Wolverine Wednesday: Was the Tracy Smith Hire Risky or Safe?

I don't follow college baseball very closely, so my opinion comes with a ton of caveats.   When Warde hired Tracy Smith, many were surprised because he was out of baseball for a year after a failed run at Arizona State.  

To be fair to the process, coaching baseball at a northern school is not the idea position for a hot coaching prospect.   You want to be at a place that can play and practice year round.   It's the reason 
Clemson doubled the salary of Erik Bakich.   Baseball at Michigan is nowhere funded like the football or basketball programs.    I still don't understand why NCAA Baseball is not played more in the summer then the spring?  Having a snow out, is not a good thing in a baseball season.   This can make recruiting a challenge.  

Warde also got turned down quickly by Michigan's top coaching prospects.  So he was looking at guys like the CMU coach and Tracy who was clearly available.   Tracy had a nice run at IU, which made him a hot candidate for a baseball school.   ASU picked him up quickly hoping he would carry them back to the top of college baseball.   That didn't happen and after 6 years and with 2 years left on his contract, ASU let him go.   

Tracy did recruit well to ASU but that talent didn't translate to post season wins and there were rumors of locker room issues which made the Sun Devils make a move.   When you recruit MLB talent, there can be plenty of egos in the dugout.   

So lets try to answer the Risky or Safe question:

Risk:

• He is 56
• Fired a year ago for lack of post season wins and locker room issues 
• Michigan's current roster has been decimated with the loss of Coach Bakich 
• Was probably on the bottom of the candidate list 

Safe:

• Built a strong Big Ten program at IU 
• Has a ton of college baseball experience 
• Michigan probably didn't over pay 
• Known to be a good recruiter 

I would like to offer a football analogy to this hire.  Its clear that Brady Hoke is a good coach at a lower level program.  He is the perfect fit for a Ball State or a San Diego State.  Brady could not handle the bright lights of Michigan Football and was over his head in Ann Arbor.    I know some of you, don't agree that in this analogy, Michigan Baseball is San Diego State, but when it comes to NCAA Baseball, its the truth.  

I don't love this hire as I would have probably leaned towards the younger CMU head coach.  With that said, Warde was probably looking for a long term solution and a guy with strong experience.  If Michigan gets the IU Smith, then this is a home run.   If Michigan gets the ASU Smith, then this was a bad decision and Michigan will be back in the market looking for a new coach in a few years.    Either way, Smith has a job to do and the first thing is getting this roster together for next season.  

Michigan Thursday: Hat Tip To The Baseball Team

The Michigan Baseball Team lost last night in the National Championship final.  It was a great run and each one of those players should be proud.   A 3 game series is set to show which is the better team and that's exactly what happened.   I hope this is the first step in Michigan Baseball becoming a national baseball power.   Congratulations to the entire team on an incredible run!

Us Michigan fans are starting to feel like we are always the bridesmaid and never the bride.

• Fab 5 two NC games 
• Beilein's two NC games 
• 2 game changing questionable calls in the OSU game - PI penalty hitting Troy Smith on the sideline and JT Barrett's jump first down call. 
• Michigan Baseball National Championship run this year

I know Michigan has won Championships in other sports but these are the ones that are burned into my memory.  

Now to the good news! 

Jimmy and staff early on targeted two top recruits in this class.  The first was clearly instate DE Braiden McGregor (already committed) and second was Illinois WR AJ Henning. 

AJ Committed yesterday afternoon! 

AJ is the top rated player in Illinois and ranked the 80th player in the nation by 24/7's composite.   He is the 16th WR in the country but services don't rank Outside WR's vs. Slot WR's and AJ is clearly a slot and one of the top slots in the country. 

AJ's offer list included the likes of Alabama, ND, Georgia, PSU, Miami, BC, LSU, Ohio State, Stanford, and many more.   If your looking for a face for the #speed in space offense AJ might be it.  

He has elite speed as he runs a 4.4 forty.   Welcome AJ! 

• As expected DJ Jones committed to NC and WR Jay Brunelle went to ND. 

• Don't forget that 4 star RB Blake Corum is announcing this afternoon.  I will leave this here:

Wolverine Wednesday: Winner Takes All

Michigan Baseball has been on quite the journey the last few weeks and tonight it comes to an end with a National Championship or being the National Runner-up.   I like 3 games series but it also makes it a little different then a winner takes all.   Michigan head coach Erik Bakich had to play for a game 3 after winning game 1.   We will see tonight if that strategy pays off.

The good news is Michigan lost a crushing game in a similar situation in the regional and came back and won the final game the next day.  Michigan should have good pitching and the hopes are they swing the bats against Vandy's #3 starter.

• 4 star RB Blake Corum will announce his decision at 1:00 on Thursday.

• DJ Jones an Athlete recruit who visited last weekend will decide between Michigan and North Carolina at 4:00 Today. 

• 3 star WR Jay Brunelle is also expected to announce his decision today.  Jay is picking between Michigan, ND, and UCLA. 

With AJ announcing now and Blake on Thursday, Jay is now expected to go to ND and DJ to UNC.


Breaking News: Michigan's #1 WR Target 4 star AJ Henning out of Illinois just committed to the Wolverines! 

Michigan Tuesday: 2 Commits and A CWS Finals Win!

Congrats to the 200-1 Michigan Wolverines in taking the first game of the 3 game CWS final.  The Wolverines can close the deal tonight, but Vandy is a talented team and I'm sure will fight to take game 2 so there will be a winner take all final in Game 3.  Michigan will face Vandy starter Rocker who just threw a no-hitter a couple weeks ago.   Fingers crossed for tonight!   Go Blue!  7:00 on ESPN for those that want to tune in.

If you didn't know, Michigan's football recruiting director, Matt Dudek tweets out Ralph Wiggum from the Simpsons when there is a new commit.  This is Ralph:

Matt has tweeted out Ralphie 10 times since Sunday.  

More guys committed on Monday:

• Gaige Garcia, is two-sport athlete in the 2020 class.  He is a RB on the football field and also wrestles.  GG is not a rated recruit, so most expect him to be taking a wresting scholarship and taking a PWO to play football.  GG visited last weekend and decided Ann Arbor was the place for him.  He is a confirmed Ralphie commit. 

• Mike Sainristil is a 2019 recruit that enrolled early and made a huge impact on the Michigan coaches this spring with many WR's out with injuries.  The coaches liked Mike when they offered him and loved him after Spring Ball.  That type of play got Eamonn Dennis another New England athlete an offer in the 2020 class and he accepted and announced his commitment on Monday.  Dennis is 5'10 and 175 pounds and listed as a 3 star athlete, his offer list included Duke, GT, Iowa, Ole Miss, Purdue, Syracuse, and Mississippi State.  

• Another visitor from last weekend and a guy that also visited in April, Jeffery Persi a 3 star OT committed to Michigan late on Monday.   Jeff is a former TE from San Juan Capistrano, CA that moved to OT last year and big time programs took notice.   Jeff is 6'7 and 265 pounds which is a great frame to play college football.   He is a rising 3 star with offers from the likes of UCLA, Wash, CAL, Oklahoma, USC, BC, Arizona, ASU, WSU, TCU, Nebraska, Northwestern, and many more.  

I believe that is 7 confirmed Ralphie's.   

Some maybe concerned about the number of 3 star players Michigan is recruiting.   They are recruiting guys that fit the #Speed in Space offense and of course Don Brown's defense.   Don't forget that these players have yet to play their senior year and will likely move up in the rankings.  

Michigan Monday: Re-caps Commitment Sunday

There are few items that can knock Michigan Baseball off the headline starting its 3 game National Championship series tonight, Jimmy and staff found one.

Michigan Football hosted a number of high impact visitors and it seems they came away with a gold mine of commitments for the 2020 class.   Insiders are saying there are between 8-9 total from this weekend with only 4 being public right now.   This reminds me of the Hoke 2012 weekend, where it seemed every kid on campus wanted to join the Wolverines and committed.

I will list them as they dropped on Sunday.

• William Mohan - 3 Star Athlete who projects to the Viper position at Michigan 
• Aaron Lewis - 4 Star DL who flipped from West Virginia
• Jordan Morant - 4 Star Safety - #1 Ranked Safety in the US by 24/7
• Reece Atteberry - 3 Star OL - Center 

All 4 guys are important recruits of course.   I would like to highlight Jordan Morant who was an important get for Don Brown and staff.  This will be the second year in a row the Wolverines were able to add the top safety in the country.   I also know the coaches are very excited about William Mohan who fits the Viper role perfectly at 6'1 200 pounds, many have compared him to Khaleke Hudson.    

Aaron Lewis is a Strong Side DE and has a very nice offer list that includes Ohio State, Texas A&M, Wisconsin, Penn State, Nebraska, BC, and many more.  Reece is an important edition to the offensive line as Center is a specialty position on offense.  He also has a nice offer list from the likes of Ohio State, ND, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Miami, and PAC 12 schools. 

So who are the other 4?  I don't know but I believe some will be silent until they are ready to announce.  

Maybe more today. 

• Michigan vs. Vandy tonight ESPN 7:00

• Franz Wagner pro team season is now complete and is expected to make a decision between Michigan and Pro Ball in Germany soon.  

Michigan Friday: Poole Goes in Round 1 & Iggy in Round 2

I have been wrong a lot lately when it comes to Michigan Basketball.  I was very worried that AD Warde Manuel was going to make the wrong decision for head coach.   I was wrong.

I also thought Michigan's early entrants into the NBA Draft would not get drafted in the first round.   I was also wrong.

Jordan Poole was taken late in the first round #28 to the Golden State Warriors, who needs a few players after their injuries in the NBA Finals.  Poole and the Splash Brothers?

Iggy was taken in the 2nd round by the Knicks with the 47th pick.   This is also a good spot for Iggy who should get some time with the lack of depth on the current roster.  Of course, the Knicks hope to land a few free agents which would hurt Iggy's chances of sticking on the roster.

As expected, Charles Matthews wasn't drafted after tearing his ACL a couple weeks ago.   I hope there is some type of injury settlement he can get, as he was injured working out for the Celtics.    Maybe he can sit out next year and re-enter the draft?

• Don't forget about the big visit weekend for Michigan Football.   We hope to see a few commitments! (see Tuesday's post for expected visitors)

• Michigan Baseball also plays at 2:00 today in the CWS! 

Could be a great weekend to be a Wolverine! 

Michigan Thursday: NBA Draft Night For 3 Former Wolverines

This is a big night for 3 former Wolverines, Charles Matthews, Iggy Brazdekis, and Jordan Poole.
I expected Charles to jump but I'm believe it was a bad decision for Iggy and Jordan to put their name in for NBA draft.

In the latest ESPN Projections: (there are 60 selections in the NBA Draft)

#51 Jordan Poole
#67 Charles Matthews
#69 Iggy Brazdekis

So ESPN is projecting Jordan Poole getting drafted late in round 2 with Charles and Iggy not getting drafted at all.

If Jordan gets drafted, they are drafting him on upside.   His shot was inconsistent and should have been a knock down shooter in his sophomore year.  I think him leaving was more of not agreeing with Coach B's offense style then anything else.   It's a coin toss if he gets drafted and will see him in G-League next year.

I feel bad for Charles.  He was making some waves as a defensive player and maybe the top defensive player in the draft.  I use the Tony Allen comparison as a player he could be in the league.  After tearing his ACL a couple weeks ago, I don't expect Charles will be drafted and will sit out next year.

I think Iggy got really bad advice on going pro after his first year in college basketball.  He has a nice game, but doesn't do anything really well.  He is strong physically but needed another year of 3 point shooting with his dribble drive game.  I think his biggest weakness is that he is a ball stopper and doesn't pass much.   There is also some defensive concerns against NBA athletic forwards. Iggy is another coin flip if he gets drafted or not.   That means he should be back at Michigan for his sophomore year.  

Jordan and Iggy are late 2nd round selections at best and will need to make a major impact in the summer league if they are going to make a roster.  The upside for both are probably a 2 way contract.

• Michigan QB commit JJ McCarthy is now a 5 star on 24/7's composite rankings

• Michigan will take on Texas Tech in the CWS on Friday at 2:00 in a rematch from last weekend. 

Michigan Tuesday: Another CWS Win and Big Visit Weekend Coming Up

Great pitching does beat good hitting.   Michigan is a clear example of that as they beat FSU 2-0 last night as they continue their run through the College World Series.   Go Blue! 

The Michigan Football program also has an important weekend coming up with official visits starting.  I'm going to list each 2020 visitor with its importance to this Wolverine recruiting class:

• AJ Henning 4 star WR - A ton of programs want this kid (29 offers) and Michigan gets his final visit prior to his announcement.  He is good friends with Michigan QB commit JJ McCarthy who will also be in A2 this weekend.  AJ expects to make a decision "soon".
• Andrew Gentry 4 star OT - This guy is huge at 6'8 and 310 pounds.  Michigan has some work to do get him away from BYU.   
• Blake Corum 4 star RB - I put this kid on "commit watch" as he has 3 teammates already committed and he plays for Bif's program. 
• Jordan Morant 4 star Safety and Michigan top Safety prospect on the board.  He doesn't want to announce until 1/4 which means he won't be signing early. 
• Theo Johnson 4 star TE from Windsor, Canada is a top target for Jimmy and Michigan's new Speed in Space offense at tight end.   
• Andrew Raym 4 star OG who was in town a couple weeks ago and also just visited Ohio State.  
• RJ Moten 4 star safety who is more of an athlete recruit.   He also excels at baseball as well, and must be enjoying the Wolverines run in the CWS. 

Other visitors expected in town include:

• Beau Brade 3 star Safety 
• Elijah Gaines 3 star CB 
• Ty Hamilton 3 star DE 
• Kris Jenkins 3 star DE 
• DJ Jones 3 star RB 
• Mitchell Melton 3 star LB
• William Mohan 3 star LB 
• Jeff Persi 3 star OT
• Brenden Rice 3 star WR (son of Jerry Rice)

Michigan Monday: A Win In The College World Series

Michigan got a nice win in the CWS on Saturday over Texas Tech.   They play Florida State tonight on ESPN.  Lets hope they go 2-0!

• Coach Erik Bakich won the College Baseball Coach of the year.  He is due for a big raise next year.

• I had no idea that Jace Howard, son of Juwan Howard is a 2020 prospect.  Reports are he is more of a MAC type player but I wouldn't have any problem with him on the Michigan roster, hopefully as a walk-on.  

• Instate 5 Star Guard Justin Rodgers who recently committed to UK visited Alabama over the weekend.   That UK commitment is on thin ice. 

• 2020 4 star DB Malcom Greene seemed to have loved his visit to Ann Arbor this past weekend.  Reports are Greene is very high on Don Brown's recruit board. 

• 2020  MA 3 star athlete Eamonn Dennis rescheduled his visit to this weekend.

• Has anyone considered after the Anthony Davis Trade, that the Laker will only have 3 people on the roster.  AD, Lebron, and Mo Wagner?