Michigan football has received commitments from five of state's top seven recruits
The commitment Sunday of top-flight offensive tackle recruit Kyle Kalis — a former Ohio State pledge, no less — punctuates the impressive recruiting job done so far by the Michigan football program under new coach Brady Hoke.
But it also veils another development: The Wolverines’ dominance on the in-state recruiting trail.
Rivals on Tuesday released its latest ranking of the state’s top 30 prospects for 2012, and the Wolverines claim commitments from five of the top seven.
The other two players — No. 2 Aaron Burbridge, a wide receiver from Farmington Hills Harrison, and No. 5 Danny O’Brien, a defensive tackle from Flint Powers — list Michigan among their finalists.
Rivals’ top in-state recruit is Royce Jenkins-Stone, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound linebacker from Detroit Cass Tech. Rivals lists him as a 4-star, while Scout pegs him as a 4-star and the No. 7 linebacker in the country.
Jenkins-Stone committed to Michigan in April. He had offers from Alabama, Oklahoma and Florida, among several others.
The rest of Michigan’s top-seven recruits: No. 3 James Ross, a linebacker from Orchard Lake St. Mary’s; No. 4 Terry Richardson, a defensive back from Detroit Cass Tech; No. 6 Devin Funchess, a tight end from Farmington Hills Harrison; and No. 7 Matthew Godin, a defensive tackle from Detroit Catholic Central.
Each commit is a Rivals 4-star recruit except Godin, who is a 3-star.
The highest-ranked recruit not committed to Michigan is Jamal Lyles, a Michigan State pledge who comes in at No. 8.
In all, Michigan has received commitments from seven of Rivals’ top-30 in-state recruits, none of whom are outside the top 14.
Michigan State (Southfield Lathrup linebacker Lyles at No. 8 and Traverse City St. Francis linebacker Riley Bullough at No. 12) and Central Michigan (Grand Blanc defensive back Jordan Fields at No. 20 and Lansing Catholic Central quarterback Cooper Rush at No. 27) each have two commitments.
Toledo and Syracuse have one apiece.
Michigan has 19 overall commitments for its 2012 class, the most in the Big Ten.
Kyle Meinke covers Michigan football for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at 734-623-2588, by email at kylemeinke@annarbor.com and followed on Twitter @kmeinke.
Comments
Terry Star21
Sat, Jul 16, 2011 : 7:55 p.m.
Nice article. The thing is, that a great amount of respect is showing it's beautiful face around America. Whether it be through the high school coaches, the student/athlete, the media - whatever. Hoke and his staff have done a excellent job right off the line - and the great news is, that it only will get better. What a great time to be a Michigan Football Faithful....I'm thinking maybe the best ever ! MgoBlueForTiM...........and the Hoke Team.
1st Down
Sat, Jul 16, 2011 : 6:09 a.m.
Tough, physical players are being recruited....and a lot of them... Coach Hoke and his staff have done a fantastic job in targeting the right player to rebuild with, and then getting them to commit early....
umgoblue47
Sat, Jul 16, 2011 : 3:47 a.m.
it would be nice if we could snag dunn from o-lie-o state and also pickup devin fuller. fuller is the complete athlete who can play qb, wr, db and would also make a great kickoff and punt return player. if you have-not seen is video, speed still kills! GO BLUE!
OldBittyBates
Sat, Jul 16, 2011 : 2:49 a.m.
Good golly gee whiz, the recruitment season isn't even over yet and ya'll seem to think Brady Hoke and staff have done enough to merit lots of rest and relaxation. Well, there are still 6 great players yet to haul in. I would like to see Keith Marshall, Dorial Green-Beckham, Ondre Pipkins, Danny Obrien, Nelson Agholor, and Andrus Peat suddenly decide Michigan is where they will spend their 4 years of college. I would also love to see a national championship in Michigan's near future. Go Blue!
Edward R Murrow's Ghost
Sat, Jul 16, 2011 : 2:34 a.m.
Clearly Hoke has righted the recruiting ship after three disastrous years. Amazing what can be done in the space of 6 short months with someone who knows what they are doing! Go get 'em, Coach! Good Night and Good Luck
Tru2Blu76
Sat, Jul 16, 2011 : 12:29 a.m.
Coach Hoke's Wolverines are lookin' mighty good so far. Lovin' it - Go Blue! Sharing: I just came back from visiting Yosemite National Park - I wore my Michigan baseball cap throughout the trip. Several times - I got spontaneous "Go Blue!" salutes from passing strangers: that included on the streets of Berkeley and during our time within the magnificent Yosemite landscape. Michigan has that kind of recognition! The funniest example came when I stopped at a Chili's Restaurant in the Phoenix airport on my way back to Ann Arbor. I was sitting alone "minding my own business" when a young male waiter came up behind me and said: "I'm sorry sir, this is a Buckeye's establishment." I responded, "Oh, then I'll leave at once. I'm sorry I didn't see your Bob Evans sign when I came in." :-)
81wolverine
Fri, Jul 15, 2011 : 11:22 p.m.
It should be noted that Kalis is ranked as the #1 player in Ohio preseason. Also, this is almost certainly the most commitments Michigan has ever received this early. So, it represents possibly a change in philosophy in recruiting football players. Hit the recruiting trails hard early - build excitement and scarcity - fill the class early. This has worked well for Texas especially. We'll see if Coach Hoke uses this approach every year. But, it certainly is working great this year. Ohio State's disastrous (and overdue) scandal is certainly helping Michigan even more. This will accelerate MIchigan's return to dominance in the Big Ten.