Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez had just three weeks to assemble next year's freshman class, but Signing Day treated the Wolverines' coaching staff well.

Not only did it keep the majority of former head coach Lloyd Carr's verbal commitments, it also pulled out some last-minute surprises before introducing the new recruits on Feb. 6.

Even though Michigan was pleased with its class, ranked 10th in the nation by recruiting website Rivals.com, other Big Ten coaches certainly weren't pleased with some of the Wolverines' late recruiting tactics.

For better or worse, it's clear Rodriguez has already set a new standard.

Persuading Carr's recruits

Rodriguez's first priority was to make sure the 16 athletes who committed under Carr still wanted to be Wolverines.

"Obviously, there were a lot of new coaches and some new philosophies coming in - I didn't want to assume anything," Rodriguez said. "So we took the approach with them that this was the first time that the University of Michigan had talked to them."

Rodriguez said he emphasized face-to-face communication between recruits and his "very personable staff" while trying to persuade commits to stick with Michigan, but with his busy schedule, much of the recruiting was also done over the telephone.

During the Wolverines' trip to Florida for the Capital One Bowl, Rodriguez called wide receiver Darryl Stonum and his father to make sure the Sugar Land, Tex. native was still interested in coming to Michigan. Stonum enrolled early, began classes this semester and has already started training with the Wolverines.

Boubacar Cissoko, the first recruit of the 2008 class, scheduled a visit to Penn State after learning of Carr's departure. After hearing media reports that Rodriguez had fired all nine of Carr's assistant coaches, Cissoko told the Detroit Free Press in mid-December he was no longer committed. But by the end of December, Cissoko reasserted his status as a Wolverine.

The Charleston (W. Va.) Daily Mail wrote in January that Rodriguez had a head start on keeping Carr's recruits because he started wooing them the same day he officially resigned from West Virginia. Records from his West Virginia-issued cell phone showed that he made calls to Cissoko and Traverse City lineman Rocko Khoury.

Regardless of the controversy surrounding the timing of Rodriguez's cell phone calls, he successfully minimized Michigan's losses.

Two of Michigan's notable decommitments were h-back Christian Wilson and quarterback John Wienke. Wilson originally committed to the Wolverines in August, but after Carr retired, Wilson was unsure how he would fit into the new offense and defected to North Carolina.

Wienke, who committed to Michigan in July, switched to Iowa in December.

Rodriguez said he was told that "you lose as many as half of the commitments" after a coaching transition.

But in Rodriguez's case, many recruits ended up coming to Michigan at the last minute.

Controversial additions

Being a Michigan Man entails integrity and honesty.

But according to Purdue head coach Joe Tiller in his now-infamous rant to the Indianapolis Star, Rodriguez doesn't fit that description.

"If we had an early signing date, you wouldn't have another outfit with a guy in a wizard hat selling snake oil get a guy at the last minute, but that's what happened," Tiller said.

Tiller was referring to wide receiver Roy Roundtree, who had verbally committed to Purdue in May. The Boilermakers pursued Roundtree for two years, but the Trotwood, Ohio native visited Michigan on Feb. 1, received a scholarship offer on Feb. 5 and signed with the Wolverines the next day.

Roundtree wasn't Rodriguez's only Signing Day steal. Trotwood-Madison (Ohio) running back Michael Shaw had been committed to Penn State since August, but in January, after Rodriguez was hired, Shaw announced he would visit Michigan and Tennessee.

After taking his trip to Ann Arbor, he quickly changed his mind about his commitment to Penn State - and didn't bother visiting Tennessee.

Shaw told news outlets he made his decision about 20 minutes before he signed his letter of intent on Signing Day. His last-minute departure no doubt left an unexpected hole in the Nittany Lions' recruiting class that won't be easily filled.

"Mike is a guy we have known about for a little bit," Rodriguez said on Signing Day. "He's a very conscientious young man."

Michigan also snatched two touted prospects from SEC schools. Defensive back J.T. Floyd had been committed to Tennessee since his junior year of high school.

Floyd told Rivals.com in September 2006, shortly after he committed, that the atmosphere at Tennessee was a large factor in his decision.