QB Shane Morris among 6 Michigan football recruits whose stock slipped in latest Rivals ranking
The Michigan football team landed six players on Rivals' latest top 100 ranking, more than anyone else in the Big Ten. It trails only Texas nationally.
But each of those commits took a hit in the release.
Warren DeLaSalle quarterback Shane Morris remains the Wolverines' top 2013 pledge, a four-star quarterback who comes in at No. 22. However, that's down from his No. 16 ranking on the initial list, which was released in early February.
Morris was joined on the top 100 list by five other Michigan commits, each of whom slipped in the re-release.
Linebacker Mike McCray dropped from 44th to 55th; offensive lineman Chris Fox from 46th to 57th; offensive lineman Patrick Kugler from 54th to 73rd; offensive lineman Kyle Bosch from 60th to 77th; and safety Dymonte Thomas from 77th to 95th.
Most movement on Rivals' list is correlated to play on the camp circuit because no games have been played since February. That could help explain a slip for someone such as Thomas, who is not camping.
It could explain Morris' drop as well. The big-armed pocket quarterback, who seems fit to run the pro-style offense that is preferred by Michigan offensive coordinator Al Borges, struggled early on the camp circuit this spring.
He acknowledged as much after a Dallas recruiting event in March, where he was widely criticized for lacking touch on his passes. He did not finish among the top-six quarterbacks at the event.
Morris looked much better last month at a camp in Columbus, Ohio, where he beat out some of the nation's top QBs to earn MVP honors. He also punched his ticket to the Elite 11 finals in California, one of the nation's premier quarterback camps.
"I definitely came in with a chip on my shoulder," Morris told ESPN.com. "Down in Dallas, I was disappointed. I obviously felt a lot better today. I had a great time and ripped it."
Although many of Michigan's players slipped in Rivals' latest ranking, it's notable so many of its recruits made it at all.
The Wolverines paced the Big Ten with six top-100 players. Ohio State followed at four commits and Penn State had two.
Impressively, three of the 10 offensive linemen among Rivals' top 100 overall players are Michigan commits.
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.
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