There is a corollary to this problem that is faced by regular University Admissions.  They have to accept more applicants than they have slots for because not everyone they "offer" will enroll there.  Even Harvard accepts kids that wind up going to Yale.

One of the Yield-Management techniques they use is Wait-Listing.  You are flat out told that you are Plan B.  They want other "better" candidates for your slot, but if they don't get them, you're in.

Nobody's feelings get hurt because you know where you stand right up front.  There is no forced "decommit" because you never had a "committable" offer in the first place.  You only have a contingency scenario that may or may work out in your favor.

Guys like Saban and Meyer have learned over time to do this kind of "Wait Listing" for Plan B recruits.  Look at their public commits through the summer and fall.  The numbers are small, and the number of marginal 3-star types are even smaller.  They have a lot of guys waiting in the background with no pre-conceived expectations.  

They are much more sophisticated about it than Harbaugh and staff have been so far.  There is some catching up to do in this area.

If Jim Harbaugh needs any coaching on how to handle this situation better, he can talk with Hackett or his dad Jack.

The problem is Michigan probably would've stuck with both Swenson and Weaver, if something better had not come along recently. It's easy to say pick up the phone in December, but if you would've taken them then your not going to turn them loose.

 

I think we had been souring on them and it was just recently they decided they didn't have room for either one. Not to say it makes it right, but it's the landscape of recruiting now.

This story and the RAGE and COUNTER-RAGE has exhasuted me.  So, I will just go with whatever Brian says.  

If communication is occurring but it's not being reported, then we have a perception problem. If communications isn't occurring or isn't effective, we have a different problem. Figuring out which recruits had communication issues and which are perception issues is the first step in figuring out what we have to fix. Based on the evidence to date, we don't have an ethics problem (we're not booting players on the team without degrees, we're not making people take gray shirts after they're on campus, we're not making recruits already on campus try out for the team or take a medical, etc.). I don't have a problem with saying "unless your grades change a lot you won't get an offer" or "we're still recruiting your position and have limited scholarships" or "you have to do X, Y and Z to keep your offer" as long as it is crystal clear to both parties what we're agreeing to. (I don't like it but it is not against the rules or unfair enough for me to not accept it as an adequate way for Michigan to do business.) Just tell people where they stand. The earlier the better.

I don't understand why everyone is so shocked by this. Sure, Harbaugh and Co. could've been more explicit. But someone (I think Drevno) said straight out that they were blown away by the caliber of interested recruits late in the year. I think next year you'll see a lot less borderline offers going out early. Let's keep in mind these coaches are new to Michigan (at least in a coaching capacity) and are trying to get their feet under them. And for God's sake quit with the pearl-clutching and woe-is-me-ing. Shit happens. These kids will be fine.

pick up the phone.

He knows he doesn't want to hire Miles, he doesn't want the shitstorm from the Miles-supporting faction that would come with that decision, so he arranges to not be available when the call comes in.

Here the staff knows they want to cut a commit loose, they don't want the bad PR that would come with pulling an accepted offer, so they stop taking calls and hope the problem will simply go away.

In Martin's case I suppose it sort of worked. Better to have the Miles camp thinking "that incompetent screwed it up" than "those Carr guys fucked us over again." Anger focused on Martin is less likely to be divisive, especially since Martin knew he'd soon be gone.

Here it's just kicking the can, putting off a problem until it turns into a worse problem. Needs to stop.

Harbaugh has too many damn people on his staff to not make these processes go smoother.

I'll guess that they will learn from this and approach these situations a little more proactively and with clearer intent. Hopefully moving forward, we won't see any of this kind of information get to the public.

Here is what I learned from all this:  Michigan is the girl that looks in the mirror one day and realizes she is so much hotter than she thought.

People are fighting to be with us.  Feelings are hurt and names are called when that does not happen.  It creates a scandal when we look around.  We have to be very careful about what we say and how we say it.  Our attention or lack thereof beaks people's hearts.

We are not just school A that can be replaced with similar school B on short notice.  We matter.

I can live with that.

 

I find all the damage control by all the people who did everything possible to get Harbaugh to Michigan amusing.

If we ingore the very real possibility that Weaver and Swenson would still have a slot if someone the coaches liked better hadn't come along, there is still the undeniable issue of ending comminications with a high school athlete who believes his commitment to Michigan has been accepted by the coaches. No amount of spin can make this behavior into that reasonably expected of a professional coaching staff at an athletic program at a top university. Period. 

On Touch the Banner Lanknows quite rightly refers to this behavior as spineless, and he is 100% correct. 

I deeply respect Harbaugh and I am damn glad he's here. I struggle to understand, assuming the lack of communication described by Weaver is true, how Harbaugh trained by Bo could be so tone deaf. 

There is a lot to grind through here, much of which we are unlikely every to fully know, but in a sense it doesn't matter. Michigan has never, at least openly, played fast and loose with recruits and this is no time to start. 

Other than the communication vacuum, which, if it occurred must never happen again, this staff needs to be much more careful about what commitments they accept or appear to accept. For those of you who say "well the coaches can't comment" you're right, but if a recruit claims to have committed when the coaches said no, the school should pull the offer. Harbaugh doesn't have to comment on any recruit, it can be policy "if a recruit commits early against the advice of the coaching staff their offer will be pulled". It's not rocket science.

I once broke up with a chick by just stopping to call her and when we finally spoke 3-4 months later, she was pissed. Then I asked myself "isn't it a bit strange that she's pissed, even though she never called me that whole time either"?

My point is, if you haven't heard from the coaches in say two months, wouldn't you pick up the phone, send an email, text, or something? The only way you don't, is if you know that you don't really want answers to the questions you would ask.

JH just is finishing his first full year.  He came in at full speed into this.

JH might not of truly liked the talent that Hoke and company had liked.

He just hired a new DC that might want new people as well.

Kids can change their mind and oopsy ... no big deal.

If our coaches change their mind then it's the Evil Empire at work.

I think for either party it's ok for them to do that (part ways before signing day).

People rush to judgment as usual in many cases and don't wait to hear the full stories.

It's laughable at some of your reactions.  I get it ... if we deeply and truly committed to a kid we should honor it. The truth is though, unless it's on paper and both parties have signed it, it means jack squat.

In this era of not letting coaches have plenty of time, it's a win or get out.

Rich Rod ... didn't win enough .. bye .... what was it .. 4 years.

Hoke .... didn't win enough ...bye ... sheeeesh.

Many coaches in both CFB and NFL might only get a couple years and bye bye.

It's a win now world (which is ridiculous bye the way) but this is where we are.

I am VERY glad to have JH and this staff.  Completely over the top happy!

I think personally, again, JH has one year into this.  He needed to weed through players he probably wouldn't have looked at.  We also are not allowed to hear his side of things as it's forbidden.

So, why don't all you that are quick to slam the door, give him a couple years to get this all straight.

He had a GREAT first year.  He made us all smile again.  He wants to win.  Our team played and finished games and were very competative.

These kids, again, change their minds we can change ours too.  If you or the NCAA wants to stop all this madness change the rules.  If kids REALLY want to commit then have them be able to sign the paperwork and the coaches do the same.  It will solve a lot.  Then make them both have to sign to get out of said agreement and both parties have to agree or something along those lines.

College football is truly a business and it's in business to keep its fans happy because many fans are over the top ridiculous.  So ...... if you are an owner of a business and you have a new salesman prospect that can make you $300,000 a year (and that would make you happy) you take him.   Just before you call in that salesman to sign the paperwork a new prospect pops up (of similar demeanor and quality) at the last second that can guarantee you $1,000,000 in sales and boost your business you would be a fool to not take that new prospect.

Why is that so hard to understand?

Just like on the football field. You exploit and do all you can within the rules to make a win for your team.  Don't get me wrong, I don't believe in being cruel, but it seems in some of these most recent cases after the dust settles there were words exchanged and hints left and nothing was written in stone.  People just start hanging others without the facts.  It's just truly annoying.

Give JH and staff a couple years to get this massive ship up and moving like it should.  Patience is needed and just let him get through these bumps in the road.  He needed, in my opinion, time to get through the older staffs recruits and again he hit the floor at warp speed.  Not to mention a new DC with new needs so there were bound to be some bumps the first couple years.  

Be easy!

I just logged in to say the first time I heard the term "conscious uncoupling" all I could think was "I hope that doesn't catch on, Chris Martin has already had enough cultural impact." I guess it's mitigated here by the fact that if ever there were a place for bs relationship euphemisms, it would be in the sphere of 'crootin.

Brian, did I help with sending you the Wayne gun rack video or was it a non-factor? Because that was my only thought on the Swenson deal.

As you were people.

Harbaugh did not know that Rudock would develop the way he did,  he did not know how well the defense would play. There were many unknown variables last summer, and he figured if he only was able to win 6 or 7 games then he would have decent recruits locked up. However, he won 9 games plus the bowl game and top recruits have taken noticed. I think Harbaugh could have communicated with these early recruits better. I just hope the Michigan fans, alums and the University will not go too hard on Harbaugh. Harbaugh at any time could make an exit stage left to the NFL. I support Harbaugh and think he will explain everything after signing day.

100% completely agree with this post. Take the high fucking road, coaching staff. Even if you aren't required to do so, do it fucking anyway. Because it's the right way to treat other human beings, and treating other humans properly is far, far more important than winning some marginal, incremental extra number of football games.

"Not making a decision is the worst thing you can do. So long as you feel you made the right decision based on the information you had at that time, there's no need to fret about it. If it fails, you'll know what to do next time.”  — Bo's Lasting Lessons

From everything that's known, JH and his staff put off making a final clear, unequivocal decision on both Swenson and Weaver until very late in the recruiting process. Refusing to return phone calls from recruits is not a clear, unequivocal decision—it's delaying a decision that could have been made many weeks earlier.

When Brian writes it better than I can say it so I can continue to be lazy and have him spoon feed me how I think. Best free content on the Internet and another perfectly framed and balanced piece.

Indeed, pick up the damn phone!