Michigan Friday: Win Over Penn State

John Beilein's club took the floor to re-start the Big Ten season at Crisler last night.   It was a bit of a defensive battle as both teams only combined for 45 points in the first half.   

Michigan started to find it's offense in the second half and scored 43 points of their own to pull away with a 68-55 win.  If this team can find it's outside shooting they will continue to be difficult to beat as their defense is suffocating.   I tell you what, Jon Teske might be one of the most important guys on the floor as he is great as a rim protection, rebounds, and even adds some offense with the pick and roll.  He is also the guy that can get you through a few scoring draughts that all teams go through.  The Michigan scoring was lead by Poole with 17 and Iggy added a double/double with 16 points and 11 boards. 

The bad news on the night was that sophomore forward Isaiah Livers didn't play due to back spasms and is questionable for Sunday's game against Indiana.    This will be the first quick turnaround for the Wolverines in a few weeks and hopefully playing twice in 4 days will be a positive for the young Wolverines offense. 

• On during the same time was the UA All American Game.  So it was really hard to watch both.  I did see some of it and didn't get a good look at any of the Wolverine commits.  I will continue to look for stats as the UA game site is down this morning.  

• Congratulations to Steve Hutchinson and Ty Law being named as Hall of Fame finalists. 

Michigan Thursday: Winovich Back

Michigan Football got some good news yesterday as DE Chase Winovich decided he wasn't done playing college football and will stay for this 5th and final year.   This is a big get for Don Brown and his defense should continue to be rated in the top 10 next year.


I keep waiting for Michigan's assistant coach carousel to begin.  Which should happen at anytime.  The rumor mill continues with the familiar names like Greg Roman and Dan Enos, there is also a rumor that Jimmy will run the Pistol offense which is a better match for Patterson and McCaffrey. 


Update:  It seems the first domino is starting to fall.  Al Washington who I miss reported was still at BC (he actually coached at Cincinnati last year) is heading to Michigan to either fill the RB Coach Role or a SAM/Viper LB coach.  Best guess is on Don Browns staff.

• Texas A&M wanted to hire LSU's defensive coordinator Dave Aranda.  So to stop that process, LSU signed Dave to a $2.5M a year deal for 4 years.   Wow!  If I were Don Brown, I would send that article to Warde Manual.

• Chip Kelly hired former Michigan LB and coach Roy Manning from Washington State.  Roy will coach Special Teams at UCLA.  Roy was in high demand and many PAC 12 schools wanted to hire him.

• Josh Rosen and Sam Darnold have both declared for the NFL Draft.

• The RR lawsuit at Arizona is getting ugly.  More details are here.  It will be interesting to see where they go with this opening.

• The Under Armour All American Game is on today in Orlando.   It will be on at 6:00.  Myles Simms is playing and so is Michigan target OT Nicholas Petit-Frere.

Michigan Friday: Tim Hardaway Jr. Inks A Big Dollar Contract

Tim has made a living out of making 3's!

The first thing that went through my mind was; Could this be the highest guaranteed money contract that any Michigan athlete has ever signed?  Weber made a total of $176M in his NBA career so he made huge $$$ as well, but I don't know if he could have matched THJ contract with one of his.


Tim signed at 4 year $71M contract with the NY Knicks last night.  Which is the team that drafted him and then traded him to the Atlanta Hawks.   The Hawks can match that contract if they want to keep the sharp shooter, but it's expected that price tag is just too high.


Congrats Tim on making a couple lifetimes worth of money in 4 years!

• The USA Today says Michigan ranked #5 in Athletic Department revenue and spending.  U of M revenue tallied over $163M and spent over $157M.

• It was a good day for former Michigan Basketball players:  DJ Wilson also signed his contract with the Bucks which was between $6.36-$7.63 million and over 3 years.

• Emil Ekiyor off a strong Nike Opening performance got invited to the Army All American game.

• Another strong performer at The Opening,  4 star IN ILB Cameron McGrone is expected to visit Michigan and ND this month and might be on commit watch for both schools.  Cameron visited Ann Arbor in June as well.   The latest Crystal Balls on 24/7 are to the good guys.

• Top 2019 QB JT Daniels from CA is going to visit Ann Arbor for the BBQ at the Big House on 7/29.  He originally had planned to attend the A4 camp but had some scheduling issues.

• Coach B reportedly has interviewed Duquesne assistant Charles Thomas, and Creighton assistant Preston Murphy for his open positions on the bench.

• The 3 former MSU players that were involved in the alleged sexual assault have now been thrown out of the University.  They were thrown off the football team last month.

Michigan Tuesday: A Couple of Recruiting Tidbits

With the UA game right around the corner there is a ton of talk about who the Michigan commits will be recruiting at the game and who might commit.  

• Terrance Davis has had Michigan his leader for nearly a year, but now the Wolverines might be slipping in his recruitment.  He is planning to announce on Saturday during the UA game and it now sounds like he is going to stay home and play for DJ Durkin at Maryland.   The Michigan insiders are saying that Jimmy and staff have backed off a bit on TD because they need a Tackle more then they need a guard.   TD is down to Michigan, Maryland and Florida.

• Michigan insiders also feel pretty good about the recruitment of Texas OT Jean Delance.  He is also expected to make an announcement during the game on Saturday.   His top 3 are Michigan, LSU and Texas.  The mill is saying that mom wants him close to home and hopes he picks UT.  Many believe Jean prefers the Wolverines.

• Rashan Gary told ESPN he has a list with  9 schools on it with no leader.   He will make his announcement on signing day. 

• Devin Bush Jr. is going to be recruiting Gary this week in Orlando.

• Kareem Walker also said he was going to be in Gary's ear and took some photo's with the #1 rated RB and  #1 player.

• There also seems to be some positive movement in CA WR Dylan Crawford's recruitment to Michigan.  

Michigan Commits at the UA game include:

- Ben Bredeson
- Devin Bush
- Kareem Walker

Michigan Targets include:

- Rashan Gary
- Terrance Davis
- Jean Delance
- Dontavious Jackson

Jimmy seems to like to mix it up a bit in bowl practice and has made a few position switches to see if they will stick.  The changes we have heard include:

• Zach Gentry to TE
• Ruben Jones to LB
• Brian Cole to S*

It doesn't mean these guys will play on Friday and burn a redshirt, what it means is they are testing the waters to see if this might be a good move for Spring and/or Fall camp. 


*Cole hasn't played since the Oregon State game due to injury and would qualify for a medical redshirt this year.

Michigan Tuesday: The Opening

Four years ago Nike wondered how they could get more involved in college football recruiting.   How could Nike put their own stamp on the process?   They decided to invite some of the nation's best recruits to Nike's HQ in Beaverton, Oregon right after the 4th of July for a 7 on 7 tournament and SPARQ workout testing.   This years event will take place from July 5th to the 10th and 162 of the top names from the 2015 class will be attending.  

Michigan has a number of prospects attending the event, along with a couple commits as well.   You will see many top prospects commit before the July 4th holiday so they can actively recruit other players at this event.  Let's hope the Michigan commits come with a great sales pitch. 

Michigan commits attending:

TE Chris Clark, Avon Old Farms
LB Darrin Kirkland, Lawrence Central
QB Alex Malzone, Brother Rice


Other names you might know

RB Damien Harris, Madison Southern
OL Matthew Burrell
WR George Campbell, East Lake
LB Justin Hilliard, St. Xavier
DL Keisean Lucier-South, Orange Lutheran
RB Mike Weber, Cass Tech
CB Minkah Fitzpatrick, St. Peter’s Prep
CB Shaun Crawford, St. Edward
DL Tim Settle, Stonewall Jackson
DL Jashon Cornell, Cretin-Derham Hall
WR Christian Kirk, Saguaro

I hear Nike treats all the prospect like "kings" while on campus.  Great gear, great food, great instruction and even free hair cuts!  Here is the full roster and teams.  I expect ESPN to have some coverage as well.  

You can see why these kids need to be de-recruited when they get on campus at their respective schools.

Michigan Thursday: Quick Hits

 

• Sound Mind Sound Body Academy starts today.   We should hear about some guess that might be under the radar or ready to blow up in the 2015 & 2016 class.  

• New Michigan commit Grant Newsome father used to be in the Secret Service and protected George W.   Grant spent some time at the White House and had a meal with the President.   Penn State's Coach Franklin and staff were doing a bit of negative recruiting against Michigan in this particular recruitment.   I guess that didn't work out too well.

• There a Michigan - Ohio Football All Star game called the Border War this Saturday.  A number of future Wolverines and Buckeyes are playing.

• 2016 LB Brendan Ferns has received offers from Penn State and Ohio State this week.   Michigan are you planning to offer Michael's brother anytime soon?

• The Indiana QB that torched Michigan last year Tre Roberson is transferring

• This is 5 star 2015 RB Jaques Patrick at Michigan earlier this week:

 

Want To See Future Wolverines in Action?

Tune in to ESPN at 4:00 EST for the Under Armour All American game:

Future Wolverines include:

• Jabrill Peppers
• Wilton Speight, Starting QB
• Michael Ferns
• Juwann Bushell-Beatty
• Drake Harris
• Bryan Mone
• Jared Wangler

Harris, Ferns and Wangler are out due to injury.

Other names you might recognize:

Leonard Fournette
Da'Shawn Hand
Adoree' Jackson
John Smith (JuJu)
Alex Bars

Michigan Monday: UA Practice Notes on Future Wolverines

Since the disaster that was 2013 is now behind us, I thought I would share some positive news from the first practice of the Under Armour All American Game:

Tweets from Kyle Bogenschutz:

First time seeing #Michigan QB commit Wilton Speight live: impressed. Young man is giant but moves well & throws with some zip #UAAllAmerica
— Kyle Bogenschutz (@KyleBogie) December 29, 2013

2014 #Michigan commit Jabrill Peppers is fully grown. Coach said he's talented enough to play any position in secondary #UAAllAmerica
— Kyle Bogenschutz (@KyleBogie) December 29, 2013

Got to see #Michigan OT commit Juwann Bushell-Beatty in fall, remain impressed w/ his physical play & potential to tone body #UAAllAmerica
— Kyle Bogenschutz (@KyleBogie) December 29, 2013

#Michigan DT commit Bryan Mone is a BRICK. Beef is needed for Wolverines & he'll provide it along w/ quick twitch, relentless #UAAllAmerica
— Kyle Bogenschutz (@KyleBogie) December 29, 2013

• Today marks Black Monday for NFL coaches.  There could be up to 7 openings today in the NFL.

• The latest vibe from Malik McDowell is that he is leading to MSU.

B1G Championship Game & Some Recruiting Updates

Michigan's two top rivals will play each other in the B1G Ten Championship on Saturday.    It will be a match up of strength vs. strength and weakness vs. weakness.   OSU has a dynamic running game with Carlos Hyde and QB Braxton Miller vs. MSU #1 ranked defense.   MSU's offense is improved but not dynamic vs. an OSU's defense that has given up a ton of points lately. 

We will really see MSU's defense tested and if their offense can score points against a questionable Buckeye defense.   Dantonio loves Ohio State but I don't expect him to roll over in this game.   Sparty should be un-defeated right now but they had a "Sparty" moment against ND and tried a stupid trick play.    If MSU plays clean I think they have a great chance to win.  I think a strong defense and a offense that doesn't make mistakes will win this game.   If OSU can move the ball on MSU's defense, they will win by a couple touchdowns.    OSU is a 5.5 favorite.

MSU 20 OSU 17


Recruiting Updates:

• Peppers tweeted he will not turn down #2 if offered.  That is a pretty good sign he is still bleeding blue.  (thanks to the folks in the comments about my miss type).   Woodson 2.0 (no pun intended!)

• Hoke visits the Mone family and has a huge meal:

• Malik McDowell names a top 7 of Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Florida State, Florida, Albama, and LSU.  He will announce at the Army AA game.

• Fred Jackson is planning to visit Texas 3 star RB Vic Enwere on Saturday who is a soft commit to CAL right now.  The scoop is he might be considering a "flip" to Michigan after Fred visits.  Vic is a 2014 class prospect.   He is a 6'1 215 pound speed back.    (Some of you might be concerned with the number of running backs right now.   Next year it will be Green and Smith with Hayes & Norfleet at slot, with Drake Johnson coming off an ACL.  Thomas Rawls seems to have fallen way off the depth chart.   So there does seem to be an opportunity for a 3rd down back. 

• Michigan and Alabama were out to see Cincinnati LB Justin Hilliard this week.

• The UA AA Game Roster were just released.  7 future Wolverines are playing in the game.

Michigan Tuesday: Opening Fluff

As we inch closer to the July 4th holiday I expect the Michigan news to be pretty slow.  There is some rumors that a 2015 commit still might drop this week but we will see.  I think the flood of 2014 guys committing to Michigan is over for now.  

Here is a bit of news regarding some of the top guys Michigan is interested in at the Opening:

• Hand:  Has shut down recruiting for a few weeks and will get back into it after the Opening.   Still planning trips to Michigan (ND game), Florida and Alabama.  There is also a chance he gets out to USC and LSU as well.   Hand is planning a December decision.

• JuJu Smith has a top group of: Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, USC, UCLA, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Wisconsin and Washington.  Smith could play Safety or WR. 

• Adoree' Jackson:  Is still trying to get to Ann Arbor this month while he is in Illinois.  The goal is the BBQ but not sure if that is going to happen or not.   His only confirmed visit while in Illinois is to Tennessee.

• Leonard Fournette is the #1 rated RB in the country and is still planning a visit to A2 for the BBQ.  Our guy Jabrill Peppers is really recruiting him hard.

Ian Bunting is the only Michigan commit at the Opening as Drake Harris decided to stay home and take a summer class so he can enroll early.

UA Quick Thoughts

• Leon McQuay to USC
• The next play Shane throws a pick
• All the QB's looked pretty poor, including Shane
• Shane had a nice drive at the end of the half and Treadwell dropped a TD pass
• Conley looks like a pretty decent DB and a significant loss with LM3 going to USC
• Ty Isaac didn't break any big runs
• Its hard to watch the offensive lineman during the game
• Poggi was the Michigan recruit MVP with a couple tackles, QB pressure and a fumble recovery
• Treadwell looks like a good prospect but like most of the WR's in the game, had a hard time catching the ball
• OSU has some very good skill position players

Michigan Friday: Michigan Recruits in Action Today & Saturday

The Under Armour All American Game is on at 5:00 today (ESPN).   Mostly fans tune into these games hoping a top prospects picks their program.   The only person that even is remotely considering Michigan is Leon McQuay III and it seems that FSU is the leader in the clubhouse at the moment.   Update: LM3 has been accepted to Michigan for EE, but insiders still feel he will pick another school.  He is not registered at Michigan if that is an indicator. 

But, you should still tune into the game and watch the Wolverines future right before your eyes.   Shane Morris will be playing some QB, David Dawson at OG, LTT at Tackle, Patrick Kugler at OG, and Henry Poggi at DT.

Mike McCray is injured and won't play.   Keep an eye on Cameron Hunt as well, he has been hanging out with the Michigan commits and will be visiting A2 on 1/11.  Treadwell is also planning if you are continuing to follow his recruitment.

Update:  Ross Douglass and Maurice Hurst are playing in the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl on the NFL Network tonight as well. (9:00 est)

Saturday is the Army All American game:  Here are the names to watch:

-Derrick Green
-Jake Butt
-Chris Fox (out with an ACL)
- EJ Levenberry
-Jourdan Lewis
-Dymonte Thomas

• A name from the past:  E.J. Levenberry Jr. was very high on Michigan and picked FSU due to Florida State having a CJ program.  The thought was, Michigan wasn't recruiting him any longer.  I guess not: “Tennessee and Michigan are on me hard,” he said. “USC coaches are interested as well.” 

• Michigan 2014 verbal commit Denzel Ward is considering taking visits which would make him a Michigan de-commit.  

Rumor Central:

• There were rumors that Henry Poggi was considering taking visits:  He made it very clear to a number of people that he is 100% committed to the Wolverines.

• Sebastian Larue a 4 star WR who recently de-committed from USC might be interested in visiting A2.   He is also in the UA game.

Did anyone catch the Michigan - NW game last night? Yes, Northwestern's best two players were out but that performance looked like open gym.   I sure hope they can continue that shooting all year long. 

Michigan Thursday: Clearing the fog from the Outback

Let me clear up a few things from my post yesterday:

• Denard did attempt a pass.  I missed it because it was so hard to see the jerseys or who was under center.  

• The Clowney hit was a missed assignment by the Michigan TE when Lewan called out the blocking assignments.   He didn't hear the call and it caused a turnover.   Ted Dunn asks in the comments how I could blame the OC for a missed block?   That is a fair question, but my answer is; coaches didn't throw at Charles Woodson when he was at Michigan.  You don't run to Clowney side for any reason.  Just for the reason what might happen did.   Michigan had also just got a call (which was equal to a turnover) and had some momentum, that is the time to call a special play not a Vincent Smith dive play right at the best player in college football.    Lewan's full game blocking of Clowney (who didn't have a very good game before the highlight hit) got noticed and secured his spot as a 1st rounder.  

• I forgot to mention the field goal block in the special teams solid play.

• I would like to expand on the praise for the Michigan WR's during the game.  Michigan seems to lose WR's and DB's like they are going out of style.  Gallon and Dileo have given me hope for next year.   If Chesson and Darboh develop during the summer, we should be in good shape.

•  I'm reading a lot of complaints on Devin's accuracy issues in the passing game.  I tend to disagree, yes he did miss some wide open WR's but we have to remember he was a WR to start the year and has only started 5 games at QB.  He did make some really good throws and scrambled for first downs when he couldn't find a WR.   If he gets his redshirt year, his mistakes (holding the ball too long, over throws, etc.) can be fixed.  With his strong arm and another 5 star QB in the wings, the future is bright for the position. 

• Derrick Green took this picture with the Michigan commits at the Army game.  Let's hope this is a good sign.  He isn't planning on announcing at the game but says he has the strongest "coach" relationship with Brady Hoke and Michigan has a slight lead.  If he watched the Outback Bowl, I hope he understands the opportunity he has here.

• Don't hold your breathe on Leon McQuay, he is planning on announcing on Friday and says only FSU has accepted him (right now) for early enrollment.  There are questions if there will even be a Michigan hat on the table. 

• Under Armour OT Cameron Hunt is excited about Michigan and his visit on 1/11. He is verbal commit  to CAL right now.   There is twitter buzz from some of the Michigan commits that he has a shot at becoming a Wolverine.

• The Michigan Outback uniform debacle is making the noise even louder for Michigan to go back to Nike when the Adidas contract comes up for renewal.

• The Outback Bowl got a 5 viewer rating which equals what the baseball playoffs got.  The Rose Bowl got a 10.

Michigan Thursday: It's the Recruiting Dead Period

It started on Monday and lasts until January 3rd.   The dead period is different then the quiet period which I will talk about a little later.  

So what is this dead period and what can coaches do and not do?

During this time, coaches can not host recruits on campus or visit them at home.  Basically, no in-person contact.   One call per week is allowed from Coach to Player.  Recruits can contact coaches if they have questions and I don't believe there is any limit to player to coaches calls.   This is important for a couple of reasons that could effect the Wolverines. 

• Two Dan's and Marcus:  Michigan hosted two offensive lineman and a LB prospect last weekend in Ann Arbor.   All three players are committed to other schools, two out of the three have brand new coaches.   Dan Skipper is committed to Tennessee and Marcus Ball is verbally committed to Wisconsin.   The Badgers are going to announce their new head coach today, Tennessee announced theirs a couple weeks ago.   Which means these guys have to go a couple weeks with out meeting the new head coaches face to face vs. committing to Michigan and filling one of the last spots in the class.   Recruiting is all about relationships and it's hard for new coaches to jump into a recruitment at the last minute and make a huge impression.  The dead period gives these players a ton of time to think of where they want to play football.  Dan Samuelson is reportedly having a difficult time weighing his options between staying with Nebraska and going to Michigan. 

• Bowl Practice in Tampa:  The Under Armour All American Game is being played in Tampa and there will be a ton of commits and prospects in town that could attend a Michigan practice.  Also Tampa is the home town of mega recruit Leon McQuay and he is expected to attend a practice as well.    So how can recruits watch a practice during the dead period you ask?  They have to watch practice from an area that is open to the public.   Knowing how Hoke keeps most media and others out of practice, I'm guessing there will be a public viewing that won't be advertised unless your a 4 or 5 star prospect.  If you remember, Dee Hart visited Alabama practice a couple times when they were practicing at his high school.  

So what's the quiet period?

The quiet period allows for in-person contact on campus only and 1 phone call per week from a coach. 

Michigan Tuesday: Checks In On Recruiting

Recruiting for 2013 class has been pretty quiet lately.  Michigan's three top prospects for the final two spots: Leon McQuay, Laquon Treadwell and Derrick Green have been playing football and taking some time to think about where they want to go to college.  

Leon will be bringing his mom to the visit to Ann Arbor for the Northwestern game.  It's always a good sign when Mom make a visit with her son.   That means the coaches have connected with Leon's family and they are serious about U of M.  He is planning to make his announcement at the Under Armour game in January. 

Treadwell continues to make a lot of news with his top 5 that may or may not be his final list.   That list includes: OK, OK State, MSU, Ole Miss and Michigan.  He wants to make a visit down to Oklahoma schools and is still planning to make it back to Ann Arbor for the MSU game.  No decision timeline but expect him to announce at the Under Armour game as well.

Derrick Green is now a 5 star RB to both Rivals and Scouts.   He is the #1 rated RB in the nation to Rivals and #2 to Scouts.  He has made one official visit to Tennessee so far and is planning to be in Ann Arbor for the MSU game.   He is the guy that most insiders feel could make a decision before the HS All Star games in January.   Most feel it's going to be an Auburn - Michigan race.  He has been to both schools a couple of times.  He has a Michigan official scheduled, he does not have an Auburn official scheduled yet.   Auburn is 1-4 this year and 0-3 in the SEC.  There are talks that their coaching staff (a couple years after a NC) could be fired this year.   That talk has to help the Wolverines chances.

The latest de-commitment news continues to come from Gareon Conley who continues to say he made too quick of a decision but is still committed to Michigan.  He announced after his game this past week that he was going to head down to Cincinnati to check out their program.   Which as you know breaks the Michigan "no visit rule if your are committed to Michigan".  The Michigan coaches spoke to him and he cancelled his trip to Skyline Chili.

• Tremendous has a list of the 2014 prospects and a number of 2013 commits that are planning on attending the Illinois game.

• Michigan has a number of 2013 commits playing in the Under Armour All American game.  Here is the roster.

Michigan Tuesday: Michigan's 2013 Commits Wants to Protect This House

We all know HS kids like Nike and Under Armour gear.   Some recruits even pick Oregon because they are fully funded by former alum Phil Knight Nike founder.  The top 2013 recruits also have decisions on which all star game they are going to play in.  The Army All American game or the Under Armour All American game.    The Army game has been around the longest but the UA game has the gear and is televised on ESPN (AA = NBC).  The 2013 Michigan recruits are picking up invites to the Under Armour game and are accepting.

The UA game right now includes:

• Shane Morris
• David Dawson
• Patrick Kugler
• Gareon Conley
• LTT

Mike McCray has invites from both the AA and UA game and Chris Fox is playing in the AA game.

• Q and A with Blake Bars 2012 Wolverine.

• Adidas is holding it's big Midwest Camp at the Silverdome this Saturday.  Shane and other Michigan commits and recruits are attending. 

Michigan Friday: Driving, Penn State and All Star Games

-I'm sure everyone has heard by now that Darryl Stonum got pulled over yesterday morning for driving with a suspended license.  Darryl was checking in with his probation officer for a 7:00am meeting and didn't have a ride.  Hoke said, there is no change in Darryl's status with the team.   Could that change?  It could but we will have to see how it plays out.   Let's hope everything goes smoothly.   Update: He was just sentenced to 10 days in jail this morning.  This now might end his career at Michigan.  This is sad and such a shame.

-Penn State is about to name a coach, who is only known for yelling at Tom Brady a few weeks ago.  Bill O'Brien the Patriots OC is expected to be named the new head coach at Penn State on Saturday. 

First let me ask you how former Patriots OC's have worked out as a head coaches?  Two names come to mind:  Charie Weis and Josh McDaniels.  Both failed as head coaches after leaving the Patriots.   I will repeat a statement, I made last week:  Having Tom Brady and Bill Belichick makes you look like a great coach, when your probably are not.  Places like Michigan, Penn State, USC, Alabama, Ohio State are not jobs where you hire an assistant for.  You have to know how to be a head coach because there are so many demands off the field as well as on.  Rich Rodriguez wasn't even ready for the job at Michigan, how is a guy that has never been a head coach at any level be ready for the Penn State job in the middle of situation that we have never seen in college football?  He can't be.  I am sure Penn State has had a terrible time finding a top candidate to replace JoPa but I don't believe this will end well.  I don't understand how he can coach the Patriots (if they make a run in the playoffs) and take this job.  Signing day is less then a month away.  

-There is another HS All American game on Saturday called the Army All American Game in San Antonio. Usually, Michigan has 2 or so commits playing in the game.  This year they have 5.   The game is at 1:00 on NBC.  Here are the Michigan commits and a couple of targets (bold players are commits):

East Team:
#12 CB Yuri Wright
#66 OL Kyle Dodson
#67 OL Kyle Kalis

West Team:
#6 LB James Ross
#10 LB Royce Jenkins-Stone
#53 DT Ondre Pipkins
#77 OL Erik Magnuson

• Michigan played well on the road last night at IU.  Yes, they didn't get the win but they will learn from this experience that will help with the Big Tean season and for tournament time.   Kentucky and Ohio State have lost on that floor this year. 

 

• I watched most of the Under Armour game and I really enjoyed watching Joe Bolden, I hope he turns into our next great LB at Michigan.  Terry Richardson played ok and returned a few punts.  Tried to find Josh Garnett but really didn't see much of him.

BHB: What to Watch Tonight!

If you love recruiting this week is for you!  Saturday is the Army All American Game with 5 U of M commits and a couple of prospects (Yuri Wright and Kyle Dodson).  

Tonight is the other major all star game, the Under Armour All American game at 8:00 on ESPN. 

Which will include:
Black Team:
#1 CB Terry Richardson
#27 LB Joe Bolden

White Team:
#78 OL Josh Garnett

Deion Sanders has been coaching up T. Rich and had some very positive things to say:  “Number one (Terry Richardson), the (Bryson Echols) kid is playing his butt off and (Chaz Elder) as a safety has done well,” Sanders said. “The best thing about Richardson is he’s a very coachable kid. You tell him something one time and he is going to implement it. Whatever you tell him, he will do. Echols is a fighter, he’s battled in everything he’s done. These kids are sponges in that have been well-coached.”

Josh as we know is a future doctor and current 5 star OL that is at the top of every one's wish list.  He is down to Michigan, ND and Stanford.  He will visit Stanford this month and then make a decision.

Joe Bolden on the other hand is already enrolled at Michigan and will start classes next Monday.  He has made a name for himself during practice and was named the Black Team's defensive MVP:  With the offensive line occupied by the defensive line, the linebackers were free to roam uninhibited. No one took advantage of the room to run better than Michigan commitment Joe Bolden. Bolden was popping pads during walk-thrus, and he continued to seek and destroy when the tempo was moved to full speed. Bolden doesn't do anything half-speed. He showed he was capable of dropping into coverage as well as attacking the line of scrimmage.

More info on Bolden from Sam Webb from Det News: "At the end of every day we have to name our most valuable player of the day," Scout.com Ohio analyst Bill Greene said. "For me, Joe Bolden was the best player today. He was tremendous. I spent a lot of time with Scott Kennedy today (Scout.com national scouting director), and he was like, 'Man, you were right about this kid. This kid is really special.' I was like, 'I tried to tell you.' Joe is amazing. Everyone knows he can come forward -- that's a given -- but today he played sideline to sideline and he played in coverage. He just did everything. To me he was the most impressive player, not just the most impressive linebacker. He is going to play early at Michigan, I'm convinced. He is (enrolling) early so he'll go through spring football and he'll already be acclimated to the system. I don't know the Michigan depth chart real well, but I can't believe they've got three linebackers better than that guy."



Can Joe make an impact on Team 133?  Enrolling early and having spring practice under his belt won't hurt.


9:00: Michigan at Indiana a top 15 match up in the Big Ten on ESPN 2.  


Enjoy your evening!

Michigan Friday: Hoke and Staff are Recruiting HS All Americans for the 2012 Class

The past 3 years Michigan would be lucky to have 1 or 2 players in the top High School All American games that are played during the bowl seasons.   The top 2 games are the Army and Under Armour games.   

Here are a list of recruits that have been picked for the following games:

Army All American

Royce Jenkins Stone - Michigan Verbal
Jordan Payton - Michigan Recruit
Arik Armstead - Michigan Recruit
Ondre Pipkins - Michigan Verbal
James Ross - Michigan Verbal
Kyle Kalis - Michigan Verbal
Mario Ojemudia - Michigan Verbal
Tom Strobel - Michigan Verbal
Zach Banner - Michigan Recruit
Yuri Wright - Michigan Recruit
Erik Magnuson, Michigan Verbal


Under Armour
Terry Richardson - Michigan Verbal
Josh Garnett - Michigan Recruit


USA vs World Game
Blake Bars - Michigan Verbal
Caleb Stacy - Michigan Verbal

Let me know if I missed any players.  The Army site isn't 100% updated on their latest selections.

Some Reactions to the Day

Mike Martin:  "It's something not in my control or our control as players," Martin said. "It's just something we have to deal with as a team. It's really hard on all of us. "He's my coach and he's been here since I've been here. I've built a relationship with him off the field as well as on the field so I'm always going to be with coach (Rodriguez)."


Thomas Gordon:  "Definitely I'm surprised," said Gordon. "I have a lot of love for Coach Rod. He's the guy who brought me here. He's a guy I definitely respected and I loved him as a coach."When asked what his future plans are, Gordon replied, "I'm here. I came to school for Michigan."Said Gordon: "Yes it is surprising, but it is what it is. You've just got to move on."

Denard's HS Coach Art Taylor:  "It just happened, so I haven't had time to talk to him," Taylor said. "I would advise him to wait and see who's coming in (as head coach)."


2011 recruit Dallas Crawford:  “(Michigan) is still number one right now, but I have to open back up and explore my options,” Crawford said.“Officially I haven’t talked to the coaches yet,” Crawford said. “In my mind, I am decommitted.”

Army All American Wayne Lyons:  "I'm still considering them because you have to pick the school and not the coach and Michigan is still a great school and a great program," Lyons said. "They're still in it. (The firing) is not a surprise. I kind of expected it. It's a great learning lesson because a lot of top schools for me like Stanford might get a new coach, Florida has a new coach and Michigan is getting a new coach so it goes to show the school is more important than the coach."

Army All American Kris Frost:  "It has a big impact," Frost said. "With him being fired of course it's going to make me think twice about it but at the same time people go to colleges for colleges. "I love Rich Rod and I love what he did offensively and defensively with the defensive coordinator. I feel like given another chance, they had so many young players, it would have helped out more to give him another chance. It's a business and we understand that."


"I'm going to rethink some stuff but at the same time the ultimate decision won't change on where I've been thinking about going or where I was planning on going with Auburn, LSU and Michigan," Frost said. "I have to reevaluate things when my mom and dad get here (Wednesday) and I'll make my decision from there.

Army All American and Verbal Commit Blake Countness:  "Right now I'm worried about winning this game, I'm going to focus on this game and then go back home and talk to my parents and see how things go but right now I'm sticking with Michigan," Countess said.



"I fell in love with the school so right now I'm staying with Michigan because of the school but hopefully I can build a relationship with the new coach. I'm just going to focus on this game and then evaluate what's best for me and my family."


"I don't eliminate them. Just the bond I had with the school, not the program, I don't eliminate them but you have to think about that kind of thing because it is about college and the education at Michigan is going to be great. At the same time, I don't want to waste four years of my football career."

Army All American LB Lamar Dawson: "It just eliminates them," Dawson said of the Wolverines. "I was going to take my official up there but since he's not up there I'm not going to do that anymore. "If he got fired I wasn't going to consider them. If he stayed I was going to consider them and take my visit up there."

How can a bad day get worse for RR and family?  Today they were notified they are being sued over the sale of their home in West Virgina.  I guess one room has a water leak and Rich Rod's boat wasn't included in the deal.   Well maybe they now can just move back in to the $1.3M home.  I would fix the water leak with his new check from U of M.