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2021 Recruiting Update: January 8, 2019

Avon (IN) Avon OT Blake Fisher (image via Irish Sports Daily)

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2021

Ethan Calvert – LB – Westlake Village (CA) Oaks Christian: Calvert is a 6’1″, 215 lb. prospect with offers from Utah and Washington. He’s a 247 Sports 3-star and a former teammate of Michigan running back signee Zach Charbonnet.

Liam Clifford – QB – Cincinnati (OH) St. Xavier: Clifford is a 6’2″, 190-pounder with offers from Cincinnati and Pitt, though Michigan was his first offer. He claims a 4.4 forty. Clifford was not the starter at QB this past season and played a lot of wide receiver, but he will likely take over the starting QB position in the next year or two.

Blake Fisher – OT – Avon (IN) Avon: Fisher is a 6’6″, 300 lb. prospect with offers from Florida State, Notre Dame, and Wisconsin, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #10 offensive tackle, and #88 overall. He attends the alma mater of Michigan quarterback Brandon Peters.

Hit the jump for a few more newly offered players.

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Clemson 44, Alabama 16: A Few Very Quick Thoughts

• I thought Alabama would win this one, 42-34. A blowout victory by Clemson was not what I saw coming at all.
• Clemson out-coached Alabama. Nick Saban made some dumb decisions. It seemed like Alabama was more in desperation mode. Maybe they knew behind closed doors that they were the underdog in this one.
• Also, Clemson’s dudes just happened to show up in this game, and Alabama’s didn’t. There’s a universe where Alabama wins this game handily, but when Justyn Ross and Tee Higgins are making ridiculous plays on the outside, when Tua’s having an off game, etc., it’s just really tough to stop that avalanche once it gets going.
• The biggest surprise to me was Alabama’s inability to punch the ball in after long drives. Alabama was gashing Clemson with the run. The top three running backs had 31 carries for 163 yards . . . and zero touchdowns. I think Alabama got too cute with the RPO stuff when the outside and inside zone were working.
• Tee Higgins was my #1 wide receiver in the 2017 class, ahead of Donovan Peoples-Jones. Both are very good players, but Higgins is a touch ahead, and he’s in a system that is going to take advantage (3 catches for 81 yards tonight). Maybe Jerry Jeudy should have been up there somewhere, too, I guess.
• If I’m an elite wide receiver, I’m going to Clemson. In my opinion, there’s no other school in the country that develops receivers better than Clemson. Yes, they recruit elite talent (Higgins, Justyn Ross, etc.), but they actually get a chance to showcase their talents. And even when they’re not putting up eye-popping numbers, they’re making big plays and playing in big games.
• Trevor Lawrence is another guy I really liked coming out of high school. I said during the 2018 recruiting cycle that he reminded me of Peyton Manning with his ability to understand the game and anticipate defensive coverages. Lawrence is a better athlete and they have different personalities, so they’re not spitting images, but you can see how well Lawrence reacts to what defenses are giving him.
• It was interesting to me to watch those two offenses play. I’ve been studying spread offenses more and more since my high school season ended, and as I continue to get a better grasp on what teams like Alabama and Clemson are doing in their run game, pass game, RPO stuff, etc., it’s fun to make calls in my living room and see whether those respective offensive coordinators/quarterbacks see what I’m seeing. I was doing pretty well early in the game when both teams were in shootout mode, but once Tua lost his mojo and Clemson took their foot off the gas, my guess accuracy started to fizzle, too.
• Damien Harris and Najee Harris get all the hype for being 5-star recruits, but the guy in Alabama’s backfield who impresses me most is Josh Jacobs. He can run, catch, block, play wildcat QB, etc. Perhaps a bit like Kenyan Drake, Jacobs might be the unheralded guy at Alabama who doesn’t really show what he can do until he gets to the NFL.
• We’ve known this for a while, but Michigan would have been smashed by both of these teams if the Wolverines would have sneaked into the playoff at #4 with a win over Ohio State and then Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship. The line of scrimmage would have been dominated by Alabama/Clemson, and they would have made mincemeat of Michigan’s safeties. I’d rather lose in a playoff blowout than in a Peach Bowl blowout to Florida, but Michigan would have ended the season with an embarrassing loss either way.

Site News: Attractive Women Might Not Exist Anymore

Look at those abs! (image via GCGme)

In addition to today’s bad news of Greg Mattison going to Ohio State and other potential bad things, I have something to add:

The attractive women feature on TTB appears to be going the way of the dodo, as Google has started to hit me with a bunch of violations of their AdSense policy. This happened at MGoBlog to get rid of the “sexybits,” as they like to call them, and Google must have finally got around to checking out a smaller site like mine. Over the span of a few days, Google notified me of 19 violations, and they are creeping ever closer to my current timeline. (The most recent post they flagged was from December 28, 2018).

Considering that AdSense is typically over 70% of my monthly income from the blog, I literally can’t afford to push the limits of their tolerance.

I know some people will be disappointed by this development, but at the same time, I have had some comments indicating that certain people avoid my site because of the “sexybits.” Those people will be welcome to come back without fear of their boss or wife walking past.

At this point I’m not sure what, if anything, will fill the 10:00 p.m. slot on the site. I had been using it for interesting links and breaking news, but without the eye candy, I’m not sure if that will still be worth the effort. I generally don’t have the time to write two posts per day, so this may just limit my posts to 6:30 a.m. and then any worthwhile breaking news throughout the day.

What would you do if you were me? Is there anything you would like to see at 10:00 p.m. (or as an easy second post each day) to fill the void? Would you still read and discuss the links I have been providing at that time, or would the absence of the eye candy send you elsewhere?

Mini-CFP Championship Preview: Alabama vs. Clemson

I know you’re going to buy something from Amazon today, so please use the links here at TTB to make your purchases (LINK).

ALABAMA ROSTER NOTES

• Players recruited by Michigan: LB Christopher Allen, LB Eyabi Anoma, LB Markail Benton, OL Tommy Brown, DB Shyheim Carter, LB Ben Davis, DB Trevon Diggs, OL Emil Ekiyor, TE Miller Forristall, RB Damien Harris, RB Najee Harris, TE Hale Hentges, TE Kedrick James, WR Jerry Jeudy, DB Josh Jobe, WR Derek Kief, DB Nigel Knott, OL Alex Leatherwood, LB Terrell Lewis, DB Jared Mayden, LB Josh McMillon, LB Dylan Moses, OL Chris Owens, LB Jarez Parks, OL Kendall Randolph, DL LaBryan Ray, WR Henry Ruggs III, WR Tyrell Shavers, TE Irv Smith, Jr., DB Patrick Surtain II, TE Major Tennison, WR Jaylen Waddle, OL Jonah Williams, WR Xavier Williams, OL Jedrick Wills, Jr., LB Mack Wilson,
• OL Emil Ekiyor and RB Damien Harris were previously committed to Michigan
• Cornerback Trevon Diggs is the younger brother of former Maryland and current Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs
• Tight end Irv Smith, Jr. is the son of former Notre Dame and NFL tight end Irv Smith
• Cornerback Patrick Surtain II is the son of former Southern Miss and NFL cornerback Patrick Surtain
• Alabama QB coach Dan Enos was employed by Michigan for a short time in the 2017-2018 off-season

CLEMSON ROSTER NOTES

• Players recruited by Michigan: OG Matt Bockhorst, QB Chase Brice, OL Jackson Carman, WR T.J. Chase, RB Lyn-J Dixon, DE Clelin Ferrell, CB Mark Fields, DE Justin Foster, C Zach Giella, CB Mario Goodrich, DE K.J. Henry, WR Tee Higgins, OT Mitch Hyatt, DL Xavier Kelly, QB Trevor Lawrence, DE Justin Mascoll, CB Kyler McMichael, CB Trayvon Mullen, S Tanner Muse, WR Diondre Overton, WR Amari Rodgers, WR Justyn Ross, DE Logan Rudolph, DE Xavier Thomas, LB Regan Upshaw, CB LeAnthony Williams
• Safety Brian Dawkins, Jr. is the son of former Clemson and NFL safety Brian Dawkins
• Cornerback Mark Fields II is the son of former Washington State and NFL linebacker Mark Fields
• Linebacker Regan Upshaw is the son of former Cal and NFL defensive end Regan Upshaw

LAST TIME THEY PLAYED MICHIGAN . . . 

• Michigan has never played Clemson.
• Michigan is 2-2 against Alabama. The last time they played was in the season-opener of 2012, which Alabama won, 41-14. The series between Michigan and head coach Nick Saban is also 2-2, as he went 1-2 at Michigan State vs. the Wolverines.

PREDICTION

• Alabama 42, Clemson 34

2020 Recruiting Capsule: Oak Park ATH Enzo Jennings

Oak Park (MI) Oak Park athlete Enzo Jennings (image via 247 Sports)

Name: Enzo Jennings
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 175 lbs.
High school: Oak Park (MI) Oak Park
Position: Athlete
Class: 2020
Offers: Alabama, Auburn, Boston College, Central Michigan, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Temple, Tennessee, Toledo
Commitment: Uncommitted

Notes: Teammate of 2020 OG Justin Rogers . . . Claims 4.39 shuttle and 37.5″ vertical . . . 247 Composite 4-star, #7 ATH, #2 in-state, #85 overall as of 1/4/18

Stats: N/A

Highlights: