB, he had a funeral today and just has not been able to fax in his LOI. Long Snapper George Morales has not sent his LOI in yet, there is some speculation that he may grayshirt so his Scholarship doesn't count for this semester. Michigan will not have to worry about these two players wavering.

Obviously one big Michigan verbal commit is missing from that list, Youtube sensation RB Sam McGuffie. There have been rumors that McGuffie is also now looking at Cal and TAMU. The speculation is that he will in the end be at Michigan, but there is some need for concern. For what its worth Tom Beaver (recruiting guru) thinks McGuffie will end up a wolverine.

Of course Terrelle Pryor is not on that list, nor is he on anyone's list. Will he end up at UM? My guess is no, I really think PSU is coming on strong and that Pryor will either end up in Happy Valley or in Columbus. Michigan fans would be much happier with Pryor not going to Michigan as long as he doesn't end up at OSU.

Thats all for now, but once McGuffie situation gets sorted out, and the last LOIS get sent in I will provide a much more detailed post analyzing the impact the recruits will have on the 2008 season.

-JHS, Michigan correspondent

JHS's Fearless Predictions for the 2008 Big Ten Season

Seeing as how there is (most likely) going to be no big college football news until next Wednesday (National Signing Day, as fans of UM and OSU hold their breath and hope they T. Pryor comes to their University), I'm going to act like ESPN and just create my own news in the form of some bold predictions for the 2008 Season.

*Note for the sake of argument - I'm going to create these predictions with the thought in mind that Pryor is not going to neither OSU nor Michigan*

2008 Big Ten Champs: OSU Buckeyes. Not hard to picture this happening - I see them going 10-2 (one loss in Big ten play and a loss to USC). No title game shot this year for the Bucks, but they will continue their (almost yearly) tradition of being in the BCS.

2008 Big Ten Cellar Dweller: Minnesota Golden Gophers. Sorry Gopher fans, but this is just not a good team, they will win more than they did last year (one win). 4-5 wins could be within reach for the Gophers this year.

2008 Big Ten MVP: Chris Wells, OSU. This is a beast, big, strong, fast and will be touching the ball a lot. Expect him to be a top Heisman candidate as well.

2008 Big Ten Coach of the year: Rich Rodriguez, UM. With the loss of basically the starting offense, expectations are going to lower than usual in Ann Arbor this season, some media members have predicted 6 wins and even 4 wins for UM. If Rodriguez can get UM to 9-3 I think he has a great shot at being coach of the year. If he could beat OSU in Columbus, he might be a shoo-in for the award.

Now onto some UM predictions -

2008 UM captains: Morgan Trent, CB; Tim Jamison, DE; and Greg Matthews, WR.

2008 UM Defensive MVP: Morgan Trent, CB. Trent was light years better in '07 than he was in '06. In fact going into '07, many UM fans though he would be a liability on defense, however, he turned out to a major strength. If his progression can continue he could be one of the best CBs in the nation.

2008 UM Breakthrough Player: Steven Threet, QB. Threet is the most likely candidate to start game one: he has been practicing and training at the college football level for a year more than any potential frosh QB, and he will have gotten the playbook months before any frosh QB. Even though Coach Rod favors a mobile QB, I think he will be forced to give Threet a lot of playing time and Threet will deliver.

Well that's all for now, but after spring ball I will release my official predictions for the 2008 college football season.

Also expect some serious analysis next week on UM's recruiting class.

Big Ten Buzz *Express*- 1/28/08

Sorry about the no-post day yesterday. One of our correspondents was bogged down at work, and not much happened in the world of Big Ten football. I scrapped together the few intriguing stories going on around the B10 for an express version of 'Big Ten Buzz'.

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A few Big Ten players snagged some awards in the Senior Bowl:

Chad Henne, QB, Michigan - North Team's Offensive MVP
5/9, 64yds, 2 TDs (Only North QB without an INT)

Dan Connor, LB, Penn State - Under Armor Award (North Defensive MVP?)
9 tackles (5 solo), 1 INT (Off Colt Brennan), 4yds

Other Big Ten participants didn't fare as well..

Dorien Bryant, WR, Purdue - 1rec, 3yds, 1 kickoff return, 19yds
Charles Godfrey, CB, Iowa - 2 tackles
Tracy Porter, DB, Indiana - 4 tackles, 1 pass break-up
Cliff Avril, DL, Purdue - 2 tackles
Bryan Mattison, DL, Iowa - 2 tackles

No stats: Michigan LB Shawn Crable, Michigan DB Jamar Adams, Ohio State OL Kirk Barton, or Michigan State TE Kellen Davis.

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Indiana's Assistant Head Coach Gerald Brown is no longer Indiana's Assistant Head Coach. He's decided, instead, to head to a more stable team in the NFL's Atlanta Falcons, as a Running Backs coach.

To be fair, his last season at Indiana (where he was also a running backs coach) was a successful one:

The Hoosier rushing attack posted the most yards (2,046), yards per game (157.4), yards per carry (4.3) and rushing touchdowns (18) since the 2001 season during the 2007 campaign. Three Hoosiers rushed for over 350 yards and averaged over 4.0 yards per carry, including backs Marcus Thigpen (568, 4.1) and Bryan Payton (381, 4.2).

Best of luck to Mr. Brown in the NFL. Try to bring some football sanity back to Atlanta.

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Wisconsin has released a DVD recapping the 2007 season. Why any fan of any team in the Big Ten (besides, perhaps, Indiana) would want to see a DVD recap of this past season is beyond me.

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I've got another correspondent post (going up tomorrow) and should have yet another one going up Wednesday afternoon. See you then.

Has anyone heard of a guy named "Terrelle Pryor"? No?

I hate to do it. I really do. Terrelle Pryor has been beat to death* in the media and on blogs all over the internet for the past few days.

One article, however, intrigued me enough to cover it here. It's a short article about why Pryor is such a big deal, and to save you from reading through the five paragraphs to find the two that I'm talking about, here is is:

Let me ask a few questions. Is Michigan football a big story? Is the Rich Rodriguez coaching transition a well-watched, well-analyzed affair? Does Rodriguez need a quarterback for his offense to run? Does Rodriguez currently have a quarterback that you trust to run the offense? Is Pryor the highest rated player in high school football? Has he been compared to Vince Young? And finally, has Michigan’s entire season ever been riding on whether or not one senior was committing to the program?

The answer to every one of those questions (except for maybe the last one) is an emphatic yes. So how could too much be made of Pryor’s choice?

Each one of those questions can be answered with "an emphatic yes"?

Let's tackle these one at a time, shall we?

Is Michigan football a big story?

Depends. If this was Northeastern New Mexico State and they were trying to land a big player that would really help them out, it wouldn't be such a huge deal, so I'll humor you. I wouldn't call it an 'emphatic yes', however.

Is the Rich Rodriguez coaching transition a well-watched, well-analyzed affair?

It's certainly a closely monitored affair, and many people talk and write about it, but it's absolutely not "well analyzed". The media has blown everything between Rich and WVU way out of proportion. Well analyzed would be "West Virginia says Rodriguez shredded documents, but who cares? They have like ten different copies of all the important stuff he shredded, and if they don't the AD looks worse than Rodriguez."

Does Rodriguez need a quarterback for his offense to run?

Well, yeah. Doesn't every football team?

Does Rodriguez currently have a quarterback that you trust to run the offense?

...? No? Not in the slightest? Is that what you meant by 'emphatic yes'?

Is Pryor the highest rated player in high school football?

Depends on who you talk to. Some say he's 2nd or 3rd, others say he's 5th or 6th. But in a few people's opinions he is. Sure.

Has he been compared to Vince Young?

Yes. Have I been compared to Johnny Depp? Why yes! Yes I have!**

And finally, has Michigan’s entire season ever been riding on whether or not one senior was committing to the program?

As you point out yourself, probably. But I don't think it is now. Pryor, at most, will mean the difference between a BCS Bowl and a regular bowl. Michigan does in fact (contrary to how some people are making it seem) have other quarterbacks on the roster, and even other dual threat quarterbacks that they're recruiting right now.

Like I said, I didn't want to do it, but he's the hot topic right now.

Who else wishes NLOID was tomorrow?


* I really hope this doesn't turn out like that Tiger Woods thing..
** "That Austin guy is no where near as cute as Johnny Depp."

Big Ten Buzz- 1/22/08

This'll be a quick one today, as not too much groundbreaking stuff has happened in the world of Big Ten football in the past 24 hours.

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Four days after his visit to Ann Arbor, DJ Woods (WR, Ohio) has committed to the University of Cincinnati:

UC today received an oral commitment from Strongsville (Ohio) High School wide receiver D.J. Woods, who picked the Bearcats over Michigan.

“They said I could make an impact right away,” Woods said. “That’s what I want to do.”

Yep, you read that right. With offers from the likes of Auburn, West Virginia, Penn State, and fresh off a visit to Ann Arbor, DJ Woods committed to Cincinnati. Because he could make an impact right away.. at Cincinnati.

Michigan just lost Adrian Arrington and Mario Manningham to the draft, and just acquired a coach that loves the spread offense. West Virginia just won a BCS Bowl and is starting play in the post-Rodriguez era. Penn State is looking to make a serious dent in the Big Ten next season.

But he could make an impact right away at Cincinnati, so he decided to commit there. The team that went 4-3 in the Big East.

Cincinnati.

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That's it for tonight. If anyone is interested in any of the nine openings that are left (everyone besides Michigan and Penn State), please leave a comment or send me an e-mail at blog10football@gmail.com

The first of many..

The first of eleven sacred spots on this site has been filled. Jim Harbaugh Scramble, a regular poster on MGoBlog, has been selected to represent the Maize and Blue here at Blog Ten Football.

I've asked him to write a brief introduction, so without further adieu:

Hello fans, I'm Jim Harbaugh Scramble and I'll be your Michigan correspondent here on Blog 10 Football.

About me - I'm 24 years old and a huge UM football fan. College football is my favorite sport but I'm also into the NFL, NBA and MLB. My favorite sports teams are the Wolverines, Detroit Lions, Detroit Pistons, Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings. My passion, however is Michigan football.

I'm originally from Michigan, grew up in the Detroit area, and for whatever reason just became a huge UM fan. I've been a fan for as long as I remember. Some of my favorite UM players of all time are: Harbaugh, Terrell, Woodson, Howard among many, many others. What I love the most about Michigan is a tradition of winning the right way with class and integrity.

I want to thank Blog 10 for this opportunity and I hope you Big Ten fans will have a chance to learn more about me and UM football.

Go Blue!

No, JHS. Thank you. Here's to a bright future of blogging between us and the rest of Blog Ten Football's correspondents (to be announced).

Big Ten Buzz- 1/21/08

Big Ten Buzz is going to be a feature on Blog Ten Football that'll show up every once in a while. Could be a few times a week, could be every few weeks. Whenever I feel like it, I guess. It'll basically just go over the goings-on within the Big Ten. Here's the first installment:

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Joe-Pa's contract is due to expire after the 2008 season, however:

"The 42-year coaching veteran has said recently he could coach at least a couple more years, and perhaps has many as five...

... When asked if the topic of Paterno coaching beyond next year had come up yet, [Penn State President Graham] Spanier only said that he hadn't had a chance to speak to the coach yet."

JoePa's quote provoked a collective sigh from Penn State fans, as they already have to endure another season of his prehistoric play calling. Another five years just might land Penn State in the cellar of a conference that is slowly but surely moving into the 21st century. Illinois is there already, Ohio State was there with Troy Smith (and could easily return if they land Terrelle Pryor), and Michigan is certainly headed there with Rich Rodriguez, the inventor of the spread.

If JoePa is concerned with what is good for the future of Penn State Football, he would get out of Happy Valley, ASAP. I'm not opposed to him finishing up his contract, but anything in terms of an extension would be borderline selfish.

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According to FoxSports, the 2009 NFL Draft will have nine of it's 32 first round picks come from the Big Ten (five from Ohio State).

3. Chris "Beanie" Wells, RB Ohio State (Jr.)
5. James Laurinaitis, LB Ohio State
7. Malcolm Jenkins, CB Ohio State
16. Greg Middleton, DE Indiana (Jr.)
19. Marcus Freeman, LB Ohio State
20. Alex Boone, OT Ohio State
21. Sean Lee, LB Penn State
26. Travis Beckum, TE Wisconsin
27. Vontae Davis, CB Illinois (Jr.)

There would be even more on this list had the likes of Adrian Arrington and Mario Manningham (WRs, Michigan), Vernon Gholston (DE, Ohio State), James Hardy (WR, Indiana), Jack Ikegwuonu (CB, Wisconsin), Justin King (CB, Penn State), Rashard Mendenhall (RB, Illinois), and Devin Thomas (WR, Michigan State) not declared early this season.

The five out of Ohio State might seem like a bit of a stretch, but if you look at them on their own, they could all easily be first round picks if they have monster seasons next year. I mean monster seasons.

The only surprise on that list isn't the surplus of Buckeyes, but the lack of (see: zero) Wolverines. Not because there should be three or four of them on the list, but because Michigan is as used to churning out NFL candidates as obtaining West Virginia's coaches. It'll certainly be a rebuilding year for the Wolverines next season.

(See article for brief reasoning on the picks.)

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That'll be it for tonight. Look for further updates constantly, and feel free to leave me some love.