I will be posting updates for today on this here thread, with the most recent developments at the top so you can stay abreast of what’s going on without having to scroll too far.
NATIONAL LETTERS OF INTENT RECEIVED BY MICHIGAN
- QB Dan Villari (LINK)
- WR Roman Wilson (LINK)
- OL Reece Atteberry (LINK)
- DE Jaylen Harrell (LINK)
- WR A.J. Henning (LINK)
- OL Jeffrey Persi (LINK)
- LB Cornell Wheeler (LINK)
- LB Kalel Mullings (LINK)
- LB William Mohan (LINK)
- CB Andre Seldon (LINK)
- DL Aaron Lewis (LINK)
- S Makari Paige (LINK)
- LB Nikhai Hill-Green (LINK)
- S Jordan Morant (LINK)
- DL Kris Jenkins, Jr. (LINK)
- WR Eamonn Dennis (LINK)
- RB Blake Corum (LINK)
- S R.J. Moten (LINK)
- OL Zak Zinter (LINK)
- LB Osman Savage (LINK)
- TE Matt Hibner (LINK)
- DE Braiden McGregor (LINK)
COMMITMENTS ELSEWHERE FOR OFFERED PROSPECTS
- RB Isaiah Jacobs (Maryland)
- RB Jase McClellan (flipped from Oklahoma to Alabama)
- DE Van Fillinger (Utah)
- LB Justin Flowe (Oregon)
- WR Sam Brown (West Virginia)
- LB Phillip Webb (LSU)
- RB E.J. Smith (Stanford)
- WR Bryan Robinson (Florida State)
- CB Arian Smith (Georgia)
- QB C.J. Stroud (Ohio State)
- WR Rakim Jarrett (flipped from LSU to Maryland)
- DT Marcus Dumervil (LSU)
- WR Johnny Wilson (flipped from Oregon to Arizona State)
- WR Johnquai Lewis (Kansas)
- CB Jaiden Francois (Nebraska)
- QB Anthony Romphf (Purdue)
- WR Kentron Poitier (Florida State)
- LB Len’Neth Whitehead (Tennessee)
- OT Tobias Braun (Ole Miss)
- OT Myles Hinton (was already committed to Stanford but signed his NLI)
- CB Malcolm Green (flipped from LSU to Clemson)
- CB Geovonte Howard (Purdue)
You need to login in order to vote
Looks like you’re missing Reece Atteberry
You need to login in order to vote
So we’re lacking in DTs, and it was a big problem this year, but we decide not to recruit any? One marginal CB in the class, but five LBs? This is how you go 8-4/9-3 every year for the foreseeable future.
You need to login in order to vote
The days of any consistent championship football at Michigan are over. Population Demographics have changed and OSU has locked its talent rich state down. Michigan fans need to adapt to this modern reality that yes, 9-3 with more than regular OSU ass kickings and MAYBE a once every 10 years championship of some kind is as good as it gets. This is the modern state of Michigan football.
Of the ten top recruiting states 7 of them lie in the SEC. Only Ohio, California & North Carolina do not. The SEC dominance bears this geographic fact out having FIVE teams in the SEC that are capable of winning a National Championship: Ala, Aub, Ga, Fl & LSU.
The ACC has 1 – Clemson
B10 has 1 – OSU
Thats it folks !
The Big 12 has none.
The Pac 12 has none.
Its not going to change for Michigan because the high number of top rated recruits needed to compete with the likes of SEC contenders & OSU just are not going to leave their general geographic area of residence – their ‘home’ – to attend the University of Michigan. It is simply tooo far away geographically. Hell, can’t even recruit a player from Ohio anymore……….
Michigan football fans need to adjust to this modern reality.
As I See It…………INTJohn
You need to login in order to vote
Sobering
You need to login in order to vote
My comment was not even about talent level, although that has fallen off as well during Harbaugh’s tenure, and this class has essentially no impact players. But now Harbaugh has gotten to the point where he isn’t even addressing needs at critical positions with bodies, never mind talent. Only taking one marginal CB and no DTs in a class of 22 borders on coaching malpractice.
You need to login in order to vote
So December 18, 2019 was the only day that class of 2020 prospects can sign? Shucks.
You need to login in order to vote
Wow, yeah, I was, like, totally, utterly, completely unaware that guys can still sign. Thanks for bringing me up to speed on that, dude.
So now prove me wrong with your projections of who else we’re likely to sign. What impact players at DT, CB or anywhere else are still champing at the bit to play for Harbaugh?
You need to login in order to vote
I can’t prove you wrong with projections.
You need to login in order to vote
Ok……….
Project him wrong with ur projections.
Sorry, couldn’t resist, intjohn
You need to login in order to vote
As far as the future of Michigan football; I’m far more interested presently as to when Harbaugh”s contract is renewed or extended. He has 2 years remaining on the current one which is nowhere near what most high school recruits parents like to see regarding the employment status of the HC & staff their son may commit to.
When will Michigan meet this recruitment need to provide continuity & stability regarding the current Harbaugh regime’s ability to maintain the positive recruiting that exists at Michigan? What will be the recruitment impact for next year IF Harbaugh has but 1 year remainning going into the 2020 season?
The fact that this is lingering gives credence to arguments that perhaps Harbaugh does plan on leaving – perhaps even that him staying 5 years was the original plan to begin with. I have no idea and am not trying to create a dust storm but with only 2 years remaining it’s getting about time for an extension or renewal for recruitments sake or ????? INTJohn
You need to login in order to vote
I would not be surprised by Harbaugh’s departure at any point from Jan 2, 2020 onward.
You need to login in order to vote
I would not be surprised by it either. Not saying it will or should happen and he will never be fired nor do I think he should be relieved. If he does depart it will be because he wants to go somewhere else not because Michigan showed him the door…….
Given all of that, what value, what does Michigan Football and Harbaugh have to gain by not extending or issuing a new contract NOW? Unless Harbaugh and/or Michigan doesn’t want to be locked into something that both parties know isn’t going to last……..
Does it matter if the timing on a new contract is now or 3 weex from now? Unless Harbaugh is interested in NFL options once that season is over? The ‘hangin in limbo’ of it all to me is telling from the stand point that Harbaugh may in fact be keeping his options open re the ‘right NFL opportunity’ and if that doesn’t occur then Warde & Harbaugh sign a new deal…….
Smells as if something is going on even if that ‘something’ is presently a ‘nothing’ in order to keep options open for a future possible ‘something’. Either way a new contract has to be forthcoming soon or it will be seem more & more apparent that Harbaugh will be leaving.
And by soon I mean the next several weex at most……INTJohn
You need to login in order to vote
Bottom line is, Harbaugh has accomplished all he is likely to here. He pulled us back up to 9-3ism after the RR/Hoke experiments, but he’s clearly hit his ceiling in terms of recruiting and on-field performance, and is not going to take this program to an elite level, as many hoped and expected he would. Maybe he’s comfortable with that and likes where he is, but I think the right NFL offer will have him moving on again.
You need to login in order to vote
Was it clear that Dabo Swinney had hit his ceiling after YEAR 7 having never finishing higher than 8th in the country and averaging 4 losses a year?
You need to login in order to vote
I’m not a fan of the Dabo-Harbaugh comparison
On the one hand, we’ve got fans claiming the only reason some (Clemson) program excel is cheating, and that the only reason Harbaugh can’t get there is because he won’t cheat
Are either of those two scenarios expected to change? NO. Our best hope is fantastic QB play, carrying the team from 9 to 11 or even 12 wins. Recruiting will pick up when we move past 3-5 losses a year
You need to login in order to vote
Swinney had NEVER been a head coach before he took over at Clemson, in the middle of a season. Harbaugh had already been a head coach for 10 years when he got here. So comparing their career trajectories from the start of their current posts is kinda dumb. But you keep doing it.
And if you think that Harbaugh is on course for a big upswing in HIS sixth or seventh year, you’re deluding yourself. His recruiting has regressed, and he’s not developing the players he has to an elite level. Nobody but the most hard-core Kool-Aid drinkers thinks that next year is going to be anything but more 9-3.
You need to login in order to vote
What’s dumb is asserting – with no basis in fact – that it is “clear” that Harbaugh has hit his ceiling.
Equating ceiling to next year’s record is also dumb.
Do I need to list a bunch of examples of coaches – each one different in some way you can identify – that have not had their on-field performance peak before their 5th season at a school?
Bo didn’t win a bowl game till year 12. He didn’t hit his ceiling until 5 years later.
Osborne was ‘stuck’ on 9 or 10 win seasons until year 10.
You need to login in order to vote
When you say that Bo didn’t hit his ceiling until his 17th year at Michigan, you just make a joke of yourself.
And why do you keep trying to compare win totals of coaches who played 10 or 11 game regular seasons to now? More dumb.
You need to login in order to vote
For the record, I believe Schembechler only had two 10-game regular seasons at Michigan. The rest were 11-game seasons.
You need to login in order to vote
Yeah it’s not the exact same thing. Bo typically played 1 or 2 top 10 caliber opponents while Harbaugh typically plays 3 or 4. The Big 10 was not as strong back then.
The point — that you conveniently aren’t addressing — is that Schembechlers best teams came later in his career.
If there was a 1960s version of WCB he would have fired Bo for never winning a bowl game. Sure – he does OK in conference – but when things are really on the line in the Rose Bowl he falters.
You need to login in order to vote
Harbaugh doesn’t need a BIG upswing. He’s produced top 10 caliber teams every year. There’s not that much higher to go.
Obviously easier said than done to beat OSU but not impossible. Some of us can remember all the way back to 2016.
You need to login in order to vote
After Bowl games, none of Harbaugh’s teams have finished CFP top10. The closest we’ve come is AP, 2016 finishing at 10
If you’re opining on caliber/potential alone, I could agree. This makes the results all the more frustrating
You need to login in order to vote
Anyone who’s watched us against OSU the last two years knows that there’s a LONG way this team has to go before they get to the next level. Seriously, you need to stop saying such stupid shit.
You need to login in order to vote
I enjoy your comments on here WCB. It’s beneath you to stoop to saying things are dumb and stupid without backing up your argument.
You need to login in order to vote
I agree given a 5 year sample that Harbaugh has taken Michigan about as far as it can go and that he’ll never be able to take Michigan to an elite level BUT I don’t think anyone will be able to take Michigan to an elite level simply because there is not the kind of recruiting talent needed for an elite level in the Michigan/ B10 region.
The best Michigan can do is defeat OSU periodically but that will mean getting some decent recruits from the state of Ohio – cutting into that talent that now all goes to OSU. This has always been the only way Michigan has ever been able to beat the Buckeyes. That also means that OSU’s talent level will be diluted from its present state meaning OSU will no longer be ‘elite’ and basically bringing the B10 back to its level of the Bo & Woody years of the 70’s but throw PSU into the mix……… The Big 3 and the lil 11 if you will and still getting its ass kikt by any elite team from the SEC……..
Back to Harbaugh: I don’t think he’s cut from the mold of a Beamer, Chryst or Ferentz where he’s content to ‘find a home’ settle in with above average mediocrity and never leave……… No, I think he goes back to NFL soon having brought Michigan out of ‘the bondage of Egypt’ like Moses, but Moses never lead Israelites into the ‘Promised Land’ either – that was reserved for a young, aggressive, visionary warrior named Joshua (not trying to draw any parallels to “Josh” Gattis here)……
nuff 4 now……….intjohn
You need to login in order to vote
Obviously John you have not considered that there is an easy fix – FIRE THE COACH.
Michigan doesn’t even need a coach with all these resources and institutional advantages and fans with high standards at their disposal.
As soon as Harbaugh is out of the way the chips will start rolling in.
If they absolutely insist on having a head coach then I suggest Bill Belichik. But he might be past his time so maybe M needs to set their eyes even higher. Talking cloud-level. Maybe the Man Above is available. That would finally be a suitable candidate to take Michigan above the last 70 years of 9-3ism.
You need to login in order to vote
Haha but All sarcasm aside, I’ve written on this site that if Michigan ever replaces Harbaugh they will need to find a HC who can recruit Ohio and has either direct or indirect ties to OSU ala Bo , Moeller , etc. Someone like Fickell or Fleck. Guys who get Ohio and can recruit that state. again I’m not saying at all to hire Fickell or Fleck ; what I’m saying is Michigan’s next HC needs to be somebody who has previous ties with OSU – either as a player or coach or both and understands and can recruit Ohio……… like Bo & Moeller could.
Michigan’s last 2 Heisman winners were both from the state of Ohio. Then Michigan will be able to compete with the Buckeyes on the field.
As far as ‘elite’ status for Michigan ?
Never going to happen…………INTJohn
You need to login in order to vote
Kwoting Lank: “Osborne was ‘stuck’ on 9 or 10 win seasons until year 10”.
Since Osborne has been brought up which correlates with Nebraska…….
Nebraska is in a somewhat similar position to Michigan in as much as that fanbase too is trying to come to grips with a modern reality that doesn’t include past greatness………
Nebraska cut its recruiting umbilical cord when it joined the B10. Texas was always the place where Neb got most of its talent and it was a good thing when it competed in the Big12 & predecessor names as it played those teams of that geographic region. But those players & families from that region don’t care about a game played in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois or for gawd sake New Jersey…………. SOooo if you think Michigan is having a hard time getting elite talent to return to ‘former glory’ Neb is realy in a world of hurt.
…..and Frost? What an idiot. He could’ve been a GOD at UCF and in the middle of Florida being one of the great recruiting areas laden with talent. Instead fuking Nebraska? IF Neb was still in the B12 I’d say he had a shot but being in the B10 – no effing way.
The Cornfuskers fuskered themselves………intjohn
You need to login in order to vote
I agree Jon. There are a lot of parallels.
Nebraskas big problem is that it joined the Big 10 and has to play more than 1 hard game a year now. They don’t have any natural advantage but have a passionate fanbase and historical cache. Their historical rival has ascended to the next level and they haven’t. At the very top it’s a zero-sum game.
That criticism of Frost could go for Harbaugh too. I think he unquestionably chose his emotions over his objective interests. Probably overqualified for the job and wouldn’t have chosen it, save for the “prodigal son” connection to the past. Entitled fans ignore this is the best guy they’re going to get so they better have, like, an ounce of resilience. Tough place to win and even tougher to make people happy.
You need to login in order to vote
I keep reading how mediocre this recruiting class is. I had noted the lack of elite blue chippers but hadn’t checked where our class stood nationally in a little while. It looks we’re ranked all the way way down low place of…12th (per 247).
This made me chuckle a bit. The 2018 class was ranked 22nd and is producing a ton of good players. Harbaugh’s 3 other classes were ranked in the top 10.
The ’14 and ’15 classes were ranked 20 and 37.
Recruiting, like the on-field production, has taken a big step up under Harbaugh. He’s a notch below the (possibly) cheating elite. Within striking distance – where most of the country wants to be.
If there is a big area of improvement for Harbaugh I think it’s player retention.
You need to login in order to vote
Has recruiting taken a big step? I remember Carr, Hoke and even RR having similarly ranked classes (minus transition years). The problem had been – and is – gaps. With RR it was Defense, with Hoke it was Offense. With Harbaugh, it’s started at OT, and is now DT & Corner; not a single one of his recruited QBs has started a game, after five years
You need to login in order to vote
Honestly, I don’t really get the “gap” argument. There is no gap, or at least no discernible one. Offensive tackle has been fine, for the most part; going forward it looks fine. (EDIT: There were questions at OT, but they were fixed by personnel moves and coaching moves, such as Warinner to OL coach, Runyan to LT, Bushell-Beatty replacing Ulizio, etc.) Defensive tackle has had numbers; there have been injuries. Cornerback has had numbers; there have been departures.
It really seems like people are forgetting that Michigan recruited Mazi Smith and Chris Hinton in the 2018 class, along with Jalen Perry and DJ Turner.
You need to login in order to vote
Gaps:
At OT, Harbaugh didn’t have his own guy start until Year5. That’s not because it was some upperclassmen behind quality talent. Mayfield is only a FR, and was behind a prototype Guard (Runyan) and JBB…
QB qualifies as a gap because we still haven’t recruited a starter, and even in year6, would be better off chasing Costello as a transfer
DT, we had to play an overblown FB at DT, and line up a walk-on Saftey at DT against mf WISCONSIN!
CB, if Thomas leaves, who is starting? Gray is okay, but NOT a lockdown Corner. Noone else from 16-19 classes have sniffed the field
I think those all qualify as gaps. Not just against ohio, but have contributed to blowouts against PennSt & Wisconsin. At OT, that gap contributed heavily (IMO) to Harbaugh dumping his preferred offense, and hiring a brand new, inexperienced OC, which led to a whole season of transition
You need to login in order to vote
I don’t count QB as a gap. It doesn’t matter where the QBs come from. It only matters if they’re productive. Oklahoma doesn’t have a QB gap, even though they’ve had transfers starting there for the past four years (IIRC, 2 years of Mayfield, 1 of Murray, 1 of Hurts). I don’t know if Costello is necessarily an upgrade, and I think he would be damaging to Michigan’s QB room altogether.
At DT we didn’t “have” to play a FB at DT. We just did. It wasn’t a necessity, IMO. And neither was Glasgow at DT. Those were questionable personnel decisions, but they weren’t necessities.
“If Thomas leaves…” is a question that every team faces at one spot or another. What if Nick Eubanks leaves at TE? Okay…but he shouldn’t. If you have unexpected departures, you get the next guy ready, you recruit to fill the spot, or you look for a transfer. Ohio State didn’t have someone groomed and ready to go if Dwayne Haskins left; they got Justin Fields to transfer in. Very few teams have a ready-and-waiting backup who’s experienced and ready to go if the starter leaves. This isn’t EA Sports where you can just recruit the crap out of high schoolers and keep them around for five years, building up talented and experienced depth year after year. You have your starters, you have your quitters/escapees, and then you have the young guys getting ready to step up.
You need to login in order to vote
Come on, Thunder. I’m not talking about some video game expectation, or even ohio/OU result. The reality of our situation is, we don’t have 1 guy to cover buckeye WRs, let alone the 5-6 they keep trotting out there
“This isn’t EA Sports … “
You need to login in order to vote
I’m not sure I understand. We have Ambry Thomas, a top-200 player (Jalen Perry), the #233 player (Andre Seldon), Gray, and the potential for others. Michigan has players with quality recruiting juice. Are they any good on the college level? I don’t know…because Ambry Thomas and Lavert Hill were both pretty good and stayed pretty healthy during the season.
Nobody has guys to cover Buckeye wide receivers. Their QB threw 40 touchdowns and 1 interception.
You need to login in order to vote
OL and QB are not really positions where you need to pushing “your guys” in at a young age.
OL – I think Drevno can be criticized but Harbaugh has addressed this situation with recruiting numbers AND a coaching change. Not every ‘gap’ can be addressed immediately but the OL now is in a better place than it has been since 2011 at least.
QB – You can complain about Brandon Peters I guess. They wanted to get Kostello but settled for a backup plan. The bottomline is that Harbaugh has gotten very good production from transfers after inheriting not all that much (Speight). The 2nd Harbaugh QB recruited – McCaffrey – seems poised for success. Going after a transfer this offseason would be a mistake IMO.
CB – recruiting and on-field production have been excellent. It is only recently that recruiting has fallen off a bit. Part of that is the same issue you see at DT – retention has been a problem. How would we feel if Myles Sims and Benjamin St Juste were still on the roster? I think at best you can say this is a concern that hasn’t materialized yet.
DT – well I think people are a bit spoiled after 2016 — the greatest DL in Michigan history. The DTs criticized the most in 2018 produced an NFL player (Bryan Mone). They recruited well here, in numbers and ranking, but had a ton of attrition from recent classes. Recruiting 5-star pure DTs — easier said than done. The 2020 DT group looks really strong.
You need to login in order to vote
You didn’t disagree with the gaps, just explained them. I mostly agree with what you wrote, but will expand:
– I don’t want young QB/OL playing too early either. But NONE of our recruited QBs have started. At OT, we didn’t start one until Year5 (a freshman)
– agree on Drevno, but this is Harbaugh’s program
– CB production has been fantastic, albeit in 8-10 games a year. Lacking in the rest, which (in part) is on recruiting. Where I see a gap here is in the next year or two. Desperately need Thomas to stay, and remain healthy
– DT has sufffered a lot of attrition, but my problem is what we’ve done about it: recruiting DEs and hoping they work out. I see no reason not to go after an actual DT ea year – we play in the B1G, not the ACC
You need to login in order to vote
CB – no gap but projecting one
OT – a gap that has been fully resolved
QB – no gap due to successful transfers
DT – not a recruiting ‘gap’ but an issue of retention and/or developmental preference.
As you know Welchin JE, the true DT thing has been debated to death. The competition for elite DTs is very stiff. Look where they are from and where they end up. Michigan has done well in getting Solomon and Hinton and keeping Mazi Smith.
They are either going to have to take ‘true DTs’ with limitations OR they are going to have to develop some SDEs into DTs with more upside. This is the reality unless they take a uh… more Clemsian approach.
They have had plenty of success with DL development over the years. Most of it with Greg Mattison around, granted. So, their strategy is backed by past success.
I welcome more DT recruits along with more SDE recruits, and more WDE recruits. But those numbers need to come from somewhere, particularly as liberalized red-shirting and transfers use up more scholarships. I continue to suggest RB and LB as the perennially oversupplied locations.
You need to login in order to vote
I agree that we often take a RB or LB who’s scholly can be better applied. That said, it’s not a matter of ELITE defensive tackles, it’s that we keep skipping classes
Fair enough on the projected CB gap
But the Tackle gap was there – for 4 years – which supports my original point
At QB, I’m fine with taking transfers, but we’re taking them because our own recruited guys haven’t been good enough. That’s another gap
You need to login in order to vote
I agree regarding recruiting. The baseline of Michigan’s talent right now is significantly higher than it was during the Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke years. There were a TON of questionable athletes brought in during those years.
For the most part (though it’s not 100%), you’re seeing Jim Harbaugh recruits compete for playing time or go elsewhere and contribute. If you go back to 2010, that Rich Rodriguez class included DJ Williamson, Jerald Robinson, Jordan Paskorz, Christian Pace, Ken Wilkins, Conelius Jones, Austin White, the Talbott brothers, Davion Rogers, Demar Dorsey, etc. Aside from Dorsey – who had the athleticism but not the mental makeup – that’s just a giant waste of scholarship spots.
Here’s the thing about recruiting right now, IMO: Demar Dorsey would NOT be recruited by Jim Harbaugh. People talk about wanting 5-stars, but a 3-star like Devin Gil has given Michigan more than Dorsey ever did. Yeah, you can always cherry-pick guys, but my point is that Harbaugh is recruiting guys who can play. He’s not wasting time with many guys who have huge question marks.
I think you (and maybe others) have commented that my TTB Ratings are generally higher than they once were, and that’s part of the reason. Maybe Harbaugh will never have a guy who earns crazy award recognition like Denard Robinson did, but he has fewer total whiffs. Rodriguez was a boom-or-bust coach. He had guys making waves (Pat White, Steve Slaton, Khalil Tate, Denard Robinson, etc.), but he also put guys on the field who didn’t have any business being there. Harbaugh has guys on the field who BELONG on a Big Ten football field, even if they’re not quite as flashy – and obviously people like Rashan Gary, Devin Bush Jr., Chase Winovich, etc. are valued higher by the NFL than a guy like Denard.
You need to login in order to vote
Harbaugh didn’t recruit Winovich.
You need to login in order to vote
I’m not necessarily saying that he recruited them. Rich Rodriguez didn’t recruit every guy he put out on the field, either. But some of them didn’t belong.
Winovich got on the field because he deserved to be on the field, and WHEN he deserved to be on the field. He wasn’t good enough during his first couple years in college. When he was finally good enough, he was a very good backup for Taco Charlton and then an excellent starter in his own right.
You need to login in order to vote