Michigan now number 1 on ESPN's recruiting rankings

http://insider.espn.go.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/classrankings/_/class/2014/date/20130517

Again, I put ZERO stock into ESPN's recruiting. Call me when Rivals, Scout or 247 have us at #1 (currently 7, 7 and 5 respectively).

There is no doubt that Marshall was a BIG pickup for us. I am really hoping he stays in the class. USC has been waiting to offer him until after they see him in camp but with the Michigan offer and commit they no longer want to wait. I've heard rumblings that an offer is imminent and Marshall has been very vocal in the past about how bad he has always wanted to play at USC. They are the only team that worries me. IMO If they offer, he won't go visit he'll be a Wolverine in the end but it does put that little bit of doubt in the back of my mind. Plus he is on record saying, "The best players in the state play at Michigan." Marshall said that when talking to Malik McDowell.

Speaking of McDowell, if they like our DLine recruits now, ESPN is gonna sh*t themselves when he commits.

- I fully expect Peppers to commit on the 26th.

- Soon after I expect Winovich to commit. I think it's now 60/40 us over O$U in this one.

- Then I expect Bars to commit

- Finally I expect McDowell and Westphall to commit around the same time, just before the start of their senior years.


Bottom line, we should be #1 on that ESPN list for a while and we should definitely be moving up on the other three.

We will be #1 on all four sites if Hand commits.

Who else is on the radar other than the ones you listed?

What about Scott?

EJinGA wrote:

Who else is on the radar other than the ones you listed?

What about Scott?

Let's start with Scott. Sadly I am getting the feeling that we are falling behind and that he is going to end up at Florida. I really think that he would have committed by now but I could be very wrong. Again, there is a long way to go and we have Cole and Campbell in his ear (not that Campbell is a commit but he's certainly a lean at this point). Plus don't forget the coaches made a stop in to see Scott and Campbell this week. It just sucks that we only targeted two slot receivers (the other was McCaffrey) and we may whiff on both.

I still think the coaches have some illusions of grandeur that they are in the mix for Joe Mixon (kind of funny to type that... mix for Mixon). Anyway, I don't think we'll make his final 5. That leaves us with Balladge or bust. A lot of people like his size and supposed speed. Don't get me wrong, he may be a bruiser at the next level but I know from personal experience that he plays NOBODY. Yes Falcon CO has been booming over the last 10 years. The school is definitely starting to get some recognition for its size and the sports teams that they are fielding but the bottom line is they still are in the small-prarrie-town mindset and their competition (or lack thereof) is doing them no justice. I personally think you can see it in his tapes too. This of course brings up the question I've asked on this board already, do we not take any RBs this class and take two next year instead.

Two guys that don't get a lot of mention are CB Adoree Jackson and S John (JuJu) Smith.

JuJu actually has a visit coming up soon but I still think he ends up at UCLA. I think the coaches would do just about anything legal to get this kid in the class.

Adoree Jackson is starting to get interesting. He lives in Gardena CA but he grew up in East St Louis. He's a big Deion Sanders fan but also a fan of B1G football. Most have thought for months that he's a USC lock but that's not true. He's actually very interested in Florida State and Illinois. The coaches are trying to get this kid on campus. If they do, they will pitch the B1G well to him and that could be a game changer. I don't think we're out of this one by a long shot.

Another name that keeps popping up is LB Jimmie Swain. After they decided not to allow Kyron Watson to commit they've been hitting up Swain pretty hard. We'll see how that goes. At this point I do think they want two more LBs so I would not be surprised to see Swain in the class.

I think right now the radar is Hand. The coaches are going to put double and triple into what they put for everyone else in this class. That's not to say they are targeting other kids just as hard but those are kids in the 2015 class. Remember, the staff's ability to lock up classes fairly early gives them a great jump on the next class and when they hit a kid they like, it's like shock and awe. So really I expect to see the coaches all over the place in the next two months so everything I just wrote could change in an instant. But hey.... that's recruiting for ya.

Oh I also forgot to mention OT Rodrick Johnson. I have conceded Jamarco Jones to O$U for some time now but I have been feeling really good about what I'm hearing from Alex Bars and those around him. But, if somehow we miss out on Bars I think Roderick Johnson is in. I definitely want Jones the most and even though Johnson is much more highly regarded than Bars, I'll be just as happy with either of them.

sandyeggo_blue wrote:

Oh I also forgot to mention OT Rodrick Johnson. I have conceded Jamarco Jones to O$U for some time now but I have been feeling really good about what I'm hearing from Alex Bars and those around him. But, if somehow we miss out on Bars I think Roderick Johnson is in. I definitely want Jones the most and even though Johnson is much more highly regarded than Bars, I'll be just as happy with either of them.

Swing and miss on Bars..... Roderick Johnson COME ON DOWN!!!