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Running back Derrick Green's commitment to Michigan Saturday (via RichmondTimesDispatch.com) does wonders for head coach Brady Hoke's reputation as a great recruiter.

Green joining the Wolverines practically guarantees Michigan's second straight top-five recruiting class.

Landing Green gives Michigan Scout.com's No. 1 running back, No. 1 offensive guard, No. 2 fullback and No. 3 offensive tackle.

Hoke's immediate success at Michigan—he was hired in 2011— confirms he won't take a back seat to Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, regardless of how aggressive Meyer's recruiting practices are said to be. 

When Meyer took over the Ohio State head coaching job just over a year ago, he brought a strategy that some other Big Ten coaches didn't like.

Meyer had no problem pursuing other teams' commits, but a few Big Ten coaches complained that he was violating a "gentlemen's agreement" which "prohibited" the practice. 

"...I would say it's pretty unethical..." Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio told the Detroit News.

But Hoke doesn't subscribe to the so-called gentlemen's agreement. "As far as I’ve known, it’s always been fair game until they sign," Hoke told an Ohio TV station. "I don’t have as much a problem with that and, hopefully, we don’t get too many of those that go away from you."

In fact, Hoke has been extremely effective "poaching" recruits since he arrived at Michigan. Last season, Hoke flipped outstanding offensive lineman Kyle Kalis away from the Buckeyes, and this year he's landed four prospects previously committed to other schools.

CB Ross Douglas, WR D'Mario Jones, OL Dan Samuelson and CB Reon Dawson had committed elsewhere. 

Why such incredible success for a coach who only held head jobs at second-tier schools Ball State and San Diego State?

For one, Hoke devised a strategy to recruit more heavily in the Midwest, unlike his predecessors, who recruited across the nation.

 

He also retained running back coach Fred Jackson, who has been recruiting for Michigan for more than 22 seasons. 

And third, he brought in former Baltimore Ravens DC Greg Mattison—who Ohio State's Meyer believes is college football's top recruiter.

Who can argue that the strategy hasn't worked to perfection? Hoke has dominated Dantonio in Michigan over the last two seasons and has fought Meyer to a near-standoff in Ohio. 

Jackson, who recruited incoming quarterback Shane Morris, also played a part in Green's recruitment.  

Mattison, who's always around to close a deal, has been doing his thing on the national level. It hasn't hurt that many of the players he coached at Baltimore will be playing in Super Bowl XLVII.

While Michigan is delighted with the recruitment of Green, there's more work to be done before National Signing Day, Feb. 6. 

The Wolverines are also in line for TE Durham Smythe of Belton, TX,  OG Cameron Hunt of Corona, CA and perhaps a few more surprises. 

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Derrick Green is heading to Michigan. The highly regarded running back out of Richmond, Va. had plenty of options, but the elite recruit ultimately decided to become a member of the Wolverines, according to Evan Woodbery of the Knoxville News Sentinel:

We could list all the programs Michigan beat out to land Green, but that would probably take just as long as the young star's recruiting process. According to 247Sports, Green had 33 official offers from top programs all across the nation, and coaches from just about every major conference checked in on him.

It's really no surprise.

Green is listed as a 5-star recruit for 247Sports, and the website's composite rankings have him as the fourth-best running back prospect and the No. 26 overall player in the 2013 class. 

The thing that immediately stands out about Green is his combination of power and speed. He can run over the first defender by dropping his shoulder and then run past a safety, something you don't see often from an incoming freshman.

Furthermore, the initial hit rarely knocks him down. At 6'0" and 220 pounds, it usually takes multiple defensive reinforcements to finally get him to the ground. He won't run through college defenses in the same way, of course, but he has the strength to succeed.

If given the opportunity, Green should have no problem making an impact right away. It takes a special back to break the rotation as a freshman, but he definitely falls into that category. It probably won't be long before he gets his chance to shine.

The Wolverines have senior Fitz Toussaint, junior Thomas Rawls, sophomore Justice Hayes as well as fellow commit Deveon Smith to compete with Green for carries out of the backfield.

The only concern is how the Hermitage High School sensation will handle the pressure. Any time a player garners as much hype as he did during the recruiting process, the expectations start getting out of control.

Assuming he doesn't let that affect him, there's no reason he can't become one of the best running backs in college football within a couple years.

He has the natural talent. Now, it just comes down to learning the finer points of the position and gaining experience at the next level.

 

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We've just had another big domino fall on the recruiting trail, as stud RB Derrick Green has committed to Michigan, per the Richmond Times Dispatch. Big Blue always sat pretty with the Virginia native, and now he's officially a Wolverine.

This is great news for Brady Hoke, as it solidifies a top-10 class is coming to Ann Arbor for the second consecutive year. Green gives Michigan a big back at 6'0" and nearly 230 pounds who also has great straight-line speed.

Of course, with a commitment of this magnitude, rankings will see some movement. I'm here to give you an update of the Big Ten recruiting rankings board now that Michigan has landed Derrick Green.

Does Green give the Wolverines enough ammo to fend off their rivals, Ohio State? Or do the Buckeyes have the better and top class in the B1G? Let's find out right now!

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Auburn missed out on landing one of the top RBs in the country on Saturday afternoon when RB Derrick Green announced his college plans to attend Michigan. 

Green is a powerful back with speed that would have fit perfectly into head coach Gus Malzahn's high-octane offense. 

All is not lost for Auburn, though. Missing on Green stings a little, but it won't cripple Auburn at the RB position. As things currently stand, Auburn has depth, that is mostly unproven, at the RB position. 

Top JUCO RB Cameron Artis-Payne committed to Auburn and has already enrolled in classes. He will take part in Auburn's spring practice in just a couple of months. Along with Artis-Payne, the Tigers still have RBs Tre Mason, Mike Blakely and Corey Grant. 

Artis-Payne will likely be used as more of a power back in Malzahn's offense, much like Ben Tate and Mike Dyer were in 2009 and 2010, respectively. 

Mason was thrust into the role of Auburn's featured back in 2012 and responded by having a 1,000-yard rushing season. Mason proved the doubters who said his size would not allow him to run between the tackles wrong. 

Blakely showed tremendous potential in 2012. He was Auburn's leading rusher in Week 2 against Mississippi State. Blakely spent a lot of time in former head coach Gene Chizik's doghouse after a costly fumble against Louisiana-Monroe in Week 3. 

Alabama transfer and Opelika, AL native Corey Grant gave Auburn fans high hopes after his performance in last year's spring game. When the regular season rolled around, Grant did not see any meaningful snaps at the RB position. 

Just because Auburn whiffed on signing Derrick Green and has depth, it does not mean that the Tigers are done recruiting at the RB position. Ideally, Auburn will sign two more RBs in the 2013 class, in addition to Artis-Payne. 

Auburn lost the commitment of 4-star RB Jordan Wilkins in what was more of a mutual break-up. 

The Auburn coaching staff is after a pair of Notre Dame RB commits, Tarean Folston and Greg Bryant. Folston took an official visit to Auburn on the weekend of Jan. 19. Auburn coaches are working to secure a visit from Bryant. 

Another player at the RB position to keep an eye on is Ole Miss commit Peyton Barber. Barber has an Auburn offer and took an unofficial visit on Jan. 5. 

Auburn may try to put some pressure on Alabama commitment, 4-star Alltee Tenpenny. He is an Arkansas native and Auburn TE coach Tim Horton was his lead recruiter for the Razorbacks when Horton was on staff in Fayetteville.

Another Alabama commitment that Auburn may pursue is RB Tyren Jones. Jones holds an Auburn offer and was recruited by Rodney Gardner to UGA when Gardner was recruiting coordinator for the Bulldogs. 

Although Auburn would have loved to have gained the commitment of Green, the swing-and-miss is not crippling to the RB position. It should be fun to watch how Auburn responds leading up to national signing day with as many options as it has. 

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Five-star running back Derrick Green is heading to Ann Arbor and will have an instant impact on Brady Hoke's offense. 

The 6'0", 220-pounder has tremendous speed. His commitment is a huge deal for the Michigan Wolverines. Expect to see him on the field this fall.  

According to 247Sports compositie ranking, Green is the No. 3 recruit in Virginia, the No. 4 RB and the No. 26 recruit in the country. 

Full Ride is Bleacher Report's weekly college football recruiting show that pulls back the curtain to give you the hottest news, analysis, interviews and highlights.

Subscribe to Full Ride on YouTube and follow Full Ride on Twitter.

Highlight video courtesy of 247Sports.com.

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The weeks and months of speculation are finally over, and Michigan Wolverines fans can now rejoice, breathe a little easier and shift their focus to the fall of 2013 because 5-star running back Derrick Green will wear the Maize and Blue winged helmet during his collegiate football career. 

Green—the No. 1-ranked running back of the 2013 class—chose Michigan over SEC programs Auburn and Tennessee, announcing his decision during today's 4 p.m. press conference at Hermitage High (Va.). 

Thoughts of what Green is capable of doing to Big Ten linebackers are plenty. Thoughts of just how he will benefit an ailing Wolverines rushing attack are ever present. 

The powerful 6'0," 220-pounder tallied nine rushing touchdowns during his senior year before earning a laundry list of All-Everything accolades. Green averaged nearly 13 yards per carry and 160 per game this past season for the Panthers (10-1). 

He's incredibly difficult to tackle, and he'll undoubtedly prove himself this fall when he faces Big Ten linebackers for the first time.

Yes, even as a true freshman, Green will receive his fair share of totes in Wolverines offensive coordinator Al Borges' scheme. 

The Power-I formation, the ground-and-pound, the Bo-style of owning the field is perfect for Green, a one-time Ohio State target. Given the Wolverines' struggles while running in 2012, Green will surely inject a new level of excitement into Michigan's backfield. 

 

First Year? No Problem

There aren't many true freshmen who get a chance to shine in the Big Ten. The level of talent is among the best in the land, but Green's game is undeniable; he's something special, and it doesn't make sense to shelve him for any reason. 

The Wolverines averaged 183 yards on the ground per game in 2012. Of course, the bulk of that load was carried by quarterback Denard Robinson. Now that "Shoelace" has completed his term in Ann Arbor, Michigan needs another reliable horse to run, run, run. 

Robinson became a Michigan legend during his time with the Wolverines. His athleticism is off the charts. But the Wolverines tailored their scheme—as much as possible, anyway—to cater to Robinson's strength. 

Unfortunately for Michigan, that meant running more of a spread style filled with option-reads and misdirection plays. That works elsewhere, but it's not what works for Michigan. 

Getting back to "Michigan football" has been coach Brady Hoke's mantra the past three years. Now that Hoke has Green, he'll no longer have to worry about his quarterback getting smashed each time the Wolverines take to the ground.

He won't have to cover his eyes and hope for the best when Green carries the ball. Well, he may cover his eyes while Green bulldozes Buckeyes and Spartans linebackers, but that's another story. 

 

Move Over Thomas Rawls and Fitz Toussaint

Sophomore Thomas Rawls definitely made strides this past year. The Flint native has been compared to former Alabama star Mark Ingram, also of Flint, and appeared to be on the fast track to the spotlight in Michigan's backfield. 

Michigan couldn't decide which back to use, so Rawls was shuffled in and out of the lineup while struggling junior Fitz Toussaint took on the lion's share of rushing duties. Toussaint was ineffective before his gruesome season-ending injury suffered against Iowa. 

Here's a look at Rawls' and Toussaint's numbers: Rawls (57 carries, 242 yards, four touchdowns), Toussaint (130 carries, 514 yards, five touchdowns). 

Opinions vary, but there were a lot of Wolverines fans who felt Rawls should have been placed into the No. 1 role as early as Week 3 or 4. Unfortunately for Rawls, he may never get a real shot at showing off his Ingram-like skills. 

Green's arrival will spark a fiery competition. Get ready for that one. 

Now that Michigan has its man in Green, the Wolverines have three solid options to start at running back. Don't forget about De'Veon Smith; he's another big-bodied wrecking ball that fits Borges' and Hoke's system. 

However, it's hard not to speculate about Green. It's incredibly difficult to think that he won't have an immediate impact in Ann Arbor. Now that he's safely secure with Michigan, the rest of the Big Ten will have no other choice but to fear the Wolverines' talent-saturated backfield. 

 

Follow Bleacher Report's Michigan Wolverines football writer Adam Biggers on Twitter @AdamBiggers81

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