Michigan Wolverine Football: The Week In Review

I feel like I’m in one of those cliché movie scenes where the heat is just bearing down on everyone and making everything miserable.  Except this time it’s not the heat that is weight on my shoulders, it’s the anticipation of college football beginning.

As the season draws closer, I only grow more anxious for the Michigan Wolverines to take the field in the Big House. 

At the same time, as the summer progresses it seems as though there are only less and less things to talk about in the world of Michigan football. 

These hot months feel like a bell curve wherein July sits atop the hill of boredom. 

No matter how much I write, research, and read about Michigan football, it doesn’t make the season start any sooner.

Lately, I’ve received my maize and blue fix by alternating between watching the HBO documentary on University of Michigan and Ohio State University, and The Big Ten Network’s special on Michigan Football’s Greatest Stories every night before I go to sleep.

I’m starting to think I have a legitimate addiction.

Has anybody else slumped to the point of watching West Virginia highlights in order to get excited for the upcoming season? 

Nothing will make you feel more like a junkie.

Anyways, here is your Wolverine Update:

Recruits Recognize The Rivalry:

Rivals.com three-star defensive back, and Columbus, Ohio native Ron Tanner, verbally committed to the college of his choice this week. 

Tanner had a number of schools looking in his direction with scholarships, and out of all of the schools, Michigan looked like a top contender.

As Tanner held a high school press conference to declare where he would be going to school next year, he held up a blue hat with a large maize block M on it, put it on his head, and stated he would be a Wolverine next fall.

That is until he took the hat off, chuckled a bit, and asked someone to give him an Ohio State hat instead, declaring “it was a mistake”. 

Mistake, prank, whatever you want to call it, Tanner clearly recognizes the decision he made in going to OSU. 

By becoming a Buckeye, Tanner knows he is automatically hated by the entire nation of Michigan football fans.

As much as the switching of the hats got under my skin, I must say I respect the kid for doing what he did. 

At least he is in the infancy states of understanding the rivalry he is becoming a part of, unlike many, some of which even play in it, who never seem to fully encompass the rivalry in its entirety, either by choice or complete ignorance.

“The Best Defense Is A Good Offense”:

I’m not sure that’s how the saying goes, but when it comes to this summer’s recruiting, that is the route Rich Rodriguez is looking to take this offseason.

It’s clear that Rodriguez already has many of his skill-position players in place for the years to come.  Thus, this summer and fall the offensive recruiting is going to take place in the trenches.

It’s only the beginning of July and already the coaching staff is off to a good start in the offensive line department. 

As opposed to the 2010 recruiting class, wherein only one offensive lineman signed with the Wolverines, the 2011 offensive line class is looking like it will fill up quickly.

The Wolverines’ coaching staff has already locked up a verbal commitment from Toledo, Ohio's three-star prospect, Jack Miller, who will likely be used as an offensive lineman. 

In the next couple of weeks they could add two more to the class in Florida offensive tackle Tony Posada and Traverse City, Michigan offensive tackle Jake Fisher.  Furthermore, in the second week of July, four-star recruit Cyrus Hobbi from Arizona plans to make a visit to Ann Arbor while on a family trip to New York.

Posada and Fisher are highly likely to come to Michigan, but Hobbi is undecided whether or not he is even interested in the school.  The upcoming visit will help him make the decision of whether or not he will include Michigan in his top prospects this fall.

If Hobbi does end up choosing Michigan, perhaps the best thing about it isn’t the landing of a four-star recruit in an area of need, but rather the fact that we stole him from a rival.

As Mgoblog.com reports, Hobbi was originally interested in visiting Notre Dame.  However, it appears the Irish aren’t too hospitable to some of their recruits, as Hobbi stated: “I’m not going to Notre Dame anymore, they haven’t returned any of my calls.  I guess they filled up, but they won’t call me back, either.  I’ll just enjoy myself at Michigan instead.”

We’ll enjoy having you Cyrus.

Football Factory:

Rodriguez and crew appear as though they are capitalizing on the football factory that was originally tapped by Lloyd Carr just before he left his head coaching position in 2007.

That factory is Cass Tech High School in Detroit, Michigan. 

Since Rodriguez’ arrival, he has committed a total of five players from the high school, including this year’s prize recruit in four-star DB Delonte Hollowell. 

Hollowell noted in a recent Detroit Free Press article a large reason why he wanted to come to Michigan was due to the fact many of his former high school teammates are currently on the Wolverine roster. 

Those players are: five-star defensive tackle recruit Will Campbell; three-star running-back recruit Teric Jones; and three-star ATH recruit Thomas Gordon.  Former four-star DB recruit Boubacar Cissoko also came from Cass Tech before being released from the team.

It should also be noted that Michigan three-star wide receiver commit Shawn Conway is close with Hollowell as well, and spent his freshman year at Cass Tech. 

Not only will Hollowell’s commitment to Michigan help further the school’s ability to recruit top talent from Cass Tech, but Hollowell’s endeavors should as well.  The early commit is spending large amounts of his time acting as more than a commitment, and playing the role of scout as well. 

In numerous interviews he has mentioned recruiting kids at camps and workouts to Michigan.  More than anything though, he recruits kids from the football factory that is Cass Tech:

“Most of the people that I recruit are the people from my school, Kishon and all of them.  I try to get them and talk them into coming here.”

That is your Wolverine Update.