{mosimage}Breaking it all down for you.

When Rich Rodriguez was hired, the first concern on the minds of many Michigan fans was whether or not he'd be able to keep the Wolverines' recruits on board.

Many predicted mass defections because of the drastic change in styles. But what Rodriguez managed to do instead was keep pretty much all of the top recruits while bringing in a bunch more good players that also happen to be perfect fits for his speed-based, aggressive systems.

Here is a breakdown of what you need to know about his first class.

Star of the class:

Dann O'Neill. Boubacar Cissoko is the only 5-star according to Scout and looks like the next Antoine Winfield but O'Neill has been called a "franchise left tackle" or something similar by numerous sites and you can't discount how important that is. He has the mean streak that Jon Runyan had but is much more athletic and should be just as big by the time strength coach Mike Barwis gets done with him.

Biggest sleeper (3 stars or less):

Justin Feagin. Surprisingly a 2-star on scout.com and a 3-star most other places, the 6'1, 195-pound athlete/QB managed to finish 3rd in the voting for Florida's top player despite playing in the lower levels. His arm is a bit weak for a Michigan QB especially but this is a new era, and Feagin can run for days.

His 4.6 40-time is a bit deceiving because he is a tough, quick runner with vision like a running back who should eventually be able to run Rodriguez's offense if that Terrelle Pryor fellow doesn't come.

VIDEO

{youtube}ynMAeQAXQWI{/youtube}

Biggest immediate impact:

Cissoko. Brandon Smith would be next in line but playing safety as a freshman is pretty tough with all the responsibilities they have. Cissoko is very polished and can come in as the nickel back and his toughness and speed will allow him to create some havoc on blitzes in Scott Schafer's aggressive new defensive scheme.

Position change likely:

Toledo tight end Kevin Koger. He's a massive tight end with great size and athletic ability but Michigan is heavy on tight ends in an offense that doesn't use them a lot and short on defensive ends. He seems a bit more interested in playing on offense but will likely be convinced to switch for the good of the team.

Biggest steal:

Apologies to Wilford Brimley, errr Joe Tiller, but the modern era of college football is here and players change their minds all the time. Other schools were attempting to poach Sam McGuffie and other commits from Michigan for weeks. Roy Roundtree was a great pickup at wide receiver but stealing Ricky Barnum from Florida was even bigger. He is an athletic guard/center type who fits well in the spread offense and his commitment was a surprise to many on signing day.

Breakout star:

Terrance Robinson the slot wide receiver from Texas. Some people think he's a mini-Percy Harvin but he was a bit underrated due to an injury his junior year. His 4.33 (alleged of course) speed and amazing moves will allow him to make big plays in the new offense.

McGuffie Watch 2008:

The once-overhyped prospect has kind of taken a backseat with all the hoopla around UM's other recruits. But he'll see the field plenty in 2008 starting as a kick returner. I predict he will catch about 20 balls and run for about 500 yards including some big plays. He'll play the Noel Devine role for Rodriguez this year while getting acclimated.

De-commits:

Losing QB John Weinke to Iowa didn't hurt because he's a pocket passer. What's funny is that he was the Hawkeyes' #1 recruit on some sites.

Christian Wilson's de-commitment to North Carolina also didn't matter much because he was dead-set on playing fullback (actually more of an H-back which fits better in a pro-style offense) and Michigan has Vince Helmuth there already anyway.

Overall:

Even without Pryor, this class was just about as good as Michigan fans could have hoped for. The amount of speed Rodriguez added in a short time is staggering. The loss of Detroit DE Nick Perry to USC on signing day hurt immensely because UM is short at that position and he was destined to be a star, but UM has experience there now and can recruit more next year.

If Rodriguez can continue the momentum for next year's class UM could be in the top 5 yet again. This class was rated #5 on scout.com, the site that I trust the most.

Texas QB Russell Shephard, the top duel-threat QB in the country, already has UM number one on his early list. The madness for 2009 has already begun.

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (Registered users only)

I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.

Add Comment