As I pointed out in the past, some of the recruiting services haven't done the best job at evaluating Michigan's 2013 recruits. Yes, there will always be some subjectivity, especially between different services, but some of the differences have been quite dramatic. For instnace, 2013 Michigan commit Zak Irvin is well within the top 100 players in the country for both ESPN and Rivals, yett Scout has him outside of the top 100. Some of these irregularities just don't make much sense.
I was happy that I didn't find a lot of that with Rivals' new 150 list. Yes, there were a few spots that surprised me, but overall, I think this list is pretty accurate. One aspect to note, as I have been doing consistently, is that 2013 Michigan commit Austin Hatch does not appear on this list. He is the Michigan recruit that was involved in a plane accident and is still recovering. No one knows whether he'll be quite as good as he was before the injury and that's the major reason he isn't getting a lot of love from the recruiting services, but I have hope that he will recover and if so, Michigan is going to be getting a major "steal" at least in reference to these lists. If Hatch was still rated where he was before his injury, Michigan's class might even be ranked #1 in the nation at this point. Not saying he should be ranked there now, but there is even more potential to this class than these rankings and lists show.
COMMITS
Derrick Walton - #57 - PG - 4*
This is a ranking that surprised me a bit. Walton has consistently been ranked extremely high by the major recruiting services and really hasn't had a lot of bad performances to give reason to drop him. I know that newer recruits are getting ranked and they're working out the kinks, but to me, Walton should be a bit higher than this. ESPN has actually backed off a bit, but they dropped him from #39 to #40. I won't pull the "well, he'll prove the doubters wrong" line, but I will say that I expect him to be higher when the final rankings emerge. He is the most heralded recruit in Michigan's 2013 recruiting class right now and probably will be until they arrive on campus.Zak Irvin - #68 - SF - 4*
Irvin is the "surprise" recruit to me. Not because I think this ranking is inaccurate, but because I do think that he has the most pure talent in Michigan's commitments. He may not have developed it quite as much at this point, but he is cited as a "good" rebounder and shooter and also has pretty good height for his position at 6'6". Do I think he will rise up in the ratings? Probably not a whole lot, he's also rated #61 by ESPN, but I wouldn't be surprised if he outperforms this rating early in Ann Arbor. This is a person that fans should keep an eye on because he might surprise many when he arrives and actually starts playing.Mark Donnal - #103 - PF - 4*
Donnal is Michigan's "big man" in this class and rightfully so, standing at 6'9" and weighing 200 lbs. He appears to finally be getting some love for Rivals, despite being ranked #65 on ESPN. He, without a doubt, has the size for the college game and plays up to his potential, but Rivals seems to be holding back on something. He might take a bit longer to develop than someone like McGary, but it shouldn't matter a whole lot since Michigan should have some solid front-court depth when he arrives on campus in 2013.
TARGETS
James Young - #8 - SG - 5*
Young is the highest rated recruit that seems to have a deep interest in Michigan at this point. Without a doubt he could make a tremendous impact on any team, even as a freshman. To me, this is the one player left on the recruiting board that you take no matter the number of commits. If Michigan ends up offering and adding a guy like Vitto Brown, they should still leave the offer on the table for Young. Michigan has a great recruiting class even without Young, but if he did commit to Michigan, the 2013 recruiting class would change entirely. To me, I doubt he will end up in Ann Arbor, but there's always a little hope. He is a little lower on this chart than the #5 ESPN has him at.
Offer Status: Offered
Dominic Woodson - #27 - C - 4*
Offer Status: Offered
Demetrius Jackson - #70 - PG - 4*
Unlike Woodson, Jackson had the exact opposite happen from the ESPN to the Rivals list. He is nearly 40 positions lower on the Rivals chart than the ESPN chart. Why such a big drop? Explaining the differences in recruiting sites is like shouting in your car at another driver, it's pointless and goes nowhere. Jackson comes in at 6'0" and weighs 179 lbs. I highly, highly doubt that Jackson will end up in Ann Arbor. I even considered removing him from this list because I think it's that hopeless right now. Michigan already has a fantastic point guard in Derrick Walton and it frankly doesn't make sense for someone like Jackson to join. It would help Michigan of course, but I highly doubt Jackson would want to enter that situation.
Offer Status: Offered
Devin Williams - #76 - PF - 4*
Williams moved up a tad on the Rivals list from ESPN, where he is ranked #96 in the country. This is definitely a recruit that I feel better about than the ones listed above, but still not great. He stands at 6'8" and weighs 220 lbs. He would be a fantastic fit alongside Mitch McGary and Mark Donnal, but there are already a lot of other schools deeply pursuing him, which makes it difficult for Michigan, especially because the Wolverines already have four commitments. I do think his offer list of schools including Florida, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and UCLA do justify the jump. If you're getting that many great offers, you probably should be a bit higher than #96 in the country.Offer Status: Offered
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