Michigan Lands Dual Threat QB

Michigan got its sixth commitment for the 2009 draft class today when Kevin Newsome told rivals.com he was going to Michigan. The four star recruit is the first legitimate dual threat quarterback to commit to Michigan. This is a huge commit and will add instant depth to the thin QB depth chart. I will post more details as they come out about Kevin and also the other 5 recruits to commit to Michigan so far. Until then, Go Blue!!

Larry Wright to Transfer

Larry Wright, the Saginaw native, is set to transfer from St. Johns after two years with the program. It is rumored that Michigan is on the top of his list, but only time will tell. Wright would be a great addition to the team, as we could use another solid guard in the backcourt. Wright was a great contributor off the bench for the Red Storm averaging 9 points in 18 minutes of action per game. More importantly, Wright was a 40% shooter from the 3 point line, which is desperately needed on a team that was at the bottom of the Big Ten in shooting. I played against Larry in high school and he is a very athletic kid with lots of potential. Lets hope Michigan can land this guy. Until next time, Go Blue!

Pryor Commits to Ohio State

Terrelle Pryor really dropped the soap yesterday when he announced he would play his college ball at Ohio State and not Michigan. I'm not sure if he just like to be the center of attention or not, but we have all known where he was going to attend college. I'm just glad this nonsense is over and we can move on from the whole situation. All I can say is good luck to you Terrelle and I can't wait to see the Wolverines eat you alive on Saturdays for the next four years.

There are a lot of questions circling about what Michigan will do at quarterback now that Pryor is out of the picture. I will urge you to not panic just yet. If Steven Threet is as good as people talk him up he should be a solid contributor at quarterback. It is my understanding that Threet played in a spread offense in high school so he should be somewhat comfortable with running RR's system. If Threet can provide consistent play until Justin Feagin can grasp the offense we will be okay. Expect to see a dual quarterback system slowly implemented next year.

I would assume that both of these guys are temporary fixes at quarterback unless they really perform well. So where does that leave Michigan at quarterback for 2009? RR has already been heavily recruiting QB's from the 09 class and will continue to find guys who will fit his system. I wouldn't be surprised if Michigan signed three or more quarterbacks in next years class. The next year in recruiting is going to be crucial for Michigan's football program. If RR can get the guys he wants then the sky is the limit but if we struggle to find fast athletes who can compete...look out.

Until next time, Go Blue!!

Terrelle Pryor To Make College Decision Tomorrow

It is being reported on ESPN that top ranked recruit Terrelle Pryor will make his college decision tomorrow at noon. They are also reporting that the decision will be between Michigan and Ohio State, with most analysts predicting he will choose Ohio State. The long anticipated announcement is finally here. I will just be glad for this to be over and we can rejoice if we get him or move on if we don't. I will post whenever news comes out on the subject. Lets pray that Pryor picks the Wolverines or, at the very least, finally makes a decision. Until then, Go Blue!!

Season Over as Michigan Loses to Wisconsin

The men's basketball team ended their dismal season today as they lost to Wisconsin in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament 51-34. The Wolverines struggled today, managing to shoot only 20% from the field and 25% from three point range. Michigan managed to set a record today with the lowest point total in Big Ten Tournament history by only scoring 34 points. A big reason for the lack of scoring today was the play of Sims and Harris, or should I say the lack there of. Our two best players shot 3 of 22 from the floor and had 10 points combined. The All Big Ten Freshman couldn't get it going today, mainly because of the smothering defense of Michael Flowers. Flowers seemed to get into Manny's head early and stayed there all game. The lone bright spot of the game was Anthony Wrights play. He got the start again today and was the leading scorer finishing with 11 points. If Anthony can continue to improve we will have a legitimate third scoring option next year.

All in all the season was a disappointment. I mean, who can really say they are satisfied with 10 wins? What I am most impressed with is the fight this team showed all year. They never seemed to give up despite their shooting woes and all the losing. Toward the end of the year we started seeing an offense actually being run and the players having more confidence in Beilein's system. That confidence can only improve over the summer and heading into next year. I'm expecting the team to be more competitive next year as Coach Beilein is able to bring in some of his own players and continue to develop guys like Sims, Harris, Grady, and Wright. Lets hope for more to cheer about with Michigan basketball next year!! Until next time, Go Blue!

Michigan Wins in Grinding Fashion

The men's basketball team pulled out what appears to be an ugly win today by beating Iowa 55-47. Today we played well enough to win against an awful Iowa team but you can't expect to compete against Wisconsin when you only shoot 37% from the field. Manny Harris led Michigan, as he has all year, scoring 19 points. Sims had a solid game as well with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Probably the most overlooked move of the day was Anthony Wright getting the start over Ron Coleman. I said earlier that we needed a big game from him and he came through with 9 points, 2 assists, and 3 rebounds in 32 minutes. Hats off to Coach Beilein for making the move to Wright and sitting Coleman, the struggling senior. The road ahead doesn't get any easier as Michigan moves on to the quarterfinals to face the Big Ten regular season champion Wisconsin. Tip is set for noon Friday. An upset is what we are all hoping for tomorrow. Good luck boys and until next time, Go Blue!

Big Ten Tournament

The ninth seeded Wolverines open the Big Ten Tournament today against eighth seeded Iowa at noon. The two teams split the regular season match up with each team winning away from home. It will be interesting to see how Michigan comes out to play today, whether they will pack the bags in and call it a year or try and make a run to build momentum for next year. If Harris and Sims can have solid performances I don't see how we could lose this game. If one of them struggles, you can kiss the season goodbye. The X factor to look out for is Anthony Wright coming off the bench. He has provided the team with scoring and timely shooting as the season has progressed. Look for Wright to make an impact from three point range today. For those of you without the Big Ten Network you will have to watch the updates online like me. Sean at Michigan Sports Center is doing a live blog during the game if you want to check that out too. I will have a post up later tonight recapping the game. Until next time good luck boys and Go Blue!

Michigan Ends Three Game Winning Streak

The men's basketball team suffered a tough defeat last night losing at Minnesota 69-60, ending a three game winning streak. Michigan started slow and was down ten early but they fought there way back, primarily from the outstanding play of freshman Manny Harris, to take a 35-34 halftime lead. The Wolverines struggled in the second half, only scoring 25 points and not getting any scoring from either Harris or Sims in the last 15 minutes of the game. Coach Beilien made a questionable move, in my opinion, by benching Harris at the end of the game. He might have been forcing his shots a little too much but he is the best player on our team and needs to be in the game in big situations. Manny and DeShawn are the only legitimate scorers we have that can create for themselves. Despite the scoring drought the last 15 minutes of the game, the scoring duo each finished with 16 points for the game. The loss drops Michigan to 8-18 on the season. The team looks to get back to its winning ways when it hosts Illinois at 4 PM on Saturday. A post should be coming later today or Saturday after the hoops game. Until next time, Go Blue!

Recruiting Update

There has been some recent activity in the recruiting world as we near signing day.

It is being reported in the Detroit Free Press that Rich Rodriguez is making a trip down to Florida to visit four star quarterback recruit B.J. Daniels. The article also said that Daniels is coming up to Ann Arbor this weekend to visit the campus. Daniels would be a great backup plan if Pryor picks Ohio State over Michigan. It seems as though Michigan has a good chance at landing Daniels as "he jumped on the visit" to Michigan. Whether we get Pryor or not, it is critical to find someone who will fit into the spread system and Daniels fits that mold, throwing for 2,500 yards and 30 touchdowns as well as rushing for nearly 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns in his senior year at Lincoln High School. Rodriguez has said that he wants to bring in at least two quarterbacks with this recruiting class and either Pryor, Daniels, or both would be a great addition.

The Wolverines received their second commitment today since Rich Rodriguez was hired when J.T. Floyd, a three star cornerback, orally commited to play at Michigan. Floyd is a big commit because we are lacking depth in the secondary with our returning players.

I am guessing there will be more news on recruiting in the coming days. Until then, Go Blue!

I'm Finally Back

Sorry for the delay in posting. School and work have been taking up all of my time lately.

In case you haven't heard...

Mario Manningham has signed an agent and is entering the NFL draft. This comes as no surprise as it is believed that Super Mario will be a first round pick. This does leave Michigan with some questions at the wide receiver position with Greg Matthews being the only returning receiver with significant playing time last year.

Ryan Mallett has officially transferred to Arkansas. It was reported by the Free Press on Tuesday that Mallett had enrolled and was in classes Monday morning but the report was not officially confirmed until Thursday. Good luck to Ryan and his future in college football. It was a tough situation that he was put in and I think he made the right choice in leaving Michigan.

The guys suffered a tough loss Wednesday night at Illinois 75-57. They were just outmatched down low going against a much bigger front line in Shaun Pruitt and Brian Randle. DeShawn Sims was Mr. consistent as usual with 13 points and 5 rebounds. Manny Harris had a rough game against a good defensive team. He finished with 5 points on 2 of 7 shooting. The loss drops the Wolverines to 5-12 on the year and 1-4 in Big Ten play. They will look to turn things around on Saturday when they play host to Iowa.

Super athlete and top recruit Terrelle Pryor will be on the Michigan campus this weekend, making his official visit to Ann Arbor. Hopefully the coaching staff can convince him that Michigan is the right place for him to be.

These talks of Rich Rod being involved in a scandal is getting out of hand. That is why Rodriguez has finally addressed the media about what he calls a "smear campaign" by WVU and the media. Click here to view the article.

Hopefully I will have some news later this weekend about Pryor's visit. Keep checking for updates on everything that is Michigan athletics. Until then, Go Blue!

Ryan Mallet is Leaving Michigan

The Detroit Free Press is reporting that Jim Mallett, Ryan's father, has told the AP that Ryan will not return to Michigan. This is the first official confirmation that we have received about Ryan's status. The article also goes on to say that Ryan and his family will visit four to five schools which include UCLA, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Arkansas. I feel bad for Mallett because he could have been a great quarterback at Michigan had Rich Rodriguez and the spread offense not come to town. Best of luck to you Ryan.

The departure of Mallett leaves Michigan in a tight spot at quarterback. Steven Threet, David Cone, and Nick Sheridan are the returning quarterbacks currently on the roster. David Cone is probably the only familiar name and that is if you watched the Minnesota game where he completed one pass in mop up duty. Carlos Brown could also be a candidate as he played some QB in high school, but he is more comfortable at the running back position. That leaves us hoping for a top recruit who can come in right away and contribute. Terrelle Pryor looks like our only hope to get a dual threat quarterback this year. He has narrowed his list of teams to Michigan and Ohio State. Lets pray that he comes to Michigan. You would think that the departure of Mallett would have him leaning toward coming to Michigan as he has a great opportunity to start as a true freshman. Plus, we could use a great athlete on our basketball team as well. Unless Pryor declares early, we will have to wait until national signing day to find out who he will choose. Until next time, Go Blue!

News on Ryan Mallett

There has been speculation since Rich Rodriguez was hired that Ryan Mallett would consider transferring. Rodriguez runs a spread offense which normally features a speedy quarterback, something Mallett is not. Reports from the Detroit News are now saying that Mallett is likely done as a Wolverine. Where he will end up, that is still undecided. A big factor in where Mallett goes is what happens to former Michigan quarterbacks coach Scott Loeffler. Scott has interviewed for the Tennessee offensive coordinator position and could possibly get an interview with UCLA in the near future. My guess is that Ryan will go wherever Loeffler goes, unless he is brought back to Michigan. That is still an option if some of RR's staff stays at WVU. If Loeffler is retained, it is up in the air as to where Mallett ends up.

Terrelle Pryor has said that keeping Loeffler around would make Michigan more enticing for him, so I am praying he sticks around. With Mallett leaving we could use a quarterback, especially one that runs a 4.3 40 and is as big as Terrelle is.

No word on Manningham or Arrington leaving for the NFL yet but as soon as something comes in, expect a post. Until then, Go Blue!

Carr, Seniors, Go Out on High Note

Michigan showed us all what we had been waiting for since the opening of the 2007 football season by beating the Gators 41-35 in the Capitol One Bowl. The offense finally came together and showed the high powered attack everyone was betting on when they ranked the team 5th in the nation to start the season. It was great to see Henne finally healthy and able to contribute to the offense. He threw for 373 yards and 3 touchdowns on his way to earning MVP honors. More impressive to me than the offensive outburst was the swarming defense the Wolverines played. Ron English came out with a very aggressive defense, putting pressure on Tebow all day and not giving him time to set his feet and throw. The biggest factor was holding Tebow to only 56 yards rushing and a 3.6 yards per carry average. Michigan usually struggles with a mobile quarterback but they held Tebow in check on Tuesday. We have definitely seen this defense improve over the course of the season and guys like Jamar Adams and Shawn Crable have stepped up as leaders on the field.

It was good to see Lloyd and the seniors come away with a victory. Henne, Hart, and Long have done so much for this football program and they deserved this win. It was good to see Lloyd go out on top. He is a real class act guy and a great football man. People have been grumbling about Carr for the past three years asking for his firing, but I am glad he stuck around until he was ready to retire. I can only hope that Rich Rodriguez can pick up where Carr has left off, and Bo Schembechler before him, in keeping the Michigan tradition of excellence alive.

This football season had many lows and also some bright spots. Sure, all Michigan fans are disappointed about not competing for a national championship, but you have to commend this team for never giving up and finishing strong.

We might here more about recruiting and player moves in the next couple of weeks. Look for new posts as more news come out. Until then, Go Blue!