DOOM

...or lack thereof. So far, the only things we know are that the EMU game will be moved into the Oct. 6 spot, leaving the bye week on the first week of the season. Who is going to fill in that spot? Not Vanderbilt. Thus far, nothing official has been stated since the Vanderbilt attempt was apparently quashed, though the rumor is Stanford might fit that spot (keep in mind Jim Harbaugh is their new HC).

Who would I like to see fill that spot? So glad you asked. Since Bill Martin has deluded himself into thinking that Michigan needs eight home games to not go bankrupt (we just barely survived this year, of course), it will have to be someone who won't require a straight up home-and-home. Let's ignore the fact that a big-time opponent would deserve a night game in AA (another thing Martin refuses to do, though we won't get into that), and bring in more money than your standard MAC-level opponent, on top of getting more exposure (national TV, etc.), to follow the framework that Mr. Martin has so graciously provided us. He probably wouldn't go for a 2-for-1 setup either, but for the purpose of argument, I'll allow it.

Among teams that wouldn't require a straight-up home & home are mid-to-lower-level BCS conference teams (not as far as rank in their conference, but overall "prestige" to cop a term from EA Sports), or non-BCS opponents. I'd prefer the best choices among this pool.

Wishlist:
1) Rutgers - Team on the rise, probable 2-for-1.
2) South Carolina - SEC team, beatable but decent, 2-for-1.
3) Boise State - They'll be good again, 2-for-1.
4) Clemson - Good for most of last year, likely 2-for-1.
5) Cincinnati - Could be much better with Kelly, we could beat him twice in a row. Money transaction.
6) Stanford - Harbaugh, etc. Probably money transaction only.
7) TCU - decent team, bowl winners in '06, money transaction.
8) San Jose State - Good team, up-and-coming, money transaction.

Allow me to cry while I realize that we will probably play a MAC team, and probably not even a good one.

With signing day just a week away, Michigan's final class is far from wrapped up. With 18 Commits, Michigan is still pursuing 5 targets heavily, though don't expect them to land all 5.

Ronald Johnson - RoJo visited Florida this weekend, and Urban Meyer is in his home today. He'll decide between UM, UF, OSU, MSU and USC at his church on Sunday. Chances of landing Johnson still look good.

Jerimy Finch - After his commitment switch to Indiana (and shortly thereafter, a softening of his Indiana commit), Finch visited Florida this weekend as well. Michigan has still been recruiting him, but don't expect them to land Finch.

Renaldo Sagesse - An Illinois DT commitment from Quebec, Michigan has been coming on hard to Renaldo lately. Michigan and Illinois both have in-home visits this week, but he did promise Ron Zook his signature, and that will weigh in his decision.

Rashad Mason - Mason is interested in Michigan, Clemson, and a bunch of crappy SEC/ACC schools that can offer him a lot of playing time. From the way he talks, it seems like UM and Ole Miss (footbaw) are his two favorites, with a pending Clemson official visit.

Donovan Warren - The 5-star defensive back from Long Beach Poly has long been thought to be a USC lock. The allure of playing time at UCLA and UM are keeping them in the hunt, and he may visit Ann Arbor tomorrow with his dad (who has loved UM all along).

It looks like chances are good for Rojo, increasing for Warren, around 50% for Sagesse and Mason, and not so good for Finch. After the recruiting class is wrapped up, the prognostications for next year, the NFL Draft, etc. will begin.

It's basketball season. Commence liveblog of embarrassing Michigan loss NOW.

12:02 I hate Dave O'Brien. I might kill myself before this game ends.
12:03 Courtney Sims even manages to fuck up the tip. great. A three for IU. Exactly how we needed this game to start. Why is Courtney shooting a 15 foot jumper, and fouls on the next play. He's already IU's player of the game.
12:04 Abram bricks a wide open three, and Coleman makes it into a transition three for IU.
12:05 Nice move by Les. Maybe try to at least hit the rim next time. My god. It's raining threes for the Hoosiers. Kill me now. Timeout Tommy Amateur.
12:07 Courtney doubled and doesn't turn it over. A good sign? Nope, Dion immediately gives it up. Petway hacked on the rebound. No call. I guess I'm used to it by now. He's fouled when he shoots a turn... around... jumper...? Retarded play by the IU player.
12:08 Petway goes 1-2 at the line, Coleman rebounds the miss on #2. I HATE COURTNEY SIMS!!!!! Uncalled travel on DJ, Petway goaltends the put-back. This officiating is already as bad as the Wisc game. Courtney fouled, number 2 on Lance Stemler.
12:10 Sims hits both, Udoh comes in, Abram hits an and-1. Is the tide turning a little? I doubt it turns into anything big for the 'verines.
12:11 Stupid foul on Petway overzealously going for a loose ball. Am I supposed to have a new liveblog item every single minute of the day? Long TV timeout.
12:14 Put the fucking graphics away and show me the damned game. This isn't even ESPN JV. Bad foul call on Udoh. He was standing there in a completely vertical position. Jerret Smith out. We might have a chance (I am a terrible person, but he just sucks). Both free throws missed. We still are on a 5-0 run. Courtney got hacked laying it in. No call of course.
12:16 Nice D by Lester. Terrible D by Dion. 3 points IU. More offensive rebounds for the Hoosiers. Hooray! DIE COURTNEY DIE.
12:18 We just suck. Take out all the seniors and give the young guys some experience. Lost season. I spoke too soon. RAIN-MAKER MOTHAFUCKAZ!
12:20 Reed forces an uncalled 5 seconds. We get a defensive rebound, finally, and Udoh bricks. Udoh steps into the lane nicely, but can't get the steal. DJ White scores on Courtney (obvs).
12:23 Check out Latest Headlines on FireFox during break. Funny stories about specific banned exports to North Korea (iPods and Cognac). Also, Japan confirms bird flu outbreak. Interesting.
12:24 Udoh sucks at the line. I will kill Courtney Sims next time I see him standing outside the Union and looking like Ludacris. He is by far the worst player on this team.
12:25 Reed banks one in. He has too much range to shoot from inside the arc. He;s just showing off now. Replay shows he was fouled. I hate the insane homecourt advantage in this league.
12:26 Shot clock violation. We weren't even thinking about getting the shot off. This team is so bad. Tommy Amaker has got to be the worst coach in the history of time.
12:27 Reed misses a three. I cry a little bit on the inside. Coleman gets away with a walk, much to the chagrin of the IU home crowd. Oops, he won't get away with it this time.
12:29 Lester passes it to thin air as Petway was going up to catch the lob, and make you say woah like Black Rob.
12:32 KILL COURTNEY SIMS. This time, he's hacked. Again no call.
12:33 Stupid foul by Petway on White. That has to be at least 2 on him already. BALL DON'T LIE, BITCH.
12:34 Deshawn with great position in the post. The last thing on Lester's mind is, you know, getting him the ball.
12:36 Nice pressure defense by Harris, but he fouls White on the steal attempt. It didn't look that bad, but I was typing instead of watching intently. Turnover IU anyway. Coleman fouled on the putback from a terrible Dion miss. Udoh put it in, but it was after Coleman is fouled.
12:37 Dave O'Brien gives an actual interesting stat (dur Wolverhampton Wolves dur): we have more points from the line than from the floor. For as shitty as we're playing, I'm glad we're still in the game.
12:39 Fat fuck draws a penis on the telestrator on accident. At least I'm as mature as a third grader.
12:40 Lead down to 6, we are actually looking not terrible. Hell is freezing over. IU hits a three off an offensive rebound to restore order to the world. Commercial break as TAmateur calls timeout. The good things to take from this half so far are the number of free throws we've shot, and (in an entirely unrelated factoid) the foul trouble the Hoosiers are getting in. If we can keep it close, they'll be in big trouble once their starters begin to foul out. BONUS EARLY HALFTIME ANALYSIS!!!!!!!
12:43 Gee, are State and tOSU playing this afternoon? I had no idea! This ESPN shit is probably just as bad during the football season, but the fact that I actually like the sport probably makes me not notice it. Rece Davis is marginally less annoying than Jeremy Schapp, though, which is probably another reason why I hate it even more now.
12:44 More IU fouls. BASK IN THEM, MY BEAUTIFULS AND COURTNEY SIMS.
12:45 Shaw loves to push off, like, a lot. Another foul on Michigan to bail out Indiana. IU player beats all 5 Wolverines, but misses a gimme layup. Just keep it close, guys.
12:47 Courtney tied up, which is apparently this refs signal for "fouled." I guess not, though. We make a shot. The offense has gotten marginally less pitiful, the defense is getting better all game, except we can't defend the fucking 3-ball.
12:48 COURTNEY HACKED AGAIN. THESE REFS ARE GETTING PAID BY THE CONFERENCE TO BE THIS FUCKING BAD!!!!! Edit: I guess Courtney is getting a scholarship to be as bad as he is, so maybe the ref's aren't as much of a joke as I thought. Missed front end of the 1-1 by Stemler.
12:49 Timeout IU. They'll hold it for the last shot, and to expand the lead to 11 or 12. If Michigan can keep it to nine at the half, I think the fouls will kill IU in the second.
12:51 Halftime, down nine. Up-and-down defensive performance for Michigan in the first half. They defended everything well but the three ball, though they did get a couple of stupid fouls on the post. On offense, they started the game shitty, and ended the half only marginally less shitty. Ten Hoosier fouls to 7 on Michigan. Hmm, just watching the game I would have thought the disparity would be greater.
12:56 Halftime facts of note: 3 fouls on Calloway, 2 on Stemler for IU. 2 on Courtney, Petway, and Dion for UM. IU 8-14 from 3-point land. We can't defend that any worse. Hopefully we defend it better, since that's all they REALLY have going on right now.
1:02 "Snowboarder X" is on TV instead of Snowboard Men's slopestyle. Come on, guys, you don't need t keep giving me reasons to fucking hate ESPN.
1:07 Commence second half. Courtney gives up easy points to White. AWESOME! DJ White fouls Courtney Sims. That's 2 on him. Sims splits at the line. IU misses a three wtf.
1:08 Petway misses a turnaround one-hander. Great effort on the boards, Courtney you fucking douche. Foul on Petway. That's 3.
1:09 I don't need to hear fat fuck fantasizing about Bo Derek. UM goes down by 12. Turnover but Abram trips the motherfucker so he doesn't score on the breakaway. The worse this game goes, the more I swear. SEE WHAT YOU ARE DOING TO ME, TOMMY?
1:10 Amateur takes a timeout. Chuck Norris Mountain Dew commercial on ABC. Seriously, just end my life now.
1:13 Terrible foul call on Abram. Since when does he have to give up the baseline? No call when there should have been one on either Petway or Sims; I guess it balances out.
1:14 Two double dribbles in a row on #1. The refs didn't even think about calling it. Terrible shot by Courtney he bailed out by Stemler (3? fouls).
1:16 Deshawn Sims replaces his terrible namesake, and DJ White immediately shows that he can score with equal ease on this one. Lester hacked. This is getting so god damned frustrating. Fir Tommy, and do it NOW!
1:18 Coleman wide open 3, not even really all that close. Kill. Me. Now. Call a timeout, you inept fucking moron!

1:19 Lester almost misses an uncontested layup on a nice pass from Dion, who is promptly fouled on the next time down the court. At least they've stemmed the tide a bit. 18 points is an insurmountable lead with a headless chicken for a coach.
1:22 Down to 16 as Dion hots both FTs, but we still have no chance in this game. I've always been a defender of Tommy, but then I started, you know, watching the games. That's the easiest way to turn against him.
1:23 Udoh misses Reed WIDE open behind him, but makes a fairly difficult shot in the post, so (almost) all is forgiven. Reed-bound, but then he turns it over, 3-pointer for IU, game over (still).
1:25 DJ White fouls Courtney, his fourth. The only chance we have is for every Indiana player to foul out. Udoh misses a wide open jumper. Just get it to Reed. He's clearly the only player on this damned team who can shoot a lick.
1:26 Harris and Reed on a 2-on-0 breakaway, Dion dunks it (barely). More threes for the fucking Hoosiers. The defense isn't even that bad, they just can't fucking miss. Reed misses one, and more of me dies inside.
1:29 Silly me, I was under the impression that there had to be contact to call a foul. Color me naive. White boy travels with Courtney guarding him.
1:30 three ball for Dion. Keep chipping away, but hurry it up. Ball lost in the lane by the Hoosiers, chance to cut it down to 13, but of course it doesn't happen. More offensive rebounds for IU, but they turn it over.
1:32 Foul on Courtney Sims. Please. Gun to my temple. Majerus says it was a bad call, and I won't go so far as to say I disagree. At least that means the worst player on the team is out. Same call the other way, equally bad. I guess that makes up for it, though IU's wasn't on one of their alleged "stars."
1:34 Of course Petway bricks a fucking dunk. Honestly. I don't want to watch this, but I can't tear my eyes away. It;s like a morbid train wreck.
1:35 Turnover IU, but Dave O'Brien actually makes a great point again. Michigan loves the late-season tailspin. Michigan basketball IS Michigan State football. Tommy Amaker IS John L. Smith. This is the least flattering observation that it is possible to make about a coach.
1:36 10% clean block, and a foul is called about 3 seconds after it. The officiating in the Big Ten is as pitiful as it is possible to be. I flip over to the X-Games again. It reminds me how much I despise ESPN/ABC. I turn back to the basketball game. It reminds me how much I hate TA.
1:39 Lead back up to 15. Coleman gets an equally gifted terrible foul call, though the lateness may not actually be an indicator of a bad call, since I doubt Coleman just goes around airballing threes.
1:40 Rick Majerus is saying smart things, but for god's sake stop showing his fat mug. Women and children might be watching this.
1:41 Block by Deshawn. Let the players of the future get their minutes. Having CSims on the bench is the best thing for this team. Coleman fouled again. Are we in the double bonus yet? Nope. Only 8 fouls on IU. We can still bring it back down to a ten-point lead, inexplicably.
1:43 I guess we are on a 10-2 run. I certainly didn't notice it. Foul on DSims, his first. DJ White on the bench. IU makes one of two, we need a score here.
1:44 DeShawn Sims is shot and raped on his way to the basket, they don't even think about calling a foul. Loose ball foul on Les. I wouldn't be as frustrated but the combination Amaker/Referee handicap just destroys us.
1:46 Udoh fouled. Muahaha, more IU players are in foul trouble. I'm not sure there is enough time for us to capitalize on it. Udoh sucks at the line, of course. Foul trouble graphic up. Little does Dave O'Brien realize, Courtney Sims in foul trouble is GOOD for Michigan.
1:47 Courtney just watches a guy burn him. Foul out, you piece of shit. Lob to Petway. Why the fuck weren't we playing like this all half on offense? Defense still looks like balls.
1:48 Courtney hits both free throws. We can get it down to ten, but never below. Coleman fouls, is hopeful for an and-1, but the ball is nowhere near the basket.
1:50 Get a stop on defense or I make my way to the nearest parking structure (the one behind West Quad). OMFG within 10.
1:51 Petway with a great block, but Courtney fouls out on some pussy-ass shit. I fucking hate that guy.
1:54 IU hits the and-1, but Les answers with a nice layup on a feed from Dion. How sad is it when the TV analyst is by far a better coach than one on the court? Fire Tommy and hire Rick Majerus.
1:56 IU is in zone. Reed Baker is not on the court. Something has gone severely wrong here. 3-on-0 fast break for IU. Hopes of a miracle comeback end. Airball. Kill. Me. Seriously.
1:58 Idiotic foul on AG. He gone. Reed is in. Game is officially over. Have we ever heard of a fucking swing pass? We should be lighting them up from beyond the arc. I hate hate hate hate Tommy Amaker.
2:00 Lim(tourn hopes) as (team) approaches Mich = 0. I won't even bother to watch the last minute of the game.

Four Michigan players are on the North squad's Senior Bowl roster this weekend.

The practices have been on the NFL Network the first couple of days this week, and will continue up until the game. The game itself takes place at 3PM EST.

The only televised practice in which the players will wear pads for the North team is tomorrow (Wednesday) at 10:30 AM.

...someone far creepier than I has confirmed that the Mesko #1 picture is indeed a photoshop. My tears of joy will have to wait another day.

Fun informtaion that has been creepily gleaned from the pages of Facebook:

Zoltan Mesko wore a #1 jersey in some Rose Bowl practices. Is he going to wear it next year?

A "Ronald Johnson, Ann Arbor Welcomes You" group exists, with Mallett, Chambers, Steve Schilling, Greg Mathews, Martell Webb, and (outlier alert!) Garrett Rivas among the officers. This information is of approximately zero importance, but I thought it was funny.

Two decommits in one weekend, but the story behind them isn't as dramatic as it seems like it might be.

Starting with Marquis Maze, he really upset the coaching staff back in the fall by telling them he would take no more visits after committing, then proceeding to not only take more visits, but lie about it to the UM coaches afterwards. He's been a de fecto decommit for quite some time now (did UM even rescind their offer to him?) He was an interesting prospect anyway, who it seemed like UM offered just because he is so damned fast. He wouldn't have had much of a role on the team except for special teams and maybe the occasional trick play. Sam McGuffie, an 08 prospect with similar speed, but more of a pure running back, will hopefully fill the void Maze has left. Best of luck to him with Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide.

As far as Jerimy Finch, the experts have been feeling like this switch of committment to Indiana was imminent for some time. However, even they aren't too worried about the decommitment of Finch, and think that Michigan will be able to win him back before signing day rolls around. As such, this is definitely a situation to keep an eye on, and hopefully Finch will be Blue on signing day.

NOTRE DAME
RB Darius Walker
Players applying for a 5th year of eligibility from the University (not guaranteed to be granted at Notre Dame, though likely that it will be):
S Tom Zbikowski
LB/RB Travis Thomas
TE John Carlson
C John Sullivan
DE Trevor Laws
PENN STATE*
Possible (Not yet declared):
LB Dan Connor
PURDUE* (HC)
Possible (Not yet declared):
OG Jordan Grimes
at Illinois*
Possible (Not yet declared):
LB J Leman (Not likely, pursuing a Masters degree at UI)
MINNESOTA*
Possible (Not yet declared):
OC Tony Brinkhaus
OHIO STATE
WR Anthony Gonzales
Possible (Not yet declared):
WR Ted Ginn, Jr. (Announcing Monday)
RB Antonio Pittmann (Announcing Monday)

It's pretty safe to assume that everyone without a little tidbit of info after their name will be staying for their senior years.

I'm about to start travelling, so I can't fill in the gaps for now. Obviously, MGoBlog is the place to look.

Outstanding recruits, and Michigan's chances (desire?) to land them.

Rashad Mason probably wants to go out west, but Michigan wants him really bad. They may end up not taking him just to bank a schollie, if it doesn't look they are going to have a really good shot at him.

Donovan Warren wants to play right away, which would hurt USC's chances of landing him. He has a ton of teammates at both the other California schools, and is expected to go to one of them. Michigan is probably third on his list.

Kourtnei Brown wants to go somewhere warm, and his visit is coming up in the next few weeks. Ain't gon' happen, because it will finally be cold here.

I'm not sure Jeff Boyd is really being pursued that strongly by Michigan. He doesn't seem like a top-top prospect, and grades will be a huge issue with him. Is he worth not taking a super next year?

Ronald Johnson still sits pretty with Michigan. The coaching staff will ride him to Signing Day, when he is set to announce.

Again, no more commits likely except for RoJo, but that's not bad, considering the low number of scholarships starting out next year, and the amount of top talent interested in Michigan.

If Everson Griffen were to decommit from USC in the event of a hypothetical-but-unlikely Pete Carroll job change, I would cry of intense happiness, as we were the runner-up for his services. Even if Carroll were to change jobs, we would need it to happen before signing day.

Not a surprise being ranked behind a few other 2-loss teams, given the comparative way we ended the season.

However, I'm not sure if USC should jump as much as they did given they lost their second-to-last game, and won their last one over a team that only finished 8th.

Either way, preseason top-whatever polls are pretty much all we have to look forward to for a little while.

Michigan star defensive tackle Alan Branch will forego his senior season of eligibility and enter the NFL draft, the Associated Press reports.

Branch was graded by the NFL's draft service as a middle-to-late first round pick.

"Michigan took an unknown kid from Alburquerque and turned him into a Michigan Man."

Best of luck to him in the NFL.

Now that we have a pretty gppd grasp of the 2007 recruiting class, and with very little likely to change there, the 2008 class is moving to the forefront, especially since it is looking to start strong for the Wolverines.

The needs (and some key recruits at the positions) are as follows:
1) OL - Only a couple in the last two classes, with sleepers mixed in. Need some good OTs in this class.
Tex 5* J.B. Shugarts - likes Michigan, but OSU is way up there for Shugarts as well. Can Teas connections sway him to the Maize and Blue?
Grand Haven 4* Dann O'Neill - Instater likes Michigan, and will probably be Blue if offered.
FL 5* Mike Brewster - From Orlando Edgewater (from Greg Mathews's school, and Lorenzo Edwards (florida)).
2) DB - Though there are a few in this class, Michigan's cupboard has shown itself to be bare, in both the OSU game and the Rose Bowl. Some true corners are needed.
Detroit 5* CB Boubacar Cissoko - from the sounds of it he's all but locked up (though we've heard that about Dionte Allen before). Fortunately, he has said he'd like to commit to the Maize nd Blue on this year's signing day, ending his recruitment very early. He might be the top CB in the country next year.
NC 4-5* Robert Blanton - A guy who really likes Michigan, and is from Jamar Adams's high school. He's growing, and might become a safety rather than a CB.
PA 4-5* Jared Holley - He is a good friend of Toney Clemons, and might be one of the top players in ennsylvania next year.
PA 4* Leon Green - More of a hitter than Jared Holley, these two both are from Easton.
CA DBs Robert Bolden and Brandon Wesley - These guys, from Fresno Edison (Johnny Sears) seem like they might be more of fallback guys if UM doesn't land some of the guys ahead of them on the list, but don't be surprised if they eventually earn offers.
NJ 5* S Will Hill - Among the top recruits in the country, Michigan has to compete with a lot of top programs and Rutgers for this guy.
3) LB - Despite a couple in this class, some of them are moving positions, and may not pan out. The only proven quantity, Austin Panter, only has two years of eligibility.
PA 5* LB Shayne Hale - Might be the top player in Pennsylvania this upcoming year. Obviously, it will be hard to pull a Linebacker away from the in-state schools.
Muskegon LB Rickie Crosby - From Terrance Taylor and Ron Johnson's school. Not a speedster (is that what Michigan is looking for?)
4) DT - The depth there is pretty good right now, but a couple of key players will be departed by the time these players ever see the field.
IN 3-4* Steven Barnett - From Jerimy Finch's high school, Indianapolis Warren Central.
5) DE - The depth here is not so good, even with Brandon Graham moving down from LB. We'll have to see if some younger guys step up.
6) RB - Time for a great one to step in for the players that will be departing soon.
Tex 5* Sam McGuffie - The human highlight reel - white edition - reportedly loves UM, and has family in the SE Michigan area. Ryan Mallett has been working him hard. Reports have him potentially commiting to the good guys early.
CA RB Darrell Scott - He might be the top RB in the nation, but Michigan seems to be focused on McGuffie, and might not want to spend too much effort on a guy that will be everyone else's top target.
7) WR - A lot of WR's in the '07 class, but this is a really strong year for wide receivers, so Michigan might land a couple.
PA 4-5* Jon Baldwin - Reportedly likes UM, might make an early decision.
Ann Arbor 3-4* Daryl Gooden - From Huron High School. He is in the area, but will we want to leave? Will Michigan offer more than a couple of WRs?
8) QB - Not in any way imperative, need someone who is willing to be a (capable) career backup to Mallett.
Lake Orion QB Chris Lum - Top instate QB, more athletic than Michigan has in stock (other than Forcier)
Marine City QB Brendon Kay - Likely Mac-level or career backup in the Big Ten (which is what UM is looking for, anyway)
9) TE - With two in the last class, and Carson Butler only a redshirt freshman, there should be plenty of depth here for now. Probably won't take one in this class.
Novi TE Tyler Hoover - Again, not a huge need, but this instater loves Michigan.

This list is far from all-inclusive, as I am far from an insider. Information garnered from Jim Stefani and Scout.com.

California DB Michael Williams committed to Michigan during the Army All-American Bowl, upping the current number of commitments to 20. They are:

5*
QB Ryan Mallett
4*
FB Vince Helmuth
S/LB Jerimy Finch
DE Ryan Van Bergen
WR/DB Zion Babb
WR Toney Clemons
WR J.R. Hemingway
C Dave Molk
DB Michael Williams
LB Austin Panter
LB Brandon Herron
TE Steve Watson
WR/TB Martell Webb
3*
S/LB Marell Evans
RB Avery Horn
Ath Marquis Maze
WR/DB James Rogers
CB Troy Woolfolk
2*
OT Mark Huyge

Mallett, Panter (who is a Junior College transfer) and Helmuth have enrolled early, along with mixed reports of Chambers having done so as well.

Jerimy Finch is a Jonas Mouton-like Safety/Linebacker hybrid, who plays safety in high school, but could move to linebacker at the next level. Marell Evans, a high school teammate of freshman RB Brandon Minor, is in the same boat. James Rogers and Zion Babb were recruited as wideouts, but could potentially be moved to DB. Rogers was the fastest wide receiver at the Michigan summer camp (winning the smokehouse award). Babb's film at receiver looks very impressive, so expect him to at least get a chance to prove himself there. Martell Webb is a Carson Butler clone, who will be given a chance at Wwide receiver, but ultimately move to TE unless he has the speed for the WR position.

Current remaining prospects include instate 5* CB Ronald Johnson, among a few others, including a Tennessee commitment Chris Walker at LB, Alabama commit Kourtnei Brown at DE, and sleeper WR Rashad Mason from Tennessee.

With Johnson in the fold, this class would be very successful, despite the doom-and-gloom scenarios taken by many on the internet. Anything else would just be an added bonus. If Johnson is swayed on his official visits, however, this recruiting class would end as a disappointment. With the "season" starting out with a couple great DBs in Johnson and FSU commit Dionte Allen seemingly all but locked up, losing them both would be too much.