About to ramble all over the place, just for the fun of it:
- Assuming Greg Frey joins the staff (awaiting official announcement), it raises a few interesting points. First, don't confuse him with the OL coach under the Hoke regime, Funk. Far superior coach. Second, don't confuse the stink of the Hoke regime with Frey's performance as an OL coach. He did a fine job as our OL coach and sent several players to the NFL. Also, he has not been a RichRod cronie, like many member of that staff, who has been dependent on him for future positions. Rather, he has impressed in helping to put together a dynamic offense at Indiana, a program that does not attract nearly the quality of player that a Michigan or even Michigan State can recruit. Third, Frey's expertise is in zone blocking schemes. What does this mean about the future direction of Michigan's offense. On the one hand, the Harbaugh brand of smash-mouth football that was established at Stanford essentially entailed having the offensive linemen line up and overpower their opponents. Not zone-blocking whatsoever. Will there now be a change at Michigan, especially given the failure of the offensive line to secure late wins against Iowa and Ohio State? Is this a function of Harbaugh believing that he will not have the OL talent to play his traditional smash-mouth football in 2017? Or is it a change in his offensive philosophy? Also, if the OL is expected to do a bit of both will they simply become okay at both but masters at neither? Finally, what does this suggest in terms of the QB position in 2017? the sort of scheme that Indiana ran, and also the zone-blocking scheme, is more conducive to a more mobile QB. Will this create a window of opportunity for Brandon Peters? Don't forget that Harbaugh has a history of being willing to go with the more inexperienced, and mobile, QB in the past. Just look at what he did in choosing Colin Kaepernick over the then rejuvenated Alex Smith. Could history repeat itself?
- A lot of negativity among recruitnicks with respect to Kurt Taylor ending up in the class. Some complained that he did not even rush for 1,000 yards this year for Grayson. Now, I don't know whether Taylor will end up signing with Michigan or not, but do not put to much credence into stats. In fact, Tennessee just offered a back-up RB for Grayson who only had a couple of carries last year. Go figure.
- Best "guestimates" on remaining recruits:
Mekhi Becton: 70%. Michigan staff considers him a true-blue chipper. Feeling good here
Aubrey Solomon: 55%. Hearing a lot of positive buzz here from all over the place. If he were from north of the Mason-Dixon line and did not have a history of changing his mind it would be 80%.
Nico Collins: 40%. I honestly just don't know here. After his last Georgia visit and Michigan coaching staff changes things have been thrown into flux, but could easily move back into Michigan's favor once our coaches meet with him.
Oliver Martin: 50%. A lot of noise that Michigan has jumped into the lead, and he is a definite take. What happens if Nico jumps on board. May Oliver decide to look elsewhere. Just too fluid a situation to go above 50%.
Willie Gay: 20%. Keeping it low because LSU was named his recent leader and how many kids have we actually pulled out of Mississippi? The answer is one (Jeremy LeSeuer). Hope I'm wrong, because he is an immediate impact type.h
Jay Tufele: 5%. I think he ends up at Utah, although there has been some recent confidence emanating from the Michigan staff. Our staff has a propensity to be confident, however. Good thing for the program, but not always so much help in reading the tea leaves.
Ellis Brooks: 30%. I just have a feeling that if Michigan misses out on Gay there could be a last-minute push for Brooks.
Tory Carter: 50%. LSU offensive scheme going in a different direction, so this one is trending up even though it has been quiet on the Michigan side. Some tweets from his coach, however, seem to indicate Michigan is in a strong position.
C.J. Thorpe: 10%. Long-time PSU verbal and a legacy. Will be tough to flip, but his dad played with Mike Zordich and the fact that he has a scheduled visit gives Michigan a glimmer of hope. If he does not cancel the visit after his upcoming Penn State visit the odds will increase to about 25%.
Paris Ford: 10%. I think that we need another safety. Long-time Pitt verbal and a real talent. Can we get him on campus? Doubt it, but who knows.
Ifeatu Melifonwu: 25%. Syracuse verbal from Grafton, MA receiving some late Michigan interest. Back-up plan if we miss on some higher-rated targets? A WR/S, and we need a safety.
Unknown sleeper prospect: 25%. I would not be surprised to see somebody not listed above emerge late as a target and join the class. Likely? No. Possible? Yes.
- Some thoughts on some current verbals:
Most likely to not end up in class: Ka-Leon Herbert, Kurt Taylor
Underrated: O'Maury Samuels, Andrew Stueber, James Hudson, Joel Honigford, Jaraymond Hall
Overrated: Jordan Anthony, Jaylen Kelly-Powell, Phillip Paea, Corey Malone-Hatcher
Most likely to change position: Brad Hawkins. If Michigan lands Collins and/or Martin there will be more of a need for Hawkins on defense. Ben Mason. In today's modern spread game he seems to be best suited as a fullback as opposed to trying to defend in space.
Most raw: Kwity Paye. Playing inside in practice reps at Under Armour AA game he was not put in a position to succeed. Don Brown will know how to use him, mostly in space, and once he gets used to elite competition his ceiling is high.
Need to make an early impact: At least one of the safeties. I am not a huge fan of either Kelly-Powell or Woods. Kelly-Powell is solid overall but not necessarily a high-ceiling kid. Woods is tall and rangy but raw and may actually grow into an OLB. Is either the answer for early reps at safety? What about the aforementioned Brad Hawkins? He may be the most game-ready.
Kid I like a lot: Benjamin St. Juste. Offered early by Michigan but recruiting services caught up on his talent late. With his length I wonder if he is physical enough to play safety, as there is more of an opportunity for him there than at corner.
High ceiling, low floor: Deron Irving-Bey. Some love him, some don't. No questioning his raw talent, but he has played against poor competition and will need to get his motor going sooner rather than later to make an impact at Michigan.
Most likely to make an early impact: DPJ. Could break into the starting line-up sooner rather than later. A special talent. Ambry Thomas. Was considered the superior prospect at corner to Hill while a junior at King, and Hill is our top returning talent at corner. Will definitely be in the rotation. Cesar Ruiz. Hard to put an OL on the list but there is a huge need and he is the most highly rated and college-ready. Also, had the advantage of going up against elite talent every day the past two years at IMG, so the step-up in talent should not be a major issue.
- Some thoughts on the team:
Curious to see who plays safety and who plays viper. Metellus and Glasgow both moved to viper for the bowl game. That leaves returning safety depth as nil after Kinnel and Hudson (there has even been some talk of Hudson playing LB). I can't see both remaining at viper. Need more competition at safety.
With the incoming frosh class and returning sophs there are a lot of athletes at LB. Very youn, but definitely a change from a couple of years ago when one staff member said that our LBs were more football players than athletes. In the modern game, where offenses spread out, the defense needs athletes at LB. Now a handful of these kids will have to emerge sooner rather than later.
Look for the offense to try and get more touches for Khalid Hill. He has a unique skill-set.
- Assuming Greg Frey joins the staff (awaiting official announcement), it raises a few interesting points. First, don't confuse him with the OL coach under the Hoke regime, Funk. Far superior coach. Second, don't confuse the stink of the Hoke regime with Frey's performance as an OL coach. He did a fine job as our OL coach and sent several players to the NFL. Also, he has not been a RichRod cronie, like many member of that staff, who has been dependent on him for future positions. Rather, he has impressed in helping to put together a dynamic offense at Indiana, a program that does not attract nearly the quality of player that a Michigan or even Michigan State can recruit. Third, Frey's expertise is in zone blocking schemes. What does this mean about the future direction of Michigan's offense. On the one hand, the Harbaugh brand of smash-mouth football that was established at Stanford essentially entailed having the offensive linemen line up and overpower their opponents. Not zone-blocking whatsoever. Will there now be a change at Michigan, especially given the failure of the offensive line to secure late wins against Iowa and Ohio State? Is this a function of Harbaugh believing that he will not have the OL talent to play his traditional smash-mouth football in 2017? Or is it a change in his offensive philosophy? Also, if the OL is expected to do a bit of both will they simply become okay at both but masters at neither? Finally, what does this suggest in terms of the QB position in 2017? the sort of scheme that Indiana ran, and also the zone-blocking scheme, is more conducive to a more mobile QB. Will this create a window of opportunity for Brandon Peters? Don't forget that Harbaugh has a history of being willing to go with the more inexperienced, and mobile, QB in the past. Just look at what he did in choosing Colin Kaepernick over the then rejuvenated Alex Smith. Could history repeat itself?
- A lot of negativity among recruitnicks with respect to Kurt Taylor ending up in the class. Some complained that he did not even rush for 1,000 yards this year for Grayson. Now, I don't know whether Taylor will end up signing with Michigan or not, but do not put to much credence into stats. In fact, Tennessee just offered a back-up RB for Grayson who only had a couple of carries last year. Go figure.
- Best "guestimates" on remaining recruits:
Mekhi Becton: 70%. Michigan staff considers him a true-blue chipper. Feeling good here
Aubrey Solomon: 55%. Hearing a lot of positive buzz here from all over the place. If he were from north of the Mason-Dixon line and did not have a history of changing his mind it would be 80%.
Nico Collins: 40%. I honestly just don't know here. After his last Georgia visit and Michigan coaching staff changes things have been thrown into flux, but could easily move back into Michigan's favor once our coaches meet with him.
Oliver Martin: 50%. A lot of noise that Michigan has jumped into the lead, and he is a definite take. What happens if Nico jumps on board. May Oliver decide to look elsewhere. Just too fluid a situation to go above 50%.
Willie Gay: 20%. Keeping it low because LSU was named his recent leader and how many kids have we actually pulled out of Mississippi? The answer is one (Jeremy LeSeuer). Hope I'm wrong, because he is an immediate impact type.h
Jay Tufele: 5%. I think he ends up at Utah, although there has been some recent confidence emanating from the Michigan staff. Our staff has a propensity to be confident, however. Good thing for the program, but not always so much help in reading the tea leaves.
Ellis Brooks: 30%. I just have a feeling that if Michigan misses out on Gay there could be a last-minute push for Brooks.
Tory Carter: 50%. LSU offensive scheme going in a different direction, so this one is trending up even though it has been quiet on the Michigan side. Some tweets from his coach, however, seem to indicate Michigan is in a strong position.
C.J. Thorpe: 10%. Long-time PSU verbal and a legacy. Will be tough to flip, but his dad played with Mike Zordich and the fact that he has a scheduled visit gives Michigan a glimmer of hope. If he does not cancel the visit after his upcoming Penn State visit the odds will increase to about 25%.
Paris Ford: 10%. I think that we need another safety. Long-time Pitt verbal and a real talent. Can we get him on campus? Doubt it, but who knows.
Ifeatu Melifonwu: 25%. Syracuse verbal from Grafton, MA receiving some late Michigan interest. Back-up plan if we miss on some higher-rated targets? A WR/S, and we need a safety.
Unknown sleeper prospect: 25%. I would not be surprised to see somebody not listed above emerge late as a target and join the class. Likely? No. Possible? Yes.
- Some thoughts on some current verbals:
Most likely to not end up in class: Ka-Leon Herbert, Kurt Taylor
Underrated: O'Maury Samuels, Andrew Stueber, James Hudson, Joel Honigford, Jaraymond Hall
Overrated: Jordan Anthony, Jaylen Kelly-Powell, Phillip Paea, Corey Malone-Hatcher
Most likely to change position: Brad Hawkins. If Michigan lands Collins and/or Martin there will be more of a need for Hawkins on defense. Ben Mason. In today's modern spread game he seems to be best suited as a fullback as opposed to trying to defend in space.
Most raw: Kwity Paye. Playing inside in practice reps at Under Armour AA game he was not put in a position to succeed. Don Brown will know how to use him, mostly in space, and once he gets used to elite competition his ceiling is high.
Need to make an early impact: At least one of the safeties. I am not a huge fan of either Kelly-Powell or Woods. Kelly-Powell is solid overall but not necessarily a high-ceiling kid. Woods is tall and rangy but raw and may actually grow into an OLB. Is either the answer for early reps at safety? What about the aforementioned Brad Hawkins? He may be the most game-ready.
Kid I like a lot: Benjamin St. Juste. Offered early by Michigan but recruiting services caught up on his talent late. With his length I wonder if he is physical enough to play safety, as there is more of an opportunity for him there than at corner.
High ceiling, low floor: Deron Irving-Bey. Some love him, some don't. No questioning his raw talent, but he has played against poor competition and will need to get his motor going sooner rather than later to make an impact at Michigan.
Most likely to make an early impact: DPJ. Could break into the starting line-up sooner rather than later. A special talent. Ambry Thomas. Was considered the superior prospect at corner to Hill while a junior at King, and Hill is our top returning talent at corner. Will definitely be in the rotation. Cesar Ruiz. Hard to put an OL on the list but there is a huge need and he is the most highly rated and college-ready. Also, had the advantage of going up against elite talent every day the past two years at IMG, so the step-up in talent should not be a major issue.
- Some thoughts on the team:
Curious to see who plays safety and who plays viper. Metellus and Glasgow both moved to viper for the bowl game. That leaves returning safety depth as nil after Kinnel and Hudson (there has even been some talk of Hudson playing LB). I can't see both remaining at viper. Need more competition at safety.
With the incoming frosh class and returning sophs there are a lot of athletes at LB. Very youn, but definitely a change from a couple of years ago when one staff member said that our LBs were more football players than athletes. In the modern game, where offenses spread out, the defense needs athletes at LB. Now a handful of these kids will have to emerge sooner rather than later.
Look for the offense to try and get more touches for Khalid Hill. He has a unique skill-set.
