The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/432566
FOOTBALL RECRUITING Fort Myers (Fla.) South corner- back Dallas Crawford was ranked as a three-star prospect and the No. 27 cornerback nationally and, along with teammate Sammy Watkins (who never publicly picked U-M), was part of one of Florida's most suc- cessful high school teams as a senior. The 5-10, 185-pounder flipped to Mi- ami, and has made an impact both in the secondary and as a tailback for the Hurricanes. Another U-M commit made the decision to head to Miami, but it was a longer trip for West Hills (Calif.) Chaminade kicker Matt Goudis. The No. 13 kicker in the nation switched his commitment to the Hurricanes following Rodriguez's firing. With so many decommitments — and plenty of space to fill in the class even before those players changed their minds — Hoke and his assis- tants had to work fast in filling their class between being hired Jan. 11 and National Signing Day Feb. 2. Their efforts were focused on bringing in players at positions that were ne- glected by the previous staff, espe- cially at tight end and on the defen- sive side of the ball. Hurst (Texas) L.D. Bell tight end Chris Barnett was one of the top un- committed players in the nation at his position. The 6-6, 245-pounder was the No. 14 tight end and the No. 224 overall player nationally. He committed to Michigan on National Signing Day with his letter of intent fax arriving as Hoke was at the po- dium delivering his comments on the class. However, Barnett never en- rolled at Michigan and did not play college football. A fellow Texan filled a need for Michigan that didn't exist under the previous coaching staff. Arling- ton (Texas) Martin three-star pro- style quarterback Russell Bellomy was an unranked prospect, a 6-3, 178-pounder who picked Michigan after decommitting from Purdue. He has made a handful of appearances in his Michigan career, but has never made an ascension to the top of the depth chart. Most of the holes Michigan's coaches moved to fill were on de- fense. The Rodriguez era saw new depths of incompetence on that side The decommitment of 6-7, 270-pound offen- sive lineman Jacob Fisher of Traverse City (Mich.) West — who has excelled at Oregon the past three years — was perhaps the biggest loss during the 2011 coaching transition. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM