...Beach

Everyone knows that too much sun is not good for the skin or your overall health. While at the beach a popular pastime is lying out in the sun soaking up some rays. This is what 33 year old Erin Joynt was doing while visiting Florida from Kansas. Unfortunately for her things did not go as planned. Lifeguard Tommy Modrie ran over her in a pickup truck.Erin's head was run over by the truck's right front tire after someone flagged Modrie and told him about broken glass in the sand. I laughed when I first heard about this, I laughed as I wrote this. I do understand that this is no laughing matter, but what are the odds? Modrie has worked as a lifeguard for 5 years and has a spotless record, but he was drug tested and sent home for the day, which is standard procedure. I will assume the woman is safe, as there have been no reports of her death. Still I am giving this and the beach a Digit Down. When will people learn the beach is not as fun as you think.

...Mike Duff

You are 25, you live in Florida, you like cars, but you have no money. What do you do? You build a replica of the car you want. Mike Duff did just that. He turned his 2002 Mercury Cougar into a replica of the fastest production car on the market, the Bugatti Veyron. It is not too shabby either. The car dubbed the "Cougatti" is lacking the something major though, the power. It comes with the original 2.5-liter V6 engine that produces roughly 170 horsepower. This is in stark contrast to the 8-liter 16-cylinder powerplant of the real car, which produces a neck-snapping 1,000 horses. If that does not bother you then it can be yours for only $89,0000... While I would pass I guess someone will buy it...in the economy... Still I am giving Mike Duff a Digit Up for his ingenuity and so on.

...Randy "Macho Man" Savage

This is sad sad news. One of my favorite wrestlers has died at the age of 58. Macho Man Randy Savage, real name Randy Mario Poffo, suffered a heart attack while driving his Jeep with his wife in the passenger seat. He jumped across the lane, somehow missing oncoming traffic, and slammed into a tree. He died later in a Tampa, FL hospital. His wife suffered only minor injuries. The two were married for only a year, in fact they just celebrated their 1st anniversary earlier this month. Macho Man was an icon and a fan favorite from the start. His flamboyant costumes and awesome voice won over millions. I, like many young boys, was a huge wrestling fan in the 90's. I was a WCW fan because they had all of the wrestlers I like, great story lines and bright colors. Macho Man vs. Hulk Hogan was something I always loved watching. Sadly he is gone now and I ma 115% sure he will be missed by all wrestling fans around the world. Below is a video of him doing his famous Slim Jim commercial. I would lie to believe that he is the reason why Slim Jims are still around and eaten by many people. I am giving this sad news a Digit Down.

Michigan Tuesday: 2012 Offers Continue

Michigan continues to recruit the 2012 hard and heavy now that the 2011 class is complete.  Here is some new information.

• Check out this 2012 Michigan offer map from a Mgoblog reader. 

• Michigan offered another Ohio DE this time; Se'von Pittman.  Se'von is 6'4 and 225 pounds.  He has an Alabama and Ohio State offer already.  The Buckeyes are looking good for him right now.

• Michigan offers highly rated Arizona OL Andrus Peat who is 6'6 and 270 pounds.  He is a big time prospect with 25 offers right now.

Other Football News:

• ND QB Nate Montana has transferred to Montana.  We will always have early September 2010 Nate.  Thank you, so much. 

• Urban Meyer basically calls out college football and how bad it's gotten the last 5 years:  “What I’ve seen the last five years is a complete turn in the integrity of the college coaching profession. It’s completely turned the other way. Right now, it’s not good because the risk-reward is ‘have at it, do what you’ve got to do get the great player, go win games and at the end of the day we’ll find out what happens down the road …  We always knew that NCAA Basketball recruiting was a very dirty business and now it seems College Football might be just as dirty.   I can tell you there were thousands of rumors about USC back under Pete Carroll.  The Reggie Bush stuff was just a small sample of what went on there.   Let's hope that Brady Hoke and staff plays by the rules. 

• Speaking of Cam Newton, he just signed a $1M a year deal with Under Armour.  No word if the deal was done "under the table".

• Former Rutgers QB, Tom Savage will visit Arizona today, which is his first visit since he decided to transfer.  There was some Internet buzz that Michigan might be interested in Tom but that was before Michigan locked up Texas QB Russell Bellomy. 

• John Beilein is recruiting another former NBA players son specifically 6'7 forward Larry Nance, Jr.  He is averaging 18 points and 10 boards a game.  Larry has really picked up his game and has grown nearly 6 inches in the last two years.   He is a 2011 recruit. 

The Wolverines Stay at 20

As Michigan gets beat out for LB, Leilon Willingham by a Conference USA team.  I guess the weather in Orlando was just too hard to beat for the young man from Denver. 

I guess that "fun" visit to UCF turned out to be a business trip. It's hard to believe a Conference USA team could beat out Michigan for level of competition and education.   Good luck to Leilon

Michigan Tuesday: Still Chilly at the Gator Bowl and the Big Ten Kicks Off Today

The Wolverines are used to the cold but not in Florida.  The guys (and the rest of us in Florida) was hoping for lots of warm weather.  We got the sun but Midwest type of weather with morning temperatures in the 30's and afternoon temperatures in the 50's. At least there isn't any snow and the sun is out.  So we have that going for us, which is nice.  The good news is warmer temperatures are on the way and the game time temps should be around 72 degrees.

The only thing news worthy coming out of practice (besides the cold) is that Tay Odoms might be ready to play on Saturday after breaking his foot in the Michigan State game. 

"It felt good to run around and I feel like I can play when the game comes," Odoms said. "I cut but I don't cut as hard. It's a mind thing. I think I can't do it, but I probably can. I'm not trying to push it. That's the hardest part — trusting it and cutting on it like how I used to cut."

Breaking News: 4 star instate recruit Anthony Zettel is planning to announce his commitment tonight at 7:30.  Anthony is a DE or OL prospect from West Branch, Michigan and has been a life long Michigan fan.  He originally was planning on announcing in January so I'm not sure what changed.  I expect this is good news for the Wolverines and RR.  If he doesn't pick Michigan this would be a huge loss for the Wolverines. 

Anthony was invited to play in the Army All American game but declined due to the rule you can't play any other high school sports if you accept the invitation.  I believe it's due to the AAA organization playing for the travel and expenses to the game.

If AZ goes blue tonight, the Michigan coaches will have had a really good month in recruiting in getting commitments from an instate LB, a highly rated place kicker and basically two 4 star Army All Americans in Zettel and Countess.

Michigan Basketball News:

Today kicks off the Big Season for John Beilein's club.  So far the young Wolverines have over achieved with a 10-2 record with the 2 loses coming in back to back games in Atlantic City.   Michigan plays a ranked Purdue team at 2:00 at Crisler Arena.   Today's game will be a good test to see where the Wolverines really are and if they will be able to compete in the highly competitive Big Ten this year.  If Michigan wants to get to the post season they will need to protect their home floor in the Big Ten.  Kansas also makes a trip to Crisler in a couple of weeks. 

Michigan will have one extra body available in today's game with Jordan Dumars, son of Detroit Pistons President and former shooting guard Joe Dumars becoming eligible to play for the Wolverines.  Don't expect Jordan to crash into the line-up quickly as he needs to get into game shape. 

...Florida

My state, my home state, the state I claim and the state I love, what has happened to you? In a new report entitled "Where The $200,000+ Crowd Lives" they listed the top 15 states in America. I read through the little article and I was lie cool I wonder where Florida ranked, top 10 for sure, maybe even top 5...WRONG! Florida did not crack the top 15! New Hampshire, Illinois, Colorado, Virginia and Washington D.C. (Number 1 on the list by the way) made the top 15, but not Florida? Florida has no income tax and has a low corporate tax. Florida has some of the best beaches and best nightlife, these are desirable things! I know that due to the recession a lot of people left Florida and a lot of millionaires who made their money from real estate lost a lot of it but still, this is Florida! I can go to Miami and find 10,000 millionaires, paper and actual, easily. I know there are a lot of New York bankers and brokers who claim Florida as their state of residence for the lower taxes, that matters. I remember when Jupiter Island, Florida was the most expensive zip code in America. Florida needs to regain its luster, its glory, its high net worth lifestyle again and fast. I am giving Florida a Digit Down for going down with the masses.

Michigan Monday: He Said, Harbaugh Didn't

It's officially bowl game week in chilly Florida for the first time in two years and nobody really notices.  The talk of the town and the sporting world is who is the better NFL MVP candidate: Tom Brady or Mike Vick.  I think you know which candidate this blog supports!  Whoops, sorry I meant whether or not Jim Harbaugh will be Michigan's next head coach or not.

Jim himself has basically only said that he hasn't talked with Stanford's AD about a contract extension yet.  Which is rumored to be $3M a year.

"I haven't even discussed it," Harbaugh told the San Jose Mercury News in a story published Friday.   Speaking about the AD and the extension:  "Maybe he misspoke," Harbaugh said.

Those comments are the closest thing Jim has said regarding the Michigan job or any other job outside of his current one.  Both NFL insiders Adam Schefter from ESPN and CBS Charlie Casserly both reported yesterday that sources are linking Jim to Michigan.   I happen to believe Adam because he is a Michigan Alum and won't spread a rumor just to spread it.  I would expect that his sources have to be pretty solid to run with a story about his favorite college football program. 

Is it a done deal?  Maybe or maybe not.  An NFL job just opened up in his backyard last night with the the 49'ers.  Would Jim be more interested in that job?  Who knows but it would seem like he might.   Not too many college coaches have been successful in transiting to the NFL.  The last one most can remember is Jimmy Johnson.  With that said, Jim was a in the NFL for many years and I think his brother could give him some pretty good advice.   So Jim isn't exactly high risk (compared to other college coaches) when it comes to an NFL job. 

I guess we will have to see how this one plays out next week. 

Funny Story:  We drove down to Florida last night and staying in Orlando for a couple of days before heading to the Gator Bowl.  We pulled up to the hotel in Orlando today to find the Spartans are staying here.  They are running all types of plays in the ballrooms due to the cold weather.   I'm getting a few strange looks in my Michigan gear.

Speaking of cold weather and getting to Florida:

Michigan Friday: Recuritng Updates

Dee Hart is a candidate for Army All American High School Player of the Year and was on ESPN's First Take yesterday.  Go Blue Dee!  I hope Dee will be able to drive a few hours and catch the Wolverines at the Gator Bowl in two weeks.  Dee got to attend the Heisman trophy presentation with a fun weekend in NYC.  He is also a Nascar fan.  (photo to the right from AJC and standing next to Dee is Michigan recruit Ray Drew)

You know how I love Walk On's.  Here is another story of what it takes to be a Michigan Man:  Lineman Zac Ciullo has been playing on the scout team, living a dream playing for the Wolverines and now heading to Law School.  Congratulations Zac, that is a wonderful story.

Here is an update from Dallas Crawford's coach from TomVH:  Dallas may take another visit to another school, but that's it. He asked me what I thought about everything, and I told him I think Michigan is an outstanding institution to play at either way. He's said in the past that he'd go there either way.


Former Indiana commit Raymon Taylor and current Florida commit Valdez Showers are both expect to attend Michigan's bowl practice on Saturday.  I would love to get both of these guys.  We need to depth at corner and they both are instate guys.  Valdez was player of the year and Raymon is a very physical corner. 

RR made an in home visit to NJ TE Jack Tabb. Monday is the start of the quiet period, where there can't be any pro-active contact from any coaching staff.  Recruits can call coaches but that is the only way that communication can take place.   

The rumor mill is churning today that Michigan might receive a defensive player commit this weekend.   I will have the news up as soon as I hear!

Michigan Monday: Ponders Coaching Hires and How They affect the Wolverines

Since we don't know what David Brandon's plan is, we only have our thoughts to ponder on what will happen after the Gator Bowl.  In fact, here is David's reaction on waiting to make a decision.

Q: People are saying, "Why is he waiting? This is ridiculous. Recruiting is a mess."

A: I don't think recruiting is a mess. I met with recruits last weekend. I'm going to meet with recruits (before the Big Chill). The coaches are actively recruiting. Coach Rodriguez and I are just fine. We spend a lot of time together. He has a very clear understanding, and has from Day One, as to what the plan is. What I want is for everyone to focus on the fact we still have a game to play. It's a real important game. Everybody whines for the last two years because we haven't gone to a bowl game. Well, now we're going to a bowl game. I sense that's important to people.

And it's an important game and we've got to go play it, and the focus should be on, "Leave the coaches alone and let them coach. Leave the players alone and let them prepare and let's go finish our season." And then once the season has finished, we'll go through the evaluation process, as I do with all the sports, as we should.


To create a lot of distractions and stir right now, while we're getting ready to play one of our biggest games, to me, makes no sense. And to me the only people who are stirring the pot are people who are trying to create controversy because controversies are fun to write about. They get people stirred up and people start to worry, and I understand all that. But I'm doing my job.

Some interesting "coaching" things happened this weekend that got me thinking about Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan situation:

• Florida hired Texas - coach in waiting Will Muschamp.  This seemed to be an inside job and that Florida might have only offered the job to Will.  Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino signed a new 7 year deal on Saturday on strong rumors that he was a candidate for the Florida job.  The Florida job might be the best job in the country right now, but with that comes high expectations and big shoes to fill.

• Miami, FL - Picked up Temple head coach Al Golden.  Temple went 8-4 this year but was not invited to a Bowl Game.  The thing that surprised me was that Al was rumored to be the next head coach at Penn State or even the open Pitt job. 

• Vanderbilt looks to be hiring Auburn's OC Gus Malzahn.

So here are my random thoughts on all those hiring and how they might relate to Michigan:

• What percentage of Michigan fans would have thought in August, if Michigan was playing in a January 1st bowl, RR's job would still be in question?  I'm guessing about 90% would of thought his job was safe.

• If Jim Harbough is such a hot "prospect/candidate" why wasn't his name linked to either the Florida or Miami jobs?  I suspect this means he is either a lock to come to Ann Arbor, he has his sights firmly on the NFL or maybe the guy just wants to stay at Stanford. 

• I wonder if Mitch Mustain current USC backup QB has any eligibility left to join his former high school head coach at Vandy? 

• Remember when Michigan was looking for a coach 3 years ago?  A couple of things we sort of knew was that:  Michigan wouldn't hire a head coach without head coaching experience - well that wasn't a factor for Florida and a coach in the MAC wasn't really qualified enough to coach the Wolverines.  Well that wasn't a factor for Miami either.  

Does Harbaugh's name not coming up in the Miami or Florida searches lend credibility to the rumor of him coming to Michigan?  It might a little.   These coaching searches are done through intermediaries and agents.  Do these guys know something we don't?  Most Michigan insiders believe, Michigan's head coach in January will either be Rodriguez or Harbaugh.  That there isn't a plan B.

Does Miami hiring a MAC coach give some credibility to Brady Hoke as a Plan B?  I doubt it.

Michigan Head Coaching Situation and 2011 Recruiting 

• Speaking of Bobby Petrino, on Saturday he pulled a scholarship offer from Dr. Phillips defensive back Roderick Ryles.  Roderick is a current teammate of Dee Hart and a Michigan recruit. 

• Saturday's visitors to Ann Arbor, Anthony Zettel, James Richardson, and Chris Bryant were all impressed by the Big Chill and will all wait to make a decision until January when the Michigan coaching situation is cleared up.   Michigan is looking good for all 3 prospects if they agree with the direction of the leader of the program in January.

• Avery Walls a 4 star DB will make his decision on Tuesday.  Avery was a strong Michigan lean all year but the coaching un-certainty and a recent trip to Oregon will probably make Avery choose the Ducks.

Wolverine Wednesday: Tries to Give Some Bowl Insight

Sunday (between 8:30 and 9:00 pm) the Wolverines will know where they are playing in late December or early January.   Most experts believe it's between the Gator or Insight Bowls.  My choice would be the Gator Bowl for a couple of reasons:

• The Insight Bowl starts at 10:00 PM EST
• In the Insight Michigan most likely would get a 10-2 team from the Big 12.  Most expect Missouri. 
• Most believe Michigan might face Florida in the Gator Bowl
• Michigan has many players from the State of Florida (including Denard)
• The Gator is drive-able (for me)

I actually just want a good match up.  That would be my #1 Bowl priority if I were David Brandon.


Cha Cha Changes...........................

• We all know about TCU moving to the Big East.  Now it seems UMass is in discussion with the MAC.

• Initial reports are that Jon Gruden might be named the University of Miami head coach as early as today.   If that is true, that is a great hire for them. 

• A San Diego State Donor has made a $5 Million dollar pledge to keep Brady Hoke and staff at SDS.  He is one of the leading candidates for the Indiana and Minnesota jobs.  The former Michigan Man should think twice about trading the weather, his league, a great recruiting state, and a raise for the Golden Gophers or the Hooisers. 

• The Michigan Basketball Team had a nice win over Clemson last night on the road in the ACC/Big Challenge.  Well done guys!

• Michigan verbal Dee Hart was named to the Army All American Bowl.  That is a great honor for him.  The timing of David Brandon's decision and the first day of class of January 5th along with the Army All American game on the 8th are some interesting dates for decision criteria. 

• AD David Brandon was on WTKA's "Michigan Insider" this morning.  Basically, continued with the company line.

Michigan Tuesday: Catches up on Recruiting

When the chips are down for the Michigan faithful there is always next year and a new recruiting class.  It's hard not to smile when you think of a backfield with Denard and Dee next year.  Right?

So let's get to some recruiting updates:

• The Dr. Phillips Crew is expected to visit for the Illinois game:  I usually prefer Florida guys visit in the summer or September/October.  When you get into November the weather gets a little iffy.  With that said, Orlando's Dr. Phillips crew is coming this weekend with includes:  Dee Hart, Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix, Linebacker Darryl Monore, Safety Roderick Ryles, Wide Receiver Chris Gallon, and 2012 QB Nick Patti.   I think Michigan will/would take all of them.  I also hear they have a kicker on that team.  (I'm not kidding they really do)

• Talk to me about Defense?  Michigan is in the race for two very high profile safeties from Florida.  First is Clinton-Dix mentioned above and next is Karlos Williams.  Both are verbally committed to other schools (Alabama and FSU) but both are considered "soft" because they visiting other schools.  Both could hit campus and start on Michigan's defense. 

• Sean Duggan a LB from Cincinnati is now committed to Boston College

• A name we haven't heard from in awhile is AZ OL Cyrus Hobbi who still may try to get back to Michigan for an official.  He visited Ann Arbor this summer.

• Sammy Watkins the top WR in Florida seems to be down to Clemson and Michigan as his top 2.  Sammy who has been to Michigan twice already still plans to make an official to Ann Arbor probably after the season.  Michigan leads for his teammate CB Dallas Crawford.

• Instate LB Desmond Morgan will most likely do another visit to Ann Arbor after the season.  Maybe for the Big Chill?

• You can consider Michigan verbals Greg Brown and Kevin Sousa as "soft" commits right now because they are taking visits to other schools.

• Instate WR recruit DeAnthony Arnett will skip his basketball season to play in the Army All American Bowl.  The Michigan coaches watched DeAnthony's game last week.

• Instate OL/DE Anthony Zettel season is over and has a final list of 5 schools which include: Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, Penn State University, the University of Iowa and the University of Southern California.

Wolverine Wednesday: Thinks Rabbit Tastes Like Chicken

• Ft. Myers teammates Sammy Watkins and Dallas Crawford have Michigan listed as their top school.  I think Michigan has a very good chance for both, but if I was a betting man I would put my chips on Dallas for sure.  Sammy is rated one of the top WR's in the country and will get a lot of pressure to stay in-state.

• Santonio Holmes, Fred Taylor, Anquan Boldin and Vincent Smith like to catch rabbits when they are back home in Pahokee, Florida.  "The first time, I caught, like, three rabbits," Smith said. "It's pretty difficult, running in the mud and having to catch them and keep your balance."  "Every time I get a chance to go home when it's rabbit season time, I got out in the fields and test my luck again," said Smith, a 5-foot-6, 180-pound back who has run a 4.4-second 40-yard dash. "We kill 'em, sell 'em and eat 'em. They taste like chicken."  I'm pretty sure Vincent isn't running a 4.4 after his ACL, but we have high hopes he can get back to that speed.

• It seems Michigan has offered a new Michigan LB named Desmond Morgan out of Holland.  He is 6'1, 225 pounds and ranked with 3 stars from Rivals. 

• TomVH from Mgoblog gives us an update on 2012 QB recruiting.  Nick Patti and Mauty Mauk are the top 2 targets IMO.

• Former Michigan verbal commit DeQuinta Jones got arrested on a "Pot" charge this morning while driving.   He is playing for Arkansas and 9th on the team in tackles.  If I had to guess he was probably headed to a Taco Bell. 

Wolverine Wednesday: Recruiting Blitz and Other News

Before we get to recruiting news, I have a couple sports related business topics for Wolverines and football fans. 

• More Jersey News:  Nike has bought the NFL contract away from Reebok/Adidas.  Which could mean layoffs in a plant in Indianapolis that produces replica jerseys for NFL teams and of course teams like the University of Michigan.  Maybe Adidas can open up the plant to Michigan fans so they can get a "special" jersey's when Michigan is in Indy next year for the Big Ten Championship game.

• If your interested and why wouldn't you be? :) I am again the guest on the Michigan Man Podcast this week, re-capping the MSU loss and previewing the Iowa game.  You can find the podcast here or download it on ITunes.  

• Fanvision: If you haven't heard, Fanvision is a new held device that you can watch the game, replays, or different camera angles from your seat at the game.  Michigan is the only NCAA team that has these devices available.  Over 12 NFL teams are piloting them this year.  The devices are from a company that Dolphins owner and Michigan grad Stephen Ross owns.   The cost is $200 for the device and $5 per game and this guy is a fan.   Part of their marketing plan was to send a bunch of these devices out for free to season ticket holders.  I wasn't one of the lucky ones.  Talking to some of the fans at the Big House, they like it for tailgating before, during, and after the games.

• Chris L. Rucker celebrated his team's win over the Wolverines on Saturday by going out getting drunk and then driving on Sunday morning.   He was of course arrested and will be suspended but the MSU coaches expect to have him back playing this year.  Chris was charged and is on probation for last years Dorm fight as well.  I guess this is strike 2 for Mr. Rucker.

Now on to the Blitz:

-TomVH gives us an update on recruiting visitors expected to attend the Iowa game:  
2011


DT Timmy Jernigan - 6'2", 275 lbs, 4 Star, Lake City, Florida

TE Drew Owens - 6'5", 225 lbs, 3 Star, Charlotte, North Carolina

DB Dallas Crawford - 5'10", 185 lbs, 3 Star, Fort Myers, Florida

WR Sammy Watkins - 6'1", 180 lbs, 4 Star, Fort Myers, Florida

WR Hakeem Flowers - 6'2", 175 lbs, 3 Star, Greenville, South Carolina

WR Quinta Funderburk - 6'5", 204 lbs, 3 Star, Chesapeake, Virginia

2012

DE Chris Wormley - 6'4", 255 lbs, Toledo, Ohio

RB Will Mahone - 5'11", 205 lbs, Austintown, Ohio (He confirmed he will be there)

DB Luc Haupt - 6'0", 180 lbs, Austintown, Ohio

DB Chris Davis - 5'10", 183 lbs, Austintown, Ohio

QB Demitrious Davis - 5'10", 183 lbs, Austintown, Ohio

-Avery Walls, a CB that Michigan fans are high on for the 2011 class has recently been to Oregon and CAL and he now tells TomVH this: "I'm going to go to Michigan State, South Carolina, Virginia, and U Conn. Once all my visits are done then I'll decide from there. I don't have a leader right now, because I haven't seen all the schools yet. I'm still evaluating different things about each school."  That doesn't sound like the best news for Wolverine fans.

-Dee Hart talks more about Michigan with ESPN:  "The Michigan fans are such friendly people, they make you feel comfortable and calm," Hart added. "They want you to enjoy the Michigan experience and take it all in. And the coaches are the same way. They wanted us to be around the team and experience everything first hand."

On RR: "I liked Michigan either way and if he were to leave it wouldn't affect me because I think I can play in any offensive system," Hart said. "So it really wasn't my concern.

"That being said I wanted to make sure everything came together. He's winning ball games right now and the future looks good, so it's coming together."

On Denard: "First of all he's a great person; he's the leading candidate for the Heisman," Hart said. "And he can throw first, he's not limited to just running. They have to check the other guys, like Martavious Odoms and Vincent Smith. The offense tries to get everyone in space, and with him and me in the same backfield it's going to be very fast. Speed kills."

Being sold on the Wolverines: "I was always sold on Michigan because I love what they offer from an educational standpoint," Hart said. "My field of study is going to be business management and I have a great opportunity to see first-hand how everything functions in that program.

"Just getting a four-year degree from a school like Michigan is going to help me have success over a long-term period. Long after football is finished."


As you can tell, Iowa is going to be a big visit game for the Wolverines.  The next big game is clearly Wisconsin, which could include Dee Hart and many of his Dr. Phillips teammates, Kris Frost, and 5 star DB Karlos Williams (who could do an un-official and might do his official after the season).  Karlos is currently committed to Florida State.

...Georgia

Living in Georgia now for a while has made me miss Florida with a passion. This state seems to be a little too backward or...not as culturally diverse as I would like. Now some people may love it here, and that is okay, but for me I can live without it. This brings me to 2 recent articles I read about the state.
The 1st is about Georgia's plan to reach out to gay and bisexuals to help educate them about HIV and HIV prevention. On the surface that sounds wonderful and like something that should be done. But after living here and seeing the way people operate I think that may be wasted money. Why? Well because although there is a high gay and bisexual population here, it is the bisexual and the infamous Down-low (DL) crowd that you have to educate, but cannot because they are not about to be spotted doing anything that may make them seem "gay". The spread of HIV cannot be controlled if some guy is sleeping with men and then running home to be with his girlfriend or wife. There are so many DL men in Georgia, it almost feels as if every male in Georgia could be on the DL if they are not out. Married or just dating that does not mean a thing. If we may look at the latest scandal involving Bishop Eddie Long...enough said about that. Will it help? Maybe, I guess you would have to try it out and see, but I am not holding my breath.
Topic #2, prescription drugs kill more in Georgia than illegal drugs. I found this one interesting. Apparently illegal drug deaths, due to overdose, were down from 2008-2009 while prescription drug deaths were up! It is so bad that Saturday the DEA held its 1st ever prescription drug take-back event. The type of drugs being abused most are pain killers and anti-anxiety drugs. Leading the pack would be: Alprazolam, or Xanax, an anti-anxiety drug, Methadone, Hydrocodone, and Oxycodone. To break it down furthermore:
Age 15 and under: 4 deaths

Age 15-24: 45 deaths

Age 25-34: 125 deaths

Age 35-44: 182 deaths

Age 45-54: 221 deaths

Age 64 and older: 13 deaths

-608 White

-60 Black

-2 Asian

-376 Males

-294 Females

Obviously this a major problem that will hopefully get solved. I could blame this on a lot of things but of course this will have to fall under the "Recession Umbrella".

I know that no state is perfect and every state has its own problems, but this state just seems to be a lot worse than what I am used to. Florida did have lots of problems yes, but I did not have a state income tax which helped me get over a lot of things. I am giving Georgia 2 Digits Down.

Wolverine Wednesday: Is There a Dr. Phillips in the House?

Today is Shoelace Birthday!  Denard turns 20 today.

We mentioned yesterday that Dee is supporting a number of his teammates on trips to places like Arkansas and Auburn.    Today, we list the pure number of Division 1 prospects currently on Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, Florida.  I have to tell you this is pretty impressive:

Dr. Phillips Senior Prospects with verbal commitments:

• DB Ha’Sean Clinton-Dix: Alabama
• RB Dee Hart:  Open
• OL Darius Johnson: Colorado State
• LB Darryl Monroe: Washington State
• LB/S LaQuentin Smith: Arkansas
• CB Jared Singletary: Arkansas
• CB Roderick Ryles: Arkansas
• DE Chris Curtis: Starting to get offers
• Kicker/Punter Sean Moffitt: Starting to get some interest
• WR Chris Gallon: Starting to get some interest with 4 TD's catches this year (cousin of current Wolverine Jeremy Gallon)

I know I mentioned that Auburn might be gaining ground on Dee because they are recruiting some of his teammates.  With the list above, it looks like Arkansas might be trying to recruit the entire team.   I'm guessing Dr. Phillips has a good shot at winning the state title this year.  That is a lot of talent for one high schools senior class.  As I'm sure your also aware, current Wolverine Ricardo Miller played for Dr. Phillips before transferring to Ann Arbor Pioneer for his senior year.

Concussions

As you know, concussions in football is something that concerns me.  So when I find new research about this topic, I want to share it with my readers.  The latest comes from a study from University of Illinois.  They study the longer term effects for young children that get concussions.  Here are some excerpts from a NYT article today:

Many of the concussions had occurred years earlier and at the time of the testing, none of the students felt lingering symptoms. Each was performing adequately in college. In the testing itself, the concussed students scored just as well as the uninjured athletes.

But when researchers looked at the electrical activity of the students’ brains, they found that the concussed athletes showed noticeably less activity in portions of the brain associated with attention. ‘‘They had suppressed attentional resources,’’ said Steven Broglio, a professor of kinesiology and community health at the University of Illinois. He and his colleagues speculated that, as a result, the injured athletes most likely were devoting a greater percentage of their total mental reserves to each task than the uninjured athletes in order to achieve similar intellectual results. The effort wasn’t obvious. ‘‘These were high-performing college students,” Dr. Broglio said. ‘‘They were succeeding in school.’’


Trouble:

• I'm sure we all know by now that Braylon got a DUI the other night.  I was worried when Braylon got traded to the Jets that NYC might fit him too well.  It's a city that never sleeps and it seems neither does Braylon.  I expect him to get suspended and he maybe in more trouble with the law from his fight in Cleveland.  Let's hope this is a wake up call for him. 

• Dion Sims a former Michigan recruit and current MSU football player has been charged with being part of a ring that stole a number of lap tops from the Detroit Public Schools.  I expect that Mr. Sims football days will be over if he is found guilty.

Recruiting

• 2011 RB DeVondrick Nealy will visit A2 on 10/8.  He is a 3 star prospect and has offers from Auburn, Arkansas, Michigan, and Minnesota.  

• 2012 prospect from Michigan James Ross, LB is going to be one of the top players in the state for the 2012 class.  James has always been a Michigan fan and attended the UConn game.  There are a number of big name programs that are recruiting him.  Names like Alabama, Penn State, and others.   Michigan will push pretty hard to get him to commit early to the Wolverines, since it's a big position of need.    Robert Bolden his former teammate is the starting QB for Penn State.

Michigan Monday: Early Week Recruiting Blitz

This was an interesting weekend for Wolverines fans.  Michigan sleep walks through a game against an FCS team, Wisconsin beats Steven Threet by a blocked extra point, Iowa goes down 14 points before they get off the plane in Arizona and can't catch up, former Wolverine Ryan Mallet beats Georgia in the last minute, MSU beats ND in overtime on a fake field goal and then their head coach goes down with a heart attack later that night/next morning. 

Instead of pointing out all the problems Michigan has on defense, I thought I would re-cap some of the news regarding Michigan's football recruiting. 

• Just when you thought it was safe to pencil in Dee Hart into Michigan's 2011 class, the electric tailback from Orlando visited Auburn this weekend and got to witness a crazy atmosphere in an OT win over Clemson.  Dee rated the visit a 9 out of 10 and the only way it would have been at 10 is if he committed.  He said he is done with visits and will make a decision soon.   BTW: Dee had a great day on the field this weekend as well:  Hart carried 18 times for 224 yards and scored on runs of 17, 7, and 88. He added a fourth TD on a 33-yard pass from junior quarterback Nick Patti, who threw for four scores."It was a great effort," Hart said. "We had a lot of minor distractions. We came together to win."  So now the big question is, Will Dee's love for Michigan overcome his weekend at Auburn?  A decision could be coming as soon as this week.

• TomVH from Mgoblog updates us two visitors this weekend, Chris Bryant and 2012 prospect Jordan Diamond from Chicago.  Chris:  "That visit was great, I liked everything a lot. I don't think I'm going to wait until signing day now, but I'm not ready yet to make my decision."  Chris would like to visit U of M a couple more times and plans on making a decision before signing day now.  Jordan: The game was cool, it was crazy. My mom and aunt both loved it too. The coaches told me that I will be getting an offer on August 1st, so that was great.  Jordan was told he would be offered my Michigan as soon as official offers go out for 2012 prospect in August of next year.

• Charles Jackson a highly rated CB from from Klein, Texas is considering taking a visit to Michigan.  Charles is 5'11, 180 lbs. and rated 4 stars from Rivals.

• No word yet on how Kris Frost visit to Auburn went.  Don't be surprised if he had a similar reaction to the Dee's. 

• Two Michigan coaches saw Anthony Zettel play this weekend.