Wide receiver Cameron Gordon of Inkster, Michigan has given his word to sign with Michigan in February. Gordon is a 6-3, 210-lb player who has been measured at 4.6 in the 40-yard dash. He is Michigan's 21st commit in the class of 2009.
Recruiting Notes Gordon started the recruiting year as someone Michigan fans expected to likely end up in the Wolverines' recruiting class. However, it certainly ended up taking significantly longer than they expected (although he had always planned to take his time with a decision). At the end of his junior year, he announced that he would be transferring from Melvindale High School to Inkster, where he would have a better opportunity to excel athletically. During the summer, he attended Michigan's summer camp. The Wolverine coaches told him that they liked him more as a linebacker, and told him that he would receive an offer if he was willing to play at that position in college. With a noncommittal answer, Michigan's offer took significantly longer to arrive than Gordon would have otherwise liked. When he finally received his offer in November, Gordon took a visit to Iowa, who had been on him all along. However, the allure of the Michigan offer was too much to pass up, and he committed to Michigan today.
Player Notes Gordon is a big, physical receiver, with large measurables for the position. He lacks elite speed, but is able to beat defenders, using his body well and catching it at the highest point with his biug hands. However, Michigan fans liked the physical play he could bring to a linebacker position at the next level. It will be interesting to see whether he remains at receiver when he gets to the next level, or at least be open to a potential position switch.
Etc. This year, Gordon was catching passes thrown by 2010 dual-threat quarterback prospect Devin Gardner, who is certainly one of the top targets on Michigan's recruiting board. Securing a commitment from Gordon should go a long way to helping Michigan land his teammate in the next recruiting class.
2009 MI WR Cameron Gordon has received his offer (Sam Webb audio). I personally would like to see him end up in Ann Arbor, though Iowa should provide tough competition.
2009 NC OL Travis Bond has been added to the North Carolina squad for the Shrine Bowl.
As has been the case for some time now, Hadley, whom Rivals.com rates as a three-star prospect, is still considering four schools: Florida, Georgia, Michigan and North Carolina... Hadley has taken an official visit to UNC and will trip to Michigan in January.
Among his favorites, Florida has not offered, and he can't set up an official until they do.
Class of 2009 visitors this weekend, courtesy of the Free Press and Sam Webb (audio): December 6th: Thomas Gordon Teric Jones Isaiah Bell Fitzgerald Toussaint Justin Turner MI DT William Campbell FL (via a JC in Mississippi) DE Pernell McPhee. The former Pahokee Blue Devil is a Mississippi State commit. GA WR Jamal Patterson (Stanford commit). PA WR Je'Ron Stokes (Tennessee commit). Canceled per Webb.
Loyola defensive end Chance Carter is giving up basketball to concentrate on football... To live up to his enormous potential, he must dedicate himself to football.
C.J. Fiedorowicz of Johnsburgh, a 6-7, 240-pounder with 4.5 speed, is a high-bred tight end in high school. That will be his position in college.
Christian Lombard of Fremd, at 6-6 and 285-pounds, is one of the best offensive linemen in the country. Colleges came in to evaluate him in the fall and bragged about him. He has great feet, is fundamentally sound, very mobile and makes few mistakes. He was offered by Iowa as a freshman. At last count, he had 29 offers.
Michigan is among those offers. He is one of the top OL targets in the 2010 class.
McVey certainly was among the best players on display during Ohio's showcase weekend of six state finals. His was the grand finale.
McVey was in on six sacks - four of them solo sacks - and hounded Elder quarterback Mark Miller on numerous other plays. He was credited with eight total tackles, but the numbers do not begin to tell the story of the 6-1, 220-pounder from South Euclid who spends his spring running over hurdles instead of through linemen.
His stock is on the rise. Might he be able to garner an offer soon? He now has one from the Buckeyes (info in header).
Removed: 2009 GA LB Devekeyan Lattimore. He has a final 3 sans Michigan (info in header). 2009 GA S/QB Donavan Tate. Commits to North Carolina.
Though no BCS title game, if the Heisman comes down to a 2-man race (which it appears with Bradford and McCoy), do you think voters will vote the "I feel bad for Colt since his team got screwed" card?
I can't really think of an instance where that sort of of logic has come into play. On the contrary, it seems like the Heisman winner typically comes from one of the teams playing for the national title. Of course, the BCS mess is as big as ever this year, and I also can't think of a time where a team that got screwed to the degree that Texas is (in the eyes of some), all the while having a viable Heisman contender.
At this point, it appears that Sam Bradford's performance in the Big 12 Championship Game will determine whether it is McCoy or Bradford who ends up with the stiff-arm trophy. Considering the quality of the defense the Sooners face (Missouri is 91st in total defense and 80th in pass efficiency D), I imagine Bradford will get the trophy.
An Anonymous commenter:
If Will Campbell does not enroll early at Michigan, can we take that as a non-commit?
He said he would enroll early and isn't looking like he is going to... so we can assume he is not committing correct?
This question was actually answered pretty well by WLA-er chitownblue in the same comments thread:
Anon - it would likely mean that he hasn't made his decision soon enough to enroll early. Nothing more. He never said "I'm going to enroll early, specifically at Michigan, and late if I go somewhere else". The two (going to Michigan/enrolling early) are two unlinked decisions.
Campbell has stated his intention to enroll early at whichever school he picks. If there is no wind of his enrollment at Michigan by the time we would expect to know about this (and it would probably have to be fairly soon, as students are already registering for Winter semester classes), it shouldn't be a big deal. The important question is whether it comes out that he is enrolling early at another school. If not, it just means that he won't enroll early anywhere.
RJ says:
Looking at the video of Breaston in the NFL makes me think that we didn't use his talents well enough at U of M. On offense Breaston, was never utilized the way that the Cardinals use him now. It seemed like most of the passes he caught were short.
The old staff tried to use Breaston as a deep threat, but they never managed to get him to catch the ball over his shoulder on the go route. He was used over the middle in his time at Michigan as well. Essentially (especially in 2006, where he was one of the most underappreciated members of the team), he played a slot role (with some combination of Edwards-Avant-Manningham-Arrington outside). He would be a great fit in the slot in the new offense as well, despite not being sub-6-foot. I shudder with excitement when I think how awesome it would have been to have him at QB in the current offense.
Just curious if you have any other top 2010 lists i can look at.
I started with that list, then added a bunch of other prospects from other sources, assuming most of them were going to end up in the 3-star range. As I've heard more about particular prospects, I've either promoted or downgraded their rankings. I have also used the Scout.com 2010 instate rankings and Florida 2010 rankings from SoFlaFootball and the Varsity Sports Media Magazine.
For the most part other than that, they're wild-ass guesses from me.
Bob asks:
Does Michigan have an offer on the table for [Cameron] Gordon? On either side of the ball?
It's been reported on the premium site that Gordon got offered sometime last week. Sam Webb confirmed it to the non-paying world on today's WTKA recruiting roundup. This information will be included in the next recruiting update. Since Gordon has been insistent that he wants to play WR, I imagine they said he'd have a chance to contribute there, and switch positions if it didn't work out.
QB Devin Gardner of Inkster is likely to be one of Michigan's top prospects in the class of 2010. His Vikings played East Grand Rapids in the state finals on Saturday, and we'll hopefully have some video soon.
His attendance this summer at the prestigious Elite 11 quarterback camp, sandwiched by camp visits to Michigan, Notre Dame and Michigan State, all helped to better hone his skills. "I'm stronger, faster, and my throwing motion has gotten better," he said. "(The motion) is way higher than it used to be. Most of (the improvement) is decision-making, though.
There's lots of talk about how awesome the coach at Inkster is. I've heard the same thing from lots of sources (many of them about 2009 WR Cameron Gordon) about Greg Carter. He seems to be a good disciplinarian and teacher of the fundamentals, and one of the best coaches in the state. More from Gardner:
"I think I can fit into Michigan real easy," he continued. "They run the exact same offense that we run right now. I already knew the spread offense, but I'm learning (more). I'm doing everything better -- way better. If I go to Michigan, I wouldn't have to adjust that much."
That sounds promising, but Gardner also has nice things to say about Michigan State and Ohio State, so don't get too excited just yet.
I never really thought Michigan would have a great chance with 2010 CA RB Malcolm Jones (Michigan isn't recruiting California as heavily anymore, the school is a traditional USC pipeline, etc.). I didn't even realize, however, that he has an older brother at USC:
Sarkisian attended Friday night's Oaks Christian High School playoff game. The Trojans have not yet offered a scholarship to junior tailback Malcolm Jones, the younger brother of USC safety Marshall Jones. Several Pacific-10 Conference schools already offered Malcolm Jones.
So he was already included on the board only tenuously - he's now a candidate for removal at the next sign that he won't be interested in Michigan.
2010 OH RB Erick Howard was going to move to Seattle but didn't end up doing so, a factoid that, until recently, had confused the hell out of me. Well, now it's a little more clear:
Howard's mother, Ruth, wanted him to move to Seattle with her so he could spend time with his sister, who had just given birth to her first child. Howard resisted but followed and respected his mother's wishes... He missed his friends and teammates. He begged his mother to let him return... She was reluctant but eventually gave in.
...and now that makes a little bit of sense.
''Now, I always carry a pencil and I go to all of my classes trying to be as prepared as I can,'' he said. ''I'm working toward stepping it up and being a better student and earning a scholarship to play football in college because my dream is to play in the NFL.''
So he's trying to succeed through football, etc., etc. He was the district player of the year, and Michigan may get involved with his recruitment down the road.
2010 FL OL Jose Jose might be similarly unlikely to end up at Michigan (he loves the hometown Miami Hurricanes), but he is certainly a prospect that Michigan fans may find intriguing. Luke Stampini of SoFlaFootball.com brings the video:
Luk Stampini of SoFlaFootball.com on Pahokee 2010 Slot De'Joshua Johnson:
When De'Joshua told me before the game he was going to be the starting QB, I didn't believe him. He does like to joke around a bit. After watching him play, he looks to be the best QB Pahokee has put on the field this year. Accurate passer, and when you have the athletes PK does, that's all you really need to be as a QB. He doesn't have the little things true QB's have like knowing when to throw the ball away or when to tuck and run.
Verrry interesting. Might he be the type of guy Michigan tries to bring in to play slot, but giving him a chance to try his hand at QB first? It looks like some of the problems with his game at QB are a matter of inexperience at the position (aside from the fact that he's 5-9, of course).
I have no concerns in this area whether we get Jenkins or not.
I'm sure it's intended to sound so flippant, but it really comes off as though PSU fans couldn't care one way or the other whether they land Jelani Jenkins. I'm sure Michigan fans don't feel that way, and want Jenkins as the cornerstone of the 2009 LB class, not some cherry on top of it.
The new format for recruiting posts is still something of a work-in-progress, so feel free to comment on it.
Etc.: In the audio above, Sam Webb gives a little treatise on Michigan's in-state recruiting in 2009. His feelings are essentially the same as mine, in that people are making a big to-do when there is no substance to the "allegations." Freep fluff on the senior recruits at the MSU game.
Analysis: I've been wondering for some time if Michigan will get back in on Cameron Gordon, if only to help with his junior teammate, Devin Gardner. It appears as though he's resigned to ending up at linebacker, though Michigan may be filling up at the position. Who knows how it'll end up, but I wouldn't mind seeing Michigan go after him at least a little bit more.
The board can be found here. I'm still trying to decide which days/how often to post recruiting updates. Until I settle into something of a rhythm during the season, I'll just post them as the post fills up.
New Information: MI WR Cameron Gordon. He is in no hurry to make a decision. I wonder ig Michigan will pursue him a little stronger now that they want his 2010 teammate Devin Gardner. TN WR/DB Marsalis Teague. He may take a Michigan visit. MI TE Dion Sims. Still hasn't made up his mind, but his current choice is basketball over football. GA TE Terrell Mitchell. Michigan is outside his top 3 (SoCar, WVU, Kentucky). With the Wolverines not really planning on taking a pure TE, he may be close to removal from the board. CA OL Michael Philipp. USC starts showing some interest. MD LB Jelani Jenkins. Michigan will make his next cut (Sam Webb Audio). Sounds like Michigan made quite an impression on his visit. NJ DE Anthony LaLota. No longer planning an early decision, Michigan official tentatively scheduled for Wisconsin game (Sam Webb Audio, same as above). AZ DE Craig Roh. Sam Webb fluff from the Detroit News. Remember, Roh is officially visiting this week. SC S David Sims. Michigan out of his top 5. It's unclear from the article whether that is "top" or "final," so he remains on the board for now. Also: Vincent Smith and Brandin Hawthorne have moved up their announcement(s) from their game Saturday to tomorrow.
Etc.: If anyone manages to catch the Miami (Oh) game against Vanderbilt tonight, e-mail me your thoughts. I's on ESPNU and I won't be able to make it somewhere to watch.
The Board. One formatting note: I changed players' names to links, so if you want to see previous updates involving a particular player, just click on his name in the main board. Soon I will remove a lot of prospects whom I don't see mutual Michigan interest with.
Added: FL RB Jaamal Berry. He has a Michigan offer, though rumors say I should be ready to remove him soon because he will commit to the Bucks.
New Information: MN WR Fritz Rock. He has apparently had his Minnesota offer pulled. He is a candidate for removal in the not-so-distant future. SC DE Chris Bonds plans to take a Michigan official visit, and will decide around Christmas. He is also Adam Patterson's HS teammate, which I guess might be obvious, but I hadn't realized until just now. OH OL Chris Freeman. He is still wide open, and will visit LSU this month. MI WR Cameron Gordon. Fluff.
Removed: A bunch of QB recruits who aren't guys that Michigan would likely take as the third guy in a class, and didn't have offers yet (and would be unlikely to move to other positions). FL QB Eugene Smith IN QB Morgan Newton IN QB Jordan Luallen MS QB Clayton Moore TX QB Kolby Gray IL QB Darwin Rogers MO RB Ronnie Wingo. No mention of mutual interest in any articles. Dangerously close to removing MI TE Reid Fragel, who Michigan only wants at OT, and apparently wants to stay at TE.
I rearranged the information for a few prospects to make it a bit easier to digest.
A lot of prospects have reported that they aren’t “feeling the love” from the new staff like they were from Carr’s or are from other schools. However, it is important to note that the staff not only had to fall behind in ’09 to catch up with the ’08 prospects (they caught up with ’08, so one must assume with an entire year they’ll be able to do it in ’09), but they also are moving families to a new city, getting acquainted with the team’s current players, and even getting to know each other and develop new schemes. Once some of these things get worked out, ’09 recruiting should pick up.
If Michigan ends up with any of their top 3 quarterback prospects (Shepard, Murray, and Forcier, IMO), they will have a QB who is enrolling in winter for spring term. Hopefully it works out better this time than it did for Ryan Mallett.
Junior Day is next week (3-14ish), and after that, the recruiting picture could start to clear up quite a bit (including, possibly, a commitment or two).
New Information: TX QB Russell Shepard. Linked to an article from New Era Scouting. BON thinks Mack Brown may give up on him. FL QB Aaron Murray. Now reporting a Michigan offer, though I've noted conflicting information on the topic. CA QB Tate Forcier. PSU and Oregon are the favorites? Michigan still seems to be strongly in this one. FL WR Nu’Keese Richardson. He was the high school teammate of new Wolverine Martavious Odoms. MI WR Cameron Gordon. 2007 Michigan summer camper. He will be playing at Inkster, not Melvindale this coming season. PA OT Eric Shrive. Linked to local paper’s blog devoted to Shrive’s recruitment. OH OT Chris Freeman. Have noticed that some fans are curiously interested in him as a power forward for their basketball squads. LA DT Chris Davenport. Now has a Michigan offer. MS DT Josh Boyd. Plans to decide on signing day. OH DB Justin Turner. Left him at CB, though he may be a college safety. He now has a Michigan offer.
Removed: MI RB Edwin Baker. To Michigan State. A candidate to be re-added if he wavers.
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