Out with Rich Rodriguez and in with Brady Hoke. During every coaching change in college football, the incoming coach is going to have to deal with losing recruits. Hoke was no different.
In early January, four-star cornerback Dallas Crawford de-committed from the Michigan Wolverines over the firing and later signed with Miami.
Perhaps filling the gap Crawford left, Hoke’s top two players happened to be cornerbacks.
Blake Countess (No. 14) and Delonte Hollowell (No. 15) will look to help a defensive backfield that was suspect last season.
“We think these guys are guys that will really have an impact on this program as we go further, Hoke said of his recruiting class.
Another major concern for the Wolverines was the quarterback position. While it is unknown whether or not super-athlete Denard Robinson will thrive in Hoke’s offense, it is known that former No. 2 quarterback Tate Forcier is going to transfer.
Hoke did his best to fill that void with three-star quarterback Russell Bellomy.
“That QB position is rather important,” Hoke said at the team’s press conference. “This is a guy we identified, his folks came up. It was a great visit and they fell in love with Ann Arbor and our style of offense.”
To see profiles of the new recruits, click here.
Signing Day Notes:
Breakdown by Position: DB (5), LB (4), DE (3), OL (3), RB (2), K (1), QB (1), TE (1)
Breakdown by State: OH (7), MI (6), TX (3), CA (1), FL (1), ILL (1), MD (1)
This class includes four four-star recruits, along with 14 three-stars.
Justice Hayes might make the running back position relevant again for the Wolverines. As the No. 22 overall back, he has great vision and when he gets to the second level, the defensive backs don’t have much of a chance.
He walked away from offers from Notre Dame, Michigan State, Tennessee, Iowa and Wisconsin.
Hoke also signed Scout.com’s No. 4 kicker in Matt Wile. Wile showcased his skills in the U.S. Army All-American Game. During his senior season he was 10-of-13 on field goals and an amazing 91 out of 101 kickoffs went for touchbacks.
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