Borges Out, Nussmeier In, Recruits React
The firing of offensive coordinator Al Borges obviously shook things up among Michigan fans as Twitter and MGoBlog almost exploded once the news dropped. Then all that happened was a pluck-job of Alabama’s offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier. Again, the Michigan universe went into a frenzy. How is all of this affecting recruits? I was able to touch base with a few just to get an idea of how the decision is sitting with people who will and might wear the Maize and Blue.
2014 TE commit Ian Bunting
The Fire: Coach Borges did help recruit me so it’s obviously not the ideal situation but I trust that the staff is only making decisions that are in the best interest of the team. I’m still set on Michigan though! I have no idea who the replacement could or should be. Someone who likes to pass a lot, especially to the tight ends. Maybe the New England Patriots OC? (Laughs)
The Hire: It’s awesome! The OC from Bama? It’s sweet. It’s definitely encouraging. I just hope he likes throwing to his tight ends. I do know that he likes winning.
2014 RB offeree Vic Enwere
The Fire: Coach Borges getting fired changes things for me a little bit. It’s just going to take more time now to understand the new offensive approach. Coach Borges and I had a great talk when I went up there and a little bit before that too. We haven’t really talked since my last visit. I’m not sure if the words “hurt Michigan’s chances” are accurate but it does make it a bit tougher. Uncertainty just makes it tough.
The Hire: I honestly never heard his name before but I am familiar with his style. Being the offensive coordinator from Alabama definitely means something though.
2015 OL offeree Sterling Jenkins
The Fire: I definitely respect Coach Borges as a person but I hope I get to meet the new OC and I hope no one else from the staff goes. On my visit I mostly talked to Coach Borges and Coach Funk so we for sure had a relationship. Him being fired won’t really affect me. That has been happening all over the country. Michigan won’t hire someone who’s not up for the job. I think they’ll be okay, if not better from this move.
The Hire: I am looking forward to meeting him. He definitely has a good track record coming from Bama.
2015 WR offeree Christian Kirk
The Fire: I never got a chance to talk to Coach Borges during the bowl practice so I don’t really have a thought on him being fired. It doesn’t change anything for me in regards to Michigan.
The Hire: Interesting! We will see what he brings to Michigan! It helps Michigan’s case in my mind because I’m interested to see if he can turn it around. If he decides to come in contact with me it definitely helps Michigan’s chances.
2015 QB offeree David Sills:
The Fire: I’ve actually never talked to Coach Borges but I heard he was a great coach. He wasn’t personally involved with me and my offer. I’m not sure if I’m going to visit Michigan or not. Having two teammates up there means Michigan will always be an option. Right now though I am still with USC.
The Hire: I’m sure he will do great at Michigan. Michigan has always been attractive to me and always will be, so no real change.
2015 QB target Jimmy Fitzgerald:
The Fire: I just heard about Coach Borges being fired. I haven’t ever talked to him too much, Coach Mallory is my main contact. It doesn’t really change my view on Michigan. It’s not exactly the news I’d like to hear but Michigan is still a very attractive school both academically and athletically.
The Hire: That’s big time!
2015 QB target Kyle Kearns:
The Fire: Wow, I didn’t know anything about Coach Borges getting fired. I probably talked to him maybe 2 or more weeks ago. I’m still very interested in Michigan though, I’ll make sure to talk Coach Ferrigno about it the next time we talk.
The Hire: It’s awesome. I am really good friends with Coach Nuss. I have been in contact with him since last year.
2015 QB target Riley Neal:
The Fire: I had no idea they were thinking about firing him. I talked to Coach Borges maybe a week or two ago, but it’s crazy that he’s fired. Him getting fired doesn’t really change my view on Michigan. I liked Coach Borges but I still like the program they have at Michigan. I’m interested to see who they hire. I plan on calling one of the GA’s here soon to see if he knows anything.
The Hire: I think it’s a good hire for them. It should help Michigan in my eyes because he has won national championships and that’s always the goal so he brings that experience in with him.
2015 QB target Nick Johns:
The Fire: I heard about Coach Borges getting fired while I was at school. Now I’ll just wait and see who they hire. It doesn’t change anything for me right now. It’s been a long time since I’ve talked with Coach Borges. I kind of assumed he might be let go since he stopped talking to me. Hopefully Michigan will hire someone good.
The Hire: That’s a great move of power on Michigan’s part. It absolutely helps their cause in my eyes.
2015 QB target Alex Malzone:
The Fire: Man, I had no idea Coach Borges would be fired. I have always stayed in touch with Dan Ifft and then Coach Singletary a little bit so we’ll see who is brought in next. Obviously I’ve started to build a relationship with Coach Borges but it’s still Michigan football and they will bring in the right guy. I haven’t talked to Coach Borges since my Ohio State visit. I’m anxious to see who they hire.
The Hire: It’s a great hire, I’m excited about it. I’ve always been high on Michigan but it is a boost in my interest. I plan on calling Coach Ifft today to see what’s going on.
2015 QB target Zach Gentry
The Hire: (I didn’t hear back from Zach until news had surfaced that Nussmeier would be the replacement so we discussed only that) I think it’s a really solid hire! He balances the running and passing game well and he makes the system easy on the quarterback. I’d say it definitely helps Michigan in my eyes. I think it’s important that they have a really balanced attack. they seem to have the right players coming in that can help plus solid returning offensive guys. I’m still highly interested in Michigan. Coaching changes are going to happen everywhere. It doesn’t take anything away from Michigan and their tradition. I think I’ll probably try to reach out and get in touch with Coach Nussmeier and get established with him.
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When you have success at the level that Alabama has, it carries a lot of weight and the reactions from commits and targets is clear evidence of that. The hiring of Nussmeier has already sent a shot of rejuvenation into the Michigan fanbase as well as potential Michigan players.
It is going to be really interesting to see how this hire affects recruiting as well. I’m very curious to see how the 2015 quarterback situation shakes out now, as Borges sort of ran the show on that evaluation. #1 2015 QB Ricky Town was recruited to Alabama by Nussmeier and while I don’t see him bailing on Bama, I’m sure Nuss will get in touch with him. Intrigue all around with a splash hire like this.
January 9th, 2014 at 1:13 PM ^
but somewhere out there exists a statement from his mother that while they are not happy about it, there is more in play than just Al's presence.
January 9th, 2014 at 1:27 PM ^
one of the first things he does after talking/visiting with all the 2014 offensive commits, is to visit Harris. That has to help. If it doesn't work, then (or in addition), bring Scarborough up to Ann Arbor!
January 9th, 2014 at 1:50 PM ^
Is Scarborough projected to be a RB? Or a WR? at 6'2, 220 I would lean to WR, but I don't know a ton about the kid other than Bama fans are possibly more excited about him than Hand.
January 9th, 2014 at 11:38 AM ^
These quotes show that the whole process was masterful: from the time we heard Borges was out until we heard about the hiring was about 6 hours. That minimizes the uncertainty seen in the recruits above; "The Fire" sections show a lot of uncertainty that was gone by "The Hire" section. I think Brandon and Hoke handled this one properly, getting it done quickly. Kudos to them.
January 9th, 2014 at 11:38 AM ^
"Great move of power"
January 9th, 2014 at 11:41 AM ^
He seems to know what's up.
I think that quote made me follow this kid's recruitment.
January 9th, 2014 at 2:52 PM ^
January 9th, 2014 at 11:39 AM ^
Anyone else find it really disconcerting that the OC has never even spoken to several of the recruits with Michigan offers? Not even an effing phone call? Jesus. Don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out.
January 9th, 2014 at 12:41 PM ^
Dial it down a notch dude. I love the avatar, but you don't know the situation in Schembechler Hall. Don't forget that Al Borges put in a lot of time and effort for our beloved wolverines.
That being said, I love that Nuss is involved in recruiting. It can't hurt to have more guys out there visiting and talking to recruits.
January 9th, 2014 at 2:02 PM ^
It's pretty well known that Borges isn't considered a recruiter. When the rest of the coaches go out to recruit around the country, he stayed at Schembechler and held down the fort. There is nothing wrong with that.
Different people have different strengths.
January 9th, 2014 at 11:40 AM ^
I'd love to hear the current players' reactions like this, but that's probably wishful thinking.
January 9th, 2014 at 12:24 PM ^
We'll probably hear from them eventually.
January 9th, 2014 at 12:27 PM ^
January 9th, 2014 at 11:40 AM ^
barely talked to him at all. Maybe that's because they weren't going to actually be offered, but to me it just adds to our collective idea that Borges wasn't the right fit. You'd think if you were the QB guru guy you'd be all over these recruits.
Anyway, super happy about the hire. The Brand needed the kick in the ass.
January 9th, 2014 at 1:54 PM ^
Borges didn't recruit, period. He was open about it. I was fine with it. It was one of the few things Fort Schembechler didn't try to keep secret.
Recruiting is an entirely different skill. A college coach that can't recruit is less valuable than one who can (all else being equal), and SOMEONE has to be good at recruiting, but as long as the dude can coach and others can pick up the recruiting slack, it's not like it can't work. Hoke and Mattison are terrific recruiters so Borges' lack thereof was the least of Michigan's worries.
That said, the fact that Borges WASN'T on the hook for recruiting means he had that much more time to work on the offense. It's kind of like you convince your boss that you don't want an office phone, and the boss finally says OK we'll have someone take all your calls for you, and you STILL don't meet your performance targets.
January 9th, 2014 at 11:41 AM ^
January 9th, 2014 at 11:41 AM ^
Good stuff, thanks!
It'll be interesting to see if additional comments come in from some of the guys that many are curious about (Harris, Campbell, etc).
January 9th, 2014 at 11:52 AM ^
January 9th, 2014 at 11:45 AM ^
What a weird pic combo. Borges with a faraway look, being hit with questions. Nussmeir smiling, signing autographs.
January 9th, 2014 at 11:52 AM ^
during his recruiting segment. I'm paraphrasing from memory, but he essentially said that since Harris's HS coach was a former GA for Borges at Auburn that the departure of Al was significant, and that it could indeed negatively affect what Harris's thinking might be now.
I'll be surprised if Harris doesn't decommit, but presumably Nuss will be making contact right away to build the relationship and prevent that from happening. You'd think that the kind of running game that Alabama had would ease a RB recruit's concerns, but as Sam and other recruiting experts say all the time, recruiting is frequently more about relationships with specific coaches than about the school itself.
January 9th, 2014 at 12:15 PM ^
January 9th, 2014 at 12:50 PM ^
If I remember correctly, didn't Harris put out a negative tweet when someone else decommitted (Campbell, perhaps), about honoring your pledge. I point this out not to disparage him if he decommits but to say that he might feel honor bound to his pledge.
January 9th, 2014 at 11:52 AM ^
No one is refuting it so it's almost certainly true, but there's been no official word from anyone yet, right?
January 9th, 2014 at 12:01 PM ^
January 9th, 2014 at 11:56 AM ^
My bet is Harris decommits. Obviously, I don't want him to, but before this all went down I had really tempered my expectations that we would follow through on his commitment. With Campbell decommitting, Hand going to Bama, and McDowell seeming destined to head elsewhere I have been pretty gunshy about getting excited about recruiting. I sincerely hope Nuss gets into Harris's home and reaffirms his commitment, but I just got the sense Harris was looking for a reason to decommit anyway...debbie downer syndrome I guess.
January 9th, 2014 at 12:04 PM ^
January 9th, 2014 at 12:12 PM ^
You're thinking of the wrong Harris. Drake is already on campus Damien is a '15 RB recruit who may or may not be waivering on his verbal.
January 9th, 2014 at 12:56 PM ^
gotta say that seeing harris' highlights are great, and i havent seen a rb like him at u of m forever, but im tiring of this crap about him decommitting... if he does, so be it... i guess then he wouldnt be a 'lifefong' m fan either, if he were to decommitt for a thing like this...
January 9th, 2014 at 11:56 AM ^
I found this "interesting" from Sills, "He wasn’t personally involved with me and my offer."
January 9th, 2014 at 12:02 PM ^
January 9th, 2014 at 12:45 PM ^
I've heard from the get-go in 2011 that Borges was not deeply involved in recruiting, and these comments simply bear that out.
Whatever one thinks of Al's performance as an OC, I think it's a serious drawback to not have your OC broadly and personally involved in recruiting.
*Edit: judging from some of the comments it appears as though Borges was a bit more involved in recruiting QBs than I had previously thought. However, I'm pretty sure it was the case that Al did not go out on the road for recruiting visits.
January 9th, 2014 at 5:25 PM ^
how would he know how much input Borges had in the decision to offer him? It does sound like he was pulled off of active recruiting in anticipation of this move.
January 9th, 2014 at 11:57 AM ^
As if Hoke was not already killing it in recruiting, now both his OC and his DC can flash National Championship rings to recruits.
January 9th, 2014 at 12:01 PM ^
As can Brady Hoke.
January 9th, 2014 at 1:10 PM ^
But National Championship Rings from two years ago and from within the decade probably would have more impact on a recruit than one that's closer to when they were born
January 9th, 2014 at 11:59 AM ^
Great content - I love that you got the firing and hiring responses so quickly just to show what they're thinking in both lights. Thanks Brandon!
January 9th, 2014 at 12:06 PM ^
Damien Harris is the big question mark, I really hope we retain him in the 2015 class.
January 9th, 2014 at 12:17 PM ^
January 9th, 2014 at 12:31 PM ^
Webb pointedly mentioned Mike Weber at the end of his comments about Damien Harris this morning.
January 9th, 2014 at 12:34 PM ^
January 9th, 2014 at 12:22 PM ^
January 9th, 2014 at 12:25 PM ^
Since he didn't recruit all these guys, but if he can create conditions for something like this to happen with the Michigan offense: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/sports/college-football/alabama-offen…, I'll end my fandom happy.
The 2012 'Bama offensive line was one of the most fun units to watch I've ever seen, except that one game.
January 9th, 2014 at 1:51 PM ^
January 9th, 2014 at 2:43 PM ^
The 1990 OL wants a word with you.
The entire O-Line was named MVP in the bowl game, a steamrolling of Ole Miss.
January 9th, 2014 at 12:26 PM ^
Thanks for a great post - this type of informative hard working content is what mgoblog should focus on more, in my opinion at least.
Bonus: we can use this post as evidence next time someone claims the Michigan tradition is lost in the eyes of recruits.
January 9th, 2014 at 12:28 PM ^
I love the two set of responses.
It's also interesting to read how many recruits had little-to-no relationship with Borges
January 9th, 2014 at 12:28 PM ^
I gathered that Borges was heavily involved in recruiting QBs -- in fact, I recall a couple QBs from the 2015 class saying that Borges called them every week during the season. The fact that this contact seems to have stopped in November and that Sills was offered without even talking to Borges suggests to me that Borges was out (and probably knew as much) for weeks. (The reaction from Nick Johns suggests he figured it out too.) It also tends to refute the narrative that Borges was only fired because Nuss was available. It sounds to me like the decision was made not to retain Borges and then DB/BH went looking for OCs. What I don't understand is how none of this leaked.
January 9th, 2014 at 12:38 PM ^
gonna Fort Schembechler.
It could have been as you said BH & DB working on this with no other help from the dpeartment and Al being loyal and keeping his mouth shut. But if they reached out to multiple folks the fact it didn't leak from there is impressive. The fact it didn't suggest to me they only targetted Nuss. If not they picked guys who they knew wanted the position and knew talking would cost them the job.
January 9th, 2014 at 5:42 PM ^
January 9th, 2014 at 12:30 PM ^
Of course getting Harris & Campbells reactions would be awesome, but to be honest, I am more interested in the 2014 offensive commits. How does Speight feel? Mason Cole? Harris, Canteen & Ways?
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