UF Takes RB - Might Help Mich with Jones
January 10th, 2014 at 10:11 AM ^
Great work 2014! Keep it up!
January 10th, 2014 at 11:03 AM ^
the 2014 meltdown will be funny on here to pick up our spirits!
January 10th, 2014 at 2:05 PM ^
why you gotta hate on 2014 like that? That's ok, 2014 ain't madatcha...
January 10th, 2014 at 10:14 AM ^
Good past couple days for Florida. I saw yesterday that they flipped Jalen Tabor who had committed to Arizona during the Army AA Game less than a week ago.
January 10th, 2014 at 10:24 AM ^
I didn't realize Tabor flipped. That was fast.
January 10th, 2014 at 10:35 AM ^
Is planning to enroll at Florida on Monday, so he only has a couple of days to change his mind again.
January 10th, 2014 at 10:58 AM ^
Can we get hoke on the phone with him, may be his finger pointing will come back on track with recruiting
January 10th, 2014 at 10:35 AM ^
Apparently Florida really went after him hard once he committed to Arizona and I guess his mom weighed in saying she'd rather see him there as well, at least thats the story on Arizona Desert Swarm.
January 10th, 2014 at 10:43 AM ^
That was pretty much my reaction as well.
However, it just simply said that he had committed to Florida; no word on whether he was "taking his talents" with him.
January 10th, 2014 at 10:46 AM ^
January 10th, 2014 at 10:52 AM ^
Considering how much their 2013 sucked even more than ours (no bowl and don't forget, they lost to us in the Final Four), their 2014 should be a thing of beauty to behold.
January 10th, 2014 at 11:17 AM ^
They lost to us in the Elite 8, a Final Four berth would have at least been something to celebrate for them.
January 10th, 2014 at 12:35 PM ^
And it was their third consecutive loss in the Elite Eight, no less.
January 10th, 2014 at 10:21 AM ^
I have this strange feeling that Michigan hopes to get Jeff Jones and McDowell and ends up settling for someone else on both accounts. Of course, this could simply be 2013 ringing in my head.
January 10th, 2014 at 10:26 AM ^
(checks calender.....reads 2014)
Yea, you're wrong. We'll land both.
January 10th, 2014 at 10:23 AM ^
Florida may be conceding or at least I hope so.
January 10th, 2014 at 10:27 AM ^
Jones very well may become the best RB on Michigan's roster day 1. I am really high on him.
January 10th, 2014 at 10:31 AM ^
First he has to commit. Next he has to compete against a pretty deep group of running backs.
January 10th, 2014 at 12:55 PM ^
...I have missed you so...
January 10th, 2014 at 4:28 PM ^
January 10th, 2014 at 10:33 AM ^
and you're a recruiting analyst?
January 10th, 2014 at 10:45 AM ^
January 10th, 2014 at 10:53 AM ^
You mean Nuss, right?
January 10th, 2014 at 12:41 PM ^
Could also mean 2014 which is clearly better than the last guy.
January 10th, 2014 at 11:01 AM ^
Magnus, this is so true, remember last year Derrick Green is going to start day 1
January 10th, 2014 at 11:06 AM ^
Kinda like how the backup QB is always everyone's favorite QB.
January 10th, 2014 at 10:53 AM ^
Have we learned nothing in the past 12-36 months.
Incoming freshman are just that...FRESHMAN. Derrick Green was a 5 star beast. Deveon Smith was considered by many to be the better of the two. Justice Hayes switched his commitment from ND to us and yada yada yada. Maybe we should temper expectations just a tad.
January 10th, 2014 at 11:18 AM ^
To add to that, I don't see Jeff Jones as a superstar running back that can come in and dominate from day one, anyway. He's not particularly big, strong, fast, elusive, etc. He's a good all-around back, and I don't know that he has many weaknesses, per se. But his highlights won't wow you, not even from the UA game where he had such a "breakout" performance.
January 10th, 2014 at 11:26 AM ^
January 10th, 2014 at 11:44 AM ^
Have you watched Mike Hart's high school highlights? The kid was extremely elusive - not big or fast or particularly strong - but the jump cuts and vision were always there.
January 10th, 2014 at 12:08 PM ^
If Mike Hart would have applied himself he could have been a Michael Cox.
January 10th, 2014 at 1:18 PM ^
Some guys are just destined to be underachievers...
January 10th, 2014 at 11:54 AM ^
I think that is Magnus' point though. Hart was good all-around but not a superstar. As in, he never had a shot at the heisman or out-running everyone on the field, or being drafted super high. But he was dang good for Michigan because he was good at everything, worked hard, and knew how to run the ball. Jones is a lot like that. He won't come in a be Barry Sanders, but he can be a fine college running back.
January 10th, 2014 at 11:43 AM ^
WowThatEscalatedQuickly.gif
January 10th, 2014 at 10:36 AM ^
I'm curious where the Michigan confidence is coming from, beyond assuming an automatic W when recruiting against Minnesota.
Most Minnesota fans were more worried about Florida because we had heard that the fact that your staff had seen Jones multiple times in person and never pulled the trigger on an offer may have hurt your position a bit.
January 10th, 2014 at 10:46 AM ^
Jones took a quick visit to Ann Arbor this summer and wanted a Michigan offer. It didn't happen until after his preformance in the UA game. Insiders say that the Michigan offer had a big impact on him and he was going to take Florida and Michigan's offers seriously. I don't think he is a lock to end up in Ann Arbor since the Gophers are in his backyard, but I think Michigan has a very good chance with his last visit before NSD.
January 10th, 2014 at 10:47 AM ^
beyond assuming an automatic W when recruiting against Minnesota.
I think that's the entire reason right there. I completely agree with your second point about not pulling the trigger after seeing him in person possibly hurting Michigan's chances. Although our new OC might be able to alleviate that.
January 10th, 2014 at 10:48 AM ^
January 10th, 2014 at 11:00 AM ^
Is that because once a player commits to a school one cannot select that school for the Crystal Ball?
January 10th, 2014 at 11:10 AM ^
That is correct. People can come along and pick Michigan, Florida, Michigan State, etc., but picking the Gophers is forbidden since he's already committed.
January 10th, 2014 at 11:18 AM ^
I guess they really can't change that since they keep score on percentage of correct picks.
January 10th, 2014 at 11:02 AM ^
Gopherfan-- I wouldn't say that I'm confident that Jones will flip from Minnesota but it definitely seems like there's a chance it could happen. He's expressed interest and Michigan's getting his last visit before signing day, which is a good sign. Even though he only recently got an offer, he has visited the campus before and knows the staff somewhat. Also, several analysts that follow this stuff a closer than I do are saying that Michigan is in a good position (Michigan has actually taken the lead in 247 Crystal Ball projections). The other factor is that Jones has always been a soft commit to Minnesota. I don't think that anyone would be surprised if he switched schools-- whether to Michigan or somewhere else.
That being said, he hasn't flipped anywhere else and Michigan is definitely getting in late. Given that, I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't end up in AA. But I also wouldn't be surprised if he did end up there.
January 10th, 2014 at 11:47 AM ^
1) first such fan I've seen on MGoBlog
2) nothing unreasonable in his post, and
3) IT'S 2014 BABY!
January 10th, 2014 at 12:09 PM ^
Any word if Jones cancels his Florida trip. I mean....might as well take the free trip to Florida and get out of the cold etc. However, if they have their RB....
Does Florida have any other RB's?
January 10th, 2014 at 10:46 AM ^
January 10th, 2014 at 11:42 AM ^
EDIT: posted in wrong spot. Dammit...and I have nothing of value to offer to make up for it. Please accept my sincerest apologies.
January 10th, 2014 at 11:48 AM ^
not always found around these parts.
January 10th, 2014 at 12:03 PM ^
Recruits get offered late all the time. They work their whole lives to get offers from schools like Michigan or Florida, it doesn't matter that inferior teams offered first. In fact, those teams are usually the first to offer everyone.
With that being said, its not a lock that he'll end up at UM. Just saying that won't be his reasoning for going elsewhere.
January 10th, 2014 at 1:48 PM ^
^Yea, Norfleet flipped from Cincy on the last day, if Im not mistaken...
I think we'll be hard to turn down, being that there just seems to be a renewed energy right now, a lot of optimism...
But I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up just staying put either. Minnesota actually was pretty good last year, and it seems like he could fit in nicely in that backfield w/ Cobb & Leidner.