Junior Michael Shaw will be part of a heated competition to start at tailback.

With the recruiting class of 2010 signed, Michigan football fans can officially turn their attention to spring practice, and ultimately how the team will look come fall. With some assistance from MGoBlog’s depth chart by class and the resources available at The Wolverine (including Michael Spath’s very early look at the 2011 depth chart and Matt Pargoff’s in-depth look at this year’s recruiting class), I’ve done my best to project how the depth chart will look like this fall. Today, I’ll break down my outlook on the offense, and tomorrow I’ll do the same for the defense.

I’ve tried to include every notable scholarship player, including all the true freshmen. Because of this, and the uncertainty of many player’s positions heading into spring practice, I recommend taking the positions listed below with a grain of salt, especially along the offensive line and defensive secondary — at this point, it’s far too early to know who will be playing where. Instead, I wanted to do this to get a feel for the talent and depth of the team, and also be able to use this as a reference for player eligibility. For player eligibility, I’m using what MGoBlog has listed, and for player heights and weights I’m referring to last year’s official roster or Rivals’ recruiting data — I’ll do my best to note if a player has made reported weight gains or losses where applicable. Without further ado, let’s check out the depth chart:

Quarterback: No surprises here — Tate Forcier should head into the fall as the team’s starting quarterback, and I expect Rich Rodriguez and his staff will do their best to keep true freshman Devin Gardner on track to redshirt. Denard Robinson will remain the backup quarterback, and true freshman Conelius Jones will only see the field if the quarterback apocalypse occurs (nothing against Jones, but I don’t think anyone wants to see our second-choice true freshman athlete get forced into action).

Running Backs: The most interesting position battle on offense will be for the starting tailback spot, but with sophomore Vincent Smith sidelined for spring practice with a torn ACL, Michigan fans will have to wait for the fall to see how that one turns out. Smith appeared to be the probable 2010 starter until tearing that ACL against Ohio State, but by no means was he a shoe-in for the spot — junior speedster Michael Shaw, 2009 scout team standout (and former Rivals four-star) Fitzgerald Toussaint and athletic redshirt sophomore Michael Cox will all compete for snaps with the first team in the spring. Freshman Austin White is a solid pass-catching threat who could see situational time in the fall as well.

[UPDATE: Thanks to JC for bringing to my attention that Kelvin Grady is moving over to running back for the spring. That change is now reflected in the depth chart, as well as Teric Jones moving back to offense. For now, I've put Jones in the slot, but he may also see snaps at running back as well.]

At fullback, Mark Moundros returns, although he saw his playing time diminish as Michigan further implemented Rich Rodriguez’s offense last season. A player to watch will be true freshman Stephen Hopkins, a 6-0, 235-pound bulldozer who could see time at both tailback and fullback — the coaching staff has expressed interest in using him like West Virginia used Owen “Runaway Beer Truck” Schmitt, who lined up both as a traditional fullback and as the only back in single-back sets. Hopkins could be called upon in short-yardage and goal-line situations.

Wide Receiver: This would be one of those instances where you can basically ignore my guesses at position — I didn’t make much differentiation between X and Y, so treat all these players as simply outside receivers if you want to make things more simple. Darryl Stonum and Junior Hemingway both started at times (read: when healthy) last season, and should reprise their roles in 2010. Sophomore Je’Ron Stokes saw intermittent playing time as a true freshman, and should have a much larger role with the departures of Greg Mathews and LaTerryal Savoy. Of the incoming crop of freshmen receivers, I think Ricardo Miller has the best chance of seeing early playing time — both Robinson and Williamson could use a redshirt year to develop physically, while Jeremy Jackson could have a difficult time earning a role over more athletic receivers on the roster. If Cameron Gordon stays on the offensive side of the ball, he could be a guy to watch next season — he has great physical tools for a receiver.

Slot Receiver: Michigan has an abundance of talent at the slot, including arguably the two best receivers on the roster in Roy Roundtree and Martavious Odoms. Both players will see the field plenty in 2010, and I expect to see Michigan go to more four-receiver sets in order to get their best players on the field as much as possible. Kelvin Grady should show improvement after spending last season struggling with the offense, but he will be pushed for time by promising redshirt freshman Jeremy Gallon, a player who many thought would contribute immediately after stepping on campus. That didn’t happen, but the talent is still there — the only question is whether there is enough playing time at the slot to go around. Terrence Robinson appears to be the odd man out at slot receiver at this point — unless he shows better hands and a great deal more comfort with the knee injury he suffered as a freshman, he’ll have a hard time cracking the lineup. Drew Dileo could contribute on special teams, but expect him to redshirt unless he wins a job as a returner.

Tight End: It will be interesting to see how much the tight end position gets utilized in 2010 — starter Kevin Koger’s role diminished as the season wore on last year, and Rich Rodriguez hasn’t taken a recruit at the position since he took over at Michigan. Still, Koger finished fifth on the team in receptions last year, and early in the season appeared to be Tate Forcier’s go-to guy in the red zone, so I’d be surprised if the tight end position was phased out completely. That’s good news for Koger, but Martell Webb and Brandon Moore may have a tough time seeing the field in the fall, as I’m guessing Rodriguez would prefer playing one of his talented slot receivers instead of a backup tight end. This position group could be one of the keys to Michigan’s offense in 2010 or completely gone from the depth chart by 2011.

Offensive Line: Please, please don’t take these position groupings too seriously — there are several players on the line who could start at multiple positions, especially Patrick Omameh and Mark Huyge, who both could start at either tackle or guard. The wild cards along the line are Ricky Barnum and Quinton Washington, who could easily challenge for a starting guard spot over Huyge/Omameh. I expect Omameh, who showed a lot of promise at guard last season, to start somewhere along the line, but more experienced linemen like Huyge and Perry Dorrestein could be bumped from the lineup in favor of younger (but more highly-touted) linemen.  I don’t think the coaching staff would be very comfortable with a line full of freshmen, sophomores and Molk, but they’ve been steadfast in their assertions that the best players will see the field regardless of age. Other than Molk at center and Schilling at left guard, I wouldn’t be surprised to see any combination of players along the line in 2010.

Kicker: Redshirt freshman Brendan Gibbons has the inside track for the placekicker position, but he was supposed to win the position last fall before giving way to walk-on Jason Olesnavage. Olesnavage has graduated, but don’t rule out the possibility of walk-on Scott Schrimscher winning the job. Redshirt senior Bryan Wright has lost multiple battles for the placekicker position, and likely will be relegated to kickoff duties again in the fall.

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What does Michigan do with Denard Robinson in 2010?

The news that highly-touted high school recruit Devin Gardner has enrolled early at Michigan has spurned a lot of discussion about the quarterback position at Michigan. Many think he’ll be competing for the starting job, and quite possibly could be too talented to keep off the field in 2010, even if a redshirt year gives Gardner an extra season of distance between himself and Tate Forcier. Others think that, no matter what, Gardner should be redshirted.

The man few can agree about, meanwhile, is sophomore quarterback Denard Robinson. After getting beat out by Forcier for the starting role last year, Robinson alternated between sound barrier-breaking dual threat (see: Western Michigan) and frustratingly inaccurate turnover machine (final 2009 stats: 14-31, 188 yards, 2 TD, 4 INT). The question is, then, is Michigan comfortable with Robinson as their backup/situational quarterback in 2010, or is the reward of playing Gardner greater than the risk of his redshirt year? And, if Gardner does step in and play at quarterback, where does Michigan play Robinson?

It’s obviously far too early to have any definite answer to these questions — Gardner just arrived on campus this weekend and hasn’t taken a collegiate snap, and nobody can tell how far Forcier and Robinson have progressed until spring practices are in full swing. It’s never too early, however, for speculation, so let’s take a look at what Michigan can do with Robinson this season:

1. Backup/situational QB — Michigan can choose to play Robinson in the exact same role they had him playing in 2009, serving as an insurance policy for Forcier while also taking snaps as a change-of-pace quarterback. If, after spring and fall practices are complete, the coaching staff thinks this is the best place for Robinson, I would call this the best-case scenario — it means that the staff is comfortable with Forcier as the starter, and with Robinson as a reliable backup, giving Gardner a year to learn the offense and an extra season on the back end of his collegiate career. Make no mistake; this coaching staff will not let something as trivial as a redshirt year determine how they use Gardner — they know the most important thing is to win, and to win now. If this is how the situation plays out, it will be because having Forcier and Robinson handling quarterback duties give the team the best chance to win.
2. A little bit of everything — Robinson did play a few snaps in 2009 as a slot receiver and running back, but did not play at either position enough to pose much of a threat as anything other than the gimmicky, trick-play sort. With a full season plus spring practice under his belt, however, Robinson could begin to learn these positions and develop into a jack-of-all-trades, on top of being the backup QB. This is an interesting possibility, but also has a few flaws. First, if Robinson is in fact the backup quarterback, I think Michigan fans will all want him to give his full attention and practice time to developing at the position. After all, if Forcier goes down for any length of time, Michigan will need Robinson to be much further along at QB than he was last season. Second, it’s risky to have your backup QB (Forcier’s insurance policy) subjecting himself to injury at positions where Michigan already has several capable players. I like the idea of Robinson seeing the field as an athlete, but I also like having a backup QB in one piece.
3. Full-out position switch — It’s tough to watch Robinson at QB and not think that his tremendous athletic ability (just check out his most recent exploit: running a 6.81 60-meter dash to win against OSU in his first collegiate track meet) is somewhat wasted there. Many fans are clamoring for Robinson to be used like former Florida Gator Percy Harvin, who lined up at receiver and running back (and occasionally took direct snaps) while terrorizing SEC defenses for the Gators’ national championship squad. If Gardner is the real deal, and Rich Rodriguez can’t help but let him see the field in 2010, then this is where Robinson belongs. There are issues here as well, however: Michigan’s depth at receiver and running back are both strong, and Robinson would have to learn a new position. This is where it helps that Gardner is enrolling early — if DG shows in spring practice that he’s a better quarterback already than Robinson, the staff can start Robinson’s transition to another position earlier, and give him a better shot at making a big impact in 2010.
4. Robinson to defensive back — Out of everything here, this is the least desirable option, in my opinion. Yes, Robinson was recruited by Florida to play defensive back. Michigan has recruited a ton of DBs in the last couple classes, however, and there’s no guarantee that Robinson would ever see significant time on defense, especially since he’ll have to learn a whole new system and position partway into his college career. Also, Robinson is the type of explosive athlete you want to see with the ball in his hands. Unless something catastrophic happens in the defensive backfield, this should never happen.

The quarterback battle as a whole, and what Michigan decides to do with Robinson specifically, may be the biggest story for Michigan in the offseason. I haven’t even mentioned the other quarterback in Michigan’s 2010 class, South Carolina dual threat Conelius Jones, who will be enrolling in the fall, although I don’t expect him to compete for immediate playing time. Robinson is a special athlete with the talent to be a game-breaker on offense — the question, of course, is where exactly he can have the biggest impact. For now, we’ll just have to wait and see.

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Devin Gardner: Enrolling early, after all.

So, it figures: last week I put up a post running down the list of potential recruits that could round out Michigan’s 2010 class. This weekend, Michigan has a huge visit week, resulting in two commits for this class — neither of whom were in my rundown. Sorry, everyone.

Michigan actually ended up with three commitments this weekend — linebackers Davion Rogers (Rivals 3*, #26 OLB, former West Virginia commit) and Jake Ryan (Rivals 3*, #45 Ohio prospect) both pledged for the class of 2010, and Cass Tech corner Delonte Hollowell became Michigan’s second early commitment for the class of 2011, joining fellow defensive back Greg Brown.

Rogers, who is listed at 6′6, 210 pounds, says he will be a “stand-up defensive end” for Michigan, which leads one to believe he’ll be playing Craig Roh’s hybrid spot. With Rogers’ frame, he’ll probably be taking a redshirt year to fill out and learn the defense. Here are his highlights, courtesy of ScoutingOhio.com — Rogers shows off impressive instincts and sideline-to-sideline speed:

Ryan, a 6-3, 225 pound outside linebacker from Westlake, Ohio, showed up lately on Michigan’s recruiting radar and received a scholarship offer during his official visit this weekend — he committed today, so he was obviously very excited to be offered by the Wolverines. Ryan boasts a very impressive highlight tape himself, coming from the OLB position to terrorize opposing backfields:

Hollowell comes from a long line of talented but pint-sized corners from Cass Tech, following in the (small) footsteps of Boubacar Cissoko and Dior Mathis. Hollowell is listed at 5-8, 163, and even that might be generous, but he has generated interest from the likes of LSU, UCLA, Michigan State, Iowa, and Illinois, so the talent is obviously there for him to be an impact corner. Hollowell has nice highlights, as well — I like how he reads the quarterback and breaks on the ball, and he packs a lot of punch for a guy his size:

Adding to the good cheer was the news that Inkster quarterback Devin Gardner, who had attempted to enroll early but ran into paperwork issues while trying to graduate high school early, will in fact enroll at Michigan and start classes this week. This is great news for Michigan — now Gardner will be able to get a jump on learning the offense, developing physically, and give Tate Forcier some elite competition for the starting job. Even if Gardner eventually redshirts, he’ll still be a threat that should push Forcier and Denard Robinson to improve mightily on their performances from 2009.

It’s been a great weekend for Michigan sports (even hockey got into the act, taking three of a possible four points from fourth-place Alaska-Fairbanks this weekend). Here’s hoping we have many more to come in 2010.

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Domino's Pizza CEO Dave Brandon has been hired as Michigan's new athletic director.

This is going to be a quick post, since it’s the first day of classes for the winter term here, and I’m already running late. Way to go, me.

Unless you’re living under a rock, you know that Michigan hired Domino’s Pizza CEO, and former Wolverine football player, Dave Brandon to replace the retiring Bill Martin as athletic director. MGoBlog has you covered on everything Brandon, with a quick welcome post and a semi-transcription of his first press conference. Brad at Maize & Blue Nation think the hiring of Brandon was made to satisfy the Old Guard. MVictors, of course, digs up a photo of Brandon from his playing days, because that is what Greg does. I’ll only venture so far in my opinion of the hire to say that Brandon was clearly the most enthusiastic candidate, a guy who truly loves the University and its athletics, and is an incredibly successful businessman — if he can make it through the first two years of his tenure and handle the Rich Rodriguez situation deftly, I think he’ll be a very good athletic director.

The Fifth Quarter is already looking ahead to the 2010 football season, breaking down the position battle at quarterback, which should be much clearer once we know if Devin Gardner can enroll early or not. Touch the Banner, on the other hand, chooses to look at quarterback’s past, wondering what could have been if Ryan Mallett had chosen to stay at Michigan. The Other Brian, at Genuinely Sarcastic, laments a house divided after the Braylon Edwards into to Sunday Night Football — his post is well worth reading.

As for other sports, Dylan has the scoop on Jordan Dumars (son of Pistons legend Joe) transferring to Michigan, and also has a breakdown of Michigan’s disappointing bench play so far this season. Over at The Blog That Yost Built, Michigan has picked up a commitment from forward Cristoval “Boo” Nieves, who would enter school in the fall of 2012. I’m in full support of anyone named “Boo” committing to any Michigan sports team.

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Roy Roundtree looks like he will be an integral part of the 2010 offense.

There’s not much left to say about the 2009 season, so I’m going to go ahead and take a look at what the 2010 team will look like. First up is the offense, which should see little turnover from a very young unit. Just a note: I’ll be referring to players by what class they will be in for 2010 (for instance, I’ll be calling Tate Forcier a sophomore).

Quarterback: There will be a lot of speculation about the quarterback position, especially with the way Tate Forcier finished his freshman campaign. Forcier obviously has the inside track at the starting position in 2010, with a full season as the starter in Rich Rodriguez’s system under his belt. Denard Robinson has shown value as a situational quarterback, but hasn’t shown the passing ability to be a full-time solution at the position. The wild card will be the presence of incoming freshman Devin Gardner, Rivals.com’s #1 quarterback in the Class of 2010 and a threat to start from the moment he steps on campus. Unfortunately, Gardner will not be able to enroll early, and will have a tough time learning the offense quickly enough to unseat Forcier. In all likelihood, we’ll see the same quarterback rotation that we saw in 2009 — I doubt Rich Rodriguez wants to put his job on the line with another true freshman starting at the most important position on the field. Forcier should be an improved player when we see him next fall, and hopefully the rookie mistakes that marred the Ohio State game will be largely absent from his game a year from now.

Running Back: Michigan loses two talented (but oft-injured) tailbacks in Brandon Minor and Carlos Brown, but there is still a lot of talent returning at the position. Junior Michael Shaw and sophomore Vincent Smith should provide a solid one-two punch similar to how Michigan rotated Minor and Brown when they were healthy. They could be pushed for playing time by redshirt freshman Fitzgerald Toussaint (a highly-regarded four-star who put up very impressive numbers in high school) and redshirt sophomore Mike Cox, who at the very least will provide some depth at the position. Smith showed flashes of real promise in the second half of the season, and scored Michigan’s only touchdown against Ohio State on a nice 18-yard reception — he has showed an ability to run between the tackles despite his small stature, and could turn into a workhorse-type back. Shaw is more in the Carlos Brown mold (right down to the consistent nagging injuries), a guy with track-star speed who is a threat to take any run the distance. The Wolverines will also add Livonia Stevenson running back Austin White, a three-star tailback who is a very good receiver out of the backfield, and the large (6-0, 235 lbs.) Stephen Hopkins in the freshman class, although both will have an uphill climb for playing time. Despite losing two senior backs, Michigan looks to be in good shape at running back in 2010.

Outside Receiver: Michigan only loses two players, Greg Mathews and LaTerryal Savoy, from a unit that couldn’t consistently produce in 2009. Juniors Darryl Stonum and Junior Hemingway are your likely starters for 2010, and have the potential to provide Forcier with two solid deep threats if they continue to develop as players. Michigan will also return sophomore Je’Ron Stokes and redshirt freshman Cameron Gordon, a couple of four-star players from the Class of 2009, and will add some young talent in incoming freshmen Ricardo Miller, Jerald Robinson, D.J. Williamson, and Jeremy Jackson. Miller, an early commit who moved to Ann Arbor after playing his first three high school seasons at Dr. Phillips (FL), has the best chance to see the field early, although Jerald Robinson is the highest-rated player (Rivals.com four-star, #45 wide receiver) of the true freshmen and could also have an impact early on. The issue with the outside receivers isn’t talent — Stonum, Stokes, and Gordon were all four-star recruits, and Hemingway has been impressive when healthy — but consistency. Expect to see a lot of rotation at receiver until somebody steps up and establishes themselves as a consistent threat.

Slot Receivers: An injury to Martavious Odoms gave Roy Roundtree an opportunity to show his ability at slot receiver, and Roundtree may have edged out Odoms as the starter with his performance over the latter half of 2009. Both players should see ample playing time in 2010, and Roundtree’s emergence as Forcier’s go-to guy could mean Michigan shows more four-receiver sets next fall. Before his injury, Odoms had established himself as Michigan’s most consistent receiver under Rich Rodriguez, and also garnered praise for his downfield blocking and knowledge of the offense. Each player brings a different set of skills to the table, and Michigan will likely utilize both with regularity in 2010. There is a lot of depth at this position, with junior Kelvin Grady, sophomore Terrence Robinson, and redshirt freshman Jeremy Gallon all returning, to be joined by incoming freshmen Drew Dileo and Tony Drake. Grady, who saw his playing time decrease as Roundtree’s role expanded, could see more playing time as his transition from basketball to football continues. Many thought Gallon would contribute this season, but a late start because of academic clearinghouse issues forced him to redshirt — he’s a dark horse guy who could have a breakout season if he gets the opportunity. Overall, there’s a lot of talent in the slot, and Michigan should once again see the majority of their receiving production come from the position.

Tight Ends: Big things were expected from the tight end position, especially junior Kevin Koger, in 2009, but a strong start from Koger was followed by a disappointing string of drops as the position became more of a non-factor as the season wore on. However, there is still a lot of talent at tight end, with Koger joined by senior Martell Webb and redshirt sophomore Brandon Moore. The position will be one to watch in 2010 — Rich Rodriguez rarely utilized tight ends at West Virginia, but Koger has shown the potential to be a huge weapon in the spread. Along with Webb, who also struggled with drops this season, Koger may just be playing for the survival of the tight end position at Michigan next season. If he can catch the ball, Koger could be an All-Big Ten player next year, and a great safety valve for Forcier.

Offensive Line: The unit with the most turnover is the offensive line, which loses starters Mark Ortmann and David Moosman, as well as backup Tim McAvoy. However, Michigan returns five players who earned starts in 2009 in Steve Schilling, David Molk, Mark Huyge, Perry Dorrestein, and Patrick Omameh. Schilling (right guard) and Molk (center) will likely hold down their current positions, but the other three spots on the line are up for grabs, with a bevy of talented linemen all competing for playing time. Omameh performed well at right guard in the last few games of the season, and will likely earn a starting spot somewhere on the line. Huyge is another player that can play multiple positions, and should compete with Dorrestein and redshirt freshmen Taylor Lewan and Michael Schofield for a shot at one of the tackle positions. On the interior of the line, redshirt sophomores Ricky Barnum, Rocko Khoury, and Elliott Mealer, as well as redshirt freshman Quinton Washington, will provide depth and push for playing time. Regardless of who earns starting spots on the line, the experience and talent at every position should mean an improved unit for 2010.

2010 Outlook: The 2009 offense improved drastically from a disastrous unit in Rich Rodriguez’s first year at Michigan. With Tate Forcier having a full year at Michigan under his belt — and hopefully with a greater appreciation for holding on to the football — the Wolverines should once again have an improved offense in 2010. Forcier will be the key — the offensive line should be better with experience, and there is a lot of talent and depth at all the skill positions. If Michigan can get more efficiency from the quarterback position — and they should — we could be seeing one of the nation’s most potent offenses next season.

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Yes, please.

The blogosphere has had a few days to absorb another Michigan loss, and reactions are all over the place this week. Brian addresses once-and-for-all the question of “When can we fire Rich Rod?” He thinks an 8-4 year (possibly 7-5, depending on the bowl game) would save Rodriguez’s job, and he deserves the chance to coach next year before we make any rash decisions. I’m in full agreement on this one — with the defensive depth as thin as it is, and the offense being so young, it’s tough to pin too much of the blame of these past two seasons squarely on Rodriguez. We knew he needed time, and now we have to give it to him. In his postgame wrap, Brian does express the stress we all feel in dealing with the losing:

I’m burning out after two years of almost unrelenting misery, and looking forward to football season being over for the third straight year. I mean, when Michigan was down to Purdue in the second half, some fan ten or twenty rows behind me kept shouting “they’ve got no heart” over and over again as the guy in the row in front of me called for Rodriguez’s firing. Having a conversation about Michigan football right now is trying to remember that episode of GI Joe where Destro finds a secret ninja manual in a volcano*** that allows him to kill people with precisely-applied touches: if you can just remember where the red dots are you can spare everyone a lot of pain.

I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve wished with all my heart for a taser while standing in the student section during these past two years, and I’m obviously not the only one who feels that way. We need to give these kids (yes, kids) a chance — screaming “Forcier sucks!” (and yes, I’ve heard that several times) only serves to single you out as a blithering idiot.

Meanwhile, (the other) Brian over at Genuinely Sarcastic has emerged as a (relatively) level head throughout this whole mess. To the “Fire Rich Rod” crowd, he simply asks, “and do what?”:

Can you name a defensive coordinator who would do better with this roster? There just isn’t much to work with. When Robinson plugs one hole (run defense was solid against MSU and Iowa), another one opens (wide open receivers on playaction). He simply doesn’t have the talent or experience on that side of the ball to put together a sturdy unit in all phases. And the offense…well, remember what Beilein said about the roller coaster last year after Michigan basketball was BACK against UCLA and Duke? When you’re rebuilding, there will be ups and downs. Penn State and Illinois were downs. Purdue was an up. The offense did its job on Saturday.

He goes on to pick apart the notion that Harbaugh and Miles were ever totally viable candidates. Revisionist historians, beware, for Brian is ready to embarrass you.

Over at Maize n Brew, Dave gets the “most hilarious/sad emo quote of the week” award:

Still. Saturday could’ve been worse. A year ago I sat through a miserable downpour in 28 degree weather to watch Michigan lose to a Northwestern team they probably could’ve beaten. But Saturday wasn’t like that.

Saturday was sunny.

SCM has the full game breakdown over there, and comes to the same conclusion that any sane fan has realized at this point in the season:

If this team is going to salvage anything from this year, a year that brought joy for a whole month, then they’re going to have do it by out-gunning people.  It is what it is, and it’s not going to suddenly change over the next two weeks of practice.  So c’mon Blue, go out there and fight your hearts out.

Maize & Blue Nation gives us two ways to look at the game. Like them, I’m leaning towards option one:

There are two ways to look back at this game.

1) We played harder and looked much better on offense. Our defensive struggles continue, but those problems will take more time to fix. In the short term, this week…while still a tough loss, was still nice to see the team not give up like we did against Illinois. I think we still have a shot at a bowl if we can make some improvements and move forward.

or…

2) Another week another loss. This time to another crappy team. Even though it was close, I don’t care, a loss is a loss. You can take your moral victories and shove it…I need real wins. Wake me up in 2010. I’m done.

For reasons passing understanding, I’m actually closer to camp 1.

Michigan Football Saturdays has beef with Rodriguez’s decision to go for it on fourth and ten (when Brown ended up getting called for a forward lateral and the Wolverines turned the ball over), thinking Michigan should’ve taken the points. I think that decision could have gone either way, and certainly don’t think it was a boneheaded one, but I can see where they’re coming from here.

Finally, UM Tailgate gets zen, and gives an impassioned plea for your continued support:

Michigan Football has been there for you your whole life.  They’ve been there for you to lean on.  Every Saturday, winning, making you smile, sending you to work on Monday with your chest puffed out, ready to point and laugh at lesser men.  But now, for the first time, Michigan Football needs you to be there FOR THEM, to be patient FOR THEM.

We need to find that place again.  I’ve got to find that place again.  That place where I know we are going to win no matter what the odds, no matter what the situation.  Miracles happen.  Freshman can do amazing things.  There are two games left…and I love being an underdog.

One recruiting tidbit from Rivals: they’ve released their category rankings for 2010 quarterbacks. Devin Gardner ranks second in arm strength (behind PSU commit and Orchard Lake St. Mary’s prospect Robert Bolden), and first in scrambling ability. This combination, I like.

On to basketball (HOORAY!). UM Hoops has your breakdown of the Wayne State game, and Dylan also gives his State of the Blog in Year Three (to which I give a hearty congratulations). Seriously, there’s no better source for Michigan basketball blogging out there, and Dylan is doing all this as a student, which is nothing short of remarkable. Head over there, and if you like what you see, strongly consider hitting the Donate button — he definitely deserves it.

Finally, The Blog That Yost Built has your hockey coverage after Michigan was swept by #1 Miami. Also, MVictors passes along an article from Andy Reid, editor of the Michigan Daily, who was kicked out of Saturday’s game for doing the “C-YA” chant while dressed in a giant chicken suit. I’m with Greg when it comes to the chant: I loved it when I was young, mostly because I wasn’t allowed to say any of the words, but as I get older (and lamer, apparently) I’d like to see it replaced with something less vulgar and more creative. Red Berenson has asked for us to stop, and at this point, we should do whatever Red asks.

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Tate Forcier is the man for now, but what happens when Devin Gardner steps on campus?

What was inconceivable a year ago is now a reality: Michigan is lined up to have more talented quarterbacks than they know what to do with. This is one of those “good” problems, but it still provides a quandary for the Wolverine coaching staff: what do they do when Tate Forcier, Denard Robinson, Devin Gardner, and Cornelius Jones (the other 2010 quarterback commit, and Michigan is still in the running for Louisiana QB Munchie Legaux) are all on campus?

Rich Rodriguez had to address rumors this week that Denard Robinson would switch positions, and stated firmly that Robinson was still very much in the mix at quarterback. However, one Gardner gets on campus, there will certainly be a faction of Michigan fans that want Robinson’s elite speed and athleticism to be utilized at receiver or defensive back while Michigan allows Gardner to take over the backup quarterback role.

Personally, I completely disagree with this line of thinking for two reasons:

First, if Michigan has the luxury of redshirting Gardner, giving him two years of separation from Forcier (who, at this point, looks like a four-year starter in the making), they have to take advantage of that luxury. Gardner probably has the highest potential of all the quarterbacks at Michigan, even Forcier, and the team would likely regret wasting a year of his eligibility so he can play sparingly as a backup instead of allowing him to be a two-year starter after Forcier graduates.

Second, I love Robinson’s play-making ability at quarterback, and think he can be of more value to the team at QB than any other position. Once Robinson develops some touch on his passes and learns the offense, he will be a very dangerous dual-threat weapon. Remember, Forcier had a very big advantage over Robinson by virtue of enrolling early; both are still learning the offense, but Robinson is way behind in that regard. Robinson will never be the pinpoint passer that Forcier is, but Forcier will never be the world-class athlete that Robinson is.

Michigan has a ton of receivers, and, more importantly, a ton of young receivers. They don’t need Robinson there. As for defensive back, Robinson would be way behind the learning curve as he tried to gain experience at a position he hasn’t played, and it would take a lot of time for him to learn technique and the defensive playbook. By the time he’s a viable option at DB, Michigan may not need him there anymore, and there’s not guarantee he’ll be good. At quarterback, he’s a known commodity, a guy who will make plays with his feet, and, eventually, his arm. If nothing else, he’ll be a great situational backup and a guy the coaching staff will not be afraid to put into a game if Forcier (or Gardner) goes down.

Forcier appears to be a future star, and Gardner has a ton of (deserved) hype before ever suiting up as a Wolverine. However, Michigan cannot take their depth at quarterback for granted; Denard Robinson is a special talent, and I’d hate to see him go to waste at another position.

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"All In For Michigan" is not just a catchphrase, but the driving force behind Rich Rodriguez's 2009 squad.

Football:

• At U-M it’s “all in” from everybody — Detroit News — Interesting article with some great quotes from Rich Rodriguez, including what he expected last year (“I was like everybody else when I took the job — it’s Michigan, throw ‘em out there and you’ll win your share,”) and some pointed words on transfers: “What am I supposed to be concerned with — guys that are low on the depth chart and not performing the way they should, academically and athletically?” he said. “We’re supposed to panic about that? I’m confused. I got 126 players that are doing it and I’m supposed to worry about the handful that didn’t want to?” Amen.
• U-M commits face off in opener — Detroit Free Press — The main event of the Big Prep Day Showdown at Rynearson Stadium will feature two Michigan commits in Devin Gardner (Inkster) and Ricardo Miller (Pioneer). Their game begins Saturday at 8 pm … I’ll be there, and encourage football-starved Michigan fans to come out in force to support a couple future Wolverines.
• Offensive line holds key to Michigan’s turnaround — Grand Rapids Press — Howie Beardley goes a little far in trying to prove his point (I’m pretty sure it does matter whether Nick Sheridan or Tate Forcier is starting the Western game), but the bigger picture remains true: offensive success is directly tied to the success of the offensive line. With all the talk about three quarterbacks playing and whatnot, we forget that the maturation and improvement of the big uglies up front is as important as anything else for U-M this season.
• Wolverines plan to use depth at running back — Detroit News — Looks like we’re going to see a lot of backs get action this season. Fred Jackson, in referring to Brandon Minor, Carlos Brown, Michael Shaw, Kevin Grady, and Vincent Smith, said: “You’re going to see [all five backs playing] and you’re going to see it very effectively, because I think they all warrant (playing time) because they’re all good enough.”
• Troy Woolfolk is enjoying his change of position in Michigan’s secondary — AnnArbor.com — It appears that having the speed of Troy Woolfolk at the safety position is already paying dividents for the Wolverine defense: “Less so than last year is the play culminating in a 50-yard bomb, you know,” linebacker Obi Ezeh said. “That’s always a good thing when you don’t have to worry about that.” Let’s hope that’s not just talk; the big pass play is something Michigan needs to greatly cut down on this season.
• Behind The Music: How Michigan picks songs for its football practices — AnnArbor.com — Apparently, coaches and players can submit any (clean, curse-free) song to be added to a huge playlist, which explains why last week’s practice featured a jump from the Jackson 5 to “Cotton Eyed Joe” to Lil’ Wayne. Also, coaches make sure to sprinkle in songs such as “Jump Around”, the Wisconsin staple, as both a motivational tool and a way to practice dealing with distractions and crowd noise.
• Marcus Ray: Putting Family First — Lost Lettermen — The former Wolverine safety and 1997 national champion details his move from Michigan (in 2007 as a grad assistant) to CMU to Ohio Dominican University (in his hometown of Columbus) in pursuit of coaching opportunity while balancing family obligations. Also, Ray is working on a book about the ‘97 champs called “The Making of a National Champion: The Untold Ties That Bind”.
• Chris Howard: Moving Cross-Country for Film — Lost Lettermen — The starting tailback from that ‘97 team is also moving around the country for work: Howard, a Louisiana native, is now in Atlanta working as the COO of Theos Entertainment. Nice to see these former players staying connected with fans through Lost Lettermen.
• Five Things Maize n Brew Would Change About the Michigan Gameday Experience — Maize n Brew — I agree with all five points, although I highly doubt the school would agree to designating “non-standing” and “standing” sections, regardless of how practical it sounds. We definitely need to upgrade the scoreboards, which will become an obsolete eyesore when the renovations are finished in 2010.

Basketball:

• The Expectations Game — UMHoops — Dylan notes just how vastly different the expectations (from the fans, media, and the team) are for this year’s Michigan squad as opposed to the expectations going into last season. The job John Beilein has done of rebuilding this program in such a short period of time is nothing short of spectacular.
• Top non-conference games to watch in 2009-10 — Fox Sports — Michigan makes the list twice, coming in at No. 11 for the Jan. 17 home game against UConn, and at No. 13 for the road trip to Lawrence to face Kansas on Dec. 19.

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Devin Gardner earned the coveted fifth star in the new Scout 300.

The new Scout 300 was released today, with several Michigan commitments and targets included. Here’s who made the list (Note: Top 50 are all five-stars, the rest four-stars):

• Cretin Durham (MN) OT Seantrel Henderson maintained his spot atop the list, to the surprise of no one.
• Priviso West (IL) WR Kyle Prater comes in at No. 13. Prater is considered a long-shot at best for Michigan.
• Philadelphia DT Sharrif Floyd earns a fifth star and is ranked No. 38. Michigan is still very much in the mix for Floyd, and has a shot at receiving one of his official visits in the fall.
• Inkster (MI) QB Devin Gardner is the first Michigan commit on the list, just one spot behind Floyd at No. 39. Gardner’s performance at the Elite11 camp vaulted him up the list and earned him a fifth star. Hopefully Rivals will follow suit when they revise their rankings.
• Coming in at No. 61, just one spot below his Rivals100 ranking, is Pittsburgh CB Cullen Christian, long considered a near-lock for Michigan.
• Nathaniel Narbonne (CA) S Sean Parker makes the list at No. 65.
• Booker T. Washington (FL) RB Eduardo Clements comes in at No. 85, two spots above former Michigan RB target (and current Oklahoma commit) Brennan Clay.
• St. Francis (CA) S Dietrich Riley checks in at No. 98, rounding out the Michigan targets in the top 100.
• Lake Region (FL) S Marvin Robinson is the second U-M commit on the list, slotting in at No. 107.
• Glenville (OH) S Latwan Anderson is ranked No. 117, far off his No. 35 ranking in the Rivals100.
• Livonia (MI) Stevenson RB Austin White is a solid four-star to Scout, coming in at No. 124. White is currently a mid-three star to Rivals, but hopefully will make a leap up when the new rankings are released.
• Hollywood Hills (FL) CB Tony Grimes jumps in three spots later, at No. 127. Grimes is another corner who seems likely to drop for Michigan. At this point, we’ll take all the DBs we can.
• Hey, another corner! Palmdale (CA) CB Josh Shaw is No. 136, although Michigan hasn’t expressed as much interest in Shaw as they have in Christian or Grimes.
• Warren Mott (MI) DE C.J. Olaniyan comes in two spots later, at No. 138. Michigan is still in the running for the in-state DE, who still seems relatively open in his recruitment.
• Ann Arbor Pioneer WR Ricardo Miller (as a PiHi alum, I love typing that, even if the recruiting services still list him at his old HS) is the third Wolverine commit on the list, checking in at No. 155.
• Cass Tech CB Dior Mathis is the No. 166 prospect. Mathis has changed up his list quite often in recent weeks, with Oregon and MSU the latest to jump to the top of his list, although Michigan and Miami are still in the running.
• Millersville (MD) S Josh Furman check in at No. 183. Although listed by Scout as a safety, Michigan is recruiting Furman as a LB. He is taking an official visit for the Notre Dame game, and the Wolverines have a good shot at a commitment.
• Canton (OH) South WR Jerald Robinson is the fourth U-M commit on the list, coming in at No. 251.
• Sunbury (OH) OT Skyler Schofner is the final Wolverine target on the list, slipping into the Scout 300 at No. 297.

For those who care to compare this list to the list of targets from last month’s Rivals250 update, head over here.

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Football:

• Miller is moving to Michigan this week — The Wolverine — Miller, who had originally planned to attend Ann Arbor Huron, will come play for the good guys at Ann Arbor Pioneer (I’m biased here, as a proud Pioneer alum). This sets up a very interesting matchup in week one between Miller’s Pioneers and Devin Gardner’s Inkster squad.
• U-M’s Stevie Brown out to prove himself — whatever the position — Detroit News — For the first time in his career, there isn’t a ton of hype around Brown coming out of Spring ball. It’ll be interesting to see how he handles playing the safety/linebacker hybrid spot.
• Hard to get excited about UConn for University of Michigan’s 2010 season opener — AnnArbor.com — I haven’t thrown my two cents in on this, so here goes: I have no idea why it took the athletic department this long to get around to scheduling an opponent, and given the lack of options (almost every BCS team had their schedule set) it’s tough to complain about playing UConn. No, I’m not really excited about it, but you play the hand you’re dealt, and Michigan didn’t have a lot of choices at the time they tried to schedule the game.
• Big Ten Media Days, The Take Away on Michigan Football: Part V — Rich Rodriguez — Maize n Brew — No wonder it took so long for Dave to put this one together — he churns out a TON of content from RichRod’s appearance at the Big Ten Media Days. I can’t even begin to summarize, so just head over and enjoy.

Basketball:

• Michigan basketball to play Creighton in first round of Old Spice Classic — AnnArbor.com — Again with the headlines. Further details: Michigan will play the winner/loser of the Xavier-Marquette game. Creighton should be a tough matchup, with the Jays returning seven of their top eight scorers from a team that went 27-8 in 2008-09.
• Dick Vitale: Preseason Top 40 — ESPN.com — Dickie V has Michigan at No. 11 in his preseason rankings. I’m getting a little worried about all the hype … Michigan basketball has trained me to prepare myself for a letdown far in advance. However, I trust John Beilein to both handle the hype and live up to it.

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