Michigan Football: School Hosts a Midweek 2012 Visitor and Other Michigan News

Matt Godin is an in-state DT/DE prospect for 2012. He was being recruited by Rich Rodriguez and staff and had made it to Ann Arbor for a couple of games in 2010. He was clearly excited about playing for his hometown team and wanted a scholarship offer.

Well, when the new staff took over at Michigan, offers starting flying out of Schembechler Hall to other prospects, but not Matt. He clearly got frustrated, as MSU had offered and coaches like Chip Kelly were calling him.

Matt finally got his offer last weekend, and it didn't take long for Matt to take his unofficial visit to his dream school yesterday. TomVH from Mgoblog has an interview with him up.

"I absolutely loved it, a lot of it was more of what the coaches were saying and how they want to bring Michigan back. Also, at some schools you don't really see the players that much, but I walked in there and all the players were in the locker room joking around. It was a good experience, especially for my dad to be there. He's a season ticket holder for 30 years, and for him to see his son get a scholarship from the University he loves is great."

Let's hope we have some good news out of the Godin camp real soon. Michigan is still looking for its first verbal commit for the 2012 class. Written offers can't go out to 2012 prospects until August.

* Looks like a couple of teams might find themselves in hot water with the NCAA: Tennessee is expected to release the NCAA's finding on a number of its athletic programs today (including basketball and football), and Oklahoma seems to have reported some violations that are similar in nature to Michigan's with making offseason workouts mandatory instead of voluntary. Oklahoma's self-correction is to take a week off from conditioning.

Alabama has also been a hot topic in the media lately. First a crazy fan kills Auburn's 100-plus-year-old tree and then calls a radio station and brags about it. Meanwhile, Nick Saban continues to be the example of what's wrong in college recruiting by oversigning players, and then Nick is shown on the big screen at an Alabama basketball game with Barry Sanders and his son, who Nick is recruiting.

Alabama said they didn't commit a violation and that it was just an honest mistake. That mistake must be similar to the one Dee Hart kept making when he forgot that book in his locker at his high school over winter break and just happened to watch Alabama's bowl practices a number of times.

* Former Wolverine QB Ryan Mallett has been dropping down draft boards lately, and it seems it could have to do with lack of leadership skills and rumored drug use. I have to admit I heard similar rumors at Michigan; again, they were just rumors. Let's hope they aren't true and Ryan answers the right questions and passes the right tests. As your remember, Mario Manningham admitted to doing a little "pot" before the NFL draft as well.

* The Michigan basketball team plays Wisconsin tonight at Crisler Arena. As you know, Michigan is still not considered a "bubble" team but could change that with the next three games, which include Wisky tonight, Minnesota this weekend and then MSU at home. Michigan needs a signature win, and Wisconsin could fit the bill if the Wolverines are able to get a win tonight.

Michigan needs a .500 record in the Big Ten and one win in the Big Ten Tournament to make its case for the Big Dance. Let's hope the Wolverines can get a win tonight and at least one more over MSU and/or Minnesota.

* Michigan QB recruit Zeke Pike now is up over 40 offers.

* New Jersey DB Yuri Wright (6'2", 180 lbs.) has been offered by Michigan. Coach Curt Mallory has also been in discussions with NY DB Wayne Morgan (5'11", 180 lbs.), and an offer soon may follow.