Michigan Football: Wolverine Wednesday News and Notes

* Wacky time for the Michigan-IU tip tonight—6:30 EST on the Big Ten Network. They must think it's still Christmas or New Year's Eve.

* Looks like the Spring Game is back at the Big House on April 11. It was played at Saline High School last year. Darn it, I was hoping it would be played at the Silverdome on the old Astroturf!

* Scout gives their opinion on Wolverine recruits that are trending up or down.

UP: J.T. Turner, 6'2"/185, Defensive Back, Massillon, Ohio; Michigan Commitment

Turner is currently rated as a four-star safety, but what we saw out of him this week makes us believe that he can play cornerback. He deserves to be one of the top 50 players in the nation. At 6'2", 185 pounds, it is rare to see a kid with that kind of size that can open his hips and run with anyone, but yet still physical enough to hit like a safety and squat on the run.

Down: Anthony LaLota, 6'5"/260, Lineman, The Hun School, N.J.; Michigan Commitment

LaLota insisted on being a defensive end and wants to play defensive end in college. He played defensive end in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, and he struggled all week. To me he is a very average defensive player who moves very well. As an offensive lineman, the sky is the limit. Since he wants to be a defensive end and Michigan recruited him as a defensive end, we're going to rank him as a defensive player.

Down: Taylor Lewan, 6'7"/270, Offensive Lineman, Chaparral, Ariz.; Michigan Commitment

Physically, he's a freak, but he's got to get a little better in his technique to really make that next level. On Wednesday he played above his head, but as the week went on, he struggled with his technique.

My thoughts on the above

None of the information concerns me. Anthony has not been playing football long enough to have all the skills needed at this point, and Taylor has been on the offensive line for a year. Both recruits have huge upsides, and both will contribute in a few years. Looks like Turner might play right away and even earn a fifth star.

* Morgan Trent and Terrance Taylor both will play in the Shrine All-Star Game.

* Former Michigan and Detroit Lions QB coach Scot Loeffler has been named the new quarterbacks coach at Florida. Maybe one more year with Tebow!

* I know many fans have been concerned that Coach Rod wants a 3-3-5 defense and is targeting a new defensive coordinator that knows that formation well. Coach Rod addressed that in a radio interview yesterday: "You can't just be a 3-4 guy or a 4-3 guy. At West Virginia we ran a 3-3-5 base, which was a little different. We'll maintain here the 4-3, 3-4 principle," he insisted. "We did a lot of 3-4 stuff in our second- and third-down packages this year, and we'll continue to do more four-man and odd front."

* More from RR on his DC search: "The process is very early right now," said Rodriguez. "I've talked to some guys on the phone, gathering information on things. I've talked to guys on the current staff. I'm going to take time with it, not going to rush into what I want to do defensively.

"The coordinator is a concern whether it's in house or out of house, and I also want to make sure to leave all doors open. The national coaches convention is next week, there will be 5,000-plus coaches. I'll see guys there. There are still bowl games and NFL games to be played. I want to leave all options open for the best fit not only for the University of Michigan, but for what we have our team, recruiting and our current staff."