Welcome back for the next installment of a spring update for Michigan football. The spring will conclude this upcoming Saturday (April the 14th) with a scrimmage/practice open to the public. The following is from the latest buzz.


DL- T. Taylor is being called an All-American. This doesn't surprise anyone who saw him play last year and knows his ability as an extremely strong run stuffer as well as an explosive gap hitter who collapses the pocket and gets to the QB quick. He doesn't have A. Branch's NFL size but he is a hell of a 6'1" DT. He is being compared to former UM DT William Carr. '08 recruit O. Hunter resembles his explosiveness and size (if not his strength) and is therefore well thought of. The rest of the DL continues to look like the strength of the defense with DT Johnson, DT McKinney, DE Jamison, DE/DT Graham, and DE/DT Patterson all getting significant props. Also, I have heard nothing but good things about DE Banks and DT Kates.


LB- There continues to be some concern at replacing MLB D. Harris. J. Thompson is undoubtedly the man and I don't actually worry about him. All reports are great about JT. A. Panter so far is a bust and nothing good has been said about C. Mixon. O. Ezeh (R-Fr) looks like the sure-fire #2 and a future starter. OLB Crable will at least be all-big 10. He has no back-up at this point (talk about recruiting need). Will LB will be manned by Sr. C. Graham. Mouton will be his backup. Solid but inconsistent describes this position this year.

CB- J. Sears has looked very good which is not surprising to UM fans in the know. He will go into the fall as a starter along with Trent (*Sigh*). We'll see what happens when Warren joins the team in the fall. C. Brown is 2/3 likely to be transfering and 1/3 likely to be on the team but back at RB. I've seen nothing that says his future is still at CB. B. Harrison is increasing the team's confidence in its nickel corner position. No news on Dutch.

S- J. Adams is the starting SS. S. Brown is the starting FS. B. Englemon is the #1 backup at both positions. FS (and True Frosh.) A. Chambers is the #3 FS and SS (Junior switch from slow but aggressive corner) C. Stewert is the #3 SS.

BTW- The photo is O. Ezeh.

Ohio State: Breaking Down the Offensive Line

Ohio State's offensive line returns three starters and should be a strength for an offense in search of an identity. Despite a solid regular season, the big guys up front were much maligned for their lack of quickness in the BCS National Championship game against Florida. The returning players took this justified criticism to heart, especially bookend tackles Alex Boone and Kirk Barton. Barton's return for his senior season was crucial given the Buckeyes lack of depth up front. Boone, a true junior and 5-star recruit, is frequently mentioned for his dedication and improvement this offseason. Joining Boone on the left side is mammoth junior guard Steve Rehring. The two form one of the biggest tackle-guard combinations in the country. Boone and Barton will be spelled by Jon Skinner and redshirt freshman Josh Kerr.

The center position was vacated by Rimington Award finalist Doug Datish. True sophomore Jim Cordle, a 4-star from the 2005 class, is the favorite to replace him. Junior Tyler Whaley is next in line for snaps, and redshirt freshman Conner Smith could see time here as well.

The battle for right guard will continue through the fall. Junior Ben Person, a 4-star from the 2004 class, has the edge during spring practice. The primary backup at guard is junior Kyle Mitchum, a former Rivals100 player from 2004. He's had a somewhat disappointing career thus far and is running out of opportunities to make an impact. Along with Smith, redshirt freshman Bryant Browning could see time at all three interior positions. Browning is a 3-star recruit from Glenville that had a strong bowl and spring practice.

The only incoming freshman is guard Evan Blankenship from Pennsylvania. Blankenship is a somewhat unheralded 3-star, barey cracking the Pennsylvania top 20 from last season. But he won camp awards at Ohio State the last two years, and has been described as a mauler in the trenches. After a year hitting the weights, he'll at least be a serviceable interior reserve.

With the noted lack of depth, offensive line is the most important piece of the 2008 recruiting class. As I've previously blogged about, OSU is already off and running with a commitment from tackle Mike Adams. Adams is the #1 player in the state and the first piece of "Block O" to verbally commit. "Block O" refers to a group of stud juniors that are mutually interested in becoming Buckeyes. In addition to Adams, that includes Mike Brewster (FL), Kyle Long (VA) and J.B. Shugarts (TX). The four have become fast friends, taking visits together and frequently chatting online.

The prospects of landing all four have Ohio State fans salivating, but let's add some level of reason to the discussion. Brewster seems the most likely to join Adams in Columbus. He was present for Adams commitment, and has been actively recruiting other prospects to become Buckeyes. Only Urban Meyer and Florida seem like they have a shot at changing his mind, though I would never count out Peter Carroll.

Long, who is from the Charlottesville area, has a brother playing at UVA. He's also a highly touted baseball player, so there are plenty of options. Long did attend the Florida game with Brewster on Howie's dime. The two were decked out in OSU gear for that abomination. The Buckeyes have as good a shot as anyone.

Shugarts is the toughest to read. He has a working top 6 of OSU, Michigan, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and USC. He raves about each visit he takes, so it's tough to gauge his true interest from interviews. Of the 4, Shugarts seems the most likely to head elsewhere. Whether or not that's Michigan is up for serious debate.

There are a number of other names to keep in mind throughout this season. Josh Jenkins, a highly rated guard from West Virginia, is also being aggressively pursued by Ohio State. He verballed to West Virginia early on, but it getting worked by offensive line coach Jim Bollman.

If any of the above players choose another school, there is a deep pool of linemen available in Ohio. In any other year, with more scholarship, many of these kids would already have offers. Elliott Mealer, Zebrie Sanders, Marc Stevens, and Jake Current could all be in line for an offer depending on camp performance and scholarship availability. Of the four, I like Mealer the best for his versatility and technique. Sanders has a great frame but is raw at this point; however, he does have an impressive offer list.

The Buckeyes will take at least four in the 2008 class, and that number could be as high as six.

Michigan 2008 Football Recruiting- Position Priority List

This list assumes that a CB spot is now off the board because of the oral commitment of Boubacar Cissoko and that an OT spot is now off the board because of the oral commitment of Dan O’ Neill. Since there will be approximately 23 scholarships from UM next year, eliminate 2 of these spots in order to account for those two. To do that, subtract HB as well as a fourth LB from the list.

1. Sam Linebacker (strong)
2. Strong Safety
3. Weakside Defensive End
4. Offensive Tackle

5. Offensive Guard
6. Offensive Guard

7. Sam Linebacker (strong)
8. Running Back
9. Wide Receiver
10. Quarterback
11. Tight End
12. Weakside Defensive End
13. Strong Safety
14. Free Safety
15. Wide Receiver
16. Offensive Guard
17. Will Linebacker (weak)
18. Mike Linebacker (middle)
19. Cornerback
20. Running back
21. Defensive Tackle
22. Tight End
23. H-Back