Michigan stands out as a school that always recruits well. From the mid-1990s, the Wolverines have signed only one class not ranked in the top 10 by
SuperPrep magazine. That was in 2000, when Lloyd Carr signed a No. 13 group. Notwithstanding that class, since 1995 the folks in Ann Arbor have reeled in signing efforts ranked exactly at 6.6 according to
SuperPrep. For consistency and downright excellence, that?s really tough to beat. In fact, nobody beats it.
During the same 14-year period (long enough to cover lots of ups and downs), these are
SuperPrep?s average yearly recruiting rankings for the 35 following teams:
You won?t find
Utah or
Boise State listed. The Utes and the Broncos rarely sign top-50 classes, yet Utah finished No. 2 in this year?s final AP poll and Boise State slotted in at No. 11. There?s always that argument about the importance of coaching versus talent. Regardless of which side of the fence you come down on there, we know that since the coaches do the signing, and then the developing, coaches come at a very high premium.
When Michigan bought out Rich Rodriguez?s contract last season, they didn?t envision that premium to include a three-win season with blowout losses thrown in for good measure. It?s doubtful Rodriguez saw anything that disastrous as well. But his first signing effort in 2008, No. 6 according to Scout.com, lacked the player Rodriguez needed by far the most: quarterback
Terrelle Pryor, who twisted the sword in deeper by choosing the Buckeyes. Talk about a swing-vote player. Without Pryor and in view of Michigan?s dire signal-caller situation, that class really didn?t deserve a top-10 slot. No way.
Ol? Blue typically recruits hard nationally and often doesn?t rely on Midwest talent to be the backbone of its roster. Rodriguez?s first class contained signees from Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, South Carolina and Texas. This year, in a class currently tabbed by Scout.com at No. 17, he?s again branched out to Colorado, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arizona, Florida, New Jersey and California.
With that QB problem in mind, Rodriguez already has a commitment from
Tate Forcier, a four-star talent from San Diego who can run and throw. Some might consider it a bad sign that neither of Tate?s older brothers have shown they have what it takes to be the main man.
Jason Forcier signed with Michigan in ?05, only to transfer to
Stanford, stuck behind
Tavita Pritchard.
Chris Forcier signed with UCLA in ?07 and doesn?t yet come up in conversations as the future for the Bruins.
Rodriguez is also hot after four-star Florida QB
Denard Robinson, who visions himself as the next
Pat White. Robinson is also considering
Kansas State, Florida, Georgia and
UCF. The 10.7 100m speedster out of Deerfield Beach can always help out at corner or wide receiver if he doesn?t work out offensively. That kind of versatility is a great bonus nowadays. He wants to play early, so
Tim Tebow and Florida might slow down Robinson more than he likes.
In any case, it looks like a signing day announcement for Robinson, with Kansas State the major competition for Michigan here. Teammate/defensive back
Adrian Witty is supposedly a package deal and both visited Ann Arbor on Jan. 9. Deerfield Beach coach
Art Taylor gives the Wolverines the slight edge but you never want to count out
Bill Snyder and the magic he works for Kansas State in these situations. South Carolina defensive end
Sam Montgomery is another big target of Rodriquez?s. Montgomery had a fantastic Jan. 9 trip to Michigan, giving both LSU and Tennessee a lot to worry about. He visited LSU last weekend and takes in Tennessee the final weekend before LOI Day. Working against Rodriguez here is the fact he already has commitments from two fantastic defensive ends: Arizona?s
Craig Roh and
Anthony LaLota from New Jersey.
Michigan is also ahead of the game with a couple of fine offensive tackle commitments in
Taylor Lewan, another impressive raw talent from Arizona, and
Michael Schofield, an early June pledge from Illinois. Schofield?s stock has really moved up in the postseason. Rodriguez is also hoping to sign South Carolina 315-pounder
Quinton Washington, who visited Ann Arbor during the season. With a final trip set for Miami, Washington is also considering Clemson, Tennessee and South Carolina.
