Michigan Football Weekly Recruiting Update: Dec. 8

Surprisingly, December has been the most active for Michigan recruiting. This week's update will feature a look into how Michigan's big recruiting weekend went, the new offers that went out last week, and a look at some of Michigan's major 2010 targets.

There could not have been a better weekend for Michigan to host prospects from around the country. This weekend the Wolverines were supposed to host 11 visitors. Sadly, that number dwindled to eight as Donovan Tate, Je'Ron Stokes, and Jamal Patterson all had to back out. Tate committed to UNC on Tuesday and immediately canceled all other visits.

Stokes, a Tennessee commit, spoke to new head coach Lane Kiffin and afterwards canceled his visit. Stokes did later say that he still planned to take an official to Michigan later this month or in January.

Patterson, a Stanford pledge, also had to cancel because his mother was going to be unable to make it. Patterson's mother later said, "He's not coming this weekend, I'm not feeling well, so we're going to come some other weekend. We're still talking about when that is going to be."

It's sad that they weren't able to come, as this was probably Michigan's biggest basketball win this decade. Every recruit that did make the trip gave Michigan high marks. Michigan's two biggest targets in town were five-star defensive tackle William Campbell and junior college target Pernell McPhee.

McPhee came away saying, "I loved it, everything was positive." McPhee also was able to take in Michigan's monumental win over Duke and said, "It was a nice experience. The atmosphere was good, and I didn't know Michigan's basketball game was that good, to tell you the truth."

Surprisingly, this wasn't the biggest surprise of the weekend for McPhee. Being from Pahokee, Florida, McPhee had never encountered snow. Unlike most southern visitors, McPhee had a good reaction to it: "I hadn't ever been around snow. That was my first time. When it was snowing, it was nice, but Friday it was freezing."

McPhee plays defensive end for a junior college in Mississippi and is ranked as the No. 3 juco prospect in the nation. Michigan needs some depth at this position as they haven't signed a defensive end since 2006. McPhee now has Michigan in his top two with another school of which he is unsure of. Michigan looks in good position for McPhee going down the stretch to signing day.

The number one recruit on Michigan's board was also in town. William Campbell, a former Michigan commit, came for his official along with teammate Michigan commits Teric Jones and Thomas Gordon. Campbell came away saying he felt very comfortable at Michigan.

Campbell lives only half an hour away in Detroit and has been to the Michigan campus over a dozen times in the past year but was able to see a bit more on his official. "I had a lot of fun and I got to see a lot more," Campbell said. "I talked to a lot of the players in their dorms and got to see everyday life. I'm very comfortable there."

The three teammates spent nearly the entire weekend together with their hosts, including former Cass Tech teammate Boubacar Cissoko. "Brandon Graham was my host and I was with Brandon Smith and Boubacar. They were showing me a lot. It was just a lot of fun.

"They said they would love to have me on the team. They showed me a lot of things to do and said they have a lot of academic support. They were telling me the other side of recruiting—the truth. It was positive. They said it was fun and at Michigan the degree goes farther than a lot of other schools."

Campbell played both offensive tackle and defensive tackle in high school. Campbell could play either at the next level but projects better on the defensive side of the ball. He was able to discuss with the coaches about that this weekend. "They said it would be great to have me up there and I'd have a good chance of playing with the linemen that are leaving," Campbell said. "I'm just going to try and get up there and take a spot."

Campbell had canceled all other visits earlier this week, but an in-home visit from Miami coaches peaked his interest, and he scheduled the visit again. Surprisingly he will also take a visit to Florida next weekend and then Miami the next.

Now I'm no expert, but it sounds to me like he might be taking these because he can, not because he is interested. Florida is a great place to vacation in December, but Florida had never been on Campbell's radar until now. Plus recruits get treated like royalty on their visits.

Aside from the big recruiting weekend, there has been a lot of stuff happening in recruiting outside of Ann Arbor, as coaches are allowed to make in-home visits now. A couple Michigan coaches were on the road this week heading to different parts of the country and making new offers.

One coach found himself sitting on the couch in the home of Texas star Demontre Hurst. Hurst, a three-star defensive back from the lone star state, had an outstanding senior season and after sending out tape was offered by both Michigan and Miami this week. Hurst now lists a top three of North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Miami, but says Michigan is definitely under consideration.

Two others who received offers were DEs Alex Williams and Bennie Logan. Both were offered by assistant coaches during visits but have to be affirmed by head coach Rich Rodriguez and nearly always are.

I know it is still more than a year away for 2010 signing day, but the top juniors across the nation already are getting offered. Michigan has already handed out over a dozen scholarships, and these are the top prospects on their board. Here are just five names to know.

1. Devin Gardner

Gardner will be one of the premier quarterbacks in the nation next year. He is a dual-threat quarterback and already has offers from programs throughout the country and should easily rack up many more. Gardner will likely be a five-star prospect and would be a perfect fit for Rodriguez's spread.

Gardner plays for Inkster High School in Michigan, but his favorite college team was Ohio State. Don't let that fool you—it was OSU's red color that made him a fan when he was young. He has stated that Michigan is probably the best fit for him.

2. Robert Bolden

It is the year of the quarterback in Michigan, as Bolden is another prototypical dual-threat quarterback from St. Mary's High School. Bolden, like Gardner, has racked up a long list of offers. He hasn't received a Michigan offer but will any day now. Bolden will likely be a four-star prospect.

3. Marvin Robinson

Robinson is a defensive back from Florida and has already been offered by all college football powerhouses. Robinson lives in Florida but was born and raised in Michigan. His mother is a Wolverine alumna, and Robinson was expected to commit to the Wolverines this fall but has now stated that he will explore all options. Robinson is another likely five-star prospect.

4. Christian Lombard

Lombard is an offensive tackle from Illinois. Lombard boasts a rather long list of offers that Michigan is on. Lombard has already started friendships with Michigan commitments Jeremy Jackson and Ricardo Miller. As of now Michigan and Notre Dame look to be in the driver's seat for Lombard.

5. William Gholston

Remember that vicious DE for Ohio State that ripped Michigan to shreds the last couple years? Well, this is his cousin. Gholston already has an offer list that is better than his cousin's. Although he favors MSU and OSU right now, he has expressed a lot of interest in the Maize & Blue and was in attendance this weekend with all the other recruits.

Honorable mention: Christian Green, Dior Mathis, Darryl Baldwin, Lo Wood, and Derrick Bryant.

That's all for this week. I'm not sure if I am going to continue this week as recruiting tends to slow down around this time, but I will pick it up when it gets closer to signing day.

All quotes courtesy of rivals.com