2010 TSUN News offseason (football)

[goblue15]

To say RR needs to win big next year is an understatement, dude's job is on life support.

U-M to name Domino's Dave Brandon their athletic director

U-M to name Domino's Dave Brandon athletic director

Angelique S. Chengelis / The Detroit News
January 04. 2010

Dave Brandon, the chairman and CEO of Domino's Pizza and a former Michigan football player and university Regent, has agreed to a five-year contract to become Michigan's new athletic director and is expected to be introduced to the department staff Tuesday morning, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation.
Brandon, 57, has deep ties to the university and also to Michigan business and politics and has long been considered the front-runner to replace athletic director Bill Martin.



Martin, who began his tenure as AD in 2000 in an interim capacity, on Oct. 21, 2009, announced his plans to retire. He will officially retire on Sept. 4, the opening game of the football season when the newly renovated Michigan Stadium will be dedicated. Martin is expected to work as a consultant to the school president until the fall.

In Brandon, she has found an astute, dynamic businessman, who was elected to serve as a U-M Regent in 1998 until he lost re-election in 2006. In 2008, he served on a committee organized by Coleman to explore Michigan's future in intercollegiate athletics. He also has been active, along with former Michigan football coach Lloyd Carr, in raising money for the new U-M Mott Children's Hospital.



But Brandon's influence has been state-wide in terms of businesses and politics. While Brandon was always thought to be the leading candidate to replace Martin as athletic director, there were strong indications he would be the Republican gubernatorial candidate.



His new position as athletic director means an end, at least for now, to Brandon's political aspirations, which will have profound implications for the 2010 state gubernatorial race. Brandon has been a chairman of the Business Leaders for Michigan, and he had drawn significant support from state business leaders to run for governor.



He also has been active in a leadership role in the Michigan Turnaround Plan to improve the future of state businesses.

...cont'd

 

[jwinslow]

Murphy to Maryland | mgoblog

Murphy to Maryland
Per rivals.
Link behind a paywall.

DE Murphy was the lowly recruited teammate of blue-chip CB Tony Grimes. They were a package deal likely headed to Michigan (most big schools didn't offer Murphy), then assistant coach Hopson left Michigan. That shook up Grimes (who was a UM lock). That makes this rumor very interesting.

...

UM rivals is now reporting that Grimes has dropped michigan.

Stadium&Main discussion here:
Scout.com: Grimes and Murphy have dropped Michigan

 

[Dryden]

Grimes named U-M his leader four days ago, but has now changed his mind since he just recently learned Michigan gets cold in the winter.

Clarence Murphy doesn't think Grimes is coming to Michigan | mgoblog

 

[Redhawk]

Wednesday Recruitin' | mgoblog

The Wolverines are still in a small group for Tony Grimes, though Ole Miss is probably his new leader. To add insult to injury, Tony was just selected to participate in the USA v. the World All-Star Game. Jay Hopson's departure may have played a role here.

In other recruiting attrition, 2009/2010 FL CB Adrian Witty sounds like he will not be making it to Ann Arbor. Though some fans speculated that Michigan offered him only to help land Denard Robinson last year, the coaches seemed to really like Witty, and losing him is a hit. With Michigan's extensive DB recruiting in the class of 2010, hopefully the damage is limited.

The final piece that appears to be dropping out of Michigan's 2010 class is TX RB Tony Drake. The source is admittedly second-hand, but Michigan commits talk to the coaches about recruiting a hell of a lot more than you or I do. At this point its tough to consider Drake committed.

....

As mentioned last week, OH DT Jibreel Black is expected to take a January visit to Ann Arbor. I believe Michigan's only other big recruiting weekend will be January 30th, the weekend before Signing Day.

 

[Redhawk]

Michigan quarterback Tate Forcier rehabbing shoulder injury, battling staph infection - AnnArbor.com

The shoulder injury Michigan quarterback Tate Forcier played through last season was a slightly torn right labrum, a person familiar with the injury said Friday.

Forcier was diagnosed with the injury when he underwent an MRI while home for Christmas break. He?s rehabbing the shoulder now and doesn?t need surgery, and he?s also recovering from a staph infection in his right knee, the person said.

A Michigan spokesperson said the university does not comment on players' medical histories, and Forcier declined an interview request through the sports information department.

Forcier, who started every game for Michigan last year as a true freshman, originally injured his throwing shoulder during the Wolverines? fourth-quarter rally against Indiana.

He appeared to be in incredible pain when a teammate slapped him on his right shoulder after directing the game-winning touchdown drive. The injury was first reported as a sprain.

Forcier threw for 2,050 yards and 13 touchdowns last year, but struggled down the stretch as Michigan whimpered to a 5-7 finish, losing 7 of its last 8 games after beating Indiana. He also suffered a minor concussion in an October loss at Iowa.

Forcier already is taking part in workouts with the football team and will not miss any spring practice. The staph infection, a MRSA infection, already has been treated, the person said.

Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson said Friday that he and Forcier have been "throwing together" recently.

 

[jwinslow]

2011 ATH Delonte Hollowell has committed to Michigan.

• 5'8" 164 lbs
• 4.66 40 yd (laser timed @ San Antonio combine)
• Offers: Michigan & Central Michigan

Hello: Delonte Hollowell | mgoblog

Lengthy breakdown on Hollowell, offers, scouting report, video, big picture, etc.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECP-mVL7znI"]YouTube- 2011 RECRUIT DELONTE HOLLOWELL(UNFINISHED)highlights[/ame]

Scout $ - Rogers Flips commitment
By Sam Webb
Posted Jan 17, 2010

Switched to the Wolverines and will play the "Quick" position (DE/LB hybrid).

Held WVU & MSU offers. Ranked #96 OLB by Scout, #26 by Rivals. 3-star on both sites.

 

[jwinslow]

http://twitter.com/TomVH

Confirmed that QB Devin Gardner has been admitted into Michigan. He will begin classes on Tuesday. 9:56 AM Jan 17th from web

http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article_external/1932577?widget=true

Gardner is an early enrollee By Rob White

One of the fans in attendance at Michigan basketball’s victory over Connecticut on Sunday was Devin Gardner (Inkster, Michigan). Gardner has confirmed that he is now enrolled at U-M and will be moving into his dorm on Monday.

Notes: Rodriguez confirmed that Brandon Smith is transferring.

 

[jwinslow]

Scout Free

1/18

Jake Ryan has committed to Michigan.

Catfan93 chimed in here with his thoughts:
Scout.com: Jake Ryan

Blue Fans - as an FYI, I have been involved with Ignatius football for about the last 30 years and frequently give my opinions of Cleveland area kids on the Ohio State boards and thought you might be interested in what I wrote in regards to Jake Ryan on the OSU premium boards in response to a question directed to me

After MCvey got injured in the week 1 game against Glenville and Scott tried to play one-armed the rest of the season, Ryan was Ignatius' best defensive player this year by a wide margin. Jake had a great year and has an excellent frame at 6'3 225#, he is a big strong kid that can run in the high 4.5s, he is a very athletic kid. Versatile athlete that played FB this year, some TE in the past and also excelled on KO and PR coverage

To this point, I have been perplexed by his offer sheet, which is essentially every team in the MAC conference. He is far better than a MAc player, I would have expected his offer sheet would read something like Boston College, Vanderbilt, Indiana, Virginia, Northwestern, Michigan State, Iowa, Pittsburgh, Louisville, etc at this point.

That said, i think this is a stretch offer for UM. Jake is a B10 talent, just but not a Big 4 talent IMO. While he possesses good speed, he doesnt possess the lateral sideline to sideline speed that I would want to see at an elite BCS school. Watch his film, when he is making plays near the sidelines, often times it is after someone has already turned the play back inside. Also, while McVey wasn't himself this year because of the injury, teams gameplanned for a healthy McVey and Scott still drew a lot of attention, leaving things open for Jake.

Good for Jake, happy for him, I hope he gets the offer and this opens the floodgates for him for other BCS schools that have been waiting to offer, I just don't see what I would expect from a Michigan LB...

Kid does have an excellent frame and should have no problem adding weight, maybe they want him to play with his hand down at DE, that would make more sense to me.

The following was in response to some OH talent evaluators ranking Jake Ryan ahead of Scott McVey

Ryan was a better defensive player than McVey this year, but as a buddy of mine so eloquently stated, McVey should have been in the stands this season drinking cocoa with 17 year old hotties on each arm. Instead, he tried to gut it out and played with a tear in his shoulder all season, he was a one armed player...It is freaking hard to play LB with one shoulder, but Scott wanted to try for his teammates...he is one tough SOB that loves to play the game.

One need only look at junior year tape to compare McVey v Ryan. Jake was a starter for 6-7 games his junior season before he got injured. Not a rap on Jake's abilities, but McVey was just head/shoulder above...It has been a long time since I have seen a LB have the kind of season that McVey did last year.

The recruiting types could look at Ryan and see a higher ceiling because of the better frame, maybe they are right...but as long as Scott's shoulder heals - and everything I hear is positive in that regard, there is no question which one I would rather have on my football team...

One thing I would add for those not familiar with St Ignatius, the school has won 10 OH D1 state titles in Ohio since 1988 and have sent players such as John Jaeckin, Pat Massey, Mike Massey, Trent Zenkiewicz to Ann Arbor over the years. the school plays a very tough schedule, so when you look at his junior/senior highlight tapes (I'm never a big fan of highlight tapes), but Ryan is making the plays on his tape against top quality opposition (Glenville, Canton McKinley, Massillon, Mentor, St Xavier, Warren Harding) and against very highly recruited players (Devin Gardner, Christian Bryant, Latwan Anderson, Cardale Jones, Mike Dorsey, Marcus Hall, etc). So you can look at those highlight tapes in that light.

If you have any specific questions on Ryan, I'd be happy to offer my thoughts...

 

[jwinslow]

Scout Free

6'6" 210 lbs Davion Rogers (2010 LB from Warren Harding) has committed to Michigan.

This is the second DL RR has stolen from WVU this year.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello: Davion Rogers | mgoblog

Lengthy scouting report. Here are a few highlights:

UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS
Rogers is technically commitment #25 for the class, but is more likely #24 given the likelihood that Tony Drake does not end up in Ann Arbor. OH LB Jake Ryan just committed and is #25. Rich Rodriguez said yesterday that they will be able to enroll 26 players in the fall, so that leaves one more slot assuming there's no further attrition from the recruiting class.

Rogers is still pretty skinny, but is clearly athletic and very rangy. He showed some agility on a short catch a reaching up the field for a 10-yard gain. He needs to improve against the run and increase his aggressiveness in taking on blockers, but as he fills in his frame, he could be a monster off the edge. He will be fun to watch develop at the college level.

The main reason for his low rankings despite the potential is the fact that he's a tweener right now. He weighs as much as a safety but projects as a defensive end or outside linebacker, which means he won't contribute right away.


He is reminiscent of Shawn Crable, though he might [ed: must] have thicker legs and is starting out of high school at much lower weight (205 or less against Crable's 230ish). Buckeye Planet has a Harding insider named "Worm02" who cites Crable in his assessment of Rogers' talent:

Last year was Rogers' first year playing varsity and the only thing that he played was OLB. Obviously, when you're dealing with a kid that tall, you can imagine him playing DE at the next level, so there are a lot of possibilities, but I could see Rogers' current frame being suitable for OLB. At this point, I won't say that he is better than Shawn Crable was in HS (that dude was a BEAST at Massillon!), but that's another tall guy who played OLB in college. Then again, Lamarr Woodley was a LB in high school who bulked up and moved down to DE in college, and he wasn't nearly as tall. That's a big dude though (he came to Warren with Prescott Burgess a couple times). Speaking of Burgess, he was a standout at SS in HS who played OLB in college and does so now for the Baltimore Ravens, and he was 6'4 at Harding. Davion is 6'6, but Burgess had a much bigger frame.

 

[jwinslow]

This thread is now officially open. Please do your best to keep the mockery & bickering in the other thread as much as possible.
----------------------------

http://michigan.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1041446

Demar Dorsey* visited UM & cousin Denard, had a good time despite the cold**. Visiting FSU next and has replaced UF visit on 1/26 with USC. Committed but unsure where he'll play

* Demar is "committed" to Florida and played in the UnderArmour All-Star game.
** UM was fortunate FL had a cold spell & Demar came north during a warm spell, distorting the contrast, which he regarded as minimal.

 

[JimsSweaterVest]

jwins,

What will happen, in your esteemed opinion, regarding scUM's QB situation? With Tate, Denard, and Gardner in the mix (and maybe Nick Sheridan, if he's still there?!), there's bound to be some QB controversy brewing, no?

It Tater Tot keeps getting hurt, or if they keep having meltdowns like they did after beating Indiana this past season, or if Rodriguez feels a great deal of pressure to win with his job on the line, what do you forsee for scUM's QB's?

 

[jwinslow]

RR does not have the luxury of opening with a cupcake this year. They start off with UConn (who will likely be favored) & then travel to South Bend. Devin will have to grow up in a hurry if he's going to contribute in those games. I foresee him getting a few drives against UConn, 3-8 plays (not necessarily consecutive) sprinkled in against ND (unless he's rolling and tate is stumbling, I doubt it's many more).

Now that Devin Gardner has enrolled early, I think that spells doom for Denard Robinson. Denard is an explosive athlete but could not even learn to run the read option very effectively, let alone prove to be a legitimate passer. He has the arm to do it, but with his inability to see over the line and his iffy accuracy, he is a wildcat QB at best right now. He will land as a slot and/or occasional RB imo.

Tate will definitely start the year as the starter, but if Tate:
- Continues to struggle to stay healthy, which is likely given his sleight frame, scrambling style & frequency of contact in this offense
- Does not improve as a designed runner, also likely, as he's a better scrambler than he is a runner
- Does not improve much at making reads in the read option offense (this is the most coachable flaw he can overcome this offseason)
- Suffer more losses that are beneath the Michigan program like MSU

...then I fully expect to see Devin take over. He'd be best suited to take a redshirt season but RR does not have that kind of time.

 

[BB73]

Rich Rodriguez said yesterday that they will be able to enroll 26 players in the fall, so that leaves one more slot

mgoblog summarized things nicely. :tongue2:

 

[Redhawk]

Dillon Baxter - College Football Recruiting 2010 - ESPN

Not surprisingly, Dillon Baxter is sticking with USC and no longer consider Michigan.

 

[jwinslow]

Scout Free

More of the same... Kiffin said just what Baxter needed to hear, will be enrolling early with Prater.

More potent snake oil