The Wolverine

MICHIGAN RECRUITING MISCELLANEOUS NOTES • Shane Morris' mononucleosis could keep him out of the rest of his senior season, but he's not the only Michigan commit who has missed time. Avon (Ohio) cor- nerback Ross Douglas sat out his first two games, Novi (Mich.) Detroit Catholic Cen- tral running back/athlete Wyatt Shallman has missed time due to a recurring groin injury, and a shoulder injury kept Warren (Ohio) Howland running back Deveon Smith out of one game already this fall. Although he hasn't missed any playing time because of it, Detroit East Village Prep tight end Khalid Hill has been bothered by a shoulder injury. That has prevented him from being the pass-catching threat he's known for, and he moved temporarily to the offensive line to continue helping the team while injured. • Players committed to Michigan are ex- pected to perform well as seniors in high school, and several future Wolverines are doing just that. Matthews (N.C.) Butler cornerback Chan- ning Stribling — one of Michigan's lowest- ranked prospects as just a two-star accord- ing to Rivals.com — has far outplayed his ranking. The 6-2, 170-pounder started his year with four interceptions in the first four games, including a contest in which he held Charlotte (N.C.) Mallard Creek wideout Marquez North — the No. 2-rated re- ceiver in the country — without a catch. Alliance (Ohio) Marlington safety Dy- monte Thomas has been putting up big numbers on the other side of the ball. In a 34-24 victory over Louisville (Ohio), Thomas notched 309 rushing yards on just 16 carries (19.3 yards per carry). • Michigan's recruiting seems to be cen- tered around a main trio of Derrick Green, Laquon Treadwell and Leon McQuay III at this point, but it's also possible that other players enter the mix — especially if those three opt to play their college ball else- where. Westland (Mich.) John Glenn wide receiver Da'Mario Jones is committed to Central Michigan, but unofficially visited Ann Arbor for the UMass game. He is a prospect to watch if U-M strikes out with Treadwell. • Although Michigan long held the na- tional No. 1 spot in the Rivals.com team rankings for 2013, the Wolverines have been passed by USC and might not have the chance to surge back ahead of the Trojans. USC has 3,067 points in the rank- ings, while Michigan has o2,542. Even if Michigan were to land the top two prospects left on its board (Green and fellow five-star McQuay, the No. 18 overall prospect and No. 2 safety nationally), it Rank School 1. USC 2. Michigan 3. LSU would net only 117 for Green's pledge and 112 for McQuay's. That still leaves them 296 points short of USC. At this point, Michigan's only realistic chance to catch the Trojans is attrition from the USC class, or re-rankings of prospects that will im- prove Michigan's numbers and/or reduce Southern Cal's. • Although the 2013 class isn't signed, sealed and delivered quite yet, most of Michigan's recruiting in that group is com- plete. The Wolverines have 23 commit- ments, and are expected to sign 25 preps. With only two openings to focus on, the coaching staff has been able to get a jump on the 2014 class. St. Clairsville (Ohio) linebacker Michael U-M commit Channing Stribling, a corner at Mathews (N.C.) Butler, has outperformed his Rivals.com two-star ranking, picking off four passes in his first four games. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM staff to start pushing harder for the class of 2014 during and after the 2012 season. 2013 Rivals.com Team Rankings (As of Sept. 25) Total Five-Star Four-Star Three-Star Avg. Stars Points 10. Texas A&M 11. Florida State 12. Texas 4. Notre Dame 5. Florida 6. Alabama 7. Ohio State 8. Georgia 9. Auburn 23. Mississippi 24. UCLA 25. Illinois 20. Tennessee 21. Baylor 22. Arizona 16. North Carolina 17. Washington 18. Virginia Tech 19. Virginia 14. South Carolina 15. Vanderbilt 13. Clemson 18 23 22 21 19 19 17 28 17 28 18 14 17 20 21 19 18 17 18 17 19 25 18 13 18 5 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 3 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 14 14 11 11 11 12 10 6 9 8 9 7 6 3 5 5 4 2 6 1 2 2 6 2 12 14 18 13 13 12 15 10 14 14 14 7 18 10 4 8 18 8 0 6 8 9 7 7 4 4.28 3.61 3.64 3.62 3.68 3.68 3.65 3.36 3.71 3.29 3.44 3.79 3.47 3.30 3.14 3.21 3.28 3.35 3.22 3.29 2.84 2.72 3.00 3.46 2.94 3,067 2,542 2,495 2,475 2,390 2,369 2,198 2,176 2,146 2,079 2,053 1,921 1,880 1,803 1,723 1,643 1,635 1,620 1,595 1,488 1,389 1,350 1,338 1,310 1,278 OCTOBER 2012 THE WOLVERINE 67 Ferns is a good start to the group. The 6-3, 235-pounder is an aggressive and athletic linebacker who perfectly fits the Michigan mold. He stands a good chance to be at or near the top of the initial Rivals.com rankings both at that position and in the state of Ohio. The bigger question becomes who might be next. Although Michigan has cast a wide net — with more than 40 of- fers issued — that hasn't resulted in any commitments yet. Look for the coaching

• Cover