The latest edition of Inside the Fort, including plenty of football and recruiting information.
Starting with Football Recruiting …
For a while it was being reported that Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy four-star offensive tackle Daniel Faalele would be officially visiting Michigan this weekend, but that is no longer the case. Things have cooled between the 6-9, 390-pounder and U-M as he appears to be focusing on schools down south such as Georgia, Alabama and Clemson more than he is northern schools like Michigan.
The No. 23 offensive tackle in the country is very much a work in progress, but his size and athleticism are beyond intriguing. Faalel has never given much away when it came to his recruitment but he usually mentioned Michigan as a school he was interested in. Even though the jumbo lineman spoke highly of U-M, the staff decided to put energy into other players and chose not to pursue Faalele as signing day approaches.
Springfield (Ohio) High four-star tight end Leonard Taylor was once committed to Michigan, but decommitted after other schools started showing him attention, most notably, Ohio State. Now, the 6-5, 240-pounder is still uncommitted and is not being recruited by either the Buckeyes or the Wolverines.
It was reported rather recently that that Taylor would be in Ann Arbor this weekend for an official visit, but that’s no longer the case. Taylor, the No. 18 tight end in the country, hasn’t developed well over the course of his last two seasons and his recruitment has suffered. It looks like he’d like to pick things back up with Michigan but U-M doesn’t seem to be willing to reciprocate the interest.
Two teammates who are still planning to officially visit Michigan are Valdosta (Ga.) Lowndes three-star athlete Michael Barrett and three-star offensive tackle Jalen Goss. The talented pair from The Peach State will take their official visits sometime in December, which will give Michigan a very good opportunity to make a last-ish impression before the two sign a let of intent in February.
Barrett, a 6-0, 200 pound athlete, plays quarterback in high school but Michigan likes him at running back. With Buford (Ga.) High three-star running back Christian Turner and Eureka (Mo.) High two-star running back Hassan Haskins already in the fold, it’ll be interesting to see how aggressively the U-M staff pushes for Barrett’s commitment. He’s a player that the staff has been incredibly high on for a while and would seeming still take his verbal should he want to give it.
At 6-6, 270-pounds, Goss is a specimen. He’s extremely athletic and has very little bad weight on his body. He’s very similar to Grand Rapids (Mich.) Catholic Central three-star offensive tackle and Michigan commit Jalen Mayfield in terms of how they’re both built and how they can move. Goss has surpassed other offensive tackles on Michigan’s board like Faalele and Cordova (Tenn.) High four-star offensive tackle Jerome Carvin. Even though Michigan does have a commitment from Mayfield and Traverse City (Mich.) West three-star offensive tackle Ryan Hayes, Goss is a take all day long.
Finally, even though he was removed from the most recent edition of The Sweet 16, the Wolverines are still recruiting Concord (N.C.) High four-star defensive tackle Rick Sandidge. The No. 2 defensive tackle and No. 32 prospect overall nationally will be in Ann Arbor sometime in January for his official visit which will give the Michigan staff a chance to make a huge impression on him very close to National Signing Day.
South Carolina is still going to be hard to beat for the 6-5, 263-pounder, but he and his family absolutely loved the time they spent in Ann Arbor earlier this year and bonded extremely well with U-M’s recruiting staff. The coaches and recruiting assistants will certainly sell the academic angle at U-M compared to that of South Carolina and will also plug the ability for him to come in and contribute early a la Aubrey Solomon.
Smart money is probably still on the Gamecocks, but don’t rule out the Maize and Blue with a monumental official visit coming in January.
****
To football now, and where things stand with the quarterback situation.
All we can tell you is what we hear from great sources … and there’s been a lot of silence on this subject much of the week. There have been rumblings from good sources that doctors have cleared redshirt freshman Brandon Peters to play, but that doesn't mean he will.
Those extremely close to it say fifth-year senior John O’Korn took the majority of the reps in practice this week, and that he had a “good week of practice” (again, please don’t shoot the messenger).
“He made plays,” they said.
And that, of course, hasn’t often translated to Saturday, so take from it what you will. O’Korn was supposed to be the ‘The Guy’ for Jim Harbaugh, and as we reported, those closest to it were extremely confident he would beat out redshirt junior Wilton Speight back in the day. It didn't happen, of course, but if he’s the guy Saturday, he has a chance to do something guys like Chad Henne never did and be a winner in this rivalry.
More sources have said Peters was not taking reps very late in the week, so we’d expect O’Korn to be the guy.
Speight, meanwhile, teased folks this week by putting out a picture of the front of the playbook for the week with his name on it. He will not be ready to play, however, from everything we’ve heard.
Up front, we still expect true freshman Cesar Ruiz to start at right guard Saturday, but for sophomore Mike to also be more ready to go than he has in weeks.
In long-term injury news, receiver Tarik Black injured his foot against Air Force on Sept. 16, and after undergoing surgery had required a scooter to get around.
Black rode around for about two months with one leg propped up on the scooter, and seemingly wasn’t able to get around effectively without it.
However, he’s finally walking on his own. That certainly doesn’t mean he’ll return this season, but it’s the first step (literally) on a long road to recovery.
A few weeks back we told you there could be several options on the offensive line next season beyond what’s on the roster. Michigan had big success with grad transfer quarterback Jake Rudock, and head coach Jim Harbaugh and his staff have kicked the tires on some linemen in the past few years, but haven’t taken any.
That could change this year … in fact, we expect it to. U-M needs more competition, and sources down south (and elsewhere) say there are two or three really good options for the Wolverines, guys on teams whose coaches have been released or kids looking for a change of scenery.
Michigan coaches can’t (and won’t) tamper with those guys right now, of course, but they are going to have options.
That’s not the only position for which high profile grad transfers will be considered, either. We can’t elaborate, though we will tell you to stay tuned on that one.
****
Finishing with basketball now …
Michigan’s loss to LSU will likely look like a ‘bad’ loss at the end of the year, but the coaches were overall pleased with the progress the team made in Hawaii. Head coach John Beilein is starting to figure out which lineups work best, and there’s still hope that guys like grad transfer point guard Jaaron Simmons and sophomore shooting guard Jordan Poole can contribute.
Beilein isn’t going to go with an 11-man rotation, but he’s still not down to the eight or nine who are going to play the most. They like the way the offense moves with freshman point guard Eli Brooks in the mix, but Brooks (like Simmons) struggles defensively. They do like his effort, however.
On Poole … he’s starting to play (and shoot) with some of the swagger he showed in high school, and he’s seeing a few more minutes. There’s a chance he’ll continue to. Poole got off to a rocky start off the court (nothing serious or sinister), which put him behind the eight ball early. He showed flashes in Hawaii, however, and could help this team, this year.
Much of the rotation is set, of course. Senior Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahkman at the shooting guard, redshirt sophomore Charles Matthews on the wing, fifth-year senior Duncan Robinson at the four and Moritz Wagner at the five are locks to continue to start. They’re still looking for more offensive aggressiveness from frosh Isaiah Livers at the four, but he’ll play, and sophomore center Jon Teske has played well and will continue to play.
Brooks will likely see more and more time, but the point guard position remains a work in progress. Beilein and his staff are going to continue to tinker with this, and all three guys are still in the mix and could play situationally.
Starting with Football Recruiting …
For a while it was being reported that Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy four-star offensive tackle Daniel Faalele would be officially visiting Michigan this weekend, but that is no longer the case. Things have cooled between the 6-9, 390-pounder and U-M as he appears to be focusing on schools down south such as Georgia, Alabama and Clemson more than he is northern schools like Michigan.
The No. 23 offensive tackle in the country is very much a work in progress, but his size and athleticism are beyond intriguing. Faalel has never given much away when it came to his recruitment but he usually mentioned Michigan as a school he was interested in. Even though the jumbo lineman spoke highly of U-M, the staff decided to put energy into other players and chose not to pursue Faalele as signing day approaches.
Springfield (Ohio) High four-star tight end Leonard Taylor was once committed to Michigan, but decommitted after other schools started showing him attention, most notably, Ohio State. Now, the 6-5, 240-pounder is still uncommitted and is not being recruited by either the Buckeyes or the Wolverines.
It was reported rather recently that that Taylor would be in Ann Arbor this weekend for an official visit, but that’s no longer the case. Taylor, the No. 18 tight end in the country, hasn’t developed well over the course of his last two seasons and his recruitment has suffered. It looks like he’d like to pick things back up with Michigan but U-M doesn’t seem to be willing to reciprocate the interest.
Two teammates who are still planning to officially visit Michigan are Valdosta (Ga.) Lowndes three-star athlete Michael Barrett and three-star offensive tackle Jalen Goss. The talented pair from The Peach State will take their official visits sometime in December, which will give Michigan a very good opportunity to make a last-ish impression before the two sign a let of intent in February.
Barrett, a 6-0, 200 pound athlete, plays quarterback in high school but Michigan likes him at running back. With Buford (Ga.) High three-star running back Christian Turner and Eureka (Mo.) High two-star running back Hassan Haskins already in the fold, it’ll be interesting to see how aggressively the U-M staff pushes for Barrett’s commitment. He’s a player that the staff has been incredibly high on for a while and would seeming still take his verbal should he want to give it.
At 6-6, 270-pounds, Goss is a specimen. He’s extremely athletic and has very little bad weight on his body. He’s very similar to Grand Rapids (Mich.) Catholic Central three-star offensive tackle and Michigan commit Jalen Mayfield in terms of how they’re both built and how they can move. Goss has surpassed other offensive tackles on Michigan’s board like Faalele and Cordova (Tenn.) High four-star offensive tackle Jerome Carvin. Even though Michigan does have a commitment from Mayfield and Traverse City (Mich.) West three-star offensive tackle Ryan Hayes, Goss is a take all day long.
Finally, even though he was removed from the most recent edition of The Sweet 16, the Wolverines are still recruiting Concord (N.C.) High four-star defensive tackle Rick Sandidge. The No. 2 defensive tackle and No. 32 prospect overall nationally will be in Ann Arbor sometime in January for his official visit which will give the Michigan staff a chance to make a huge impression on him very close to National Signing Day.
South Carolina is still going to be hard to beat for the 6-5, 263-pounder, but he and his family absolutely loved the time they spent in Ann Arbor earlier this year and bonded extremely well with U-M’s recruiting staff. The coaches and recruiting assistants will certainly sell the academic angle at U-M compared to that of South Carolina and will also plug the ability for him to come in and contribute early a la Aubrey Solomon.
Smart money is probably still on the Gamecocks, but don’t rule out the Maize and Blue with a monumental official visit coming in January.
****
To football now, and where things stand with the quarterback situation.
All we can tell you is what we hear from great sources … and there’s been a lot of silence on this subject much of the week. There have been rumblings from good sources that doctors have cleared redshirt freshman Brandon Peters to play, but that doesn't mean he will.
Those extremely close to it say fifth-year senior John O’Korn took the majority of the reps in practice this week, and that he had a “good week of practice” (again, please don’t shoot the messenger).
“He made plays,” they said.
And that, of course, hasn’t often translated to Saturday, so take from it what you will. O’Korn was supposed to be the ‘The Guy’ for Jim Harbaugh, and as we reported, those closest to it were extremely confident he would beat out redshirt junior Wilton Speight back in the day. It didn't happen, of course, but if he’s the guy Saturday, he has a chance to do something guys like Chad Henne never did and be a winner in this rivalry.
More sources have said Peters was not taking reps very late in the week, so we’d expect O’Korn to be the guy.
Speight, meanwhile, teased folks this week by putting out a picture of the front of the playbook for the week with his name on it. He will not be ready to play, however, from everything we’ve heard.
Up front, we still expect true freshman Cesar Ruiz to start at right guard Saturday, but for sophomore Mike to also be more ready to go than he has in weeks.
In long-term injury news, receiver Tarik Black injured his foot against Air Force on Sept. 16, and after undergoing surgery had required a scooter to get around.
Black rode around for about two months with one leg propped up on the scooter, and seemingly wasn’t able to get around effectively without it.
However, he’s finally walking on his own. That certainly doesn’t mean he’ll return this season, but it’s the first step (literally) on a long road to recovery.
A few weeks back we told you there could be several options on the offensive line next season beyond what’s on the roster. Michigan had big success with grad transfer quarterback Jake Rudock, and head coach Jim Harbaugh and his staff have kicked the tires on some linemen in the past few years, but haven’t taken any.
That could change this year … in fact, we expect it to. U-M needs more competition, and sources down south (and elsewhere) say there are two or three really good options for the Wolverines, guys on teams whose coaches have been released or kids looking for a change of scenery.
Michigan coaches can’t (and won’t) tamper with those guys right now, of course, but they are going to have options.
That’s not the only position for which high profile grad transfers will be considered, either. We can’t elaborate, though we will tell you to stay tuned on that one.
****
Finishing with basketball now …
Michigan’s loss to LSU will likely look like a ‘bad’ loss at the end of the year, but the coaches were overall pleased with the progress the team made in Hawaii. Head coach John Beilein is starting to figure out which lineups work best, and there’s still hope that guys like grad transfer point guard Jaaron Simmons and sophomore shooting guard Jordan Poole can contribute.
Beilein isn’t going to go with an 11-man rotation, but he’s still not down to the eight or nine who are going to play the most. They like the way the offense moves with freshman point guard Eli Brooks in the mix, but Brooks (like Simmons) struggles defensively. They do like his effort, however.
On Poole … he’s starting to play (and shoot) with some of the swagger he showed in high school, and he’s seeing a few more minutes. There’s a chance he’ll continue to. Poole got off to a rocky start off the court (nothing serious or sinister), which put him behind the eight ball early. He showed flashes in Hawaii, however, and could help this team, this year.
Much of the rotation is set, of course. Senior Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahkman at the shooting guard, redshirt sophomore Charles Matthews on the wing, fifth-year senior Duncan Robinson at the four and Moritz Wagner at the five are locks to continue to start. They’re still looking for more offensive aggressiveness from frosh Isaiah Livers at the four, but he’ll play, and sophomore center Jon Teske has played well and will continue to play.
Brooks will likely see more and more time, but the point guard position remains a work in progress. Beilein and his staff are going to continue to tinker with this, and all three guys are still in the mix and could play situationally.
