Hoke's Recruiting Impact...On MSU?

A lot has been made of the turnaround by Brady Hoke.  Michigan's 11-2 season, its Sugar Bowl victory, finally beating Ohio State.  The list seems like it go on for days.  One specific area that has received a lot of coverage is on the recruiting trail, where Hoke saved a class in 2011, built a very good class in 2012, and could potentially have the best class in the country in 2013.  This massive improvement has changed numerous things, but one thing that has largely been effected is the recruiting battle between Michigan and Michigan State.

Typically, I don't like to post too extensively on other teams, even if they are one of Michigan's rivals, but this has been a topic that has intrigued me, starting with the rumors of Rich Rod's recruiting strategy.  I had always thought Rich Rod did a pretty good job recruiting for Michigan, but there seemed to be a large faction that felt he "ignored" the state of Michigan.  In a post earlier this summer, I wasn't able to prove Rich Rod "ignored" the state of Michigan, but I was able to show that MSU drastically increased their success recruiting the state and probably had better hauls in the state than Michigan during Rich Rod's tenure.

USC Takes Over Top Spot On Rivals for 2013 Team Rankings

According to Rivals, Michigan has been surpassed in the 2013 Team Rankings.  Picking up their most recent commit today from 4-star DB Jalen Ramsey, the Trojans have passed the Wolverines.  Most say that when new individual player rankings come out in August Ramsey is likely to pick up his 5th Star.  What is incredible is that USC is operating with scholarship reductions for the 2013 class.  


Scout and ESPN have yet to update their team rankings so I'm curious to see what they do with things.  I'll give you a quick breakdown comparing each team's class as they are viewed on Rivals.  You can be the judge regarding whether you agree and I'll give my opinion at the end of which team I think has the best class.

New 2013 Rivals150 Boosts Michigan Recruits

Rivals has updated their ranking of the top 150 basketball players in the nation and their latest move definitely is a good one for Michigan.  Michigan's 2013 class already has four commitments and was recently ranked #2 in the nation by ESPN.  Obviously, with a class ranking that high, Michigan will be bringing some great players to campus in 2013.


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.

Wrapping Up 'Offer Day' For Michigan

It was an exciting day on the basketball recruiting front.  There may not have been any verbal commitments, but there was surely a ton of action throughout the day.  Not only for Michigan, but the entire country.  Michigan's main focus for the day was on Devin Booker and Keita Bates-Diop.  They were the only players that were offered today and they are, without a doubt, the base of Michigan's 2014 recruiting.

Earlier this week, I said that I wasn't convinced that anybody would commit on 'Offer Day', but that Booker was the most likely candidate if somebody did commit.  Obviously, nobody committed today, but that shouldn't be a negative for Michigan fans.  Yes, at this time last year Beilein already had two commitments, but Michigan is in great position for many high profile recruits in the coming months and I still do believe it's only a matter of time before Devin Booker commits to Michigan.  He was tweeting earlier today about the desire to talk things over with his family before making any college decision and personally, that doesn't bother me one bit.

Michigan Scores Big In New Rivals Rankings

Alright everybody, first thing's first, I gotta apologize for my "non-existence" as of late. The Navy is crazy demanding and I've been tied up with handling business as far as that goes.  But I'm back and I know I'm late to the party, but as many of you may know the updated Rivals 250 is out! Michigan debuts at #1 in the team rankings for the 2013 recruiting class. But where do the "experts" have our commits at? Well I'll tell you and then I'll let you know what I think about it.

At the tops of the list for Michigan commits is QB Shane Morris at #22. He actually moved down, which confused me.  Max Browne is the only QB commit ranked ahead of him.  I've seen highlight tape from Browne and Morris and I gotta be honest, Shane has a better arm and is more athletic. Now, some could say I'm biased because Shane is commited to Michigan and Browne to USC, but there is a clear difference in the tape. If you watched it, you would feel the same way.  Shane is ranked as a 4 star right now and close to a 5 star (according to Rivals) but in my eyes say he's a 5 star.  This is a recruit that fans should be familiar with and if not, they need to get familiar with him before he arrives on campus.

Next on the list is LB Mike McCray coming in at #55.  Mike is one of many commits that Coach Hoke and co. have "poched" out of ohio haha.  At 6'4" and 230 pounds he will be a beast at LB, and him coming in along with 2012 LB commits he goes along way towards improving a much improved defense from 2011.  Mike was recently in the news when he received an offer from rival "Ohio."  As many of us know, Mike is very close with fellow commit Logan Tulley-Tillman.  We all know about LTT haha.  Some speculated that the Buckeyes were trying to break them up but Mike reassured us all that he is firmly commited to Michigan.  He is ranked as a 4 star as well.  He won MVP honors at the NFTC camp earlier this summer and I believe is very close to a 5 star talent.  Let's see if the experts agree with me as the year goes on.

Chris Fox.  Right behind McCray coming in at #57.  Big time Offensive Tackle out of Colorado coming in at 6'6" 297 pounds.  Brady Hoke is a defensive line coach and we all know how much he believes in winning in the trenches.  Well, Mr. Fox is one of many commits between 2012 and 2013 that is going towards rebuilding the dominance that we are all accustom to Michigan having on the offensive line.  Chris is also a 4 star according to Rivals and is one of many reasons I am excited to see Michigan moving towards what used to be a smashmouth run it down your throat style of offense. I'm sure touted QB commit Shane Morris has no problem with the great talent coming in at offensive line.

#73 is Patrick Kugler.  Monster offensive tackle and son of Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line coach Sean Kugler he defintely knows what he's doing playing offensive line.  Patrick is a 4 star according to Rivals and comes in at 6'5" 280 pounds.  The experts all say he has a mean streak but also is very technically sound.  Well why wouldn't he be his father is the line coach for the Steelers and let's face it for many years they have been the blueprint for how to play line in the NFL.  The amazing technique would be enough for me but when you throw in the fact that he has a mean streak oh man just makes it that much better.  I love the offensive line haul and Kugler just makes it that much better.

Kyle Bosch comes in at #77.  You guessed it he's another awesome offensive line commit for Michigan.  He adds to the plethera of linemen commits for Brady Hoke at 6'5" 285 pounds he's another big guy on this line.  I'm not saying the offensive line has been horrible but definitely been a bit undersized and Kyle helps add to the bulking up of the line and getting back to Michigan football.  Kyle is a 4-star according to Rivals and is another reason why Michigan debuts with the #1 recruiting class for 2013.  I love me some smashmouth in your face football and I am excited to see Kyle in maize and blue.

Dymonte Thomas at #95.  Now he is also a 4-star and he along with Shane Morris is really the foundation for this amazing class.  He and Shane are the first two commits and don't get me wrong I love Morris but Dymonte is my favorite commit in this class.  Personally I love a badass ball hawking safety that makes plays and will flat lay you out.  Dymonte has put in pretty decent work at RB but he really excels at safety.  At 6'1" 175 pounds he's got good size and with the improvement of the secondary from a year go Dymonte will fight right in when he arrives on campus.  He's ranked 9th at the position but to me he is underrated.  He along with many other Michigan commits will show why. 

TE Jake Butt is ranked #118.  I was real excited when Jaked pledged his commitment.  With Kevin Koger leaving we could definitely use another great TE.  These guys are safety blankets for QB's and are great weapons in the red zone.  Jakie is a 4-star and at 6'6" 230 pounds he will be exactly what I said he is going to be and that's a weapon in the red zone.  He can go up and get the ball, also has great speed and hands.  He is incredibly tough to matchup with for defenders because let's face it at 6'6" he's too tall for corners or safeties and he's too quick for linebackers.  I love this kid's game and he is going to prosper very well being on the opposite end of Shane Morris' passes.

CB Jourdan Lewis comes in at #147.  Jourdan has been blowing up lately with his performances at summer camps.  One of many reasons is his speed.  This kid can flat out fly and I love it.   Jourdan is out of Michigan pipeline Detroit Cass Tech and we all know the type of talent that comes out of there.  He's 5'11" and 170 pounds also rated at a 4-star.  He's rated 10th at his position and I believe he could be a Blake Countess type of talent.  Let's face it he's still got his senior year to develop before he even steps on campus.  I'm very excited for another cornberback with good size and speed to arrive in Ann Arbor.

Monster Guard David Dawson is rated at #171.  As David's twitter name is at MrUnderrated, it definitely fits because let's face it...171?  That's insane in my opinion.  He has dominated every camp that he has been to this summer.  He's rated as a 4-star and is another great product of Detroit Cass Tech.  At 6'5" and 305 pounds he's a beast on the line and literally manhandles defensive linemen.  At the NFTC he won MVP honors and dominated everyone he went up against including touted Ohio commit Billy Price.  Mr. Dawson has made quite the commotion on twitter but let's face it this kid has been through alot and I believe has handled himself very well.  Some people have had him on "decommit watch" but I certainly was not one of them.  He has said on many occasions that he is a Michigan man and I believe him.  Great kid and great talent and another amazing addition to a great offensive line.

Taco Charlton is ranked #175.  Along with Mr. Dawson I believe Taco is underrated.  He has been camping alot this summer and everyone raves about his superior speed off the edge and for good reason.  He has been unblockable in one-on-one drills.  He's another ohio guy and at 6'6" 240 pounds, rated as a 4-star he's a speedy defensive end and has amazing speed off the edge.  Guys seem to have a lot of trouble with his speed.  It's been a while since Michigan has had an "elite" pass rusher and I believe Taco may be it.  Rivals has him rated 8th at his position but let's face it, Taco is a great player and will only continue to improve this summer and in his senior year of high school before coming to Ann Arbor.

#182 is versatile player Wyatt Shallman.  Playing DE and RB for Detroit Catholic Central this kid is a monster.   He's rated 8th at his position but at 6'3" 255 pounds have fun tackling him.  Wyatt is a 4-star and is a freakish athlete.  Being able to play both sides of the ball is very important to me.  For one, it shows that he has great endurance and durability, but also has great football smarts having to be knowledgeable in two positions.  Playing RB and DE I believe helps him at both positions.  I'm excited for Wyatt's arrival at Michigan and as good as he is now, he will only be better next year.

#235 Logan Tuley-Tillman and at 6'7" 321 pounds we don't really need to talk about Logan's physical attributes.  I think he's gotten a low rating because of not so good performances at camps this summer, but he has had a bum left shoulder, which has definitely taken its toll on him.  However, I like the fact that he still goes out there and competes and still does a pretty good job, even if he's not 100%.  He's a 4-star and ranked 24th at his position according to Rivals.  If you don't know about Logan on the field, I'm sure many of you do off the field.  There has been a lot of media uproar over his picture on twitter of lighting the Ohio recruiting letter on fire.  Personally, I love what he did, being a Michigan fan myself.  This is the greatest rivalry in sports and he's just adding to it.  He didn't do anything wrong and I think the way many Ohio fans are reacting to him and the things they are saying to him are way inappropriate and uncalled for. Keep doing your thing Logan.  When he gets back to being 100% I belive he will dominate camps and improve on his low ranking.

At #237 is Ben Gedeon.  4-star LB out of you guessed it, Ohio.  Another amazing pick up for Brady Hoke Ben is 6'3" 215 pounds and is another two way player.  Is a pretty darn good RB but Michigan has definitely brought him in for his great skills at LB.  Along with Mike McCray Ben is a great prospect at linebacker and will do wonders for revamping this always improving Michigan defense.

Alright so there's all the Michigan commits in the newly updated Rivals 250.  In my "expert" opinion haha, Michigan has a lot of underrated recruits.  Outsiders looking in could say, oh you're just biased because you love Michigan.  You're right I do love Michigan, but I'm not biased.  Check the tape people.  Michigan has the #1 recruiting class in the nation for a reason.  I definitely think there are people missing such as Deveon Smith the #1 rated running back in Ohio...where is he at?  I would take Morris over Max Browne any day of the week and he even qualified for the Elite 11 finals before Browne did, yet Morris is still rated lower. C'mon man!  Michigan commits have always received low rankings especially on the expert sites.  David Dawson holds offers from every major program in the country  yet he's rated #171.  Something is up.  I'm not questioning the knowledge of the guys at Rivals, but I definitely think the Michigan commits' standings will be changing over the summer and the following year.  Even with the disrespect they are still the #1 class in the country right now and should be for a long time.

Michigan Basketball In Play For Top 2014 Recruits

Photo Credit: DetroitSBNation

With the release of the Top 50 players according to Rivals, we can now take a look at the position of Michigan's recruiting chances in 2014.  How many recruits is Michigan seriously pursuing and does Michigan have a chance with these top recruits?  Michigan has done very well recruiting for the 2012 and 2013 classes and it should be surprising that Michigan will be competing for some of the top recruits in 2014.

First, before we get into Michigan's chances, let's take a general look at the list.  Only two schools (Virginia, Indiana) currently have commitments on the list.  This shouldn't be surprising, as it's well over two years before any of these recruits will appear on campus, but it does show the momentum of Indiana's program.  Along with this, the list is pretty well spread out geographically, although it is interesting to note that 6 of the top 15 players on the list come from the Midwest area.  Obviously, this does not mean Michigan will get commitments from any of these players, but it does show that there is a lot of talent in the area and that most of the Big Ten teams will probably have a good recruiting year.

Now that we've gone through a few interesting things about the list, let's go into the topic everyone cares about.  Where does Michigan stand with the recruits on the list?  In my opinion, Michigan is in solid shape for several of these recruits.  Michigan will probably never be able to match the recruiting status of teams like Kentucky, but if Beilein is able to keep landing high caliber recruits it will just be a matter or time before he is able to build Michigan's program and prestige for the long-term.

1.  Rashad Vaughn - G - #26 - 4*
Vaughn is a player that I believe could make an immediate impact at Michigan if he reaches campus.  He is listed as 6'4" according to Rivals, but 6'5" and 180s lbs by Scout.  Rivals has him as 4*, but Scout doesn't seem to have him quite as high.  Some of his other offers include schools like Tennessee, Texas, Iowa, and Baylor.  I really think he's a player that could have a big impact playing as a SG.  With Derrick Walton coming in 2013, I couldn't imagine how aggressive Michigan could be with Walton and Vaughn.  This is one to keep on eye on for Michigan fans.


2.  Devin Booker - G - #31 - 4*

Booker is from Moss Point, MS and has received much attention as of late.  Rivals has him listed as 6'3" and weighing 180 lbs, but Scout has him at 6'4" and weighing 175 lbs.  Most speculate that Michigan is in good position to land a commitment, though very early.  Booker also seems to be set-up to be a SG at Michigan, although others speculate that he might be able to play PG as well.  He averaged 23 points per game over this season at his high school, which is pretty impressive.  His father also played in the pros, which may follow the tradition of NBA offspring choosing Beilein as a coach for their sons.  He would be a great pick-up for Michigan and I do think he has the possibility of moving up a bit farther over the next year or so, although it's too early to say for sure.

3.  Keita Bates-Diop - F - #39 - 4*

Keita is from Normal, Illinois (Yes, that's really the name of the town).  He is listed as a small forward, 6'7", and 190 lbs by Rivals and he is listed as a power forward, 6'6", and 180s lbs by Scout.  I think he's a bit too small to be a true power forward for Michigan, especially with some of the immense size Beilein is bringing to campus, but he could do some damage as a small forward for Michigan if he ends up on campus.  He's being recruited by several other Big Ten schools including Illinois, Wisconsin, Purdue, and Northwestern, so picking him up would be pretty big.  I would like to see what he can do over the next few months before I can predict the scale of his impact right away if he comes to Michigan.

4.  Drake Harris - G - #46 - 4*

This could be the most interesting recruit in the 2014 class for Michigan.  Not only is he from Grand Rapids, Michigan, but he is also being heavily pursued by MSU.  This could be one of the first major Beilein vs. Izzo recruiting battles.  Along with this, there is speculation that Harris could be a two sport athlete and play football in the fall and basketball in the winter.  I'm not so sure how feasible this would be in college athletics, but it's certainly something unusual.  Izzo has said he's a "priority" for MSU, which is going to make it pretty hard for Beilein to get him in Ann Arbor.  Harris has had good things to say about Michigan, however, and I think his recruitment is far from over.  Harris is listed as 6'4" and weighing 180 lbs.  This is probably the commit I want the most in this class.  Not only because he's an outstanding player, but who doesn't like stealing a commit away from their rival?

5.  Trevon Bluiett - F - #47 - 4*

The final recruit Michigan seems to be deeply pursuing hails from Indianapolis, Indiana.  He is listed as 6'5" and weighing 185 lbs and a small forward.  Bluiett, like Harris, is going to be a battle for Michigan.  He has received attention from many schools including Indiana, Illinois, MSU, Notre Dame, and OSU.  He is amazingly talented and is going to be a great pick-up for whichever schools he ultimately decides to attend.  This is purely specualtion, but I think this could be a recruitment that goes far in to the future.  Indiana has been doing a great job at snatching up their in-state talent, but I think this might be a player that takes a little longer to convince, if they do at all.



Whether or not Michigan lands these recruits, it should be a great year for Michigan.  Since Michigan has been able to secure so many early commitments in 2012 and 2013, the coaching staff has been able to dedicate a lot of time to 2014 recruiting, which should ultimately help bring in another great class to Ann Arbor.  Make sure to stay tuned because the recruiting battles should start heating up between Michigan and some of the big-time college basketball programs this year.

Caleb Stacey De-commits From Michigan

Since Brady Hoke has taken over the helm at the University of Michigan, fans haven't had to experience many recruiting problems in the last year.  Not only did Hoke and staff add several significant players to the 2011 recruiting class, but they have done a tremendous job in assembling a 2012 class that may be one of Michigan's best, ever.  However, less than 3 hours ago, offensive lineman recruit Caleb Stacey announced his decision to de-commit from Michigan and take his talents to the University of Cincinnati.

Now, obviously this is a hit for Michigan's class.  Stacey was listed as a three star prospect by Rivals and 17th in his position group.  He would have almost certainly been a "development" player for Michigan, most likely playing as an upperclassman, but there is no doubt he brought a lot of potential to Michigan's football team.  As of late, Michigan has lacked significant depth on offensive line and every recruit like Stacey can help to alleviate that problem.

Are Michigan's chances at having solid offensive line depth ruined by Stacey's de-commitment?  No way.  In fact, Michigan's 2012 class currently has four offensive line recruits  already committed (excluding Stacey) including a five star, two four stars, and a three star commit.  Basically, if one simply looks at these rankings, Stacey would have been the fourth best lineman recruited in this class alone.  Obviously, recruiting rankings don't guarantee success, but these types of rankings do play a role in recruiting.

These rankings show that Stacey's departure may not have a profound impact on Michigan.  With four offensive line commitments already and other potential five star recruits, I highly doubt this will be something that haunts Michigan in the future.  In fact, I've seen speculation from some that this de-commitment could actually be a positive for both Stacey and Michigan.  Stacey will have a much better chance at playing at Cincinnati (no other Cincinnati offensive lineman is rated above Stacey) and Michigan will have more room in this year's class to go after a players like Jordan Diamond who are more highly touted.

So, this decision may be a tad disappointing right now, but I truly believe that in the long run, both sides will be happy.  Stacey has a pretty respectable reason for playing there, he wants to stay closer to home, and Michigan is trying to secure a class that could not only vault Michigan to Big Ten championships, but maybe national aspirations as well.  Basically, nobody should be massively disappointed about this recruiting development.

Is it something Michigan fans should be happy about?  Obviously not.  Stacey was recruited by Michigan for a reason.  If Hoke and the staff really thought he couldn't play, he wouldn't have been offered a scholarship to begin with.  Having said that, I don't think it's a horrible development for Michigan either.  Michigan already has some great offensive line recruits and has potential for more.  Michigan fans should respect Stacey's decision and be satisfied that this has been one of the first negative recruiting developments under Hoke's leadership.


Photo Credit: MLive

Wide Receiver Jehu Chesson Commits To Michigan

Today, Jehu Chesson from St. Louis, committed to the Wolverines to become #24 in the 2012 recruiting class.  This is a big pick-up for Michigan primarily because the team was in need of another wide receiver.  Brady Hoke has commented several times that the class would probably be around 26 commitments.  However, with several wide receivers graduating this season and many of the current players being upperclassmen, gaining at least two wide receiver commitments was crucial for long-term success.

Chesson is rated as a three star prospect by Rivals and Scout and is rated anywhere from #82 to #89 at his position across the country.  Basically, this means that he's a solid recruit, but not one that is going to "change" the entire team's dynamic the minute he walks on campus.  Scout says he's "tall and lanky," but needs to bulk up to become a true impact player.  If a recruit has a down-side, size may be the problem most coaches and fans would want because a recruit typically gains significant weight through training camp and their first season, effectively removing the "problem."

With the current depth at wide receiver, Chesson will have some time to develop under experienced players without being forced to contribute the day he walks on campus, which is always an advantage.  It's great to have a player who can make a difference and build game-experience quickly, but it can also be helpful if the player can avoid the limelight in their development, at least for a short-time.  Players like Roundtree, Gallon, and Stonum will be back next year, giving Chesson at least a full season where he could play off the bench or potentially red-shirt, although I doubt that will happen simply because there is some depth concerns at the position.

From all the information he seems to be a very tough and competitive player, which are some of the key aspects Brady Hoke is trying to build into this team.  It is pretty unlikely he'll get significant playing time next year without some injuries to other players, but I think there is a great possibility he will play a decent amount of time and make a few solid plays.  He is a great addition to this recruiting class and will help secure a position that was a big need for this class.  With two wide receivers commitments (the other being four star Amara Darboh), this class is nearing completion, bringing one of the best groups to campus next fall Ann Arbor has seen in a long time.  There are sure to be some huge expectations for this class and players like Chesson.

Photo Credit: Rivals