Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Wolverine Wednesday: Recruiting The Elephant in The Room

Breaking News:

Freep is reporting that Michigan will be hiring former Michigan Football player and current Connecticut athletic director Warde Manuel as it's next AD.

and this...............


and this...........

 PA athlete Khaleke Hudson committed this afternoon!

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Jimmy is taking some shots nationally for a couple of commits having to find another schools in the last month of the recruiting cycle.   We all know the perceived issues with two recruits hitting social media after being committed to Michigan for a long time. 

Let's talk about recruiting and recruiting to Michigan right now.    Nobody cries for the University when a recruit flips on signing day and leaves a big hole in the class.  Is that fair?  It isn't but it's part of the process.   We also only hear one side of the story.   The reasons we have sites like Rivals, Scouts, ESPN and 24/7 is because kids talk, coaches can't.   Meaning we only hear one side of the story and its the recruits side.  

Coaches offer hundreds of kids a year for maybe 20+ spots in a class.   Things can change between the time they get the offer vs. NSD.  For example, grades, tests, performance on the field, serious injuries, etc.    Michigan offered a scholarship to a local kid who had committed but had multiple ACL injuries, he could get a Michigan education paid for but wouldn't be suiting up for the Wolverines.   Being a Michigan commit is also beneficial for the recruit.   It gives them a ton of exposure they probably didn't have and opens up new opportunities.

The devil is in the details in each one of these situations.   What was the player told originally?  Insiders report that Weaver was told up front that he could come to A2 only if there was space in the class.    The key to all of these situations is communication between the recruit and the coaches.   If they ever wondered what their status was in the class, I'm sure there is a coach a phone call or a text away.   The coaches also need to be crystal clear with the recruits and space in the class.

Jimmy is looking to turn a battleship and compete with the likes of Ohio State and Alabama.  He needs talent and a lot of it.   Being honest with kids that will have a better opportunity to playing time at another school isn't the problem, timing and communication is.    Jimmy isn't looking to burn bridges with coaches that could have the next 5 star DT, so treating recruits honestly has to be the policy.

We need to trust Jimmy and the staff that they are doing the right things for Michigan.  I sure do. 

  • Gary will take his last visit to Clemson this weekend.   He will also announce on ESPN2 at 1:00 on NSD. 

  • Biff Poggi father of Michigan player Henry and head coach of HS powerhouse Gilman will be leaving the school after 19 seasons.   It sounds like he will be joining Jimmy's staff, maybe in a similar position that Chris Partridge had.

  • Andrew Vastardis is coming to Michigan as a PWO.  He is a 6'4 and 310 pounds offensive lineman.

  • Lou Holtz will be at Michigan's Signing Day event. 

  • Penn State has flipped Rutgers kicker Alex Barbir.  This probably means Quinn Nordin is probably down to Michigan, USC and maybe Baylor.

  • Khaleke Hudson is announcing at 3:00 today.  Fingers crossed.

8 comments:

Mike T said...

Todd Mcshay, Desmond Howard and now Lou Holtz at Michigan signing event?? Must be expecting BIG things

Scott K said...

That's pretty cool, although every time lou opens his mouth i get a headache change channel as fast as humanly possible.

I can suffer thru him, because it is NSD, and Michigan football.

Unknown said...

McDoom yes awesome kid is combo Odell Beckom and Antonio Brown huge get! #Hail #GoBlue #HatersGonnaHate

Scott K said...

Hudson goes BLUE!

Mike T said...

Holy shit Batman... WE R LOADED

Mike T said...

With McDoom and Hudson

26 commits... 21 open spots

What a name McDoom !!!!!

Touchdown McDoom

Voice of Reason said...

I obviously don't know anything about the position that Chris Partridge was in but I would imagine that it is important for Coach Harbaugh to have someone who not only has good coaching skills and football knowledge, but that person has to be able to evaluate talent on the high school level, have connections to the high school coaches in various areas, and to be able to locate that talent and help point the staff to where they should spent their energies when they recruit. This person has to have had great success himself in recruiting on the high school level. It's a brilliant move. IMHO!!!

PS., I like the Warde Manual hire. Go Blue!!!

Mike T said...

Elliott is out

25 commits 21 open spots