UM Football Recruiting - by WM Wolverine

[iam416]

I hope you're right -- and some OSU "insiders" think that's the case. I still think he ends up at MSU. And if OSU gets Washington, eh, they'll be fine. It actually probably hurts more b/c he'll be playing in conference than it would that he's not playing for OSU.

[Rocky Bleier]

I also believe that Brionte Dunn is waiting to commit to U-M so he can avoid the redneck lynch mob from northern Kentucky.

[Michael Pitts]

I also believe that Brionte Dunn is waiting to commit to U-M so he can avoid the redneck lynch mob from northern Kentucky.

Couple it with him being an early qualifier and it all makes sense. He can graduate and get out of town instead of committing in February and having to wait until May to leave high school.

[*JD*]

He may very well be fearful of being Herbstreeted by those dopes down in Stinktown.

[iam416]

I also believe that Brionte Dunn is waiting to commit to U-M

Heh. Right.

[SeattleLionsFan]

Rock-
I have cousins in actual Northern Kentucky and they hate Ohio too. So let's not disparage northern kentuckians k?

[hack]

Do you mean northern Kentucky or Northern Kentucky?

[Jamie H]

Ohio is "North Kentucky" not to be confused with the Northern part of Kentucky.

[Rocky Bleier]

What Jamie said.

[whodean]

TomV on the speed with which this class has come together

There was a time, believe it or not, when Michigan fans were starting to get concerned about the 2012 recruiting class. There were questions about whether new coach Brady Hoke could recruit, when the Wolverines would get their first commitment, and if the commitments would be any good.

Fast forward a few months, and a lot of those concerns have been doused with Michigan's surge on the recruiting trail.

The commitments seemed to come in pairs, and they started March 24, when offensive lineman Ben Braden (Rockford, Mich./Rockford) pulled the trigger after taking a trip to Ann Arbor with his coach.

Offensive lineman Caleb Stacey was the second player to commit to Michigan's 2012 class.
That got the ball rolling for Hoke and his staff. They followed that commitment with one from offensive lineman Caleb Stacey (Cincinnati/Oak Hills) two days later, and 11 commitments total in the months of April and May combined.

It's not even November yet, and Michigan already is looking to close out its class, with 22 current commitments and one grayshirt. The number of prospects Hoke has been able to secure is already among the most for any program this year, but is it the fastest Michigan has ever filled a class?

That question is tough to answer, since coverage of recruiting has evolved with the Internet. It's also probably not fair to compare it to classes beyond a certain year because of the massive amount of information coaches are afforded now.

To give a good comparison to just how impressive this class has been, we'll take a look back to the 2005 class and forward for Michigan.

The 2005 class was headlined by running back Kevin Grady and wide receiver Mario Manningham and had a total of 23 commitments. Grady was the highest-ranked player in the class and was also the first to commit, in September 2003.

By the time the season rolled around for this class, there were a total of eight commitments, with offensive lineman Tim McAvoy committing in August 2004. It took this class all the way to Signing Day to reach the numbers of Michigan's current class.

The most notable recruit in the 2006 class was Detroit defensive end Brandon Graham, who also happened to be the first to commit, in February 2005. This class had a total of only 19 commitments, so it might be a little unfair to compare in some aspects.

However, by the time the season started in 2005, defensive back Stevie Brown was the last to commit, giving Michigan a total of six commitments for the class. The same as the previous year, this class wasn't up to the current classes numbers until Signing Day.

Quarterback Ryan Mallett and wide receiver Junior Hemingway were the stars of the 2007 class, however, breaking form from the previous two classes, neither was the first to commit. Fullback Vince Helmuth started things off with a commitment in January 2006.

The class had a total of 20 commitments and secured the final prospect, Zion Babb, near Signing Day. Eleven total prospects were committed by the time the season started, which sounds like a good number in normal years.

The 2008 class was somewhat of an anomaly, since there was a coaching change and the recruiting stability was unknown. The first to commit for 2008, however, was Boubacar Cissoko out of Cass Tech in Detroit. This was a strong recruiting class on paper and had a total of 24 commitments.

It wasn't the first complete class for Rich Rodriguez, but number-wise it gives a good comparison. There were 13 total prospects committed by the start of the season, and it took Rodriguez until Signing Day to match the current numbers for 2012.

Another large class came in 2009, with 22 total commitments. The first came in March, from defensive backs Justin Turner, Teric Jones and Isaiah Bell.

This was the first full class for Rodriguez, so there was opportunity for playing time, new skill players needed, and a different attitude being instilled into the program. The 2009 class secured 10 commitments by the time the season kicked off, and again needed until Signing Day to get to the current numbers.

Everything Michigan, from recruiting to news to game coverage, is available at
The 2011 class was similar to 2008. There was a lot of uncertainty, so it might not be too fair to use that year as a comparison either. The closest Michigan has come to matching the current recruiting class is the class of 2010 with Rich Rodriguez.

With 27 commitments total, it was a huge class. Rodriguez and his staff were able to rope in 18 commitments by the start of October. It should be noted that six of those prospects are not with the team, or are out due to medical reasons.

Those total numbers are somewhat comparable, but if you look at the rankings and grades for whom Michigan currently has committed, there's a pretty big separation.

In 2010, out of the 18 prospects that were committed around this time four were ranked as four stars, 12 as three stars, and one as a two star. In the current class, Michigan has 10 total four stars, 12 ranked as three stars, and one two-star prospect.

The 2012 class has four more total prospects than 2010 and also has four more four-star commits, which is significant.

Recruiting numbers are interesting to look at. This comparison might not prove anything specifically about the job Hoke is doing, but it certainly gives a picture of how much emphasis has been put into rebuilding this program.

[WM Wolverine]

FWIW on Devin Gardner... Its believed/rumored (but no in rule book) that the medical redshirt players needs to miss the amount of games he played in which he earned a medical redshirt.

[Rocky Bleier]

Saying that's why we may not have seen him earlier in the year?

[WM Wolverine]

Yes, that is what someone else claims.

[Jamie H]

I'm not following. What does Gardner skipping games this year have to do with getting a medical redshirt for last season?

[WM Wolverine]

He has to miss games this season that he played last season to get a full seasons worth of games missed.