UM Football Recruiting - by WM Wolverine

[WM Wolverine]

Optimistic on Treadwell, Isaac less so; I think he's 30% M, 30% ND, 30% USC & 10% elsewhere.

[hack]

Didn't he say Michigan is his leader?

[WM Wolverine]

Isaac? Not sure, if he did it was a long time ago.

[Hannibal]

Hoke has never had a great power running game as a head coach. At Ball State and SDSU, it was more of a finesse game.

[Hannibal]

I can't remember where I've read or heard them, but pretty much everything I have read or heard about Isaac has us in pretty good position (>50% chance).

[SeanB]

I really want a blue-chip RB in this class (who doesn't, right?!), but you start piling up OL talent and you can take a good back and make him great. It is definitely apples to oranges, but Emmitt Smith makes the point valid, IMO.

Still, I'd like to think a top RB recruit would like to come run behind a line that has this much potential.

[WM Wolverine]

ND fans are pretty optimistic about Isaac, as they are on every kid that goes to a Catholic HS. Isaac was pretty enamored with his offer to USC...

Isaac has visits set for March 3rd to ND, March 10th to M... I think we'll have a clearer picture of where Isaac stands after those two visits.

[SeanB]

Lifted from Mgoblog in case you haven't seen it:

“It’s hard not to notice (Michigan’s recruiting success), but I kind of told myself ‘don’t let that be a deciding factor,” said Isaac. “I know there are a few places that I really want to see. I know that being somewhere with a good class is a big deal, and to me it’s very important, but I didn’t really want to make a rash decision just because everyone else was doing it.”

[WM Wolverine]

Good news (SeanB), visits are huge. Like I said above, we should know more about Isaac after his visits to ND/M in early March.

[Rob F]

Lifted from Mgoblog in case you haven't seen it:

“It’s hard not to notice (Michigan’s recruiting success), but I kind of told myself ‘don’t let that be a deciding factor,” said Isaac. “I know there are a few places that I really want to see. I know that being somewhere with a good class is a big deal, and to me it’s very important, but I didn’t really want to make a rash decision just because everyone else was doing it.”

Negative Nellie!

[SeattleLionsFan]

If Sam Webb is right, issacs really doesnt want to play in a spread.

[WM Wolverine]

Pretty sure M is headed for a power running game as is the I-formation after Denard graduates... 5 OL, 1 TE, 1 FB; 7 blockers with a pulling guard can be pretty devastating if executed well and with a threat to throw the ball...

Denard's unique abilities and deficiencies forced Borges to scrap most his playbook and create a new one to suit Denard. M in '13 will look mightily different than they did in '11.

[Optimus Prime]

"Spread-coast" should be devastating next fall provided DR becomes a reasonable passer.

[WM Wolverine]

re: M's o-line haul. Advantage of recruiting for a pro-style offense, you get offensive lineman who have pro potential. This is an even better OL haul than last season which was really good and almost great...

RR recruited Jake Fisher and sold him on playing in a spread offense and being a sub 300 lb offensive tackle. When Hoke took over, he told his offensive lineman they were going to be 310+ lb's beasts who can both overpower his man one-on-one and be athletic enough to pull to the other side of the line... M's back-to-back OL classes:

*'12 Kyle Kalis, Erik Magunson, Ben Braden & Blake Bars...

*'13 Chris Fox, Kyle Bosch, Patrick Kugler, Logan Tuley-Tillman & David Dawson...

They actually needed a ton of talent at the OL after the under-recruitment, misses, decommits and injuries to OL to the '09 - '11 classes. Numbers wise in '13 they will be at where they need to be (14 I think)...

[Jeff Buchanan]

With Denard back there, Borges will still have plenty of the option game for him. 2012 is not going to look a lot different than 2011. Denard needs to develop just an adequate deep ball to make the 2012's offense the equal of 2011's. Not great but good enough. I'm not convinced he's going to get a lot better at that ..... expecting a drop off on offense in 2012 but I sure like what I see coming up in 2014. There will be plenty of power running .... but if Morris is as good as he supposed to be (or if Gardner gets better than he's looked so far) I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a lot of I-Form-spread/vertical passing in a 60/40 run/pass mix with lots of TE/alternating with slot play in the passing game.