Brian Bowen of Saginaw Arthur Hill
Sean Merriman is a recruiting aficionado who used to work for rivals.com and the Big Ten Network and now is with Intersport. Look for his mailbag every other week (with some live chats sprinkled in, too). If you have a recruiting question for Sean, e-mail him at merriman.sean@gmail.com or tweet him @merrimantweets.
Is Michigan basically out of the running for five-star basketball prospect Mo Bamba? — Alex
I won’t say they are out of the running, but I do think it’s fair to say Michigan is a distant third behind Kentucky and Duke. Kentucky has been my pick all along, though Bamba is expected to visit Duke at the end of the month. That visit potentially could sway his decision. Either way, while it would make a giant splash if Michigan could land the 6-11 Bamba, this one of going to come down to Duke and Kentucky.
Is MSU using the Dakich thing to distract from issues there now? — Tony
No. When a Hall of Fame coach begins a press conference by calling out an ESPN personality for insulting his school and their education system, that is news. I thought fellow Freep writer Chris Solari did an outstanding job of covering the Dakich saga. I also think he’s done an outstanding job with covering the ongoing investigation into the alleged sexual assault involving Michigan State football players, which I believe is what you’re referring to in your question. It’s very challenging to cover a topic like that when you have limited information and limited resources at your disposal. In no way, shape or form was the Dakich news a cover to distract from current issues going on at MSU.
Related:
Spartans’ Tom Izzo wrong in criticism of Dan Dakich
Where do you think five-star basketball prospect Brian Bowen goes? — AJ
This is one of the strangest recruitments I have covered in recent memory, AJ. Early in the process, I felt MSU was the clear leader for Bowen and everyone else was far behind. Then Arizona emerged as the leader, while Creighton and MSU seemed to be trailing. Following Bowen’s visit to East Lansing, everything I heard was positive and it felt like MSU was right back in contention Then, this week, rumors begin to surface that Creighton had taken the lead. You know what that tells me? No one truly knows where Bowen will end up, except Bowen. He is expected to announce his decision within the next two weeks. I believe MSU has as good a chance at landing him right now as anyone. One thing is for sure: His announcement is going to make one school very happy.
If Arizona and Creighton are rumored to be favorites for Brian Bowen, why does MSU still lead the 247Sports crystal ball then? — Kaiser
Ah yes, the infamous crystal ball. Here’s a little inside secret about the crystal ball that may burst your bubble: It’s not always right. When looking at the crystal ball, the key is to focus on the most recent predictions and which way those predictions are trending. There are predictions in Bowen’s crystal ball that go as far back as 2013. If you look at the most recent crystal ball predictions for Bowen, there are two for Arizona in 2017, and two for Michigan State.
Who will be Michigan’s starting quarterback in 2017? — Bleu
Wilton Speight. I actually thought Speight was better than expected this past season. People tend to forget that he led Michigan to a 9-0 record before getting hurt at Iowa. Also, keep in mind the Wolverines are replacing eight starters on offense. Having a quarterback with experience in a young offense is vital to Michigan’s success in 2017.