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Drew Singleton, Wolverine

Paramus (NJ) Catholic LB Drew Singleton (image via North Jersey)

Paramus (NJ) Catholic linebacker Drew Singleton committed to Michigan on Friday evening. He chose the Wolverines over offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Georgia. LSU, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, and Rutgers, among others.

Singleton is 6’2″, 215 lbs. and was selected to the Under Armour All-American Game before he tore his ACL early in his senior season.

RATINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 82 grade, #3 ILB, #162 overall
Rivals: 4-star, #4 OLB, #51 overall
Scout: 4-star, #4 OLB, #72 overall
247 Sports: 4-star, 95 grade, #5 OLB, #79 overall

Hit the jump for more on Singleton’s commitment to Michigan.

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Jordan Anthony, Wolverine

Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy LB Jordan Anthony

Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy linebacker Jordan Anthony committed to Michigan on Thursday evening. He chose the Wolverines over offers from Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Maryland, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Pitt, and Tennessee, among others.

Anthony is listed at 6’1″, 226 lbs. and claims a 4.73 forty with a 36″ vertical.

RATINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 83 grade, #9 ATH, #123 overall
Rivals: 4-star, #1 ILB, #26 overall
Scout: 4-star, #13 OLB, #185 overall
247 Sports: 4-star, 92 grade, #12 OLB, #208 overall

Hit the jump for more on Anthony.

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Attractive Michigan Girl of the Week

If you have any other pictures of good looking women wearing Michigan gear, drop me an e-mail. Go Blue!

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What I’ve Been Reading: Swing Your Sword

Swing Your Sword by Mike Leach and Bruce Feldman is somewhat an autobiography of Mike Leach, the current coach at Washington State. It’s also a big f*** you to Texas Tech, a school that he badmouths repeatedly, including the higher-ups. Of course, we all know by now that Leach was fired by the Red Raiders for reasons that were, well, questionable. Much of it revolves around his treatment of the son of Craig James, but Leach makes the point that it might have been financially driven, too.

The book flows smoothly from chapter to chapter, and it doesn’t get bogged down too much in the politics of coaching at Texas Tech. I think it was partly a vehicle for Leach to repair his reputation, partly a way for him to get back at the administration in Lubbock, and partly a way for Bruce Feldman to tell a very interesting story about modern college football. Leach is a bit of an odd duck, but I really respect him as a coach because he does pretty well with some so-so talent. I wish there was a little more X’s and O’s in here, but he does devote a chapter to X’s and O’s stuff, and he also talks frequently about the logistics of coaching. The book almost beats you over the head with the question “Why?” Why run these plays? Why run these drills? Why build your offense this way? Why have these rules? I have seen coaches doing drills, setting rules, etc. that don’t seem to have practical reasons, and it ends up wasting time or energy that could be put toward more useful things.

I thought it was a very good book for someone like me to read. As coaches, we need to be eclectic and take a couple things from various places that we can apply to our own teams and lives. This gave me a couple tools that I can use going forward, and it was entertaining in the meantime. I don’t follow Leach much now that he’s in the Pacific Northwest at Washington State, but he is coming to a clinic near me that I’m going to try to attend this off-season. I’m looking forward to that opportunity if I can make it happen.

Review of 2011 TTB Ratings

Frank Clark

If you’re doing any last-minute Christmas shopping on Amazon, please consider using the below link(s) to support TTB while you’re at it. Thank you!

With class of 2011 high school prospects having wrapped up their college careers by now, it’s a good time to take a look back at the TTB Ratings I assigned for those players five or six years ago. The 2011 class was my first batch of TTB Ratings, so I’m interested to see how it went. It also happened to be the transition year between Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke.

Keep in mind that the ratings (fully explained here) are intended to project how players will fare at Michigan and, to a certain extent, in the NFL Draft. I do not take into account how players will do once they get to the NFL or how they will pan out if they transfer to other programs. I will give myself a grade of 1-5 like a 5-point grading scale (5 is best, 1 is worst) for each player; I reserve the right to give myself an incomplete if the guy never made it to his first season. I’ll work down the list from highest to lowest with a brief career recap for each player:

Hit the jump for the ratings review.

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