Wolverine247 Board

Finalists for McCray are Michigan and TN. Belief is that TN is more likely.

Ohio State told McCray they weren't ever going to offer. The staff likes Courtney Love more. I don't know what this implies in terms of the perceived chances with Smith.

I thought Urban was only holding out for 5 star recruits. Are you saying he wants some 3 stars too?

Also, I don't think you EVER fully close the door on a legacy who is in your top 5 at a position. If Love doesn't commit, or fails to qualify, or gets hurt, or etc. then you are SOL.

This is what I heard, except that McCray was not told he would never get an offer...but if he got one, it would be much later in the process. May mean the same thing ultimately, but a subtle difference.

In any case, no reason for a top100 type LB to wait around.

As for Love...I have heard mixed reports on experts liking one guy over the other. General consensus is that McCray has more upside, though may be targeted for DE because of his size. Love is a fabulous player too.

I have no idea specifically with regard to Love, but Meyer has been chirping away at the need for speed. It is eerily similar to what RR seemed to do at Michigan, namely pass over local top tier talent looking for someone with a slightly better 40 time. In the end, we did get a faster team but we also ended up a bit undersized and left way too much top shelf talent on the table for Sparty. I would love to see Urbie make exactly the same mistake!

Unless the guy is a top 3 LB, speed usually means the player is undersized or has some other shortcoming. If Love is fast he must be lacking in other parts of his game to not be ranked in the top 250 or 247 of rivals and 247.

Yeah, I don't know the speeds of any of these guys, so it was more a general comment. He is definitely on the smaller side for an elite LB. He is listed at 6"1', which means he is probably closer to 6'. Like every other position, LBs keep getting bigger. If you look at the top rated LBs coming out of HS the past few years, most are 6'2" or even taller. Taller LBs can carry more weight when fully developed and are better in pass coverage, especially when working against the larger TEs. Love's height might be one reason he is currently ranked below McCray.

That's possible. Sounds like its one of the two, though. Elevenwarriors thinks TN has the edge of the two.

I hope you guys are right that the door isn't closed on McCray for OSU. From his film he looks like a really smart player who always is in good position, has solid fundamentals, great size and a decent motor. I'd be pretty happy if he does eventually get the offer. I know that Meyer has spent some decent time with McCray when recruiting Burrows so I'm not sure what tipped the balance against the offer. If he really is projected to DE per neovatara's comments then I can understand passing b/c we definitely need LBs more.

Courtney Love has a great motor and looks like he loves to tackle. I'd be pretty surprised if he didn't end up at OSU. Yes, it would appear that Meyer does his own homework and doesn't just offer based upon Rivals rankings.... unless he's just trying to throw the Michigan fans off.

OSU has a ton of linebacker offers out this year. Smith seems like more a question mark than he did a year ago though still a decent probability, Gedeon still seems reasonably likely, and there are a bunch of other less likelies out there, so I don't see a SOL scenario. We also took 4 LBs last year, though those guys are untested so I'd like to make sure we get at least a few this year.

I don't see us taking McCray as a DE. He seems perfectly built to be a LB.

He certainly seems to have solid LB intelligence and has the physical tools to play LB to me.

Urban may not need another LB, Trey De Priest is headed back to OSU...got tired of winnign Nat'l Championships so he will sit out a year to come home....

Taco Charlton ‏ @thekidTC33
I hope my boy @MJM92013 picks Michigan but wherever he goes I wish the best for him. #respect

Sometimes the rush to commit is real, i.e. the spaces at your 2nd choice are filling up fast. At other times, I think it is a feeling of not being wanted or respected. These are 16-17 year old kids and it's probably tough to watch others around you get offers to your dream school while you are basically told to wait because they want someone else more.

McCray's situation might be a little of both. Levenberry is reportedly down to FSU and UM and will likely decide soon (March/April). Recent comments by him and his dad make it appear he is leaning slightly to UM right now. If Levenberry picks UM, we will only have one more true LB spot available. So, if McCray is interested in UM, it's not purely in his head that he risks losing that option by drawing out his decision until the Fall or longer. At the same time, it must be disappointing to him to watch OSU pursue Gedeon so early while at the same time telling him to wait and maybe he will get an offer if OSU misses out on other players considered higher up on their board.

Down too 1 true linebacker spot if McCray commits? If Dorian Odaniel, EJ Levenberry, and Mike McCray all want too come... we all take all 3 and we are in very good position with all 3 currently. McCray has the frame too move down too defensive end potentially which is also a nice bonus... can't teach that kind of versatility. From recent interviews with Mattison sounds like he wants 3 linebackers in this class.