The goal: to put together a team of Big Ten players that seems like a better team than your competitors. Incidentally we'll learn a surprising amount about the league and where Michigan might fit in.

PREVIOUSLY ON DRAFTAGEDDON

1. Everyone not grabbing dual-threat senior QBs grabs defensive linemen
2. Seth takes Venric Mark in front of just about everyone
3. Nothing terribly remarkable happens
4. BISB takes all the guys I want

WHERE WE'RE AT PRESENTLY

ROUND 9 – Pick 1: Theiren Cockran, DE, Minnesota

looks hurty

O: QB Braxton Miller (OSU), RB Melvin Gordon (UW), WR Stefon Diggs (MD), OT Rob Havenstein(WI)

D: DE Frank Clark(MI), DE Theiren Cockran (MN), DT Darius Hamilton(RU), DT Carl Davis(IA), CB Trae Waynes (MSU)

BRIAN: I'll complete my DL with Cockran, who is another one of those Minnesota linemen that enter school as a 6'6" basketball player and take some time to pack on the weight. In Cockran's case he arrived at 210 pounds(!) and needed about a year and a half to get up to anything resembling plausible. When he did that, he popped into a starting job and immediately produced. Cockran matched the sack numbers of Bosa, Calhoun, and Spence without getting any of them by running over Fitz Toussaint.  He made second-team All Big Ten as a result.

Cockran did that at 245 and with plenty more space on his 6'6" frame he should add another 20 or so pounds this year to become more of an all-around force. A still-raw true sophomore, he's about to Hageman your asses.

Also, while you guys were falling all over yourselves to pick piles of near-identical DEs I picked up the league's best QB, RB, CB, WR, and run-blocking tackle. Meanwhile I only got a first round DT, two second-team All Big Ten performers from a year ago, and a five star recruit with double digit TFLs as a true sophomore. Whatever shall we do?

ROUND 9 - PICK 2: Darius Kilgo, NT, Maryland

more like Darius KILLGO

O: RB Ameer Abdullah (NE), WR Devin Funchess (U-M), TE Maxx Williams (MN), LT Brandon Scherff (IA)

D: DE Shilique Calhoun (MSU), DE/DT Andre Monroe (MD), NT Darius Kilgo (MD), LB Chi Chi Ariguzo (NW), CB Desmond King (IA)

ST: KR/PR Ameer Adbullah (NE)

ACE: You never should've assigned me both FFFF duties and the HTTV opponent previews, Brian. The student is becoming the master.

/sees Hamilton pick

Aw, hamburgers.

Regardless, you haven't snarked at one of my picks since Round 4, which has to be some sort of record. I've got legitimate arguments for best RB, WR, and TE, I definitely have the best OT, and on defense I can lay claim to best all-around WLB and 3-tech/SDE/whatever I decide to do with Monroe. Also, beg to differ on the whole "best run-blocking tackle in the B1G" thing:

Yes, I made that GIF just to prove a point. What of it?

Anyway, it looks like we're poised for a run on defensive tackles, so I'll make my move here and once again grab an overlooked Maryland lineman. I probably shouldn't have to tell you anything other than "is a 310-pound redshirt senior named DARIUS KILGO" but I'll do so anyway.

While Brian drafted Carl Davis way back in the second round, Kilgo isn't toofar off from Davis on 2015 NFL Draft rankings—or, in this case, ranked above him—especially when you separate the nose tackles from the three-techs. I discussed Maryland's strong defensive line when nabbing Andre Monroe; Bill Connelly is a fan, and the first name out of his mouth after Monroe's when discussing the Terp front seven was Kilgo's:

Darius Kilgo proved an agile, interesting force at nose tackle.

Kilgo's ascension to starting nose tackle in 2012 coincided with Maryland's rush defense shaving over a full yard per carry off their opponent average, from 4.7 down to 3.5. He tallied five TFLs and two sacks that season, and followed it up with 6.5 TFLs and another pair of sacks in 2013. For a 3-4 nose facing consistent double-teams, those are impressive numbers; he holds up against multiple blockers and still finds a way to occasionally knife into the backfield.

As for that "interesting, agile force" bit... yeah. Great jump, violent hands, scary closing speed on the QB ... I'm impressed, and again, that's my nose tackle. This defensive line is going to bring the noise and the funk. Also the pain. Definitely the pain.

So, uh, should we start worrying about the Maryland game yet? Because I'm definitely doing that.

[AFTER THE JUMP: really, just far far too much discussion about a single Rutgers OL.]

ROUND 9 - PICK 3: Shane Wynn, WR, Indiana

keep away from my Lucky Charms

O: QB Devin Gardner (UM), WR Kenny Bell (Neb), WR Shane Wynn (IU), OT Donovan Smith (PSU),

D: DE Joey Bosa (OSU), DE Noah Spence (OSU), LB Jake Ryan (UM), CB Sojourn Shelton (Wisky), S Kurtis Drummond (MSU),

BISB: So, I consulted with my franchise quarterback, and I asked him what he needed. He told me he'd had success in the past with 5'7" safety blankets. So I'm all, "okay, done." Wynn doesn't play all that much like Jeremy Gallon (Wynn is more like Norfleet BUT FAST), but they share a lot of the same characteristics; they both run excellent routes and find ways to beat man coverage, can play the ball well despite the lollipop guild membership, and provide a serious threat over the top. As Seth recently pointed out, Wynn averaged 9.7 yards per target last year. He caught 46 passes for 633 yards despite sharing targets with Cody Latimer and Kofi Hughes. A giant season beckons.

Oh, and my best linebacker in the conference, best safety in the conference, and best 5-tech in the conference all say hi. I guess this is the result of having 24 positions (including punter & kicker) on the field and having 4 people choose between them. If you don't end up with a couple of "bests," you're probably doing it wrong.

SETH: DAMMIT! I surrender my #9 pick to Charlotte. We're drafting basketball players now right Brian?

I guess I'll fill in my offensive line while all the best interior OL are available.

ROUND 9 - PICK 4: Brandon Vitabile, C, Northwestern
ROUND 10 - PICK 1: Jack Allen, C/G, Michigan State

apparently we get two balls in our fake league

SETH: YES NORTHWESTERN #ITSNOT2013ANYMORE REMEMBER?

i've decided you guys know nothing of offensive lines other than that ours isn't good and what it says in all the 2014 Preseason All-Big Ten tabs you have open. Por ejemplo, if you throw a dart at the internet you're more likely to hit an article with "sleeper pick" Donovan Smith in it than to come across the "Y U NO" meme:

[ed-S: Just so you know, I caught the error and amended before they did but they're jerks.]

As Michigan fans you also probably realize that good tackles don't mean much without good interior linemen. So I'm going to slide in and take the last two usual suspects from your precious lists. Vitabile has been Northwestern's starter FOREVER, starting every game since the day he shoved three-year starter Ben Burkett out of a job in 2011 spring practices. He's on every NFL draft list and entered last year Phil Steele's and others' top center in the conference.

So what happened? Like Taylor Lewan he couldn't be an offensive line all by himself. I checked the UFR because Michigan's DTs had their best day of the season, and confirmed there were a LOT of plays where Vitabile released, picked off a linebacker, then turned around to see Washington or Henry supping on his backfield. One sympathizes.

As for Jack Allen, I'm not above taking another center and moving him back to guard, where he spent half of his freshman All-American season in 2012 (a season he played with a torn labrum in his shoulder by the way).

State's offense was indeed pathetic in early 2013; notably Allen was sidelined for the first two games for a leg injury. As that healed, State discovered it had a running game. As they progressed, Connor Cook got the credit, but I watched every MSU game and swear it was on the back of Allen, who kept Cook's pocket clear for epic time and was usually the guy making the holes that Langford picked through. He's best known on the internet for eye-gouging an Ohio State player.

That and other things give him the nastiness reputation. He also is the most immune player I've ever seen to holding calls. As my little brother (who played OL and earned a few D-II offers) is so fond of pointing out in these circumstances: if they don't flag you for it, it was just a good block.

INTERLUDE

ACE: Uh, Seth? I'm not among the chorus calling Donovan Smith a sleeper pick, but you might want to count those zeros again.

[ED-S: ARGH THESE GUYS, I SERIOUSLY SAW THAT AND SENT A CORRECTION BEFORE ANYBODY REPLIED BUT THERE IS NO MERCY IN THIS DRAFT]

ROUND 10 - PICK 2: Austin Blythe, C, Iowa

If I'd seen this I probably would have taken him

O: QB Devin Gardner (UM), WR Kenny Bell (Neb), WR Shane Wynn (IU), OT Donovan Smith (PSU), C Austin Blythe (Iowa)
D: DE Joey Bosa (OSU), DE Noah Spence (OSU), LB Jake Ryan (UM), CB Sojourn Shelton (Wisky), S Kurtis Drummond (MSU),

BISB: Seth, you argue for the failure to dig deep, and then you choose the two remaining All-Big Ten interior linemen. And Allen and Vitabile are both excellent centers, but a savvy drafter can wait for one (or both) of them to come off the board before grabbing someone just as good. Austin Blythe was every bit the lineman the other two were. He was a Parade All-American coming out of high school, as well as an all-state wrestler in Iowa, which is REALLY hard to do. That's probably why he's pegged as a better draft prospect than either Allen or Vitabile. He's Molkian; he's not huge, and won't be riding donkeys through the second level. But he's effective as hell, which is what you need in a zone-blocking system. Which I just decided we're going to run.

As for Donovan Smith, it isn't realistic to call him a sleeper. It IS fair to point out that others (okay, Brian) were sitting on him, waiting to steal him well below his real value, and that I got there first. Shelton, though, was a sleeper. I'm taking my bonus points on that one.

ROUND 10 - PICK 3: Kaleb Johnson, OG/OT, Rutgers

CONTROVERSY

O: RB Ameer Abdullah (NE), WR Devin Funchess (U-M), TE Maxx Williams (MN), LT Brandon Scherff (IA), LG Kaleb Johnson (RU)

D: DE Shilique Calhoun (MSU), DE/DT Andre Monroe (MD), NT Darius Kilgo (MD), LB Chi Chi Ariguzo (NW), CB Desmond King (IA)

ST: KR/PR Ameer Adbullah (NE)

ACE: While Seth is making mathematical errors by a factor of 1,000 and drafting centers with consecutive selections, I'll follow up on BiSB's pick by drafting yet another interior lineman who's more highly regarded by NFL types than the two interior lineman Seth drafted while mocking our collective knowledge of B1G linemen. Really excellent job of piecing together the Northwestern offense, though, Seth. I'm sure that'll end well.

After receiving a 4th-7th round draft grade by the NFL, Kaleb Johnson decided to return to Rutgers—yeah, yeah, I know—for his senior season this fall. His 2015 draft projection looks to be better—he's among the top seven guards on variouslists, and when those sites get around to removing PSU's Miles Dieffenbach (torn ACL in spring practice), he'll be the top-ranked guard in the conference.

Johnson's also got far more positional versatility than, again, a pair of centers. He started 11 games at left tackle as a true freshman, earning freshman All-American honors from multiple outlets. As a sophomore, he flipped to right tackle despite missing all of that spring to shoulder surgery and was named second-team All-Big East. Last season, he moved inside to left guard, where—at 6'4", 305 pounds—he projects best at the next level; he earned second-team All-AAC honors after starting all 13 games there. Hell, if I wanted to, I could probably pass him off as a center. Instead, I'll live with a senior NFL prospect boasting 37 career starts lining up next to my future top-ten-pick left tackle.

BiSB, I can't let you get away totally scot free even though I was hoping for Wynn to continue falling, so I'll just say that I'm skeptical he darts into the secondary with such regularity without Latimer and Hughes drawing attention to the outside. The transition from #3 receiver to #1 receiver isn't always a smooth one, and the Hoosiers also lost a solid tight end in Ted Bolser. Wynn's not as much of a sure thing as one might think.

INTERLUDE YOU PROBABLY JUST WANT TO SKIP

BISB: I can't believe I'm saying this, but DAMMIT ACE I WANTED THAT RUTGERS LINEMAN.

ACE: CATCH THE SCARLET FEVER oh no wait that's really bad isn't it

Come to think of it, I'll take 2:1 odds Julie Hermann makes that the new athletic department slogan by the end of the summer.

SETH: Okay, Al. No really, I'm sure your two-man offensive line will be great. I mean, the draft scouts said Kaleb Johnson gets bent backwards and needs to stop running into his teammates all the time, and he was hardly blameless on a team that gave up 35 sacks in a mid-major conference, but since his agents said he could be a 4th rounder I guess that makes him better than a nasty, compact freshman All-American who moved to a tougher position as a sophomore. I do suggest you go first go see Dave the Brandon's marketing people about that little "had to move him to guard because he was a friggin' turnstile at tackle" problem--they can probably re-brand it as "versatility" or something.

BISB: In fairness, a two-man line might actually be okay against Brian's "back seven consisting of one corner" defense.

ACE: Oh, Seth. Seth, Seth, Seth. The selective quoting. It was slick, but how about a fuller picture? From the scouting report discussing his 2014—not 2015—draft readiness that you linked [emphasis and snark mine]:

He'll need to continue cleaning up some technical bugs such as bending his arms and giving up personal space on contact, or doubling-over at the waist when firing into defenders [that's forwards, not backwards, unless his hips are made of flubber] at the second level, and should work to do a better job of absorbing more with his knees as he'll lock up at times and rely soley on his upper half to stop momentum. All in all, Johnson has the physical and instinctive makings of an NFL lineman, and his best fit seems to be on the inside. However, the combination of having not established himself at one true position yet along with still having some significant technical improvements to make, could mean that 2014 is a year too early to come out. Then again, his lack of true position could be credited to him having great versatility, and could cause his stock to rise. - Derek Stephens, NFLDraftScout.com

Just for fun, here's the very next report on that page [same deal]:

After being named to the FWAA Freshman All-American team following the 2011 season, Johnson moved from right tackle to left for his sophomore season and despite some consistency issues, held his own. [As a position-switch true sophomore offensive lineman.] Rumor has it that he has taken some reps at left guard and is being considered for the starting role there this season, with fellow junior Keith Lumpkin a candidate to take over at the blind-side tackle spot. If indeed a a move to guard does happen for Johnson, it could be a much more natural fit for him when considering that he possesses flexibility, quickness and anchoring strength, yet is limited in the amount of distance he can cover laterally -- a limitation which manifests itself most obviously in his kick-slide. [Hi. I'm playing him at guard. Next question.] He exhibits powerful, violent hands when electing punch rather than push, and can dictate a defender -- seemingly with ease -- once he has him on his heels. He displays good awareness when multiple rushers occupy his area and does a good job of transferring from one station to the next. - Derek Stephens, NFLDraftScout.com

You linked them. I just read them. That site ranks him 7th among 2015 guards.

Those reports were written before his junior season, and this year he gets the first chance in four years to play the same position for two years in a row (and the same position I've pegged him for on my line). To steal Brian's shtick, I'll bet you a dollar his technical issues improve.

As for the abysmal play of the Rutgers line as a whole, I'm going with that largely being the fault of the other four linemen being Rutgers linemen. Just a hunch.
Finally, from the second article you linked, which I linked and cited in my original post (as I also did with the first one):

The NFL draft advisory board gave Johnson a fourth-to-seventh round grade.

Those are not his agents. He does not have agents. He specifically talked about this in that article.

Johnson said the two weeks between the end of the season and the draft entry deadline were like the recruiting process he experienced in high school. But instead of college coaches trying to entice the 6-foot-4, 305-pounder, it was agents encouraging Johnson to leave school.

"A lot of guys were trying to convince me to come out," Johnson said. "That was the hardest part. The whole time I was determined that I didn't want to come out. I was thinking I need another year to be with my teammates, but the only thing that was keeping me from making that decision 100 percent was the agents. Basically, I just overwhelmed that peer pressure."

SETH: Draft reports aren't trying to snark. They're always unnecessarily positive. Read between those lines. Without looking I bet that scouting report applied to Omameh as well. I'm not saying the guy is garbage, just that he's not in the same realm as the one guy who really is comparable to Molk (sorry BiSD, I was taken in by a hyped Hawkeye snapper once too), nor the little pile of hate whose team was the worst offense in the country for the period he wasn't with them, and decent enough to win the Rose Bowl with him.

Brian's strategy of drafting all the Badgers is a good one since he gets an unquestionably good OL without having to figure out why they are that. The rest of us have to defend these picks using the precious little, bullshit-laden information on the Internet about individual college offensive linemen. Reading between those lines I thought was a given necessity. Kaleb's a good guard...let's just agree not to play up his versatility. He seems like a poor man's Schilling, and that's better than any season Michigan's gotten from a guard since, well, Schilling.

BRIAN: What the crap? Draft reports are "always unnecessarily positive?" Draft reports call Johnny Manziel an "outlaw" and speculate that anyone who's ever given someone the stinkeye is Avon Barksdale.

But really, This is far, far too much discussion about anything from Rutgers.

Speaking of that strategy that has not yet come to light because of the unreality of time…

ROUND 10 - PICK 4: G Kyle Costigan, Wisconsin

and because you can't explain one without the other…

ROUND 11 - PICK 1: C/G Dallas Lewallen, Wisconsin

Helmetless against Clowney? Kyle Costigan don't curr.

O: QB Braxton Miller (OSU), RB Melvin Gordon (WI), WR Stefon Diggs (MD), OT Rob Havenstein(WI), G Kyle Costigan(WI), G Dallas Lewallen(WI)

D: DE Frank Clark(MI), DE Therien Cockran (MN), DT Darius Hamilton(RU), DT Carl Davis(IA), CB Trae Waynes (MSU)

I'm just going to put up a chart here.

Wisconsin averaged 6.6 yards per carry and returned 4 of 5 starters—everyone save Ryan Groy—on their offensive line. Ohio State lost 4 of 5 starters and Hyde, leaving the Badger ground game by far the most guaranteed unit in the conference. I've just drafted most of it.

Costigan won't show up high on draft boards because one of his knees is going to fall apart in three or four years, tops, but I only need him for the one. Lewallen was the starting C last year until a leg injury knocked him out; he'll move to guard this year. He offers positional flexibility, and also now I have half of last year's ridiculously good Wisconsin rushing game plus another year of strength and experience.

But, yeah, that guy who plays for Northwestern is probably just as good. And when you've got a chance to lock down that Iowa ground game you have to do it. Or is that... DUMARS it? BOOM.

STATUS AS OF PRESENT

As it turns out, taking this kind of beating has a long-lasting effect. [Fuller]

We all know that a well-timed hit on a passing quarterback, whether or not it results in a sack, makes it far less likely that pass will be completed, not to mention more likely to fall into the hands of a defender. It stands to reason, as well, that the cumulative effect of multiple hits on a quarterback will eventually affect his performance even when he's not taking hits.

Devin Gardner's 2013 season stands as a testament to this hypothesis. After the MSU seven-sack breaking point, there were several occasions when it seemed like he simply didn't have the juice to make certain throws that he didn't have any trouble making before his body was demolished piece by piece.

A recent article from the excellent site Pro Football Focus helpfully quantifies the effect of such punishment on a quarterback's accuracy and interception rate, using a data sample of every NFL throw from the past six years. As a quarterback takes more hits over the course of a game, their accuracy predictably plummets—on every throw, not just the ones when they're eating a defender:

After every sack or hit the quarterback takes, their Accuracy Percentage decreases by an average of a half of a percent. While that might not seem like much, there also isn’t much difference between the best and worst quarterbacks in the league. Based on the graph, an above average quarterback after five hits or sacks performs as well as an average quarterback with no hits or sacks. Once that above average quarterback has been sacked or hit 10 times, they play as well as a below average quarterback who hasn’t been sacked or hit.

The article also shows that interception rates increase substantially as the hits pile up, and more experienced quarterbacks are much better at mitigating these effects than rookie signal-callers—something to keep in mind when considering the relative merits of Gardner and Shane Morris.

When looking at Michigan's 2013 season, there's no question Gardner was a victim of this phenomenon. There's also evidence that he's better than most at handling the heat:

The heroic Ohio State (3 sacks) performance skews the numbers, though in fairness, so did Indiana's defense on the other. Even so, Gardner performed markedly better when not under constant pressure, especially when it came to producing yards and points.

The oddball interception rates can be chalked up to the concerted effort by Gardner to make fewer risky plays as the season went along. The desperation throwaways that resulted in stuff like the Stephon Tuitt pick-six turned into sacks intelligently taken as the season wore on, to the benefit of the turnover margin and serious detriment to Gardner's health and ability to make big plays on the ground or through the air.

So here's the hopeful part. Imagine a world in which Michigan has a running game that can move the ball forwards, forcing defenses to respect the run instead of pinning their ears back and going full-bore for Gardner's chest. Imagine a coherent Michigan offense that finds a way to counter the constant opponent blitzes. Imagine a full season of an offense directed by an NFL-level talent who doesn't end half his games resembling a coal miner.

This could very well be Michigan's reality in 2014. If it is, expect Devin Gardner to do big things.

As reported by Jeremy Fowler:

Michigan expects to land USC transfer running back Ty Isaac, who according to a source is working through the admissions process with the school and committed some time after his visit this week.

Perhaps anything can happen but Isaac has given the Wolverines strong indications that he'll be attending school in Ann Arbor, according to the source.

Sam Webb was saying much the same except with the requisite caution that comes along with being a daily recruiting reporter for a particular school where the fans hold grudges forever.

Isaac, a five star to Rivals and Scout last year, averaged 5.5 yards a carry in sparing time as a freshman at USC. At 6'2" with an upright style, the closest comparison in recent Michigan history is Brandon Minor, though Isaac displayed some pretty fantastic hands in high school and could be a guy Michigan looks at as a wide receiver if someone actually steps up at running back.

Isaac will apply for a hardship waiver; his mom can no longer fly because of an ear issue and he'd like to be closer to home. If he gets it he'll be in the same class as De'Veon Smith and Derrick Green; if not he'd slot in a class behind them. Ace has a Hello post from last year that he gets to post now, and we'll do that when the "perhaps anything can happen" phase passes and Isaac himself is saying he'll end up at M.

From the man himself, it's official—USC running back transfer Ty Isaac is coming to Michigan:

I will be attending the University of Michigan this year

— Ty Isaac (@TyIsaac) June 5, 2014

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: Ty Isaac's Twitter background is the album cover of Biggie's Ready To Die, making this transfer even more full of win than originally thought. 

We still await word on whether Isaac will receive a hardship waiver that allows him to play this fall or if he'll have to sit out a year. Even though Michigan is outside the 100-mile radius that's the normal NCAA standard for granting a hardship, the reason Isaac transferred was so his mother—who's developed an ear condition that prevents her from flying—could drive to his games, something she can do from their Illinois home.

I thought I'd written a Hello post draft back in 2012, when Isaac was down to USC or Michigan in his recruitment. Turns out, the running back whose commitment post never saw the light of day was Bri'onte Dunn. An informative update is forthcoming.

Updated, informatively:

GURU RATINGS

Coming out of high school, the recruiting services regarded Isaac as either one of the very best running backs in the country or a top-100-ish athlete. Naturally, ESPN ranks him the lowest despite an extremely positive scouting report (more on that below).

We don't have to take a guess as to his size; Isaac clocked in at 6'3", 225 pounds as a freshman last season at USC. He's a tall, upright back with the bulk to mash between the tackles and the height/hands combination to be a really dangerous receiving threat out of the backfield.

SCOUTING

While Isaac had grabbed the attention of scouts as soon as he played on Joliet Catholic's varsity squad as a freshman, it's hard not to start this section with his record-shattering performance as a junior in the Illinois 5A state championship game, because GOOD GOD:

With 6 minutes and 40 seconds left in the first half, Isaac had already broken the Class 5A title record of 210 yards, set by Rock Island’s Alonzo Wise in 1997. With 48 seconds left  until halftime, he had 376 yards, breaking  a school record and the all-time IHSA rushing record for yards in a state title game regardless of class. Maine South’s Matt Perez had the previous mark in a Class 8A title game with 316 yards against Marist in 2009.

Isaac finished with 515 YARDS AND SIX TOUCHDOWNS ON 26 CARRIES, which definitely merits ALL-CAPS treatment. Search YouTube for "Ty Isaac state championship" and you get a series of clips like this, in which he makes one cut and then explodes past everybody for a touchdown:

Fits zone running scheme: check.

The massive amount of attention Isaac received for his performance didn't please him, however, as Joliet Catholic's defense collapsed and the team fell to Montini, 70-45:

"It wasn’t even something you could enjoy, it was something we needed," Isaac said. "We had to put points up. At the end of the day, it was really irrelevant."

Fits The Pattern™: check.

Aside from his eye-popping numbers, Isaac most impressed scouts with his combination of size, athleticism, and receiving ability. Scout's profile listed his strengths as breakaway speed, change-of-direction, and hands—blocking was the sole area for improvement—accompanied by this scouting report:

Tall, good sized back with the speed to break long runs. Is very smooth, changes directions well and has deceptive elusiveness. Is an excellent route runner and receiver out of the backfield who occasionally can split out or play in the slot. Does a lot of running from the wingback position, so he'll likely have to get used to inside running and blitz pick-up from a more traditional tailback spot in college. - Allen Trieu

"There was some talk that maybe Ty would flash out to the wide receiver position in college because of his size," said Rivals.com Midwest Recruiting Analyst Josh Helmholdt. "I definitely think his upside is at running back, but that attests to his abilities as a receiver. 

"He is a natural pass catcher with soft hands and obviously the ability to make defenders miss in the open field. He could flash out into the slot at times and create mismatches with linebackers and safeties."

That could make him a great complement to Derrick Green and De'Veon Smith, both of whom are much more accomplished runners than receivers. That's not to say Isaac doesn't hold his own as a runner; Tim Prister of Irish Illustrated said there was "not much to critique" in the room for improvement area of this scouting report, while the positives were... quite positive ($):

A polished, fundamentally sound, shifty, explosive running back with excellent size, athleticism and an even-keeled demeanor on and off the football field. A long, explosive, gliding stride with excellent knee lift. Great vision and a find-the-hole, hit-the-hole mentality with the ability to anticipate where the next wave of tacklers is coming from and cut it back against the grain. Weaves through traffic with the greatest of ease.

A naturally instinctive running back. Has the unusual ability for a prep running back to hit the hole square, and then make cuts off a wide, balanced base. Has an explosive gear once the path to paydirt comes in his radar. Nice forward lean with the football. Appears to protect the football well.

Hi. I would like ALL OF THAT. Prister went on to compare Isaac to Eddie George, another big upright back whom you may remember winning the Heisman at Ohio State.

There were concerns coming out of college, given Isaac's film heavy on untouched bursts into the secondary—sorry for being so good, I guess—that he lacked between-the-tackles power or the willingness to run though contact. That's not what ESPN saw when they updated their scouting report for Signing Day 2013 ($):

More of a one-cut-and-get-north type of back, but his vision reading linebacker flow and balance going against the grain are impressive. Has lateral quicks to slip pursuit. He has good feet for his size and the patience needed to follow blocks and let the hole open up. Very good initial take off with a long stride burst to turn the corner. While he can exploit a crease and accelerate through the second level, he makes his mark on strength and will likely do so at the next level. This is a strong runner who can be a load to wrap up solidly, particularly high, when he gets square to the line and utilizes his good downhill burst. Needs to be conscious of pad level and improve lean, but shows good body balance at contact. He's a hard runner who can finish and get the tough yard. Has a sturdy frame with high toughness for multiple carries. 

That'll do.

Isaac's stock dropped a little bit as a senior, though Scout's Allen Trieu chalked this up to nagging injuries and less-than-stellar competition when he ranked Isaac as the #2 Illinois prospect in his class behind (sigh) Laquon Treadwell ($):

Isaac had a lot to battle this year. He had to fight injury as well as a growing sentiment that he did not play great competition in high school. Maybe those folks forgot about what he did as a junior, or his six touchdowns in the state title game against a good Montini team. He has good size, speed, and a smooth running style that has him compared with some of the USC greats that he now inherits the mantle from. He's also a great receiver out of the backfield, another asset he will bring to SoCal.

So that gets us through his high school career. Isaac's college career got off to a slow start, as he received just ten carries through the first nine games in a crowded backfield. After a breakout performance against Cal (11 carries, 87 yards, 2 TDs) in the tenth game, he mentioned one of the primary reasons it took him a while to get into gear:

Arriving on campus this summer after a storied high school career in which he rushed for a total of 5,305 yards out of a prolific double-wing attack, Isaac had some difficulties early on as he made the switch from wingback to tailback in USC’s intricate pro-style scheme. 

“It was a shock to the system,” Isaac said. “I ran about five plays in high school, and now I’ve got five different reads on one play, so that was definitely something that I had to adjust to.” 

Even though he must switch systems once again, it'll be far less of a transition than going from a very simple high school offense that utilized him as a wingback to a complicated pro-style attack with him as a traditional tailback.

OFFERS

Programs to offer Isaac out of high school included Arizona, Auburn, Clemson, Illinois, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Penn State, Tennessee, Washington, and Wisconsin.

HIGH SCHOOL

If you're really curious, you can read a remarkably extensive history of Joliet Catholic football here.

STATS

As a high school junior, Isaac rushed for 2629 yards and 42 touchdowns on 203 carries, posting a ridiculous 13 yards per carry, while adding 360 yards and seven more TDs on 16 receptions (22.5 ypc). I can't find senior stats more specific than 1500 yards and 22 touchdowns on an unknown number of rushes—still not bad for an injury-plagued year.

At USC, he toted the rock 40 times for 236 yards (5.9 ypc) and two TDs, and chipped in four receptions for 57 yards.

FAKE 40 TIME

247 lists a 40 time of 4.45. I can't find the source of the time, so I'll give it four FAKEs out of five. That would be very impressive for a back of that size, and while Isaac shows off solid top-end speed, he's not a pure burner.

VIDEO

Junior highlights, featuring a whole lot of that state title game:

Senior highlights:

While Cal's defense was, well, bad, you're still going to want to check out his second touchdown run in that game:

PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE

A lot of this depends on the status of Isaac's redshirt. If he receives his NCAA waiver and is allowed to play right away, he should factor in immediately to Michigan's running back rotation—he has a size/skill combination, especially when it comes to receiving, that no other U-M back can boast.

If he doesn't get the waiver, that might actually work out best for U-M, as it would put Isaac a year of eligibility behind Green and Smith and give him a clear shot at the full-time starting gig in a few years. Of course, he may very well earn that role before Green and Smith graduate; there's a lot of unknown when it comes to the running backs given the state of the offensive line. No matter what, he should see the field whenever he's allowed to.

UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS

This is where the NCAA waiver really comes into play. If Isaac redshirts this season, the need to land an elite back in the 2015 class is somewhat alleviated. If he doesn't, getting a back who will be ready to start in a few years will still be very important. Michigan should take a back regardless, but a potential extra year of Isaac on the roster would soften the blow of possibly missing out on both Damien Harris and Mike Weber.

THE ESSENTIALS

Super Eagles! via Vanity Fair

THE THEM: TEAM THAT FINALLY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ARMENIA

The US finally draws an opponent in the World Cup in their final open-door friendly. (They'll play Belgium in Brazil behind closed doors.) Nigeria's in group F with Argentina, Bosnia, and Iran. They're ranked 44th in the FIFA rankings and yes I hate World Cup draws, too.

Here is the part where I'd tell you where Nigeria falls in ESPN's Soccer Power Index, but it evaporated last week so I'm not entirely sure. This article ripping the World Cup draw process that I agree with so hard seems to have gotten them just before they disappeared, though, and it shows Nigeria 28th, approximately equal to the Greek squad Portugal just drew 0-0 with (albeit without Ronaldo) and in the vicinity of Costa Rica and Honduras.

In qualifying, Nigeria went 3-0-3 against a weak group of Malawi (122nd in the FIFA rankings), Kenya (102nd), and Namibia (120th) before defeating Ethiopia 4-1 (101st) in a two-legged playoff to claim their bid. In January they finished third in the African Nations Cup, losing the semifinal on penalties to Ghana after a 0-0 regulation; in recent World Cup friendlies they've drawn Mexico 0-0, Scotland 2-2, and Greece 0-0.

You may have figured out that this is a boring team that relies on its defense, and yes, yes they are. They had seven goals in their six group games despite playing some really bad teams, and you remember that USA-Scotland friendly. Nigeria omitted Seattle Sounders star Obafemi Martins in favor of unattached 32-year-olds with six caps and five goals for club over the past three years like Shola Ameobi, seemingly because the coach has a problem with him. So I guess it's not just Klinsmann.

Anyway. The Greece matchup was as dismal as you'd fear:

Defense and goalkeeping controlled the game in a 0-0 draw played in front of a largely pro-Greece crowd of 10,131 fans at the Chester stadium. Each team held the other in check throughout the game, preventing many quality scoring chances.

The teams managed just four shots on goal apiece.

But Klinsmann says Nigeria and Ghana play similar styles, so here they are.

Despite having an identical scoreline, the Mexico game was wide open and attacking:

So maybe the Greece thing is just Greece's ironhearted determination to be the least watchable football outfit on the planet.

Nigeria is threatening on the break and looks to counter; they are seemingly disorganized on set pieces, though: Mexico had four grade-A opportunities from dead balls.

While the lineup against Mexico was listed as a 4-4-2, it looked like a 4-3-3 for big chunks of the game; Liverpool-by-way-of-Chelsea forward Victor Moses is one of those striker/winger hybrids with Fenerbache's Emmanuel Emenike the main guy up top; Chelsea's John Obi Mikel is the heart of the midfield.

Like Ghana (and the US!), defense looks like it may be the Achilles' heel. A quick glance at the clubs of the players called up is enough to confirm that: the Nigerian defense includes two local players, a couple of guys in the English second tier, and just one player at anything resembling a big club: left back Eldereson Echiejile plays for French runners-up Monaco, and by "plays" I mean "mostly watches"—he had five appearances last year.

With limited exceptions, Nigeria is young and very athletic. They're likely to have one guy older than 27 start, that 33-year old captain Joseph Yobo, a central defender.

THE US(A)

DEFENSIVE DEBACLE ON THE LEFT

Fancy soccer charting service Opta defines a "key pass" as the last pass before a shot attempt. The above is a chart of Turkish key passes against the USA. While the end point of the pass is not always the location the shot comes from*, it's a pretty good approximation when combined with your first-hand observations. The above chart amply demonstrates the debacle that combining Timmy Chandler and Brad Davis resulted in. The vast majority of chances originated on the USA's left flank; exactly one remotely threatening ball—the horizontal ball from #18 that ended up in the box—came in from the right side of the defense.

*[For instance, that super-long cross field pass from the Turkish side of midfield was the WTF ball that beat everyone and resulted in a shot from just outside the six-yard box.]

Crosses tell much the same story.

The Turks got in three crosses on the USA's right flank from the dangerous areas near the end line versus eight from the left. there were eight-ish more from moderately dangerous areas compared to three or four on the right. (The extremely deep crosses from 18 are almost harmless.) Whatever the US was doing on the left, it was not working.

While any soccer event has a thousand fathers, to my eye the chief blame was because of a mutual and profound cluelessness from both purportedly left-sided players. I noted some positional issues in the Turkey recap, where scoring chances came with Davis not even on the left half of the field; SI's Liviu Bird highlights another instance:

A taste of the U.S.'s poor defensive shape — in midfield and the back line — against Turkey. Should've been punished: pic.twitter.com/IrrGHYlzNf

— Liviu Bird (@liviubird) June 3, 2014

Bird also posted a stunning shot from just before the Chandler gift where Brooks is in fact outside of Chandler, because Chandler has once again inexplicably pulled up from the back four to no purpose.

Could this have been intentional? Is the US sliding its formation right, pretending that Turkey is Portugal and getting the ball off of Ronaldo's foot? It does not matter. Giving Portuguese right wing Nani the kind of time and space on the ball that the Turkish right was afforded in this game and Ronaldo's just raining in headers from Nani's pinpoint crosses.

So this is the thing that needs to get fixed.

GOALIE: Whoever, but I'd guess Guzan gets the start.

Beas please

DEFENSE: Beasley, Besler, Cameron, Johnson/Yedlin.

Well, you know my opinion on how Chandler did. This is probably the last time I'll get to mention it, so let me just reiterate how unbelievably bad he was on the goal that he handed to the Turks: not only did he give the ball away like a six-year-old, not only did his bizarre positional error start the move, but when the guy with the ball got to the near post, Chandler ran away from him! Guzan and the Turk had a jerky dance-off, and then the guy used the epic amounts of room provided to plink one off of Cameron's hand.

And the above charts. My God man. Beasley's not perfect, but neither does he run around handing out goals. To favor Chandler over him after the last two performances from Timmah in a US shirt is pure eurosnobbery.

Brooks looked pretty good in his run-out in the last 45 minutes but made too many big errors (that last image from Bird is very much a WTF thing) to displace Besler. I would guess we see him again at some point; the two starters will keep starting in an effort to get some chemistry together.

Johnson is your starting right back; might be time to put him on the shelf to keep his legs fresh and avoid injury. If Johnson does start, Yedlin at halftime is highly likely.

MIDFIELD: Jones/Beckerman, Bradley, Bedoya, Zusi.

Bradley is the man; unlike Johnson he's still working out positional kinks and trying to find his passing boots more consistently. Meanwhile the holding mid war will likely continue in 45 minute increments.

Look for the US to adopt an approach closer to the one they deployed in the second half, with Bradley shuttling back and sometimes interchanging with the other central midfielder, then taking over when it's time to surge forward. This will allow the wingers to spread wider and hopefully prevent the same kind of exposure the left endured against the Turks.

On the wings, Bedoya and Zusi look like near-certainties. Zusi is by far the USA's best set piece option who isn't a defensive trainwreck; Bedoya has the speed and athleticism to help cover the USA's weaker flank. Even if he's not looking like much going forward, he's got to be it.

Diskerud should see more minutes as a sub, and I guess Davis.

Might they play together?

ALTERNATE UNVERSE: if the US is truly dedicated to the idea of a narrow diamond midfield, there's little need to pretend your right and left midfielders are anything that looks like a winger. Zusi remains mandatory because set pieces, but if you're going to tuck your guys in so extremely a setup featuring all three of Bradley, Beckerman, and Jones is feasible, with Jones your nominally left-sided midfielder.

That provides a ton more bite and defense on your weak flank without sacrificing much, if anything. It's clear Davis doesn't know WTF he should be doing; Jones is not going to be a downgrade there, and then his pressing, ball-winning ways come with another pure holder on the field. He can also cover for an advanced fullback reasonably well.

Squad depth then becomes a major concern, of course.

FORWARD: Altidore, Dempsey

Absent a drastic change in formation, Altidore is mandatory as the only holder. Dempsey is trying to learn how to work with him and Bradley; the US should value whatever chemistry they can acquire over the distant chance something goes awry. Johannsson and Wondo should both pop in, you'd think.

WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR, OTHER THAN EVERYTHING

Diamond versus 4-2-3-1, part III. The US tried to shut up shop a bit in the second half by withdrawing Bradley, and the pace of Turkish chances did slow somewhat. Clearly something has to change lest more ruthless teams than the Turks pile up the goals. The thing that makes the most sense is to go back to more of a flat midfield four with a designated holder who allows Bradley to maraud forward. The US were forced into something similar in their qualifier against Panama last year, when Cameron was the other central mid:

That game could easily have ended 5-0. Call it a 4-4-2 or a 4-2-3-1; either way it seems like the best balance of defense and attack available.

Do we see something weird? See above about Jones and Beckerman on the field simultaneously. If the idea in the Turkey game was to overload the Ronaldo side of the field and force the ball  away from it, I can see that being workable… but obviously not with Davis. Given the holes on the roster, some outside the box thinking might be in line.

Is there a way to get Diskerud or Johannsson on the field for a start? A corollary to the "something weird" question: will Klinsmann look at either of those guys for the Donovan-shaped hole at left mid? Is it completely crazy to consider a 4-3-3 with the three holders and something like Johannsson/Altidore/Dempsey up top? Probably! Almost certainly! I will do just about anything to displace the Landon-Donovan-shaped hole!

Can Yedlin force his way into the lineup? Johnson is locked in on the right for Portugal, you'd assume. But Yedlin showed very well against the Turks and it's not going to take that much for a Johnson-LB, Yedlin-RB lineup to seem like the best option in a non-Ronaldo world. I'm still guessing that Beasley has the edge unless there's a major issue with his play against Nigeria.

Can a forward score a real goal? Not just to shut Twellman up about it, because he's not entirely wrong. But, yeah, partially.

SECTION WHERE I PREDICT THE SAME THING KENPOM DOES

DIVBYZERO

This here Friday because not enough for Dear Diary.

What do you think of the transition to a 4-3 over? Who else is running it? Is it so much of a shift?

Ace: While I was skeptical at first—it felt like a bit like a panic move—I've started talking myself into this being a positive change. The main reason is that it should allow Michigan to generate more of a pass rush, and in less predictable ways. Seth pointed out the benefits for both Frank Clark and Brennen Beyer in his post—they slide into roles more suited to their abilities in a way that gets them on the field at the same time. Add in the ever-present threat of Jake Ryan blitzing up the middle and I think the pass-rush will be improved thanks to this switch.

When you have Clark and Beyer (and Ojemudia and Taco etc.) available this isn't the best use of Jake Ryan [Fuller]

The defense should also be better suited to go against spread attacks by keeping Ryan in the middle. He no longer has to worry about playing over slot receivers or being the primary defender against bubble screens, and when Michigan goes to a nickel, they'll most likely lift James Ross for a defensive back—adding coverage without losing much from the pass rush.

Keeping the linebackers clean against the run is also easier in a 4-3 over; Iowa's linebackers were very successful last year in part because their alignment allowed them to roam free sideline-to-sideline—I was dumb enough to confuse "DTs aren't making plays" for "DTs not doing their job" in that post, when it turned out Carl Davis and Louis Trinca-Passat were really good at holding up against double teams while the Hitchens/Morris/Kirksey trio combined for 35.5 TFLs despite rarely blitzing. I highly doubt Greg Mattison's defense will be as passive as Iowa's, but the Hawkeyes still provide a solid blueprint for how to get better production from the linebackers.

That brings me to my biggest concern, however, which is the defensive tackles. I believe the Henry/Pipkins combo will hold up fine at the nose, but the lack of experience at 3-tech is worrisome. The good news is both Chris Wormley and Matt Godin—the likely rotation there, along with Ryan Glasgow—were tweener DE/DT recruits with large frames, solid strength at the point of attack, and some concern about their edge-rushing ability; the last part matters much less now, and as long as they're not ceding ground with regularity, the experienced linebackers should be able to work behind them (Northwestern's linebackers managed to stand out in their 4-3 over even though their DTs routinely let the seas part).

My other main concern is how Ryan will handle more offensive linemen releasing to block him at the second level, but I have the feeling he'll figure it out. It's clear the coaches have been planning this shift for a while—see: Noah Furbush, MLB recruit—and despite a few minor bumps along the road I still have a great deal of trust in Mattison. If, as advertised, this shift allows the defense to be more aggressive in general and more adaptable against spread attacks specifically, I'm on board.

[Jump: Brian and BiSB go over this more. HA!]

------------------------------

Brian: For Michigan the switch to the over is about figuring out what's more awkward: Jake Ryan, MLB, or Brennen Beyer, strongside end in an under? They've clearly decided on the former, and after some time to think about it (I seem to recall calling the Ryan move "pure nonsense" on twitter when it was announced), I see the coaches' point.

Beyer was listed at 256 this spring, barely up from the 250 he played at last fall. Despite that weight, Michigan felt he was their best option at SDE after Ryan's return. And... sadly, he probably was. Michigan doubled down on that evaluation by moving Keith Heitzman to tight end, another trouble spot, this spring. Once it became clear that Beyer had no shot at coming anywhere near the 285 pounds Craig Roh managed to get to as a senior, let alone the burly defensive-tackle-ness Ryan Van Bergen operated at in Hoke's first season in Ann Arbor, the over looked a lot more attractive.

I mean…pick one [Fuller]

Beyer's actually a great fit for the end spot now. He's got the quick hands and size to defeat a ton of tight end blocks, and he's agile enough to drop into a short zone for a zone blitz chance of pace. When opponents go spread, he's performed ably against tackles in one on one matchups where he's supposed to hold the edge. It was just the doubles he really suffered against last year. Meanwhile, the roles of the other three guys on the line don't really change that much. Clark picks up some extra run support, but he's big and experienced enough for that.

I don't think Ryan is going to be particularly effective at MLB, but he's at least approximately the right shape and size. That could not be said for Michigan's projected front seven in the under.

Ace left out a potentially key guy that makes me feel better about things: Maurice Hurst. The redshirt freshman was underrated as a recruit and impressed a bunch of people this spring. He has that first step that Mike Martin did, and while he's not the slab of muscle Martin was, he promises to be tough to handle.

I'll also disagree with Ace about the duration of this change: I think it's a one-off based on their defensive ends. The chances Noah Furbush sticks at MLB are minuscule... but once you start eyeballing him as Jake Ryan 2.0 things make a lot more sense. With Poggi, Godin, Strobel, and Wormley around you're going to have a set of upperclass DE/DT types who make a ton of sense as an under SDE. Mattison clearly has a preference, and a dollar they pop back to it next year.

------------------------------

BiSB: You guys covered it pretty well. It's adds a little bit of uncertainty with Michigan's best defender in the name of eliminating a known weakness on the line. The one data point I would add in Ace's favor is Jared Wangler, SAM linebacker. 

Big picture, though, I don't know how big a deal this is. Michigan spent quite a few snaps in an Over front in the last couple of years anyway.

------------------------------

Brian: There's being in an over *front* and being in an over *defense.* An over front still has SAM Jake Ryan. An over defense has him at MLB. Michigan aligned mostly to field last year, which put them in a number of over fronts, but this is a different ball of wax.

------------------------------

BiSB: It makes a big difference in terms of personnel, especially for position switchers like Jake Ryan and to a lesser but non-zero extent James Ross. But this isn't a re-invention of the wheel, and shouldn't be a terribly traumatic transition.

------------------------------

Seth: You guys just hit on it. Here's Michigan's formations in UFR last year (through Nebraska game)--->

They ran their "base" thing less than 1 in 4 times. Those "nickel over" things from memory were oft something Michigan was forced into by the offense's formation, i.e. a nickel with 4-3 personnel (Brian charted them as 4-3 nickel over).

The over and even formations wound up being more common than the base because opponents saw what Michigan was trying to do and said "let's make Jake Ryan a Spur (or HSP) or a defensive end, then attack the young middle linebackers in space." So rather than be a 4-3 under that opponents will continuously force into being something else with the wrong personnel, Michigan's just going to line up with the right personnel.

You have to be constantly evolving in this game, both to your own talent and to what opponents try to do to you. I'm for this, even if it puts Jake Ryan in a position where he can't be JMFR anymore, because nobody but Minnesota last year let us do that anyway.

It does put some guys in bad spots, specifically Tom Strobel and Matt Godin, two tall dudes who were evolving into useful 4-3 under hybrid DE/DTs, (or to simplify, 3-4 defensive ends) and now seem to be caught between not being tackle-ish enough for the "3-tech" of the over, and not being end-ish enough for the ends.

Except I doubt Michigan has scrapped the thing they've been doing for three years and the thing Mattison knows best. That's why I'm not even thinking about the young LBs who were recruited for this, that, or the other spot in a 4-3 under. No matter when or how far the pendulum swings next, Michigan should have the talent to adjust without massively changing who they are, and that's pretty much what this is.

THE GOAL OF DRAFTAGEDDON

The goal of Draftageddon is YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT DRAFTAGEDDON.

I'm hearing this is incorrect. I see. The goal of Draftageddon is to draft a team of Big Ten players that seems generally more impressive than that of your competitors. Along the way, we'll learn a lot of alarming things, like maybe Maryland is good? Full details are in the first post.

PREVIOUSLY ON DRAFTAGEDDON

1. Everyone not grabbing dual-threat senior QBs grabs defensive linemen
2. Seth takes Venric Mark in front of just about everyone
3. Nothing terribly remarkable happens
4. BISB takes all the guys I want
5. A ridiculous amount of time is spent discussing the merits of one particular interior lineman from Rutgers

THE CURRENT SITUATION

ROUND 11 - PICK 2: Matt Robinson, OLB, Maryland

O: RB Ameer Abdullah (NE), WR Devin Funchess (U-M), TE Maxx Williams (MN), LT Brandon Scherff (IA), LG Kaleb Johnson (RU)

D: DE Shilique Calhoun (MSU), DE/DT Andre Monroe (MD), NT Darius Kilgo (MD), OLB Chi Chi Ariguzo (NW), OLB Matt Robinson (MD), CB Desmond King (IA)

ST: KR/PR Ameer Adbullah (NE)

ACE: Yes, I'm becoming concerned with my own fascination with Maryland's front seven, but it really is a good front seven. Robinson, in particular, is an interesting case. He came to Maryland as a safety, started eight games there over three injury-plagued seasons—picking up a medical redshirt in the process—then moved to strongside linebacker in 2013, where he flourished: in 11 games, he recorded 73 tackles (43 solo), 10 TFLs, a sack, four pass breakups, a forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries. According to CBSSports, he's the #10 OLB prospect in the 2015 class after just one season at the position, five spots behind Jake Ryan (BiSB's 4th-round pick) and 11 spots ahead of Taiwan Jones (Seth's 5th-rounder). 

This is Round 11.

Robinson's solid production against the run proved a pleasant surprise; given his experience in the secondary, his excellent coverage skills much less so. Sometimes you don't know what you have until it's not there, and that's what happened to Maryland and their ability to cover the middle of the field when Robinson missed two games with a rotator cuff injury last season:

If you want more proof of Robinson's importance, just take a look at what happened in the Virginia game. Maryland nearly lost to a team that went 2-10, largely because Robinson was not there to cover tight end Jake McGee, who posted a season-best performance of eight catches for 114 yards. The other game Robinson missed? Wake Forest, where [slot] Mike Campanaro [caught] 11 passes for 122 yards without support from Robinson over the middle.

That comes from a Testudo Times (SBNation's Maryland blog) article making the case for Robinson as the team's defensive MVP; this section is also rather compelling:

But what if you can have a player who can do both [run support and coverage]? Someone who could, I don't know, provide nearly perfect coverage of slant routes and other plays over the middle while also containing the field from quarterback scrambles and draw plays, forcing turnovers and punts whenever third downs went his way?

Linebacker Marcus Whitfield and safety Sean Davis may have posted the gaudiest stats, but there was another player who came up with big plays when the Terps needed them and dominated every aspect of the defensive game -- Matt Robinson.

I like. 

In addition to his physical ability, Robinson also acts as a coach on the field, according to the Washington Post:

Robinson was always studious ... and his class notebooks contained equal parts lecture points and X’s and O’s scribbled into the margins. He is quiet on the field, shying away from trash talk or even primal screams after big plays, but he studies enough film to call out certain offensive plays before they happen. Cornerback Jeremiah Johnson, one of Robinson’s roommates, said it’s “kind of like having a coach or a graduate assistant on the field with you.”

He plans to be a coach when his playing career is over.

I've made a concerted effort to put together an experienced and versatile front seven, and Robinson fits that mold. He played safety at 6'3", 215-ish, bulked up to 240 pounds last year while maintaining his coverage skills, and went through this spring practice—the first for which he's been healthy since his freshman year—at 244 pounds; he'll fit in just fine on the strong side in a 4-3. With Marcus Whitfield and his nine sacks gone from Maryland's WLB spot, Robinson could factor in more as a pass-rusher this fall, and his size allows me to slide him inside in nickel situations, giving my defense excellent coverage over the middle with him and Ariguzo. While the injuries are admittedly a concern, Robinson is a steal here if he stays healthy.

ROUND 11 - PICK 3: Mike Hull, LB, Penn State

O: QB Devin Gardner (UM), WR Kenny Bell (Neb), WR Shane Wynn (IU), OT Donovan Smith (PSU), C Austin Blythe (Iowa)
D: DE Joey Bosa (OSU), DE Noah Spence (OSU), LB Jake Ryan (UM), LB Mike Hull (PSU) CB Sojourn Shelton (Wisky), S Kurtis Drummond (MSU),

BISB: How about a linebacker who recorded more tackles and more solo tackles than Matt Robinson, and in fewer games? Surely such a creature could not be found here in the depths of the 11th round. That is, unless the Big Ten houses something called 'Linebacker University.' Mike Hull registered 78 tackles (44 solo) in basically 9 games after missing much of the early part of the year with a leg injury. He averaged over 9 tackles per game in Big Ten play.

I share Seth's hatred of tautological analysis, but he's just a linebacker. When a guy is 6'0" and still the 12th highest linebacker on the aforementioned CBSSports OLB ratings, which always ALWAYS overemphasize measurables, you know the kid can play. He's probably a WILL in my scheme, but I may more Ryan to the MIKE and play him as a smaller SAM in an Over front.

Robinson may be only five spots behind my 4th-rounder Jake Ryan. But he's also 17 spots ahead of Chi Chi Ariguzo... who you took in the 4th round. With the pick after Jake Ryan. So let me ask you, Congressman: were you wrong then, or are you wrong now?

Also, I wish to point out the fallacy of saying "Robinson is valuable because a tight end torched Maryland in his absence." The wisdom of XKCD teaches us that sometimes your rock doesn't scare away tigers. Sometimes the tigers would have torched your secondary regardless. Wait, I think I bailed on the metaphor too early. Or too late. Alas.

[AFTER THE JUMP: Ace is outed as an expansion-lover. Also, WILDCARD, BITCHES]

INTERLUDE

BISB: Let it also be known that 4 of Ace's last 5 picks were from Maryland or Rutgers. Reassembling Wisconsin's offensive line is one thing (though I question whether it's an ideal strategy to take one successful team up against a set of quasi-All Star teams, but whatever). Reassembling the 7-6 Terps is... bold.

ACE: BiSB, in his own words:

So as much as I want to complement [so close, man] Ace on taking my 8th/9th round sleeper in the 6th round, or for getting a steal in Monroe, I will instead point out that (a) Maxx Williams will be the most talented guy to ever record 23 receptions on the season thanks to Mitch "Not The Arm" Leidner, and (b) your 7th round DE [Monroe] might be better than your 2nd round DE, which LOL your 2nd round DE.

And more...

I can't believe I'm saying this, but DAMMIT ACE I WANTED THAT RUTGERS LINEMAN.

So, BiSB, were you wrong then, or are you wrong now?

BISB: Then. I was wrong then.

BRIAN: Dude, the Wisconsin rushing game is a quasi-All Star team, just without the quasi. 6.6 YPC!

SETH: Now it's my turn to damn BiSB. Hull isn't a sleeper but he is the cover boy for the PSU version of HTTV I'm doing with them and was my next pick. Penn State's D is designed around his lateral mobility: they play a lot of 1 and 3-high and let Hull range underneath. I'd hoped by pushing the OL a bit I could sit and watch you guys make a run on them and that was working fine until you kids meddled in my plans.

ACE: The strategy of drafting two centers in a row in the hopes of starting a run backfired?

Well, I never.

BRIAN: Two centers from the #6 and #9 rushing offenses in the league, even.

SETH: Well damn you all and damn me for looking at my phone right before going to bed. And damn BiSB again for taking Wynn just because. You want picks?

ROUND 11 - PICK 4: Corey Cooper, S, Nebraska
ROUND 12 - PICK 1: Devin Smith, WR, Ohio State

so much red

O: RB Venric Mark (NW), WR Devin Smith (OSU), WR Christian Jones (NW), T Jason Spriggs (Ind), T Taylor Decker (OSU), C Brandon Vitable (NW), G Jack Allen (MSU).
D: DT Michael Bennett (OSU), DE Randy Gregory (Neb), LB Taiwan Jones (MSU), CB Blake Countess (Mich), S Corey Cooper (Neb)
ST: Mark

SETH: Well let's see, since my last pick:

• BiSB: Austin Blythe, OL
• Ace: Kaleb Johnson, OL
• Brian: Kyle Costigan, OL
• Brian again: Dallas Lewallen, OL
• Ace: Maryland linebacker I had below other linebackers still on the board.
• BiSB: Takes Hull.

I made it 5/6 picks before somebody drafted a guy I wanted. Here's two more guys as needed for my team as those dudes aren't.

Corey Cooper Junior isn't Drummond, but lists of preseason All-Big Ten players has to include two safeties and Cooper's usually the other one unless the guy making the list only looks at number of tackles and has Funchess the top TE. You may remember him as the safety constantly coming in unblocked to blow up Borges's power plays, unless you're thinking of the other safety (Green) who's moved on.

Kovacsian things: He led that team in tackles, many of those accrued immediately following a biff by his MLB (their defense improved somewhat after Santos was moved to WLB). In five years with four different position coaches he's been steady and steadily improving. He's got bloodlines and family friends who may have taught him a thing or two: Corey Cooper the elder played with Jim Everett and Rod Woodson.
Definitely non-Kovacsian things: That CBS thing has him the third strong safety in next year's NFL draft. This is also a guy who played cornerback and nickel-slot at various times in his Husker career, and Nebraska trusted him to play the one-high as often as Green. This year they're putting some kind of linebacker at the safety spot next to him. Guy can cover.

Why him and not future Ace Terpbender pick Sean Davis? Jamar Adams versus Ernest Shazor. Also because Maryland moved A.J. Hendy to Davis's position this spring despite a shortage of cornerbacks, which suggests they too see a guy who blows up bad teams and special teams but "struggled against top-tier passing attacks."

If you still want to question my going for just a solid safety at this juncture, here's a reminder of what happens when you have a liquid one:

And here's what happens when you have a gaseous one. And here's what happens when you put Devin Smith against a fully armed and operational two-time all-conference Spartan corner battle station (and Miller doesn't fling it over Endor).

That last was Devin Smith his freshman year. Now as a senior he's...mostly the same guy. He runs straight down the field, but does this so quickly that you have to guard it all the time.

His 2013 stats, however, don't stand out from Maryland's long man Levern Jacobs. That takes some splainin': 1) The nature of OSU's offense last year was to stay safe with the Hyde/Miller run game and Philly Brown running option routes out of the slot; if all Smith did was force defenses to play six guys against that triumvirate, he did his job. 2) He also may have been held back by injury half of last year. 3) He has probably watched 1,000 more career yards sail over his head from Braxton Miller et al. overthrows.
Urban suggesting he "doesn't know which receiver will start" this spring was a coachspeak message about focus, not a sign that Devin's about to get passed by other Bucks who are just as bored by the idea of routes. No, he doesn't fit "The Profile(TM)." No, he's "not good at playing school." He runs really fast downfield, and sometimes makes ridiculous one-handed stabs. The upside here is best receiver in the conference. The floor is I finally have something to stretch the defense vertically.

And with that I declare the Maryland receiver fair official opened.

ROUND 12 - PICK 2: Jeremy Langford, RB, MSU

O: QB Devin Gardner (UM), RB Jeremy Langford (MSU) WR Kenny Bell (Neb), WR Shane Wynn (IU), OT Donovan Smith (PSU), C Austin Blythe (Iowa)
D: DE Joey Bosa (OSU), DE Noah Spence (OSU), LB Jake Ryan (UM), LB Mike Hull (PSU) CB Sojourn Shelton (Wisky), S Kurtis Drummond (MSU),

BISB: Haha, Seth, you... eh, I've got nothing. Those picks are probably pretty good. But remember when you took Venric Mark with the 12th overall pick?

Langford ain't fancy, but he's certainly productive. But his 1422 rushing yards were the third-most of any returning rusher (behind Abdullah and Gordon, who were gone like 7 rounds ago). He scored 18 touchdowns on the ground, which was the most in the Big Ten and 6 more than anyone who returns this year. And he rushed for over 100 yards in his final seven Big Ten games as well as the Big Ten Championship game. He's a patient runner who sets up blocks well, and he runs through tackles well and falls forward. His 4.9 YPC average isn't spectacular, but neither was his offense. Value in the 12th round.

INTERLUDE

BISB: Is anyone else looking forward to Brian's first postgame press conference?

~"So, Coach Cook, how's the back seven shaping up?"

~"Well, we've got Trae Waynes, who's pretty good. And then we're just playing a lot of weird guys."

Also, it's worth noting that I grabbed Langford now because Seth pointed out that everyone else grabbed running backs several rounds ago, and I figured that while it didn't violate the letter of the draft laws (there isn't even a requirement to grab ANY running backs; they're all "skill players"), my holding out violated the spirit.

/Looks at quarterback situation
ಠ ಠ

SETH: I don't see anything wrong with the quarterbacks. Ace, do you see anything wrong with the quarterbacks?

ACE: Nothing wrong with the quarterbacks at all, Seth. Nothing. At. All.

ROUND 12 - PICK 3: John Lowdermilk, S, Iowa

wait, this happened?

O: RB Ameer Abdullah (NE), WR Devin Funchess (U-M), TE Maxx Williams (MN), LT Brandon Scherff (IA), LG Kaleb Johnson (RU)

D: DE Shilique Calhoun (MSU), DE/DT Andre Monroe (MD), NT Darius Kilgo (MD), OLB Chi Chi Ariguzo (NW), OLB Matt Robinson (MD), CB Desmond King (IA), S John Lowdermilk (IA)

ST: KR/PR Ameer Adbullah (NE)

ACE: Iowa had one of the best all-around defenses in the country last year. While they're due for some regression with the loss of BJ Lowery and their excellent trio of linebackers, they'll have to regress quite a bit to not be one of the better defenses in the Big Ten:

They surged back to a top-15 overall level, and aside from not quite making enough stops in the red zone, they were weakness-free. They were good on all downs (great on first and second), good in all quarters (great in the first and second), great at making offenses inefficient (12th in Success Rate+), great at creating good field position for the offense (which tends to go hand-in-hand with efficiency), and great at preventing big plays (eighth in IsoPPP+).

Iowa finished 10th in overall defensive S&P+, 7th in rushing, and 13th in passing—the passing mark is especially impressive considering the Hawkeyes didn't generate much in the way of a pass rush (54th in adjusted sack rate). The secondary did an excellent job of preventing big plays, and that wasn't because they allowed opponents to dink and dunk their way down the field—opponents completed just 54.9% of their passes against the Hawkeyes (23rd nationally) and posted just 5.7 YPA (5th). In Iowa's Cover 2-heavy scheme, a lot of that success had to do with the steady play of the safeties. 

Their best safety last year was clearly John Lowdermilk, who—like my top corner, Desmond King—was in his first year as a starter in Iowa's defense, playing in a secondary that returned starters Lowery and Tanner Miller. In 2012—with Lowery, Miller, and that group of linebackers—Iowa finished 89th in passing S&P+. That's a heck of an improvement in one year, and I've got two players who played a huge hand in Iowa's return to the defensive elite.

That's not just because Lowdermilk can stay disciplined in a deep half. He recorded 78 tackles (36 solo) and 4.5 TFLs on a very strong run defense, and his ability to flow to the play stood out when I watched Iowa on film last year:

Safeties Tanner Miller and John Lowdermilk both did very well in run support and weren't tested at all in coverage; they flow downhill quickly and don't miss many tackles. The BTN play-by-play guy noted that Lowdermilk is "a lot faster than you would think," because he closes quickly and is white.

Lowdermilk can play either safety spot, hold down a deep half, and also come up and be a factor in the run game. After taking Northwestern's Ibraheim Campbell in the first Draftageddon and regretting it almost immediately, I've learned my lesson—when it comes to safeties, throw the gaudy individual stats out the window, look at the strength of the pass defense as a whole, and go from there. Campbell may be a few spots above Lowdermilk in NFL Draft rankings, but I feel much more comfortable with the latter playing on the back end of my defense.

INTERLUDE

BRIAN: Wait... did Ace just take a white Iowa safety?

They're all the same! Thatsracist.gif.

BISB: Not only did Ace take an Iowa safety, he did so with a Maryland safety AND a Northwestern safety toward the top of the board.

Guys, I'm worried about Ace.

ROUND 12 - PICK 4: CB Jordan Lucas, Penn State
ROUND 13 - PICK 1: QB Christian Hackenberg, Penn State

I AM… PENN STATE

O: QB Braxton Miller (OSU), QB Christian Hackenberg (PSU), RB Melvin Gordon (WI), WR Stefon Diggs (MD), OT Rob Havenstein(WI), G Kyle Costigan(WI), G Dallas Lewallen(WI)

D: DE Frank Clark(MI), DE Therien Cockran (MN), DT Darius Hamilton(RU), DT Carl Davis(IA), CB Trae Waynes (MSU), CB Jordan Lucas (PSU)

BRIAN: I didn't get either of the rising sophomore breakout corners but I'm just fine with taking the rising junior. You may remember Jordan Lucas jumping in front of Jeremy Gallon during last year's Penn State game on a play that required excellent anticipation. He had a whopping 16 passes defended last year, on par with NFL draftees Bradley Roby and Stanely Jean-Baptiste, and did that on a team that was fourth in the Big Ten in YPA allowed--unlike the Indiana cornerback we're all fleeing from his numbers come as part of a good pass defense, one on which he was the undisputed top corner (Lucas's running mate was yanked from the lineup for CB/S Andre Amos midseason).

Film shows Lucas to bring something else to the table, and it's Brady Hoke's favorite thing in the world:

Physicaltoughhardness. This is a cornerback who wants to punish you, and he was aggressive enough to notch an impressive 4.5 TFLs last year from a spot that rarely acquires them. As a true sophomore with excellent size at six-foot-even he should improve further from his honorable mention All Big Ten status from a year ago.

-----------------------------------------

I've been thinking: yeah, I am in the process of assembling an unstoppable death machine of a running game, but what if I do end up in third and long at some point? Unlikely, I know. So, so unlikely. But in that event I may want more of a pocket passer. Also, Miller does tend to get banged up so I want some insurance.

WILDCARD, BITCHES!

YEEEEEEEEEHAWWWWWWWWWWWWW

I was going to wait and grab someone else but I never dreamed a true freshman big-time recruit coming off a year in which he put up 7.5 YPA and a 20:10 TD-INT ratio would still be on the board at this late juncture.

What say you, NFL scout guy?

"Hackenberg helped the Nittany Lions knock off a couple of Big Ten heavyweights (Michigan and Wisconsin), while displaying the kind of grit and determination scouts covet in franchise quarterbacks. With Hackenberg also showing impressive arm strength, anticipation and awareness at this stage of his career, NFL scouts are already salivating about his potential at the next level."

Oh. How about that.

Don't worry guys, Joel Stave's still available. WILDCARD, BITCHES!

INTERLUDE

SETH: Since I've appointed myself official translator of draft analysis bullshit, allow me to clarify a few of those descriptions for the readership.

• Grit: Able to stand on the sidelines while Al Borges craven-balls away the game. Also, is white.
• Determination: Able to lob a ball in the direction of Allen Robinson to the exact spot that the cornerback covering him would have to, I dunno, phase out of reality in that instant not to intercept it. Also, is white.
• Franchise quarterback: is white.

Knocking NFL draft evals more than the pick. FWIW the PSU guys think he's Chad Henne 2005, IE a quality guy with "really good" still some year in the future, currently capable of hitting Mario Manningham or Tacopants right in the numbers.

…

[28 THREE DAYS LATER]

BISB: I'm really hoping that with three days to think about it, Ace has talked himself into pulling the trigger on Kyle Prater.

THE CURRENT SITUATION

Yes.Terrific article from John U Bacon on ticket sales and program malaise and the things we've been talking about all summer. There are about five money quotes. Here's one:

Brandon said, “We all think of every home Michigan football game like a miniature Super Bowl.”

I don’t know any Michigan fans who think that.  Quite the opposite, they think Michigan football games are the antidote for the artificial excess of the Super Bowl.

Bacon has hit a nerve here—his server is imploding under the pressure.

The problem with Dave Brandon is that he is a mediocrity in a suit with one skill, which is wearing the suit. Unfortunately, this is who is in charge most places. But when Georgia fans, who were until recently saddled with one of our nation's greatest suited mediocrities in Michael Adams, are pointing at us and saying "it could be worse"… well, it ain't good.

At least we have the student government?

The move to general admission was fairly disastrous for Michigan last fall, and former student body president Michael Proppe launched a survey of students midway through the season.

“It was so overwhelmingly negative, we knew we had to come up with something,” Proppe said.

The first survey that had 6,000 respondents was taken after the fourth home game and responses — including 76 percent saying they did not approve of general admission — were shared with the athletic department.

“It just didn’t really work,” he said.

A second survey administered with the athletic department gave a better gauge of what students want. They were asked to rank what’s most important for their game-day experience, and No. 1 was being able to sit with friends. Interestingly, students said having Wi-Fi was the lowest priority.

“That is such a misconception that putting in Wi-Fi is going to get students to show up,” Proppe said.

Michael Proppe for AD. Seriously.

Also yes. Bo Pelini suggests doing away with Signing Day altogether, which I almost support for this reason:

"If somebody has offered a kid, let him sign, it's over," Pelini told ESPN.com on Wednesday. "That will stop some of the things that are happening -- people just throwing out offers, some of them with really no intention of taking a kid."

The "almost" part is that the kid should be able to get out of the LOI if the coach he committed to gets the axe. The best system would maintain the Signing Day hoopla but also feature a non-binding LOI that you could sign whenever that would 1) prevent coaches from contacting you, 2) prevent you from taking an official visit to another school, 3) let the coaches you signed with talk to you whenever they want, and 4) guarantee you a scholarship at school X.

you get better pictures from the Mars lander

Well that clears up everything. The Ann Arbor News has an in-depth investigation about whether Taylor Lewan was the guy who punched some Ohio State fans who were begging to get punched ("Munsch had been walking around with a megaphone … taunted U-M fans on the street and inside the Brown Jug") after last year's edition of The Game. They have video that clears nothing up and quotes that contradict each other from about a dozen different people.

My takeaway is that this is time that could have been better spent finding anything else out. It seems like this incident has gotten a ton of attention for some drunk bar punchin' such as happens just about everywhere most years.

The last time I mentioned a potential transfer coming in for a visit it worked out all right. West Virginia shooting guard Eron Harris will be on campus this weekend, and a commitment to someone should be forthcoming soon. Harris has already been at Purdue and Michigan State, his other two finalists.

Perhaps relevant: MSU just landed a commitment from 2015 OH SG Kyle Ahrens, a guy who was vaguely on Michigan's radar. Harris is effectively a 2015 SG, so that may be a signal MSU doesn't have a great vibe with him.

2016 IN PG Eron Gordon is also slated to be on campus this weekend, and then the Michigan elite camp will bring in all manner of 2016 gentlemen fighting for Michigan's love and vice-versa.

The new guy.MGoVideo has a supercut of every Ty Isaac touch from last year. Sorry, you'll have to go over there—no embedding. I'm a little torn—Isaac doesn't look particularly explosive but then he outruns defensive backs in that game against Cal. Maybe he's just one of those guys who don't look like they're moving at high speed but somehow are. Guys do tend to bounce off him; Isaac had some nice chunks of YAC and tends to fall forward when that's at all a possibility.

You cannot be seeeeeeeerious. The NCAA published a snippy little press release about the portion of the O'Bannon case that EA settled on that must be seen to be believed:

The NCAA did finally find someone in their office who had a dictionary and changed "benefactors" to "beneficiaries." Meanwhile, the NCAA claiming that the "real benefactors" are the lawyers, who have dared to make money off the backs of student-ath…

uh… this is a terrible idea
I know, but that's never stopped us before

…DARED TO MAKE MONEY OFF THE BACKS OF STUDENT-ATHLETES is just… wow, man.

And they're probably going to try to draw a line between athletes being compensated for the use of their likeness in a court case and being compensated for the use of their likeness legally. I set the over under on exploded heads at NCAA HQ in the next two years at 2.5.

None of this does anything. The hockey rules committee was looking at some notable changes including three-quarter shields and changes to overtime procedure. Those all went away. The most notable change they have suggested:

Faceoff Location– Offensive Scoring Opportunity: If the offensive team is attempting to score and the puck goes out of play – the faceoff will remain in the attacking zone.

Okay.

Status quo. Jake Butt is still on track to return by week three:

"I don't think we know (exactly when he'll be back) yet, but I wouldn't expect him back until after week three," Hoke said. "He feels great, he thinks he's Superman. They all do at that age.

"But he feels good."

Hoke said the hope is to get Butt back to seeing live contact action after the week three game against Miami-Ohio -- at the earliest.

This will be interesting. The Ed O'Bannon case kicks off Monday. SI has a primer and the NCAA witness list, which consists of folks disproportionately relevant to you: both Brandon and Mary Sue Coleman are on it, as are MSU AD Mark Hollis and Jim Delany. It seems like bad news that one of the economists on the NCAA side has this quote in a book of his:

“The NCAA restricts competition in a number of important activities. To reduce bargaining power by student athletes, the NCAA creates and enforces rules regarding eligibility and terms of compensation.”

It'll be interesting, but not suspenseful. Claudia Wilken, the judge in the case, has already dismissed the word "amateurism" and ruled that the NCAA can't even mention non-revenue sports, leaving:

Her reasoning is that no one forces schools to sponsor teams that can't financially support themselves, so she considers the impact on those teams irrelevant in the eyes of the law. This doesn't leave much for the NCAA to argue except the pro-competitive aspects of its rules.

A pro-competitive aspect that anyone who's ever looked at a recruiting site knows doesn't exist and the SEC commissioner just said this about:

“I consider this period of time one of the historic moments that all of us are witnesses to — an evolutionary change where we put the student-athletes first and we build our philosophies on the student-athlete rather than the so-called level playing field,” Slive said.

The NCAA is gon' die. Their current arguments are straightforward descriptions of functioning markets.

"In those circumstances, it is basic economics that allowing cash payments for (name, image and likeness usage) for the first time will tilt the distribution of talent and success towards colleges and universities with more cash to spend."

And?

Oh, and this one.

They are only in the stadium at all because their colleges and universities have agreed to let them play ... (Athletes) cannot own the right to broadcast their games when they need the same permission that broadcasters do to be in the stadium at all.

The only tension is in how fast the NCAA will get laughed out of court.

Etc.: Caris finds his way onto a list of the top 15 draft prospects already in school. If you have no idea about soccer here's a good place to start. Looking at next year's softball team. MVictors points out a Kickstarter for old-timey jerseys. B10 championship to stay in Indy; basketball tournament to still mostly rotate between Chicago and Indy. North Carolina's Rashad McCants says the school bit of his career was a total sham.

HOT. Jozy scored a scorcher, the team worked a beautiful goal, and Tim Howard was all but untroubled until Omar Gonzalez entered and the US flailed about ineptly with three central defenders. That was like the Panama game I love referencing except against a World Cup-quality outfit, the most recent African champions at nearly full strength. At the moment I'm not even mad about Landon Donovan. That's how good that was.

Highlights.

The alternate universe. After a dismal performance from Brad Davis against Turkey I suggested that the alternate universe version of the USA lineup might forget all about having a nominal winger guy at left mid and just field ALL THE CENTRAL MIDFIELDERS because hey, why not. This happened, and it was terrific.

And it had the opposite effect you might expect on the USA's width. They were able to cover the flanks much better in this game and because of that, the fullbacks—both fullbacks—were comfortable getting upfield. It's a lot easier to make that surge when you've got Beckerman and Jones looking for it and offering to cover instead of just one.

Speaking of Jones…

Pictured: Jones, pre-Beckerman

Off the chain. Even if you don't appreciate the things Beckerman does himself, the fact that his addition lets Bradley and Jones range about the field pressuring opponents with their endurance and athleticism was a revelation and demands his inclusion going forward.

Jones felt like a wonderful player for most of this game. I have spent the last four years going "bleah" about him and demanding that he eat bench so that Bradley can be the offensive force the US needs him to be. But what if I told you Bradley was up the field and Jones was roaring around the field and it was all just fine? ESPN presents 30 for 30: Kyle Beckerman, The Man Who Didn't Move.

Jones did. Goddang he did move. There were multiple instances where he flew in at speed and removed a ball from Nigeria's possession. While his positioning as a pure holder is questionable, his defensive instincts and effort are top-notch, as he demonstrated after a dangerous Beckerman turnover when he recovered to clear a ball that would have been totally uncovered if this was the Turkey game. And then there was the 70-yard run to end a Nigeria break where Jones went from the potential target of a through ball just outside Nigeria's box to an interception on the edge of the USA's. Once you realized it was the same guy on both ends of that play it was… I be like dang.

The one-game turnaround from Davis/Chandler to Jones/Beasley was incredible. What happens on that turnover if Davis in in the game? It doesn't go out of bounds harmlessly, that's for sure.

There's a clear and large gap between Jones's ability going forward and Bradley's, but when freed up to go get the ball he was the bald eagle's equal. Two of those guys in one midfield suddenly seems tough to deal with, especially since both were going full blast 85 minutes into a friendly that had seen Nigeria wither.

Something weird: check. Poke a USA fan on the internet today and you'll get an exclamation about Jozy's second goal and then a comment about how the formation worked well. Everyone will tell you a different formation, though. MLSsoccer.com has back-to-back articles labeling it the "Christmas Tree" 1-2-3-4…

In USMNT's new "Chrismas tree" formation, Kyle Beckerman plays starring role

…and the diamond…

Three Things: USMNT commit to the diamond and it finally starts to shine

…while ESPN and various other people on the internet asserted it was Klinsmann's standard-ish 4-2-3-1. If you ask me that was… weird. Everyone's right, and everyone's wrong.

On defense the shape was generally the Christmas Tree that was briefly unpopular a couple years back: either Dempsey or Altidore was up top with the other withdrawn next to Bradley; behind that there was a line of Jones-Beckerman-Bedoya.

Except when it fell into a diamond for folks who wanted to advocate for diamondness.

Functionally, Bradley would apply high pressure while the back line of three provided shielding and covered for the backs when they advanced. The withdrawn forward very occasionally did some covering on the left, mostly when it was Jozy.

In possession it was hugely mutable and definitely asymmetric, with Bedoya ranging upfield as a winger and Bradley pulling centrally as the withdrawn forward pushed higher. Bedoya's upfield run put him in position to get the hockey assist on the first goal, with Johnson cutting inside of him. Approximate location chart in possession:

                            Dempsey                    Altidore

                                             Bradley                              Bedoya

                     Jones      

Beasley                                Beckerman                         Johnson

                           Besler                         Cameron

Jones did surge upfield from time to time anywhere on the left two-thirds of the field; generally he was more withdrawn.

Jones left, Bedoya right

So what is that? I've seen it described as just about anything; it felt like a 4-3-3*, but with one of the wingers flipped with Bradley on defense, so I guess a diamond, except not. Which is not something I've ever seen before. I will probably resort to calling it "Nigeria" in the event it lasts. Which it should, right?

*[Distinguishing characteristic of the 4-3-3: three central midfielders with one playing behind the other two.]

Spiritual formation. Forgetting the positions for a moment, the US featured:

• two offensive players with minimal defensive responsibilities, one of whom would link with the midfield
• two box to box midfielders
• one defensively-oriented right winger
• one holding mid
• a wide fullback
• an in-cutting fullback
• two central defenders

If you forced me to put a name on it I would call it an asymmetric 4-3-3. A slightly less weird version of that has historically been my preferred Football Manager formation, so obviously Klinsmann has found something here.

Rope a dope. The US soaked ineffectual pressure for about 20 minutes before finding its stride, and by ten minutes into the second half they were running rampant over an exhausted Nigerian squad. The US has twin advantages here with so many of their players based in MLS (or, in Beasley's case, Mexico): unlike Euro-based gentlemen, MLS players play in the summer, and play where it is hot. Also unlike Euro-based gentlemen they're coming off a recent opportunity to rest. Hopefully fitness will be a key advantage in the sweltering heat of Brazil.

Beas with ease. Even before the game, Klinsmann was telling reporters that "Beasley is the starter at left back" in response to questions about why Beasley over Chandler, and then that game happened. With a big assist from the relentless Jermaine Jones, here's both the key passes and crosses from the first 80 minutes (ie, until Gonzalez entered and the US lost its shape in an unfamiliar 3-5-2) mashed into one graph:

That is one pass that got to the box for a shot and one cross that even made it in, for 80 minutes. Fabian Johnson and Bedoya had a bit more trouble but only a bit—none of those crosses were completed and most of the things resembling danger were off corners.

Part of this is the fact that Nigeria's left winger, Victor Moses, is their best attacker, sure. Beasley and Jones completely shut off the US left wing of an offensively-oriented World Cup foe. Beasley's understanding with both Jones and Besler was a world apart from the acres of space Turkey was given.

Johannson T-shirt FTW.

Checking in with irritating striker confidence meme. Jozy had a great flick-on to Dempsey that passed without anyone saying anything about Altidore's confidence level. A few minutes later, he scored from two feet. A few minutes after that, he had another threatening flick-on to continue 180 straight minutes of being a handful and chance-generator up front; Twellman attributes it to the goal he just scored from two feet. Argh, argh.

Now, the second goal, that's a confidence booster, if you believe confidence has much to do with it.

Your eleven for Ghana. I wouldn't make a change. The only US player under threat is Bedoya since Zusi does have a skill set the rest of the roster does not, but Bedoya's corners were superior to a couple of weak Zusi efforts in the last game, and even though Bedoya's final ball wasn't quite there most of the day he did make a lot of correct decisions.

The problem comes if and when someone gets the hook because of card accumulation or injury. It's clear Klinsmann was not expecting to have both Beckerman and Jones on the field simulatneously; if that was the case then Maurice Edu would be on this roster. If someone does go out with injury he now seems like the most logical callup, but save chicanery and bad/good luck the US's options are like so if Beckerman goes out:

• Put Jones back on the chain.
• Move Cameron into the midfield and play either Brooks or Gonzalez on D.

Who loves those ideas? Nobody.

This doesn't really exacerbate things otherwise because Jones and Bradley are not replaceable in the pool. It does add another cog that can't get out of whack without damaging the machine.

Depth is an issue. Another Gonzalez appearance ends with the impression that if Gonzalez sees the field in the World Cup it's collar-tugging time, and that's the case around the field. Other than Zusi for Bedoya and possibly striker for tired striker, is there anywhere else a US substitution doesn't make you think "uh-oh?" Large chunks of the roster seem unplayable.

I guess I am still a little peeved about Donovan. I have no faith in Davis or Green to do anything positive if inserted, and that's one too many guys to not have confidence in. Meanwhile a couple others are awkward fits, like Diskerud. Diskerud is Bradley's injury cover, and that's necessary. Unfortunately he doesn't quite fit in any other spot on the field, so when you bring him in it's suboptimal.

Turnovers are another. The US is trying to play like a possession team and isn't quite good enough at it yet. They get caught out a bit too often. Beckerman had a couple of turnovers in bad spots, and the central defenders had issues in previous games. That looms as a potentially devastating issue. It's one the US has to risk, as they have to be able to retain possession better if they're ever going to progress to past the quarterfinal of a World Cup.

Jones is really good at putting out fires, at least.

LET'S GOOOOOOOOO. Let's go, man.

Elsewhere. The great Zonal Marking has started their tactical previews of the World Cup. Directly relevant teams haven't been posted yet, but you can get some schadenfreude from the Mexico analysis. SI on Jozy. Wahl thoughts. Analysis of Portugal-Mexico.

So That Was Odd And Didn't Happen

PROTIP: DON'T GOOGLE IMAGE SEARCH "ABORT" WITHOUT "MISSION"

WVU transfer Eron Harris is headed to MSU, and without ever visiting Ann Arbor. This was seemingly a mutual decision after a conversation before the visit, as Harris had a vision of the way he wanted it to go that Beilein did not share. So, okay. Whatever.

2015 Class: Still Trying To Exist

Moving on, the 2015 roster now looks approximately like this, give or take a Caris NBA departure or miraculous Hatch recovery:

• PG: Walton (Jr), Albrecht (Sr)
• SG: MAAR(So)
• SF: Irvin (Jr), Dawkins (So)
• PF: Chatman (So), Wilson (So), Bielfeldt(Sr)
• C: Doyle (So), Donnal (So)

You could probably slide Irvin and Chatman down a spot, but the upshot is that Michigan would like a guy approximately shaped like a shooting guard. Given the age and NBA departure threat levels of the folks on the roster, a PG/SG combo would be a nice fit. Prime candidates include offerees like MI combo Eric Davis, IL PG Jalen Brunson, and IN SG Jalen Coleman. All of these gentlemen have Michigan in a leading group, and MSU adding two 2015 SG types in a couple days should help Michigan out—MSU is also in the lead group for all those gentlemen.

Status for those three:

Daviswants to narrow by July, take officials in August and September, and decide by October. He wants to shoot a lot of threes, so we've got that going for us.

Brunsonhas a top eight including Michigan that he wants to narrow in August, and then he'll take officials and decide before the November signing period. Playing time has always been a major priority for him, so Michigan might actually want him to wait until spring. If he decides before it's clear whether Caris enters the draft (or Walton—longshot I know, but I'd like to introduce you to 10% of this year's first round).

Coleman, as per usual, has not provided any indication of when or where he might commit. He did tell a 247 gentleman that he was planning on "cutting his list soon" and that fit (check), opportunity (likely check) and proximity to home (eh… close enough?) are his main priorities.

Coleman has been too busy making rims explode on the AAU circuit to get too much into recruiting, where he's shooting 50% from three on almost 100 attempts. 247's Crystal Ball still says Michigan almost all the way, but with Coleman telling folks that "to this point, Coleman's dad has been in charge of the recruitment—with Jalen having little involvement" means that you should take any and all thoughts/hopes Michigan leads with a graint of salt.

2015 Big Options

If Chatman does end up sliding down to the 3, which is very possible with his skill set, Michigan would have a reasonably-sized opening for either a 4 or a 5, depending on where they want to play Mark Donnal long term. There are a couple options in this recruiting class still.

One is OH PF Esa Ahmad, who's a little undersized at 6'7" but has been playing well and is planning visits to both MSU and Michigan. Another is 6'10" Henry Ellenson, a power forward out of Wisconsin with three point range and a lot of high-major interest. Michigan is currently on the periphery pending the all-important visit:

"Michigan was at my house, and so was Michigan State," Ellenson said. "Michigan has been talking to me lately. I like Coach [John] Beilein down there. He is a great guy and easy to talk to.

"I know I will take my five officials next fall, but I'm not sure where I am going yet. I know they are big on coming to campus. We'll just see if the timing works out."

Get 'em on campus, etc. Ahmad and Ellenson are both ranked around 50 or 60 most places… except ESPN, which has Ellenson 5th(!) overall.

2016: Comin'

Michigan's elite camp has come and gone with three headliners: NJ SG Tyus Battle, NV PG Derryck Thornton Jr, and MI PG Cassius Winston, all 2016 five-stars. Those three were the class of the camp, according to Scout. Sam Webb on Thornton($):

This kid has all of the tools. Elite quickness, explosion, three-point range, and he is unselfish. He crossed too many players over to really keep track of and was generally capable of getting to wherever he wanted on the floor.  Thornton excels in space, which is why it wasn’t a surprise to see him wave off ball screens.  He just doesn’t need them to leverage on a defender.

[Much, much more at the link, FWIW.]

Despite that, the Scout guys generally thought Winston was better right now, though Thornton had more upside because of the whole nobody-can-stay-in-front thing. Battle is a lights-out 6'5" shooter.

Other notables($) included IN SG Kyle Guy ("a much smaller Nik Stauskas"), OH C Jon Teske ("6-10 and skilled … the physical part will come"), and OH SF Seth Towns ("6-7 shooter" whose shot wasn't falling). I don't think Guy or Teske will get offers until M lets Battle and TJ Leaf think about theirs; Towns is still a possibility since Michigan doesn't seem to have a guy obviously in front of him on their board, but it sounds like that offer may take a little bit longer to come.

Teske seems like he's almost recruiting M at this point, and a 6'10" guy with skill inside and out is someone Michigan will be keeping an eye on.

Thorton's vague top five

Thornton told Scout that five teams were coming for him hardest: Kentucky, Michigan, UConn, Cal, and USC. Those kind of statements are generally soft top X lists, and it seems unlikely Cal or USC can hang with the two teams that just met in the NC game and Derryck's dad's coach. Thornton on M($):

“Their offense is so spread out. They’re about development but the offense is really spread out, the bigs are mobile and there’s a lot of pick and roll stuff. They key on development and I love that.”

Thornton has no timetable but it sounds like he might get things over quickly.

Battle, meanwhile, is headed to Villanova next. He told a national scout reporter that Michigan was coming after him hard in a way that may be meaningful:

“It’s early but I already have 20 offers,” noted Battle. “Michigan has been recruiting me hard, Villanova, Syracuse, Ohio State, Duke, and several other schools.”

Michigan may be recruiting him harder than everyone else because Thornton is recruiting for them? Yeah! That's the ticket. That is the ticket.

But Is He ELITE? (Yes.)

via cleveland.com

Before rankling a certain perpetually aggrieved blogger with one of the most innocuous rivalry tweets ever, Alex Malzone earned himself a bid to the Elite 11 finals with an outstanding performance at the Columbus regional. 247's Barton Simmons put him at the top of the list when running down the best QBs in the "Pressure Chamber" drill (video above):

Alex Malzone – Malzone, the Michigan commit, had a very solid evening and had one of the better arms at the event. He also has good active feet in and outside the pocket. He could blend in at times but he definitely rose to the occasion during his pressure chamber showing. Of his five throws, four of them were dimes that he threw with a lot of command. He missed on a dig route but all in all, he had a strong output on his rival’s field. Later Monday night Malzone earned an invitation to the Elite 11 finals, securing one of the final 18 spots.

Scout's Allen Trieu was also impressed, though it sounds like Malzone still has a little work to do on his mechanics ($):

Malzone was generally on the money. His passes down the seam were excellent and showed the arm to hit the deep outs as well. As noted in the past, he has a hitch in his delivery, but the ball comes out of his hand nicely, with good pace, and he's an accurate passer.

Fellow commit Tyree Kinnel took the field last weekend at the Rivals Five-Star Challenge and ranked #5 on their list of top defensive backs at the invite-only event ($):

Multiple times on out routes, Kinnel came up and stepped in front of the pass. He showed off great instincts and a great ability to read receivers' routesand then come up to make the play. Kinnel's backpedal is smooth and then he turns and runs well with receivers. Kinnel is set with his Michigan commitment.

Interestingly, Rivals listed Kinnel as a cornerback; while Michigan recruited him as a safety, he's displayed the requisite coverage ability to have positional flexibility in the secondary. After the event, Kinnel told the Daily's Alejandro Zuniga he's fully committed to U-M despite recent overtures from Alabama and Michigan State.

[Hit THE JUMP for coverage of Ty Isaac's impact on the 2015 RB situation, Grant Newsome's upcoming decision, weekend visit reactions, a potential five-star visitor, and more.]

Running Back Roulette Continues

Despite the transfer of Ty Isaac to Michigan, the Wolverines are still pursuing running backs in the 2015 class. Determining which back is most likely to end up in the class is still difficult, however. Despite making their way into his top eight this week, it looks increasingly unlikely that U-M will regain a commitment from Damien Harris, per The Wolverine's Michael Spath ($):

Another source close to the situation told TheWolverine.com that Michigan probably would not have taken Isaac if Harris was still in the fold. 

"The way it was conveyed to me is that when Ty Isaac first became available, Michigan wasn't 100 percent certain whether they'd roll out the red carpet, but over these last few weeks, it's become more apparent that they're losing ground with Harris, and when you can add a five-star running back, and you're going to lose out on a five-star running back, you absolutely have to go for it," the source said. 

While the Harris recruitment continues to trend poorly, the same can't be said for Mike Weber, who was on campus for the second time in a week's span yesterday. Even though Michigan couldn't crack Weber's recent top three, he told GBW's Josh Newkirk that could change at any time, especially given how hard they've recruited him lately ($):

“Really, if they keep doing what they are doing – anything can change,” Weber said. “It could change tomorrow. So you never really know what’s going to happen. I just think if Michigan keeps doing what they are doing, anything can happen. Michigan is a good look.”

Weber also said the coaches told him he's "the guy they are looking for" at running back, and that Isaac's move to Ann Arbor won't affect his decision.

A few other options either plan to visit campus or are considering one. Florida four-star Jacques Patrick should stop by while he's in the state... now. Fellow Sunshine State four-star back Ray-Ray McCloud III claimed he has no favorites despite the perception Florida and Clemson are out in front, and per Chris Balas, Michigan is one of the schools he plans to check out ($):

"I know for sure I am going to UCLA, USC and Oregon, then maybe Florida, Florida State and Miami," he said during the weekend's Rivals.com Five-Star Challenge presented by Under Armour. "I am supposed to go to Nebraska and Michigan."

If McCloud indeed makes it to campus, Michigan will have to make a strong impression, as he hasn't ruled out a summer decision.

Four-star Miami (YTM) RB commit Dexter Williams, meanwhile, gave 247's Ryan Bartow one of the most refreshingly honest quotes in recent memory ($):

How firm is that [Miami] pledge?

“I would say 100 but (it's) 80,” Williams told 247Sports Tuesday night. “I’m still open.”

Williams said USC and Tennessee are running second and third behind the 'Canes, then added he may also take an official to Michigan. While I wouldn't say U-M has a great shot at any of the last three guys mentioned, the more lottery tickets, the better chance at hitting jackpot.

Newsome Decision Imminent

Four-star NJ OT Grant Newsome took visits to Penn State and Michigan last week, and it appears he's ready to make his decision; per 247's Steve Lorenz, one could come as soon as this Saturday ($):

"[Michigan and PSU] are similar programs in my mind," he said, "and that's why they're the two schools I am deciding between. I'm thinking of deciding next Saturday, and if not next Saturday, then sometime soon after that. I'm going to talk with my parents about each program and kind of try to figure out the pros and cons and work it from there. I've seen everything I need to see from both schools, and I know my parents like both programs and are going to be happy regardless of where I go. At this point, I think it's going to end up coming down to a gut feeling for me.I really am not sure which school I am going to choose at this point."

Newsome had great things to say about his most recent visit, from his interactions with the coaches to the M-PACT academic presentation to spending time with Alex Malzone. Given how soon he's deciding and how close the race appears to be, I won't venture to guess where Newsome will end up—insiders on both sides feel good about this one.

Michigan hosted a couple other unofficial visitors over the weekend. 2015 TX WR Adrian "A.D." Miller told Josh Newkirk "everything went great" and after seeing how he'd fit into the offense he's seriously considering U-M ($):

“They are pretty high on my list,” Miller said. “They are one of the schools I am really considering. After my visit, they are one of my top schools.”

2016 four-star OH WR Justin Layne stopped by for a quick three-hour tour and afterwards told Lorenz where U-M stands among his top schools ($):

"I'd say my top three schools are Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State," Layne noted. "I really have liked those three visits the most and like what they have to offer me. There hasn't really been a big difference at this point for me between those schools, and I have more visits I want to take. That's just who I would have as my top three right now."

Layne is getting early national attention, so we'll see if his top group continues to have a strong Midwest flavor after further visits.

2015 Updates: Five-Star Visit In The Works?

I haven't written much about five-star CA CB Iman Marshall even though Michigan has been on the periphery of his recruitment for a while, mostly due to the usual skepticism that a top California prospect would end up in the Big Ten. I can't ignore him any longer after what he said at the Rivals elite camp, per Chris Balas ($):

"My guy Fred Canteen is up there and he's one of my guys I work out with," Marshall said. "He's true freshman [receiver] going to start this year, so I'm excited for him. 

"Michigan is especially a strong program. I'm excited for them. They have good tradition and the networking is outstanding. I want to go down there for an unofficial or an official, see the program and see how it is, get a feel of the program for myself."

Okay! While many expect Marshall to pick between USC and UCLA, he plans to make a Signing Day decision, so there's plenty of time for other schools—Michigan included—to work their way to the top of his list.

The Wolverines made the top ten for four-star WR Auden Tate; if you like reading into such things, while Tate says it's an unordered list, he put Michigan at the top.

Four-star MN WDE Jashon Cornell gave the lowdown on where his top schools stand to 247's Steve Wiltfong ($):

“It’s like Ohio State and Michigan State at the top,” Cornell said. “I can’t pick between who I want No. 1. You can’t beat both of them. Both schools are really good.”

...

“Michigan and Penn State are right behind them, and UCLA,” Cornell said.

First, sigh. Second, at least U-M has a chance to catch up, as Cornell will be on campus this weekend while in state for the SMSB camp.

Although MD OT Patrick Allen stated Oklahoma is his leader, he's got Michigan in his top five—along with Florida State, Georgia, and Ohio State—and per Scout's Rachel Klein the recruiting efforts of Malzone have made an impression on him ($):

“It was funny the quarterback who is committed to Michigan, Alex Malzone, he hit me up and was talking to me about how he wants me to come up there and block for him,” Allen said. “I guess the coaches have been telling him about me, that was pretty crazy and I was just thinking …wow they must really want me if they had another recruit him me up to ask me to come block for him.” 

Malzone's name has popped up in a whole lot of other recruit's quotes since his commitment; Michigan appears to have the "let your recruits recruit for you" approach down to a science.

If you missed it, Brandon posted an update on four-star SDE Darian Roseboro last week. Happy trails are due to another of U-M's defensive end targets, as VA four-star Clelin Ferrellcommitted to Clemson last week.

2016 Updates: Two New Offers

Brandon posted last week that Michigan's latest 2016 QB offer went out to current Arizona commit Shea Patterson, a Louisiana recruit currently ranked as the #2 pro-style QB in the class. The fifth 2016 QB to earn a Michigan offer, Patterson said he plans to visit within the next few weeks, and he told GBW's Kyle Bogenschutz about his connection to the program ($):

“It was awesome,” he said. “It’s a huge offer for me. I actually grew up 30 or 40 minutes from Ann Arbor [in Toledo] so that was great.

“My mom and dad were actually season ticket holders when I lived in Ohio and my dad was a huge Michigan fan back then. I still have a lot of family up there so, getting that offer, it’d be cool to play in front of them.”

Patterson said his dad was "calling everyone and their mother" after hearing about the U-M offer. Meanwhile, his older brother is a grad assistant at Arizona, where Shea is currently committed. Awkward family dinners may be in their future.

U-M also offered four-star VA CB Levonta Taylor, one of 2016's most sought-after defensive backs; per an interview with Rivals, he may be keeping a close eye on how Michigan utilizes Jabrill Peppers ($):

"All my offers [are in it]," he said. "I want to go to the best program that is good for me, starts true freshmen and puts DBs in the league. Miami has from the past, Clemson does here and there and Michigan State."

Taylor is definitely a "wait and see if he visits" recruit for now.

Yup.

There's so much BS out there. We want you to be a part of 'our can of swag' or whatever. It got to the point where I just couldn't be a part of it anymore.

Yup.

Now playing: Oh, Inverted World

so so fast

Not so fast. Incoming transfer Ty Isaac wants to play next year, and has at least some sort of case to do so. Is it enough? While we are talking about an insane organization that could do anything, the consensus is probably not.

"(The family health issue) has to be a debilitating injury," said John Infante, a former NCAA compliance officer who operates the popular "Bylaw Blog" for AthNet. "It doesn't have to be life-threatening, necessarily, but it would have to be something that prevented her from working or getting around, if it's a surgery for hearing loss, I'm not sure if that'll qualify, but it might."

And then the 100-mile thing kicks in. If Isaac was 109 miles away, you could probably fudge the difference. Michigan's distance from Peoria might be problematic.

From Michigan's perspective, moving Isaac a year behind Smith and Green is better for roster balance… but not so good for this year, when offensive production is critical for the perception of the program.

O'Bannoning. The O'Bannon trial kicked off yesterday, and there were highlights. The NCAA wanted O'Bannon to know that a man he respected thought college athletes should not be paid.

After establishing that O'Bannon looks up to Bill Walton, attorney pulls up article Walton wrote saying student-athletes shouldn't be paid.

— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) June 9, 2014

It was determined that Noted Legal Scholar Bill Walton has a legally binding opinion and the case ended 15 minutes later with a comprehensive NCAA victory. : (

In case the previous sentence is not true, you may want to read about the issues addressed on day one of the trial. The NCAA is trying to show that the college experience is worth something, which I guess sure it is. How that relates to publicity rights and the law is… well, there's a reason Bill Walton is getting brought up.

In related news, the NCAA blinks in the Keller case, settling that for 20 million. They have again asserted that current student-athletes who receive a check for their likeness will not have their eligibility compromised, because that's ridiculous. As long as compensation for your likeness is mandated by a court after the fact, you can profit off of it.

"In no event do we consider this settlement pay for athletics performance."

It's just getting paid for something without having to sue they have problems with. Delightfully, the NCAA is going to try to argue that there is no market for college athlete's images after settling two lawsuits in which 60 million dollars have been issued in compensation for those images. Oh, and EA says they would have paid if they could have.

Also a prime NCAA argument: the ban on compensation is required for a level playing f—

“If you’ve got a $6 million athletic budget, you shouldn’t be worrying about what I do,” [Washington president Michael] Young contends. “You’re never going to compete with us. We don’t recruit the same players. We don’t even play on the same field. It just doesn’t matter.”

Hm.

A potential factor. The student section is collapsing this year, and MLive has a potential reason why. Prices:

Ohio State -- $252 for 7 games
Penn State -- $218 for 7 games
Wisconsin -- $188 for 7 games
Iowa -- $175 for 7 games, $165 with future alumni group discount
Michigan State -- $175 for 7 games
Nebraska -- $166 for 7 games
Purdue -- $119 for 7 games
Illinois -- $99 for 7 games
Rutgers -- $99 for 6 games
Minnesota -- $90 for 7 games
Indiana -- $60 for 6 games
Maryland and Northwestern -- tickets free with full tuition and student fee payment

Michigan's is 50 bucks more than Ohio State; unlike Ohio State, Michigan is barely above .500 since 2007. And Ohio State has a big game or two on the schedule. Once again, Michael Proppe sounds like the adult:

"We did a survey for students while we were researching the general admission policy, we told them 'assume the price stayed the same, here's the schedule for next year, even if we went back to reserved seating, how many would renew their tickets?' I think it was about 68 percent who said they'd renew.

"(The drop) was pretty predictable, actually, even with going back to a more attractive ticket policy that a lot of people would drop their seats."

And about 68% renewed. It's kind of amazing that it's the student government that had to survey the students.

Brandon:

"What we want is the students who buy tickets to show up," Brandon said. "If what we've done is lost some of the students that really weren't interested in attending, if you're looking at the projected reduction in tickets, that's almost the equivalent of the no-show average we had (last year)."

The no-show rate is not going to go down much, as the kind of people who no-show games aren't the ones for whom three hundred bucks is kind of a big deal. Michael Proppe for athletic director.

Everybody into the pile. I thought Michigan's hockey roster was going to be crowded this fall. Now it's going to be jammed. Michigan picked up a commitment from Ann Arbor native Niko Porikos a couple days back. Porikos is a '93, which means he'll arrive at 21. Generally this is a sign of a gentleman who is destined to be a healthy scratch for most of his career, and… well, yeah, probably.

In Porikos's favor, defensemen do take time to develop, and given the state of the roster it's not like they need a guy to be a practice body.

Michigan has seven defensemen on the roster, plus incoming freshmen Sam Piazza and Cutler Martin. Porikos is number ten…

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!

Zach Werenski and what appears to be a Swedish ten-year old

Michigan has not quite acquired a commitment from U17 defenseman Zach Werenski. Poke a guy on twitter, or especially Mike Spath—who was way out ahead of the story but has to be careful for the same reasons Sam Webb does—and he'll say Werenski is going to bein Ann Arbor. They'll generally do this with an "ugh" because Werenski is kind of a big deal, a potential top ten draft pick, and they are Boston College fans who thought they were going to get him.

The thing is: he's a potential top ten draft pick in 2015, and Werenski is probably going to be playing for Michigan this fall. IE: dude is skipping his senior year of high school. Thus the "eh, maybe" aspect of this whole thing, where Spath drops hints for months and all the news comes from the BC side of things.

Adding Werenski would put Michigan at a whopping 11 defensemen, and while a few of them are not real threats to play (Spencer Hyman redshirted last year; Mike Szuma didn't get a game after playing most of his freshman year), I thought there was some Title IX-related reason that Michigan couldn't have a really big roster. Maybe not? Title IX compliance comes down to a court saying you are or are not, because the law is written pretty vaguely.

While we're on next year's hockey team, Dylan Larkin is ranked ninth by HockeyProspect.com. That's the highest I've seen, and while he's more likely to go in the 20s than the top ten it does seem at this point that he's likely to go in the first round unlike some of Michigan's recent projected first rounders (Compher, Merrill).

So it's come to this. I assume that Erin Lennon of the Daily has not been around too long, so let me gently suggest that this…

…expect Porikos and Michigan’s underclassmen to play key roles in coach Red Berenson’s defensive-minded system.

…is more a product of sad circumstance than intent, and that if you insist on claiming that Red Berenson is some sort of trap aficionado I will become desolately sad.

It was football. Someone remind me next year when the European American Football Championships are on, because when Germany and Austria face off you get reverse passes and squat kickers doing the Manziel:

So Austria's kicker just made the Manziel $$$ sign after nailing a field goal. You should be watching this. pic.twitter.com/zBdMYL5GTK

— Robert Klemko (@RobertKlemko) June 7, 2014

Turns out the Germans and the Austrians have some bad blood here, and that's all you really need.

Etc.: Graham Glasgow was driving a merry car indeed. The NCAA hasn't even bothered to investigate North Carolina. The NCAA would probably prefer it if Washington's president would stop saying things. Mathlete's Lego stadiums make Yahoo.

Sonny Vaccaro's long feud with the NCAA is culminating in the O'Bannon case. EVEN MORE O'BANNON. Stauskas preps for the draft. This headline sounds inflammatory but it's really not.

oh boy

A couple summers ago, I delved back into the blogspot days to look at Brian's 2008 recruiting posts and how well players lived up to expectations. There were high points, like Mike Martin wrestling Not Mike Martin. These were accompanied by lows such as "Dann O'Neill might be Michigan's most critical recruit." The McGuffie mixtape was rewatched, wistfully.

I forgot to continue the series last summer, so I'm picking it back up with the 2009 class; conveniently, all the players from that class have completed their time in the program, so it's easier to give a fair retrospective on their careers. If you want to go back and look though the old posts yourself, the Tate Forcier profile features links to every player.

While that last link is a nice teaser for the offense portion of this exercise, today I'll be looking at the 2009 defensive recruits. Brace yourselves.

Never Forget

I'm gonna go ahead and get the defensive back portion of this post over with, as the four commits in the secondary were Vlad Emilien, Thomas Gordon, Justin Turner, and Adrian Witty. Emilien's projection was a harbinger of doom for U-M's future situation at safety:

Projection: Either sparing special teams time as a freshman or (hopefully) a redshirt. In 2010 will be a major threat to start at strong safety, though he might have to fight Brandon Smith to get a job.

Brian, today, on this quote: "I was so innocent then."

Smith moved to outside linebacker, then announced his intention to transfer near the end of the 2009 season, ending up at Temple and never doing anything of consequence there. Emilien followed a similar path, playing a little special teams as a true freshman, then transferring after the first game in 2010 when Jordan Kovacs put a death grip on the strong safety spot. He ended up as, yup, an outside linebacker at Toledo, where he made 15 tackles as a senior last year.

omg shirtless heroin-laced carrot

Witty never actually made it onto the team due to academic issues, eventually landing at Cincinnati, where he's the top returner in the secondary this year. Not getting him through admissions may be viewed as a recruiting failure, but in context, it was totally worth it:

Adrian Witty, a teammate of Denard Robinson, is Denard Robinson's teammate. On this team, which they share, they play together. Also, Witty and Denard Robinson attended the same high school. At this high school, they played on a team which they shared and played together on: they were teammates.

That should be clear. Many, many folks regard Witty's offer as the heroin-laced carrot used to lure critical QB recruit Denard Robinson away from Urban Meyer's clutches and to Michigan's post-apocalyptic frozen wastes.

Even though Witty would've been, at worst, the second-best defensive back in this class for U-M, there are no hard feelings here. We salute you, heroin-laced carrot.

The most hyped recruit in the class was Massillon, Ohio's Justin Turner, a top-35 overall player to both Rivals and Scout.* It wasn't hard to see what all the excitement was about:

That excitement only grew after Turner tore it up at Army All-American Game, to the point that his recruitment post led off with a discussion of one of those B/R "[touted recruit] is [football titan]" posts:

If you're measuring by delusional expectations of internet denizens, Justin Turner may be the #1 recruit in the universe. You've got to have an avalanche of hype for some guy to write an article saying you're Charles Woodson and get this response:

"Good article, but i see justin turner being faster then charles woodson. I also see turner being a better saftey the woodson was but woodson will be a better return man."

IE: "Good article about some high school senior being the reincarnation of the only defensive player to ever win the Heisman, but don't you think you're selling him a little short? Also I have no recollection of Charles Woodson's return abilities, which were pretty much crap aside from one white hot moment." (Yes, this exchange happened on Bleacher Report. Where else could it?)

Brian took the conservative tack, comparing Turner to... Marlin Jackson. Let's just move along.

The one defensive back to actually make a positive impact on the field at U-M, Cass Tech's Thomas Gordon, came in as a relatively anonymous recruit. He got Brandent Englemon for his "YMRMFSPA" and this projection:

General Excitement Level: Well… he is the lowest-ranked non-kicker in the class, and that's probably for a reason. 
Projection: Obvious redshirt and will likely require at least two years before he's ready to see the field on defense. The most likely (but by no means assured) outcome is that he doesn't contribute much.

Yes, it's possible for a Cass Tech recruit to exceed expectations.

[*ESPN was a skeptical outlier, listing him as their #21 athlete. Point, ESPN.]

Who?

At least Mike Jones provided us this picture.

On to the linebackers: Isaiah Bell, Mike Jones, and Brandin Hawthorne. Brian's assessment of Jones' potential almost nailed it:

General Excitement Level: Eh; I'm expecting one of the OLB recruts to pan out in a big way, one to be okay, and one to wash out. 

Instead, nobody panned out big. Bell washed out before annarbor.com died, Jones saw the field sparingly before playing his fifth year at Western, and Hawthorne topped out as a nickel linebacker.

I won't spend much time on these guys simply because there isn't a whole lot to talk about, but I will note that when a search for a player comparison goes like this, there's a pretty good chance you've got a serious tweener on your hands:

So he's just like Shawn Crable, if Crable was six to eight inches shorter. So he's just like Chris Graham, if Hawthorne was a stiff, clunky guy incapable of shedding blockers and not much for changing direction. He's not like either, actually. I mean, just look at the guy. Linebacker? In college? Er. There's a reason Hawthorne is well down in the rankings.

Brian suggested Hawthorne "may be better suited for a 3-3-5 than a more traditional D," and hoo boy did some bad memories just come flooding back. Quick, to the defensive line!

THORQWASH & The Crab Person

Between this and the legendary hood slide, we're all good, Big Will.

Justin Turner wasn't the only five-star recruit to the established recruiting sites to get some major skepticism from ESPN. Will Campbell's rankings went #35 overall (Scout), #26 overall (Rivals), and... #21 offensive tackle (ESPN). Another point for the Worldwide Leader. Like Turner, an outstanding Army game performance added to the hype, as did pictures like this...

...and, for entirely different reasons, this:

WE GOT THOR.

In retrospect, however, maybe we should've seen Campbell's future weight issues coming:

Campbell is one of the biggest players in the Army game, but he's apparently not ready for the roller coasters when the teams visit Six Flags on Tuesday night.

"There's a weight limit on those things," he said. "I might be on the tea cups."

Even though he didn't have the desired impact until a solid, though not five-star-caliber, senior season, Campbell always gave a hell of a quote. Brian's Gabe Watson comparison was pretty on point; though Big Will didn't come close to Watson's production, they were similar players—jovial, wildly talented, bull-strong, big fans of food—with similar hype coming to Ann Arbor. 

craaaaaaab people craaaaaab people

Michigan landed two defensive ends in the top-100 range in the class: Craig Roh (right) and Anthony LaLota. While Roh never became an edge-rushing terror, he managed to consitently produce and improve despite boucing between positions—not to mention different defensive schemes that didn't necessarily fit his skill set—for his entire career due to factors outside his control. This comparison both worked and, well, didn't work:

Why Shawn Crable? Crable was a 6'6" athletic terror with chicken legs who spent his Michigan career bouncing from DE to OLB and would have been the perfect player to slot in this spinner spot. Crable was also rated right around where Roh is. The comparison here is very tight.

The tweener aspect of the comparison was spot-on, but Roh ended up being a very different player from Crable, more disciplined and able to hold the point of attack but far less explosive off the edge.

As for LaLota, he received one of the most random YMRMFSPA comps in this blog's history:

Alain Kashama… except good!

Kashama was a total project at Michigan, coming in with little football experience—as did LaLota, who played just 12 games of organized football before hitting campus—before settling in as a reserve pass-rushing specialist, eventually totaling six career sacks.

That ended up being six more career sacks than LaLota recorded, as he transferred back to home-state Rutgers two weeks into his sophomore season, where he quit football to focus on his education after a move to tight end saw him buried on the depth chart.

We end with the class curveball, Quinton Washington, whom everybody evaluated as an interior offensive lineman—with most saying he had a ton of potential there, this blog included:

General Excitement Level: High. It's clear the coaches were nuts about this guy and he's got the offers and recruiting mojo to back it up. 
Projection: Though the coaches have suggested Washington might see the field this year—they think he's that ready—a redshirt makes more sense with Schilling's move inside solidifying the interior line. He'll have to fight Ricky Barnum to replace Moosman next year; if he loses that battle he'll be the odds on favorite to replace Schilling in 2011.

Steve Schilling, in fact, was his player comparison. Washington instead moved to nose tackle early in the 2010 season, worked his way into a starting role as a junior, earned the nickname QWASH, and gave the defense a proficient space-eater until his role mysteriously diminished last season.

The real answer is Roh, but one could make a reasonable argument that Michigan's most critical 2009 defensive recruit was a guy who never played a down for the Wolverines: heroin-laced carrot (seriously, Brian, how the hell do you come up with these things?) Adrian Witty.

Newsome at Michigan (via 247) and on the field (Rivals)

Lawrenceville (NJ) Prep OT Grant Newsome announced his commitment to Michigan this morning via a very heartfelt note he posted on Twitter [click for full size]:

Newsome, who chose U-M over Penn State after recent return visits to both schools, is the seventh commit in the 2015 class, joining Jon Runyan Jr. among offensive linemen.

GURU RATINGS

Newsome is rated with remarkable consistency by scouts, to the point that he's ranked higher among offensive tackles on the 247 Composite than any of the four recruiting services. I don't think I've seen that for any player, let alone one who's yet to play his senior season.

There's almost universal agreement about his size, as well. He's listed at 6'7 everywhere but 247 (6'6"), and everybody but Rivals (280 lbs.) pegs his weight at 290. There's little question where Newsome fits on an offensive line—that's prototype tackle size.

SCOUTING

Newsome made his first major mark on the recruiting scene after his sophomore year, when he picked up an offer from Penn State shortly after standing out in their summer camp ($). Unfortunately, no scouting report at that link, but pulling in an offer from a strong recruiting Penn State program that showed major interest in him through two coaching regimes is a pretty good sign.

Scout's free eval likes his mobility and notes he needs some work on technique, which will be two running themes throughout this post:

Newsome is athletic, strong in pass protection and can get to the second level quickly in the running game. He is good drive blocking and does a nice job in pass protection. He has good length and is able to protect the edge, but does need to refine his technique. Newsome also gets to the second level quickly. -- Brian Dohn

He gets to the second level so quickly it needs to be noted twice in a four-sentence span, apparently. Getting another look at U-M's latest commit, Dohn ranked Newsome's performance third among offensive linemen, one spot ahead of Runyan, in a strong field at the New Jersey NFTC ($):

3. Grant Newsome, 6-6, 290, The Lawrenceville (N.J.) School
Skinny: Newsome had the unenviable task of being a left tackle in a 1-on-1 competition, which is slanted greatly toward defensive ends. His kickstep was good, he did a good job of not reaching and he used his length to tie up and frustrated defensive ends. Newsome also showed a good initial punch, and his lateral slide and footwork was also solid.

It appears Newsome's already improving on some of the technical aspects. While he came up short of position MVP honors and an automatic spot in The Opening, 247's Steve Wiltfong thought his performance could've merited an invite to Nike's elite camp:

Mclean (Va.) Lawrenceville School Top247 offensive tackle Grant Newsome could have easily won offensive line MVP honors and been invited to The Opening as well. Perhaps he still will. Has the ideal frame one wants in a left tackle, has nice length, he can bend, he keeps defensive linemen off him, not letting them get their hands on him.

ESPN's junior eval is just a condensed version of their longer one, so I'll reprint it here; it reflects the general consensus that Newsome has the ideal size and potential to be a great left tackle, but needs to add strength and technique—like most every offensive lineman coming out of high school—to put it all together ($):

STRENGTHS: Is very tall with a lean blend that looks to be capable of supporting additional bulk. Can move adequately in space for a guy his size with the ability to pull and block what is directly in front of him.Flashes the ability to get set quickly in pass to slide feet and mirror. ... AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT: Needs to continue to develop functional strength. Does not always roll hips and explode through contact. Can deliver a punch and jolt defender when given the angle but first step is not consistently on proper angle.Hand placement will need to improve as an edge protector. ... BOTTOM LINE: Newsome has the frame and athletic ability to develop but is still a bit raw at this stage. His size and athleticism will garner interest from some bigger schools down the road.

NJ.com placed Newsome second in their state rankings—ahead of Penn State's trio of highly touted New Jersey commits and 2016 five-star Rashan Gary—published this February after he earned first-team all-state honors:

Attributes: Newsome is as good an athlete as you will find playing offensive tackle. He possesses terrific feet and initial quickness. His lateral agility, anticipation and overall athleticism project him to left tackle in college. He displays good willingness in the run game and the potential to become a standout BCS offensive lineman.

Recruit capsule: Grant Newsome

• Frame - 10
• Pass Blocking - 9
• Run Blocking - 8
• Awareness - 7
• Upside - 10

Only consensus five-star corner Minkah Fitzpatrick ranks in front of Newsome; the locals really like his game. That article also featured the requisite glowing review from his coach:

"He's a very unique player in the sense that he combines anything that anybody who coaches college football would want in a young man. He is smart, articulate, tall, long and athletic. He's got a great sense of the game, a great work ethic and he's smart on the field and in the class room.And he's a gentleman. And I know that's a lot of superlatives, but he's doing a fantastic job all-around and we are lucky to have him." – Lawrenceville head coach Danny O'Dea

The above and the note Newsome posted upon committing probably covered any concerns about fitting The Pattern™. Just in case they didn't, it's worth noting Newsome heavily emphasized academics throughout his recruitment, taking looks at the likes of Cal, Duke, and Northwestern, and going into exacting detail on how Michigan's combination of excellent academics and support made a major impression after his most recent visit ($):

Newsome, who is looking to major in Civil War history   [ed-Ace: my man]  , said the academic tour, and specifically the M-PACT program and its director Shari Acho were a major plus for the Wolverines.

"It's definitely something I would say will factor into my decision," he said. "Michigan's academic support system is really unique for their athletes and it's something my mom and I were both really, really impressed with. They gave me a clear cut idea of the types of classes I would be taking and what the life and schedule is like for a student athlete. Michigan's APR and graduation rates were something I had heard about, but it's not something I'm concerned about at all. I know I am capable of succeeding anywhere I go, and for me the support system stood out so much, I know I will have more than enough resources to be successful in school if I decide to choose Michigan." 

It appears at least one negative recruiter didn't get the updated APR scores.*

Michigan is getting a lineman who fits the left tackle mold to a T, has excellent athleticism for his size, displays no off-field warning signs, and needs to add strength and technique to get to where he needs to be. Given U-M's recent offensive line classes, he should be afforded time to develop, and after that the potential is very high.

[*Honestly, negative recruiting doesn't really get a rise out of me—it happens everywhere in some form or another—but at least get the facts right.]

OFFERS

In addition to Michigan, Newsome earned offers from Alabama, Cal, Duke, Georgia, Louisville, LSU, Maryland, Miami (YTM), Michigan State, North Carolina, NC State, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Pitt, South Carolina, Syracuse, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, among others. A decent list, I guess.

HIGH SCHOOL

Lawrenceville Prep went 5-3 last season, and while the Rivals search function is still not working for me, they've got an alumni page that gives you a solid idea what level of program they are—the vast majority of their graduates who play college football do so at Ivy League schools or the like.

STATS

Offensive lineman, no stats.

FAKE 40 TIME

No 40 time is readily available, but, you know, offensive lineman. The quick feet, as described by seemingly every scout, are what matter here.

VIDEO

Junior highlights:

Sophomore highlights are available on his Hudl page.

PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE

He'll be a tackle.

Okay, that's both obvious and uninformative. Newsome should be able to take a redshirt year; when he gets to campus, Erik Magnuson and Ben Braden will be redshirt juniors, Chris Fox and Logan Tuley-Tillman redshirt sophomores, and Juwann Bushell-Beatty should be a redshirt freshman. Early enrollee Mason Cole and David Dawson, who's in the same class as Fox and LTT, may also be in the mix at tackle, though at least one of those two should eventually slide inside.

Newsome most likely will get a multi-year apprenticeship while he's refining his technique and hulking out, then he'll get his shot at earning a starting job.

UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS

Michigan has the offensive tackle they needed, and while they could add another lineman—probably a good idea for class balance if they have the room—they're in a position to take the two they've got and focus on other positions given the depth along the line in the last few classes.

With Ty Isaac's transfer taking up a scholarship, we're projecting 15 or so players in the class with normal attrition, though that number could certainly grow. That leaves eight spots remaining for U-M to add a running back, a wide receiver or two, a tight end (a spot they could fill soon with Chris Clark), a defensive end or two, an outside linebacker or two, and perhaps another defensive back to fill Shaun Crawford's vacated spot. Add all those needs up and you get to nine players—space is limited, something that Michigan has used to their advantage on the recruiting trail in the past.

THE GOAL OF DRAFTAGEDDON

The goal of Draftageddon is YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT DRAFTAGEDDON.

I'm hearing this is incorrect. I see. The goal of Draftageddon is to draft a team of Big Ten players that seems generally more impressive than that of your competitors. Along the way, we'll learn a lot of alarming things, like maybe Maryland is good? Full details are in the first post.

PREVIOUSLY ON DRAFTAGEDDON

1. Everyone not grabbing dual-threat senior QBs grabs defensive linemen
2. Seth takes Venric Mark in front of just about everyone
3. Nothing terribly remarkable happens
4. BISB takes all the guys I want
5. A ridiculous amount of time is spent discussing the merits of one particular interior lineman from Rutgers
6. WILDCARD TIME as Brian takes a quarterback despite already having a quarterback.

THE CURRENT SITUATION

ROUND 13 - PICK 2: Connor Cook, QB, Michigan State

O: QB Connor Cook (MSU), RB Ameer Abdullah (NE), WR Devin Funchess (U-M), TE Maxx Williams (MN), LT Brandon Scherff (IA), LG Kaleb Johnson (RU)

D: DE Shilique Calhoun (MSU), DE/DT Andre Monroe (MD), NT Darius Kilgo (MD), OLB Chi Chi Ariguzo (NW), OLB Matt Robinson (MD), CB Desmond King (IA), S John Lowdermilk (IA)

ST: KR/PR Ameer Adbullah (NE)

ACE: Heiko lives!

Brian's decision to draft a, uh, third-and-long quarterback put an end to the staring contest between me and Seth. I'd like a full-time starter, thanks, and not of the Rudock/Stave/Siemain caliber.

Oh, look, it's the Rose Bowl MVP.

Connor Cook took the reins of an offense so laughable it was being outscored by its own defense, took a couple games to settle in, and proceeded to make the Spartan O downright respectable. He put up excellent numbers for a redshirt sophomore, averaging 7.3 YPA with a 22:6 TD-to-INT ratio. Those numbers were in spite of a receiving corps that didn't feature anything resembling a true #1 receiver, and didn't have much quality from there, either. Using Seth's pet stat, RYPR, here's what Cook was working with in 2013:

​His #1 receiver performed like an average #2. His #4 receiver averaged 3.8 yards per target. The rest of it isn't so great, either. Click over to Seth's post and look at Michigan's 2013 receiving corps. Even with their lack of production from the #3 spot, the Wolverines were far superior.

BISB: /Microphone... getting so hot... must... let... go...

ROUND 13 - PICK 3: Jabrill Peppers, CB (and S/RB/WR/Nickel/WILL/KR/PR/BMOC/GGTK), Michigan

he will fix everything

O: QB Devin Gardner (UM), RB Jeremy Langford (MSU) WR Kenny Bell (Neb), WR Shane Wynn (IU), OT Donovan Smith (PSU), C Austin Blythe (Iowa)
D: DE Joey Bosa (OSU), DE Noah Spence (OSU), LB Jake Ryan (UM), LB Mike Hull (PSU) CB Sojourn Shelton (Wisky), CB Jabrill Peppers (UM), S Kurtis Drummond (MSU)

BISB: I still needed a corner, a safety, a nickelback, a running back, and a wide receiver. So I took one.

Everyone is aware of the story of Jabrill Peppers. He is the highest ranked (and possibly the most highly-touted) recruit to hit a Big Ten campus in the last decade. If Sojourn Shelton is the prototypical field corner, Peppers is the archetypal boundary corner. Big for a corner at 6'1", 210 lbs, he hits like a linebacker but nevertheless shows sprinter speed and acceleration that translatesto the football field. He's as quick-twitch of a human being as you'll ever find; he's basically Venric Mark. But after an 80's-style Rocky training montage. And five inches taller.

I know, I know. Recruiting hype stars don't matter never played a snap in college blah blah. Screw that. What are the usual concerns about freshmen? Physical preparedness, mental preparedness, and how the game translates to the next level. Physically, I'll defer to the unnamed assistant coach from USC:

"I've only seen two players in high school with a body like that," the USC coach says, "and both of them are named Peterson [Adrian and Patrick]."

As far as translating to the next level, watch the burst and acceleration in these two clips. Translation, my ass. I don't care what level of competition he's playing (though his competition is pretty good) or what kind of stuff doesn't show up on the highlight reels (though his full game cut-ups are equally impressive). This kid is basically a glitch in the physics engine. And sure, there's gonna be a mental transition, and sure both of my corners are young. Fortunately I have the best free safety in the Big Ten over the top to erase any youthful mistakes.

[AFTER THE JUMP: Seth drafts Troy Woolfolk, Ace with the Big Red Block.]

INTERLUDE

ACE: Hackenberg had to deal with an enormous dropoff after Allen Robinson, but at least he had Allen Robinson. Fowler's RYPR mark ranked 96th among #1 targets nationally; Eastern Michigan's top guy put up a better number. Cook made that receiving corps function decently enough to crack 300 passing yards in both the Big Ten title game and the Rose Bowl. While he's by no means a true dual-threat, he has the mobility to break the pocket for the first down and, just as importantly, avoid sacks—despite dealing with injuries at both tackle spots, MSU finished 16th in adjusted sack rate, and part of that credit must go to Cook's quick decision-making and ability to avoid the first rusher.

Now Cook is attracting the attention of NFL scouts, something nobody saw coming last season. Sure, I guess I'll settle for him.

Seth, good luck convincing everyone your part-time starter is as good as everyone else's full-time starters.

SETH: Way to Heiko up the 13th round guys. Brian grabbed a sophomore he doesn't mean to play who would have to chuck 37% of his passes to Jacksonville to repeat his true freshman season. This scared Ace into selecting a guy who's not allowed to throw it more than five yards. Clearly petrified of such aerial assaults, BiSB got a dude who's currently behind Jourdan Lewis.

I think I'll just add some starters.

ROUND 13 - PICK 4: Adrian Amos, S/CB, Penn State
ROUND 14 - PICK 1: Steve Longa, WLB, Rutgers

O: RB Venric Mark (NW), WR Devin Smith (OSU), WR Christian Jones (NW), T Jason Spriggs (Ind), T Taylor Decker (OSU), C Brandon Vitable (NW), G Jack Allen (MSU).
D: DT Michael Bennett (OSU), DE Randy Gregory (Neb), LB Taiwan Jones (MSU), LB Steve Longa, S Corey Cooper (Neb), S Adrian Amos (PSU), CB Blake Countess (Mich)
ST: Mark

SETH: In honor of the SATs that BiSB's cornerback probably just took, an analogy:
Adrian Amos:Penn State in recent years::_____:Michigan during Never Forget.
The answer is Troy Woolfolk (judges will accept Tloy Wolfolk), except not injured. PSU's secondary bounced back in the latter half of 2013, but for awhile there they were facing a full-blown Rodriguezian secondary situation. Throughout that, Amos was the one functional piece at both corner and safety who unfortunately could only play one at time. Like Woolfolk, he's is the fastest player on his team. Unlike Woolfolk, Amos has the size and "physicality" (his coaches' word) to play safety in the NFL, and is projected to go there.

The PSU folk think he's their best since Scirrotto and a lock for all-conference, and he was second (behind Hull, not Hack) in their running for cover athlete. They also thought he was a better cornerback last year than Lucas.

Also he's a senior at a position where experience matters, and completes my safety tandem a great, big, confident first step ahead of Jarrod Wilson/Michael Caputo. And in a pinch I have a cornerback who, you know, has actually played two years of cornerback on a Big Ten team.

Also good value: when people speak of useful bits on Rutgers, it's Hamilton and Longa. Leading a bad team in tackles is a dubious accomplishment, but Longa's lead was almost 30, and that as a redshirt freshman. What's more impressive is Longa never played football until high school (he's from Cameroon), and, recruited as a safety, never linebacker until 2013. Dude was a first-team freshman All-American last year and the upside is enormous.

This year he'll move to a better fit at WLB. If you remember Lavonte David at Nebraska, similar type of player in a similar role. If you don't, just think about what we said James Ross would be last year before he wasn't quite that. Longa will be about the same 6'1"/225 as Ross/David this season, so moving him away from lead blockers and into a safetyish LB role can only improve his production, which is, oh, only 118 tackles (most of returning players in the B1G), 7.5 TFLs and 3 sacks.

I think I'll draft a quarterback next turn.

INTERLUDE

BRIAN: We are all aware that "freshman All-American" means "freshman who played," right?

ROUND 14 - PICK 2: Jack Conklin, OL, MSU

O: QB Devin Gardner (UM), RB Jeremy Langford (MSU) WR Kenny Bell (Neb), WR Shane Wynn (IU), OT Donovan Smith (PSU), OT Jack Conklin (MSU), C Austin Blythe (Iowa)

D: DE Joey Bosa (OSU), DE Noah Spence (OSU), LB Jake Ryan (UM), LB Mike Hull (PSU), CB Sojourn Shelton (Wisky), CB Jabrill Peppers (UM), S Kurtis Drummond (MSU)

BISB: Seth earlier pointed out that Michigan State's emergence from their early-season offensive terribleness coincided with Jack Allen's return, but sir, I posit that you don't know (how to give credit to the proper) Jack. The running game started to emerge when they stopped screwing around with the line and planted redshirt freshman Jack Conklin at left tackle. It worked, too, as Conklin was a first-team freshman All-American and Michigan State won a Rose Bowl.

The kid is massive at 6'7, 330 lbs, and might be better as a right tackle if the situation allowed, but he is plenty quick to protect a blind side. He's also powerful enough to be a dominant run blocker; check out this rep against (probably) the best defensive tackle in the conference, Michael Bennett. That's a tough, tough reach block by an OT on a DT, and Bennett ends up decidedly on his ass. I'd encourage you to watch the whole film; OSU's line is really, really good, and Conklin more than held his own (before missing much of the second half a boo-boo). Add a year in the weight room and few hours in film study, and he'll be even better.

Indeed, my starting boundary corner is currently behind Jourdan Lewis, as it is hard to pass people on the depth chart before physically arriving on campus. There's a pretty firm "must be present to win" rule in that regard. But what do you think the odds are of him staying out of the starting lineup beyond, say, the second week in September? And when Marlin Jackson says he's got "the athleticism and skill of Patrick Peterson with the overall football instincts of Charles Woodson," you grab him (in the 13th round, mind you) and figure out the depth chart later.

And I'm sure you'll draft a quarterback next round, though as Ace points out, you'll have to choose between which trait you find most appealing: (a) full-time starter status, or (b) the ability to be good at being a quarterback.

ROUND 14 - PICK 3: Tyler Marz, OT, Wisconsin

halp

O: QB Connor Cook (MSU), RB Ameer Abdullah (NE), WR Devin Funchess (U-M), TE Maxx Williams (MN), LT Brandon Scherff (IA), LG Kaleb Johnson (RU)

D: DE Shilique Calhoun (MSU), DE/DT Andre Monroe (MD), NT Darius Kilgo (MD), OLB Chi Chi Ariguzo (NW), OLB Matt Robinson (MD), CB Desmond King (IA), S John Lowdermilk (IA)

ST: KR/PR Ameer Adbullah (NE)

ACE: We all know about Wisconsin's ass-kicking run blocking; often overlooked is their ability to keep their quarterback upright—the Badgers finished 26th in adjusted sack rate last season (also T-15th in sacks allowed, but given their run-heavy proclivities I'd like to paint a fairer picture). Brian's already selected three of the four returning starters from last year's Wisconsin O-line; I'll go ahead and snag the left tackle before it's too late.

Marz had a solid redshirt sophomore season in 2013, starting all 13 games. At 6'5", 321 pounds—not to mention a member of the Wisconsin offensive line—there's little concern about his run blocking. His pass protection is solid enough that he, not behemoth redshirt senior Rob Havenstein, was entrusted with protecting Joel Stave's backside. He earned honorable mention All-Big Ten in his first season as a starter. Those NFL Draft rankings we keep using have him as the #8 tackle in 2016, just two spots behind Donovan Smith and comfortably ahead of Jason Spriggs (#15) and Taylor Decker (#16). That's pretty good for a pick here, as the pool of available tackles with proven talent is nearly dry.

Someone is inevitably going to bring up that Marz occasionally struggled in pass protection last year, especially in the season finale against Penn State, when weakside DE C.J. Olaniyan gave him a lot of trouble. While Marz wouldn't make the excuse for himself, here's a pretty darn good excuse for those struggles:

Marz will use the extra time before the bowl game to get healthy and polish his technique. Although he makes no excuses, Marz has been dealing with a high ankle sprain for several weeks but hasn’t missed a start.

“A high ankle sprain in a left tackle, it’s going to impact you,” [Wisconsin coach Gary] Andersen said. “His toughness, his care factor and want-to, to be out there, especially the first two games back off that ankle — there was no way you were going to keep that kid off the field. He just battled through it. I think he’ll be better, because of that experience that he has gone through.

When Wisconsin faced South Carolina, a team I've heard had a pretty good defensive end, in the Capital One Bowl with a healthy Marz, they only gave up one sack on 26 dropbacks. Here's the video—Marz does a decent enough job pushing Clowney past the pocket, while Havenstein gets dispatched in embarrassing fashion by the other DE, Chaz Sutton, who sacks Stave while Havenstein recovers from the "flipped turtle" position.

With Scherff manning the left tackle spot on my team, I can mitigate any lingering issues Marz has in pass protection by putting him on the right side, where he's a more natural fit. The fact that he's proven capable of holding down the left tackle position on a very good line is just a bonus.

BiSB, I enjoy this particular brand of crazy drafting, and therefore will save my snark for Seth, who just compared a sophomore Rutgers linebacker to arguably the best weakside linebacker in the NFL. Ooooooookay.

INTERLUDE

BRIAN:

SETH: Well I compared Alex Malzone to high school Tom Brady last week, but nobody thought even 5th year senior Tom Brady would become NFL god Tom Brady. I just meant his game is, like David's, all about pure speed and lightning-quick reaction to the play that make him a good OLB and a spread killer, but that he's too small to be effective taking on lead blockers face on. But hey, if that's the ceiling on this guy I'll take it. I mean, at this point in his career Lavonte was just a pretty good JuCo player.

I'd snark back but I've been wondering when someone would take Wiscy's left tackle since the last Rutgers guy went off the board, plus the fact that it blocks Brian from his red monopoly. Speaking of, when's somebody gonna land on Illinois?

ROUND 14 - PICK 4: Desmond Morgan, LB, Michigan
ROUND 15 - PICK 1: James Ross, LB, Michigan

O: QB Braxton Miller (OSU), QB Christian Hackenberg (PSU), RB Melvin Gordon (WI), WR Stefon Diggs (MD), OT Rob Havenstein(WI), G Kyle Costigan(WI), G Dallas Lewallen(WI)

D: DE Frank Clark(M), DE Therien Cockran (MN), DT Darius Hamilton(RU), DT Carl Davis(IA), LB Desmond Morgan(M), LB James Ross(M), CB Trae Waynes (MSU), CB Jordan Lucas (PSU)

BRIAN: So Michigan was the #6 team in the Big Ten in YPC allowed last year, and there's a pretty big gap down from the OSU/Wisconsin second tier that gives up about 3.3 YPC and Michigan a half yard further back. But what happens when you remove sacks?

Michigan only moves up one spot but they make up almost all of the difference with OSU and Iowa. Now count the returning linebackers from the team above Michigan: 1 (Taiwan Jones, gone), 0, 0, 1 (Curtis Grant, who is not good). Michigan gets all three back. And consider the defensive lines of the teams above Michigan. OSU's is almost totally gone by this point in the draft. Wisconsin's Beau Allen got drafted. Iowa has a projected first-round DT. MSU has all kinds of guys and plays like nine in the box. After Ondre Pipkins tore his ACL and Quinton Washington got his wasting disease or whatever Michigan had... Jibreel Black, nose tackle.

What I'm saying is that by the end of the season Michigan's defensive line was in tatters and Michigan's linebackers were eating blockers on play after play. The strongside end was 250-pound Brennen Beyer. Black was a 285 pound nose tackle. Willie Henry was a powerful but random freshman; Michigan was reduced to throwing Richard Ash onto the field for his first real playing time ever against OSU, the best rushing attack in the country. Michigan's season YPC against teams not named Ohio State was 3.3, and this year they should be better as they return everyone who is not a 285 pound nose tackle or Cam Gordon. To have the numbers Michigan did is a goddamned tribute to linebacking.

Morgan enters his third year as a starter (no, I don't believe Joe Bolden is playing over him), Ross his second. Ross has been shipped to SAM in the over, where he can cover and flit around tight ends and blitz, hopefully to add to his 5.5 TFLs from a year ago. Morgan saved Michigan's bacon with an INT against UConn and had 4.5 TFLs himself. Setting aside corner Raymon Taylor, Morgan and Ross were the leading tacklers on a decent run defense that gave them vanishingly little help. This year both will step up; both will find themselves in positions much more conducive to making plays, and Michigan's run defense is going to be real, real good.

INTERLUDE

BISB: Brian is really going all in on this theory that if a unit performs well as a whole, then the individual parts of that unit must all be really good.

"Wu Tang Clan is awesome." /Drafts U-God in 7th round.

APPARENTLY ONE OF THESE GUYS IS BAD I DON'T KNOW THEY ALL LOOK PRETTY GOOD AT RAPPISTING TO ME

BRIAN: Except in this case we're well aware that rappist U-God is in fact 285 pound nose tackle and rappist Other Bad Wu Tangist is the 250-pound SDE in an under front. CLANLIFE. Do they say that?

BISB: I defer to local rappism enthusiast Ace Anbender on that question.

SETH: I can't help with what they say on the WuTang blogs. I only read MGoBlogs. The MGoBlogs said Morgan last year was a guy who gradesoutatfivegoodthingsand4.5badthings per game, with one huge thing to the good or bad. It also says teams learned to use Ross's aggressiveness against him by making him choose unwisely against the option, or picked on him badly with various Penn State tight ends who will be littering our rosters anytime now.

(Anytime now...)

Year to year progression should help Ross more than Morgan. But how much are they progressing since they're all splitting time with dudes down the depth chart who are in no danger of being drafted in this experiment? The last thing we learned about Michigan's non-Ryan LB corps is that Greg Mattison, who recruited and coaches these guys and knows things about linebackers, made Joe Bolden and Royce Jenkins-Stone his spring starters over this pair for--to the best of our knowledge--reasons of a football nature. Also they moved Jake Ryan from his ideal spot to the position Morgan played last year, then listed Morgan as his backup. Did they change the defense then move Ryan to accommodate, or did they move Ryan then change the defense to compensate? Either way, it's not encouraging for Morgan.

ACE: Other Bad Wu Tangist is probably Masta Killa unless you want to separate RZA's rapping from his producing, in which case it's clearly him, because he's an incredible producer and a brutally awful lyricist.

Killa Bees on the swarm. Wu-Tang is for the children. CLANLIFE? Nope.

BRIAN: Jesus, Seth, spring football depth charts? I suppose you believe Devin Gardner was a bad pick because he's totally getting benched for Shane Morris. Also, linebacker is hard. Any positive thing is impressive in UFR. I know you know this and am offended at your weak attempts to talk smack. CLANLIFE.

BISB: Brian's just trying to convince himself that lemons are TOTALLY a part of a balanced breakfast.

SETH: We're talking All Stars here, specifically the 7th and 8th linebackers selected in the conference, i.e. honorable mention All Big Ten, and ahead of guys still on the board like Cole Farrand, David Santos, Collin Ellis, and Illinois's linebackers who may be good I wouldn't know I don't follow Illinois not a rival. I'd expect a better UFR than a day in the life with Mouton and Ezeh, or at least some resignation that this is what the three-deep comes to in this conference.

And you know as well as I do that this inexplicable Bolden thing goes way further back than this year's spring game.

BRIAN: Oh my God, I forgot about the immortal Cole Farrand! Did you know that Cole Farrand was honorable mention All-ACC last year? Did you know that he helped Maryland hold Boston College to 254 rushing yards? Or that he had almost as many tackles as Morgan? What have I done with my life?

/checks teams

Seth Dumars talks a lot of shit for a guy whose best player on offense appears to be Indiana's left tackle.

BISB: Linebacking situation: summarized:

ACE: FINALLY, Reilly O'Toole makes an appearance in this draft. I was waiting for Brian to select him as his designated second-and-medium quarterback.

BRIAN: CLANLIFEEEEEE

CURRENT SITUATION

Name: Naseir Upshur
Position: Tight End
Ht/Wt: 6’4" / 232 lbs.
Location: Imhotep Institute - Philadelphia, PA (2016)
Offers: Arizona State, South Carolina, Arizona, Cincinatti, UConn, Illinois, Maryland, UMass, Michigan, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Temple, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Western Michigan
Rating: ★★★★ .9337 (247 Composite)
Ranking: #166 NAT / #5 TE  (247 Composite)
FILM

Michigan has extended it's fourth offer to a 2016 tight end prospect in Pennsylvania product Nasier Upshur. Upshur has been in contact with the Michigan staff, Coach Ferrigno specifically, since his freshman year and today they came through with an offer.

My coach called me and told me congratulations first. He told me to call Coach Dan (Ferrigno) and he told me I was offered. I like Michigan a lot. Me and Coach Dan have a really good relationship.

Holding nearly 20 offers as a rising junior means Upshur will be able to go virtually wherever he wants, but right now his list is wide open. That being said, he does already hold Michigan in high regard.

I'm open to everyone right now but I think I'm going to start to trim my list at the end of the summer. Michigan will for sure make my first cut, they will always be there. Like I said before, me and Coach Dan have a great relationship. He's been seeing me since I was a freshman.

Coach Ferrigno has done a solid job forming a relationship as usual. Not only has he shown genuine interest, he's also been persistent as Nasier says that Michigan, along with Arizona State, Temple, and South Carolina, has been recruiting him most aggressively.

Naseir hasn't visited Michigan yet, but he will be in Detroit tomorrow for the Soundmind Soundbody camp and hopes to check out Ann Arbor while he's in the area.  

At this point in his recruitment Naseir has visited Rutgers, Temple, Penn State, and Arizona State, and not surprisingly for anyone that has visited Tempe, the Sun Devil visit left a memorable impression.

As for the home-state Nittany Lions, Upshur enjoyed his visit but left campus without an offer. He does believe an offer is coming soon from Penn State and says that even though they are a bit later to the party than some, it's not hurting their chances and he has no problem being patient.

Upshur is a high character kid who fits the mold for the type of players Michigan chooses to recruit. He prides himself on the kind of person that he is and gives credit to one person in particular.

I'm from North Philly. A lot of bad things go down around my way but I manage to stay out of the way. I'm just trying to have my family right. I'm very close with my mom. She gave me the nickname "Pop" when I was little from Pumpkinseed and Poppyseed. (Laughs) Also my big brother, Quon Cook, keeps me out of trouble.

Michigan has done well with Upshur and as usual, his character appears to be one of the reasons why he was targeted.

THE VIBE

5 – Trending Blue
4 – Solidly in a top 2-3 
3 – Contender in a top 3-7 
2 – Among large (8-15) group under consideration
1 – Let’s see if he visits before we talk
0 – Passing interest or none

If Upshur manages to check out Ann Arbor within the next couple of days after the SMSB camp, Michigan could very well become his early leader. He made it quite clear that Michigan will be in it for him throughout, but I also expect Penn State to be a player if they choose to offer.

Cool Story, Br-- Wait, That's Legitimately Cool

Michigan pulled in a commitment from four-star NJ OT Grant Newsome yesterday—his commitment post is here if you missed it—and shortly thereafter we learned you don't want to mess with Grant Newsome or anyone related to Grant Newsome:

Grant Newsome has a cool story, too. Dad was secret service during W. Bush presidency. Grant has eaten at the White House w the President

— Tom VanHaaren (@TomVH) June 11, 2014

Nor would you want to mess with his favorite historical figure:

New #Michigan commit @grant_newsome's favorite Civil War figure is Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, a Union hero in the battle of Gettysburg

— Steve Lorenz (@TremendousUM) June 11, 2014

Chamberlain was a professor with no formal education in military strategy who nonetheless rose to the rank of brigadier general, earning the Medal of Honor for his heroics at Gettysburg, then receiving the great honor of commanding the Union troops for Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox. He later served four terms as the Governor of Maine. Solid choice, Mr. Newsome.

Fun facts that are actually fun aside, Newsome is now putting on his recruiting hat, per 247's Steve Lorenz ($):

"(Recruiting other players to Michigan) is a role I plan to take head on," he said. "You want to surround yourself with the best players possible, and knowing you can have a hand in that makes me want to do what I can to help get some more top players on board. I think the #1 target for me right away is going to be Chris Clark out of Avon in Connecticut. I think he's a player that would be a great fit at Michigan and I know he's really interested in us. He's going to be the first guy I contact."

In addition to all of this, Newsome is a highly touted offensive tackle with huge upside. Consider me a fan.

PREACH

no, not this guy. he can stop preaching posthaste.

We've been on the "don't tweet at recruits" warpath for a long time around here, but there no way I can't link Ramzy's evisceration of those who think they're somehow making a difference—or somehow better informed than the coaches—and while he mentions the Dick Costolo incident, most of it is a valiant effort to better his program's fanbase:

Fans of irony will love Jeff's twitter feed which - in addition to all of the assholery - is full of pleas from him to others begging them to stop tweeting at him. [Ed: Jeff deleted his Twitter account shortly after this article was published]

That's because tweeting at strangers and telling them what you would like them to do with their lives is creepy. Always. There are no exceptions to this rule, and those who break it are categorically assholes. 

You'll have to click through to see Jeff's remarkable Twitter feed, as well as Ramzy using every possible form of the word "asshole" in truly glorious fashion. There's also a section on how to properly react to verbal commitments. Read the whole damn thing.

Surprise, It's A Running Backs Section

RT @jacques_patrick@DesmondHoward haha I had to do this for you #GoBluepic.twitter.com/10pz7Qisc8

— Tom VanHaaren (@TomVH) June 11, 2014

Four-star FL RB Jacques Patrick took a two-day trip to Ann Arbor this week, striking the pose in Desmond Howard's legacy jersey and receiving a downright understated Fred Jackson-ism, per Sam Webb ($):

“I spent a lot of time with the players just trying to get a certain feel for the place,” said Patrick.  “Wilton Speight, Devin Gardner… a lot of them.  I (also) spent time with Coach Nuss and Coach Jackson.  They showed me a video of what they are going to be doing next year, and a video of what I’ve done in the past.  They compared the two and showed me how I could fit in and stuff.”

“(Coach Jackson) said I remind him of (Tim) Biakabutuka.”

I'm not seeing "...but fast," and now I'm a little worried about Freddie Jax, you guys. Patrick added that the Ty Isaac transfer won't affect his opinion of Michigan, and the visit "definitely improved their chances." It's still going to be tough to pluck him from Florida (especially FSU), but this visit moved the needle, at the very least.

With the Sound Mind Sound Body camp underway, a lot of in-state prospects are giving updates on their recruitments, Cass Tech RB Mike Weber included. He told GBW's Josh Newkirk that the change in offensive coordinators made a big difference in his view of Michigan, and for good reason ($):

“When Michigan got the commit of Damian Harris, they kind of stopped recruiting me,” Weber admitted. “I guess that’s what their offense coordinator wanted. So Michigan wasn’t really on me like that. So I wasn’t really interested in Michigan. But when they fired their offensive coordinator and [Coach Nussmeier] came in, he kind of came straight to Cass and told me how he wanted me.

“So I am back on [with Michigan] now.”

Weber also said Michigan will receive one of his official visits. Michigan still lags behind his top three of MSU, OSU, and Wisconsin, but it feels like the gap is narrowing, and with how frequently he's been to campus lately that momentum may continue building.

2015 Linebacker Update

Detroit King OLB Tyriq Thompson has been considered a heavy lean to both Michigan and MSU over the course of his recruitment, and now he's saying the schools are in a dead heat, per 247's Steve Wiltfong ($):

“It’s just hard to say, they’re so, they’re kind of neck and neck,” Thompson said of the two in-state powers.

“Michigan, it’s the legacy, the history. Michigan State it’s the defense, Coach (Mark) Dantonio and the way he focuses on the relationships with the players.”

If one program has a slight edge, it appears to be the Spartans; Thompson stated flat-out they're recruiting him harder than anyone. He plans to decide before his senior season begins, so it's getting to be crunch time if U-M wants to lock up a top-flight prospect who happens to be a Michigan legacy.

Four-star IN OLB Asmar Bilal told Wiltfong that Notre Dame is his team to beat, and he's taking a trip to South Bend with his mother on Thursday; Michigan will get a shot to impress mom and son, as well, as they'll be on campus on June 20th ($):

“Pretty much the same thing with Notre Dame,” Bilal said of what he’s looking forward to at Michigan. “Getting my mom involved and showing here what I’ve seen and seeing more. Coach (Greg) Mattison came down here twice so I want to go up there again. I want to get as much information as I can to further my decision.”

Wiltfong added that Michigan is "likely the biggest challenger" to ND.

Four-star UT OLB Osa Masina told The Wolverine "I still love Michigan," and he's trying to make it back to Ann Arbor for this summer's BBQ at the Big House, but there's also a note at the bottom from the UCLA Rivals site stating the Bruins appear to be the current favorite, and Utah is also a major threat ($). If U-M can't get Masina on campus this summer, I won't be too optimistic about their chances.

2016 Updates

Orchard Lake St. Mary's four-star OLB Daelin Hayes talked to Lorenz about his current comfort level with the coaching staff ($):

"I'm talking to Coach Singletary and Coach Jackson about once a week," he said. "I'm just working on building a relationship with their staff. I talk with them about different ways I can try to make myself better, and working on ways to build our relationship. It's just civil, regular talk. I can talk to them like I talk to my coaches at OLSM."

I'd call that a good sign.

The initial Scout 300 for the 2016 class came out this week, and Michigan's lone commit, Erik Swenson, ranks as the #8 offensive tackle and #86 overall prospect. So many prospects with early Michigan interest are on the list that it's best just to click through if you'd like to see where they land. The top-ranked in-state prospect is Hayes, who comes in at #67 overall, one spot behind...

OH OLB Brendan Ferns, brother of Michael, who just pulled in a couple major offers, per Scout's Bill Greene ($):

"Getting Oklahoma and Ohio State within seven days is pretty special, and it's kind of hard to believe," he admitted. "Things are picking up and it's been crazy, but fun for me. I think I'm going to concentrate on basketball the few days with my school team, so I'm going to put recruiting aside for a while."

"I won't be making a decision anytime soon at all, but it will be before my senior season, not my junior season," Ferns stressed.

That last quote is important, as U-M fans have increasingly wondered when Ferns will get an offer, especially as he adds offers from rival programs. There's plenty of time for Michigan to continue evaluating him, and the younger Ferns has said previously that the presence of his brother will be a factor if an offer comes through. Patience, grasshoppers.

2016 four-star OH WR Justin Layne took part in Michigan's basketball camp last weekend—he's still considering both sports for college, though he's leaning towards football—and he told Sam Webb two schools currently stand out for him ($):

Sam Webb:  What schools have you offered you scholarships so far besides Michigan?

Justin Layne:  “Michigan, Michigan State, Pitt, Miami, Florida and West Virginia.”

Sam Webb:  Have any of those schools started sticking out for you yet?

Justin Layne:  “Michigan, Michigan State and…that is it for right now.”

A caveat is required: Layne grew up a fan of Ohio State, and if they offer expect them to leap into contention.

Another rising junior from Ohio, St. Ignatius OT Liam Eichenberg, placed Michigan in his top three, per Bill Greene ($):

"I would say Ohio State, Notre Dame and Michigan are my top three right now," he explained. "With Ohio State, it's obviously my home state and I love Coach (Urban) Meyer. It just feels like home for me when I'm here, and I will be coming back here again this summer to visit."

"Michigan has a great program, and (assistant coach) Greg Mattison is a great guy," he stressed. "It feels like family up there, and it's a lot like Ignatius in that regard. I will be at Michigan's camp on June 17."

The Buckeyes are considered the heavy early favorite, but Eichenberg said he's in no hurry to make a decision.

If you missed it, Brandon posted an update last night on U-M's latest 2016 offer, four-star PA TE Naseir Upshur.

Etc.

Whenever you're feeling down about the football program, repeat this to yourself: At least we're not Florida.

Please be on his birth certificate RT @JimmyDetail: 2016 CB Greedy Williams picked up Texas A&M offer a couple of days ago.

— Andy Staples (@Andy_Staples) June 11, 2014

Sadly, it's not, but that's still the best nickname for a cornerback... ever? Leaning towards ever.

World Cup stuff. LET'S GOOOOOOO

Zonal Marking has previews for the entire group, and despite the late shift by the US they are right on point with theirs.

USA:

The holding midfielder could still be Jones, if Klinsmann is adventurous, but Kyle Beckerman came into the side against Nigeria, having also played there against Mexico, and is a much better fit. Playing at the base of a diamond is a specialist role, and Klinsmann is fortunate to be able to call upon Beckerman, who has been playing in that position for Real Salt Lake, where he is captain.

Ghana:

The 2010 squad was packed with youth, and therefore it’s no surprise that the majority of players have retained their places as they’ve gained more experience. But as Ghana’s reputation has grown, they’ve been forced to adapt to different challenges. When they were the underdogs, they could sit back, remain compact and counter-attack extremely swiftly. Now opponents are aware of that threat, they’re forced to become more proactive, but lack the creativity and incision to dominate games and score goals.

The Ghanian friendly against South Korea could not have echoed that evaluation more closely; Ghana spent most of the game watching South Korea play around with the ball and not quite score, and then they executed ruthlessly—and somewhat fortunately—on the break. This is a game in which hoofing it upfield under pressure is understandable.

Note that Ghana has probably lost wing/forward Majeed Waris, who tore a quad in that game. The guy who replaced him scored a hat trick, but Waris was first choice and played well in qualifying.

Portugal:

Portugal always have roughly the same style, roughly the same strengths and weaknesses, and roughly the same chance of winning the competition. It’s no different this time around. Portugal’s starting XI for World Cup 2014 is extremely similar to their starting XI for Euro 2012, and it’s a familiar story – solid defence, talented central midfield, dangerous wide players, no prolific striker.

Germany:

Talented players everywhere, but guaranteed cohesion nowhere. It feels like there’s a World Cup-winning XI somewhere in this side, and if Low had infinite friendlies to work out who works well together, he’d eventually find the winning combination.

Jerry Hinnen reviews the USA's WC history; all of Altidore's touches against Nigeria; Brian Phillips on Garrincha and Pele and goddamn Brian Phillips is just the man:

There is no possibility that this World Cup will cast itself in Garrincha’s image more than Pelé’s. But if his spirit could just touch it a little. If the next month could just remind us that FIFA’s agenda is not all that soccer can be.

And here's an excellent and informative breakdown of how the US played against Nigeria and how important it is to keep things tight at the back:

Let's compare things to other things. The perennial easy post is back in force thanks to the unfamiliarity of where soccer nations fit in everyone's pantheon. Crimson Quarry takes a swing at comparing World Cup outfits to Big Ten basketball programs:

Michigan

The Fab Five was a phenomenon in the 1990s, and the Wolverines made two title games but lost. Meanwhile, Total Football was a phenomenon in the 1970s for the Netherlands, who also made it to two World Cup finals and lost both. Since then, both teams have made it to the finals another time, but lost in the process. In addition, both have recently had strong offenses with suspect defenses, and love to refer to their teams by the colors of their jerseys. "Hup Holland" is basically the Dutch equivalent of "Go Blue." Plus, the state of Michigan even has a city called Holland. It makes too much sense.

That's a swing and a miss, from my perspective. Argentina is where it's at: offensively enthralling, weak on defense, had a moment of glory in the 80s.

Speaking of Indiana. IU QB Tre Roberson is transferring:

"We appreciate and thank Tre for his contributions to our football program both on and off the field," Wilson said. "He is an outstanding player and a great young man. We wish him well as he moves forward with his career."

Normally that would be a who-cares blip but after last year when Roberson came in for Sudfeld and nearly drove Indiana to a win, not so much. Taking the dual threat option away from the Hoosiers makes their offense considerably less scary.

Wait, what? Jeff Goodman has a list of the best developers of talent in the college basketball coaching ranks. John Beilein slides in at #3:

3) John Beilein, Michigan Wolverines: He’s starting to churn out NBA guys lately -- Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr., and Nik Stauskas, Mitch McGary and Glenn Robinson III this year. “Player development,” said one NBA scout. “Bottom line. He works on players' individual games. There’s a lot of shooting, of course, but every practice he takes 20 or so minutes to focus on getting guys better.”

This makes plenty of sense, as Beilein's made a specialty of making three-stars into early entries starting with the Burke/Hardaway class, and with Caris LeVert on the horizon Michigan will have dumped six guys into the NBA in three years, only one of whom was particularly hyped when he committed—McGary.

That makes sense. The rest of the list… hoo boy. #2 is Ben Howland who is unemployed at the moment. #4 is Tom Izzo, because… uh… Draymond? I mean, when your list of top NBA developers has an entry that starts like this…

Izzo doesn’t necessarily churn out a ton of NBA guys

…you may want to re-evaluate your list.

Calipari also shows up, because he doesn't tear many ACLs.

That's one way to approach it. Miami has decided they can sell more tickets by getting people to go to fewer games.

It's basically a two-game package of the FSU game and the North Carolina game, comparable to Michigan's mini-packages with Penn State and anything else except incrementally more desperate.

Come on down. Sounds like the Michigan Elite Camp couldn't have gone much better from a recruiting standpoint. UMHoops caught up with Derryck Thornton, Jr.:

“It was probably my best visit, it was great,” Thornton reiterated. “The staff did a great job so that was one of my better visits, if not the best one.” …

“I’m going to wait for my dad to get back and we’re going to talk about that soon,” Thornton responded when asked if he’d think about committing early. “I’m not sure, but I think I’m willing to commit and make the early decision.”

Rivals echoes the confidence($) you might have on their message board—Thornton's dad responded to a question about whether Battle and Thornton will end up in Ann Arbor and got the response "high"—and I'm pretty sure one of the Thorntons—probably the elder—registered for a Scout account so he could assert that Thornton would not stay on the West Coast. It would be excellent to get a commitment by the end of summer.

Meanwhile, Tyus Battle was also impressed…

“Michigan was awesome, we had a great time,” Gary said. “Tyus really enjoyed the visit. The coaching staff is very thorough. We really enjoyed their presentation and the campus and the way they would use Tyus. Obviously, academically Michigan is something we like a lot.”

…but doesn't seem like he's anywhere near as likely to drop in the near future. The Big Blue death star looms:

“We’re trying to really focus on Kentucky right now,”Gary Battle told SNY.tv by phone. “That’s always been something we had planned to do and Cal had expressed some high interest in the kid and he’s always wanted to go and check it out.”

Battle will be a… wait for it… battle. If Michigan can secure Thornton, the two guys have said they want to play together. Battle's father:

“And for Tyus, I think a lot of guys want to play with Tyus but Derryck definitely, he’s an easy kid to want to play with as well according to Tyus. They were pretty excited about it cause they consider each other brothers and have known each other for a long time.”

Let's hope that package stays together. FWIW, Battle's father flat-out stated "I think Derryck's going to Michigan."

Given all this, it'll be interesting to see what happens on June 15th. Cassius Winston has checked the offer boxes and is pretty much a five star himself, and KY PG Quentin Goodin says he expects an offer too. If I had to bet, I'd say he ends up disappointed. Winston is on another level and instate. He probably gets one.

Hello, eh. Hockey announces their four late additions: Tony Calderone, Sam Piazza, Niko Porikos, and Alex Talcott. (They're still working on Zach Werenski's accelerated entry, it appears.) The release is the usual but it does give you some indication of where these guys might slot in on the depth chart. Talcott gets "depth" and "energy" mentions and Porikos is compared to Andrew Sinelli; they seem like guys for down the road.

Calderone…

"Tony comes here with the reputation of a player who puts numbers up and has a great shot," associate head coach Billy Powers said. "Offensively, we expect Tony to add to his game here. He's a skilled offensive player who has had two good years in the USHL"

…and Piazza…

"Sam is a defenseman who is not afraid to join the rush," Powers said. "He's got great offensive instincts and we're hoping that he adds some offense at the blue line. We're excited that Sam will have an opportunity to show what he can do early on."

…on the other hand, should compete for spots this fall. The four just announced join Cutler Martin, Dexter Dancs, and Dylan Larkin as incoming freshmen. Chris Heisenberg's listing Werenski as a 2014 recruit, but Michigan likely cannot announce that until he's on campus.

O'Bannon stuff. After eleven hours of questioning directed at a legal expert for the plaintiffs, Tyrone Prothro takes the stand:

Three years after suffering a gruesome career-ending injury in 2005, former Alabama star Tyrone Prothro wrote a book, Catch & Hold. He wanted to include some action shots from his playing career, but upon contacting a university photographer he learned he'd have to buy the images from the school's website for $10 apiece. So, he didn't include them.

Uh… wow. I bet that's just for a download and doesn't even include redistribution rights. Athletes! Do we have a picture of you? You can use it for free. I would like to thank Kevin Trahan for blowing up the NCAA's constant assertions that "hey, you get stuff!" is anything approximating a legal defense.

Oh man. Ramzy instructs you how not to be an asshole to recruits. I do not want to get on the ol' high horse because I've seen my share of miserable awful things from Michigan fans—we have it just as bad—and the linked piece is a fine, fine intra-fanbase immolation. But… wow.

AIN'T NO REGULATIONS AGAINST CHILD BRIDES AMIRITE

Maybe 95% as bad.

Etc.: A ruthless fisk of Clay Travis is an auto-link. Early hockey commits are getting nuts. Maine has a seventh-grader committed.

Alternative Title: O’Bannon… You Came And You Sued For Injunction…

Alternative Alternative Title: Selling Little Bottles of OLB #9

The O’Bannon antitrust trial started this week, and because trials are fun and listening to the NCAA’s lawyers is amusing as hell, let’s talk about it. To properly understand this, we have to go back to the year 1890 and the passage of the Sherman Antitrust Act…

Sweet tapdancing hell we are NOT doing this again. We’re not going back to freeking nineteenth century.

Oh come on, this stuff is interesting.

Plaintiff's attorney

I just died of boredom.

Fine. But we at least have to go back to the year 1995. Ed O’Bannon is the best player in college basketball; he averages 20.4 points and 8.3 boards and wins the Wooden award, and his UCLA Bruins win the national title. So that was cool. Then, a decade later,  a younger relative showed O’Bannon a copy of EA Sports’ NCAA 2007, which contained some classic teams, including the 1994-95 UCLA Bruins. O’Bannon noticed that (a) he was in that game, and (b) he hadn’t been paid anything for his appearance in the game. This, he deduced, was crap.

But he waived his rights to get paid for that, right?

Indeed. All athletes, before they play a single second, have to sign a waiver that relinquishes any rights they have in their likeness. The NCAA can use any player’s image for whatever the NCAA sees fit, and owes the athlete nothing. In fact, as you may know, if players DO get paid for their likenesses during their playing careers, they get suspended for an entire season. No, wait, that’s pot. You get suspended for one half of one game. But still, athletes can’t get paid.

There is, however, a way to get around that waiver. If the NCAA violated the law in forcing O’Bannon and other athletes to waive those rights, the waiver are invalid. If only such a law was passed during the Harrison Administration (NNTHA) that Bolded Disembodied Alter-Ego would let me discuss…

Sigh. Fine, just make it quick.

Other plaintiff's attorney

WOO. The Sherman Antitrust Act makes certain anticompetitive behaviors by entities that have dominant positions in a given market illegal. It’s not against the law to create a monopoly, but if you have one, you can’t use it to restrain trade or hurt consumers. If you’re Microsoft, you can install Windows on 80% of all computers, and that’s not a problem. If you use that 80% market share to bundle everything with Internet Explorer so people won’t use Netscape Navigator, that IS a problem.

Yes, the problems of the 1990s were bizarre in hindsight.

And what exactly are the plaintiffs whining about?

When athletes start playing, they have to sign a waiver that surrenders all of their name, image, and likeness (“NIL”) rights to the NCAA. The NCAA can then use those rights however they see fit without compensating the athletes in any way. Two ways they use athletes’ NIL rights are in licensing for video games and licensing for live television broadcasts of games, promos, etc.

For video games, it’s a pretty easy case to make. The NCAA used to grant EA Sports the right to develop and sell video games with all of the FBS teams and players, and in exchange EA Sports would add a little depth to the Scrooge McDuck coin vault swimming pool. The NCAA has tried, half-heartedly, to argue that it is a coincidence that the rosters of every college team have every player with the appropriate height, weight, position, number, skin color, athletic characteristics, and general appearance. This issue bleeds over into other not-about-Player-X-but-definitely-about-Player-X stuff like jersey sales; sure, Michigan wasn’t selling Denard jerseys. But they were selling Denard jerseys.

The other issue is television rights. Right now, conferences sign television deals with networks, networks televise games, networks pay conferences large sums of money, conferences distribute that money among the member schools, and member schools give players… uh… the satisfaction of a job well done. O’Bannon is arguing that part of the value of those broadcasts are the result of the NIL rights that the players have to sign over to the NCAA.

[AFTER THE JUMP: More of what we're talking about here]

Whoa whoa whoa… do networks actually have to have athletes’ permission to broadcast them?

He thinks he's entitled.

I have no idea, and neither does anyone else. It’s still an open question, and one of the biggest open questions of the whole trial. Are the networks broadcasting the teams or the players? Or both? Athletes don’t generally give explicit permission to broadcast them playing, but, in pro sports those rights are presumably part of collective bargaining agreements with the respective professional league. The fine print on the back of most tickets clarifies that the spectator is granting the use of their NIL rights in broadcasts, but the band doesn’t. It’s an interesting question, and will be a hot topic in the trial.

FWIW, the NCAA has argued that they don’t sell the rights to the broadcast; they simply sell the right to access the premises. Seriously. They argue that ESPN pays the SEC a gajillion dollars for the right to put cameras in the building. The ‘broadcasting football and running ads’ thing is just a nice little bonus.

So, how much is O’Bannon looking to get paid?

O’Bannon isn’t looking for money, at least not directly. Instead, he’s looking for an injunction, which is the legal version of a rolled-up newspaper to the nose of a disobedient dog demanding that they stop certain behavior. There was a related suit that was asking for damages filed by former Nebraska quarterback Sam Keller, which was temporarily combined with the O’Bannon suit. But the judge in the case (Claudia Wilken, U.S. District Court for Northern California) separated the two cases for the trial phase.

O’Bannon originally filed his action against EA Sports and the Collegiate Licensing Company* as well as the NCAA. But EA Sports and the CLC settled with the plaintiffs for $40M to settle Keller’s claims, and agreed to stop producing NCAA Football and Basketball games to satisfy O’Bannon’s demands. Then, on Monday, literally moments before the O’Bannon trial, the NCAA then settled the Keller suit for $20M. So the only remaining part of the suit is the injunction against the NCAA.

*The CLC is a trademark licensing and marketing company that operates as the licensing arm of the NCAA, many conferences, and most major schools including Michigan. Look at the tag on any piece of ‘officially licensed’ college stuff you have. See that little red, white and blue circular logo? That’s them.

Wait, why did they settle the Keller suit, but not this?

Judge Claudia Wilken

Best guess: the NCAA has lots of money. They can throw money at problems to make them go away. But settling a suit for injunctive relief usually means you have to DO something. They’d have to change the status quo on licensing, which they might see as unleashing a change they can’t control or survive.

And this whole thing is about video games and broadcast rights?

Yes and no. Those are the complaints, but the broader issue is that the judge is looking at whether the NCAA is acting in violation of antitrust laws with its current system of restrictions. If it is, she can craft an injunction that addresses the extent of the violation. That remedy might be “hey, no more video games without athlete permission” or “no more NIL waivers” or “you have to give the players a cut of the TV money” or “athletes can’t be prevented from profiting from their own likenesses” or “the amateurism rules no longer apply” or “the entire NCAA rulebook is now gone.” And even if the injunction is more limited (which would be my guess), it would open the door to similar future claims. For the NCAA, winter is coming.

Yeah, yeah, Game of Thrones is awesome blah blah. Who has to prove what?

O’Bannon’s lawyers have to show that the NCAA engaged in an agreement, contract or conspiracy to manipulate prices, the agreement unreasonably restrained trade, and that the restraint affected interstate commerce. Don’t worry about the last point; it’s just a thing that allows the feds to get into it. No one will contest that part. The first point is probably a given, too; one of the NCAA’s primary purposes is to make sure all schools provide the same level of benefit (which is below what some might receive in the open market). The phrase "impermissible benefit" exists for a reason, after all.

The big issue, then, is whether the NCAA unreasonably restrains trade. The plaintiff has to show that the NCAA uses its monopolistic control to harm/manipulate/damage some discernable market. And they can get away with pretty much anything if they have a good enough reason.

The plaintiffs are arguing that the way the NCAA handles its business harms two markets: the college education market and the group licensing market. In other words, if the NCAA wasn’t such a buzzkill, the market for college athletes would be different and more beneficial to the athletes, and there would be a value for athletes to use their NIL rights that they are currently prevented from receiving.

The college market argument is a pretty easy one. If the NCAA allowed it, would players be paid more than they currently are? Well, yeah. Because some players (looking at you, Ole Miss and Clemson) are already getting paid more than the NCAA allows. The NIL argument isn’t much harder, because they already have the head of EA sports saying they would have been willing to pay more to be able to use actual names in the games rather than QB #16.

So, victory?

NCAA attorney in action

Not yet. The NCAA can argue that without those restrictions, the nature of college sports would be so different that the rules are reasonable. The NCAA has several arguments that, sure they’re restricting the market, but it’s FOR the market. Their arguments are as follows:

• Amateurismis good. Specifically, the game wouldn’t be the same if the players weren’t amateurs. No one would care. They would be all, “eh, these guys get paid,” and turn to… uh… whatever else is on TV on fall Saturdays. This argument is a really hard sell, because (a) players ALREADY get paid (how many times have you heard an anti-player-pay guy scream “THEY ALREADY GET FREE TUITION THAT’S LIKE A BILLION DOLLARS AND I HAD TO SELL MY UNCLE'S NEPHEW TO PAY FOR COLLEGE”), and (b) the NCAA is already talking openly about an additional stipend on top of the normal scholarship amount. Besides, as the plaintiffs pointed out, there are less restrictive means of ensuring that the players are “amateurs” during their playing career, like establishing a fund that pays players after they leave school.
• Limits are necessary for competitive balance. If everyone gets paid for their likenesses based on unfettered market forces, people are going to get a bunch more money at Alabama than they are at Eastern Michigan, and they’ll make more at Eastern Michigan than they’ll make at Northwest Bumblemuffin State. This will necessarily cause all of the most talented athletes to go to the biggest name schools and conferences. Which is totally not what happens now. All schools recruit the same athletes with the same level of success. (In a related argument, the NCAA will argue that some schools will be forced to leave Division 1 because they can’t afford to keep up with the Sabans.)
• We ain’t come to play SCHOOL. The NCAA is arguing that without the amateurness of college sports, the connection between the student and the athlete in “student-athlete” would be lost. Judge Wilkin has said that for this article to succeed, the NCAA must show that it “actually contributes to the integration of education and athletics.” I can’t honestly think of a single good argument for this one. I can’t even pretend to defend it before shredding it. Sorry.

Okay, then how’s the trial going so far

Ed O’Bannon’s testimony highlighted day one, though his testimony will probably be the least consequential. O’Bannon testified about the time balance between being a student and an athlete, about being encouraged to take easier classes and less challenging majors, and the about signing the waiver of naming rights. The NCAA spent a lot of time trying to get O’Bannon to talk about all the benefits he got from playing, and how John Wooden was a great mentor. Which is nice… and totally irrelevant to the actual issues of the case. Easily the best moment in O’Bannon’s testimony, though, was when the NCAA’s attorney trying to get on the record that Bill Walton doesn’t think players should be paid. Because, as you can imagine, having Bill Walton on your side is checkmate in ANY TRIAL.

The more important testimony was that of Stanford economics professor Roger Noll, whose testimony lasted for a total of 11 hours over three days. Noll (presumably in a Ben Stein-esque rhythm and cadence) explained the basic microeconomic theory behind the plaintiff’s case; that without the restraints put in place by the NCAA, players would receive more money, both in terms of compensation from schools and in licensing of their names, images, and likenesses. He also explained how the NCAA is a cartel, in that the various member organizations formed a joint association that sets a series of rules for how they operate in the market.*

Noll also testified about the ancillary effects of the NCAA’s restrictions. He argued that the money that would otherwise go to athletes is being used on things like coaches salaries and construction projects. These “inefficient replacements,” according to Noll, demonstrate the excess money that are being used as replacement enticements and signals of a strong program for recruits.

Tyrone Prothro, he of the AAAARRRRGGGG DON’T SHOW THAT REPLAY, testified on day three. He shared the story of how his miraculous catch helped win Alabama a $100,000 prize, and the NCAA used it in ad campaign and several other ways, but when Prothro wanted a copy of the picture the school told him he would have to pay for it. He also testified about the lack of integration of the athletes with the normal students, and how the NCAA has told him they won’t pay for future surgeries on his astoundingly shattered leg.

Day four was a battle of the television execs. Former NBA TV executive Ed Desser testified for the plaintiff that television deals assume that the teams/conferences/whatever are transferring the rights to broadcast the players; that the NIL rights are “at the heart of what's being conveyed" by the conferences. NCAA witness (and former CBS President) Neal Pilson, testified that networks broadcast teams, not players. He also pointed out that many agreements don’t explicitly mention participant NIL rights. He also wandered into the “people wouldn’t watch players if they were paid” territory, which was odd and somewhat outside his wheelhouse.

*One fun tidbit is that the NCAA’s economic expert also referred to the NCAA as a cartel. In a textbook he wrote. The best expert the NCAA could find for their cause literally called the NCAA a textbook example of a cartel.

THE ESSENTIALS

SO. IT IS TIME. I'VE GOT SEVEN LIVES LEFT, BUDDY

THE THEM: Bête noires

Quail and quake at the USA's World Cup nemesis: Ghana. The Black Stars' ongoing revenge for Freddy Adu has been sporadic but ruthless, just like their team. I took in their final warmup friendly against South Korea* and was mostly unimpressed, but Ghana just kept scoring goals despite my opinion of their overall play.

If you remember anything about the USA's previous matchups with Ghana, the way those goals went down will be no surprise: transition. Ghana's second was in fact a virtual replay of Ricardo Clark's disaster from four years ago, albeit with a much greater case for a foul. Of the four goals that the Black Stars have scored at the US's expense, two were derf giveaways in the USA's defensive third, one was a long ball over the top on which the USA's slow and aging 2010 central defense corps was exposed, and the fourth was a ridiculous penalty issued against Oguchi Onyewu.

Transition: avoid it at all costs.

With the theme and many of the players the same guys the US took on four years ago, Ghana will feel much like they did in 2010. This was not necessarily the case until an injury.

While Abdul Waris is not officially ruled out it seems unlikely anyone can recover from a torn quad in under a week. This rules out the 4-4-2 they ran a lot of in qualifying; expect the 4-2-3-1 that is world's default at the moment and what Ghana ran in 2010, with Kevin Prince Boateng ranging underneath Gyan. Via The Shin Guardian, a likely lineup:

More detail can be found at the Shin Guardian

GOALIE: This should be an area of advantage for the US; Ghana's probable starter plays in the South African league. 2010 starter Richard Kingson wasn't elite but was a much more established player, at least for Ghana.

DEFENSE: Projected left back Kwadwo Asamoah isn't as out of position as you may have heard—he's more of a wing-back for his club despite playing most of his time with the national team at central midfield. He is extremely dangerous.

The center backs are the same guys the US took on four years ago, and they're a bit foul prone and tend to get dragged out of position. South Korea was able to generate a number of dangerous chances that they couldn't quite finish as Ghana got pulled out of shape.

The right back plays in Tunisia, and is a little bugger at 5'7"; he's quick and gets in on opponents but might have difficulty with the USA's burly attackers.

MIDFIELD: You remember Prince-Boateng and Essien; though they're getting a bit up in years and Essien's had some injury problems recently. If you don't, Boeteng is the Ghanaian version of Bradley: a dynamic box-to-box midfielder who could easily be deployed as a holder but has found his niche further up the field. He will be the guy trying to get the ball off Beckerman or one of the central defenders.

Essien is a version of Jones… a much, much better version of Jones. Imagine if when Jones pressed forward he was a consistently excellent passer. Essien missed the previous World Cup and has dealt with injuries and declining form; after being a fixture for Chelsea for forever he moved to AC Milan in January and only had seven appearances.

Rabiu is a basic defensive mid.

Andre Ayew will be one of the wing midfielders; he's a regular for Marseille but a seemingly good matchup for DaMarcus Beasley, who was Ayew in a previous existence. The other will be either Ayew's brother Jordan or Sulley Muntari; Muntari is the better player but more of a central mid. If they go with Muntari it'll be on Asamoah to get upfield for with; unfortunately, he's plenty capable of that.

let's not this

FORWARD: Gyan. Guy is doom on a stick if you let him set up, and he has the kind of ability to take a nothing ball against a defender and turn it into a lethal shot. He's been playing in the Qatari league, too: Brazil is like a meat locker to him.

*[Previous friendlies are not helpful here; while they did get basically run off the field by the Netherlands the South Korea game saw ten changes—ie, everyone who played against the Dutch won't be playing against the USA.]

THE US(A)

After a strong performance against Nigeria in a formation that makes sense for the USA to replicate, the expectation here is for the US to run out the same 11, and run the same Christmas-tree-to-asymmetric 4-3-3 formation.

GOALIE: Howard.

DEFENSE: Beasley, Besler, Cameron, Johnson.

While the prospect of Portugal flipping Ronaldo to Beasley's side and just having their ubermensch plow Run DMB over is alarming, Ghana's Andre Ayew is a much more comfortable matchup for the USA's still somewhat makeshift left back. Ayew is a quick little bugger who Beasley can go toe-to-toe with, and not get outrun by.

Besler and Cameron draw the Gyan assignment; hopefully they'll be better equipped to cope with his speed and physicality. Last time out it was a 24-year old Gyan against 30 and 31 year old US center backs; this time Gyan is going up against guys almost exactly as old as him, and considerably more mobile. Consider the ill-fated Bocanegra-at-left-back experiment versus Cameron starting 74 of Stoke's last 78 EPL games, mostly at right back.

The tactics should be set up to shield the center backs from Prince-Boateng… most of the time. When the US loses its shape and they don't have their square o' protection set up, communication between the two center backs will be key. It seems like Besler is the designated guy to step up while Cameron sweeps behind.

Fabian Johnson draws either Jordan Ayew, he of the recent hat trick but previous indifferent national team career, or Muntari, who is left footed but more of a central midfielder. Either way he will surge forward and the US must be prepared to cover.

THIS IS MY BALL. THERE ARE MANY LIKE IT BUT THIS ONE IS MINE. MY BALL IS MY BEST FRIEND. IT IS MY LI—OH SHIT

MIDFIELD: Beckerman, Jones, Bedoya, Bradley

Beckerman, Jones, and Bradley are the key to this game. In possession, they have to give each other options and watch for Ghana's sporadic but incredibly effective pressing.

While Beckerman had one bad turnover in the Nigeria game, his entire career is built around being in the place he's supposed to be and playing the simple ball away from pressure to allow his team the opportunity to retain possession and build an attack. It's no exaggeration to say that this is the culmination of his career. The pressure will be intense.

Jones will rove as he is wont to do; his most important role in this one is as the break-in-case-of-fire axe, the USA's OH SHIT button. As such he definitely shouldn't be putting himself in positions like the on that occasioned his impressive 70-yard recovery run against Nigeria; he can range forward when warranted but he should be the one laying it off and waiting instead of trying to burst forward himself. Jones has always been a guy whose offensive ambitions exceed his grasp; that's the last bit of wildness the US would fear from him.

Bedoya's main role is to work for the team and provide width that allows Johnson to shoot upfield inside of him.

And Bradley. Here's Michael Essien. Be him, and outplay him. No problem. Part of the Clark disaster linked above was a four-years-younger Bradley putting Clark in a bad position. He's been a fixture at Roma, he's the guy the USA and his club team are built around, he broke the damn beep test. Now it is time to demonstrate that you are Michael Bradley and that means something.

This was Gyan-like

FORWARD: Altidore, Dempsey

Altidore's flash of brilliance against Nigeria is a hopeful sign; more hopeful yet is the consistently quality hold-up work he's put in against the Turks and the Super Eagles. He's put the ball on Dempsey's boot a number of times, and he has worked hard even when the ball wasn't going in for him. The US figures to boot it upfield more than they have been, so his ability to get down the channels* will figure in against Ghana outside backs who figure to get upfield.

Meanwhile, Dempsey has been off. He's been provided numerous opportunities to create something by Bradley and his first touch let him down consistently in the Send Off Series. He did have a near goal late against Nigeria that he created with fancy footwork; even on that it seemed like a layoff to Altidore for another tap in was the move. Dempsey's footwork earned him a penalty in the 2010 game against these center backs, and he should be a handful for the same gentlemen.

*[IE: run diagonally from the center of the field to one of the corners, hopefully getting and retaining possession and perhaps dragging one the the central defenders with you.]

SUBS: If the US is leading the only subs that make sense will be striker swaps. They're playing all their midfielders who have a defensive edge already. Pulling Dempsey, who doesn't work on defense much, for a fresh guy who can press from the front would make sense—Johannsson or possibly Diskerud.

Tied or behind, Beckerman could be sacrificed for either Diskerud or one of the strikers, with Bradley withdrawing and the US bombing forward with its centerbacks exposed; Zusi would likely come on for Bedoya.

KEYS OTHER THAN SCORING MORE GOALPOINTS

Don't get caught with the ball on defense. For all the talk about becoming more of a possession team, if there's a doubt against these guys, just punt it upfield. As much as possible, make Ghana try to break you down.

Don't get dragged too far out of shape without a really good reason. Looking mostly at Jones and Bedoya here, as they will be pushing forward and also have extensive defensive responsibilities. The 23 selected makes this even more imperative, since there's a high chance Beckerman takes a tactical yellow card at some point, leaving him exposed for however long he's got after that.

Defend and counter… mostly. Sit deep against a fast team, keep your shape, funnel them to the outside, and look to shoot upfield when the ball is turned over. The US has center backs who can make a long pass and two box to box midfielders who can carry it upfield. Look for a breakthrough while denying Ghana's break and then see if you need to make changes later.

Press high when afforded the opportunity. The US has a counter-attacking trick or two up its sleeve, as well. Bradley has a terrific knock for perceiving when he can dispossess a guy in a dangerous spot, and the US has generated chances the last two games off of that. Bradley's ability to disrupt the Ghana attack from the front is a major asset.

WIN THE GAME. #winthegame

AHHHHHHH. AHHHHHH.

SECTION WHERE I PREDICT THE SAME THING KENPOM DOES

DIVBYZERO