Victory Screech: Derrick Green Commits

Derrick Green: Michigan Wolverine.

All the other (better) sites have the information you want/we don't have time to provide, but we just wanted to join the celebration frenzy. VICTORY SCREECH.

Summarizing...With Summaries:
The number 1 running back in the country (according to Rivals) has committed to the University of Michigan's 2013 class, solidifying it as one of the top groups in the nation. Green offers the potential for something this school has not seen since Mike Hart - namely, an every-down back who can consistently move the chains and grind out games (no more RB-by-committee! Huzzah!). He's a big, strong back with a low center of gravity. Several recruiting sites have cited his speed and pass-catching abilities as areas for improvement, but these should not be causes for too much concern unless they persist throughout his college career.

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The Illusion of Reality: Michigan Wins '12-'13 BCS!

Manti Te'o happened.

Up there is where my girlfriend WOULD be!

You're probably asking yourself a whole mess of questions right now, questions like: What else has Te'o lied about? Will he still be an NFL playing sport man? How many OTHER things has he made up (seriously doubting the absolute shit out of the apostrophe in his his name now, btw)? But most importantly, how does this affect MY school? I'm glad you asked.

How Manti Te'o/Notre Dame Trying To Deceive An Entire Nation With A Dead Girlfriend Hoax Retroactively Affects The University of Michigan's 2012 Football Season:

Before we get into this, an FGS postulation: Manti Te'o's imaginary girlfriend (her name is as irrelevant as her apparent 'existence'), or more importantly, the idea of this alleged girlfriend, was the reason for all of Michigan's losses this football season. How might we make such a bold, irrational claim? Easy:

The "Angels in the Outfield" Theory

By virtue of some innocuous child (in this case, we'll call him Manti Te'o) praying to a higher power for extraterrestrial help in contests of sport, Michigan was 'cursed' by angels. Manti Te'o's angels. He saw us as a threat to both his Heisman campaign and Notre Dame's National Championship hopes, and so sought to bring about not only our demise, but the demise of all those who stood in his way. However, since we don't care about his other victims, let's get right into it.

Loss 1, Michigan vs. Alabama @ Jerryworld: Te'o's angel, henceforth referred to as "Lennay," received her first assignment in this game. She fulfilled it by magically making every 'Bama player bigger, stronger, and faster than everyone else. Pretty open-and-shut case, this one.
How ND Benefits: Ritual slaughter of the Navy Midshipmen. Te'o begins his Heisman/NC quest.

Loss 2, Michigan @ Notre Dame: This one's also pretty standard. We all know of Denard Robinson's oft-errant passes, but TWO of them thrown to a LINEBACKER? The work of angels (and probably satanic Irish magic) was clearly afoot. Take away Te'o's two interceptions here, and also maybe take away a halfback pass in the red zone (again, clearly an idea planted in Borges' head by Lennay), and BAM, the Victors are the Best.
How ND Benefits: It's Notre Dame. They won. Go away.

Loss 3, Michigan @ Nebraska: This one is just plain malicious. Until this point, the injury card had yet to be played. Said Lennay, "Let there be nerve damage in his elbow!" And it was so. The mystical spirit's dastardly decree sent the Maize & Blue into a downward spiral, out of which not even "Tom Brady incarnate" Russ Bellomy could shake them! (Sorry Russ, luh u boo). Point is, once more, only one person to blame: Te'o.
How ND Benefits: A handed victory over the Sooners of Oklahoma puts the Irish pretty firmly in the drivers seat as one of few unbeaten teams remaining, still riding the wave of not only Te'o's on-field theatrics, but also the story that inspired them (you know, the fake dead girlfriend thing).

Loss 4, Michigan @ THE Worst University in the Nation: Lennay got creative in this one, much to Mr. Te'o's pleasant surprise. The hellacious angel-beast tapped into Al Borges' headphones and re-called his plays, mimicking his voice for the play calls like some sort of heavenly Terminator. As such, the plays called were...less-than-desirable. Victory for the bad guys, a looming, dismal fog of sad drifts across Wolverine Nation.
How ND Benefits: Lennay then went on to inhabit Lane Kiffin's body, who then took a crowbar to Matt Barkley and proceded to 'Kiffin up the joint.' Done and done.

RANE KIFBRIN REPORTIN 4 DUTY

Loss 5, Michigan vs. South Carolina @ Some Stadium in Florida I Don't Even Care Anymore: The sundae's not worth it without a cherry on top. Here, the sundae is ND's failed championship run, but the cherry is Lennay pretending to be Jadeveon Clowney and really making Vincent Smith just look plain silly. Bad, bad Lennay! Back to the clouds with you!
How ND Benefits: They don't. Predictive/preemptive karma for the eventual hoax revelation.

Conclusion: If Manti Te'o never starts the fake girlfriend ruse/subsequently prays to some mystic force hellbent on Michigan's destruction/Notre Dame's success, WE are the undefeated team! It's so, so incredibly clear now! MICHIGAN BCS CHAMPIONS!

i miss u alredy n ur not evn gon yet :(

This is the worst post ever, thanks for sticking around to the end. SPORTS!

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Recruiting: Michigan's Summer Camp Risers/Fallers

Well, we haven't written anything in the past few weeks due to a bunch of other obligations, but in the Michigan recruiting world, much has happened. Some of the largest and most 'prestigious' summer camps/combines have recently taken place (Rivals100 Challenge and The Opening) in addition to various 7 v 7 tournaments and other events. With some very 'mixed' reviews between the main recruiting websites, we decided to give our opinion of Michigan's biggest Risers/Fallers. This analysis really isn't radical or groundbreaking, but with so many polarized reports, here's what we think....

Risers

Both Jake Butt and Jourdan Lewis received 'All Tournament' Awards at The Opening

• Jake Butt, TE- Butt made his first splash on the camp circuit this summer with his performance at the Illinois NFTC which earned him an invite to The Opening in Oregon. Butt also turned in a wonderful performance at The Opening and proved to be Tyrone Swoopes's (5* TX Commit) most reliable targets. Butt measured in at 6'6" and 231Lbs, and was still able to gain consistent separation from some of the nation's top defenders. Michigan has not seen a TE prospect with Butt's size and receiving capabilities in a long time.

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Rivals.com- Preseason State Recruiting Rankings

Our last post looked at how Michigan's Ohio recruits stacked up positionally against the other players in their home state. Since Rivals.com just released their preseason state rankings, we can now see how the rest of our players "fit in" compared to other home state talent. Are we getting

#3 Ranked play in Michigan, Jourdan Lewis v Michigan's Devin Funchess

Michigan
1. Shane Morris, #1QB
3. Jourdan Lewis, #1DB
4. David Dawson, #1G, #2OL
5. Wyatt Shallman, #1ATH
6. Jon Reschke, #1LB (MSU)
8. Csont'e York, #1WR
10. Gerald Holmes, #1RB (MSU)
23. Khalid Hill, #2TE

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Owning Ohio: OhioPreps.com Ranks 2013 Prospects

OhioPreps.com, a Rivals.com subsidiary, has finished releasing its positional rankings of Ohio's Class of 2013 prospects... 8 out of 8 Michigan verbal commits from Ohio rank in the top three at their respective positions. Needless to say, it is extremely apparent that Hoke and Co. are putting an enormous focus on recruiting the Buckeye state, and we are securing both quality and quantity with their effort.

6'6", 250lb DE, Taco Charlton 

Take a look at the Top 3 players in Ohio by position according to the guys at OhioPreps

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Know Your Opponents: Ohio's 2013 Recruiting Class

Urby has not lost his touch on the recruiting trail, and he will be challenging Hoke & Co. for the top recruiting class in the B1G. OSU's class has gotten somewhat overshadowed due to the fact that Michigan has 18 verbal commitments already, but their 11 kids are very, very good. As much as Sparty may want to deny it, if Hoke and Meyer can continue to recruit at this level, the B1G will most likely be determined by either Michigan or Ohio year in, and year out. Dantonio has done a fine job at MSU, but State fans will NEVER attribute any of their 'success' to the fact that Michigan and OSU were amidst some of their worst seasons in history. Well, I think those dark days are over for both programs, and the recruits in these classes will be battling for the B1G championship before we know it....Michigan v Ohio State for the B1G Title... the way it should be...

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2012 and 2013 Recruiting Rankings Compilation- Offense

Same idea as last time... Just the offensive side of the ball...


Offensive Line

Patrick Kugler

	Rivals	Scout	ESPN	24-7	Total
Kyle Kalis	*****	*****	****	****	4.5 Star
Ben Braden	***	***	***	***	3 Star
Blake Bars	****	***	***	***	3.25 Star
Erik Magnuson	****	****	****	****	4 Star
David Dawson	****	****	****	****	4 Star
Patrick Kugler	****	*****	****	****	4.25 Star
Kyle Bosch	****	****	****	****	4 Star
Logan Tuley-Tillman	****	****	****	****	4 Star
Chris Fox	****	****	****	****	4 Star
Averages	4 Star	4 Star	3.78 Star	3.78 Star	3.89 Star

This group is absolutely outstanding. With 9 prospects on the offensive line, the four services have a general consensus on the talent level of this group. Every recruit in the 2013 class is considered a 4 star or above (Scout has Kugler as a 5), and Rivals and Scout are the most 'bullish' with their rankings of our OL. The only noticeable 'outlier,' if there is one at all, would be Rivals' ranking of Blake Bars. The other three services graded him as a high 3 star. Overall, this group really could not be any better. This has to be one of the best 2-year OL recruiting hauls in the history of online recruiting rankings. 

Fergodsakes Postion Grade- A+

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2012 and 2013 Recruiting Rankings Compilation- Defense

While looking at our ridiculously good recruiting classes of 2012 and 2013, I decided to compile the star-rankings of the four major websites (Rivals, Scout, ESPN, and 24-7) over the past two recruiting cycles. With around 4 spots remaining in the class of 2013, I only expect the 'star-averages' to either remain the same or improve, since we are really only pursuing highly rated prospects at this point in time. In this breakdown, we are able to see how well we have recruited positionally, and we can see how each service evaluated our talent.

Defensive End 

	Rivals	Scout	ESPN	24-7	Total
Tom Strobel	****	****	***	****	3.75 Star
Mario Ojemudia	***	****	****	***	3.5 Star
Chris Wormley	***	****	****	****	3.75 Star
Taco Charlton	****	***	****	****	3.75 Star
Averages	3.5 Star	3.75 Star	3.75 Star	3.75 Star	3.68 Star

At defensive end, Michigan has a versatile, balanced group of prospects. I could see Chris Wormley playing some 3-Tech DT at some point in his career, but I could also see Godin and Poggi at 5-Tech. Either way, Michigan will have solid depth and options at every spot on the DL with these two classes. Every end prospect received a 4 Star ranking by at least two of the recruiting services, but none were consensus four stars. These are all solid players, but I feel like Taco Charlton has the highest ceiling out of these prospects due to his height, speed, and explosiveness off the edge. I hate to compare anyone to Will Gholston, but after a few years in a college S&C program, Taco could be very reminiscent of Tom G. 

Fergodsakes Position Grade- A-

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The Future of Legends Jerseys

After Junior Hemingway proudly donned first 'Legend Jersey' in the Maize and Blue, news has surfaced that Roy Roundtree will be the predecessor for Desmond Howard's #21. The criteria for earning a 'Legend Jersey' remains somewhat unclear at this point. As Michigan AD Dave Brandon introduced the concept to fans at the 2011 Notre Dame game, he stated, "The concept is a visible representation of iconic figures in our program's storied history that fans across the country will see every Saturday." Brandon also stated that it is imperative that "Hoke and all future Michigan head coaches will assign this historic jersey to a special player who is deserving of the honor..." Brady Hoke and Desmond Howard both agreed that the 5th Year Senior from Trotwood, OH is deserving of the honor for the 2012 season, and they lauded him for his leadership abilities, team-centric attitude, and academic achievements.

In my opinion, I foresee that after a player is deemed a 'Michigan Legend,' the coaching staff will try to find a player to wear the jersey every season. I don't think a player will necessarily have to put up gaudy numbers as a prerequisite for the honor, but he will have to demonstrate his ability to live up to the 'Michigan Man' ideals and the responsibilities of carrying on a Michigan Legend's legacy. 

As the concept's future remains somewhat unclear, I will aim to provide my opinion on what 'Legends Jerseys' we will see in the future, and who I think could be deserving of the honor...

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All-Michigan First Team

These last few weeks have been prettttyyy slow, so I decided it could be fun to try and create an 'All-Michigan' Depth Chart.  Michigan has had some amazing players over the years, and I started to imagine what a team of  all-time greats would look like. When you are trying to rank players that are all very, very good, the difference between a Second-Team and Third-team Guard is pretty minuscule, so keep that in mind. In that same respect, some of my choices were strictly a product of my bias toward certain players, their playing style, or maybe just my memories. When you see Tom Brady as a First-Team QB, don't think, "BUT OMG HE SUCKED AT MICH..." because this isn't a best career at Michigan list, but it is a list of who I would want to play on our "hypothetical" team against any other school, team, etc, and I wouldn't trade Tommy B at QB for almost anyone from any team.

As another disclaimer, I realize that there are some outstanding old Michigan players that deserve much of the credit for Michigan's success, significance, and tradition on the gridiron, but they don't ever seem to 'fit' on these lists when I see them. Maybe I'm weird and that's just me, but so be it.  Obviously, Tom Harmon, Bennie Oosterbaan, and Willie Heston are some of the most valuable players in Michigan's history, so imagine this more like a All-Michigan Post-1950 Team, just to save my ass from missing a plethora of potentially deserving players.

EDIT- As I find more and more out about some of the players that are less talked about, creating this list getting more and more difficult... We really have had some outstanding players...

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