The RoJo story hits the fan...

OK, so I'm not going to spend too much time on this, as I am crying inside just typing the words.

Looks like Ronald Johnson will not be committing to the University of Michigan.

Why, you ask? So do I. Months ago, it seemed like RoJo was firmly headed to Ann Arbor, despite the fact that he would be entertaining other offers from OSU, Florida, and USC. Conventional wisdom had the kid sticking close to home, due to his close relationship with his family, and going to play with former Muskegon teammate Terrence Taylor.

But due to yesterday's events, it seems that scenario will not come to be. Ronald's mother called Michigan and told them not to bother taking their final visit to his home in Muskegon, yet Florida, USC, Ohio State, and Michigan State were/are all allowed to make their final pitch.

Why is this? Countless rumors are flying, so I guess you can believe what you want. A person close to the situation has told me that there may have been some improprieties in the way RoJo's Michigan recruitment was handled...but I am not saying by who. Thing is, Ronald's mother decided to remove Michigan from the running after discovering this. I can't say I blame her. I do not have personal knowledge of the matter, so I'm not going to speculate what happened. All we know now is that RoJo probably will not be wearing a winged helmet next fall.

So what team now has the inside track on one of the best athletes in the nation? Many believe that it's a dead heat between Florida and USC, both programs of high notoriety who can boast recent national championships. But I caution, do not remove Michigan State from your radar just yet. The Spartans made a shrewd play by offering Ronald's younger brother Corey a scholarship this past fall, despite the fact that he was only 16 years old at the time and not a highly recruited prospect. Some said it was a play to get RoJo, who is very close to his brother.

No matter what it was, MSU has a very viable shot at Ronald Johnson, because they remain the only in-state program in the picture. It doesn't hurt that Ronald's teammate from this year, Ashton Leggett, also committed to the Spartans. In addition, Mark Dantonio has been pushing his religious values on many of his recruiting pitches, and that is something that would matter to Ronald, who has decided to make his official announcement at his church on Super Bowl Sunday.

Regardless of where this kid goes, I wish him the best. In covering him the past couple years for FOX, he's been nothing but a class act, and a great kid to talk to. I am sad because I know he will succeed at whatever school he chooses, even if it's not Michigan.

Ronald Johnson update

Okay, okay, so the Keith Nichol thing didn't go over so well.

Not my fault though...seems that having a winning record and going to bowl games that matter (or maybe just going to a bowl in general) ended up being important to a kid who won a state title. Hmmm...top athletes enjoy winning...revolutionary theory.

So anyways, with that saga out of the way, I'm going to try and concentrate on our other local stud, Muskegon's Ron Johnson...the trick here is that he's being courted by some of the country's most elite programs...so I'm guessing that any information I gather on him will be flopped within 48 hours and turned into another huge embarrassing failure, but screw it, here goes:

According to our Michigan insider, Josh Helmholdt (http://www.thewolverine.com/), the Wolverine's D-coordinator Ron English was at the Johnson household last week and suggested that RonJon take his U of M visit first, rather than last, which was originally planned. So RonJon spent last weekend in Ann Arbor, touring the campus and watching the USC - UCLA game with the team. According to Josh he enjoyed his visit a lot, and had some slight feelings about giving Michigan a verbal at that time. But RonJon remains committed to taking the rest of his visits...next up is USC on the weekend of December 15th. Ohio State and Florida will also invite him on campus some time in January.

So, with the official signing day for recruits coming up in early February, looks like RonJon will be stretching out the recruitment process as long as possible. And when you're getting flown around to Southern California and Gainsville for free during the school year...who can blame him? More news as the story develops.

Quick Hits from the Weekend

A couple of random thoughts on the events that transpired this weekend:

1.) Matt Millen is gone. Period. Not only do the Lions stink worse than any other team in the NFL, but Joey freakin' Harrington walks into town and throws 3 TD passes to spank Detroit and shove it in the face of all those who booed him both during and after his career in Detroit. It becomes worse when you realize that those 3 TD's were the first scoring passes Joey has thrown in Detroit on Thanksgiving. Savor the moment Joey, it only took ya five years.


2.) If Michigan doesn't lock up Top 20 recruit Ronald Johnson (Muskegon) in the next couple weeks, they're not gonna get him. The kid is a difference maker. Even though he's been playing with a sports hernia the past 5 weeks, he was still easily the best player on the field on Friday's Division 2 State Final. If Lloyd Carr allows RonJon to visit USC and meet their cheer team he's as good as gone. I've talked to the kid a couple times...he's no dummy.


3.) The Pistons are screwing themselves over again. They started the season by saying all the things we wanted to hear..."Yeah, we're focused on developing our young players"..."Oh, our bench will have a more expanded role this season"...and then they promptly abandoned that strategy 8 games into the season. Wow, you mean to tell me that relying on your veterans means that your team will make fewer mistakes and have a better chance to win? No way! Now let me let you in a secret: overplaying your starters in November will be detrimental to their health for the playoffs. Look, you can still make the playoffs and get a decent seed if you sacrifice 5 or 8 wins in order to get your young guys some playing time and save your vets for the part of the year that matters most. And here's an idea...those young players who are costing you wins this year might actually mature due to the playing time and help you WIN games next year. Think about it. But seriously though, if they keep playing Tayshan Prince these kinds of minutes he'll become so worn down that Sally Struthers is going to feature him in her next commercial about starving Ethiopian children.


4.) Finally, what's up with KC and Denver playing on Thanksgiving??? And if you're gonna crash the Lions and Cowboy's party, why would you do it on the NFL network, where no one can watch it? Just stupid. That's like holding Coast Guard festival during 4th of July weekend, but having Milwaukee host it. How the heck is anyone supposed to enjoy this? Maybe if the NFL wasn't so worried about their coaches looking classy wearing suits instead of rocking the Bill Belichick Half-Hoodie Hobo outfit they'd realize these things.