‘22 Recruiting: Deone Walker
Per Alan Trish on wtka this morning, Deone Walker trending to UK. He didn’t visit UM last weekend and will be making his final OV to UK next week. What is it about Kentucky plucking top shelf DT’s out of the state of Michigan, especially those highly sought after by UM? Marquan McCall, Justin Rogers and now possibly Walker.
December 2nd, 2021 at 8:19 AM ^
Alan Trieu.
December 2nd, 2021 at 9:28 AM ^
Allen, and he didn't say that. He said he was trending south. Kentucky or Georgia, but M is trailing. I think the the staff has moved on, but that's just me saying that, and I have no inside info, but the silence from Sam is deafening.
December 2nd, 2021 at 9:45 AM ^
And people were saying he was a silent commit…that changed quick it seems. Frustrating when you see rivals picking up whomever they want.
December 2nd, 2021 at 9:54 AM ^
Really seemed like Walker started trending away after Mario Eugenio decommitted(or was pushed out).
December 2nd, 2021 at 10:56 AM ^
Saw that Eugenio committed to Cincinnati. Didn't see that mentioned elsewhere but certainly not worth its own post.
December 2nd, 2021 at 11:10 AM ^
Well I was listening and I heard it just like the OP heard it.
December 2nd, 2021 at 8:23 AM ^
Did McCall and Rodgers end up living up to their rankings? I have no idea how their careers have unfolded so far
December 2nd, 2021 at 9:29 AM ^
McCall is a 380 pound Senior Nose Guard, I just peaked at his UK page and it says he started a few games in 2020 and is now the starter in 2021. UK was pretty excited about him and his NFL draft prospects coming into the season but he got hurt and has missed time.
Rogers is a sophomore splitting the backup reps at Nose Guard.
They seem to be doing ok but not gamechangers. I'll take Mazi and Hinton over these guys.
December 2nd, 2021 at 9:54 AM ^
You just peeked to see if they peaked?
December 2nd, 2021 at 9:56 AM ^
It piqued his interest
December 2nd, 2021 at 10:19 AM ^
My peek into their peak performance certainly piqued my interest.
Let's all just hope Michigan football peaks over the next 3 games!
December 2nd, 2021 at 9:39 AM ^
Funny enough, Clinkscale is listed as the primary recruiter for McCall & Rodgers (to Kentucky) and Walker (to Michigan).
December 2nd, 2021 at 9:42 AM ^
Clinkscale is an ace recruiter no?
December 2nd, 2021 at 8:29 AM ^
Closest SEC team to the north. Not hard to understand.
December 2nd, 2021 at 8:50 AM ^
Why’d this get a neg?
December 2nd, 2021 at 8:31 AM ^
I heard that also. How could you not visit last weekend even if you don't want to go to UofM? I don't get it, but I don't try to understand recruiting anymore. I was dead set on leaving my state for college. I'm sure other kids feel the same way.
December 2nd, 2021 at 9:25 AM ^
I really thought us getting Clink would stop this since he was the primary on all the top guys from Michigan going to Kentucky.
If this ends up being true, I'm hoping we have a backup plan as it looks like we would be out on all of the top 50 DL prospects according to 247. The only thing I can think of is maybe the staff for some reason only wanted 1 of the giant DL types and chose Kenneth Grant over Walker?
We did take 4 DL prospects last year, so maybe the staff is ok with only 2 commits this cycle. We already have 1 next cycle too.
December 2nd, 2021 at 10:36 AM ^
Vince Marrow is another key recruiter of theirs from Ohio and knows the Midwest well. You may recall Harbaugh trying to hire him in 2015 when he got here and Mel Tucker tried to do same when he was putting his first staff together.
December 2nd, 2021 at 8:34 AM ^
Lots of reasons for Kentucky to be appealing:
UK is a nice campus in a decent city with a fanbase that is becoming more and more supportive of football.
Kentucky continues to build itself into a decent SEC program and Stoops is a good coach.
Sometimes kids just want to go out of state and experience something different.
Michigan took awhile to start recruiting Deone whereas I think Kentucky was on him the entire time
Finally the last class had three DT types in it and this current class has two and he may want to go somewhere where he feels he'll be more of a standout.
Recruiting is weird, probably worth just accepting that its weird and that you can't win em all.
December 2nd, 2021 at 8:37 AM ^
Great points.
I do really hope U-M can sort out its transfer process / reqs in near future so we can get in more on this 2nd recruiting season. That'll be critical to maintain depth.
December 2nd, 2021 at 8:55 AM ^
they aren't changing anything and most of it has to do with Credit's not transferring.
most kids go into schools and take low level classes that won't transfer to M.
I spoke at length with a M staffer on this and we are normally only going to be able to get grad transfers.
it is what it is.
December 2nd, 2021 at 10:06 AM ^
Frustrating to hear. Would a new university president possibly crack the door here, for future changes?
If the university of Maryland and similar peers can take transfers for undergraduate degrees, why can't U-M? Whole thing seems antiquated.
December 2nd, 2021 at 10:19 AM ^
There is a reason UM is #1 public university. There may be a way to have them do more work when they get here, but some may not want to do that. I am not sure how I feel about changing the standard for Football. I can argue both ways.
December 2nd, 2021 at 10:31 AM ^
That is a TERRIBLE idea. University of Michigan is not OSU or MSU. We are an academic institution first and foremost. We should not be changing ANYTHING academically to accommodate a sports team. If that kills us with transfer market, so be it.
December 2nd, 2021 at 10:49 AM ^
This is an antiquated hawt take. How on earth is allowing a few more credits to transfer for undergrads in any way, shape or form impacting the university's "institution of higher learning " status? This is ridiculous. The university of Maryland does it. Michigan state does it. Literally all of our conference peers. Except maybe NW. And they should be on board too!
You can and should have standards once young men are in your program and enrolled but how does rejecting incoming credits from peer institutions serve any purpose? It's ridiculous. If Michigan feels this strongly about its vaunted undergrad curriculum and credit hours it needs to go independent. If your peer, conference institutions are able to get undergrad transfers from other colleges with minimal disruption then there's no excuse for Michigan.
December 2nd, 2021 at 10:59 AM ^
It depends on what courses they take. If it is not something that UM highly rates, I don't see why they would have to accept just because he is a football player and its peer organizations accept. If the player is coming from Northwestern, they are more likely to accept it. Others not so much. Who is in B1G has no bearing on their admission standards. Again, there is a reason why Michigan is #1 public university. I remember reading where NEB stands as an academic institution, which is a peer organization by your definition.
December 2nd, 2021 at 11:06 AM ^
Academic standards are the same for student-athletes and regular students. Athletes sometimes get preferential class registration to accommodate their inflexible schedules and they might even sometimes get discretionary leniency from professors, but the official academic standards are the same.
To implement your idea, you'd either have to create special academic standards for athletes or lower the standards for everyone. Both are terrible ideas.
Most athletes, even at Michigan, are never going pro. They will enter the workforce with Michigan degrees, and their performance in their careers reflects on the University. Lowering the standards for them cheapens both their degree and the University's reputation.
And lowering the standards for everyone is, obviously, a non-starter. The University is a hyper-elite academic institution, first and foremost. The reason some classes don't transfer is because they are simply not of the same caliber. It would be absolutely ridiculous to degrade the University's academic caliber, even marginally, to get some football recruits.
December 2nd, 2021 at 9:04 AM ^
Michigan was one of his first offers. Not sure if they recruited him hard though. There are articles from 2020 where he talks about building relationships with Brown and Nua.
July 10, 2020: Michigan Offer
January 18, 2021: Kentucky Offer
https://247sports.com/Player/Deone-Walker-46102934/TimelineEvents/?Page=2
December 2nd, 2021 at 9:58 AM ^
Yeah, that was the point I was trying to get to but was having difficulty remembering the full details, probably more along the lines of Michigan backed off of him for a bit, whereas I don't know if Kentucky ever did. I know there was some sort of gap in his recruiting that Michigan had to overcome, but TBH the details are hazy.
December 2nd, 2021 at 10:17 AM ^
Yeah there might have been a gap when Brown left and McDonald took over. But the new defense staff was prioritizing the big DL as soon as they took over. Sam put his CB pick in back in July.
But once Mario left Walker was tweeting for several days about how upset he was about it. Soon after a crystal ball came in for Kentucky. I think the staff did go all out for him but Walker didn't like it when his friends got processed.
December 2nd, 2021 at 10:19 AM ^
This is my recollection as well. Walker came on the scene as a huge kid with a lot of potential and Michigan offered. However it was soon clear he had too much weight and Michigan chose to prioritize Davonte Miles instead, eventually taking his commitment. Then, this past spring Walker showed he had lost weight and looked like a different player. Michigan rekindled interest and looked to be in good shape this summer until the Mario Eugenio stuff went down. I supposed Kentucky could be saying they've been consistent on him, since they never had that earlier dip in interest, but Michigan led solidly after that point so I'm not sure that's the whole story.
Perhaps he didn't like us taking on Kenneth Grant as that was around the same time as Walker showing interest elsewhere. I haven't seen anything specific so unless Walker or an insider says something publicly we won't know.
December 2nd, 2021 at 10:31 AM ^
Good point about Kenneth Grant. He committed on Sep 28. Mario decommitted on Oct 7th. Maybe Walker felt like his friend was processed in favor of Grant. Plus he didn't like having another recruit at his position.
December 2nd, 2021 at 11:18 AM ^
We absolutely did take Grant over Eugenio's friend Tawfiq Thomas (and correctly so IMO). Maybe all of these things caused him to broaden his horizons a bit.
December 2nd, 2021 at 9:50 AM ^
Plus, Michigan is a “basketball school” and Kentucky is a….
Wait a minute.
December 2nd, 2021 at 11:02 AM ^
Yeah, it has felt like an uphill battle for Walker and so sometimes it just happens. They have some guys already in the pipeline and my guess is they'll pick up a guy or two late as the coaching carousel moves.
December 2nd, 2021 at 8:40 AM ^
I'm in full, enjoy this year mode but man is it frustrating to lose out on top targets after this year. So much for the "win and they'll come".
December 2nd, 2021 at 8:51 AM ^
Also why’d this get a neg…someone got their cheerios pissed in this morning.
December 2nd, 2021 at 8:52 AM ^
Um, that’s not what “win and they come” means. No matter the draws of winning big, recruiting is built on years-long relationships and the winning big component is only five days old with less than 2 weeks to go until NLI day.
The paid dividends are for the next few recruiting classes.
December 2nd, 2021 at 8:57 AM ^
Recruiting shifts don't happen overnight, pal. Even when you start winning big games. You've got to build those relationships over time. Michigan might see some upticks with the 2022 class but those relationships and decisions with those students are more or less already made. Most everyone has already decided or was already close to deciding where they wanted to go.
Now the 2023 and 2024 classes are where you should start seeing more of the results you're expecting to see. Especially if Michigan wins this weekend, and wins a game or, god willing, even two in the CFP.
December 2nd, 2021 at 11:58 AM ^
It's like a scale, the OSU win put a nice weight on our side for some of these guys, but we need more. Win the Big Ten Championship, that'll help more. Lose, and we are half back to where we started Saturday morning.
December 2nd, 2021 at 8:48 AM ^
The scenery is much better in Lexington than Ann Arbor.
December 2nd, 2021 at 8:56 AM ^
it really isn't anymore
December 2nd, 2021 at 10:06 AM ^
are we talking about actual scenery or coeds?
December 2nd, 2021 at 9:38 AM ^
Its not, I was just at the Florida game two years ago. Pretty underwhelming actually. Arkansas this year blew it out of the water.
December 2nd, 2021 at 8:48 AM ^
I know it's taboo to go "there" but in the SEC education is just easier than any Big Ten school (besides OSU) and even more so at Michigan. UK has been putting guys into the draft lately. I mean, I couldn't really blame anyone who has aspirations to play in the NFL to take a route that is... easier
Neg away.
December 2nd, 2021 at 9:30 AM ^
Its taboo because its stupid unfounded pompous bullshit
December 2nd, 2021 at 10:02 AM ^
It's not "pompous bullshit." Every single person I know that went to an SEC school said their college classes were easier than high school. I know you and some other users for some weird reason have this habit of acting like Michigan isn't different in terms of education, curriculum, course load, etc. than other schools but it's just not the case
December 2nd, 2021 at 10:25 AM ^
Of course there are some differences but its not nearly the gap most people think for any school which is like top 100 in this country, which is most of the SEC and it is mostly about what the students choose to put in, the courses they take and how what they make of their education. Its extremely easy to coast through Michigan if you want just like any school.
And that is beyond the fact that plenty of schools with as good or better academics are currently or generally out recruit michigan. USC is ranked higher and is a recruiting powerhouse, UNC is currently out recruiting Michigan, Florida is a top 5 public school in the country and out recruiting Michigan, Texas historically out recruits Michigan, ND is about to bring in back to back top 10 classes. When Harbaugh first arrived we managed to bring in multiple 5 stars and top 5 recruiting classes .The limiting factor on recruiting isn't some perceived academic superiority, its being worse at recruiting.
December 2nd, 2021 at 10:33 AM ^
ak47, serious question here, not being confrontational. a week or two ago the topic was paying players and you said (paraphrasing here) that michigan does this just like everybody else. i replied that if that's true how come we've never seen or heard even a breath of a whisper of a rumor about any player thats been on our roster was paid - commenting, the pictures and stories are all over about the SEC and ohio, but not us. i asked you to point to one or more incidents to corroborate your claim.
so i ask again, genuinely seeking some info, do you have any specifics about michigan paying players, and if so, please share them.
December 2nd, 2021 at 10:52 AM ^
All it takes is being friends with people in sports. I personally know players who got paid. Devin Gardner had a credit card a booster paid for and never checked receipts as just one example (he’s not one of the guys I knew personally, but he wanted to sleep with a woman and bought her stuff with said credit card) I also know that athletes knew who was willing to cheat and took those classes. Was in a class with Taylor Lewan and chris brown from the hockey team and both showed up to the final with blue books already filled out. I went to high school with multiple d1 basketball players and know the sort of stuff they get offered. Everyone does it.
You talk about all these clear examples at other schools, where are they? You have the Laquan treadwell picture but where is the supposed proof of paying players at Clemson? At Georgia? At Alabama?