What to Look for on Signing Day
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Leave a CommentWe are just a few hours away from signing day officially starting, which means the end of recruiting for the Class of ’08 is almost here. That will be a major relief for the coaches and recruits, but also for the fanatics out there who have been following recruiting. It seems like every year becomes a tad more stressful for various reasons. 2008 is no exception with Terrelle Pryor set to announce between Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State tomorrow. Pryor isn’t the only one that caused more drama with recruiting this year, although he has caused most of it.
The biggest storyline for this year’s recruiting class without a doubt is the coaching change. I’ve got to give recruiting coordinator Chris Singletary a big pat on the back for managing to keep almost the entire class in tact. That is rare when a coaching change occurs, but the only casualties of the change were John Wienke and Christian Wilson. So, to Singletary and the the assistants on the old staff that maintained contact with the recruits before Rich Rodriguez was hired, kudos on a job well done.
Even though the end is in sight for the Class of ’08, there is still some loose ends to wrap up before we look ahead to 2009. Obviously, as mentioned already, Pryor’s announcement will garner the most attention, so let’s start there when looking at a rundown of things to look for on signing day.
**Terrelle Pryor – The nation’s top recruit is down to Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State. Michigan and Ohio State are understood to be the frontrunners, but it appears that Penn State is making a strong push even though they’re undoubtedly a few steps behind. I would say Pryor choosing PSU wouldn’t completely be out of left field, but it certainly would shock nearly everyone.
The general consensus is that Pryor will choose OSU. Even with that being said, don’t count Michigan out of it just yet. If there’s one thing I’ve learned with recruiting over the years it’s that nothing is definite until the ink is dry. Many times Michigan has lost out on recruits after they go to bed a Wolverine and wake up wanting to go somewhere else, so I’m hoping that works in the opposite way in this situation since OSU seems to be the heavy favorite. I’d say it’s unlikely, but then again, anything can happen.
Pryor’s announcement will be around 12:00 p.m. ET and will be shown on ESPNU and CSTV. If you have neither of those channels, just keep checking in here for an update as I’ll have his decision posted as soon as it happens.
**Nick Perry – Aside from Pryor, Perry is by far the most important recruit left that is still considering Michigan. He is said by some to be the best player in the state of Michigan for the Class of ’08 and would be a huge addition to an already dominant defensive line. Perry will choose between Michigan, Southern Cal, and Miami (FL), but the first two are considered the favorites to land the standout defensive player. There really isn’t a clear indication of where he might be leaning at this point, but the one thing we do know for sure is that Michigan State is out of the picture. I’m hoping this doesn’t turn out to be RoJo II (RoJo did host Perry on his visit to USC), but with Pete Carroll involved you never know.
Perry’s announcement is supposed to be right around 11:00 a.m. ET, but I’ve heard noon mentioned as well. If it is the latter, then I will have an update as soon as the news breaks.
**Trotwood-Madison Threesome – Tight end commit Brandon Moore may not be the only one coming to Michigan from Trotwood, Ohio, as three of his teammates are still considering the Wolverines. Running back/slot-WR Michael Shaw is deciding between Michigan and Penn State, and then WR Roy Roundtree and QB Dominick Britt could end up being a part of the Michigan recruiting class as well depending on what happens with some other recruits.
Your guess is as good as mine with Shaw since there really has been no news about him out there other than the fact that it’s between Michigan and Penn State. For Roundtree and Britt, it appears that neither has been offered yet. That doesn’t mean they won’t be sometime tomorrow, though. If Pryor doesn’t come to Michigan, then I would assume Britt gets an offer since a second QB is needed for this recruiting class. For Roundtree, the coaching staff is waiting to see what a few receivers do, but it appears there’s a good chance he will get an offer as well.
Michael Shaw will announce at 9:00 a.m. ET according to Rivals. For the other two Trotwood natives, their announcements don’t appear to be set in stone. I guess I would just look out for the news of where they are going to come out randomly during the day.
**Others – There will be a few other recruits making their decisions where Michigan is a long shot at best. That means that a surprise or two could happen as it is recruiting, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up. Just as I mentioned with the Trotwood guys, the news will likely come out randomly throughout signing day as it happens.
**Media Coverage of Signing Day – Rich Rodriguez will be holding a press conference about signing day tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. ET. You can watch it live on MGoBlue.com. Also, Sam Webb will be hosting a signing day radio show on WTKA tomorrow from 4-7 p.m. Rich Rodriguez, Chris Singletary, and many Michigan commits are scheduled to be guests on the show. If you aren’t in Ann Arbor and therefore can’t listen to WTKA, go to their website to listen online.
