Michigan Football: Projecting Wolverines' 2012 Recruiting Class
A little over 6 weeks ago, the University of Michigan was waiting for their first commit of the 2012 class. Today, they are sitting at 10 commitments from high caliber players. While Michigan has been grabbing commits with ease, their instate rival has really been struggling. MSU has zero commits so far in the 2012 class. Not only has Michigan been dominating the state of Michigan, they have also taken over a lot of Ohio. Five of Michigan's commits are from Ohio, five are from Michigan. Now that Michigan has conquered the Midwest they will look nationally to find top flight talent to finish out this class. Hoke and his staff have laid out a good foundation for the rest of the recruiting class. Here is a look at my predictions for what this class will look like come February 2012.
Quarterback
1 of 11
After missing out on Zeke Pike, Michigan still has a couple options at quarterback in this class. Their options include: Gunner Kiel, Maty Mauk, and Bennie Coney.
Gunner Kiel: Scout.com rates him as the No. 1 rated QB in the nation. Visited Michigan last week.
Bennie Coney: Scout.com rates him as a 3-star, but they may be underrating him as he has offers from the likes of Notre Dame, Florida State, and Auburn. Coney lists Michigan in his top 5.
Maty Mauk: Scout.com rates him as the No. 5 QB in the nation. Although he has Michigan in his top 5, it looks like he is on his way to Notre Dame.
Prediction: Hoke lands No. 1 rated QB in the nation, Gunner Kiel. I might just be a biased Michigan fan, but I just have a funny feeling that Gunner Kiel will end up a Wolverine. The coaching staff has restrained from offering scholarships to QB's like Chad Kelly who has been offered by Alabama, and Florida State. This may be because they feel good about their chances with Kiel.
Running Back
2 of 11
Michigan does not have very many options at running back for the class of 2012, but the few options they do have include: Greg Garmon, Bri'onte Dunn, and Wes Brown.
Greg Garmon: Scout rates him as the No. 11 running back in the nation. Garmon looks like he has North Carolina as his favorite at this point.
Bri'onte Dunn: Scout rates him as the No. 4 running back in the nation, and has given him 5-stars. Bri'onte Dunn is committed to Ohio State, but took a visit to Michigan over the weekend. He still looks like a long shot for Michigan.
Wes Brown: Scout rates him as the No. 6 ranked running back in the nation. Wes Brown is a former teammate of 2011 Michigan signee Blake Countess.
Prediction: I do not believe Michigan will sign a running back to the Class of 2012, due to lack of options.
Wide Receiver
3 of 11
Wide Receiver is a big need for the Wolverines in this class. Michigan will lose their whole starting core of receivers besides Roundtree after this season. Michigan has a good amount of options that includes: Dwayne Stanford, Aaron Burbridge, Malik Gilmore, Jody Fuller, Jordan Payton, Amara Darboh, and Leonte Carroo.
Dwayne Stanford: Ranked by Scout.com as No. 16 receiver in the nation. Ohio State seems to be the leader at this point.
Aaron Burbridge: Ranked by Scout.com as No. 11 receiver in the nation. Teammate of 2012 commits Mario Ojemudia and Devin Funchess.
Malik Gilmore: Ranked by Scout.com as No. 40 receiver in the nation. Has eight offers including one from Notre Dame.
Jody Fuller: Ranked by Scout.com as No. 52 receiver in the nation. Despite his low ranking from scout, Fuller has a bunch of offers.
Jordan Payton: Ranked by Scout. com as No. 11 receiver in the nation. Despite being committed to USC, he plans to take a visit to Michigan over the summer.
Amara Darboh: Not ranked by Scout.com. Has an impressive offer sheet that consists of Nebraska, Notre Dame, and Florida.
Leonte Carroo: Ranked by Scout.com as No. 5 receiver in the nation. Does not have the number of offers that you would expect from a player as highly rated as himself.
Prediction: Michigan satisfies their needs and sign Burbridge, Gilmore, and Fuller.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Tight End
4 of 11
Michigan has already landed two tight ends in A.J. Williams and Devin Funchess, but have a surplus of candidates left on the board. These candidates include: Ron Thompson, Evan Baylis, and Taylor McNamara.
Ron Thompson: Ranked by Scout.com as No. 5 tight end in the nation. Already highly interested in the Wolverines.
Evan Baylis: Ranked by Scout.com as No. 8 tight end in the nation. Recently visited U of M.
Taylor McNamara: Ranked by Scout.com as No. 11 tight end in the nation.
Prediction: Michigan signs Ron Thompson and closes out the 2012 class with 3 tight ends.
Offensive Line
5 of 11
The Wolverines are looking to take a bunch of lineman in this class, as they have already signed two: Ben Braden and Caleb Stacey. The coaching staff will be looking for big, old fashioned lineman to replace the set of lineman we have today. Some of the guys the Wolverines have been looking at to fill that void are: Jordan Diamond, Andrus Peat, Jonah Pirsig, Mark Harrell, Kyle Dodson, J.J. Denman, Paul Thurston, Shane Callahan, Erik Magnuson, Trey Keenan, and Jordan Simmons.
Jordan Diamond: Ranked by scout.com as No. 9 offensive tackle in the nation. Has been a Michigan fan his whole life, and appears to have Michigan as his leader at this point. Diamond is a former teammate and friend of 2011 signee Chris Bryant.
Andrus Peat: Ranked by scout.com as No. 2 offensive tackle in the nation. Does not look very likely that Michigan will land him, but it is not out of the question.
Jonah Pirsig: Ranked by scout.com as No. 34 offensive tackle in the nation. Michigan has made multiple visits to Pirsig, and it appears to be paying off as Pirsig seems to be high on the Wolverines.
Mark Harrell: Is not ranked by scout.com, but has a boatload of offers from powerhouses across the nation.
Kyle Dodson: Ranked as No. 26 Offensive tackle in the nation. Dodson has been visited by the Michigan coaching staff.
J.J. Denman: Ranked as No. 11 offensive tackle in the nation. It looks like Notre Dame is his favorite at this point.
Paul Thurston: Ranked as No. 19 offensive tackle in the nation. Visited Michigan last weekend.
Shane Callahan: Ranked as No. 23 offensive tackle in the nation. Callahan has been visited by the Michigan coaching staff recently.
Erik Magnuson: Ranked as No. 17 offensive tackle in the nation. Appears wide open with his recruitment at this point.
Trey Keenan: Ranked as No. 45 offensive tackle in the nation. Seems high on the wolverines.
Jordan Simmons: Ranked as No. 2 offensive guard in the nation. Simmons is being mentored by former Michigan player Courtney Morgan.
Prediction: Michigan signs Jordan Diamond, Jonah Pirsig, and Jordan Simmons. Along with previously committed Ben Braden and Caleb Stacey.
Defensive End
6 of 11
The Wolverines have already signed two defensive ends thus far: Pharaoh Brown and Mario Ojemudia. But are still looking to add two more. Michigan has a good amount of options to fill these two spots, these options include: Christopher Wormley, Matthew Godin, Se'von Pittman, Adolphus Washington, and Noah Spence.
Christopher Wormley: Ranked as No. 13 defensive end in the nation by scout.com. It looks to be down to Ohio State and Michigan for Wormley.
Matt Godin: Ranked as No. 39 defensive end in the nation by scout.com. Godin has a final three of MSU, Wisconsin, and Michigan. But after a series of visits from the Michigan coaching staff, Godin appears to be locked up.
Se'von Pittman: Ranked as No. 10 defensive end in the nation by scout.com. Michigan appears to have a pretty good chance with Pittman.
Adolphus Washington: Ranked as No. 3 defensive end in the nation by scout.com. Appears to be a long shot for the Wolverines.
Noah Spence: Ranked as No. 1 defensive end in the nation by scout.com. Michigan may have a fairly good chance at Spence, do not be surprised if he becomes a Wolverine.
Prediction: Wolverines sign Godin and Wormley along with Brown and Ojemudia.
Defensive Tackle
7 of 11
Perhaps the biggest need for the Wolverines in the class of 2012. The wolverines' options at this postion include: Sheldon Day, Danny O'Brien, Ondre Pipkins, Jaleel Johnson, and Vincent Valentine.
Sheldon Day: No. 9 ranked Defensive tackle in the nation according to scout.com. Day has already visited U of M multiple times.
Danny O'Brien: No. 13 ranked defensive tackle in the nation according to scout.com. From Flint, Michigan.
Ondre Pipkins: No. 16 ranked defensive tackle in the nation according to scout.com. Lives in Missouri now, but is from Michigan.
Jaleel Johnson: No. 23 ranked defensive tackle in the nation according to scout.com. Michigan recently offered Johnson a scholarship, and since then the Wolverines have skyrocketed up his board.
Prediction: Michigan grabs Sheldon Day, Ondre Pipkins, and Jaleel Johnson.
Linebackers
8 of 11
Michigan has already landed four linebackers: Royce Jenkins-Stone, Joe Bolden, James Ross, and Kaleb Ringer. Michigan no longer has any need for linebackers in this class.
Cornerback
9 of 11
Michigan has a bunch of players that play corner, but none of them have proven themselves as a reliable starter. Michigan cannot afford to waste too many scholarships at corner, but will likely take one or two players. Their options include: Terry Richardson, Armani Reeves, and Anthony Standifer.
Terry Richardson: Ranked by Scout.com as No. 10 corner in the nation. Teammate Royce Jenkins-Stone is a 2012 Michigan commit.
Armani Reeves: Ranked by Scout.com as No. 9 corner in the nation. Appears to be a long shot for Michigan.
Anthony Standifer: Given a 3-star rating by scout.com. Just offered this past week.
Prediction: Michigan lands Cass Tech's Terry Richardson
Safety
10 of 11
Michigan does not have a high need for safety, but will probably take one. Their options include: Wayne Morgan, Jarrod Wilson, and Deon Bush.
Wayne Morgan: No. 19 ranked safety on Scout.com. Has offers from Alabama, and Penn State.
Jarrod Wilson: No. 10 ranked safety on Scout.com. Seems very high on Michigan.
Deon Bush: No. 15 ranked safety on Scout.com. Plans to visit Michigan over the summer.
Prediction: Wolverines persuade Jarrod Wilson to commit.
Complete Class
11 of 11
QB- Gunner Kiel
RB- No one
WR- Aaron Burbridge, Malik Gilmore, Jody Fuller
TE- Devin Funchess, A.J. Williams, Ron Thompson
OT- Jordan Diamond, Ben Braden, Jonah Pirsig
OG- Caleb Stacy, Jordan Simmons
C- No one
DE- Chris Wormley, Pharaoh Brown, Mario Ojemudia, Matt Godin
DT- Sheldon Day, Jaleel Johnson, Ondre Pipkins
LB- Royce Jenkins-Stone, James Ross, Kaleb Ringer, Joe Bolden
CB- Terry Richardson
S- Jarrod Wilson
Total Number of Commits: 25
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
