The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/122487
football recruiting sions. Rockford, Mich., three-star Ben Braden and Cincinnati three-star Caleb Stacey picked U-M in a two-day span in March, though Stacey would ultimately decommit, sign with Cincinnati and then leave the game of football before ever playing for the Bearcats. Four-stars Erik Magnuson and Blake Bars — from Carlsbad, Calif., and Nashville, Tenn., respectively — had joined the fold by mid-June, and the coup-de-grace was swaying five-star guard Kyle Kalis from Ohio State on July 10, 2011. The defensive line was in similarly dire straits for the 2012 class, and once again the staff worked quickly. Three-star defensive end Mario Ojemudia committed in early May along with three-star end Matt Godin, both from the Detroit area. The Wolverines then added Mentor, Ohio, fourstar Tom Strobel; Toledo, Ohio, threestar Chris Wormley; and Kansas City, Mo., five-star Ondre Pipkins in June, July and August, respectively. Linebacker was not quite as big a need as the other two positions, but once again filled quickly. The Wolverines locked up four backers — all four-stars except Dayton, Ohio, three-star Kaleb Ringer — by the start of May. That proficiency is even more impressive in hindsight, given that James Ross and Joe Bolden both played big roles as true freshmen. The 2013 class filled up even more quickly than did 2012, and once again the offensive line was the biggest need. Four-stars Kyle Bosch, Chris Fox and David Dawson committed on Feb. 18, 2012, and were joined the next day by Logan TuleyTillman. Patrick Kugler signed on a week later. The coaching staff then closed the door on offensive line recruiting, but later re-evaluated and added three-star Dan Samuelson in January 2013. Other positional needs were met quickly, with tight end filled Feb. 19, when Columbus, Ohio, four-star Jake Butt opted to join Detroit three-star Khalid Hill. The Wolverines had also filled their need at linebacker — just two this time around — prior to the spring game. With depth issues now ameliorated at nearly every position, thanks to the 2012 and 2013 classes, the Michigan coaching staff doesn't need to hurry to fill things up. The only true need — quarterback — is already filled by Richmond, Va., three-star Wilton Speight, and two positions of need (offensive and defensive lines) have one commit — out of three to four each — already in the fold. Last year, Tuley-Tillman committed earlier than he had planned, solely because he knew that he would ultimately choose Michigan, and with three of five offensive line spots spoken for in one fell swoop, he didn't want to miss out on his opportunity to wear the winged helmet. While the Michigan coaching staff wasn't exerting any pressure on prospects to commit, the situation led to TuleyTillman feeling the heat, to a certain degree. That hasn't happened yet in 2014 (though it still could: see sidebar), so there hasn't been a rush of commit-