Michigan Lands Another Big Kicker

The University of Michigan received the verbal commitment from Will Hagerup of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin. Hagerup is a 3-star rated Scout.com prospect and the No. 4 rated punter in the country with many other high-profile offers from Ohio State, Alabama, Florida, Wisconsin, Iowa and Northwestern.

Hagerup is 6-4 and 210 lbs as a high school senior. This is in alignment with the size and stature of Michigan's more recent punters like Zoltan Mesko (6-5, 238 lbs), Adam Finley (6-4, 209 lbs).

The last Michigan punter who hailed from Wisconsin also played outside linebacker for the Wolverines, John Anderson (1974-1977). Anderson was an All-American for Michigan and an All-Academic Big Ten honoree. Anderson hailed from Waukesha, Wisconsin and went on to star as a Linebacker for Bart Starr's Green Bay Packers in the early 1980s. While playing for Bo Schembechler at Michigan, John Anderson had a 39.5 yard per punt average.

Anderson's most famous play in a Michigan uniform was not a punt at all. It was a bear hug tackle of Ohio State's quarterback Rod Gerald on the Buckeyes' last threatening drive which caused a fumble, which Derek Howard recovered for Michigan, sealing the 14-6 win over Ohio State, the Big Ten championship, a trip to Pasadena, and prompting Ohio's head coach Woody Hayes to throw down his clipboard and punch things - anything - within his direct vicinity. Even an unfortunate ABC sideline cameraman.

Anderson is appropriately numbered "86":


Back to Mr. Hagerup. Yes, he punts like a maniac, and even plays TE for his high school team, the Dukes. You can follow his and the Dukes 2009 gridiron exploits here.

Punter Recruit Visiting UM For Indiana Game

Will Hagerup, one of the highest ranked punters in the country from Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, may be visiting Ann Arbor this weekend to take in the wares of University of Michigan and its football program.

Hagerup is a prime recruiting target for Michigan to replace its senior punter and Ray Guy finalist, Zoltan Mesko next season. Hagerup may have another good reason to come to the football game in Ann Arbor this coming Saturday. Will’s older brother, sophomore Chris Hagerup, is the starting punter for the Indiana Hoosiers. Chris Hagerup currently has a 42.0 yard average per punt compared to Mesko’s slightly better 42.2 yard punting average.

The Blue Dukes of Whitefish Bay are 3-1 so far this year. From the available team statistics so far, Hagerup has averaged about 33.4 yards per punt.

Bienvenue Talbott Brothers!

The Michigan Wolverines football program earned the commitment of two new players: defensive tackle Terry Talbott, and Terry's brother, Terrance Talbott. Terrance was recruited to play the cornerback position. Both positions at Michigan are in dire need of talented playmakers.

The Talbott brothers specifications are as follows:

DT Terry Talbott, 6-3, 265 lbs, Wayne High School (Huber Heights, OH), 4.87 speed. 3-Star, No. 50 DT in the nation. Terry's offer list included Cincy, Wisconsin, NC State, Michigan State, Kent State and Toledo.


CB



Terrance Talbott, 5-9, 172 lbs, Wayne High School (Huber Heights, OH), 4.5 speed. 1-Star, unranked CB. Terrance's offer list included Cincy, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Toledo and Ball State.



OK, so Mr. Terrance Talbott is getting just about zero love right now by Scout.com and Rivals.com. But watch the footage at 00:21 as he absolutely tattoed another Michigan recruiting target, 4-star and No. 6 TE in the nation Alex Smith, of (CORRECTION): Lakota West High School (West Chester, OH). Choice.


The Talbott brothers helped to lead Wayne High School to an 8-4 record in 2008.
Both return for the 2009 season alongside star Warrior quarterback, and OSU recruiting target, Braxton Miller for the 2009 campaign.

Welcome to the Michigan family, Terry and Terrance!

Here is the Talbott family crest:


Their family motto?

Prest d'accomplir.

That's "Ready to Accomplish".

Rodriguez's recruiting strategy is finally starting to emphasize the much needed defensive position players. The next 7 months are going to be a lot of fun on the recruiting front.

Courtney Avery selects Wolverines over “El Palo Alto”

Mr. Courtney Avery, a 3-star, 23rd-ranked cornerback from Lexington, OH decommitted from Stanford last week and transferred his football loyalty to the University of Michigan.

Avery makes the 15th commitment for Wolverine head coach Rich Rodriguez this year. The Wolverines currently enjoy a 2010 recruiting class ranked 10th by Scout.com and 8th by Rivals.com recruiting sites.

This "Avery steal" is significant as it fills an area of dire need for Michigan – the defensive secondary. Interestingly, Avery also plays quarterback, which will only bolster Michigan’s depth at that position going forward.

The Avery commitment takes place as Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh is assembling an impressive list of 2010 recruits himself. Harbaugh's new Cardinal class already has 16 commits and is ranked 11th by Scout and 20th by Rivals.com so far. Harbaugh has been doing an excellent job this year racking up recruits on the West Coast, and giving USC and UCLA a run for their money. But replacing a solid recruit like Avery at cornerback is going to be a challenge.

The Michigan Wolverines now have between 8 and 10 spots open to recruit for 2010. Most will be likely be defensive position players.

Michigan Racking Up More 2010 Recruits

On May 28th, the Michigan Wolverines landed new commitments for the 2010 football class from DE/TE Jordan Paskorz from Allison Park, PA. Paskorz is a 3-star, 59th ranked TE in the country by Scout.com.

A second commitment came from Christian Pace of Avon Lake, OH on Sunday, May 31st.
Pace is a 3-star, 36th ranked OG according to Scout.com.

Word on the street is that a top-rated DE is about to commit in the coming days to the Wolverines. This player attending the second annual BBQ at the BigHouse organized by head coach Rich Rodriguez and staff.

It's only May and Michigan now has 12 commitments for 2010, with 13 slots still open and 8 months until next signing day (February 2010).

2010 class is really shaping up but Michigan's remaining areas of need are plenty:

Punter - Need 1 good one to replace Zoltan the Magnificent.

Linebacker - Need lots and lots.

Defensive tackles - need 1 or 2.

Defensive ends - have 2, need 1 more, maybe 2.

Running back - Need to find the next Avon Cobourne, Steve Slaton and Noel Devine.

Quarterback - Got a great one with Devin Gardner, but another QB provides much needed insurance...and competition!

Secondary - Michigan needs bodies at corner and safety to improve overall talent and depth.

Michigan QB Position Building Some Interesting Depth

Michigan's football program received a verbal commitment from Inkster, MI star QB Devin Gardner on Friday.

According to Scout.com, Gardner is the nation's 7th ranked quarterback prospect and has received 4 stars from Scout.com and Rivals.com raters.

Gardner, Michigan's 7th commitment for 2010, had already received an impressive list of offers from other schools, including LSU, Notre Dame, Oregon, Nebraska, Michigan State, Iowa, Purdue West Virginia, Baylor and Cincinnati.

Garder is big. 6 foot 4 inches tall and 196 pounds. He doesn't have blazing speed at 4.63, but he has excellent agility, shifts direction and is very elusive on the field.

Mr. Gardner, like Dennis Dixon, makes big plays and scores a lot of points on the ground and through the air.

Gardner's Junior Stats:

Completed 98 of 170 passes for over 1,800 yards, 26 TDs and only 7 INTs (58% completion rate). Rushed only 115 times, but for a jaw-dropping 1,401 yards and 22 TDs - that's 12 yards per rushing attempt!

The addition of Gardner will likely change Michigan's QB situation significantly entering the 2010 season with the likes of Nick Sheridan, Tate Forcier, Denard Robinson and Gardner competing for playing time. As I've posted earlier, I don't ever recall a depth chart of quarterbacks at Michigan with such footspeed. Having experience, speed and elusiveness at QB makes it possible for the coaches to open up the playbook some more on opponents. The nature of Rodriguez' offense means higher risk of injury to the quarterback. Depth, talent and experience at quarterback is essential for future success with this offensive system.



Michigan might not be done at QB recruiting either. The Wolverines have over 90 offers out and 12 of those have apparently gone to QBs that fit Rodriguez dual-threat, spread option requirements.

More on Mr. Gardner's exploits courtesy of the "internets":

Junior Running Back Mel Jackson Offered by Michigan Wolverines

Junior high school tailback Jamaal Merrell "Mel" Jackson of Newark, Delaware (Hodgson Vocational Tec) was recently offered by Michigan.

The Wolverines are going to have some openings at tailback next fall with Minor, Brown, McGuffie (transferred to Rice) and Horn (transferred) all gone.

Judging from the amazing Youtubular footage, Jackson is a home-run hitting, touchdown-scoring machine whether returning kickoffs, punts, or just running off right end on a I-formation quickpitch.

And now some 2,000 yard-gaining, shoulder-shimmying, ankle-busting fun:



Jackson is 5-9, 160 lbs. and rather fast with a 4.4 40 yard dash.
During his junior year, Mel slammed away for 1,500+ yards, 20 touchdowns and otherwise shredded opposing defenses into Sargento cheese.

Shred it again:



And golly, those Hodgson football helmets sure do look familiar. :)

The punt returning alone reminds me a little bit of Desmond Howard.