Diamond Is.... A War Eagle??

Aaaand Jordan Diamond picks Auburn. That makes him a war eagle or a Cam Newton or what?  As we talked about in the previous weeks, this was one of Michigan's most important prospects for making this into one of the "elite" classes Michigan had ever signed.  Now, this doesn't ruin what is already a great signing class, but it does take a little wind out of the sails.

Diamond was a 4* recruit by Rivals and a 5* from Scout and would have been a significant help in solidifying what is already an outstanding group of offensive line recruits for Michigan.  The team already has some great ones, but because of the team's current lack of depth, getting some great talent on both lines is key for long term success.  In most cases one offensive lineman wouldn't have been that big of an issue, but because Michigan already struck out on Joshua Garnett it made this one extremely important.

However, if you've been following the recruitment of Alex Kozan, you know Michigan still has a chance to sign one more great offensive lineman for this class.  Kozan is also rated as a 4* recruit by Rivals and there is a chance Michigan can still land him.  What is even better is that there's been talk that he can play multiple positions on the line, which would be great for the future since Michigan has some great incoming players at guard and tackle.  This would allow him to move to center and make some big-time contributions playing alongside other great players.

Regardless of whether Kozan picks the Wolverines in the next few days, this is a great recruiting class for Michigan and should have some players that make great contributions for the next few seasons.  Getting Jordan Diamond would have been great, but he can do great things at Auburn as well and of course, Michigan really doesn't have to worry about playing against him at least.

Diamond's decision also leaves us with what is probably the last decision that impacts Michigan's 2012 signing class.  Kozan is expected to decide in the next few days.  There's a good chance he goes blue, but is also interested in Iowa and Auburn as well.  I don't see Auburn as that likely a place because of guys like Diamond who have already committed there, but we'll see.

Photo Credit: iSportsWeb

Joshua Garnett Picks Stanford

It had been a while since a recruit's college decision entranced Michigan fans like Joshua Garnett's has done over the past weeks and months.  Garnett is an offensive lineman out of Washington who has been rated as one of the elite players in the 2012 class.  Most scouting agencies have not only listed him as a 4* recruit, but also as one of the top five players at his position in the nation.

The hype had been building up all week as Garnett announced he would make his decision on Thursday, January 27th @ 6pm.  In fact, one Michigan recruiting site launched a live-blog that had over 4000 viewers at the time of the decision (pretty impressive for a high school kid's recruiting decision).  The last recruit I can remember getting this type of hype from Michigan fans was Mitch McGary, Michigan's 2012 basketball commit who was rated #2 in the nation.

However, as time got closer, Michigan's chances with Garnett seemed to fade and ultimately he decided to attend Stanford instead of Michigan.  Obviously, Stanford is one of the nation's finest schools and has assembled a respectable football program, at least as of late, so nobody can fault his decision.  I think he will do good things at Stanford and wish him the best.  The obvious factors appeared to be location (Garnett's from Washington) and academics. The University of Michigan has some great academics, but Stanford is...well...Stanford.

So, why am I writing a story about a kid who decided to attend Stanford?  Well, the obvious reason is that a lot of Michigan fans cared about this decision, but also because this is a significant development for Michigan's recruiting this year.  As most people know, most recruits have decided or will be deciding in the short future about their college destinations.  With only a few weeks remaining until virtually every major recruit is committed, this development is pretty substantial.

The biggest implication falls with the recruitment of Jordan Diamond, a 4* offensive lineman from Chicago, who will be announcing his decision on February 3rd.  Michigan is in good position to gain a commitment from Diamond, but with Caleb Stacey's de-commitment and Garnett's decision to attend Stanford, this announcement will be crucial.  If Diamond decides to attend Michigan, the team should have some outstanding offensive lineman and depth in a few years.  However, if he chooses to attend somewhere else (likely Arkansas), Michigan's "epic" class could start to fade into just a good class.

Now, I'm personally not one that gets into predicting where a recruit will choose, but I don't think there's anybody out there who doesn't think Michigan has at least a chance with him.  However, with Stacey and Garnett's moves, I believe Diamond has become the most important remaining recruit to this 2012 class.  Certainly, there are players who are probably more talented than Diamond, but if Michigan loses out on another "big time" offensive lineman, it could spell trouble in a few seasons.  Michigan's 2012 recruiting class will be solid, whether Diamond commits or not, but if this team truly wants to stay in that elite status, getting top talent from guys like these will be crucial.

Let's hope he goes Blue.


Photo Credit: CBSSports