raddy

Wed, Dec 23, 2009 : 9:39 a.m.

Petlist, quoted: " NWU is going to the Outback Bowl for God's sake. They lost to Syracuse. How good can the Big 10 be? The Big10 is very mediocre at best and I will be shocked if they win more than 3 bowl games" First, the NWU going to a bowl game is a moronic analogy. If thats the case then in 2007 when UM lost to div 1 app. state they shouldnt have been allowed to play in the Citrus Bowl where they put a spankin' on the team that won the National Championship the year before AND the year after Michigan beat them? That just plain rediculous. Second, I dont know where you went to school but reading comprehension was obviously not emphasized. I never made a SINGLE contention that the Big Ten was a good conference. I simply stated that the players RR is bringing in and his system wont work in the big ten due to the physicality of the league from top to bottom. I do however respect YOUR opinion though as just that, your opinion. I would never request that you dont provide it so thanks any who.

Sean T.

Wed, Dec 23, 2009 : 7:05 a.m.

According to rivals.com RR's first class (2008) had 19 4stars and his second year in a smaller class he had 15 4stars plus 5 star Will Campbell. So as far as stars are concerned he can recruit very well but what about the development of players? We will see after 2010. Never forget to assume there's about 2 bad kids in every bunch!

peltist

Wed, Dec 23, 2009 : 6:34 a.m.

I am all for well thought out crticisms, but spare us the posts that say the big 10 is rough and tumble and you have to be big to win. NWU is going to the Outback Bowl for God's sake. They lost to Syracuse. How good can the Big 10 be? The Big10 is very mediocre at best and I will be shocked if they win more than 3 bowl games.

MichMich

Wed, Dec 23, 2009 : 4:37 a.m.

My thoughts: a 4.36 40 @ 200lbs is pretty damn amazing. It's really fast and likely no one in the Big Ten will be able to blow by him. Any TDs on his kid will come because of missed tackles, not an inability to catch up to the ball. Size again is a concern but he'll be in a hybid position or OLB. Again, if he can tackle he'll do very well with that God given speed. As far as the NCAA investigation is concerned, it really shouldn't affect recruiting from here on out. At the absolute worst case scenario, last season gets vacated and RR gets canned. Both scenarios are unlikely. But even if, a recruit will come to Michigan (as with any top school) if they have a shot at playing right away. The larger issue at Michigan right now though is the way RR yells at some of our players. He yells in an unproductive and (from what I see on TV) in a demeaning and belittling manner. Let's hope next season sees improvement and a shot at the Big Ten title. Go Blue!

Sean T.

Wed, Dec 23, 2009 : 1:37 a.m.

What is so sad is when someone disagrees with anything RR does they're "Not real UofM Fans". It seems to me that most of the Kool-aid drinkers are in love with the SEC or the state of Florida. True, weakside LB's are normally smaller but we don't technically have a weakside LB because we use a 4-2-5! The Hybrid position is what this kid will most likely play in AA. And honestly he is a true "3STAR" because he's undersized for his position. His issue may be that he doesn't read coverage well enough to play DB but he's a good tackler which is good enough for me! RR is obviously trying to install his 3-3-5 scheme he had in WV. And Folks that's the main reason for our defensive woes because GR is a true 4-3 coach who's forced to use 3-3-5 schematics.

Engineer

Wed, Dec 23, 2009 : 12:20 a.m.

All I want for Christmas is a staff that understands and respects Michigan's traditions and maintains our streaks and winning percentages. Oh forget the streaks they are already gone and we only have negative ones now. Go Blue!

raddy

Tue, Dec 22, 2009 : 11:15 p.m.

go blue1973, "Raddy, The most important thing here is that we get the right kind of football player for this system - not how many STARS some recruiting site has him rated at. RR's WVU teams were top rated teams in the nation - loaded with talent that he developed out of 2 and a couple 3 stars. It's not easy to pull 5 and 4 stars even when your at Michigan when your not winning. Give the guy some time to try and turn this thing around. Judging by the fact we just won 5 games and were close in a couple others with as many underclassmen as we had on the field... Id say we're heading in the right direction" Read my first post. IT WONT WORK IN THE BIG TEN....Those "top rated team" would have had 3-4 losses playing an entire season in the Big Ten. It works great playing in a conference like the big east playing those patsies game in and game out. Sure every year a big east team or two will make some noise but would be barely above average playing a Big Ten shedule year in and year out. I think another perfect example is the Big 12. Nebraska played for the conference championship but would have been a below.500 team in the Big Ten. Its pretty simple, the system he brought from WV wont work in the Big Ten. It doesnt work in a league that plays a tough physical brutal style from top to bottom. Those "speed" guys also come with another trait, they weigh less and they cant take the constant physical play of the Big Ten. Its the same in the SEC. Look who the best coaches in the SEC are. Les Miles and Nick Saban. They both have something in common, can you guess what it is? They brought the physicality of Big Ten play and mixed in some of the speed the southern players are known for and I think its working just a little bit. They were smart enough to not try and fit a square peg into a round hole.....Rich Rod. Are the smarter or just not quite as eqotistical?

a.j. brott

Tue, Dec 22, 2009 : 10:51 p.m.

Anyone ever heard of Patrick Willis? Had a pretty good career at Ole Miss to say the least and is now killing it in the N.F.L. Ht: 6-2 Wt: 215 40: 4.6 coming out of highschool. Rated a 2 star prospect. Let's see what Furman can do at Michigan before we rule him out is what I say.

DwightSchrute

Tue, Dec 22, 2009 : 10:15 p.m.

You guys fail to realize this kid will put on 30 or 35 pounds and could be used more as a rover back than a true LB.

GOBLUE1973

Tue, Dec 22, 2009 : 8:38 p.m.

Raddy, The most important thing here is that we get the right kind of football player for this system - not how many STARS some recruiting site has him rated at. RR's WVU teams were top rated teams in the nation - loaded with talent that he developed out of 2 and a couple 3 stars. It's not easy to pull 5 and 4 stars even when your at Michigan when your not winning. Give the guy some time to try and turn this thing around. Judging by the fact we just won 5 games and were close in a couple others with as many underclassmen as we had on the field... Id say we're heading in the right direction

Chango

Tue, Dec 22, 2009 : 2:49 p.m.

The Detroit News article (thanks, Tony) has him listed at 200 lbs, so he's already gained 6 pounds since we started talking about him.

tulsatom

Tue, Dec 22, 2009 : 1:44 p.m.

The Detroit News article (thanks, Tony) has him listed at 200 lbs, so he's already gained 6 pounds since we started talking about him. He's a talented player, that's for sure. Let's hope his knee injury was just a slight one.

miatamich

Tue, Dec 22, 2009 : 1:19 p.m.

It seems unlikely that he ran a 4.36 40, but he must be fast. If he can add a few pounds, maybe he will be a real find.

tzgoblue

Tue, Dec 22, 2009 : 1:07 p.m.

Blue Marker Your are correct. This kid was recruited by several outstanding football programs. I believe Va Tech can be considered a top notch program, they wanted this kid in the worse way. Some of these idiots that continue to post negative BS are simply wanna be Wolverine fans that don't have a clue. All of the recruiting people out there are giving this class very good marks. I think it is fun to read the crap some of these pretend wolverines come up with. They bleed sparty green, it is obvious by there ignorant and stupid comments

tzgoblue

Tue, Dec 22, 2009 : 1 p.m.

chosen1 Read Sam Webb's article in the Detroit News. This kid is going to be a stud. He put up some great numbers against one of the top public schools in the state.

InRichRodWeTrust

Tue, Dec 22, 2009 : 12:40 p.m.

Looks like there going to have a pretty good class. Michigan videos http://www.youtube.com/user/InRichRodWeTrust

Blue Marker

Tue, Dec 22, 2009 : 12:23 p.m.

raddy....OU offered this kid. Pitt (BCS bowl) offered too. He's a solid 4* by Scout and Rival. What do you want?

MiamiBlue

Tue, Dec 22, 2009 : 11:55 a.m.

TrueBlueFan is absolutely correct! Average size of outside Linebacker's are 6'2 and 225 lbs. He will readshirt and with conditioning, and just age will bulk up another 30 lbs in no time. It was a good pickup! Let's GO BLUE

truebluefan

Tue, Dec 22, 2009 : 11:33 a.m.

It's obvious that all the people complaining about Furman's lack of size are misinformed. Furman projects as an outside linebacker, not an inside linebacker. Big difference. OLB's are inherently smaller and faster than ILB's (Ezeh, Mouton). When you think of Furman, think Ian Gold, Shawn Crable or Stevie Brown (of 2009). Furman is fast, strong and athletic. Yes, he needs to put on about 30 pounds but that's nothing out of the ordinary. He'll redshirt, bulk up a little and maybe play a little in year two.

tulsatom

Tue, Dec 22, 2009 : 11:11 a.m.

Hopefully, his left knee injury is not serious enough to cause any problems. If Barwis gets his way, he'll have him add about 20-30 lbs of muscle over the next year or two. Otherwise, he might have to play DB or the hybrid lb/db position that Stevie Brown played last year. I'm just glad RR is finally recruiting defensive players instead of the smurf-like slot receivers he tends to favor.

tcmaizefan

Tue, Dec 22, 2009 : 10:59 a.m.

Think Ian Gold! Great speed. This is the kind of speed at linebacker some of the southern schools have. Great get for RR, the coaches, and Michigan!!!

Papabear151

Tue, Dec 22, 2009 : 9:41 a.m.

chosen1 terelle pryor was going to be the savior of this program before he committed to OSU, nobody doubted anything on here about him until he DIDN'T pick UofM. Now don't get me wrong, I don't support the things going on, but I don't follow speculations, I follow facts. This kid could be a diamond in the rough, but the fact is that he is small, and so are the other kids RR is putting on D. Last year that small size killed us, we need bigger players, I'm not sure how RR can't see that.

chosen1

Tue, Dec 22, 2009 : 9:33 a.m.

tz....Im not an expert and never claimed to be. But when examining his game tape do they take into account that he is playing in the lowest class in Maryland football? That is the reason for my skepticism. Maybe he's a diamond in the rough, but maybe those numbers on the forty are a little fishy like we all thought Terrelle Pryors were.

Yogi

Tue, Dec 22, 2009 : 9:12 a.m.

I'm with umblue1 this class including Josh Furman (this kid is good!!!) looks pretty darn good. If Boubacar can get his problems worked out the Big Blue defense will not only be very fast but it will also be very good!

NoBowl4Blue

Tue, Dec 22, 2009 : 8:59 a.m.

Tater most likely thinks this latest addition will the Blue win 9 games this coming year. You all need a new coach.

Fresh121

Tue, Dec 22, 2009 : 8:10 a.m.

This kid adds 10 15 pounds im sure it isent to hard you people that blog anti michigan all over a2 know how easy it is to gain weight fast. Cullen ash josh atleast RR trying to get better on the D side of the ball but u fake UM fans just come to bash not be real fans. Gl Josh welcome to the faimly.

Chango

Tue, Dec 22, 2009 : 7:53 a.m.

If you take the glass is half full approach with where Michigan's try to go with these recruits then to me its very I rereading and fun to watch. Yes the past two years is horrid recordwise although the coach is an experienced coach and is building the team different from years past. He does have one full class under his belt and a few red shirters that must be on the field this year. I'm hoping the coaches experience will pay dividends and am looking for Michigan to step it up this year. A couple of 300lb walls on the defensive side will help the speedsters on the D LOL. I say the glass is half full and am hoping it fills up. Go Blue!

Blue Marker

Tue, Dec 22, 2009 : 7:50 a.m.

Ian Gold showed up about the same size (same weight, not as tall) after playing running back in high school. His switch to LB worked out pretty well. Welcome Josh!

tzgoblue

Tue, Dec 22, 2009 : 7:48 a.m.

to all of you "experts" apparently the kid has ability based on the "real" experts that evaluate these high school players as part of their jobs. Va Tech wanted this kid very badly. I believe he will develop into a good player in GR defensive scheme.

chosen1

Tue, Dec 22, 2009 : 6:25 a.m.

so where exactly is your proof that he will be a "great" linebacker. He is coming off a knee injury though they didn't elaborate on if its a sprain or strained meniscus or ligament. My point is noone on here is a recruiting guru, so noone can definitively state one of these guys is going to be great or be a bust until we see them in college action.

umblue1

Tue, Dec 22, 2009 : 5:05 a.m.

If the people complaining about RR are sincere, this is a good sign. It means that only the stupid people have a problem with The Michigan Football Program under RR and everything is going great.

umblue1

Tue, Dec 22, 2009 : 4:59 a.m.

You have to wonder about peple who come on here and complain all the time. For example... XTR, REDCEDER, TXteacher. Are they this stupid or do they really hate MIchigan and pose as fans? I personally dont think anybody can be so stupid as to believe the comments they make. I think they only pretend to be Michigan fans.

umblue1

Tue, Dec 22, 2009 : 4:47 a.m.

Do you idiots think he is going to start right away? Eventually he will put on wieght and he will be a great linebacker. This is just another opprtunity for commenters here to complain about things you apparently dont understand. Another great recruit for RR.

umblue1

Tue, Dec 22, 2009 : 4:45 a.m.

Do you idiots think he is going to start right away? Eventually he will put on wieght and he will be a great linebacker. This is just another opprtunity to complain about things you apparently dont understand. Another great recruit for RR.

XTR

Tue, Dec 22, 2009 : 4:30 a.m.

6'2" 194 lbs? at Linebacker??? Are you kidding? This kid will be pushed around in the big ten!!! Rich Rod is destroying UM tradition as years go by, the players are becoming smaller and smaller as years go by.

BlueInBama

Tue, Dec 22, 2009 : 1:55 a.m.

Good grief, this kid isn't a linebacker. He'll be thrown around like a rag doll.

Sean T.

Mon, Dec 21, 2009 : 10:53 p.m.

Great speed for a linebacker but chances are he'll never get over 215 lbs. That would physically classify him as a DB! Maybe he makes a difference somewhere else on the field or hits a good growth spurt.

TXteacher

Mon, Dec 21, 2009 : 10:51 p.m.

6'2" 194 lbs. LINEBACKER? Smells like an RR recruit, runs like an RR recruit, gets blown away like an RR recruit!

Salinegoblue

Mon, Dec 21, 2009 : 10:50 p.m.

I will feel more confident with the recruits when the NCAA investigation has been released and the penalties known. I'm sure RR and the staff are telling the recruits it's no big deal and we'll be ok, I just hope the NCAA reports says the same thing. If we get penalized who knows what impact it will have on our recruits and the number of recruits we can take.