Michael Jordon (NTMJ) to Ohio State
The 4* OT from Plymouth, and probably best player in the state in 2016, just committed to Ohio State. He was thought to be a Michigan lean and Michael and his father had said many times that his recruitment would not be ending anytime soon. This commitment seems both fishy and soft, and I am sure Jim and Staff will continue to hound this kid. He is a very important get not only for his skill set and position, but also to help fend off the growing perception that Michigan does not prioritize players from the state of Michigan, especially kids from the SE portion of the state. Definitely a player to follow, hopefully we can get him back to the good guys.
Denard took a visit to Florida and Georgia of SEC schools. So it was one of them and judging by the fact that he would have fit well into Urban's system, was from the same state, and Florida recruited circles around Georgia in that era it's clear which school it was. Also throw in the fact that Urban doesn't play by the same rules in other areas such as number of players signed and I really doubt it was Mark Richt.
Florida and UGA were the two schools in the SEC that weren't oversigning like crazy. I agree that Meyer is probably dirtier than Richt (and that the story was Meyer), but at least in the Florida years Meyer wasn't doing his best Ole Miss/Tennessee impression.
So that's how unnamed school recruits players... Wouldn't surprise me if more SEC schools had some slimy tactics. Sounds like a book worth the read if I can ever get free time for leisure reading.
Personally I agree with ThadMattasagoblin that it pretty much has to be Florida/Meyer, but it would take something seriously crazy to surprise me about recruiting, especially in the SEC.
Three & Out is worth the time because Bacon had more access for a longer period of time than anyone else has gotten at a major program and Bacon is a true believer in college athletics, which I pretty much assume people with an account here are.
It fails to seriously address the defensive issues RR had, but overall it's a nice behind the scenes look and I think the RR portrait is much closer to the truth than ESPN et all will ever show. Not trying to be disparaging to Bacon or anything, but it's not an academic journal. It's a fast read with plenty of gossip type stuff (Denard getting Twitter mentions from LeBron after ND 2010, Mike Martin partying like a rockstar later that night and TEASER what it took for Bacon to get into the victory party).
There may very well have been, but to me, that just sounds like an excuse for why shit isn't going our way. Simply put, Harbaugh needs to win football games. And he needs to beat OSU, otherwise you'd better get used to this happening as long as Urban is in charge.
Have to call a spade a spade. For the time being, OSU is a much better, much more attractive program for a top recruit to go to than Michigan is.
I agree with you. I don't trust Urban Meyer and his SEC morals one bit.
However, just like at Florida, it's really easy to bend the rules when you win the National Championship. It's the best cover explanation in the game.
when you have been more successful. You really took advantage of down Michigan teams.
And Harbaugh just got here...
To imply he has his pick of the best and gets who he wants is far from the truth. He's made inroads into Michigan. He is not cleaning up on recruiting in the state as you imply.
There's nothing to analyze. Just more of the same poor recruiting from the head coaches of our major programs and more fishiness from OSU. Commence downvoting.
I've given you shit in the past, but you're right about this one... really was hoping to see him in maize and blue.
Because that's the explanation that allows me to channel my anger most easily.
Anger? Its an 18 year old committing to play football on a scholly at a rival school.
Okay then.
Not real anger. Sports anger.
For all the hooplah about recruiting this site and the national pundits made about Harbaugh being a big splash for recruiting... yeah just not seeing it yet...
Well from what I've heard the recruiting approaches are totally different. OSU is football, football, football. Michigan is moral character, academics, location, and football. For the small fraction of players who end up going pro, I guess maybe OSU is better for their life choice. However, for most players and as a safe backup option for all of them, Michigan is a far better choice. I'm guessing this dude thinks he is 95% NFL bound, or else its a strictly suboptimal decision for him to go to OSU.
Not to mention, do you really think the programs that most of these guys go into are really that different from one school to the other? A communications degree from UM and OSU are gonna put you in the same spot after undergrad.
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I don't think football is fourth on the list of what this staff pitches.
On that note....Enough of the visiting-recruit-feedback includes some variation of how "Harbaugh will definitely turn this program around," to where it seems they really must be pounding that message home.
Im 25 and dont remember Michigan being relevant on a national stage.
At first, I did not see the (NTMJ) part and wondered if Michael Jordan was perhaps going to try and do it all over again with a different collegiate team and then get drafted again and see what happens. It wouldn't shock me.
As for this Michael Jordan, in addition to Ohio State, we did have an offer in as most known, but so did Boston College, Iowa, Michigan State, Nebraska, Notre Dame and Penn State.
Hopefully he ends up changing his mind like Lawrence Marshall.
Hopefully. Could also be a case of Urban telling him to jump now or lose his opportunity. Who knows......
I still kind of think that Marshall did a troll job to OSU.
A request for the OP: Please explain the following .....
"..... fend off the growing perception that Michigan does not prioritize players from the state of Michigan, especially kids from the SE portion of the state ....."
What "growing perception?" Are you Dantonio or Drew Sharp?
I am not Mark Dantonio as I do smile on occasion.
I am not Drew Sharp, and if I were I would hope that one of my fellow MGoBlog members would do the honest, good-samaritan thing and shoot me in the forehead.
There are some rumblings in the metro Detroit area that this staff thinks that they don't need Michigan's HS recruits and can pull kids from all over the country in more talent-rich states. One staff that has been explicitly implicated is the staff at Detroit King.
I can't speak to the veracity of these rumors. Just things I have heard, which happen to back up comments that kids like Donnie Corley make every once in a while. May also be why the brother of a starting safety here (also from King) committed to an out-of-state school a year and a half before his signing day.
Once again, all rumors and could just be arrogant Michigan guy explaining away lack of success, but it's rumors I keep hearing.
I see. There are multiple supporting posts nearby, so it sounds like "a thing" (as they might say on this site). Glad you're not Dantonio / Sharp .....
So the brother of an actual player and potential starter thinks the staff isn't prioritizing in-state kids??? What about the "lower" rated kid from Farmington who is part of the 2016 class.
There is not enough high school talent in the state of Michigan to be able to focus centrally on in-state recruits and win big. Moving into Ohio, Michigan will very frequently run 2nd when trying to pull the very top-level kids from Ohio State when that program is humming like it is.
Also, that logic doesn't make much sense as a reason the TOP-rated kid in Michigan commits to OSU, particularly when several lower-rated players are already Michigan commits.
I'm not justifying this train of thought, just relaying info. And yeah, Michigan will never produce enough talent to adequately fill our two-deep every year, but as one of the greatest football programs in history you need to be able to lock down the top 2 or 3 in your state every year (and the top 2 or 3 in Michigan every year are almost always playoff-team level talent).
Some things to keep in mind regarding Detroit King/Michigan's in-state recruiting:
1. Their last staff reportedly didn't like the way Brady Hoke recruited either. This staff recruits in a much different fashion than Hoke's did, so there are also many that believe their staff is simply not high on Michigan period.
2. One of the reasons for this is the connection with Michigan State's recruiting coordinator Curtis Blackwell. Blackwell is a King alum and has known a lot of the kids that have recently transferred into King (Martell Pettaway, Kyonta Stallworth, Corley, etc.) before they transferred there.
3. Ohio State and MSU are both coming off of historic seasons. Michigan is obviously not. The new staff, while attractive to recruits, has had to work from way, way behind with a lot of the established in-state prospects like Corley, Jordan, Kareem, etc. because of the relationships those prospects have built with other staffs. There's no way they were ever going to get all, or maybe even many of them.
4. Where the argument really falls apart is in 2017. Michigan has now offered Jaylen Kelly-Powell, Ambry Thomas (King), JaRaymond Hall (Oak Park), Allen Stritizinger (De La Salle), Joshua Ross (OLSM) and Carter Dunaway (Brother Rice) before any other regional program. They will obviously continue to recruit their 2016 targets hard, but I think they know that 2017 is the class they will have the most success in-state with, and they've definitely made the SE side of the state a major priority early.
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Yeah like I said in another comment, I am not arguing that this staff doesn't spend enough time in state, I'm just relaying the things that are being continuously passed through the grapevine. I know this staff is setting up visit events specifically for the in-state kids (In-State Great 8 for 2017). It's not a real attitude towards Detroit recruits, just something that is being propagated currently for a presumably incorrect reason.
metro detroit recruiter? not being argumentative, I'm sincerely asking.
He is. He has only been recruiting the area for a few months, however. Some of these kids, especially the kids at King have known their recruiter from other schools for 3 years now. Once we start winning and as time goes on Wheat will become a dominant Detroit recruiter, as a Michigan legend from the city turned coach.
all he has is name recognition right now. He'll back it up soon enough. . .
But that doesn't keep you from repeating them four times in the same thread.
I wonder if there are any of our rivals who could maybe possibly potentially maybe have a vested interest in spreading and perpetuating bullshit rumors about the Michigan coaching staff....