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Monday Recruiting Roundup Is Taller, Heavier, and Not Talking Down About Rich Rodriguez

By Anthony Mammel

Commitments Are Becoming the Norm

Committing early is the current trend in the college football recruiting world, so it should be no surprise that the 2013 class received yet another commitment from North Carolina DB Channing Stribling. If you're at work or in the same room as your wife I advise you to Google search his name. NOT.

Now that I've got your full attention I seriously advise you to read DG's piece on Stribling. In my opinion Michigan just landed a poor man's Leon McQuay. If he puts time and effort into adding muscle to his lanky frame he could be a major steal. Here's his tape:

The commitment puts Michigan at a total of 22 for the class of 2013, leaving the Wolverines with roughly two vacant spaces barring any more attrition. Since Brady Hoke's name is "Brady Hoke" and not "Nick Saban" I wouldn't expect the number of open spaces to climb much, if at all.

MOAR 2013 News

Jourdan Lewis is still impressing scouts despite already proving his worth at previous camps and tournaments and should rise in the rankings. He attended the Rivals Challenge and flashed elite ball skills and confidence again. Color me surprised. Alabama took the time to talk to him during his 7-on-7 team's visit to the south but apparently didn't receive much love in return.

Michigan is still open to taking another running back in this class, and I say this with confidence because Jordan Wilkins plans on visiting Ann Arbor tomorrow. He's still a heavy Auburn lean but he's visiting so the chance of him attending Michigan is still there. Slim, but there. The Wolverines are also in the top group for Eddie Vanderdoes, and they're also not going to receive his commitment. The same goes for Kendall Fuller, who has a top three of Michigan, Clemson and Virginia Tech. Yes, this is one paragraph dedicate to me telling you that Michigan probably isn't going to land any of these players.

Linebacker Alex Anzalone decommitted from Ohio State for an odd yet legitimate reason, and he now has a new top three that includes Florida, Notre Dame and Penn State. He hasn't been on Michigan's radar for quite some time now but I don't look forward to watching him roam the sidelines should he choose the Irish or Nittany Lions.

Finally, Tremendous updates us all on the possibility of a kicker being one of the final two commitments in the class of 2013.

Focusing On 2014

Michigan finished its summer camp, but not without offering a few prospects. Safety Monte Nicholson got his offer from the Wolverines, as did wide receiver Drake Harris and and linebacker Joseph Henderson. Harris has enough talent to receive offers to play both football and basketball at a multitude of elite schools. Michigan also offered Florida wideout Corey Holmes and are now in the lead for his services. His film can be found here.

Many people are familiar with the name Glenn Robinson III, but not too many seem to be familiar with his talented younger brother Gelen Robinson. If Gelen is half as explosive as his Glenn he shouldn't have much trouble earning BCS-level offers.

Detroit Cass Tech cornerback Damon Webb is creating nearly as much buzz as Jourdan Lewis, and he now holds an offer from Ohio State because of it. He should end up being another Cass Tech player who dons the maize and blue while spurning many top programs.

Size Matters

Tom VH recently tweeted about the average size of Michigan commitments as compared to previous classes under Rich Rodriguez. Rodriguez took less lineman during his time in Ann Arbor but Michigan is no longer going after safeties that might grow into linebackers or water bug slot receivers. Brady Hoke has made it clear that players with size are going to receive major attention from the program, and seeing Chris Fox and Malik McDowell listed on the All Lobby Team only reaffirm this. For further proof of Hoke's desire for his team to get bigger check out the heavier Ben Gedeon and Mike McCray:

This doesn't mean that Rodriguez isn't an elite coach or recruiter, it just means that philosophies have definitely changed at Michigan. The second part is obvious, the first part might not have been.

BTW

Come at us bro.

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