The Recruiting Board Still Loves Me

It's official: I am worried that Flip Saunders is a regular season mirage and he is INFECTING the Pistons with his postseason MALAISE. (Awesome SYSTEM used for EMPHASIS a direct result of Chris RIX making me into a CHAMPION.) Why no the shooty straight? Why all the contested jumpers? Ach.

Update 5/24: Added MI OL Mike VanDerBergen, who has a profile with Michigan leading but still is without an offer -- looks like a make-or-break camp for him -- and OH S Diaunte Morrow. Moved Jerimy Finch to committed (sort of). Linked to article on OH CB Jordan Mabin -- much hype for a guy with only one real offer thus far. Linked to an article on CO WR Drew Davis and some Helmuth track exploits and Marshall Jones profile from Scout.

Added a set new offers: PA TE/WR John Ditto, NY TE Rob Gronkowski, CA CB Donovan Warren, and CA OL Mitchell Shwartz. Removed Josh Marks (Penn State).

Editorial Opinion: Many people now have offers who I know nothing about. Marshall Jones, a big-shot safety recruit from Clausenville, previously mentioned a top three of USC, Michigan, and Tennessee but now seems like a safe bet to stay on the West Coast. There is a new, well-heeled suitor:

“I really like Oregon,” said Jones, of Oaks Christian High School. “They offered a couple of months ago. I went up there for a visit with my teammate Mike Ebbit last month. The campus is really nice and their facilities are amazing. They’re the nicest I’ve seen by far. The coaches are really cool. I’ve talked to Coach (Steve) Greatwood a few times and he said I have a good chance to play early there. I'm thinking about taking a couple more visits up there this summer."

Jones now lists a top five of Oregon, USC, Arizona, Colorado, and Michigan. As for Michigan:

“I’m looking at Michigan too. I don’t know a lot about the program. I’ve talked to Coach (Ron) English. He said he’s coming out here soon. I haven’t been to see the campus yet. I think I’m going to take a visit out there this summer.

Still in it if he visits, but this seems like those guys from Texas on NCAA 2006 that list Texas, Texas A&M, TCU, SMU, and Baylor. Distance, as they say, is a factor.

Colorado wide receiver Drew Davis was very, very interested in Michigan at some point in the middle of his junior year when the sites had a couple articles about him, but Michigan hasn't come through with an offer yet and thus the interest has scaled back. Davis put on an impressive show at some combine or another and was deluged with Pac-10 and Big 12 offers as a result, but appears to be waiting it out:

"I have not really gotten that 'big school' offer I am waiting for," Davis said to Scout.com's Andrew Friedman. "I am looking forward to a USC or Michigan-type offer. Both those schools have told me that they don't like offering guys this early because usually when they offer this early, the kids will commit, and they need to make sure they are offering the right players. I totally understand that so I am being patient."

DE signee Greg Banks was a teammate of Davis.

When FB commit Vince Helmuth says "I trust him as far as I can throw him," he means it as a compliment:

Saline won four events at the River Rat meet, the discus, shot put, and the 400- and 800-meter relays. Vince Helmuth took first in the shot with a heave of 54-11, while the Hornet junior claimed first in the discus with a throw of 182-0.