Nonetheless, Michigan’s football coach has been covering the country as part of his recruiting plan. He said he started in Detroit, was in Chicago on Wednesday and will hit California, Texas, Florida and Ohio this month before he’s off the road.
You can guess who he's visiting in each place. Snyder also reports that Rodriguez expects 8 early-enrolling recruits from the class of '09. Those would be Tate Forcier, Shavodrick Beaver, Vincent Smith, William Campbell if he re-commits, Anthony LaLota, Brandin Hawthorne, Mike Jones, and Vlad Emilien.
Added to the 2009 Board: LA DE Bennie Logan, who has been offered (info in header). Added to the 2010 Board: NE DB Darius Evans. He grew up in Ohio and likes the Big Ten (info in header).
There's been something of a minor inter-freakout among the Michigan fanbase over a comment posted by DandyDon.com about 2009 MI DT William Campbell.
As for William Campbell, I list him at 60-40 because he has told an LSU commitment more than once that he was going to sign with LSU.
Not to besmirch the honor of Dandy Don, but regardless of his source, I don't think the information is correct. All reports on Campbell's LSU visit have indicated he was less-than-enthused, and barring a sea-change in his sentiments, I think Michigan is still the leader, especially after he stormed the court following the hoops upset over Duke. Also storming the court after the upset over the Blue Devils? 2010 DE William Gholston, pictured below in the lovely purple T-Shirt, along with Brandon Graham in the black jacket.
Still (somewhat surprisingly, given the lack of information about him relating to Michigan) considering the Wolverines is 2009 GA CB Darren Myles. Michigan appears to be in his de facto top 6, along with Alabama, LSU, West Virginia, Purdue, and Georgia Tech.
Though I thought he was planning to make a commitment a couple weeks back, 2009 MD RB Tavon Austinnow says he'll wait until signing day. West Virginia is his current leader, followed by Maryland, UNC, and Michigan.
2010 OH OL Matt James. He has now been offered by Notre Dame (info in header). They seemed to be right in the thick of things before they offered, I'd now assume they are an early leader.
Removed: FL Slot/DB Marsalis Teague. Focused on four non-Michigan schools. GA TE Terrell Mitchell. Eliminates Michigan. No surprise here, as he hadn't said anything about the Wolverines in a long time. OH DE Tank Carradine. Commits to Illinois. SC S Devonte Holloman. Commits to South Carolina. FL CB Jarvis Byrd. Commits to NC State.
Etc.: MI LB Jeremy Gainer will not be added to the board, because he is still committed to Indiana, but the Livonia Clarenceville player is now looking around. He's added to the list of guys technically committed elsewhere, but hovering on the edge of inclusion (Willie Haulstead, Jamal Patterson, Je'Ron Stokes, and now also Kenny Bell).
Analysis: Graves is a good pickup - as long as it doesn't move Michigan down for Dequinta Jones and William Campbell. It appears that Michigan is getting in on more and more elsewhere-committed recruits. Snake oil time? With Bill Lynch not looking like he'll have a long tenure at Indiana (though he likely won't be fired after this year), Jeremy Gainer may be there for the taking if the Wolverines decide they want him.
Analysis Austin will be off the board soon, though that's no surprise considering he suddenly cancelled a Michigan visit early this year. It's sounding more like Michigan probably won't have a chance with Devonte Holloman. They'll get a shot at Mywan Jackson, though it sounds like Angelo Hadley isn't all that interested in Michigan (however, see the Freep article about recruiting teammates).
MD LB Jelani Jenkins. Bill Kurelic words his article in a weird way:
Although Jenkins prefers not to name any particular schools of interest, some thought to be in the running include: Penn State, USC, Stanford, Miami, Notre Dame, Florida, LSU and Virginia. However when asked about the Big Ten, Jenkins also mentioned Michigan and Michigan State -- and Illinois can't be ruled out.
He is making it sound like Michigan, Michigan State, and Illinois are afterthoughts. Is he being intentionally misleading (he is a Buckeye, after all), or just stupid (he is a Buckeye, after all)? Fluff regarding his family support in the recruiting process. We have video from his ESPN2 game, but we'll save it for the next recruiting update.
Removed: OK RB David Oku. Apparently, he has committed to Tennessee. With our RB numbers filling up, we weren't likely to land him anyway.
NJ DB Nyshier Oliver. Notre Dame commit.
FL TE Orson Charles. Enjoyed a Georgia visit so much, they are now his co-leader with Miami. Florida and Florida State are his second tier. It appears as though those are his final group, so he is removed.
Etc.:
Allen Trieu/Sam Webb bring a new set of instate 2009 rankings. Big Will #1, Teric #6. State QB commit Andrew Maxwell is somehow #4, though I've seen him play this year and he was terrible.
Other 2010 News: FL S Marvin Robinson. Michigan is the favorite (perhaps prohibitive?) for the bigtime safety. Duh. A question for all: once the 2010 board debuts, should 2010 recruiting updates be rolled in with the standard 2009 updates, or have their own dedicated posts?
Added: AZ OL Taylor Lewan. Both premium sites have front-page headlines indicating he's been offered. He's a teammate of DE Commit Craig Roh. FL CB Jarvis Byrd. Michigan is showing interest in the Pahokee-an (Pahokeeite?).
New Information: VA DE Will Hill. Enjoys a Tennessee visit, still plans to visit Michigan before deciding. SC DE Chris Bonds. The perpetually-injured one now says he's probably not going to visit Michigan. FL LB Commit Brandin Hawthorne. He's still taking other visits. I wonder if the Michigan coaches might discourage that at his official visit this weekend. FL LB Mike Marry. Michigan is in what appears to be a Top 7 for him. How about a little video?:
Official Visits this Week: TX QB Commit Shavodrick Beaver (though that is apparently not the case) FL LB Soft Commit Brandin Hawthorne MD RB Tavon Austin SC OL Quinton Washington
Analysis: Chris Bonds might be a casualty of 2 DE commits. Michigan's continued pursuit of o-linemen definitely indicates that they see Anthony LaLota staying on the DL. Michigan definitely still seems to want another CB (in addition to another LB), as their increased interest in Jarvis Byrd seems to indicate. That would fill a need and keep a pipeline open.
Etc.: MSU picks up a TE transfer. This probably hurts them with Dion Sims. I personally think he wants to go to OSU if he picks football, but the Buckeyes' class might fill up before he gets a chance to commit there.
Added: FL LB Mike Marry. Michigan shall make his next cut (info in header).
New Information: OK RB David Oku. Never mind about deciding this week: he has delayed his announcement yet again. FL QB Denard Robinson. Still feelin' Michigan (info in header) despite the multiple QB commits. SC OL Quinton Washington. Official visit for Wisconsin game, and Michigan looks surprisingly strong in his recruitiment (Sam Webb audio). AZ DE Craig Roh. Sam Webb thinks he'll end up at Michigan, unless Rick Neuheisel is particularly slimy (audio). SC DE Sam Montgomery. Has decided which 5 schools to visit, including Michigan. MI S Thomas Gordon. Announcing in a couple weeks, and MIchigan looks good (audio same as above).
Etc.: 2008 MI DE Nick Perry qualified on time, and is now at USC. It was thought that if he failed t qualify, Michigan might be back in the picture for him. 2008 NJ LB Marcus Witherspoon ended up at Rutgers, where he will be eligible to play this year. FL DB Corey Addison. He is thinking about an official visit to Michigan. His commitment to SoCar will leave him off the board for now, but keep him in mind.
Analysis: Michigan finally grabs a defensive end. If they can grab Craig Roh, a huge weakness will be accounted for at the position.
As of now, I expect to see Roh, Will Campbell, Thomas Gordon, and maybe another guy or two to finish out the class.
Removed: UT OL Xavier Sua'filo. After expressing early interest in Michigan, there has been no sign that he is still looking at the Wolverines. WA DT Deandre Coleman. Washington commit. AZ DE Corey Adams. It seems like he is down to OSU and a couple west coast schools. There hasn't been any Michigan mention in a while. PA DE/DT Tyrone Ezell. Pitt commit. MI DE Justice Akuezue. CMU commit. CA LB John Michael Davis. Same situation as Xavier Sua'Filo. No mutual interest == removal. MI S Brock Reynolds. I hear almost nothing about this guy, much less articles about his Michigan interest. OH CB Tony Graham. Same situation as Brock Reynolds.
Etc.: The Free Press explores the situation with Michigan's scholarship numbers for the 2009 class. The ESPN high school football TV schedule is different every time I look, but here is the most updated master list of games. Note that the Pahokee-Olive Branch game is not there. There is no kickers section on the recruiting board, but TX PK Anthony Fera has been offered (info in header). When I pulled guys off the list for lack of mutual interest, top players got a little more benefit of the doubt in staying on the board. Jamaal Berry is now the guy teetering on the edge, since he continues to list Michigan despite being all but committed to the Buckeyes.
New Information: SC OL Quinton Washington. Not expected to take an official to Michigan. FL QB Eugene Smith. Re-widens his focus after previously having narrowed to a top 5. CA QB Tate Forcier. Top 6. PA LB Dan Mason. Will commit to a school at the Army AA game. His current plan for official visits doesn't include Michigan. OK CB Gabe Lynn. Fluff. FL Slot commit Jeremy Gallon. Most important news EVER: he has dreads. SC DE Chris Bonds. Official visit schedule shaping up. Notre Dame visit for the Michigan game (and he will be unavailable for the big UM-MSU recruiting weekend, when he will be visiting Tennessee). FL DE Ryne Giddins. Michigan outside of his top 6. MD LB Jelani Jenkins. GBW headline says a super linebacker visited on Saturday, and the accompanying picture is of Jenkins, so we can assume he visited this weekend, no? Video fluff:
New Information: IL OL Chris Watt. Has he dropped Michigan? Since he has visited a couple times, he'll remain on the board until more info comes out. PA WR Todd Thomas. Michigan makes his top 5. GA S Darren Myles. He plans to visit Michigan this summer. SC OL Quinton Washington. He will make a decision after his senior season. SC S Stephon Gilmore. Article with no Michigan mention. The Wolverines were recruiting him as a backup QB-type. Should he be dropped from the board soon? GA DB Donavan Tate. Michigan is among the schools that has offered to let him be a two-sport athlete. SC S Damario Jeffery. Michigan outside his top 6.
Added FL LB Brandon Hawthorne. Michigan in his top two with USF (info in header). SC S David Sims. Offered. SC S DJ Swearinger. He has a Michigan offer. FL CB Angelo Hadley. Offer.
New Information SC DE Chris Bonds. Recruiting fluff with mention that one of his officials will be to Michigan. OH OL Chris Freeman. WVU-tinted recruiting fluff. AZ DE Craig Roh. Plans a summer visit to Michigan. AL DB Dre Kirkpatrick. Plans to take a visit to Michigan. NC WR Jheranie Boyd. Michigan is in his top 15. FL OL Nick Alajajian. He plans to make a summer decision without taking a visit to Michigan. Things don't look so good here. SC OL Quinton Washington. Michigan doesn't make his top 5, but is just barely on the outside. MD Slot Tavon Austin. Georgia has distinguished itself in his recruitment by offering him as a slot. Michigan has done the same (most other schools want him to play RB), but does not garner special mention.
Removed TN OL Alex Bullard. Notre Dame commit.
Analysis Alex Bullard isn't a huge loss, mostly because it was expected. It may also indirectly help out with Chris Watt (whom I believe UM covets more than Bullard) by making the Irish less appealing to him.
Not a lot of action this week. Players that I haven't seen anything about lately (in terms of link to Michigan) may on the cusp of getting dropped (a couple of the quarterbacks, maybe a running back or two, probably safety).
The Board. Sometime in the coming days MGoBlog's Brian and I are going to come up with a collaborative effort on the recruiting board. More info when we hash out some definite plans. Added: SC OL Quinton Washington. He seems mostly interested in southern schools, but Michigan has offerred. AZ DE Craig Roh. Jim Stefani has noted that he was someone Michigan should offer - and now they have.
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