SWIM LANES Feb 2017 2.0
I was going to wait til Monday at which time Cesar Ruiz would sure commit to us, but due to the clutched panties (I'm looking at you Mabel!) we'll do one on a quiet Friday night while the hamsters re-hyrdate.
Looks like our 7 year old musical reference in V1.0 went over some of the youngins'/oldins' head so we'll go more contempary and get Swifty. I might go Duran Duran in 3.0 (*mind blown*)
Based on last year I would not be shocked by someone in the class not on this list at all.
You Belong w/ Me | Shake it Off/No On | Make a Push | Cloudy | Result? | |
$$$ | Najee Harris (Soon) | Nobooody!! | He has gone submarine | ||
WR 1 | Nico Collins | Oliver Martin | Nico | ||
OT | Chuck Daly Filiaga | Mekhi Becton | BAD BOYS! + Becton | ||
OG | Tedarrel Slaton | I said cloudy | |||
C | All Hail Cesar (12/18) | Et tu Brute? | |||
DE | DIB (1/7) | All the DIBs | |||
DT 1 | Aubrey Solomon | Peachy? | |||
DT 2 | Jay Tufele | IDK man | |||
ILB | Drew Singleton | Drew go blue | |||
OLB | Jordan Anthony | Willie Gay | Whats on our unis? | ||
CB 1 | Elijah Hicks | Purple face? | |||
S | Pola-Mao/Ford/Bell | Sparse | |||
Other potential lanes | ie. break in case of | emergency | |||
OG | Joshua Fedd-Jackson | ||||
OT | Toryque Bateman | ||||
Blank Space | |||||
RB | O'Maury Samuels | ||||
OT | Kai-Leon Herbert | ||||
We are Never EVER | Getting Back | Together =( | |||
RB/LB | A.J. Dillon* | ||||
OT | Isaiah Wilson (12/25) |
December 16th, 2016 at 7:23 PM ^
More to come, Jim?
December 16th, 2016 at 7:28 PM ^
December 16th, 2016 at 7:31 PM ^
Filiaga and Ruiz will be just fine!
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December 16th, 2016 at 7:42 PM ^
i think that sample size is pretty small to feel super comforted. talent is more than a luxury.
December 16th, 2016 at 7:45 PM ^
Another way to think about it is that places like Wisconsin rarely recruit 5 star lineman yet their run game is just absurd year in and out.
So there's hope for sure that the younger Harbaugh guys can indeed eclipse the older Hoke recruits in performance.
December 16th, 2016 at 9:14 PM ^
December 17th, 2016 at 9:45 AM ^
"Sucked" is a relative term. And they still had an All-American this year.
December 16th, 2016 at 9:37 PM ^
He also never won a national championship at Stanford. I'm sure Saban could put together a good defense with just about any recruits but he has won 3 of 5 national championships because of elite recruits. Meyer is in the playoffs this year because he brings in elite recruits, not projects. Recruiting matters, always has always will. Good coaching matters, but when you get to the top you start playing teams with elite talent and elite coaching and then you also need top talent.
December 16th, 2016 at 9:49 PM ^
December 16th, 2016 at 10:10 PM ^
Bredeson and Onwenu qualify as elite but this team needs someone who can step in and play as a freshman OL next year. There's no one in the class right now who looks ready to do that. The OL looks like it's at least 2 years away from championship level and that assumes Ruiz does commit.
December 17th, 2016 at 9:01 AM ^
Do you really think we were headed for the championship next year, but for Wilson?
After losing 2/3 of our starters in the trenches?
If "the OL looks like it's at least 2 years away from championship level", then sign me up.
December 17th, 2016 at 2:21 PM ^
No. My reply was focused on the OL. The inexperience at DB and WR and a lack of depth on the DL combined with the OL problems make a NC a dream. Of course, in my dreams Najee Harris commits and talks Leatherwood into flipping.
I do think that Herbert, Hall and Stueber need to redshirt. It will be interesting to see what Harbaugh does with Ruiz (assuming he signs). He would benefit from a redshirt year but in 2018 Cole and Kugler will be gone, so it's probably better for the team to get Ruiz some experience. I have confidence that Bredeson, Cole and Onwenu will perform at a high level. Kugler is the 4th best OL. He showed he can handle OG (and presumably backup at C). I'm skeptical about Newsome recovering enough to make a meaningful contribution. Instead, we're hoping that JBB (and Runyon or Ulizio?) develop enough to hold down the 5th spot. The team desparately needs to sign an OT who can start next year or at least provide depth if JBB improves enough to satisfy the coaches.
December 17th, 2016 at 10:45 AM ^
Meyer is in the playoffs THIS year due to gross incompentence/homer-ish bias/payoffs of officials in The Game. They wouldn't have gotten in at 10-2.
However, your point is understood and agreed with.
December 16th, 2016 at 11:06 PM ^
Just landed their own 5 star OT today.
December 17th, 2016 at 9:02 AM ^
Let's give him a call.
December 17th, 2016 at 12:49 AM ^
December 17th, 2016 at 10:46 AM ^
Wasn't Shaw the HC of Stanford at that point?
December 17th, 2016 at 11:24 AM ^
Looking back on 24/7 there don't really appear to be any other than Andrus Peat and I think Harbaugh was gone then. I thought they beat us out on a couple of guys, but I think I'm thinking of some guy who went to Maryland or OSU. He flipped on like the last day or two similar to Wilson.
December 17th, 2016 at 3:12 PM ^
Are you thinking of OT Devery Hamilton from Baltimore who flipped to Stanford very late last year?
December 16th, 2016 at 7:36 PM ^
Is there some way to view this chart without the banner ad going right through it?
December 16th, 2016 at 7:38 PM ^
December 16th, 2016 at 11:10 PM ^
December 16th, 2016 at 7:42 PM ^
Tables and charts are weird on MGoBLog. Shocking, I know.
The frame fits about 400 pixels of width easily enough. Fortunately, it's scaleable but it is much easier if the OP makes it an image and then embeds it because then you don't lose data or proportion.
December 16th, 2016 at 7:46 PM ^
The site design and servers will be upgraded soon.
Just be patient...
LSA - that knife in the back!! I feel it! I like images myself (Upton images) but I hear that's been banned.
December 16th, 2016 at 7:56 PM ^
The hamsters have trouble handling tables...
December 16th, 2016 at 10:33 PM ^
We need to give the hamsters some PED's. I'm sure MSU LB's have some extra juice to spare for the hamsters.
December 17th, 2016 at 9:07 AM ^
December 16th, 2016 at 9:54 PM ^
I copied and pasted it into Excel.
December 16th, 2016 at 7:39 PM ^
So what makes Isaiah Wilson so much more highly ranked than say... Mekhi Becton if Wilson is so raw?
Both tall and weigh a ton for high schoolers.
December 16th, 2016 at 7:48 PM ^
Athleticism. Not all 6'7" 350 pounders move the same, believe it or not.
December 16th, 2016 at 11:09 PM ^
December 17th, 2016 at 2:38 AM ^
December 16th, 2016 at 8:05 PM ^
...are not very reliable but it seems the one attribute Wilson had that made him a 5* was tremendous athleticism for such a big kid.
In the end Online is the most cooperative group on the football field, consequently someone who works well with others is a better prospect than someone who has "measurables" but isn't a team player.
December 16th, 2016 at 8:15 PM ^
December 16th, 2016 at 11:15 PM ^
Let me rephrase: In so far as rankings may be reliable to predict future Oline success, other factors, especially development and chemistry are much more important.
I think this coaching staff can make it happen even without the 5*.
December 17th, 2016 at 1:00 PM ^
They matter, but not nearly to the degree people complain about. As long as your recruits are sliding somewhere into the Top 250, then you should be fine.
In 2013 when we got:
Kugler #68 overall
Bosch # 87 overall
Dawson #95 overall
Fox #110 overall
Tulley-Tillman #168 overall
Grant Newsome #234 as a true freshman contributed more meaningfully than all of the class of 2013 in their 3rd year on campus.
Rankings matter of course, and this is just a single instance, but it should give some characterization and narrative that there are many, many more variables than just numbers, and, that a Top50-100 isn't guarantted to contribute more than a Top150-250, it's very weakly correlated.
December 16th, 2016 at 8:27 PM ^
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December 16th, 2016 at 8:54 PM ^
FWIW, Magnus has a good write uo over on TTB that reflects a little doubt. Regardless, Wilson is huge (literally) talent and a loss.
I know we need someone ready to go next year, but we have some guys that could definitely make us happy down the road (ie Steuber at 6' 6"). Glass half full and all.
December 16th, 2016 at 9:59 PM ^
Are there any grad transfer options? I know offensive line grad transfers aren't all that common but maybe there is a solid backup out there looking for a shot to start at LT playing for Harbaugh.
December 17th, 2016 at 12:02 AM ^
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December 16th, 2016 at 10:58 PM ^
Just expressing an opinion on why Oline is more difficult to recruit for, especially since rankings are least helpful at those positions.
My point is the program with the best Oline is going to be the one with the 5 players who work best together irrespective of rankings, and I think Harbaugh and Drevno can build that with 3 and 4 stars.
Sure I'd love to see a half dozen 5* prospects sign to Mich every cycle but i'd rather see top 100 defensive players and a top 50 QB like McCaffrey and let Harbaugh choose the Oline based on their competitiveness even if it means missing out on a 5* once and awhile.
December 16th, 2016 at 11:28 PM ^
All fair points.
December 17th, 2016 at 9:47 AM ^
Wilson can really move when he wants to do so. There aren't many 354-pounders who are agile enough to line up at Wildcat QB and run for touchdowns.
December 16th, 2016 at 7:43 PM ^
December 16th, 2016 at 7:48 PM ^
Would not be surprised to see 2 new names not to be found in pool to eventually get nekked in it.
December 16th, 2016 at 8:22 PM ^
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December 16th, 2016 at 8:02 PM ^
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December 17th, 2016 at 12:34 AM ^
You think freshman DPJ is better than seniors Darboh and Chesson? I'm skeptical.
December 17th, 2016 at 5:28 PM ^