Under Armour High School All-American Practice

Under Armour High School All-American Practice

12/31/2008

Wednesday

Live

3:00pm EST. - 6:00pm EST.

DirecTV Channel 614

ESPNU

**** Replay at 9:00pm EST. - 12:00am

Michigan Men's Basketball on TV Today

Michigan Basketball on TV Today

Wisconsin at Michigan

Dec. 31, 2008

Wednesday

2:00pm EST. - 4:00pm EST.

DirecTV Channel 209

ESPN2

Mailbag Question: Regarding the team not practicing yet

Question Is it out of the ordinary to not have a player organized practice by this time, or is that normal?

Anonymous

------------------------------------------------

Thanks for the question.

Normal, most organized practices and workouts do not begin until after January 1. That is why missing those fifteen bowl practices is such a loss.

We are not saying the players aren't getting together, but it is not very organized right now. Some players stay around one day and then the next time they do not stay around.

Some people do not understand how much missing those fifteen practices really is especially for a team like Michigan. They are a very young team and this would have helped them to learn the system along with getting more practice time and if you truly seen the team this fall they need all the practice time they can get.

When a team makes a bowl game, they take a few weeks off after the bowl game to be healed up and just get away from the game for a little bit because it takes so much of your life and sometimes kids just need to get away.

In this case, this Michigan team has already had a long layoff and they give them a short break. Then followed up with winter conditioning that will just be filler instead of practicing for a bowl game. Then the kids get some time off for the holidays, then school starts back up and so will the second part of the winter conditioning period. This is where you will see more organized practices especially 7-7 type stuff with the players until spring practices start in the middle of March.

Got a long time till spring ball especially when your last game before Thanksgiving.

Written by CoachBt and ErocWolverine

BTN: Coach Beilein one-on-one

Mailbag Question: Regarding Barwis

Guys:

I thoroughly enjoy your blog. Thanks for your thoughtful analysis.

Much was made of Coach Barwis strength and conditioning program last off-season. There is a lot less talk about him and his program now, probably owing to the team coming off a 3-9 season.

Nonetheless, strength and conditioning seemed to me to be a real improvement in the 2008 team over previous seasons. The defense in particular spent a long, long time on the field with the offense leading the nation (I think) in “3 and out” series.

Despite getting little help from the offense, I cannot recall even one instance of seeing the defense standing around with their hands on their hips and panting like they were out of gas. Even when they struggled to get off the field, I never got the sense that it was because they were not in top shape. Unfortunately, that was not always the case in the past.

How would you rate the results of Coach Barwis’ conditioning program after one year?

Thanks,

Steve
Fairfax, VA

-------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for the question and comments.

In our opinion, Coach Barwis suffered from same problem as Coach Shafer, very high expectations.

Most fans believed that Coach Barwis' strength and conditioning alone would make a huge difference in the program. Problem is, it takes more than one off-season, eight months, to see the real benefits of what Coach Barwis does.

We were definitely encouraged by the lack of guts (in our case beer bellies … lol) on our offensive linemen and the new, harder bodies sported by many of the doughboys of past years.
So, short term, we were definitely encouraged by what Coach Barwis did. We expect his hard work to start showing additional benefits of mental toughness and team-building in the near future.

I know this might sound like a broken record, but last spring we kept trying to tell people that we needed talent -- NOT only on offense, but also on defense -- because the defense was not that good nor as good as it needed to be to help the offense through its growing pains. The lack of depth on defense was scary. Conditioning will help, but talent is what matters.

Written by CoachBt and ErocWolverine

BTN: Michigan Hockey Highlights against MSU from Sunday's GLi

Michigan wins it's 13th GLi Championship!

Michigan Men's Basketball on TV Tonight

Michigan Basketball on TV Tonight

North Carolina Central at Michigan

Dec. 29, 2008

Monday

7:00pm EST. - 9:00pm EST.

DirecTV Channel 610

BTN

Mailbag QUESTIONS (24 of them to be exact): In regards to Will Campbell ...

Okay E-Bloggers,

I have been getting many e-mails concerned about Will Campbell's recruitment.

First off, this blog does not follow the day-to-day recruiting, giving daily updates like many bloggers do, because we have too much respect for the people that actually do, such as GBW (www.michigan.scout.com) to steal their information, put a spin on it then and try to find a newspaper article about the kid talking about Michigan, and finally passing it off as our own.

We have our own sources which we follow, and believe is the best recruiting site out there -- GBW. I have helped GBW with calling kids, calling coaches, getting inside information, attended practices, etc… Therefore, I have made a point to stay away from this and not be a "one of those bloggers".

Now, I do answer questions about kids from e-mails we get. Overnight I have received 24 e-mails all asking about Will Campbell and what went wrong.

It is not over yet, but, so far, this is what I know:

I believe this all started when people (posters on message boards) went to the University of Michigan's directory and found out there was a William Campbell enrolled in January. The kid did not even commit to any school yet and was planning to do it on national television during the Army All-American bowl.

I believe this is a kid taking back control of his recruitment and not letting fans break any news on where he might go. Going on a University web site to see if his name is on the directory yet is crossing the line. These acts by fans who need to know what the kid eats, what color of shirt he wore today, etc., is getting kind of stalker-ish.

I actually kind of like what "Big Will" did.

I was on several message boards on Sunday and could not believe some of the actions of some Michigan fans. Maybe they are twelve years old or something, I do not know, but to bash a seventeen-year-old kid for probably the most important decision in his lifetime? Going to Will Campbell's Facebook or Myspace account (not sure which one he has) and ripping on him and telling him what school he should choose is totally classless. By the way, that is a gray area in NCAA rules.

What a shame how some posters were acting on Sunday, no matter what happens with him when he announces during the AA game. It is not very classy: ripping on the kid for making a life choice, whether or not he chooses it Michigan.

I have seen message boards, as well, question me about why he did this, and why he dropped Michigan. Well, even before the directory incident, people thought he was committing to Michigan and only de-committed in order to take his official visits to other schools. (Coach Rod does not want committed kids taking trips).

At the AA game, it would not have been a big surprise for him to pull out a Michigan hat. I actually like it when kids do not spill the beans too soon and make it interesting ... it makes it exciting to actually watch the "Hat dance," with people cheering, or getting ticked off, about which twenty-dollar hat a seventeen-year-old kid decides to put on.

Other posters on message boards are asking if Will Campbell is lying about taking Michigan off the list. I'm not saying he is lying, at all. He might have taken Michigan off the list and chose a different school, but I believe Michigan is still in it.

It's his life, his choice.

This year with all the commits and de-commits, none of this bothers me anymore. Sure, I want the elite talent and the best we can get, but it does not bother me as it obviously bothers some on message boards. It is what it is. I look at it like this: there is nothing we can do about any decision a seventeen-year-old kid makes (unless you have your own kid and even that is hard enough).

So many people, in Ohio -- where I live -- and across the country are struggling with much bigger problems like losing their homes, their jobs, etc… Where a player decides to play, or not play, football is a small matter. Let's try to keep things in perspective.

Fans are too emotionally tied to some of these kids. It is unbelievable. The thing is, that most on these message boards, who don't even know these kids personally, are so emotionally attached because they have been following these kids since they were freshmen or sophomores.

My advice is to wait until they sign (Letter of Intent) before getting to emotionally invested with these kids.

Some people mentioned that they "join web sites to know everything about these kids." Like many people that follow Michigan recruiting, we (Myself, CoachBt, and MaizeMan) pay for information the GBW staff compiles, who are known to make calls to coaches, players, etc. They can always say "NO" when GBW calls them or asks to do an interview.

The problem I have is when "fans" are taking it upon themselves to be the first to "scoop" the recruiting of a kid. I have heard of fans following recruits around campus trying to listen in on conversations. Now I see why kids are choosing earlier and earlier ... it is so much easier not to deal with these kinds of NUTS.

After the message boards exploded -- thinking that Will Campbell had enrolled at Michigan -- people got "worried" about other committed kids that are not listed on the directory yet, that were supposed to enroll this January. That is what I am talking about when I refer to these people as stalkers.

I'm not sure the school can block access to a name on a directory to protect the privacy of a student/athlete, but it's sad to even think there would be a need to, even before he starts one day of class at Michigan.

This is just my 2 cents worth. I will now get off my high horse and stop with the soapbox talk. Back to your regular scheduled programming.

Written by ErocWolverine

Michigan Hockey on TV Tonight

Michigan Hockey on TV Tonight

Great Lakes Invitational Championship from Joe Louis Arena

Michigan State vs. Michigan

6:30pm EST. - 9:00pm EST.

DirecTV Channel 663

FSN Detroit

Michigan Women's Basketball Online Today

Michigan Women's Basketball Online Today

Northwestern at Michigan

Sunday

December 28, 2008

2:00pm EST. - 4:00pm EST.

http://www.bigtennetwork.com/

People have complained about the connection this year, but I have had a good connection. I am using the middle speed (I think it is 750) and seems to work fine with me. I have had some problems with the higher speed (I think it is 1500) with it stop and starting.

Also I am using Internet Explorer as well.

So hopefully that will work for you.

BTN: All-Access with Coach Beilein

Mailbag Comment:

Saw your guys response on Scott Shafer from the GBW premium board and wanted to commend you guys about being right about the defense.

Many people were calling you guys out during the spring/summer about your comments about the defense, Sheridan, the play calling, etc...

It seems like you have been more right then wrong over this football season. Thanks for all you do from somebody that appreciates what you guys bring to "us" the Michigan football followers.

The problem is some do not want to believe some of the things you have said from what you see, but remember they are diehards with their maize and blue glasses on and always think they will go undefeated and their players, coaches, etc... Do no wrong.

Have a good holiday guys, love what you do.

Fred

-------------------------------------------------

Thanks for the comments.

We do our best and try to give our 100% honest opinion with no sugarcoating. Some people do not want to hear it the way we tell it, preferring to live in denial. That is fine by us, but we like to share what we learn with other Michigan fans.

We are Michigan fans just like everybody else that reads this blog.

We blog to have our own forum to say what we want without having to worry about what others think or whether moderators are going to delete or edit what we write.

We also like to share what we have learned when we go to clinics, practices, and scrimmages and share what we hear from trusted people on the Michigan football team.

Written by CoachBt and ErocWolverine

Mailbag Question: Debate on blogs

Hello guys,

Seems like you guys have been getting into debates with other bloggers lately. Why? Not sure if it is them or you guys that think they are better than the rest.

Are they mad at you guys because you have opinions and inside track on information about Michigan football or what?

Thanks for what you guys do, but would like to see less going back and forth with other blogs and websites.

Jim

--------------------------------------------

Thanks for the question.

The anger is probably more about what our opinions are rather than where we get our information. There is a contingent of Michigan fans who, for whatever reason, get very defensive when it comes to Coach Rod. Some even go as far as taking it personally and question the allegiance to Michigan of those who have concerns or dare question what the new regime is doing.

We are dedicated to giving both as much football knowledge as possible, and our 100% honest opinion -- with no sugarcoating. We watch practices and get reports from what goes on in the off-season, so we have a feel for what is going on.

As for why we have engaged our detractors lately:

1) We enjoy the debate with posters / bloggers / etc... We like to talk football and do not see it as a them-versus-us kind of thing. In fact, the more information we can get the better no matter where it comes from.

2) We get tired of people putting words in our mouths and reading interpretations of our words that just are not true. Example: People are under the impression we do not like Coach Rod just because we have concerns about some of the things the new regime has done or is not doing. We like the guy and take the good with the bad.

3) It is not in our personalities to be piñatas. When we feel people are putting false stuff out there about us, we will defend what we say and state our reasons as to why we have these opinions. We have opinions -- and the right to express them -- just like everybody else. We try to write what we believe to be factual knowledge to the best of our abilities. Others might see it differently, but we will always give our 100% honest opinion. And that's the truth.

Written by CoachBt and ErocWolverine

Mailbag Question: How long will it take

Dear Sirs,

Excellent job! I agree with you on most points. I truly hope that things turn for Coach Rod, but I think this is going to be a slow process.


In your opinion how long will it take and will Coach Rod be given the time to do it. I know he has Martin’s support but if this 3-9 happens next year the natives (big money donors) are going to get restless.

Regmac

---------------------------------------

Thanks for the question and comments.

In our opinion, it is important for Coach Rod that Michigan show improvement next season, both in record and in play. People can blame the defense all they want, but the offense must get out of the cellar of the 100's on the stat sheet (out of 119 college teams). There is no reason for a Michigan team to be one of the worst in college football in almost every offensive stat.

It is equally important that Michigan gets to 6-6 and qualifies for a bowl game. We see no reason Michigan cannot do this. With their schedule and how bad the Big Ten really is, we see no reason for this team not to be bowl eligible next year.

If Michigan can show improvement and get bowl eligible, Coach Rod will have bought the time necessary to get his players in place and properly install his schemes. The addition of getting the extra fifteen practices will help, as well, for the 2010 football season: especially with a young football team and possible a true freshman seeing a lot of snaps at quarterback. So this next year, the more snaps Forcier gets the better this team will be in the future.

If Michigan does not get bowl eligible things could, and quite likely will, get very ugly.

We are not saying Coach Rod will (or should) be fired, just that patience among Michigan supporters will be running very thin, and pressure will be unbelievable for a program that has seen the success it has since Bo arrived. The donors, fans, alumni, etc., will not be happy without seeing noticeable improvement for the 2009 football season. Combine this with the fact that in 2010 Michigan Stadium's renovations will be completed and the football program will need the support of big donors to fill those luxury boxes, outdoor seating, and keep the donations flowing, not only to pay those bills off, but also to generate money for the other twenty-four athletic programs at Michigan.

In OUR opinion again, going 3-9 and not getting bowl eligible has put a ton of pressure on the program. Most people can understand one season of growing pains, but if the losses start metastasizing into multiple seasons, the prognosis for Coach Rod's system begins to look grim.

Written by CoachBt and ErocWolverine

Merry Christmas E-Bloggers

I want to wish everybody a Merry Christmas.

I also would like to say thanks to several people that have helped me throughout this year:

CoachBt, MaizeMan, Josh Turel, Morencie124 and Doc4Blu for their help with the football stuff on the blog this year.

And for the behind-the-scenes stuff (the volunteer proofreaders/editors who couldn't take it anymore): BlueBlood, Jason and Zip. Besides spotting and fixing all the typos, I know finding coherence in some of my ramblings is not the easiest thing in the world. These people have come through for me to help make this blog a better place (a less head-scratching read) -- and get the Typo-Grammer Grinches off my back (at least push them back a bit).

Remember now, Santa is ALWAYS watching and knows who is being a good blogger or not, so make sure you come here -- daily -- to check out what is new.

Thanks again for coming to my site www.GoBlueMichiganWolverine.blogspot.com

Everybody has a wonderful time with their families on this Christmas day.

Thanks,

ErocWolverine

MGoBlue: Spend the Holidays at Crisler Arena

Michigan Men's Basketball

Monday, December 29, 2008 against North Carolina Central at 7:00pm EST.

Wednesday, December 31, 2008 against Wisconsin (First Big Ten Game) at 2:00pm EST.

Sunday, January 4, 2009 against Illinois at 12:00pm EST.

Tickets starting at $5.00 for the North Carolina Central game.

Tickets starting at $10.00 for the Wisconsin and Illinois games.

Order online at http://www.mgoblue.com/

Direct link: http://ev8.evenue.net/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/SEGetEventList?groupCode=B&linkID=umichse&shopperContext=&caller=&appCode=

Or at the box office before the games.

Michigan Football Tidbits: Five Good Points

Michigan Tidbits: Five Good Points

1) Fans should always look at recruiting in two-year cycles. With so many top dual-threat quarterbacks on tap next year, this could end up being good news, long term

Beaver probably would not have been of much use anyway, because of his shoulder injury he probably would have missed spring practices and would have lagged behind Tate.

In addition, if something drastic happened to both and Threet and Forcier this coming year, they still have Feagin, and, hopefully, a completely healthy Carlos Brown who could be used. Not a great situation, but as stated, might open up the doors for some real top dual threat quarterback's next year.

2) On the team front:

So far Threet has really been working hard on the things that we brought up last summer in regards to his mechanics.

Nobody here is saying that Threet is the answer to Michigan's Big 10 championship hopes next year; but even if Beaver had come to Michigan, Threet was going to be a big part of the team next year. He is not going to get much faster, but he can eliminate some of his mistakes by improving his mechanics.

Wide Receivers: What's really important is the need for the wide receivers to show some additional work ethic. (Let us be clear here: the wide receivers stick around and work on routes, but the level of intensity and their attention to fundamentals has been lacking. To be honest, the last time Michigan had great summer workouts with quarterbacks and wide receivers was when Navarre was quarterback. All throughout the Henne era they were very lax and last year everyone showed up, but did not seem to really go at it.)

Rogers is showing up. Some of the wide receivers are not responding to Coach Dews very well. We could use more leadership at that position, that's for sure.

Hemingway is a potential leader, but has been hurt all year, including missing time last spring, so he has not been able to get into the swing of things with this offense yet.

As for Matthews, we have not seen a lot from him and he had issues with the new scheme this year.

Stonum has the potential to be bonafide leader, and will hopefully show the necessary maturity this year, but he's not quite there yet. Remember he is only a true sophomore.

Clemons could have been The Guy, but felt like he was treated unfairly this year because of the way he was used.

Rountree has been a model: kid he is a hard worker, more of a possession receiver.

The talent level is down at wide receiver (split end) no doubt, but it is not that bad. We have enough players to be good enough. Final point on the wide receivers -- a lot of the time, Threet looked so bad because of our horrible route running.

Slot Receivers: The slot receivers are fine. The position should have a huge upgrade this year with all the kids coming in, along with having T-Rob healthy. They will still be very young though. Odoms, we hope, will be much improved. T-Rob is more explosive and elusive then Odoms; as for Gallon, it's hard not to be impressed with his talents on film.

Several of the other new recruits could see time at both slot and running back, depending on team needs. So, there will be much more depth, and maybe we'll some new wrinkles in the offense to utilize the talents of specific players.

Defense: On defense, hiring a defensive coordinator is the first priority before we can look at who will play next year. However, if we assume the goal is to put the most athletic players on the field, then B. Smith has to be one of them. Michigan is going to be stacked with players who are somewhat hybrid types (Smith, Vlad, Bell, Jones, Williams).

S. Brown is probably the fastest of all the players, and I think, (at least in Gibson's mind) is most suited for safety. Although his tackling suffered all year, coaches felt his pass coverage skills actually improved as year wore on.

Back to B. Smith for a moment: the secondary is the part of the game the coaches are most concerned about. On the one hand, he will improve physical play at safety, but he needs a lot of work on his pass coverage ability. However, as of now, going into the spring, Smith will compete at safety, though things could change.

J.B. Fitzgerald has a ways to go, physically, but is fully expected to play this year.

There have been no "player organized" practices yet.

3) Barwis seems to be pleased with the kids' attitude coming off such a bad season. He has vowed to step up his strength and conditioning program even more. Majority of the offensive linemen are way ahead of any other position group (which is common).

4) One of the drawbacks of not playing in bowl is that the team has no visitors for bowl practices. So instead, some recruits (in-state juniors) have been invited to watch off-season conditioning.

5) Usually, at this time of year we hear of some players who may not make it or are struggling academically. So far, it is all quiet on that front, though that's not saying there are not some under the radar someplace.

Written by MaizeMan and ErocWolverine

ESPNU: Under Armour Selection Special

ESPNU: Under Armour High School All-American Selection Special

2:30pm EST - 3:00pm EST.

DirecTV Channel 614

ESPNU

BTN: Michigan Basketball Highlights against Florida Gulf Coast

Michigan has one more non conference game against North Carolina Central on Monday, December 29, 2008. The game will be played in Ann Arbor, Michigan at 7:00pm EST. and will be on the BTN - DirecTV Channel 610.

Coaches Corner: Ten Thoughts on Recruiting

Ten Thoughts on Recruiting

1) Recruiting/player evaluation is not an exact science. There are no guarantees. So try to keep that in proper prospective.

2) De-commits can be painful and disconcerting, but that's better than having unhappy players around. Players coming in for a single season, instead of the long haul, is worse than a kid committing and de-committing to your program before letter-of-intent day. Leaving after single season is a killer on player development, and your program, because of the time and effort the coaches invest on players is wasted. Then additional time and effort has to be expended to recruit a replacement to the position.

3) Losing a player like Beaver is short-term loss. Whether it'll prove to be a long-term loss, we will never know. Beaver would have seen limited time his first year because of his shoulder injury. Coming in the spring would not have helped him to prepare him in the fall, because he probably would have had to wear the "green shirt" (to avoid contact) all spring Through Spring ball, Tate Forcier and Threet, so far healthy, would have had the advantage. Unless you have a good crystal ball, nobody knows, for sure who will develop and who will not, so again, re-read # 1.

4) As verbal commits get earlier and earlier (like basketball now), you will see more and more de-commits. This is especially true if you recruit in the South as Michigan is now doing. A lot will depend on the relationship the recruits have with the coaches, along with the players' connections to the particular schools, such as been the case with several of the 2010 recruits/committed kids.

5) As most of you know, I have two friends in the recruiting business. One runs a service, and other is retired from it, but still consults. Both told me same thing this morning: the pressure on these kids is incredible. Some kids are committing prior to the season just to get some pressure off their backs, so that they can concentrate on their senior seasons and studies. In this type of atmosphere, de-commits are going to become more common.

6) Kids de-committing is not a negative mark on this or any sports program. If you noticed, this week Coach Rod and staffwere out trying to find some one to replace Beaver. This is good sign of a proactice staff.

7) Recruiting is long-term venture. It is not about a specific, single, class, but a continuum: how each class fits with the one before, and the one after, and how they all improve the program.

8) We expected the 2009 class to be a tough one for Coach Rod and staff, especially since they got a late start last year. Nonetheless, this is a solid, though not great class, which is very good considering all the factors: a 3-9 season, the negative recruiting, transfers, and everything else Michigan has faced this year.

9) The next recruiting class is a real key for Michigan. Coach Rod and staff have had ample time to lay the groundwork for a stellar 2010 class. Michigan needs to have an excellent class next year, and from the early returns, it looks to be shaping up that way, especially in the South where several kids have a connection to Michigan.

10) Last, but not least, and this has nothing to do with recruiting, tempers and tolerance for diverse opinions is running very low. As we posted before the Ohio State game: People, lets stick together and remember -- we all bleed Maize and Blue!

Written by CoachBt and ErocWolverine

BTN: Michigan Womens Basketball Highlights against Ohio State

Michigan Men's Basketball Online Tonight

Michigan Men's Basketball

(ONLINE ONLY)

Florida Gulf Coast at Michigan

7:00pm EST. - 9:00pm EST.

www.BigTenNetwork.com

Michigan Football Tidbits: Part 3 of 3

Michigan Tidbits: Part three

Another point: we have to separate Coach Rod -- the football coach -- from Rich Rodriguez -- the head of the Michigan football program. There is a difference. This is where we continue to say that he needs to hold people around him accountable. Maybe you think his staff is on top of things, but we do not agree. The staff isn't showing the competency necessary, not even close, for a program of Michigan's stature.

At Michigan (more so than at SOME other schools) there is a Head Football COACH and the Head of the Football PROGRAM. In Michigan's case, this is a big difference.

Lloyd Carr was a master of being the Head of the Michigan Football PROGRAM. He had been around for years, and he understood all of the politics and off-field aspects of this job.

Coach Rod is a football COACH who has learned some tough lessons in his short tenure at Michigan about being head of the Michigan Football PROGRAM.

Keep in mind Coach Rod retained a lot of people from Carr's internal administrative staff .The biggest beef we have is these people are letting way too many things fall through the cracks, and unfortunately, since Coach Rod is the head of the Michigan Football PROGRAM, it falls on him. He needs to hold these people accountable.

We have made this statement numerous times, and, yes -- it is our OPINION -- but Coach Rod is really a simple guy when it comes to football. He simply wants to coach football, and despite what posters/fans think, WE think he is a good football COACH.

The reality is, this job is more than just being a COACH. It is okay for Coach Rod to just want to coach football as long as he surrounds himself with people who will handle the many varieties of bullshit that the head of the football PROGRAM has to deal with. THAT HAS NOT HAPPENED. Thus the Public Relations blunders.

It is important for Michigan to hit the clinic and lecture circuit this winter and spring. This will give them chance to be seen, and change subject off public relations and onto their strength, which is football. This is especially true with regards to the Midwest, especially Ohio and Michigan.

Written by MaizeMan, CoachBt and ErocWolverine

Michigan Women's Basketball on TV Today

Michigan Women's Basketball

Michigan at Ohio State

2:00pm EST. - 4:00pm EST.

DirecTV Channel 610

BTN

Michigan Football Tidbits: Part 2 of 3

Michigan Football Tidbits: Part two

Some will blame the recruiting coordinator on this, but we believe that the head coach, position coach, or whoever the specific coach on point for recruiting a player should have been the ones to communicate the information, one way or another: phone call, a message, email -- something! This could have been done either Sunday or Monday night, since the resignation was not public until Tuesday morning. If they would have talked to these kids beforehand, especially the committed kids. Telling the kids on Monday night would not have given much time for rumors to spread, since the announcement was made early Tuesday morning.

Incidents like this does not help the program at all. Some posters think this is no big deal. That might be true, but, again, this kind of thing should not keep happening. It seems like this past year, Michigan has been getting way too much negative press coverage already.

Here's a recap of some of the bigger stories:

The West Virginia buyout fiasco: After West Virginia said they would not settle or accept a lower their buyout, Coach Rod and Michigan should have both agreed to pay, especially after details of Coach Rod's Michigan contract came out with its own four million dollar buyout clause. The money was put in place for Coach Rod to pay it off, so that should not have been a concern.

Justin Boren's hissy fit: these comments, regardless of their truth, delivered a big hit to the program and Coach Rod who seems to pride himself with having a family atmosphere in his program. We have seen how much the coaching staff has had to battle with this smear. Yet another straw on the camel's back.

The Ryan-Mallett-Express-Outta-Town: we're not going to revisit the debate of whether or not he should have stayed, but when you go 3-9, it doesn't look good that Michigan let a five star quarterback leave without re-recruiting him like they did the 2008 recruiting class.

Braylon's Number One debacle: This could have been, and should have been, handled out of sight and sound of the media. We blame the old regime, along with Braylon himself. Coach Rod might not have understood the ramifications of the issue, but the retained staff, meaning the administrative staff, along with Fred Jackson could have filled him in. Braylon could have talked to Coach Rod personally and told him about the foundation that he and Anthony Carter created at Michigan to honor the number the two former wide recievers brought fame to by seting up a scholarship for the football team and having a say on which, if any, future wide receiver would be allowed to wear it.

Coach Shafer's resignation: maybe not too big a deal in it's own right, but combined with all this previous stuff? Makes you wonder. Good thing that Coach Shafer was told not to be that active on the recruiting trail this year. Even though, the news has had some impact with some recruits, since they have said they have become comfortable with Coach Shafer.

Another point: we have to separate Coach Rod -- the football coach -- from Rich Rodriguez -- the head of the Michigan football program. There is a difference. This is where we continue to say that he needs to hold people around him accountable. Maybe you think his staff is on top of things, but we do not agree. The staff isn't showing the competency necessary, not even close, for a program of Michigan's stature.

At Michigan (more so than at SOME other schools) there is a Head Football COACH and the Head of the Football PROGRAM. In Michigan's case, this is a big difference.

Lloyd Carr was a master of being the Head of the Michigan Football PROGRAM. He had been around for years, and he understood all of the politics and off-field aspects of this job.

Coach Rod is a football COACH who has learned some tough lessons in his short tenure at Michigan about being head of the Michigan Football PROGRAM.

Keep in mind Coach Rod retained a lot of people from Carr's internal administrative staff .The biggest beef we have is these people are letting way too many things fall through the cracks, and unfortunately, since Coach Rod is the head of the Michigan Football PROGRAM, it falls on him. He needs to hold these people accountable.

We have made this statement numerous times, and, yes -- it is our OPINION -- but Coach Rod is really a simple guy when it comes to football. He simply wants to coach football, and despite what posters/fans think, WE think he is a good football COACH.

The reality is, this job is more than just being a COACH. It is okay for Coach Rod to just want to coach football as long as he surrounds himself with people who will handle the many varieties of bullshit that the head of the football PROGRAM has to deal with. THAT HAS NOT HAPPENED. Thus the Public Relations blunders.

It is important for Michigan to hit the clinic and lecture circuit this winter and spring. This will give them chance to be seen, and change subject off public relations and onto their strength, which is football. This is especially true with regards to the Midwest, especially Ohio and Michigan.

Written by MaizeMan, CoachBt and ErocWolverine

Michigan Men's Basketball on TV Today

Michigan Men's Basketball on TV Today

Michigan vs. Oakland

from Auburn Hills (At the Palace)

4:00pm EST. - 6:00pm EST.

DirecTV Channel 663

FSN Detroit

Michigan Football Tidbits: Part 1 of 3

Michigan Football Tidbits: Part one

How much more ammunition does Michigan have to give its competitors in regards to Coach Shafer resigning? Recruits that visited last weekend (Dec. 12-13) were told that this was going to happen. It was not leaked out by the recruits. So why weren't all the other commits personally relayed the news, since this was known for several days?

How many public relations blunders does this program have to endure? How can Coach Rod, being a veteran coach, and a coach that recruits most of these kids personally, not call every recruit to tell them what was about to happen with the coaching situation? Why does a commit or recruit have to find this out by watching ESPN?

Michigan fans cannot keep on talking about negative press or a media vendetta against Michigan, when the football program gives the media people such an easy one. Commits should not learn Michigan business from television reports.

Coach Rod needs to improve his communication and public relations skills. This is amateur stuff. The coaching staff has to show more professionalism. Coach Rod wants to only be the head football coach. Coach Carr was the head coach along with being a skilled politician as well. Do not get us wrong here: a lot of the blame of this ineptitude falls on the football program's administrative staff, not just the coaching staff. Coach Rod needs to see to it that every in the program backs him up and helps him, so that little misjudgements don't turn into big black-eyes for Michigan's program. SOMEBODY should have known to spread the word to the commits.

When you only win three games in a season, these "little bumps" turn into bigger and bigger hills. If Michigan would have won 7-10 games this year these little bumps would not have been as big of factor. But with only win three game, this just adds to the impression that the program is in disarray.

Some posters believe that 17-18 year old recruits would have blabbed all over the internet.

Well, that is a cop-out for several reasons: Michigan should be proactive in these types of situations especially knowing that other colleges will use this kind of stuff to help them "negative recruit" against Michigan. With everybody wired in these days, these kids could have been informed in a timely manner and should not have had to hear about a coaching change from ESPN, a rival college coach, or even a recruiting site such as GoBlueWolverine who told several recruits before anybody from the Michigan staff bothered to do so.

It is always better to be proactive rather than reactive. Better to release news with your own "spin" than to be forced to react to somebody else's version later. Opponents are negative recruiting Michigan to death. It goes with territory, but why give them added ammunition? These self-inflicted wounds are madness.

Written by MaizeMan, CoachBt and ErocWolverine

Michigan Women's Basketball on TV tonight

Michigan Women's Basketball

Cincinnati at Michigan

7:00pm EST. - 9:00pm EST.

DirecTV Channel 610

BTN HD

Taylor Lewan: Michigan Commit

Overview:

He has a great combination of size and athletic ability. He moves very well for a player his size. He is perfect for Michigan's zone blocking scheme. A great "get" because left tackles are so hard to find.

Strengths:

Plays the game with a nasty physical edge. He gets to the second level and finishes with a vengeance. Plays until the whistle blows and shows ability to pull and lead.

Needs work:

He needs to watch his pad level, but this is a common problem for taller players. He needs to be consistent rolling his hips and moving his feet in pass protection.

Video Highlights:

http://michigan.scout.com/a.z?s=162&p=11&nid=3534120&isFirstMediaIdAudioOrVideo=video&playlist=http%3A//michigan.scout.com/asxplaylist.aspx%3Fs%3D162%26mediaids%3D525922

http://michigan.scout.com/a.z?s=162&p=11&nid=3534120&isFirstMediaIdAudioOrVideo=video&playlist=http%3A//michigan.scout.com/asxplaylist.aspx%3Fs%3D162%26mediaids%3D550534

http://michigan.scout.com/a.z?s=162&p=11&nid=3534120&isFirstMediaIdAudioOrVideo=video&playlist=http%3A//michigan.scout.com/asxplaylist.aspx%3Fs%3D162%26mediaids%3D595067








http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recruiting/tracker/player?recruitId=58587&season=2009

Written by CoachBt and ErocWolverine

Michigan Men's Basketball tickets available

BLEACHER SEATS AVAILABLE FOR THREE BIG TEN GAMES!

To All Michigan ticket holders:

With UM students on break, there is a great opportunity for you and your family to see some basketball action close-up in the courtside bleachers for three Big Ten games!

The Athletic Department would like to extend to you the opportunity to buy these seats on a first come first serve basis at a reduced price of $15, a savings of $7 per ticket, for the following games:

Wisconsin – Wednesday, December 31 at 2:00 p.m.
Illinois – Sunday, January 4 at noon
Purdue - Thursday, February 26 at 9:00 p.m.

Our goal is to assure a loud and supportive “Maize and Blue” crowd in the bleachers for these home games.

We reserve the right to cancel any orders made by customers other than those to whom this offer was extended.

To order these games, please do the following:

Go to www.mgoblue.com/tickets

Click on Promotions on the left menu
Enter promotion code: UMBLEACHERS
Complete your order and submit payment (Visa, Mastercard, Amex or Discover)

Please call (734-764-0247) or e-mail (mtickets@umich.edu) if you have any questions.

Thank you for your support of Michigan basketball.

Go Blue!

Marty Bodnar
Associate Athletic Director, Ticketing & Marketing

Mailbag Question: Regarding Coach Shafer

Hello,

You guys seem to hit it right in regards to Coach Shafer being the scapegoat of this past season.

Therefore, will any offensive coach get the boot for the worse performance in school history or would that admit that the offense was bad this year.

Are you guys happy that it is finally over for Coach Shafer here and this team can move on finally instead of dragging this out past signing day.

Fred

--------------------------------------------

Thanks for the question.

The first thing we want to do is wish Coach Shafer the best of luck. At the spring clinic, he was one of the best speakers there… along with Barwis, of course. It was too bad he was not able to run the defense he talked about during the spring clinic because of personnel.

He is a quality person and coach who was caught in bad situation. In our opinion, not everything was his nor his defense's fault, but it's easier for him to resign than for others at this time.

His resigning is probably what's best for Michigan and best for himself. Doing it early gives Michigan time to find the best replacement, and Coach Shafer time to find a new coaching position.

We hope that the next defensive coordinator will mesh with the others on the staff and have control over the defensive unit.

Also, it would be nice to get a defensive coordinator, such as Coach Hopson, and be able to hire a real defensive line coach, because this team is missing a true coach in that position. Coach Tall worked well there so not knocking him or they could move Coach Hopson to cornerbacks and find a good linebacker coach especially if Coach Hopson wants to play something other than a three deep coverage. Coach Hopson is an excellent cornerback coach.

Unless one of the offensive assistant gets an offer for a head coaching job, or is promoted to coordinator, at another program, we expect them to all return.

Written by CoachBt and ErocWolverine

Mailbag Question: Regarding Coach Rod's comments about McGuffie

Do you think it was a bit classless and spiteful of Coach Rod to emphasize McGuffie's concussions? Isn't it sort of labeling the kid "damaged goods"? Almost trying sabotaging his chances with another team?

Even though the concussions are fact, Coach Rod could have easily NOT mentioned his health and just expressed his appreciation for McGuffie's loyalty and hard work this past season and wish him the best.

Was it really McGuffie's decision, or did Coach Rod want to "redeem" a scholarship? The multiple concussions make the odds of McGuffie's failing to get medical clearance to play, at some point in the future, quite high, doesn't it? What is the NCAA rule on concussions is there a certain maximum number?

-- Q

-----------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for the question.

Do we think this is a "Justin Boren" type of comment from Coach Rod? No, not at all, but Coach Rod more than likely brought up concussions as a pre-emptive measure. He knew he would be asked about the health issues and put it on the table right away. Was it one, or was it three, concussions? Who knows for sure except for the doctors? We do know when he was hit in several games, he did not return and there was one game which he stated he wasn't ready to play.

All the schools Sam is talking about will all give him a physical regardless, so we think concussions is a non-issue.

From all we have read, leaving Michigan is 100% Sam's decision. It has more to do with personal issues than the concussions, from what we know.

We wish him well and believe it is time to move on, since both parties have gone their own separate ways. We also believe that both parties are confident this is best move for Sam McGuffie at this time.

We believe personal issues of a student/athlete should remain personal, so we let other blogs cover this domain.

Written by CoachBt and ErocWolverine

Michigan Basketball continues to impress

Michigan Basketball continues to impress

At the start of the season, many people were optimistic about the Michigan basketball program. So far this year, the team has not disappointed.

They are 7-2 right now. The only loss that hurts right now is the Maryland game, because Michigan had a chance to win that game. It was a tough game, since it was the Wolverine's first true road game. Getting another win against an ACC team would have helped, no matter where Maryland finishes in their league.

That being said, this team has really shown they can play good basketball. How long have Michigan fans been waiting to see THAT from this program?

It's nice to see Kelvin Grady and Jevohn Shepherd have nice game recently and continue to show that Coach Beilein's system successfully incorporate athletic players . They have taken to their new roles well, which can will only help this team.

Stu Douglass and Zack Novak have been playing very well at times, but fans have to remember they are freshmen, so expect good games and bad games. They both need to discover, and get comfortable with, their specific roles on the team this year. They both bring something to this team that was lacking for years: an outside presence. This makes DeShawn Sims and Manny Harris so much more effective because defenses will have to worry about the outside shot and will be unable to double team Sims and Harris, so they can pack it in the inside.

The addition of Laval Lucas-Perry makes team stronger, adds depth, and provides the Wolverines with a better chance against the Big Ten conference. I can not wait to see him finally get on the floor in a Michigan uniform. It seems like forever since he transferred to Michigan from Arizona.

Remember when there were comments about the "Princeton offense" not working at Michigan under Coach Beilein? Those doubters are very, very quiet right now now that the team is starting to successfully execute Coach Beilein's system.. He is letting the kids play, letting them run whenever possible, and letting them take shots whenever they want as well. What player would not want to play in that system?

In regards to the 1-3-1 zone naysayers, who thought the system would not allow players to play, and hamper efforts to recruit better athletic players: this team is now demonstrating players DO have to be athletic in this zone defense and, to run this offense. Another myth busted.

As far a recruiting goes, well, pessimistic mouths are being shut as this season's wins have started adding up. The more this team wins this year, the more recruits are going to take notice, if they haven't already done so after the impressive wins against top teams such as UCLA and Duke. Recruits now can see for themselves that the program is turning around and do not have to take the coaches and players word for it.

This team needs to keep this momentum going. Beating a team like Eastern Michigan by thirty-one points shows this team's focus and their desire to continue improving. They need to continue beating teams they're expected to beat, like Oakland, Florida Gulf Coast, and North Carolina Central, before getting into the tough Big Ten conference this year.

Every win is huge for this program because it gets them a step closer to where we, as fans, want to see this team -- in The Big Dance. The win against Savannah State might be the biggest win of the year because, unlike previous years, Michigan did not fall into the trap of falling behind, then failing to fight back to win. Sure, the Duke game is huge for the program nationally, but the Savannah State game could have killed the momentum and excitement the team had started to generate.

The Big Ten is taking care of business in non-conference games this year. This will help Michigan down the line. The Big Ten should at least get four teams into the tournament and could realistically see five, possibly six, teams get into the NCAA tournament. We're hoping Michigan is won of them. It could happen, and if it does, it'll be even earlier then many have predicted. Many people were hoping for a good run this year, culminating with an NIT appearance this. If things keep going the way they are, these fans will have to readjust their goals.

Let's wait and see, there is still a lot of basketball to be played yet.

Written by ErocWolverine

Mailbag Question: NCAA rule about numbers

Dear Guys,

We now have twenty-one commits as of 12/11/09 (This e-mail was before Barnes decision to de-commit).

Out of a possible twenty-five for this 2009 recruiting class what are the NCAA rules on numbers allowed on signing day and what is that scenario currently for Michigan?
Once you get to twenty-five do coaches then keep going and pull offers to assure the key components/players get their spot?

How are the early graduates / January entries at Michigan such as Forcier and Beaver affecting the total number of allowed commits?

These young men are turning out a fantastic class so far. You can truly see some of the explosive and powerful future ahead in their physical makeup, athleticism, character, and abilities.

What are some scenarios the coaches are running in their recruiting schedules to assure against or at least cover for drops from the commitment list, further attrition or athletes busting down the door to take part?

Go Blue!

Great work Guys! Support these Coaches, the effort of Champions and their endeavors!

Jay

-------------------------------------------

Thanks for the question and the comments.

Recruiting is a non-stop endeavor. Coaches have a much better idea than we do which commitments are solid and which are soft at this time, because they visit the recruits in their homes and get the chance to talk with the players and their families.

For recruits who they consider "soft" commits, they, of course, have back up plans ready just in case. A good example of this is the Newsome case: Michigan kept in contact with Tate Forcier and was able to replace Newsome.

NCAA rules allows a maximum of twenty-five scholarships per year and a maximum of eighty-five total. You can over-sign if some are questionable qualifiers, but must get down to the twenty-five number. The Big Ten allows teams to sign three additional recruits.

You can also take additional players: if the previous class was under twenty-five, and recruits enroll in the winter semester or spring quarter, which technically go on the previous year of recruiting. A player like Stonum, who last year enrolled early, does not count in the 2008 class. Players that have already left the team from the 2008 recruiting class, such as Sam McGuffie, Taylor Hill and Marcus Witherspoon, open up spots and allow Michigan to recruit players to fill those spots.

Written by CoachBt and ErocWolverine

BTN: Michigan Basketball highlights against Eastern Michigan

Cam Gordon: Michigan Commit

Cam Gordon: Michigan Commit

Overview:

He is a very good combination of size and athletic ability. Makes plays on both sides of the ball. Could play either split end or linebacker at Michigan. In our opinion, he has more upsides on defense, but he wants to try and play offense first, so time will tell.

Strengths:

Very good lateral movement allows Gordon to make plays all over the field. Sound, physical tackler who also makes good drops and is solid in coverage. He fills okay, but is better scrapping than at point of attack.

At split end, he shows very good concentration and blocks well for a high school player.

Needs Work:

Although he sheds blockers, does use flipper as well as necessary. Drops head and goes to knees at times. These were caused by either over-running plays, or taking poor angles, both of which can easily be fixed. Does not have great speed or burst for a split end.

Highlights:

http://michigan.scout.com/a.z?s=162&p=11&nid=3336719&isFirstMediaIdAudioOrVideo=video&playlist=http%3A//michigan.scout.com/asxplaylist.aspx%3Fs%3D162%26mediaids%3D616266

http://michigan.scout.com/a.z?s=162&p=11&nid=3336719&isFirstMediaIdAudioOrVideo=video&playlist=http%3A//michigan.scout.com/asxplaylist.aspx%3Fs%3D162%26mediaids%3D616263

http://michigan.scout.com/a.z?s=162&p=11&nid=3336719&isFirstMediaIdAudioOrVideo=video&playlist=http%3A//michigan.scout.com/asxplaylist.aspx%3Fs%3D162%26mediaids%3D590710

http://michigan.scout.com/a.z?s=162&p=11&nid=3336719&isFirstMediaIdAudioOrVideo=video&playlist=http%3A//michigan.scout.com/asxplaylist.aspx%3Fs%3D162%26mediaids%3D527156

http://michigan.scout.com/a.z?s=162&p=11&nid=3336719&isFirstMediaIdAudioOrVideo=video&playlist=http%3A//michigan.scout.com/asxplaylist.aspx%3Fs%3D162%26mediaids%3D527155

http://michigan.scout.com/a.z?s=162&p=11&nid=3336719&isFirstMediaIdAudioOrVideo=video&playlist=http%3A//michigan.scout.com/asxplaylist.aspx%3Fs%3D162%26mediaids%3D527153

http://michigan.scout.com/a.z?s=162&p=11&nid=3336719&isFirstMediaIdAudioOrVideo=video&playlist=http%3A//michigan.scout.com/asxplaylist.aspx%3Fs%3D162%26mediaids%3D527150

http://michigan.scout.com/a.z?s=162&p=11&nid=3336719&isFirstMediaIdAudioOrVideo=video&playlist=http%3A//michigan.scout.com/asxplaylist.aspx%3Fs%3D162%26mediaids%3D526863

Written by CoachBt and ErocWolverine

Detroit News: Article by Angelique Chengelis on Lloyd Carr

Carr keeps busy doing his own thing

He's a consultant for Eastern, Motor City Bowl, but former coach is staying quiet about Michigan

Angelique S. Chengelis / The Detroit News

ANN ARBOR -- His office looks a lot like the one he maintained at Schembechler Hall as Michigan's head football coach.

There are assorted photographs with former players, a variety of awards, and pieces of Michigan football memorabilia scattered throughout.

But this office is at Wiedenbach Hall, just down State Street from the football building, and this is where Lloyd Carr now has his working home. It's been just more than a year since Carr retired as Michigan's coach, but he's kept busy.

Carr was Michigan's head coach for 13 seasons, and while he said he has no regrets about his decision to retire, there clearly are some emotional holes.

"What I've missed is the closeness that you have on a football team," Carr said this week.

To read the rest of the article please visit: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081213/SPORTS0201/812130353/1131

Michigan Basketball: Eastern Michigan at Michigan on TV today

Michigan Basketball

Eastern Michigan vs. Michigan

4:00pm EST. - 6:00pm EST.

DirecTV Channel 610

BTN HD

High School Football: Pahokee vs. Trinity Catholic

Florida Class 2B Championship

Pahokee vs. Trinity Catholic

1:00pm EST. - 4:00pm EST.

DirecTV Channel 653

SUN Sports

You can watch future Wolverines (Brandin Hawthorne and Vincent Smith) from Pahokee.

Mailbag Question: Now with McGuffie gone

Well with McGuffie gone now officially what does this do to the team along with recruiting for running backs?

Will the media and haters make this out to be another player Coach Rod lost?

Tim

---------------------------------------------

Thanks for the question.

Anybody who tries to turn Sam McGuffie's leaving into anything other than a player doing what is genuinely best for himself and his family is either incompetent or trying to start a fight.

Sam has made a decision on what is best for his situation. We completely respect that! We wish Sam nothing but the best, hope he quickly gets healthy, and, are confident he'll have an excellent career, no matter where he ends up playing college football.

How this affects Michigan? In our opinion, very little. Running back is probably the deepest position on the roster with three very good ones returning and two, or possibly three, new recruits to be added to the mix.

Is it possible Michigan now tries to add another running back? Sure, if Coach Rod and staff can get one they feel can help. But we feeln our adding yet another running back is a luxury, not a necessity. As we've been saying since last spring, the team would be better served going after another defensive player to increase their depth on defense.

Written by CoachBt and ErocWolverine

BTN: Michigan Womens Basketball Highlights against Notre Dame

Hawaii Prep Classic: Hawaii vs. Mainland

Hawaii Prep Classic (Saturday early morning)

12/13/2008

Hawaii vs. Mainland High School Classic

1:00am EST. - 4:00am EST. (Live)

DirecTV Channel 694

FSN Prime Ticket

Replayed 12/13/2008 at 2:00pm EST. - 5:00pm EST.


***** Michael Schofield (Michigan commit) is playing in this game. *****

MAINLAND TEAM
· Bryn Renner, West Springfield High School in Virginia, QB
· Zach Mettenberger, Oconee County High School in Georgia, QB
· Michael Ford, Leesville High School in Louisiana, RB
· David Wilson, George Washington High School in Virginia, RB
· Logan Thomas, Brookville High School in Virginia, WR
· Randall Carroll, Cathedral High School in California, WR
· Jemari Roberts, Woodrow Wilson High School in California, WR
· Shaquelle Evans, Inglewood High School in California, WR
· Korvic Neat, Hallandale High School in Florida, WR
· James Green, Leon High School in Florida, WR
· Morgan Moses, Meadowbrook High School in Virginia, OL
· Charles Siddoway, Sheldon High School in Oregon, OL
· Terry Alletto, Panderosa High School in Colorado, OL
· Michael Schofield, Sandburg High School in Illinois, OL
· Christopher Jimenez, Cathedral High School in California, OL
· Andrew Carter, Leon High School in Florida, OL
· Nick Tausch, Jesuit High School in Texas, P/K
· Matt Garin, Eastview High School in Minnesota, DE
· Alex Okafor, Pflugerville High School in Texas, DE
· Montez Robinson, Avon High School in Indiana, DE
· Chris Henderson, Carter High School in Texas, DT
· Dillon Quinn, Trinity Pawling School in New York, DT
· Zeke Motta, Vero Beach High School in Florida, LB
· Jerod Askew, Oscar Smith High School in Virginia, LB
· Dorian Bell, Gateway High School in Pennsylvania, LB
· Phil Walker, Cypress Bay High School in Florida, LB
· Marcus Trice, Mesquite High School in Texas, DB
· Corey Brown, Gateway High School in Pennsylvania, DB
· Adam Hall, Palo Verde Magnet High School in Arizona, DB
· Richardo Nixon, Hallandale High School in Florida, DB

Head coach Bill Renner and assistant coaches Mike Alletto, Terry Smith, Chris Flores, Andre Rison, Lorenzo White, Anthony Williams and Brian Derby will coach the Mainland team.

HAWAII/POLYNESIA TEAM
· Corey Nielsen, Gahr in California, QB
· Cayman Shutter, Punahou School, QB
· Edmund Kamano Jr., Kamehameha Schools, QB
· Dalton Hilliard, Punahou School, RB
· Danny Kekoanui, Waianae High School, RB
· Troy Matautia, Waipahu High School, RB
· Apelu So’oalo, Farrington High School, RB
· Afasene Tasi, Leone High in American Samoa, RB
· Edieson Dumlao, Leilehua High School, WR
· Lucas Gonsalves, Saint Louis School, WR
· Isi Sofele, Cottonwood High School in Utah, WR
· Billy Ray Stutzmann, Saint Louis School, WR
· Levi Te’o, Timpview High School in Utah, WR
· Robby Toma, Punahou School, WR
· Mana Greig, Saint Louis School, OL
· Stan Hasiak, Kapolei High School, OL
· Jordan Loeffler, Hilo High School, OL
· Benson Ma’afala, Mililani High School, OL
· Chauncey Makainai, Kailua High School, OL
· John Martinez, Cottonwood High School in Utah, OL
· Xavier Su’a-Filo, Timpview High School in Utah, OL
· Luke Spencer, Kapolei High School, OL
· Percy Tamoelau, Cottonwood High School in Utah, OL
· Tytan Timoteo, Saint Louis School, OL
· Miah Fa’atoafe, Aiea High School, DL
· Trevor Iosefa, Punahou Schools, DL
· Wade Keliikipi, Waianae High School, DL
· Chad Lopati, Kapolei High School, DL
· Nick Ma’afala, Mililani High School, DL
· Kimo Makaula, Punahou School, DL
· Macus Malepeai, Radford High School, DL
· Veni Manu, Mililani High School, DL
· Siasau Matagiese, Waimea High School, DL
· Mana Rosa, Baldwin High School, DL
· Kevin Aipia Jr., Castle High School, LB
· Steven Fanua, Milpitas High School in California, LB
· Isaiah Iuta, Farrington High School, LB
· Manti Te’o, Punahou School, LB
· Simione Vekihite, Kapolei High School, LB
· James Savea, Samoana High in American Samoa, LB
· Breland Almadova, Iolani School, DB
· Jray Galeai, Kahuku High School, DB
· Kela Marciel, Iolani School, DB
· Cyril Ontai, Kapolei High School, DB
· Kawehi Sablan, Castle High School, DB
· James Smith, Farrington High School, DB
· Aulola Tonga, Kahuku High School, DB
· Joey Iosefa, Faga’itua High School in American Samoa, Utility
· Rico Newman, Leilehua High School, Utility

Head coach Wendell Say of Aiea High School and assistant coaches Nelson Maeda, Darren Hernandez, Les Parilla, Kale Ane, Wendell Look, John Hao, Reid Hasegawa, Leonard Lau, Sam Downey, Mika Liilii, C.J. Tausaga, Brian Teo, Alema Teo and Louis Wong will coach the Hawaii/Polynesia team