Nate in Massillion, Ohio: Will Michigan fall out of the top 15 with its most recent decommits?
Craig: Well Nate, I see you are from Ohio. Are you asking because you are an Ohio State fan who wants to see them fall, or are you possibly one of those rare Michigan fans in Buckeye land? Either way, Michigan at this time is heading in the wrong direction.
It has suffered several decommitments this year with athlete Kevin Newsome (Chesapeake, Va. / Hargrave Military), offensive tackle William Campbell (Detroit/ Cass Tech), wide receiver Bryce McNeal (Minneapolis/Breck School) and kicker Anthony Fera (Houston/Saint Pius X) all backing away from their verbals. Off the four, all but Fera decommitted before the latest rankings were released, which had Michigan at No. 11. So while we think Fera is a excellent kicker, his departure is probably not enough to make Michigan slide four spots out of the top 15. Also there is a good chance it can get Campbell back before it is all said and done.
In the big picture though, it needs to stop losing players as all four are good prospects who could have helped this team. Overall though, it is still a strong class filling needs. Tate Forcier (San Diego/Scripps Ranch) and Shavodrick Beaver (Wichita Falls, Texas/Rider) are much-needed quarterbacks, while ESPNU 150 defensive end Craig Roh (Scottsdale, Ariz./Chaparral) provides new blood on defense.
It still needs to keep adding players though to prevent from getting passed. Those decommitments have weakened the class, and programs like North Carolina, Tennessee, Penn State, South Carolina and Florida are all within striking distance.
Michigan is still in the hunt for players like athletes Donavan Tate (Cartersville, Ga.) and Denard Robinson (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) and offensive tackles Taylor Lewan (Scottsdale, Ariz./Chaparral) and Travis Bond (Windsor, N.C./Bertie). Adding some of those prospects would help Michigan get going in a positive direction and solidify its ranking.
