Whether this is informative or not, it will be fun to check our predictions at the end of this season and in a few years time.
20 Commits (12 defense, 7 offense, 1 special teams)
Scout Team Ranking #27
Rivals Team Ranking #21
ESPN Team Ranking #NR (only rank top 25)
Commit List:
**** Brennan Beyer
**** Kellen Jones
**** Blake Countess
**** Antonio Poole
**** Justice Hayes
*** Chris Bryant
*** Thomas Rawls
*** Chris Barnett
*** Matt Wile
*** Jack Miller
*** Frank Clark
*** Delonte Hollowel
*** Russell Bellomy
*** Desmon Morgan
*** Tony Posada
*** Raymon Taylor
*** Greg Brown
*** Keith Heitzman
*** Tamani Carter
*** Chris Rock
All rankings in parenthesis are scout position rankings.
Instant Impact:
*** Kicker (Scout #4) Matt Wile - San Diego, CA
To be an instant impact player usually requires opportunity and ability. Michigan was abysmal in the kicking game last year. No position is as wide open and provides as much opportunity as the kicker spot and there's not many positions more important. If Wile can come in and be consistent and make FG's from 40 yards and in it will dramatically help Michigan's scoring offense. It will be interesting to see who wins the job for both the place kicking duties and the kickoff duties. Recruiting kickers is always a gamble, and Michigan's current scholarship kicker Brandon Gibbons has simply not shown much.
Best Offensive Recruit:
*** OG (Scout #21) Chris Bryant - Chicago, IL
Michigan has a big need at OL after only taking 1 lineman in the 2010 recruiting class. Bryant projects as a very good offensive guard. He's huge, at 6-5 330 in high school! He's only played football for 2 seasons and the biggest reason he's not more highly rated is technique. Look for Bryant to redshirt, change some of his weight from bad weight to good weight and be a starter in 2013 as a redshirt sophomore.
Best Defensive Recruit:
**** MLB (Scout #12) Kellen Jones - Houston, TX
Jones is pretty much the opposite of Bryant. He's a 6-1 210 pound linebacker who seems to fly to ball in all his film. While a bit small, he looks ready to contribute relatively early. His film shows a guy who has a nose for the football and tremendous athleticism. Where Bryant seems raw, Jones seems like he was built for football. Appears to have good instincts which is crucial for the linebacker position. Scout has him projected as MLB, but a lot of his film is rushing the passer on the blitz. Depending on scheme, you may see him playing the outside LB spot and being used in blitz situations as early as this fall. Has elite burst (which is most important for LB's) but lacks elite speed. Jones is a playmaker and Michigan's defense really needs some of those. He'll need to get a bit bigger before he can be relied up to be a run stuffer in the burly Big Ten and a redshirt would be great. If not, you're likely to see Jones as a situational pass rusher and playing on all special teams.
(Ed Note: Jones, for reasons unknown, never enrolled at Michigan. The rumor was some sort of legal issue, though that seems to be off base as Kellen is now enrolled and practicing @ Oklahoma. One way or another, Michigan released him from his letter of intent and now he's a sooner)
Most All American Potential:
**** DE (Scout #12) Brennan Beyer - Canton, MI
This was difficult to pinpoint in this class, but Beyer has the perfect frame and athleticism to be a tremendous college football player. At 6-4, 218 pounds and running a 4.7 forty he's ticketed for a redshirt. He needs to add size to be an every down DE in the Big Ten. Similar build and style to current Wolverine Craig Roh. As an upperclassmen, if he's able to put on some good pounds but maintain his burst, he could be a Ryan Kerrigan type of player. Beyer won't make an immediate impact, but as a redshirt sophomore should step in to replace Craig Roh as a starting DE.
Best Positional Group:
Linebacker (Scout #12 MLB Kellen Jones, #13 OLB Antonio Poole, #33 TE Frank Clark, #42 MLB Desmond Morgan, Beyer could potentially play some OLB)
Michigan has been bad and lacked depth at linebacker for the last two seasons so bringing in a big LB class is very welcomed. I'm including Frank Clark at linebacker because I think that's where he'll play at Michigan. You could see all of these players finding the field during their career. There aren't any 5 star sure thing difference makers here, but lots of solid football players with different skill sets. LB should have solid depth and talent heading into the future.
The next best group is CB, this position doesn't have as many difference makers as it has numbers. Michigan adds 5 cornerbacks in this class (some will likely move to safety) which will help provide talent and depth to what has been a woeful secondary the past 4 or so seasons.
Less Heralded With Greatest Potential:
*** RB (Scout #77) Thomas Rawls - Flint, MI
Don't let his #77 ranking fool you, Rawls is a stud. The recruiting services factor eligibility into their rankings and Rawls has been a questionable qualifier for some time. Apparently he needs to gain 1 point on his ACT (fingers crossed!). Rawls is big, elusive, fast and runs with a mean streak. Playing in the top division in Michigan, Rawls averaged over 10.5 yards per carry as a Senior. His burst for a big man is quite impressive. He's 5-10 210 pounds and runs a 4.5, which is fast, but he won't have game changing speed. Rawls will do his damage gaining tough yards between the tackles. He fits very well into the new staff's scheme and mentality. I think Rawls has potential to get carries as a true freshman and become the featured ball carrier within his first few seasons in AA.
Summary:
Hoke did a good job with the hand he was dealt by Brandon. He was able to "salvage" the class at least somewhat. This class is still the worst I've ever seen Michigan have since I've been following recruiting. There are no superstars as far as today. How this staff develops these guys will go a long way towards how the program performs in the next 4 or 5 seasons. (obvious comment alert)
Urban Meyer just said on ESPNU that Greg Mattison is the without a doubt the best recruiter in college football. It showed a bit in the last two weeks but hopefully will show even moreso with top guys in the class of 2012.
Biggest position of need heading into 2012 is at DT. Michigan again was unable to land much talent at this position. Chris Rock could potentially play there, but he's underperformed the last two seasons simply in high school and doesn't give me a ton of confidence in his ability to play in the Big Ten. Michigan needs to find DT's.
The other position of great importance in 2011 is OL. The depth chart is getting dangerously thin at both OG and OT. Look for 5 or so OL recruits in 2012.
(Update: Michigan has 5 current OL commits for 2012 and is looking for 1 or 2 more. Tony Posada has left the program. Michigan also has a couple of DT commits and a few DE commits who may project inside at the college level)
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