COMMITMENTS
Sylvania (OH) Southview strong safety Allen Gant committed to Michigan on Tuesday (Touch the Banner profile here). Gant is kind of big and slow, but that didn't stop Ernest Shazor from leaving early for the NFL Draft and then going undrafted, so there's that. Gant is the son of former Wolverine safety Tony Gant ('82-'86).
Crete (IL) Monee cornerback Anthony Standifer committed to Michigan on Wednesday (TTB). Standifer is 6'1", 178 lbs. and doesn't run extremely well, but should be able to fit in at either boundary corner or free safety. Michigan was one of the first schools to offer him, but several others hopped on board soon. He's a real throwback to ye olden days, when cornerbacks weren't required to be 5'9" or shorter to get a Michigan scholarship.
ADDED TO THE BOARD
Lehi (UT) Westlake defensive end Moana Ofahengaue received an offer. He has offers from every corner of the country, but I haven't seen any film on him, so your guess is as good as mine. Michigan is supposedly in his top five and he might be camping in Ann Arbor this summer.
Atwater (CA) Buhach defensive tackle Aziz Shittu de-committed from Stanford. Rumors abound that he was embarrassed about his team's mascot being a tree. Unlike Ohio State's mascot, which is an Escalade. Michigan needs early-impact defensive tackles, and Shittu would fit that category. Coming to Ann Arbor is a realistic possibility, but I wouldn't put the Wolverines in the driver's seat.
OFF THE BOARD
Colorado offensive tackle Shane Callahan committed to Auburn. Cam Newton's father reportedly served as Callahan's representative during the process.
Ohio tight end Sam Grant committed to Boston College. He had an offer from the Wolverines, but the coaching staff seems to be backing off pursuit of tight ends. With two already in this class, the position has fallen way off in terms of priorities.
Texas offensive guard Michael Starts committed to Texas Tech, where he will be a perennial backup.
FALLOUT FROM OHIO STATE'S SHENANIGANS
Josh Helmholdt over at The Wolverine did a good breakdown of the Michigan targets who might/will be affected by the resignation of Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel. Perhaps no other school will be affected by the Buckeyes' idiocy than Michigan, whose coaches are heavily recruiting loads of Ohio players and OSU targets.
Allow me to toss in my own two cents on each of Helmholdt's 10 highlighted players:
1. Bri'onte Dunn (RB - Canton, OH). Dunn is currently committed to Ohio State. And while he's not a loud kid, he has made it no secret that he's unhappy with what's going down in Columbus. He might be a kid who waits out the process to see what kind of sanctions are doled out, but if there are any significant punishments (which there should be, for God's sake), then I expect Dunn to head elsewhere. Michigan seems to be #2 on his list.
2. Se'von Pittman (DE - Canton, OH). Pittman seems like the type of kid who might just go to Ohio State, anyway. I'm not a huge fan of Pittman's game, anyway, but it makes more sense to push for the next two guys on the list.
3a. Dwayne Stanford (WR - Cincinnati, OH). Stanford is a tall (6'5") wideout in the mold of . . . well . . . nobody Michigan has had for as long as I can remember. He's a bit like Plaxico Burress minus the gunshot wound. When Tressel announced his resignation, Stanford's Facebook status changed to something like "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" My Spidey Sense tells me that he liked Ohio State, which is supported by the fact that he's previously said "I like Ohio State." In addition to his receiving skills, he might bring along with him to Michigan . . .
3b. Adolphus Washington (DE - Cincinnati, OH). In a perfect world, Pittman would commit to OSU and the Buckeyes would stop recruiting Washington, which would force Washington and Stanford - who want to be a package deal - into the arms of Michigan. Then an angry Washington and Stanford could dance on the Buckeyes' grave for four years. The only problem is that both Washington and Stanford play positions that aren't top priorities in terms of need, so with only 4 spots remainning in the 2012 class, I think some more room needs to open up before Michigan could take commitments from both of them.
5. Chris Wormley (DE - Toledo, OH). I discussed Wormley's game a few weeks ago, so it's no secret that there are concerns there. Michigan and OSU were supposedly neck-and-neck for his services before the fallout began, and now Michigan should be in the driver's seat once again. But with no pressing need for another strongside end, I would prefer that any strongside end comes riding into town with a wide receiver sidekick.
6. De'van Bogard (CB - Cleveland, OH). Bogard is being recruited for the nickel corner position, which isn't a big need to me. The Wolverines have enough cornerbacks that one ought to be able to bulk up a bit and slide inside. With a couple corners from the 2010 class, four from 2011, and at least two in 2012, the need for another corner doesn't really stand out.
7. Jordan Diamond (OT - Chicago, IL). Diamond had an offer from Ohio State, but I truly think Michigan has been his leader the entire time. I'm not sure Tressel's resignation has much of an impact here.
8. Tom Strobel (DE - Mentor, OH). The state of Ohio has a ton of talent at defensive end this year, including the guys on this list . . . and that doesn't even mention Ifeadi Odenigbo and Michigan commit Pharaoh Brown. Strobel's a good player and would be a solid consolation prize if the guys above don't pan out for Michigan, but you can't have 'em all. Strobel is basically Matt Godin with some quickness.
9. Kyle Kalis (OG - Lakewood, OH). Like many high school kids, Kalis has a hard time making up his mind. He committed to OSU early. Then when Tressel resigned, Kalis called up the coaching staff to tell them he was de-committing. And he was instantly swayed back by new (interim) head coach Luke Fickell. And by "swayed" I mean he was offered a Corvette.
10. Ondre Pipkins (DT - Kansas City, MO). Again, I don't think Ohio State was going to be a major player for Pipkins, anyway.
MagnusThunder is the author of Touch the Banner, a Michigan football blog.