Early 2008 Recruiting Checkup
Signing Day 2007 came during one of the growingly common down cycles in my manic-depressive blogging schedule, so it went without a notice here. 2008 is upon us and I'll take a quick look at needs for the class, before going into more detail (with depth charts and the Recruiting Efficiency Factor later).
Keep in mind we will probably have around (or just short of) 20 scholarships to hand out, and that all * ratings are my guesses for now, while Top 100 and Top 250 designation are from the latest Rivals lists.
Quarterback:
Needs: 1
Situation: WIth Henne entering his final year and no experience behind him, and with rumblings that persistent arm or shoulder problems have limited Forcier (the reason that Antonio Bass was slated to be #2 QB last year and why Ryan Mallett is getting backup snaps this spring) it's a thin depth chart heading into the 2008 season. We have Ryan Mallett as the projected starter, the now officially question-marked Jason Forcier and David Cone (+ walkons). It may be hard to get a top 100 recruit the year after landing Ryan Mallett and all but declaring "Ryan Mallett or bust" for 2008, so one solid prospect is both adequate and maybe the best we can ask for.
Best Bets: Brandon Kay (MI)
Runningback
Needs: 1 or 2
Situation: Behind Mike Hart we have two RBs who have any kind of experience: Kevin Grady, who is half through at Michigan himself and Brandon Minor who showed real flashes last year. But behind them, with the transfer of Mister Simpson, the move of Carlos Brown to DB and the decommitment of Marquise Maze it is thin. A blue chip prospect is almost a must, and a solid "depth" player behind him would be nice if possible.
Best Bets: Sam McGuffie (TX, 4*), Jonas Gray (Top 100, MI) and maybe Darrell Scott (Top 100, 5*, CA).
Wide Receiver
Needs: 2 or 3
Situation: The reason for the disagreement above may stem from the fact that Michigan does not have great numbers at WR but has great confidence in the WRs in the pipeline. Manningham and Arrington have 2 years left (assuming Manningham stays and Arrington is not released from the team). Mathews showed promise as a freshman. Savoy has drawn raves and has 3 years left. Michigan brought in 3 WRs in last year's class, 2 of whom (Hemingway and Clemons) were nearly universally regarded as blue chippers. So why would we need three? Because if Manningham repeats his production from 2006 (but stays healthy) he may be gone, Dutch switched to CB, Arrington is a ?, Bass is unlikely to play again and that leaves 5 receivers on the list that we can definitively count on even for 2008, let alone beyond. But in a year where scholarships may be tight, 3 may be hard to come by. And with James Rogers at CB, now also manned by Carlos Brown and Doug Dutch (and with Cissoko coming in) we should be able to 'borrow' a DB or two for WR if need be.
Best Bets: Jonathan Baldwin (Top 100, 4*, PA), Darryl Stonum (Top 100, 4*, TX),
Tight End
Needs: 1, or maybe even 0
Situation: Massey, Butler, Webb, Watson ... if Butler is still on the team (I expect he will be), if Webb is a TE and not a WR (I expect he will be) ... and with reports that Andre Criswell is also practicing at TE, though I expect him to move back to FB, this is a well stocked position.
Best Bets: ?
Offensive Tackle
Needs: 2
Situation: Michigan is always desparate for tackles. We do not do well with converted guards and we spit up and chew out tweeners, which puts a tremendous emphasis on the recruiting of true tackles or of players with the potential to grow into tackles (big framed TEs who haven't developed yet, for exampled). Schilling and Ortmann are the heirs apparent, but behind them is a thin depth chart.
Best Bets: Dann O'Neill (Top 250, 4*, MI ... committed), J. B. Shuggarts (Top 100, 4*, TX), Zerbie Sanders (Top 100, 4*, OH) and maybe Khaled Holmes (Top 100, 5*, CA)
Offensive Guard / Center
Needs: 2+
Situation: Michigan always seems more well stocked at guard/center than at tackle, in part because of the exacting demands we have for tackles. However, the desparate need for tackles recently has led to a combined 2 interior linemen in the last two classes ... two good ones (Molk and Boren) but not a very deep lineup. As such, the more the better this year.
Best bets: Kurt Wermers (?, IN) ... keep in mind, interior line recruiting is often a late developing story
Defensive Line
Needs: Wait til the dust settles
Situation: the massive and potentially temporary position shifting in spring throws this up in the air, but it's probably safe to say that with the talent we've brought in the last two years plus some of the deferred talent, shall we say (redshirts + Slocum and possibly Germany) this isn't the greatest need.
Best Bets: Omar Hunter (Top 250, 4*, GA) and ...
Linebacker
Needs: Wait until spring is done
Situation: There may be no position on the roster where the future needs depend more on the development of players that could go either way (future starter, bench rider). If Mixon and Chris Graham develop into what was expected and Mouton makes the move from S fluidly, the needs at LB diminish greatly. If those things don't happen, it's a whole new set of throws at the dart board.
Best Bets: No idea how realistic these are, but some names ... Shayne Hale (Top 100, 5*, PA), Jon Major (Top 100, CO), Christian Wilson (PA), David Posluszny (Top 100, 4*, PA)
Cornerback
Needs: 2
Situation: After striking out in 2006 the DB position depth has improved tremendously in the last few months, starting with 3 commits in Feb 2007 (Donovan Warren, James Rogers and Troy Woolfolk). Doug Dutch and Carlos Brown are both practicing there in spring (and likely will be there in fall) and potential 5*, Rivals All-American prospect Boubacar Cissoko committed to Michigan. With Warren and Cissoko in the folk, the panic over DB recruiting has subsided tremendously. There is actually, dare I say, a lot of depth at CB, and as long as a couple of the young guys develop into starters we're doing fine there.
Best Bets: Boubacar Cissoko (Top 100, 5*, MI, committed), Robert Golden (Top 100, CA)
Safety:
Needs: 2
Situation: Oddly enough, as safety play has been the weakness of our defense (and while CB play has been decent recently), safety recruiting has been pretty solid while CB failures have gotten all the press. With Steve Brown, Michael Williams and Artis Chambers in the last two classes it's not a desparate need. There is also some talk that Troy Woolfolk, who stayed skinny through HS to help his track career, could grow into a safety more easily than maintain his CB position.
Best Bets: Robert Blanton (Top 250, 4*, NC), Charles Burrell (MI), Will Hill (Top 100, 5*, NJ)
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