Monday Skull Session

Good morning and happy Memorial Day.

Not long after more than 600,000 Americans perished in the Civil War, it was decided that honoring those that had fallen was in order. What began as Decoration Day, soon became Memorial Day and all of the men and women who died serving in the United State Armed Forces were remembered, not just those that fought in the War Between States.

I've never seen combat, but I know it's terrible and frightening – just ask anyone that has. Robert E. Lee may have said it best: "It's well that war is so terrible – we should grow too fond of it!"

I won't be a simpleton and say that every single man and woman that's fallen during duty has done so for our freedom. In some cases, that's true, but it's far from a universal truth. I will say that they all fought and paid the ultimate price for America's best interests (or perceived best interests at the time) and they're a huge part of the wonderful quality of life we all enjoy as Americans.

So, before you fire up the grill or crack open the first beer today, consider taking a minute to reflect on those that have laid their life on the line for this great country and those that continue to do so.

NO. 5 IS A CURSE. A relatively quiet holiday weekend was rocked Saturday night with news that Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson, starter of 11 games for the Irish last season, was no longer part of the team. It appeared as if his Notre Dame career was over, but Golson released a statement Sunday saying "poor academic judgment" was to blame for a suspension, but he hoped to return to the team:

I have been informed by the University of Notre Dame that due to my poor academic judgment that I have been suspended from the University for the 2013 Fall Term. I take full responsibility for my poor choices and will do all that is asked of me to regain the trust of my family, friends, teammates, coaches and the entire Notre Dame community.

[...]

At this point, I understand how my integrity could be in question but I want to reassure my supporters that through this experience I will return a better student athlete as well as a better individual.

Lastly, I want to thank the University of Notre Dame for the opportunity already granted and also the opportunity going forth to regain my eligibility in the winter of 2014.

Whether or not Golson ever suits up for the Irish again remains to be seen. He certainly won't this season, which leaves senior Tommy Rees, who Irish fans have little faith in, fourth-year junior Andrew Hendrix and early enrollee Malik Zaire.

Hendrix and Zaire are interesting as both are Ohio products; Hendrix played his prep ball at Cincinnati Moeller, while Zaire did the same for Kettering Alter. Both names should ring a bell for recruitniks as Hendrix and Zaire were both offered by the Buckeyes.

BET HE DIDN'T CALL THIS ONE "ALEX." To the surprise of absolutely no one, Michigan received a commitment from one of the nation's best at any position yesterday, in Paramus Catholic (NJ) defensive back Jabrill Peppers.

Peppers, long considered a Wolverine lean, also fancies himself as a bit of a hip hop artist (we covered that aspect of his game in April), and he took the opportunity to rap his commitment live on ESPNU.

Peppers is a heck of a talent – it can be argued that he's Michigan's highest-rated recruit in the era of modern recruiting services – but he's already making it easy to root against him.

As for the larger picture, Peppers' commitment pushed Michigan's class of 2014 into the top spot in the 247 Composite Ranking. 10 days ago, the class achieved a similar feat when they emerged as the top group in ESPN's team rankings.

Say what you will about Brady Hoke: he and his staff are off to an excellent start this cycle. True, the Wolverines jumped out to impressive starts on the recruiting front the last two years as well, and Ohio State, with Urban Meyer at the helm, eventually closed and surpassed Michigan in class rankings, so there's no need to panic with UFM doing his thing.

Still, I'm of the school that believes Michigan must be good for the rivalry to be great and locking up players like Jabrill Peppers will go a long way towards making Michigan good.

OH, RUTGERS. There's good money to be made for firms providing robust background checks to those calling the shots in New Brunswick.

NEW V.J. KING MIXTAPE? NEW V.J. KING MIXTAPE. Ohio State recently offered Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary super frosh V.J. King, and every highlight reel we watch has us thinking big things for the Bucks in 2016 and beyond. Here's the latest: