Early Enrollees to watch

I didn't follow the early-enrolling process before Rich Rodriguez came to Michigan, but in the last two years the staff has gotten a lot of players into school early, and for some, it's paid off big time.

This season, 7 players have been able to enroll early. Anytime you can get recruits on campus early, get them acclimated to school and the climate, and get them working out with the team- that's always a positive in my book. The only negative with this current crop is, well, they're all offensive players.

Still, with that being said, here are my predictions (very early) on how the early enrollees will perform this coming season.

Devin Gardner, QB:
As mentioned before, Devin is the prototypical Rich Rod Spread QB. He's 6"4, 200 lbs, can run like a freight-train, and has a cannon of an arm. Getting him in early may prove to be huge in the fall. Gardner is already throwing with the other quarterbacks and getting used to his receivers. If he can absorb the offense, I think Gardner has a legitimate chance to be the #2 quarterback in 2010. Gardner's progression may also allow Denard Robinson to move around and experiment with different offensive positions.

If Tate is hurt, then Gardner may see some playing time when the season rolls around. But if he doesn't and Devin redshirts.. well then that is no problem either.

Stephen Hopkins, RB/FB:
From what we've heard out of the coaches so far, it sounds like Stephen Hopkins is going to be a kind of runningback/fullback combination. Coach Rodriguez called him a "bigback" multiple times, and another coach said they recruited him to be similar to Owen Schmitt at West Virginia. Hopkins has potential to be a good player though. When he's in the game, he can be a threat to both block and take the ball on a handoff as well. Combine him with a Michael Shaw, and it forces opposing defenses to consider both of them dangerous.

With that being said, I wouldn't be surprised to see Hopkins play a little in the fall in this capacity. If Mark Moundros plays both ways (as Coach Rod said in the presser) then that may force Hopkins to see a little more playing time.

Jerald Robinson, WR:
As a receiver, Robinson doesn't have real great speed, or that "next gear". However, he is excellent and adjusting on the fly and getting the ball in the air. That's going to be huge when Tate/Denard are scrambling around and looking to throw the ball. If you watched Michigan's Wide Receivers last year, most of the time when the quarterback scrambled they didn't move around. And I think that will be one of Jerald's biggest strengths in being able to play.

Receivers Coach Tony Dews said he'll play two of the freshman receivers, so don't be surprised if one of them is Robinson. Kid is a baller.

Ricardo Miller, WR:
Ricardo was probably one of the top receivers in Florida his junior year. After moving to Michigan in the fall, he saw his rankings drop as he adjusted to the weather and different climate up here. But make no mistake about it, Ricardo is a good player. He's not overly fast, but is a very strong receiver with good hands. His motivation may be his greatest tool. Miller wants that #1 jersey, and by all accounts, he has all the tools to do so.

With Robinson, I think Miller will make an impact at the outside receiver position in the fall. Book it.