Scott Orndoff commits to Pitt
he was our next TE target, visited yesterday i believe.
per "@McNamaraRivals: 2013 TE Scott Orndoff committed to Pittsburgh on a visit this afternoon. He was close with Joe Rudolph"
not sure if we go for another TE in 13 or just see what happens.
The real downside to this is that we'll miss out on the countless opportunities to post Mr. Wonderful pics
since he was committed to Wisconsin.
Normally I'd be pretty bummed to miss out on a target the coaches are high on, but given the feeling that we're rapidly running out of room for "best available" targets, and we already have 2 TEs committed, it doesn't feel quite as bad right now.
Also, if he's going to end up elsewhere, he's much less likely to come back to hurt us at Pitt.
If he decides to come on board.
Best of luck to Scott for a successful career at Pitt.
Or, Joe Rudolph who recruited him to Wisconsin, got hired by Pitt to be their assistant head coach and Scott really had a connection to the guy.
That would make even more sense, I didn't remember that that happening.
yea I am not sure of that either. I would rather see them take 1-2 each year.
That's prob what they will do eventually, but given how thin they are and the fact that it sounds like they will want to run 2 out on the field a lot of the time means they need to stock the cupboard now. Aside from parts of the Oline and Dline that's prob our thinnest spot at the moment, right?
We will have 4 recruited tight ends (counting this years) and we have a few converted tight ends. idk, but that seems sufficient to me. But I suppose there is a good chance they use Funchess as more of a WR and AJ Williams could be moved to OL
Converting people to TE isn't usually a good thing. If the coaches want 2-3 TE's that they can use often then they probably need 2-3 TE's in this class. Just because we grab 4 TE's in this class and the last doesn't mean they will all pan out or even remain at Michigan. Plus, Fuchness needs a year to put on muscle and Kalid Hill is an H-back as much as a TE. Ricardo Miller has yet to see the field. The coaches should probably try to grab another TE if they plan on using two TE sets a lot down the road.
March 18th, 2012 at 11:02 PM ^
Just don't tell Jay Reimersma
...looking to convert a few of them to fullbacks for when we go back to the single wing after Denard graduates.
You know, because that's what it takes to win consistently in the Big Ten.
#manball #sarcasm
As far as I'm concerned Shallman is already the fifth tight end.
As far as the coaches are concerned, you have no idea what you are talking about.
Yep. Because nobody's ever switched positions before!!!
You think the coaches would promise a kid a shot at RB and secretly plan to have him move to TE all along? I have more respect for how Hoke has been running things to this point than to assume that, seems pretty disingenuous...
No. That's not what I think. Beyond that, I can't give a sincere response when you infer an accusation of coaching dishonesty from what I said.
There is nothing dishonest about giving a kid a shot at his preffered position, but (in private) thinking he is a better fit elsewhere. You let it play out, give the kid a fair chance, but think that it's likely he ends up somewhere else.
Not saying that's the case with Shallman - I'd love a Gerhart/Okoye super-back - but it's silly to think that Hoke never takes commitments from guys he thinks will end up somewhere other than where they start.
This.
Like, Denard was also a cornerback prospect coming out high school but was promised a shot at quarterback here. If that hadn't worked out, would it have been disingenuous of the coaches to suggest that he consider cornerback again?
It would have been foolish to assume when he was recruited that he would end up as a CB, and stop recruiting other CBs/DBs when he signed on... maybe that is a better way of looking at it. IMO if a kid is recruited at a specific position, it doesn't make sense to quit recruiting other positions he may eventually switch to... the example you're choosing doesn't really help you make your point given he stayed at QB and provided zero cornerback depth in the long run
I didn't say anything about wrapping up a position and no longer recruiting/accepting commits. You've put words in my mouth again.
and Denard is a perfect case study for the debates of one's ideal position. For all the success he's had at QB you still see people that think he's better suited for RB or WR or in the slot. Hell, most project him to play a different position than QB in the NFL.
The guy was an athlete coming into college and he'll be an athlete going into the pros. It turns out that he's been effective at QB but it would have been foolish all around to keep him at QB if in fact the experiment had failed.
I don't think anybody's "secretly planning" anything. It's not a unique opinion around here that Shallman could be more effective and receive more playing time at positions other than RB...He'll get his shot at RB, like promised, but who's to say that in three years he won't be lining up at a different position?
I see Shallman as our utility player recruit, which makes him extremely valuable. He deserves the shot he has been offered at running back, and if he earns playing time, he should get it. On the other hand, if that doesn't work out, the guy has incredible flexibility to fill in where we need him and he has the most potential (FB, TE, DE, etc.).
I def agree with you here, but to me this is not the same as slotting him in at TE today
He's the most versatile commit we have. Scout and 24/7 have him as a FB/DE. ESPN has FB. Rivals doesn't list a position. I'm sure all of these sites are aware that he had been courted as an RB yet still mention at least two other positional possibilities.
I want the kid to get his shot. I want him to get playing time. I want it to be at a position he will be effective at. If it's foolish to think that that may be at TE (especally if we land another RB in this class), then so be it.
good luck to him but im kind of glad he is going to pitt.
The only other TE that we've offered is Standish Dobard. If we do want a third tight end, it's going to be tough to bring him up North.
Like some have already said, with Butt and Hill already in the fold, it's not really a pressing concern.
i wonder if this means there could be a chance to move Shallman to more of a h back/tight end now to also make room for Isaac. And yes i know the coaches told Shallman he can try out at RB first.
Is it playing in a half-empty Heinz field or being 8-5 in the big east every year that's more attractive?
Joe Rudolph has a heck of a track record of coaching TE's at Wisconsin and he is now the offensive coordinator for Pitt. There are much much worse places for a TE to play.
my comment was more directed at the fact that Pitt seems to recruit decently well and I don't really get why. Sort of like why good HS football players want to play for Ole Miss, Mississippi State, or Cal
It helps Pitt that they are in a strong area for HS football.
I agree that Michigan would still like a high end TE who can block and catch as evidence from the interest in Orndoff and the other TE. Given the recruiting success, I am not convinced we are interested in any TEs that aren't both high end and can both block and catch. I view the 3rd TE more as a best available spot at this point. I also think the coaches are reassessing things based on the amazing success they've had already.
If you add up all the positions they would like based on the publicly available info, there aren't enough slots for everyone.
16+
Ty Isaac
2 WR
1 TE
2 DL
1 LB
Best available from Cravens, Levenberry, others
That is at least 24 since Levenberry has us on the top of his list and has been told we'll wait for him.
My hunch is we'll take 2 more total WR+TE, but we'll see. Smith's commitment (Yeah!) takes a spot away from somewhere since the coaches still want Isaac (good call). We'll find out what positions as we go forward.
I'll bet you're wrong about that, at least as long as they think there's a good chance of landing Isaac. They may want 3 TEs, but I doubt they want too unbalanced a class. At this point a 3rd TE could easily be the 15th offensive recruit.
I hope we hold off on another TE this year. Hopefully we can get to 24 spots:
16 committed+8=
2WR
1LB
2DL(I'd love Poggi and another BIG DT)
3 best available(Levenberry, Ty and Cravens should gives us the best class in the nation!)
GO BLUE!!!