Tuesday Quick Hits: Help Michigan Win The Charity Bowl

• Every Day Should Be Saturday and Fanblogs have partnered together to run something called The Charity Bowl, which pits fans of colleges against each other to see who can donate the most money. The reason for The Charity Bowl is simple. With the recent cyclone in Myanmar, the tornadoes and other storms across the United States, and the earthquake in China, there has never been a better time to donate. The school with the most donations will get to have their colors displayed on both EDSBS and Fanblogs, and gets to be known as the first winner of this great event.
  
  Here are the details:
  

  1) Make a donation online to the American Red Cross, CARE, or the International Rescue Committee.
  
  2) Email the donation confirmation to kevin@fanblogs.com and state your team affiliation by 8pm EDT on Wednesday, May 14th.
  
  3) Results will be displayed at Every Day Should Be Saturday and Fanblogs throughout the week, with the final results shown by Thursday, May 15th.
  
  4) The winning school will have its colors displayed at EDSBS and logo/mascot shown on every page at Fanblogs.

  After one day, Michigan is in first-place with $1000 and holds a $500 lead over Florida. Make a donation if you haven't already and make sure to send an e-mail to kevin@fanblogs.com to have your donation recorded.
• Michigan's 2008 homecoming game against Illinois (on October 4) will kick-off at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
• Michigantailgate.net posted some pictures recently of the construction going on at Michigan Stadium.
• Zach Putnam, a pitcher for the Michigan baseball team, is out with a "severe case of strep throat," according to The Michigan Daily. He missed the last week of action, and a return doesn't appear to be imminent.

Monday Quick Hits: Lucas-Perry Picks Up Extra Year

• The Michigan baseball team clinched its third straight Big Ten championship by sweeping Minnesota this past weekend.
• Despite being upset in the first-round of the Big Ten Tournament, the Michigan softball team received the #4 overall seed of the NCAA Tournament and will host a regional.
• Laval Lucas-Perry, a Michigan basketball player that transferred from Arizona during his freshman year, received good news from the NCAA on Friday. Instead of being a sophomore next season, Lucas-Perry will still be a freshman due to an NCAA ruling. Although he still can't play until December, Lucas-Perry will get around three and a half years of eligibility at Michigan rather than only two and a half.
• Michigan confirmed it will be playing in the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament. Also, Oakland's basketball coach confirmed that his team will play Michigan at the Palace of Auburn Hills on December 20.
• Keith Nichol, a quarterback that went to Oklahoma last year after decommitting from Michigan State, is transferring. Michigan is seen as a possible destination for Nichol, especially since his high school ran an offense similar to U-M's. It won't be a bad thing at all if he doesn't end up going to Michigan now that Kevin Newsome and Shavodrick Beaver are in the fold (and Tate Forcier may be in the future as well), but I'm all for added depth. I probably would take someone like Forcier over Nichol, but the more the merrier.
• ESPN went all-access to a Michigan football practice last month.
• Rich Rodriguez's accountant thinks Michigan should pay Coach Rod's $4 million buyout to West Virginia. I'm sure some boosters or Michigan themselves will help pick up the tab assuming Rodriguez loses his lawsuit contesting the buyout. My guess is that Michigan is backing Rodriguez's attempt to contest the buyout in hopes that the amount of $4 million will be reduced. If not, then they will pick up the tab one way or another. After all, the bank owned by Bill Martin wrote a check on RR's behalf for $1.5 million after he was first hired, showing that they are willing to pay. West Virginia obviously declined that offer, though, as they want all $4 million.
• Braylon Edwards was interviewed by someone that moves his hands way too much.
• Before getting injured, Mario Manningham showed off his skills at the New York Giants' rookie minicamp.

Thursday Quick Hits: Same to You, Frontbutt

• Even though Notre Dame only went 3-9 last season and got destroyed the last two years against Michigan, Charlie Weis feels that he can talk and talk and talk despite not having the on field results that would give him that right. That type of attitude was shown off perfectly on a YouTube video that included Weis speaking at a "team brunch" where fans were also present. Weis not only said something about Michigan making excuses, but he added to it by saying, "To hell with Michigan." (See below; Weis starts talking around 51 seconds in)

I guess all Weis really has is the ability to talk trash as he can't really discuss what happened in 2006 and 2007 when Michigan and Notre Dame played. I get that he doesn't like U-M, but what he said was just so random. I don't have a huge problem with it as Weis can talk all he wants. That doesn't change the fact that he is a lousy coach, and after all, Bo Schembechler uttered the phrase "To hell with Notre Dame" on more than one occasion. Then again, Bo actually had the right to talk.

• In order to not have to worry about how noisy the construction at Michigan Stadium is, U-M withdrew a request to close a lane of traffic on South Main Street.
• Ekpe Udoh is not sure where he will transfer just yet. I'm betting he ends up at Oklahoma State, but his AAU coach had this to say:
  

  "We're going to look at schools that will be a viable choice," Malone told me. "There is no timetable, there's no hurry."

  The fact that this coach said "we" tells the entire story if you ask me. I've felt that he was the one telling Udoh to transfer in the first place, and this quote really proves that in my opinion.
• Sam Webb talked about recruit Dion Sims in his latest article for The Detroit News.
• The Michigan softball team was upset by Michigan State earlier today in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament. This loss comes as a pretty big surprise as Michigan was one of the favorites to win the entire tourney.

Wednesday Quick Hits: #1 Jersey Given to Defensive Back?

• Braylon Edwards was on what seemed like every ESPN and ESPN Radio show yesterday as he is in Bristol, Connecticut, and the topic of Michigan football came up a few times. While on Tirico and Van Pelt, Edwards mentioned that Rich Rodriguez gave the #1 jersey to an incoming freshman defensive back. Edwards added that he needs to "have a talk with him [Rodriguez]" as this would be the first time someone other than a wide receiver would get to wear the #1 jersey.
  
  When Darryl Stonum, a wide receiver, committed to Michigan last year, there were rumors that he was promised the #1 jersey by the coaches. Those rumors never really gained a whole lot of traction and were basically put to rest as Stonum was #22 during spring practice.
  
  With this latest revelation that a freshman defensive back will be #1 next season, it isn't tough to get an idea of exactly who that player is. In Michigan's 2008 recruiting class, there were three defensive backs (Boubacar Cissoko, Brandon Smith, and J.T. Floyd). Of those three, I would guess that Cissoko is the player that will be #1. My reasoning behind that guess is that he was #2 in high school, and that will likely be Sam McGuffie's number at Michigan, and #22 is off the market as well with Stonum wearing it during spring practice. I could see Smith getting that number as well, but I would put my money on Boo Boo.
• During his interview with Colin Cowherd, Edwards said that a Michigan degree is much better than one from Ohio State, and that there is no better feeling than scoring a touchdown on a Buckeye. Cowherd attempted to get him to call Ohio State a "trucking school," but Edwards wisely declined to go down that road considering he plays in the state of Ohio.
• Another former Michigan football player, Dhani Jones, is spending some of his offseason playing rugby. (Thanks to Matt for the heads up)

• Don't get your hopes up, but the Big Ten Network and Comcast are reportedly close to a deal. (HT: MGoBlog)
• Sam Webb caught up with '09 basketball commit Jordan Morgan and Percy Robinson, the coach of his King James Shooting Stars team.

Funding in Place for Basketball Practice Facility; Scheduling News

I mentioned yesterday that Bill Martin recently said plans are moving forward for a basketball practice facility, but left out an important piece of information. After re-watching his interview with the Big Ten Network now that it has been uploaded, I realized Martin said that funding is in place for a practice facility, which is a pleasant surprise. Only two or so weeks ago, Martin said he would be willing to incur a debt to build a practice facility, but someone has obviously stepped up to the plate to help pay for this project. I have no idea who is behind the funding or how this happened so quickly, but I am very glad it did as the sooner this thing gets built the better.

Here is the video of Martin discussing a practice facility:

On a separate note, Andy Katz is reporting that Michigan will host one of four regionals for the annual Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament. That tournament takes place in early November and would give Michigan a chance to make it to Madison Square Garden should they get out of their regional. The other hosts are Duke, UCLA, and Pittsburgh.

Katz also mentioned that Michigan vs. Duke would not likely be a possible semifinals match-up as they play each other only a week later. That game is supposed to be at Crisler as a return for the game at Duke last year. At the same time, if history holds true, Michigan will play UCLA at Pauley Pavilion in December, so it is possible that the Wolverines and Bruins could play twice if the brackets match up and both teams win their regionals.

Ekpe Udoh Officially Decides to Transfer

Michigan center/forward Ekpe Udoh has finally announced that he is in fact going to transfer. Most assumed he was gone when news came out that he was considering leaving for the second straight year, but only now is it official.

This is a big loss for the basketball team as he really was the best defensive player on the team. He has the ability to block shots left and right and is a force in the paint. Although he didn't fit John Beilein's system very well, he still was a solid contributor defensively, and losing him hurts as it is more attrition.

I think this was a case of listening to bad advice and think it would have been better to stay, but I wish Udoh the best of luck wherever he ends up.

Monday Quick Hits: Practice Facility Plans Moving Forward

• Rich Rodriguez sings The Victors:

• Michigantailgate.net found a Michigan version of the NBA's "Where Amazing Happens" ad campaign. (Via Michigan Football Saturdays)
• Part 2 of an interview with Mike Barwis from MGoBlue can be found here. The Detroit News also featured him in an article published today.
• Rich Rodriguez interview with the Big Ten Network: Part 1, Part 2
• Bill Martin was also interviewed by the Big Ten Network recently, and one of the topics he was asked about is the status of a basketball practice facility. In response to the question of where Michigan is at in the process of building one, Martin said, "I'm ready to go tomorrow." Aside from getting internal approval from University of Michigan Regents, it sounds like plans for a practice facility are shaping up rather quickly. If all goes according to plan, the practice facility should be open before the fall of 2010, which would be great news for the basketball team itself and for recruiting purposes.
• As far as renovations to Crisler Arena go, Martin said that nothing major would likely be done until the renovations to Michigan Stadium are finished. Work on the Big House is supposed to be done before the 2010 football season starts, so no big changes will be coming to Crisler until then.
• The Michigan baseball team won three out of four games against Ohio State to remain in first-place in the Big Ten. Friday's game was the dedication of the new/renovated baseball facilities, and the Wolverines were victorious by a score of 4-1. (Click here for highlights of that game)
• The Michigan softball team swept Penn State in a two-game weekend series to tie for the regular season Big Ten title with Northwestern. A coin flip will determine which school hosts the Big Ten Tournament that starts on Thursday.
• One time Michigan commit Jerimy Finch reportedly wants to transfer to Indiana. After decommitting from Michigan, he verballed to Indiana for a short period of time before eventually ending up at Florida.

Friday Quick Hits: Udoh's Future Still Uncertain

• Although a decision was expected to be known on Monday, we still don't know if Ekpe Udoh is going to transfer. Eric Lacy has the latest, but it is just another delay on commenting by Udoh's former AAU coach. I don't want to speculate too much, but it sounds like this coach is involved in this situation in a bad way for Michigan.
• Rich Rodriguez has been touring the country to speak with University of Michigan alumni, and a video of his visit to Dearborn has popped up on YouTube. (HT: MVictors)

• Rich Rodriguez got paired with Nick Saban in a golf tournament that gives coaches the chance to win scholarship money for their school. Rodriguez's celebrity partner is former Michigan QB Brian Griese.
• Coach Rod was on The Herd earlier this week, Varsity Blue has the audio.
• Kevin Newsome is really fast (I believe he is running the last leg of the relay for the winning team). (HT: Varsity Blue)
• Adam Kraus signed a free agent contract with the Ravens (he can thank Andy Moeller for that), and Brandent Englemon and Chris Graham are going to try out with a pair of NFL teams.
• A couple of previews are out for NCAA Football 09. Also, West Virginia fullback Owen Schmitt is on the cover of the PSP version of the game and Cal receiver DeSean Jackson is the PS2's cover boy.
• Indiana is going to have a tough time fielding a basketball team next year as they are down to eight players after the latest round of departures.
• Two new bowl games were approved earlier this week.
• Terrelle Pryor supposedly had dinner with Ohio State alum Cris Carter in Eddie George's restaurant.
• The NCAA unsurprisingly denied Ryan Mallett's request to not have to sit out next season after transferring to Arkansas.
• Former Tennessee basketball player Chris Lofton had to battle cancer during his senior season.
• Les Miles finally kicked LSU quarterback Ryan Perrilloux off the team for good.

Scout Releases New Top 300

Scout.com released its new "Top 300" rankings for the Class of 2009 today, and Michigan's recruiting class now looks much better as far as star ratings go. Below are the updated star ratings for Michigan's 7 commits, with positional rankings included in parentheses.

QB Kevin Newsome - 5 stars (5th)
RB Teric Jones - 4 stars (25th)
RB Fitzgerald Toussaint - 3 stars
WR Shavodrick Beaver - 4 stars (43rd)
DT William Campbell - 5 stars (5th)
S Justin Turner - 4 stars (14th)
S Isaiah Bell - not yet evaluated (NR)

I have no idea why Scout listed Shavodrick Beaver as a receiver as he is going to be coming to Michigan as a QB. Other than that, the ratings look good for Michigan. Newsome is now a 5-star QB, Jones has been evaluated and given 4 stars, and Toussaint has also been evaluated and given 3 stars. The only commit that hasn't been given any stars yet is Isaiah Bell, but I imagine that will happen in the next couple of months.

For a full look at the Top 300, visit Scout.com.

Shavodrick Beaver Commits to Michigan

For the second time in less than a week, Michigan has received a commitment from a dual-threat quarterback. Last Thursday, Virginia QB Kevin Newsome announced that he had committed to Michigan, and today, Texas QB Shavodrick Beaver verballed to the Wolverines.

Beaver is a dual-threat QB that has a lot of athleticism and even better speed. He runs a 4.5 40-yard dash, allowing him to make defenders miss. Also, after watching some film on him, it appears that he has a solid arm as well. It isn't as strong as Newsome's, but it isn't bad at all. Rivals gives Beaver 4 stars right now and ranks him as one of the top 250 players in the 2009 recruiting class.

As far as the impact this commitment has, it adds future depth to the quarterback position in a big way. Beaver is someone that could come in and challenge for the starting job, and at the least he probably will get on the field one way or another.

This commit also will likely have an impact on what fellow '09 QB Tate Forcier does. Although he recently sounded like he was close to committing to Michigan, you have to imagine it would be hard for him to do that now. I guess he still could and Michigan would just take 3 quarterbacks for this recruiting class, but that would be very surprising considering each of them is rated 4 stars, meaning there would be a logjam at that position in the future. That scenario would likely result in one of them having to eventually transfer. Even though you would hate to see someone eventually leave, that is one problem that Michigan would be glad to have considering the depth at QB is so thin right now.

Michigan Gets Another QB Commitment?

The answer to that question can be found here (if you're a GBW subscriber). More later (hint hint).

UPDATE: Shavodrick Beaver has in fact committed to Michigan.

Six Wolverines Picked in 2008 NFL Draft

Six former Michigan players were picked in the 2008 NFL Draft this past weekend. We already knew last week that Jake Long was the #1 overall selection as picked by the Dolphins, but we learned Saturday that he will be joined in Miami by Chad Henne. Henne was drafted by Miami with the 57th overall pick (second-round).

Day two of the draft featured four more Wolverines being drafted. Shawn Crable was picked 78th overall (third-round) by the New England Patriots. Next, Mario Manningham's slide finally ended as the Super Bowl champion New York Giants picked him with the 95th selection of the draft (third-round).

The next Wolverine to be drafted was Mike Hart, who was taken by the Indianapolis Colts with the 202nd pick (sixth-round). I was shocked that it took so long for Hart to be picked. Even though his speed isn't very good and he has injury problems, I thought he would at least be a fifth-round pick. I felt the same way about Adrian Arrington, who didn't get drafted until New Orleans selected him with the 237th pick (seventh-round). I think Arrington will end up being a better pro receiver than Manningham, so I was definitely surprised to see him last so long.

One final surprise was that Jamar Adams wasn't drafted at all. He has already signed a free agent deal with the Seattle Seahawks, but I expected him to at least be a seventh-round pick. Even one time Michigan player Ryan Mundy was a sixth-round pick after spending a year at West Virginia.

Perhaps the scariest revelation coming out of this weekend was just how good Ohio State will be next season. Other than Vernon Gholston, who was drafted 6th by the Jets, OSU had two players go in the seventh-round. That's it. Next year's draft will be filled with Buckeyes, but for the 2008 college football season, it'll be like they are fielding an NFL team with all of the talent they have. We're going to need a miracle in November.

Monday Quick Hits: Udoh Likely Gone

• Last Friday I linked to an article about Justin Boren that featured a very large spin as it was from the Columbus Dispatch. That's understandable, but some of the spin included in the article suggested that Lloyd Carr helped Boren transfer to Ohio State, and maybe even recommended them. I didn't bother to even talk about it as I figured it was B.S., and Carr confirmed that over the weekend. First, though, this is what the Dispatch's article said:
  

  Maybe they should take a cue from previous Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, who according to a source close to the situation worked behind the scenes to help
  Boren obtain his scholarship release from Michigan. Carr even assured Boren that Ohio State is the closest thing to Michigan that he would find and that there are "good people" in Columbus.

  Helping a player get out of their scholarship is one thing, but recommending a rival is another, and Carr called the quote above a lie.
  

  I can't remember the last time I heard Carr as livid as he was Friday night during a brief phone conversation.
  
  He didn't mince words.
  
  "It's a lie," Carr said, angrily. "That's a lie! That's it."
  
  End of conversation. Well, pretty much. Trust me, there were a few other ways he said it was all a lie, and I don't think Carr was taking a cue from his Academy Award-winning buddy Russell Crowe. This was not acting. His response was real. Angrily real.

  I figured it wasn't true and am glad Carr came out and defended himself.
• Today we are supposed to find out if Ekpe Udoh is transferring or staying at Michigan , although it is believed the decision has already been made. Rumor has it that he is as good as gone and is simply waiting around until today as his transfer papers have to be signed by John Beilein, who is currently out of town. I guess I'll wait until something becomes official to totally write him off as the latest player to leave the basketball program, but at this point I don't expect him to come back next season.
• Speaking of players that have left the basketball program, ex-Michigan guard K'Len Morris has transferred to Grand Valley State.
• Chad Henne was interviewed after being drafted.
• Jake Long was as well.
• More information is being released on NCAA Football 09 as there was an event held in NYC last Friday for the game.

More on Kevin Newsome

Michigan got its 6th commitment for the 2009 recruiting class, and this one could be the most important. Virginia quarterback Kevin Newsome, Rivals.com's 39th best player in the country, decided to end the recruiting process early as he was impressed enough with Michigan to verbal to the Wolverines. I'm surprised everything happened as quickly as it did, but after taking in the spring game and then visiting with Michigan coaches earlier this week at his school, Newsome obviously felt that U-M was the right fit for him.

Newsome's commitment comes after speculation suggested that he either had or was about to pick Michigan. As we now know, his song choice for his MySpace profile indeed was hinting at something as Newsome can now actually say, "I'm Blue." I have no idea if the comment Tate Forcier left on Newsome's MySpace about both of them playing for Michigan will come to fruition, but if it does, then I'd say the quarterback position would no longer be a concern after 2008.

Going back to Newsome specifically, he is a dual-threat quarterback, meaning he can run and pass. Before getting into exactly what he brings to the table, first take a look at a 10-minute long highlight video of Michigan's newest commit.

After watching that video, it is evident that Newsome has a ton of talent. Not only can he scramble around the field and make defenses miss with his legs, but he can also throw the ball down the field. What stood out to me most, though, was his field vision. If a defense is blitzing Newsome and the pressure is on, he will usually scramble around to wait and see if a receiver will get open. If someone does get open even a little bit, Newsome can throw the ball on the run with ease, putting it right on target to ensure the catch is made. On the other hand, say that after scrambling around nobody is open. Well, for Newsome that isn't a problem as he will just turn it up field and try to pick up yards on the ground. That is what's nice about being a dual-threat quarterback.

Perhaps one of Newsome's best qualities isn't even something related to football. On top of being class president and a member of the National Honor Society, Newsome stressed the importance of academics during the recruiting process, and unlike some recruits who say that and then do nothing beyond high school, Newsome intends to keep that a top priority in college.

While visiting Michigan, Newsome and his family were able to meet and discuss the academic aspects of Michigan with academic advisor Shari Acho, something Newsome's mother specifically referred to as a highlight of his April 12 weekend visit

"I loved Miss Shari too," Newsome said. "I believe I want to major in Business type subjects and Michigan's Business School [compared] around the United States is one of the top, so that's already a great advantage for Michigan."

Aside from the academics aspect, why did Kevin Newsome choose to attend Michigan?

"I really loved the coaching staff with Coach [Rich] Rodriguez and Coach [Fred] Jackson," he said. "I love the winning tradition of Michigan. I really believe Michigan is the Godfather of college football and that's what makes the Michigan-Ohio State game so notorious.

"Campus-wise, everything was big. It's the Big House. I can't even describe the different buildings, the practice field, the weight room – all those things were top of the line."

Michigan: the Godfather of college football. I like it.

Anyways, Kevin Newsome is a great player on the field and seems to have his head on his shoulders off it. I look forward to him joining the team nearly a year from now as he will come in and compete for the starting job, and most importantly will add depth to the quarterback position. He probably won't be the only one as I expect Michigan to add one more QB for this recruiting class. I highly doubt it'll be Tate Forcier, but I do think Michigan will try to get a commitment from a lower-end dual-threat QB just for depth purposes. Either way, I'm glad Newsome is on board as he is exactly what Michigan needs in the future.