Ben Krasner's Website

The Wolverines have signed a speedy and deep 2010 recruiting class of student athletes to be added to the roster for the upcoming 2010 football season.  Several of the recruits have already enrolled after graduating early from their respective high schools and will be eligible to participate in spring practice, with the remaining recruits set to join the program in the late summer.

Highlighting the class are 3 top prospects in positions of great need – QB Devin Gardner, CB Cullen Christian and Safety Demar Dorsey.  Dorsey, from Boyd Anderson High in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, was a recruit that originally committed to Florida well before his senior season of football, but who grew apart from the Gators after the relationship became rocky.  He was a late signing day addition to the Wolverines, having only made up his mind on where he would attend college the night before.  He projects to be a player who could play multiple positions in the defensive secondary and even play some offense and kick returner due to his exceptional speed and athletic abilities.  Dorsey loves to throw his body into hits and make plays in the secondary, making him look like someone who could become the true impact safety that Michigan has lacked for so long.

QB Devin Gardner, from Inkster High School (MI), is a tall and still raw dual-threat QB talent who is already enrolled and hopes to impress coaches enough during spring practices to warrant giving him a shot at some playing time as a true Freshman.  The most striking assets Devin brings to the table are from the physical side, as he rises 6′-4″ from the turf and has plenty of room for development in the weight room for added durability and strength.  While improving markedly over his junior season, he is still very raw in mechanics and often resorts to throwing from the run or displaying unorthodox technique in the passing game.  Devin’s not the fastest runner from the QB position but should have plenty of speed to run a read-option offense.  Seemingly the in-between choice for Rich Rodriguez, Devin is faster than Tate Forcier though nowhere near as good a passer, while being a better passer than Denard Robinson albeit not nearly as fast or as gifted a runner.  Rich Rodriguez will now have some interesting decisions to make with his roster of QBs, now having 3; each of which offer something different and perhaps none of them being fully fledged enough to run his show completely, yet.

And Cullen Christian is a corner that has great size, quickness and fluidity … but who might need to work with a speed coach to gain the next level of speed required to keep up with the truly elite WRs that he’ll often face in college.  He could play safety, also, and there are some who believe that will be where he ultimately ends up.  However, with Michigan so thin at corner and with Cullen displaying all the tools necessary to be a good one, I expect him to find some early playing time at corner and stick in that position.  He will join a once thin and now young Wolverine secondary and likely be asked to contribute early.

Other noteworthy additions include Marvin Robinson, a safety/linebacker hybrid from Lake Region High School in Florida who I feel will ultimately end up at a linebacker position after starting out at safety, Jibreel Black, a versatile defensive line prospect who could wind up lining up at two or maybe three defensive line positions before it’s all said and done and who possesses a strong motor, Josh Furman, a running back/safety/linebacker who possesses great measureables and blazing speed, and Will Hagerup, a punter (yes a punter!) with a big leg, solid technique and a great shot at being the replacement for the departed Zoltan Mesko.

The remaining 2010 Michigan Wolverine recruits:

• QB/ATH Conelius Jones – Spartanburg, SC (Spartanburg High School)
• RB Austin White – Livonia, MI (Stephenson High School)
• RB Stephen Hopkins – Flower Mound, TX (Marcus High School)
• WR Ricardo Miller – Ann Arbor, MI (Pioneer High School)
• WR Jerald Robinson – Canton, OH (Canton South High School)
• WR Jeremy Jackson – Ann Arbor, MI (Huron High School)
• WR Drew Dileo – Baton Rouge, LA (Parkview Baptist School)
• WR DJ Williamson – Warren, OH (Warren G. Harding High School)
• OC Christian Pace – Avon Lake, OH (Avon Lake High School)
• DT Terry Talbott – Huber Heights, OH (Wayne High School)
• DT Richard Ash – Pahokee, FL (Pahokee High School)
• DE Kenny Wilkins – Washington, PA (Trinity High School)
• DE Jordan Paskorz – Allison Park , PA (Hampton High School)
• DE Antonio Kinard – Youngstown, OH (Liberty High School)
• OLB Jake Ryan – Cleveland, OH (St. Ignatius High School)
• OLB Davion Rogers – Warren, OH (Warren G. Harding High School)
• S Carvin Johnson – Metairie, LA (Archbishop Rummel HS)
• Ray Vinopal – Youngstown, OH (Cardinal Mooney High School)
• CB Courtney Avery – Lexington, OH (Lexington High School)
• CB Terrance Talbott – Huber Heights, OH (Wayne High School)

Overall this class has plenty of speed to upgrade the Wolverines roster all over the field, though at times being undersized and other times being somewhat unproven.  Plenty of WR and Slot WR prospects to try to increase production out of those key areas for Rich Rodriguez’s offense, and a nice haul of athletic defenders to replenish a defense searching for answers at almost all levels.  A solid B+ class for Rich Rodriguez and company.

Go Blue!