Michigan Football Recruiting: Wolverines Sign 25 Recruits For 2012 Class

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Michigan Football Recruiting: Alex Kozan Signs With Auburn

Michigan is off to a fast start for 2013, already securing 13 commitments for next year's class. Believe it or not, but up until Monday night, there was actually still some business to take care of for the 2012 class. Colorado offensive guard Alex Kozan remained unsigned and was believed to be still considering the Wolverines. Despite signing day coming and going nearly a month ago, Kozan still hadn't made a decision.

On Monday, Kozan finally decided on a school by sending in his letter of intent to Auburn, according to ESPN's Damon Sayles. This means Kozan won't be coming to Michigan, and it also means that the Wolverines can finally close the book on their recruiting class for 2012.

Had this decision come on signing day, it would have been a blow to Michigan, which missed out on several offensive line prospects in the final weeks of the 2012 recruiting cycle, including Jordan Diamond, who also signed with Auburn. Now, though, with five four-star offensive linemen already committed for 2013, Michigan appears to be in very good shape at that position going forward.

While adding a four-star offensive lineman for 2012 this late the game would have been a nice bonus, I don't think Brady Hoke will lose much sleep over Kozan signing with Auburn. For 2012, Michigan signed four offensive linemen: Kyle Kalis, Erik Magnuson, Blake Bars and Ben Braden. Currently the following five offensive linemen are committed for 2013: Kyle Bosch, David Dawson, Chris Fox, Logan Tuley-Tillman and Patrick Kugler. With or without Kozan, the future is pretty bright for Michigan's offensive line down the road.

For more on the Michigan Wolverines, check out Maize n Brew. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NCAA Football hub at SBNation.com/NCAA-Football.

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Michigan Football Recruiting: Jordan Diamond Commits To Auburn

For now, Michigan's 2012 football recruiting class is staying at 25 players. The Wolverines had a chance to add a 26th recruit on Friday night, but Chicago offensive tackle Jordan Diamond went in a different direction by choosing Auburn. The four-star tackle was also considering Arkansas and Wisconsin.

Last week, Michigan was in the mix for several undecided offensive linemen. So far, though, none have committed to the Wolverines. A week ago, Joshua Garnett picked Stanford over Michigan in a very close recruiting battle. This week, Chris Muller decided to sign with Rutgers after briefly considering a decommitment from the Scarlet Knights to Michigan. And on Friday night, of course, Diamond picked Auburn over the Wolverines.

The other offensive lineman Michigan missed out on in the last week was Alex Kozan. The Wolverines are still in the mix for him, though. Kozan committed to Iowa over Michigan and Auburn last Sunday, but he declined to sign his letter of intent on National Signing Day. The latest update on Kozan is that he is still deciding. We could hear about his decision in the next day or so, and right now there's no indication if Michigan, Iowa or Auburn has an edge for Kozan.

Once Kozan does make a decision, Michigan can close the book on its 2012 recruiting class. He is the only player the Wolverines are waiting to hear from now that Diamond has announced his decision.

For more on Michigan football recruiting, check out Maize n Brew. SBNation.com has more on National Signing Day 2012.

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Michigan Football Recruiting: Alex Kozan Reportedly Hopes To Make Decision 'In Next 36 Hours'

Although National Signing Day has passed, Michigan is still a finalist for two 2012 recruits. One of them is offensive tackle Jordan Diamond, who is going to announce his decision at 8 p.m. (ET) on Friday night. In addition to Michigan, Diamond has Auburn, Arkansas and Wisconsin on his final list.

Michigan is also a finalist for offensive guard Alex Kozan, who is still undecided. Kozan committed to Iowa over Michigan and Auburn last Sunday, but he didn't pull the trigger on signing his letter of intent when National Signing Day arrived. He wasn't 100 percent sure of his decision to attend Iowa, and that remains the case.

There hasn't been much news on Kozan since Wednesday, but Rob Howe of Hawkeye Insider reports that Kozan is hoping to make a decision in the next 36 hours.

Source: '12 OL Alex Kozan hopes to have final decision in nxt 36 hrs. #Iowa #Auburn #Michigan still in play.

— Rob Howe (@HawkeyeInsider) February 3, 2012

Auburn or Michigan could very well end up adding two more linemen to their 2012 class depending on what happens with Kozan and Diamond. Of course, the two schools could also end up whiffing on both recruits, but for now it's all speculation until Kozan and Diamond announce their decisions.

For more on Michigan football recruiting, check out Maize n Brew. SBNation.com has more on National Signing Day 2012.

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Michigan Football Recruiting 2012: National Signing Day Recap

Compared to recent years, National Signing Day 2012 was pretty uneventful for Michigan. No announcements took place involving the Wolverines, and there were no last-minute surprises involving their 25 commits. All of them signed their letters of intent to Michigan with no drama along the way.

For Michigan, the usual excitement of a National Signing Day announcement won't happen until Friday when Jordan Diamond announces his decision. Diamond has narrowed his list of choices down to Michigan, Wisconsin, Arkansas and Auburn, and the Wolverines are hoping to land the four-star offensive tackle from Chicago.

Another recruitment that will likely provide more news after National Signing Day is that of Colorado offensive guard Alex Kozan. He committed to Iowa over Michigan on Sunday, but he did not send in his letter of intent on Wednesday. The reason for this is because Kozan hasn't apparently made up his mind about where he wants to sign, and the Wolverines are believed to be in the mix.

With Kozan and Diamond still both possibilities for Michigan, its 2012 recruiting class could grow to 27 commits by the end of the week. For now, it stands at 25, and you can check out a rundown of the players below.

1. OT Ben Braden (Rockford, MI) - 6'6", 285 lbs., ***
2. MLB Kaleb Ringer (Clayton, OH) - 6'0", 219 lbs., *** | Early enrollee
   
3. OLB Royce Jenkins-Stone (Detroit, MI) - 6'2", 215 lbs., ****
4. TE Devin Funchess (Farmington Hills, MI) - 6'5", 205 lbs., ***
5. TE A.J. Williams (Cincinnati, OH) - 6'6", 260 lbs., ***
6. OLB Joe Bolden (Cincinnati, OH) - 6'2", 225 lbs., **** | Early enrollee
7. MLB James Ross (Orchard Lake, MI) - 6'0", 209 lbs., ****
8. DE Mario Ojemudia (Farmington Hills, MI) - 6'3", 215 lbs., ***
9. DT Matt Godin (Novi, MI) - 6'6", 270 lbs., ***
10. CB Terry Richardson (Detroit, MI) - 5'9", 160 lbs., ****
11. S Allen Gant (Sylvania, OH) - 6'2", 210 lbs., ***
12. DE Tom Strobel (Mentor, OH) - 6'6", 245 lbs., ****
13. OT Erik Magnuson (Carlsbad, CA) - 6'6", 275 lbs., ****
14. S Jeremy Clark (Madisonville, KY) - 6'4", 205 lbs., ***
    
15. OT Blake Bars (Nashville, TN) - 6'5", 275 lbs., ****
16. S Jarrod Wilson (Akron, OH) - 6'2", 190 lbs., **** | Early enrollee
17. OT Kyle Kalis (Lakewood, OH) - 6'5", 302 lbs., *****
18. FB Sione Houma (Salt Lake City, UT) - 6'0", 211 lbs., ***
19. DE Chris Wormley (Toledo, OH) - 6'6", 270 lbs., ***
20. DT Ondre Pipkins (Kansas City, MO) - 6'3", 325 lbs., *****
21. RB Drake Johnson (Ann Arbor, MI) - 6'1", 200 lbs., ***
22. WR Amara Darboh (West Des Moines, IA) - 6'2", 190 lbs., ****
23. WR Jehu Chesson (St. Louis, MO) - 6'3", 182 lbs., ***
24. DT Willie Henry (Cleveland, OH) - 6'2", 270 lbs., ***
25. RB Dennis Norfleet (Detroit, MI) - 5'7", 170 lbs., ****

(Height, weight and stars from Rivals.com)

For more on Michigan football recruiting, check out Maize n Brew. SBNation.com has more on National Signing Day 2012.

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Michigan Football Recruiting: Alex Kozan Reportedly Struggling With Decision

Although Michigan has already announced its 2012 football recruiting class, it appears the Wolverines are still waiting to hear from two recruits. One of them, offensive tackle Jordan Diamond, will make his announcement on Friday. When a decision or an announcement will be made by the other undecided recruit, offensive guard Alex Kozan, is unclear.

Based on multiple reports, it appears Kozan, who committed to Iowa on Sunday, is having second thoughts. Wednesday morning it was reported that he had not yet made a final decision, and a more recent report states that he is struggling to make a decision about where he will attend college.

Our guy that is at Valor Christian talked to Coach Vieselmeyer who said Kozan is still struggling with his decision and may not sign today.

— Blair Sanderson (@BlairRIVALS) February 1, 2012

Kozan was not included in Iowa's National Signing Day recruiting list, so no letter of intent has been sent in there. No letter of intent has been sent in to Michigan or Auburn, either. Those are the two other schools he was considering before he committed to Iowa, and now it looks like they are both back in the mix for Kozan.

Neil Devlin reports that Kozan is "taking his time and hoping to make the right move," so this could be a situation that takes a few days to be resolved. Michigan is likely more than willing to wait, as landing Kozan when all is said and done would be a nice surprise. If Michigan somehow managed to land both Kozan and Diamond after National Signing Day, then some recruiting rankings would likely need to be revised. Each player is a four-star recruit, and Michigan would likely receive a bump in the rankings if it can land even one of them.

For more on Michigan football recruiting, check out Maize n Brew. SBNation.com has more on National Signing Day 2012.

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Michigan Football Recruiting: Alex Kozan Reportedly Still Undecided

Perhaps I spoke too soon when I said earlier that no more surprises were expected for Michigan on National Signing Day. I say that now because it appears the Wolverines may be back in the mix for Colorado offensive guard Alex Kozan, who committed to Iowa on Sunday night. According to Rob Howe of Hawkeye Insider, Kozan has not yet made a decision about where he will sign.

According to source close to Alex Kozan, the '12 CO OL still considering #Iowa #Auburn #Michigan as of last nite. Hasn't made final decision

— Rob Howe (@HawkeyeInsider) February 1, 2012

It's not clear why Kozan is having second thoughts, but him changing his mind and ending up somewhere other than Iowa would certainly be a surprise. Of course, he could choose Auburn rather than Michigan, but at the very least it appears the Wolverines still have a shot at landing Kozan.

A story like this is a prime example of why you should expect the unexpected on National Signing Day. Until that report from Howe, Kozan was expected to be signed and delivered for Iowa.

For more on Michigan football recruiting, check out Maize n Brew. SBNation.com has more on National Signing Day 2012.

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National Signing Day 2012: No More Surprises Expected For Michigan

On National Signing Day, you really should expect the unexpected. Just look at what happened with Detroit running back Dennis Norfleet in the last day. On Tuesday morning, he was quoted in a Detroit News article as saying that Michigan never even gave him a look. By early Wednesday morning, just as National Signing Day was getting started, he had decommitted from Cincinnati to the Wolverines.

The talk of Tuesday for Michigan football recruiting was about a possible surprise commitment on National Signing Day, and that is exactly what happened with Norfleet suddenly joining the 2012 class after not even really being on the radar. While this is more proof that anything can happen, the expectation is that Norfleet's commitment fulfilled the quota for surprises for the Wolverines. There isn't expected to be any activity beyond Michigan's 25 commitments signing their letters of intent and officially becoming Wolverines.

For Michigan, things should actually be relatively quiet until Friday. That is when Chicago offensive tackle Jordan Diamond will announce his decision. He recently narrowed his list of schools down to Michigan, Wisconsin, Arkansas and Auburn, and we will find out what his choice is in a couple days.

For more on Michigan football recruiting, check out Maize n Brew. SBNation.com has more on National Signing Day 2012.

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Michigan Football Recruiting: Where The 2012 Class Stands On National Signing Day

National Signing Day has arrived. For Michigan, this means a total of 22 recruits will officially join the 2012 recruiting class on Wednesday if everything goes according to plan. There are three recruits for 2012 already enrolled, but the rest of players in the class won't officially join until their letters of intent are sent in. Once they are, Michigan should be looking at a class of 25 players that could grow to 26 on Friday.

Here's how everything breaks down:

Michigan Football Recruiting Class Of 2012 - Commits

1. OT Ben Braden (Rockford, MI) - 6'6", 285 lbs., ***
2. MLB Kaleb Ringer (Clayton, OH) - 6'0", 219 lbs., *** | Early enrollee
   
3. OLB Royce Jenkins-Stone (Detroit, MI) - 6'2", 215 lbs., ****
4. TE Devin Funchess (Farmington Hills, MI) - 6'5", 205 lbs., ***
5. TE A.J. Williams (Cincinnati, OH) - 6'6", 260 lbs., ***
6. OLB Joe Bolden (Cincinnati, OH) - 6'2", 225 lbs., **** | Early enrollee
7. MLB James Ross (Orchard Lake, MI) - 6'0", 209 lbs., ****
8. DE Mario Ojemudia (Farmington Hills, MI) - 6'3", 215 lbs., ***
9. DT Matt Godin (Novi, MI) - 6'6", 270 lbs., ***
10. CB Terry Richardson (Detroit, MI) - 5'9", 160 lbs., ****
11. S Allen Gant (Sylvania, OH) - 6'2", 210 lbs., ***
12. DE Tom Strobel (Mentor, OH) - 6'6", 245 lbs., ****
13. OT Erik Magnuson (Carlsbad, CA) - 6'6", 275 lbs., ****
14. S Jeremy Clark (Madisonville, KY) - 6'4", 205 lbs., ***
    
15. OT Blake Bars (Nashville, TN) - 6'5", 275 lbs., ****
16. S Jarrod Wilson (Akron, OH) - 6'2", 190 lbs., **** | Early enrollee
17. OT Kyle Kalis (Lakewood, OH) - 6'5", 302 lbs., *****
18. FB Sione Houma (Salt Lake City, UT) - 6'0", 211 lbs., ***
19. DE Chris Wormley (Toledo, OH) - 6'6", 270 lbs., ***
20. DT Ondre Pipkins (Kansas City, MO) - 6'3", 325 lbs., *****
21. RB Drake Johnson (Ann Arbor, MI) - 6'1", 200 lbs., ***
22. WR Amara Darboh (West Des Moines, IA) - 6'2", 190 lbs., ****
23. WR Jehu Chesson (St. Louis, MO) - 6'3", 182 lbs., ***
24. DT Willie Henry (Cleveland, OH) - 6'2", 270 lbs., ***
25. RB Dennis Norfleet (Detroit, MI) - 5'7", 170 lbs., ****

(Height, weight and stars from Rivals.com)

Michigan Football Recruiting Class Of 2012 - Potential Additions

After landing Willie Henry on Monday, Michigan appeared to be done until Friday, which is when four-star offensive tackle Jordan Diamond will announce his decision. That didn't turn out to be the case, though. Michigan surprisingly flipped Dennis Norfleet from Cincinnati late on Tuesday, giving the Wolverines 25 total commits for 2012.

Barring another surprise, it appears that Diamond is the only recruit Michigan is now waiting to hear from. He is down to Michigan, Wisconsin, Arkansas and Auburn and will make his decision known on Friday. Everything else for the 2012 class should be finalized on National Signing Day, so things should be rather uneventful for the Wolverines since Diamond's announcement is still a couple days away.

Make sure to check back in to SB Nation Detroit's Michigan football recruiting coverage for the latest news about Diamond and the rest of the 2012 class, and if you want to get a head start on next year's recruits, you can check out our 2013 recruiting StoryStream.

For more on Michigan football recruiting, check out Maize n Brew. SBNation.com has more on National Signing Day 2012.

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Michigan Football Recruiting: Chris Muller Will Sign With Rutgers

When Greg Schiano left Rutgers to become the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week, recruits were left stunned. Less than a week before signing day, Rutgers was without a coach, prompting some recruits to look elsewhere. One of them was offensive tackle Chris Muller, who talked with Michigan in the wake of Schiano's departure.

When the Wolverines reentered the picture, Muller was seen as a backup plan more than anything. After Michigan missed out on Joshua Garnett and Alex Kozan, however, Muller became a plan A type of prospect. Unfortunately for the Wolverines, that possibility is now gone as well, as Muller decided on Monday to stick with his commitment after Rutgers promoted offensive line coach Kyle Flood to the head coach position. This means Muller will sign with Rutgers on Wednesday (National Signing Day).

"I was overjoyed when I found out," said Muller, a 6-foot-6, 310-pound tackle. "I was pretty anxious the past week. I wanted to know what was happening. A lot of things were going through my mind."

With Muller now off the board, it looks like offensive tackle Jordan Diamond is the last recruit for 2012 that could pick Michigan. Considering three other offensive linemen with Michigan among their finalists have decided to go elsewhere in the last week, Diamond is now without a doubt the top priority as the Wolverines wrap up their 2012 recruiting class.

For more on the Michigan Wolverines, check out Maize n Brew. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NCAA Football hub at SBNation.com/NCAA-Football.

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Michigan Football Recruiting: Sam Grant Commits To Oklahoma

Michigan has finished in second place for yet another recruit. This is becoming a trend based on what has happened in the last week, and it continued on Monday when Ohio tight end Sam Grant committed to Oklahoma over Michigan, according to Tim Warsinskey. Grant was previously committed to Boston College, and Michigan was hoping to add him in order to improve its tight end depth for 2012.

Grant, a three-star tight end, is from the same high school as Kyle Kalis. Kalis, of course, made headlines last summer when he decommitted from Ohio State to Michigan. The Wolverines were trying to get Grant to decommit to Michigan from Boston College, but in the end he opted for Oklahoma.

In the last week, Michigan has also finished second for offensive guard Joshua Garnett (he picked Stanford), cornerback Armani Reeves (he committed to Ohio State) and offensive tackle Alex Kozan (he went with Iowa). With National Signing Day approaching, Michigan will hope to turn around its luck with guys like Jordan Diamond, Chris Muller and Willie Henry.

For more on the Michigan Wolverines, check out Maize n Brew. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NCAA Football hub at SBNation.com/NCAA-Football.

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Michigan Football Recruiting: Jordan Diamond To Announce Decision On Friday

Michigan has been hoping to land at least one or two more offensive linemen for its 2012 recruiting class. Last week, the Wolverines had their sights set on guys like Joshua Garnett, Alex Kozan and Jordan Diamond, but none of them have committed to Michigan. Garnett and Kozan both opted to go elsewhere, with Garnett committing to Stanford and Kozan picking Iowa. Diamond is still in play for the Wolverines because he has yet to make a decision.

Diamond plans to announce where he will play college football on Friday, Feb. 3. The four-star offensive tackle from Chicago will pick from four schools: Michigan, Wisconsin, Arkansas and Auburn. Ohio State was once under consideration, but Diamond dropped the Buckeyes out of his final list of schools last week.

In addition to Diamond, Michigan is also still in the mix for Pennsylvania offensive tackle Chris Muller. He is still committed to Rutgers, but with head coach Greg Schiano leaving the school for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Michigan has reentered the picture just days before National Signing Day.

For more on the Michigan Wolverines, check out Maize n Brew. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NCAA Football hub at SBNation.com/NCAA-Football.

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Michigan Football Recruiting: Alex Kozan Commits To Iowa

After missing out on offensive guard Joshua Garnett earlier in the week (he committed to Stanford), Michigan was hoping to fill its need at that position on Sunday night with Alex Kozan, a guard from Colorado. That did not happen, though. Instead, Michigan's recent string of bad luck on the recruiting trail continued, as Kozan decided to commit to Iowa over Michigan and Auburn, according to Sam Webb and other reports. (Also on Sunday night, Armani Reeves picked Ohio State over Michigan.)

Kozan, who is considered a four-star guard by two of the four major recruiting sites, would have been a nice get for Michigan. Rivals and ESPN give him four stars, whereas Scout and 24/7 Sports give him three stars.

Kozan's offer list is quite lengthy, which is another sign that he would have been a good get for the Wolverines and is a good get for Iowa. According to Rivals, in addition to Iowa, Michigan and Auburn, Kozan holds offers from Auburn, Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon and South Carolina, among many other schools.

With Kozan picking Iowa, Michigan is still stuck at four offensive line commits for 2012. Michigan is still in play for offensive linemen Jordan Diamond and Chris Muller and will hope to land one or both of them in order to make up for the disappointment of missing out on Garnett and Kozan.

For more on the Michigan Wolverines, check out Maize n Brew. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NCAA Football hub at SBNation.com/NCAA-Football.

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Michigan Football Recruiting: Armani Reeves Commits To Ohio State

For the second time this week, Michigan has finished second for a highly rated recruit. Earlier in the week, offensive guard Josh Garnett committed to Stanford over Michigan, and on Sunday, cornerback Armani Reeves picked Ohio State over the Wolverines, as announced on Twitter.

I'm going...... #BuckeyeNation #SilverBullets #GoBucks !!!!!! God led me here n in god I trust !! Lets go #BuckeyeNation !!!!

— Armani Reeves (@PTReeves8) January 30, 2012

Reeves was once committed to Penn State, meaning yet another recruit has decommitted from the Nittany Lions to the Buckeyes. A big reason why Reeves became the latest to pick the Buckeyes likely revolves around the fact that high school teammate Camren Williams previously decommitted from Penn State to Ohio State.

After missing out on Garnett and Reeves this week, Michigan will hope to add a combination of offensive guard Alex Kozan, offensive tackle Jordan Diamond, offensive tackle Chris Muller and perhaps an off-the-radar prospect or two in the next week to close out its 2012 recruiting class.

For more on the Michigan Wolverines, check out Maize n Brew. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NCAA Football hub at SBNation.com/NCAA-Football.

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Michigan Football Recruiting: Joshua Garnett Picks Stanford

Washington offensive guard Joshua Garnett has committed to Stanford. Garnett announced his decision during a press conference on Thursday at his high school that was actually attended by the mayor of Puyallup, his hometown. Garnett picked Stanford over Michigan, Oregon, Washington, Miami, Cal, USC and UCLA. He held offers from several other schools, but those schools made up his top eight. Stanford and Michigan comprised his top two, and the Cardinal ended up being his choice.

Garnett is a four-star offensive guard on three of the major recruiting sites and has five stars on Scout, so this is a tough one to swallow for Michigan fans. Had the Wolverines landed Garnett, they would have gone into signing day with the top offensive line class in the nation for 2012. Instead, with Garnett headed to Stanford, Michigan now has an extra spot to fill on the offensive line.

Currently, the Wolverines have four offensive line commits: Kyle Kalis, Ben Braden, Erik Magnuson and Blake Bars. Tight end A.J. Williams could end up playing on the offensive line in college, and Michigan is still in the mix for offensive linemen Jordan Diamond, Alex Kozan and Chris Muller, who is committed to Rutgers but may be back in play with head coach Greg Schiano being hired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The bright side for Michigan is that it will still likely finish with an outstanding offensive line class, but landing Garnett would have put it over the top.

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Michigan Football Recruiting: Joshua Garnett To Announce Decision On Thursday

Decision day has arrived for Joshua Garnett. The Washington offensive guard will end his recruitment on Thursday and decide between Michigan and Stanford in a press conference taking place at his school. The announcement is set for 6 p.m. (Eastern Time).

Everyone reminder: Press conference is on thursday at 3 p.m. in the puyallup highschool commons (cafeteria). Everyones invited!

— Joshua Garnett (@IamJoshG) January 24, 2012

As of Wednesday night, Garnett still had not made a decision. In an interview with a Michigan blog, he said he was pretty much 50/50 between Michigan and Stanford and that it was "going to be close" between the Wolverines and Cardinal.

If Garnett picks Michigan, its offensive line class for 2012 will easily be the best in the nation. Garnett is rated as a four-star offensive guard on three of the major recruiting sites, and Scout actually gives him five stars. To add him to a class that already has commitments from Kyle Kalis, Ben Braden, Erik Magnuson and Blake Bars would be remarkable.

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Michigan Football Recruiting: Armani Reeves Favoring Wolverines Over Ohio State?

Four-star Massachusetts cornerback Armani Reeves may be nearing a decision. Reeves, who decommitted from Penn State earlier in the week, is down to two schools: Michigan and Ohio State. After hosting coaches from both schools for in-home visits in recent days, Michigan may hold a slight lead, according to Rivals.com's Mike Farrell.

Armani Reeves in home with coach Mattison from #Michigan went well according to source, source feels its 52-48 #Michigan over #OhioState

— Mike Farrell (@rivalsmike) January 25, 2012

Michigan defensive coordinator Greg Mattison visited Reeves on Tuesday night. On Monday night, Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer and some of his assistants visited Reeves. These visits followed a visit from Michigan head coach Brady Hoke over the weekend.

Although Michigan may currently hold a slight edge, Farrell did say that he thinks a "huge factor" that favors Ohio State is Camren Williams. He is also a former Penn State commit and is a high school teammate of Reeves. Williams committed to Ohio State last week, so if Reeves wants to go to the same college as Williams, Ohio State has that factor working in its favor.

A specific announcement date has not yet been set by Reeves.

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Michigan Football Recruiting: Ondre Pipkins Earns 5th Star

After having a strong showing in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, Michigan football commit Ondre Pipkins received a bump in the recruiting rankings on Rivals.com. The Kansas City defensive tackle was previously considered a four-star recruit, but now he has five stars after the impressive performance. Here's the reasoning behind his jump in the rankings:

"Pipkins was a guy we had all loved in camp settings but we had never seen him in pads," said Southwest Analyst Brian Perroni. "He was dinged up when I went to Kansas City this year so the Army week was my first time to see him in pads in person. He was a force all week and proved almost impossible for the interior linemen to stop on the pass-rush. His motor is probably most impressive, though, and he made a spectacular hit on the quarterback all the way by the sideline in the actual game itself. That was an example of what we saw from him all week. As a big body already that should have no trouble plugging the middle against the run, he could certainly have a very early impact at Michigan."

Pipkins could have an early impact not only because he is talented, but also because there will be an opportunity for him to play from day one. With Mike Martin and Ryan Van Bergen graduating, depth is not exactly great at defensive tackle, so it's entirely possible Pipkins could come in and be a starter very early on in his career.

With Pipkins being upgraded to five stars, Michigan now has two commitments for 2012 in the top tier of Rivals' recruiting rankings. Offensive lineman Kyle Kalis is the other five-star recruit set to become a Wolverine, and him and Pipkins are a big reason why Michigan has a top-five recruiting class right now. Here's a full look at Michigan's commits for 2012:

Michigan Football Recruiting Class Of 2012

1. OT Ben Braden (Rockford, MI) - 6'6", 285 lbs., ***
2. OG Caleb Stacey (Cincinnati, OH) - 6'4", 275 lbs., ***
3. MLB Kaleb Ringer (Clayton, OH) - 6'0", 219 lbs., ***
4. OLB Royce Jenkins-Stone (Detroit, MI) - 6'2", 215 lbs., ****
5. TE Devin Funchess (Farmington Hills, MI) - 6'5", 205 lbs., ***
6. TE A.J. Williams (Cincinnati, OH) - 6'6", 260 lbs., ***
7. OLB Joe Bolden (Cincinnati, OH) - 6'2", 225 lbs., ****
8. MLB James Ross (Orchard Lake, MI) - 6'0", 209 lbs., ****
9. DE Mario Ojemudia (Farmington Hills, MI) - 6'3", 215 lbs., ***
10. DT Matt Godin (Novi, MI) - 6'5", 253 lbs., ***
11. CB Terry Richardson (Detroit, MI) - 5'9", 160 lbs., ****
12. S Allen Gant (Sylvania, OH) - 6'2", 210 lbs., ***
13. DE Tom Strobel (Mentor, OH) - 6'6", 245 lbs., ****
14. OT Erik Magnuson (Carlsbad, CA) - 6'6", 275 lbs., ****
15. S Jeremy Clark (Madisonville, KY) - 6'4", 205 lbs., ***
    
16. OT Blake Bars (Nashville, TN) - 6'5", 275 lbs., ****
17. S Jarrod Wilson (Akron, OH) - 6'2", 190 lbs., ****
18. OT Kyle Kalis (Lakewood, OH) - 6'5", 302 lbs., *****
19. FB Sione Houma (Salt Lake City, UT) - 6'0", 211 lbs., ***
20. DE Chris Wormley (Toledo, OH) - 6'4", 255 lbs., ***
21. DT Ondre Pipkins (Kansas City, MO) - 6'3", 325 lbs., *****
22. RB Drake Johnson (Ann Arbor, MI) - 6'1", 200 lbs., ***
23. WR Amara Darboh (West Des Moines, IA) - 6'2", 190 lbs., ****
24. WR Jehu Chesson (St. Louis, MO) - 6'3", 182 lbs., ***

(Height, weight and stars from Rivals.com)

For more on the Michigan Wolverines, check out Maize n Brew. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NCAA Football hub at SBNation.com/NCAA-Football.

• over 1 year ago
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Ohio State Sanctions Won't Cause Bri'onte Dunn, Se'Von Pittman To Decommit

On Tuesday, the NCAA announced Ohio State's sanctions for the numerous violations that were discovered over the last 12 months. Among the sanctions are a one-year postseason ban (for 2012) and the loss of nine scholarships over the next three seasons.

Predictably, one of the biggest questions that arose in the wake of the NCAA's announcement was about how Ohio State's recruiting would be affected by the sanctions. Although recruits knew sanctions were coming, the severity was not known until Tuesday. In the grand scheme of things, Ohio State got off pretty easy all things considered, but the school seemed to be taken by surprise by the bowl ban.

In just the last week, Ohio State has done quite a bit on the recruiting trail. In addition to getting Bri'onte Dunn to reaffirm his commitment after seriously looking at Michigan, Urban Meyer also got Se'Von Pittman to decommit from Michigan State to Ohio State, Tommy Schutt to decommit from Penn State to Ohio State and Noah Spence to commit to Ohio State. Are any of these players suddenly rethinking their decision now that the sanctions are out? It doesn't sound like it, at least not for Dunn and Pittman. From Ari Wasserman:

Se'Von Pittman and Bri'onte Dunn will both remain committed to Ohio State.

As soon as Jim Tressel resigned and Dunn started looking at schools other than Ohio State, his father said that a bowl ban would be a big deal in his son's recruitment. It turns out, apparently, that missing a bowl for one season isn't that big of a deal to Dunn after all, or at least not enough for him to reconsider his commitment. That's a big change from the summer and even the fall.

For Ohio State, it looks like the most damage by the NCAA scandal has already been done.

• over 1 year ago
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Michigan Football Recruiting: Bri'onte Dunn Sticks With Ohio State

When Jim Tressel resigned from Ohio State back in May, one of the first things Michigan fans wanted to know about was the status of Bri'onte Dunn, the Buckeyes' five-star running back commit. After Dunn visited Michigan and showed more and more interest in the Wolverines, fans began to hope that Brady Hoke would get him to switch his commitment. This hope seemed a bit unrealistic at first, but after Kyle Kalis decommitted from Ohio State to Michigan, it suddenly seemed not only realistic, but even probable.

As the season went by and Dunn continued to express interest in Michigan (and visit campus), it seemed like he would ultimately decommit from Ohio State and end up in Ann Arbor. That especially seemed likely after Urban Meyer was hired by OSU. Dunn had made it known he'd rather not play in a spread offense, which Meyer is expected to primarily run. Needless to say, optimism was high in Ann Arbor over Dunn's recruitment.

As always in college football recruiting, things can change extremely quickly. That was especially the case with Dunn, who suddenly decided to reaffirm his commitment to Ohio State during an in-home visit with Meyer on Tuesday. He canceled future plans to hold an official visit to Michigan, and he really erased any possibility of ending up playing for the Wolverines.

The impact this decision by Dunn will have on Michigan's class is minimal in terms of filling a need now that Fitzgerald Toussaint has emerged as the main running back. It would have certainly been nice to add Dunn into the mix, but the need to add a running back isn't that high for the 2012 class.

Off the field, this is a big win for Ohio State. For months it seemed like Dunn was long gone and was set to join Michigan, but Meyer worked his magic and was able to keep him committed. The impact of that is pretty big, as Brady Hoke would have made quite a statement if he had been able to get another Ohio State commitment to switch to Michigan.

• over 1 year ago
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Michigan Football Recruiting: Jeremy Clark Won't Grayshirt

When Jeremy Clark committed to Michigan back in June, the plan was for him to grayshirt in 2012 and go on scholarship in 2013. Under that plan, he would have had to pay his own way his first season on campus before getting a scholarship his second year in Ann Arbor.

The plan for Clark recently changed, as Michigan coaches decided they want him to be a scholarship player next year. This means Clark will join the Wolverines next season and have a full scholarship from day one.

"They sent their coach down to watch practice last week and they were so impressed with him and our team," Weaver said. "They wanted to get him on campus right away."

Part of the reason Clark wasn't originally scheduled to go on scholarship immediately is because the coaches didn't think there would be any available. Attrition has changed that, and now Clark will be able to have his full ride start in 2012.

Michigan Football Recruiting Class Of 2012

1. OT Ben Braden (Rockford, MI) - 6'6", 285 lbs., ***
2. OG Caleb Stacey (Cincinnati, OH) - 6'4", 275 lbs., ***
3. MLB Kaleb Ringer (Clayton, OH) - 6'0", 219 lbs., ***
4. OLB Royce Jenkins-Stone (Detroit, MI) - 6'2", 215 lbs., ****
5. TE Devin Funchess (Farmington Hills, MI) - 6'5", 205 lbs., ***
6. TE A.J. Williams (Cincinnati, OH) - 6'6", 260 lbs., ***
7. OLB Joe Bolden (Cincinnati, OH) - 6'2", 225 lbs., ****
8. MLB James Ross (Orchard Lake, MI) - 6'0", 209 lbs., ****
9. DE Mario Ojemudia (Farmington Hills, MI) - 6'3", 215 lbs., ***
10. DE Pharaoh Brown (Lyndhurst, OH) - 6'6", 220 lbs., ****
11. DT Matt Godin (Novi, MI) - 6'5", 253 lbs., ***
12. CB Terry Richardson (Detroit, MI) - 5'9", 160 lbs., ****
13. S Allen Gant (Sylvania, OH) - 6'2", 210 lbs., ***
14. CB Anthony Standifer (Crete, IL) - 6'1", 178 lbs., ***
15. DE Tom Strobel (Mentor, OH) - 6'6", 245 lbs., ****
16. OT Erik Magnuson (Carlsbad, CA) - 6'6", 275 lbs., ****
17. S Jeremy Clark (Madisonville, KY) - 6'4", 205 lbs., ***
    
18. OT Blake Bars (Nashville, TN) - 6'5", 275 lbs., ****
19. S Jarrod Wilson (Akron, OH) - 6'2", 190 lbs., ****
20. OT Kyle Kalis (Lakewood, OH) - 6'5", 302 lbs., ****
21. FB Sione Houma (Salt Lake City, UT) - 6'0", 211 lbs., ***
22. DE Chris Wormley (Toledo, OH) - 6'4", 255 lbs., ***
23. DT Ondre Pipkins (Kansas City, MO) - 6'3", 325 lbs., ****

(Height, weight and stars from Rivals.com)

• almost 2 years ago
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Michigan Football Recruiting: Aaron Burbridge To Attend Big House BBQ

Wide receiver Aaron Burbridge, the No. 2 overall player in Rivals' state of Michigan rankings, is planning on visiting Ann Arbor for the BBQ at the Big House on July 31. Burbridge's plans to visit were reported by Tom VanHaaren, who spoke to Devin Funchess, a Michigan commit and teammate of Burbridge.

Burbridge is one of three uncommitted players in Rivals' top 10 for the state of Michigan. The expectation is for him to end up choosing Michigan or Michigan State if he gets some grade issues worked out. He holds offers from both the Wolverines and Spartans, and each school is hoping to land the very talented wide receiver.

One potential advantage for Michigan is that commits Funchess and Mario Ojemudia go to Farmington Hills Harrison with Burbridge. Funchess committed to Michigan in April and Ojemudia committed in May, so both players have had some time to get in Burbridge's ear about eventually picking Michigan. No announcement is expected in the immediate future, though.

• almost 2 years ago
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Michigan Football Recruiting: Bri'onte Dunn Hopes To Visit For Big House BBQ

When offensive tackle Kyle Kalis committed to Michigan earlier this month, he proclaimed that the "Michigan-Ohio border is now open." Already Michigan has secured the commitments of quite a few talented recruits from Ohio, but they're not done yet, and they may not be done rubbing salt in the wounds of Ohio State, either.

For months running back Bri'onte Dunn, a five-star recruit on Scout from Canton, Ohio, has seemingly been wavering in his commitment to Ohio State. He hasn't actually decommitted from Ohio State, but he has previously visited Michigan, and his father has said that OSU's punishment from the NCAA could have an effect on Dunn's recruitment.

What OSU's final punishment will entail remains to be seen, but in the meantime Dunn is hoping to visit Ann Arbor again on July 31 for the Big House BBQ, according to Tom VanHaaren.

RB Bri'onte Dunn (6'2", 215 lbs, 4 Star) - His father told me that Bri'onte wants to go, so they will be going. That could potentially change, but as of today they are going to be there.

If Michigan manages to land Dunn to go along with Kalis, that would be quite the coup for Brady Hoke and company, especially considering both players would be one-time Ohio State commits.

• almost 2 years ago
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Michigan Football Recruiting: In-State Top 10 Includes 6 Commits

Earlier this week Rivals released its state recruiting rankings. For the state of Michigan, the top 10 of the rankings is very good to the Michigan football recruiting class. Six players currently committed to Michigan are in the top 10. One top 10 recruit is committed to Michigan State and the other three recruits are currently uncommitted. Take a look:

1. LB Royce Jenkins-Stone (Detroit) - Michigan

2. WR Aaron Burbridge (Farmington Hills) - Uncommitted

3. LB James Ross (Orchard Lake) - Michigan

4. DB Terry Richardson (Detroit) - Michigan

5. DT Danny O'Brien (Flint) - Uncommitted

6. TE Devin Funchess (Farmington Hills) - Michigan

7. DT Matthew Godin (Novi) - Michigan

8. LB Jamal Lyles (Southfield) - Michigan State

9. OL Ben Braden (Rockford) - Michigan

10. ATH Ruben Lile (Detroit) - Uncommitted

At least two of the uncommitted players in the top 10 could wind up committing to Michigan or Michigan State. Burbridge will in all likelihood go to one of the schools if he qualifies. O'Brien holds offers from Michigan and Michigan State and recently put the Wolverines in his top two along with Tennessee. As for Lile, neither Michigan nor Michigan State has offered him.

• almost 2 years ago
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Michigan Football Recruiting: Kyle Kalis Discusses Decision To Commit

Ohio offensive tackle Kyle Kalis committed to Michigan over the weekend. The decision came less than a month after he decommitted from Ohio State. Since it's not every day that a former OSU commit switches to Michigan, especially when he is a five-star offensive tackle, ESPN took notice of Kalis' decision and spoke to him about why he opted to become a Wolverine rather than a Buckeye.

"I can't go there (Ohio State) and take penalties for something I never did," Kalis told ESPN.com on Monday. "Ohio State is a great program. I'm just not sure how long it will take them to recover. I want a solid, grounded coaching staff with a safe environment. Where there aren't such tough questions."

Kalis actually said he is an Ohio State fan, but he didn't want to go to a program dealing with such "turmoil and uncertainty." Although Michigan did just undergo a coaching change of its own, it's clear that Brady Hoke is leading the program going forward. Luke Fickell could very well just be OSU's head coach for one season and nothing more. That and the fact that Hoke is the type of guy Kalis wants to play for contributed to his decision to commit to Michigan, and when he did commit he called Hoke from the block "M" logo in Michigan Stadium.

Unsurprisingly, Kalis' switch from Ohio State to Michigan has raised a lot of eyebrows, and he might not be the only one to make the change when all is said and done. Kalis himself said the "Michigan-Ohio border is now open," and that is very good news for Hoke and company.

• almost 2 years ago
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Michigan Football Recruiting: MaxPreps Ranks Wolverines' Class 1st In Nation

Kyle Kalis committing to Michigan was great for the Wolverines in a number of different ways. First and foremost, Michigan added a very talented player to its football recruiting class. He could be someone Michigan builds its future offensive line around, and even better, he is now set to be a Wolverine after spurning Ohio State just last month. It is a great situation for Michigan, and to make matters even better, his commitment has had an immediate effect on recruiting rankings.

Before Kalis committed, MaxPreps ranked Michigan's 2012 recruiting class second in the nation behind Texas. In the updated rankings, Michigan is now first in the nation, passing the Longhorns by despite safety Jarrod Wilson not even being included in the rankings yet. Wilson committed to Michigan on Friday, and for some reason Kalis is the only recent commitment included in the Wolverines' class. Despite Wilson's absence, Michigan is still ranked No. 1 in the nation.

Here's a look at the top 10 for MaxPreps' team recruiting rankings:

1. Michigan
2. Texas
3. Texas A&M
4. Florida State
5. Miami (FL)
6. Florida
7. Auburn
8. LSU
9. Alabama
10. Clemson

Other notable schools in the top 25 are Notre Dame (11th), Wisconsin (13th), Michigan State (22nd), Penn State (23rd) and Northwestern (24th).

• almost 2 years ago
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Michigan Football Recruiting: Kyle Kalis A Silent Commit?

Ever since five-star Ohio offensive tackle Kyle Kalis decommitted from Ohio State last month, there have been rumors that he in turn committed to the Michigan football recruiting class. He visited the Wolverines right after decommitting from Ohio State, and all signs have pointed to Michigan being in very good shape with Kalis.

More signs that Kalis will ultimately end up being a Wolverine came this week from theOzone.net's Tony Gerdeman, who said Kalis is silently committed to Michigan based on what he has heard.

Fwiw, I'm told Kyle Kalis is a silent UM commit, but he's not been so silent when trying to lure current OSU commits to UM.

If this is indeed true, one reason why Kalis may not have gone public with his commitment is because of the extra backlash he would get from Ohio State fans. After decommitting from OSU there were undoubtedly a lot of upset Buckeye fans, and quickly announcing a commitment to Michigan would only make the situation for him even worse. In that regard, perhaps he is just waiting for things to quiet down a bit before announcing anything.

• almost 2 years ago
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Michigan Football Recruiting: MaxPreps Ranks Wolverines' Class 2nd In Nation

College football recruiting rankings for teams won't be final until signing day next February. By then teams will have their full classes assembled and it will be fair to compare all of them in an actual set of rankings. For now many classes are incomplete, so the rankings could be completely different come signing day.

With that disclaimer out of the way, it is interesting to see where things stand in the college football recruiting world right now, mainly because of how highly the Michigan football recruiting class ranks. In MaxPreps' team rankings, the Wolverines' class is ranked second in the nation behind Texas. Both Michigan and Texas have 18 commitments, four of which are in MaxPreps' top 100.

Here is a look at MaxPreps' top 10 for its team rankings:

1. Texas
2. Michigan
3. Texas A&M
4. Florida State
5. Miami (FL)
6. Florida
7. Auburn
8. LSU
9. Alabama
10. USC

Notable teams in the rest of MaxPreps' rankings are Notre Dame (No. 11), Penn State (No. 13), Wisconsin (No. 15), Michigan State (No. 22) and Northwestern (No. 23). Ohio State is nowhere to be found.

• almost 2 years ago
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Michigan Football Recruiting: Chris Wormley Names Leader

For the last couple of weeks, rumors have been swirling about Toledo defensive end Chris Wormley committing to Michigan. He and Kyle Kalis have been commonly mentioned as possible commits for the Wolverines, but so far no announcements have been made.

Wormley may not have announced anything yet, but he did speak to the Toledo Blade earlier this week. He shared some information about where his recruitment currently stands, and it's all good news for Michigan.

With a month or so before the senior-to-be is expected to make an announcement regarding his future, the University of Michigan has emerged as the favorite to land the standout defensive lineman.

"Right now, it's Michigan," Wormley said Wednesday.

Ohio State, Michigan State and Notre Dame are still in the mix, but Michigan, Wormley's favorite team growing up, is the clear No. 1 right now. The Wolverines hosted Wormley for a visit last weekend, and all signs point to him joining Michigan's recruiting class before the end of August, which is when Wormley wants to make a decision by.

• almost 2 years ago
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Michigan Football Recruiting: Jarrod Wilson To Announce Decision On July 8

Rumors are running rampant about the possibility of Michigan adding Kyle Kalis and/or Chris Wormley to their 2012 football recruiting class, but with no announcement dates set, they may just remain rumors for the immediate future. There have also been many rumblings about Jarrod Wilson committing to Michigan, and we actually know he will be announcing his decision on July 8.

Wilson's top three is Michigan, Notre Dame and Penn State. At his high school on July 8, Wilson will hold a news conference to announce which of those three schools he will commit to. The expectation is Michigan will add Wilson as a commit during the announcement, but a lot could change in recruiting in a couple weeks, of course.

If the Wolverines do land Wilson, they will get a four-star safety from Akron, Ohio. They will also essentially in turn land a safety for the 2013 class. Last week Jeremy Clark committed to Michigan, but he will take a greyshirt if Wilson commits. If Wilson goes elsewhere Clark will step in and take his spot in the 2012 recruiting class, so either way Michigan will be in good shape at safety.

• almost 2 years ago
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Michigan Football Recruiting: Kyle Kalis Decommits From Ohio State, To Visit Michigan

The effects of Jim Tressel's resignation and the NCAA scandal at Ohio State are starting to show when it comes to recruiting. As soon as Tressel decided to leave it was obvious recruiting would be affected, but it wasn't clear how much or how soon.

The first real sign that the issues in Columbus were hurting OSU's recruiting came when Ohio defensive end Tom Strobel committed to Michigan earlier this month. Strobel had been offered by Ohio State and the expectation was he would end up becoming a Buckeye. Strobel himself said, "If you would have asked me a year ago if I would go to Michigan, I would have said 'no way'." Now he is a big part of Michigan's 2012 football recruiting class, perhaps in more ways than one.

Strobel committing to Michigan may have been a sign that OSU's recruiting could be in for some rocky times, but the news that Ohio offensive lineman Kyle Kalis decommitted is proof. Kalis is one of the top offensive tackles and one of the best players in the nation for 2012, and he is scheduled to visit Michigan this weekend. It's worth noting that Kalis said in an interview he is "really good friends" with Strobel, so he's already got a connection to Michigan's recruiting class.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the Kalis news is that he originally planned to decommit on Memorial Day right after Tressel resigned. Ohio State interim coach Luke Fickell managed to sway Kalis to stay committed to the Buckeyes, but that lasted all of three weeks before Kalis decided to reopen his recruitment.

Now it looks as though Ohio State could suffer not only from losing a top commit, but also from having him potentially end up choosing Michigan. With a visit scheduled for this weekend, the Wolverines certainly have a golden opportunity with Kalis.

• about 2 years ago
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Michigan Football Recruiting: Rivals Gives Out Stars To All 16 Commits

This week Rivals evaluated quite a few recruits for the 2012 class. Rivals also handed out stars for numerous players at the same time, and now all 16 of Michigan's current verbal commitments have stars.

Seven of Michigan's 16 commits are four-star recruits, according to Rivals. They are Joe Bolden, Pharaoh Brown, Royce Jenkins-Stone, Erick Magnuson, Terry Richardson, James Ross and Tom Strobel. The other commits are three-star recruits on Rivals. By comparison, nine of Michigan's commits have four stars on Scout and 24/7 Sports.

Below is a full look at Michigan's current commits and how many stars each recruit has.

Michigan Football Recruiting Class Of 2012

1. OT Ben Braden (Rockford, MI) - 6'6", 285 lbs., ***
2. OG Caleb Stacey (Cincinnati, OH) - 6'4", 275 lbs., ***
3. MLB Kaleb Ringer (Clayton, OH) - 6'0", 219 lbs., ***
4. OLB Royce Jenkins-Stone (Detroit, MI) - 6'2", 215 lbs., ****
5. TE Devin Funchess (Farmington Hills, MI) - 6'5", 205 lbs., ***
6. TE A.J. Williams (Cincinnati, OH) - 6'6", 260 lbs., ***
7. OLB Joe Bolden (Cincinnati, OH) - 6'2", 225 lbs., ****
8. MLB James Ross (Orchard Lake, MI) - 6'0", 209 lbs., ****
9. DE Mario Ojemudia (Farmington Hills, MI) - 6'3", 215 lbs., ***
10. DE Pharaoh Brown (Lyndhurst, OH) - 6'6", 220 lbs., ****
11. DT Matt Godin (Novi, MI) - 6'5", 253 lbs., ***
12. CB Terry Richardson (Detroit, MI) - 5'9", 160 lbs., ****
13. S Allen Gant (Sylvania, OH) - 6'2", 210 lbs., ***
14. CB Anthony Standifer (Crete, IL) - 6'1", 178 lbs., ***
15. DE Tom Strobel (Mentor, OH) - 6'6", 245 lbs., ****
16. OT Erik Magnuson (Carlsbad, CA) - 6'6", 275 lbs., ****

(Height, weight and stars from Rivals.com)

• about 2 years ago
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Michigan Football Recruiting: What Effect Will Jim Tressel News Have On Bri'onte Dunn?

The long-term effect of Jim Tressel resigning from Ohio State remains to be seen. There is no telling what this could do to the Ohio State football program for years to come, especially once sanctions from the NCAA are handed down for the violations he is leaving behind.

The short-term effect of Tressel parting ways with OSU will be seen on the recruiting trail with players already committed to the Buckeyes and players strongly considering them. Just look at running back Bri'onte Dunn, who is from Canton, Ohio.

In the wake of the allegations against the OSU football program, Dunn started showing more interest in Michigan and even visited Ann Arbor. He maintained he was committed to OSU, but all of that could change now that Tressel has resigned.

Tom VanHaaren spoke with Dunn's father shortly after the news came out about Tressel. Dunn's father said there hasn't been any discussion about the OSU situation yet, but he and Bri'onte will "sit down and talk about everything soon." Dunn's father also said that they want to see what happens with NCAA sanctions, because being banned from a bowl game would be a big deal to Dunn.

Needless to say, the news about Tressel and OSU's NCAA problems will certainly give some recruits some thinking to do.

• about 2 years ago
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Michigan Football Recruiting: Terry Richardson Reschedules Announcement Again

Originally Detroit Cass Tech cornerback Terry Richardson was set to announce his college decision on Tuesday at his school. The announcement was then moved to Thursday morning at his school. On Tuesday night, Richardson canceled the whole thing because some of his relatives wouldn't be able to make it.

It wasn't clear when he would instead make the announcement, but on Twitter Wednesday morning Richardson cleared things up. The plans (as of the time of this post) now call for Richardson to announce his decision at 8 a.m. Thursday morning. He will not announce his decision at school, but rather just share his choice on Facebook and Twitter.

As a reminder, Richardson's top five is Michigan, USC, Alabama, LSU and Notre Dame. The expectation all along has been for him to pick Michigan, and nothing that has happened in the last few days has changed that line of thinking. When he makes his announcement Thursday morning, it is expected that he will become Michigan's 12th commit for 2012.

• about 2 years ago
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Michigan Football Recruiting: Terry Richardson To Announce Decision On Thursday

Detroit Cass Tech cornerback Terry Richardson will announce his college decision at 11:45 a.m. on Tuesday. Richardson's top five includes Michigan, USC, Alabama, LSU and Notre Dame.

Richardson has a very impressive offer list. In addition to those five schools, he also has offers from Iowa, Michigan State, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Penn State, among others.

Richardson has four stars on both Rivals and Scout and is considered the 10th-best cornerback recruit in the nation on the latter. If he picks Michigan, Richardson would be the Wolverines' seventh recruit with four stars on Scout to commit for the class of 2012. Overall, he would be their 12th commit for next year's recruiting class.

Royce Jenkins-Stone, who also goes to Cass Tech, has already committed to Michigan. The expectation is for Richardson to do the same on Tuesday morning. Although anything can happen in recruiting, I would be surprised if he doesn't pick the Wolverines.

UPDATE: Richardson has rescheduled his announcement to Thursday at 11:45 a.m.

• about 2 years ago
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Michigan Football Recruiting: 3 Commits In Rivals250

Three of Michigan's 10 commits so far for the 2012 recruiting class are ranked in Rivals.com's top 250. Only linebacker Royce Jenkins-Stone is in the top 100 (he is ranked 87th), but two others -- James Ross and Joe Bolden -- are in the Rivals250.

Ross, another linebacker, is ranked No. 143. That makes him a four-star recruit, which is also the case for Jenkins-Stone. Only the top 17 players on Rivals have five stars, but the rest of the top 250 has four stars.

Bolden, a linebacker from Cincinnati, is ranked 167th in the Rivals250. This means that three of Michigan's four linebacker commits are ranked as one of the top 250 players in the nation, and three of them have four stars. The only linebacker commit not in the top 250 for Michigan is Kaleb Ringer, who does have four stars on Scout and is ranked as the No. 9 middle linebacker in the nation on that site.

Michigan Football Recruiting Class Of 2012

1. OT Ben Braden (Rockford, MI) - 6'6", 285 lbs., NR
2. OG Caleb Stacey (Cincinnati, OH) - 6'4", 275 lbs., NR
3. MLB Kaleb Ringer (Clayton, OH) - 6'0", 219 lbs., NR
4. OLB Royce Jenkins-Stone (Detroit, MI) - 6'2", 215 lbs., ****
5. TE Devin Funchess (Farmington Hills, MI) - 6'5", 205 lbs., NR
6. TE A.J. Williams (Cincinnati, OH) - 6'6", 260 lbs., NR
7. OLB Joe Bolden (Cincinnati, OH) - 6'2", 225 lbs., ****
8. MLB James Ross (Orchard Lake, MI) - 6'0", 209 lbs., ****
9. DE Mario Ojemudia (Farmington Hills, MI) - 6'3", 215 lbs., NR
10. DE Pharaoh Brown (Lyndhurst, OH) - 6'6", 220 lbs., NR

(Height, weight and stars from Rivals.com)

• about 2 years ago
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Zeke Pike Commits To Auburn Over Michigan

Five-star quarterback recruit Zeke Pike announced his college decision on Wednesday. Pike narrowed down an extensive offer sheet to a list of a few final schools that included Michigan, Purdue and Auburn. His decision? Pike opted to commit to the Auburn Tigers. Why? Rivals.com, via SB Nation, has his explanation:

The talented signal caller with more offers to count was simply taking a tour through the southeast late last week, when his last stop found him at Auburn for the Tigers' spring game. It was then that Pike had a feeling that he felt like he could not ignore. "It was a God thing, I can't explain it," Pike said.

Pike never singled out one school as a favorite before his Auburn trip, but Michigan was believed to be in good shape with him. The visit to Auburn obviously changed things drastically, though, as Pike is now a member of the Tigers' 2012 recruiting class. It's worth mentioning that signing day is still 10 months away, so there's plenty of time for things to change. For now, though, Pike is set to join Auburn next year.

Michigan will now move on and hope to land a different quarterback recruit for the class of 2012. Shane Morris, a 2013 recruit from Michigan, is someone that many expect will commit to the Wolverines at some point. Even if he does, Brady Hoke and company need the extra QB depth for 2012, so expect them to take a QB in this recruiting class.

• about 2 years ago
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Zeke Pike Announcing Decision Today; Michigan Among Finalists

Kentucky's Zeke Pike is one of the most sought after quarterbacks in the country for the 2012 recruiting class. He is a five-star QB on Scout and is ranked as the No. 3 QB in the nation. His offer list is extensive, and Wednesday afternoon he will be ready to accept one of those offers.

As reported by Scout on Monday, Pike will announce his college decision at 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday. The announcement will be made at his high school and he will pick between the following seven schools: Michigan, Clemson, Auburn, Arkansas, Tennessee, Purdue and North Carolina. Michigan, Purdue and Auburn were originally thought to be his final three schools, but it's not clear if that is still the case or not.

Michigan has gotten off to a very good start already with Brady Hoke's first full recruiting class, securing two more commits just last week. If the Wolverines could add a five-star QB in Pike on Wednesday, they would create a lot of momentum going forward in the 2012 recruiting cycle.

• about 2 years ago
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Michigan Football Recruiting: Ben Braden Becomes First 2012 Commit

Offensive lineman Ben Braden, who is from Rockford, Michigan, gave a verbal commitment to the Michigan football program on Thursday. By committing, he became Brady Hoke's first commit for the class of 2012. 

Braden is a 6-foot-6 offensive tackle. He is unrated on Rivals and has three stars on Scout, which also lists defensive end as a position he plays. ESPN has him listed as an offensive tackle, but it has yet to rate him as well.

In addition to Michigan, Braden has offers from Michigan State, Wisconsin and Syracuse, according to Rivals and Scout. Braden passed those schools up to end the recruiting process early on in the year and pledge to join the Wolverines. It is expected that he is merely the first of many offensive linemen that will end up being a part of Michigan's 2012 recruiting class. Michigan will lose a few offensive linemen after the 2011 season, so building depth will be important for the Wolverines with the class of 2012.