Allen Wallace, national recruiting editor for Scout.com and publisher of SuperPrep magazine, talked with AnnArbor.com about the early returns on Michigan’s 2010 recruiting class.

Q. What do you think of Michigan’s recruiting class so far?

A. “They’re No. 11, according to Scout.com. Last year, SuperPrep magazine, we ranked Michigan No. 8, so they’re recruiting consistently. With Michigan, the real question is, have you brought in the quarterback that you’re going to need? And that question remains to be answered. I’m not real high on (Tate) Forcier even though he’s already had a camp to go through. I do feel really good about the other kid who’s coming from Florida, (Denard) Robinson. In terms of the guys that you have committed at the quarterback position, Cornelius Jones, he’s only a two-star recruit according to Scout.com. I don’t know if he’s going to play quarterback at Michigan or not. He wasn’t a real heavily offered guy. Devin Gardner is Scout.com’s No. 6 quarterback in the United States. He’s what the doctor ordered, at least in terms of the general perception that he would be viewed as an elite quarterback who could basically go wherever he wanted and turned away schools like LSU, Nebraska and Notre Dame. He’s another kid who fits the current Michigan mold of run and throw threat."

Q. Who’s the biggest catch so far, Gardner?

A. “Yeah, I would have to say so, in part because I place a lot of emphasis on the quarterback position, regardless of the school. Quarterback has so much to do with the ultimate outcome. You can be filled with all kinds of great prospects everywhere and if you’ve got a quarterback that really can’t handle the elite, upper-echelon competition that schools like Michigan are under pressure to perform at, I think it’s a downfall of a lot of programs. It separates the good from the great. So Devin Gardner would be a reason why this class is ranked real high."

Q. Who are some recruits to keep an eye on with Michigan this fall? A. “You’re still in the running for guys like Kyle Prater, a wide receiver out of Hillside, Ill. Seantrel Henderson, who is Scout.com’s No. 1 offensive tackle prospect in the United States. Linebacker Jeff Luc. He’s from Port St. Lucie, Fla. He’s a middle linebacker, rated the No. 1 middle linebacker in the United States by Scout.com. You got defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd from Philadelphia. Got a nice looking corner prospect Cullen Christian."

Q. How do recruits and high school coaches perceive Michigan under Rich Rodriguez versus Michigan under Lloyd Carr?

A. “I think pretty much the same way the general public does, which is Rich Rodriguez needs time to recruit his players so that his system can work. Last year was more of a disappointment than most people were prepared for, but with a name like Michigan everybody thinks they’re going to be back; it’s a question of time. Based on what Rich Rodriguez did at West Virginia, there’s no reason to think that he won’t duplicate that kind of success at Michigan, where he’s got much greater access to talent. And when you hear kids talk about Michigan, they generally talk along the lines of they like Rich Rodriguez, they like his staff, and they think that good things are ahead for the program. It’s a good for Michigan because kids are usually looking to go to places where if they’re not already good they’re at least headed there."

Q. There’s a perception that Michigan State is making some inroads, especially when it comes to recruiting in-state talent. How concerned should Michigan fans be with what Mark Dantonio is doing in East Lansing?

A. “Oh, they should be very concerned, but I’ve never been one that emphasizes a lot on where kids come from. Michigan’s one of those schools that can recruit nationwide. If you look at their commitment list now, they have guys from South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Florida, Texas. They’ve traditionally been at least occasionally successful in California. I think every coach would like to control his backyard. It’s always nice to get the best guys from in state to come to your school. But I probably am in the minority here, I don’t think where they come from is as important as the quality of the guys that end up signing with you. It’s much better to spread yourself out, recruit from a lot of different states and bring in elite talent than it is to dominate your state if you’re only getting three-star guys."

Q. You mentioned Forcier. Why are you not that high on him?

A. “In part because his brothers have not been successful at the college game. It’s probably not a fair reason, but it’s certainly a human reason. All those kids were heavily promoted and they’ve gone on to situations where they’ve virtually all had to transfer because they couldn’t cut it at the schools that they originally signed with. And I’ve seen Forcier in person. I saw him at a combine here (in California) before his senior year. I thought he was a good prospect, not a great prospect. "

Q. What does Rodriguez have to do to secure a top-five recruiting class when all is said and done?

A. "If Michigan wants to get into a top-five position then they’re going to have to stay away from the three-star commitments, just for ranking purposes, of course. Obviously, if Michigan coaches like three-star guys better than four- and five-star guys, the joke’s on us. Evaluation is always subjective and nobody agrees about it. But generally speaking, we’ve had a lot of guys looking at kids, there’s a lot of conversation and work that goes into putting this together. And Michigan doesn’t just have to worry about the schools are in front of it, they’ve got to worry about the guys behind it (in the rankings like USC and Ohio State)."