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Toledo Talk   (musing about Lake Erie West and beyond)
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A football game on Sat. that matters (to OSU/Michigan fans)

Jan 5
U.S. Army All-American Bowl Game*
Alamodome | San Antonio, TX

12:00pm
on NBC

Terrelle Pryor, perhaps the #1 QB/overall plater in this years recruiting class, has both OSU and Michigan high on his short list of schools. Freshman QB with a cannon arm and decent feet, Ryan Mallet is leaving Michigan.
RichRod did partake in the ESPNU game of that ended like this:

OSU already has Henson and Boeckman isn't going anywhere, but some OSU boards were certain he was heading to Columbus.

http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=756451

created by charlatan on Dec 31, 2007 at 08:49:17 pm     Comments: 11

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Comments ... #

RichRod was asked if winning the Pitt game would have changed everything during the Fla/UM game... you could tell he already thought about it. So he lost his way to Ann Arbor so to speak.

Michigan put up 41 and could have easily put up 55, if Hart wasn't trying to be heroic, with a conventional offense against a championship caliber team with coaches who know they're getting fired.

posted by charlatan on Jan 02, 2008 at 01:58:16 am     #



Mike's second fumble was particularly bad, but then again it's just not the Mike Hart Way to be satisfied at being down at the one or two when you are just an arm's length away from the goal line. Too bad there was defender right there waiting at the goal line!

Out of curiosity, where have you gotten confirmation that Ryan Mallet is leaving? I read the article you linked to, but it wasn't in there, was it?

posted by jmleong on Jan 02, 2008 at 08:51:35 am     #



I thought it was more substantiated on the Mallet thing but apparently not. I got it off the ESPN boards and wikipedia mentions it as well. I guess Herbstreit mentioned it on his show, too.

He doesn't exactly fit the mold of a spread option, carry it 20x's a game type QB. He's a pitcher not a runner. Also most major southern colleges recruited him last year. He was reportedly mulling his options and you don't need his arm to throw bubble screens.

posted by charlatan on Jan 02, 2008 at 05:44:18 pm     #



Thanks. With pretty good reason I don't necessarily buy a Herbstreit report, ha, but I've seen reference to a scout.com report that supposedly says he's gotten copies of his transcripts and has moved out of his dorm. However, I haven't actually seen this report myself.

On the other hand, I've seen reports that both Carr and Rodriguez have encouraged him to stay, and shortly after RR was announced as UM coach, Mallett's dad was quoted in several newspapers as saying his son was open to the idea.

He can scramble a little, if needed, but you're right he's a gunner not a runner. Rodriguez could work with him, though, I'm sure of it. RR has said several times in interviews that he'll adapt his offense to his personnel. I think without Mallett, ie the only '08 QB on the team with any seasoning, it'll make a hard transitional season even harder. However if he leaves with his own career in mind, you can't really find fault with that.

posted by jmleong on Jan 03, 2008 at 12:46:35 am     #



Jan 3, 2008 Toledo Blade developing news story titled UM's Mallett planning to transfer to UCLA.

posted by jr on Jan 03, 2008 at 05:38:47 pm     #



Within the past week, Rick Neuheisel was announced as the new UCLA head football coach.

Dec 31, 2007 NY Times story :

Rick Neuheisel’s recruiting at U.C.L.A. has apparently already started. Brian Dohn of the L.A. Daily News reports that the Michigan quarterbacks coach Scott Loeffler could be joining the Bruins’ staff after the Capital One Bowl, a move that could mean Ryan Mallett might follow him out to sunny California.

posted by jr on Jan 03, 2008 at 05:58:16 pm     #



LOL, Ryan's mom sort-of-kind-of denies the report:

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080103/SPORTS06/80103054/1048/SPORTS

(Please don't snicker at me for not yet taking two minutes to figure out the savvy linking-thing. I will. But it's like No. 4,891 on my to-do list!)

posted by jmleong on Jan 04, 2008 at 12:57:39 am     #



jmleong - it's easy...just put the word that you want to be a link in quotation marks immediately followed by a colon and then the address...like below without the spaces.

" report " : http://www.xxx.com

posted by MaggieThurber on Jan 04, 2008 at 10:02:42 am     #



When the 2 most prominent guys in the NFL from WVU during RichRod's tenure are Pacman Jones and Chris Henry, I just think he's going to scare away NFL talent and/or players with integrity.

Michigan would be better suited to shifty wideout play QB than Mallet, but there's speculation that Manningham and Arrington are gone, too.

If Carr's major downfall is a bad record versus the Bucks in recent times, people need to look around. Everyone has a bad record versus OSU, except Fluorida.

posted by charlatan on Jan 04, 2008 at 11:10:27 am     #



Jan 4, 2008 Sports Illustrated story :

It would appear that whether Mallett stays or goes will impact whether Pryor becomes a Michigan man.

[Pryor] has become a main priority for new Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez. On Dec. 16, the day that Rodriguez accepted the Wolverines' position, Pryor was driving to the local mall when he received a phone call from Rodriguez.

Pryor intends on taking an official visit to Ann Arbor in January. National signing day for recruits is Feb. 6, and the nation's top quarterback, who already visited Ohio State, has planned visits to Florida, Penn State and Duke this month. "I don't plan on playing at Duke, but I just want to see coach [David] Cutcliffe," says Pryor.


Jan 4, 2008 Detroit News story :

"I would be dumbfounded" if Mallett didn't transfer, one source said Thursday night.

There were strong indications Mallett would consider transferring after Rich Rodriguez was hired to replace Lloyd Carr, who retired after 13 seasons as Michigan coach. While coach at West Virginia, Rodriguez ran a spread option offense, which features a running quarterback. Mallett is more of a drop-back quarterback, which is the type of player Michigan has used in its pro-style offense.

To what school he would transfer could depend on the future of former Michigan quarterbacks coach Scot Loeffler. Loeffler interviewed last week with Tennessee for the offensive coordinator's position, and he was expected to speak to new UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel coach Thursday night, sources indicated.

posted by jr on Jan 05, 2008 at 11:11:13 am     #



Jan 9, 2008 Detroit Free Press : Mallett's dad says QB is officially leaving U-M

Mallett might be reunited with his offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. The former Texas Class 4A offensive player of the year may end up at Tennessee, which is considering hiring former Michigan offensive coordinator Mike DeBord and quarterbacks coach Scot Loeffler. Mallett said his son also will consider transferring to Texas A&M, Arkansas and UCLA among other schools. After sitting out next season, he will have three years of eligibility.

posted by jr on Jan 09, 2008 at 03:44:26 pm     #