With just a few short weeks to go before National Signing Day, it is time to start taking a look at where Michigan’s recruiting class currently stands. One thing that seems almost certain at this point is that this will more than likely be the lowest rated recruiting class that Michigan has put together since the time that recruiting service rankings came into existence.
David Brandon’s “process” effectively killed recruiting for Michigan in December and the first part of January and there is no doubt that Brady Hoke has a ton of work to do in order to salvage any remnants of a decent class. I am hopeful that Hoke will have a new staff in place by end of today/tomorrow so that he can get his assistant’s out on the trail and into prospect’s homes.
Hoke’s number one priority needs to be to retain the currently committed kids in this class. As it stands now, the Wolverines have 11 commitments and have room to accept up to 18-20 in this class. I think at this point getting to 15 or 16 quality players by Signing Day would be a victory for Hoke. Rather than reach for lower-tier players to get to a higher number of commits in this class, Hoke would be better served to bank the extra scholarships for what is shaping up to be a banner year for Midwestern talent in 2012.
Out of the 11 existing commitments, there are some who are considered very likely to remain committed and others who are potentially looking around as Signing Day approaches.
Here is the group of solidly committed kids (All Rankings are Scout Rankings):
1. Delonte Hollowell – 3-Star CB
2. Brennen Beyer – 4-Star DE
3. Greg Brown – 3-Star CB (Early Enrollee)
4. Chris Rock – 3-Star DE/DT
5. Jack Miller – 3-Star C
6. Justice Hayes – 4-Star RB
7. Desmond Morgan – 3- Star MLB
Here are the kids that are currently taking visits to other programs and cannot be considered sure-fire commitments:
1. Jake Fisher – 4-Star OT
2. Blake Countess – 4-Star CB
3. Tony Posada – 3-Star OT
4. Kellen Jones – 4-Star MLB
Hoke’s first priority must be retaining the commitments of the four prospects listed above. Three of the players listed above, along with Beyer and Hayes, make up the top-tier talent in this class. Countess is currently visiting Penn State but I think that once he is able to have some contact with Hoke and his staff that they will be able to retain him due to his strong desire to attend Michigan. Posada will remain committed so long as the staff proves to him that they want him. Jones is currently visiting Colorado and will also be visiting Miami prior to Signing Day. Jones is a self- professed life-long Michigan fan and I would be very surprised if he doesn’t stick with his commitment to his dream school.
The number one concern on that list has to be Jake Fisher who is from Traverse City, Michigan. Fisher is currently visiting MSU and is also considering using official visits to Oregon and Florida in the next two weeks. With the schools that are hot on his trail it seems pretty clear that Fisher is stock-on-the-rise at this point. Hoke will find himself in a battle to retain this commitment and it might give us a brief preview of how well Hoke will be able to recruit offensive lineman for the new system he is bringing to Michigan.
Hoke will also be looking to add commits to this class over the next few weeks and the five most likely names that could be Wolverines by Signing Day will probably come from the following list:
1. Chris Bryant – 3-Star OG
2. Kris Frost – 4-Star LB
3. Devin Lucien – 4-Star WR
4. Hakeem Flowers – 3-Star WR
5. Ramon Taylor – 3-Star CB
Bryant will be visiting Hoke in Ann Arbor today and he has been favoring Michigan for a long time. He is a massive offensive guard and hopefully a good visit with Coach Hoke today will convince Bryant that Ann Arbor is the right place to spend his next four years.
Two weeks ago Frost was a near lock to Michigan, but when his announcement date rolled around and he was looking at the possibility of committing to a school with no coach he quickly changed his mind and decided to commit to Auburn. Unfortunately for Frost, Auburn has not accepted his commitment and he has yet to hear back from the Auburn coaching staff. If Auburn doesn’t pick up the phone soon expect Michigan to have a great shot to bring Frost into the fold. Michigan could desperately use a prospect of Frost’s caliber at the OLB position.
Lucien is a 4-star WR from California. Lucien has professed a desire to visit Michigan for a long time now and it certainly doesn’t hurt the Wolverines that Lucien has an existing relationship with Coach Hoke and his staff since they were recruiting him to come to San Diego State. Look for Lucien to take an official visit to Michigan in the next two weeks and more than likely commit to the Wolverines.
Flowers is a 3-star wide receiver from South California. He has already taken an official visit to Michigan and really enjoyed his time in Ann Arbor. Flowers has an impressive offer list that includes the likes of powerhouse programs such as LSU and Oregon. It will be interesting to see if Lucien and Flowers are both recruited hard by the new staff or if the new staff will focus on Lucien and drop Flowers.
Taylor is from Highland Park, Michigan and is a de-commit from Indiana. He has excellent speed and could develop into a solid Division 1 corner. I would be shocked if he doesn’t end up a Wolverine come Signing Day.
One wild card that I didn’t mention above is Thomas Rawls. Rawls is a back from the Flint area who has drawn numerous comparisons to Heisman trophy winning Flint running back Marc Ingram. Rawls is built similar to Ingram at 5’10” and 220 pounds but possesses breakaway speed unlike what you’d normally see from a kid who is 220 pounds. Rawls put up insane numbers this year and Michigan wants him badly. The problem with Rawls is that he still is not academically qualified and cannot receive his Michigan offer until he meets the appropriate NCAA standards. If Rawls hits these marks it is all but guaranteed he’ll don the Maize and Blue.
I’ll keep track of who will be in town for Official Visits over the final two official visit weekends. Hoke and his staff have a ton of work to do in the next two to three weeks and it will be interesting to see how well they are able to sell their vision for the University of Michigan.
No comments:
Post a Comment