247: Ten College Football Teams Recruiting at a National Title Level (you WON'T BELIEVE #5 CLICK HERE)

Submitted by Bodogblog on February 27th, 2020 at 12:18 PM

"One former five-star quarterback, Shea Patterson, just finished his career at Michigan after transferring from Ole Miss. The next five-star QB won’t arrive until 2021, when J.J. McCarthy hits Ann Arbor. But Dylan McCaffrey isn’t exactly chopped liver; he was the No. 5 pro-style quarterback and No. 120 overall player in his class. The Wolverines inked three five-star defensive linemen from 2016-2020; Chris Hinton could be the next to step into the starting lineup, where he’ll be accompanied by any number of four-star talents. A local talent from less than two hours away, Braiden McGregor, was a 2020 four-star who enrolled early with the Wolverines." 

https://247sports.com/LongFormArticle/college-football-recruiting-best-quarterbacks-defensive-linemen-national-titles-144299022/#144299022_1

 

 

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Sopwith

February 27th, 2020 at 12:23 PM ^

For what it's worth, they're in alphabetical order, not ranked. But yeah. It was nice to have some sunshine blown straight up the rectum with this kind of article. Mmmmm. That's good sunshine.

Joined: 06/29/2010

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Bodogblog

February 27th, 2020 at 12:32 PM ^

Yes I hope no one is taking what's obviously playful title based on a meme at face value.  Or really this throw away offseason article by 247, which doesn't have deep analyses or insights. 

What I do hope it does is poke the doom and gloomers on this board, reminding them that Michigan isn't in a bad place,  even in the eyes of national publications.  Though I have faith that they (and their Sparty and OSU concern troll counterparts) will work to spin this negatively, however.  In fact I think I hear a "Harbaugh hasn't developed that talent!!" rage machine revving now... 

Joined: 06/08/2010

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ldevon1

February 27th, 2020 at 1:00 PM ^

Good lord, just leave it alone. People can talk about how good Michigan recruits till they are blue in the face, but if they don't beat OSU , win a meaningful road, or win a bowl game what difference does it make? 3 star, 4 star, 5 star or no star, people will stop talking when Harbaugh beats OSU and gets to Indy. Nothing else really matters.  

Joined: 09/09/2015

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Bodogblog

February 27th, 2020 at 1:04 PM ^

I'm going to guess then that you don't really believe I screwed up, but that you're upset about my comments about doom and gloomers, which clearly include you? 

I will not give it up. I will argue with your football fan ennui until it turns.  Or Michigan wins, at which point you'll be cheering just as loudly as me and none of this will matter. 

Joined: 06/08/2010

MGoPoints: 26674

ijohnb

February 27th, 2020 at 1:44 PM ^

I am confused by the way that you feel about the football program.  I think it was you that I went back and forth with the other day about the attendance and ticket sales at Michigan and whether or not it is related to performance of the team.  You seem to take issue with "doom and gloomers" but I can't really figure out what your definition of a doom and gloomer is and how you feel about the product on the field.  If I were to say to you that at this point that there is no such thing as a successor football season that ends with a loss to Ohio State, no appearance in the BIG championship game and a bowl loss, would you agree or disagree? 

What exactly do you think?  Are wins and losses, particularly to rivals, just not that important to you?  Are you the kind of fan who is more along the lines of "if the kids are getting a good experience and we win 8 or 9 games that is good enough for me?" (There is not anything inherently wrong with that, some people feel that way).  Do you think we will beat Ohio State next year?  Is it still cool if we don't?  Do you think it is odd that some fans are frustrated with the football program and do you think fans are expecting too much?  

You obviously think a large portion of the football fan base feels a way that they should not feel, but I can't figure out what you think they should feel.  Satisfied?  Patient?  Appreciative? What do you think about the state of the program?

Joined: 09/21/2009

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Bodogblog

February 27th, 2020 at 5:38 PM ^

Fair question

  • Unspaz yourselves - it's a game, and learning to cope with losses in something as silly (in the larger picture of our lives) as football is one good thing that can come from the losing 
  • Understand expectations and where they should be
    • Michigan coming from worst period of football ever 
    • Harbaugh had to pull the team back from RichRod Hoke 
    • MSU was crushing us! So was Iowa, Wisconsin, anybody decent 
    • Harbaugh has put MSU in the basement, and is now locked with Wiscy and PSU as second-best teams in the B1G 
    • Ohio State is as good or better than it's ever been - you can't go X years of Tressel, Y years of Meyer, and expect any Michigan coach to pull out of the 8 year RichRod/Hoke fire and compete with that 
    • But he almost did.  2016 would have changed everything.  Bad luck, terrible officiating.  I believe they were the better team that day.  Would have been playoffs in year 2.  That would quite literally have been one of the most spectacular coaching turnarounds in college football history.  An inch away. 
    • 2017 too.  Brilliant game plan.  Just about any B1G or competent MAC QB wins that game. 
  • Alabama was a playoff team this year.  Ridiculous Auburn turnover luck pushed them into our bowl game.  Unlucky.  We hung around for a bit, but Patterson was awful and their QB was great.  I think we beat Auburn if we played them.  That alone would have turned a lot of narrative.  
  • FSU in the New Year's 6 game - kickoff gets returned because everyone thought it was a dead ball.  Bad luck, because no way they go the full field against that defense.  You think these are excuses, I don't have to make excuses I'm not the coach.  This is reason. 
  • 2018 OSU was a disaster, but it was an incredible reclamation project to get the team 10-1 and favored in Columbus after that ND game 
  • If Maryland completes a simple 3 yard pass to a wide open WR (OSU busted their coverage and two defenders chased another receiver, the guy was wide open), Michigan likely has a B1G title just last year 
  • Michigan creates the transfer market and gets a 5* QB and it's Patterson, OSU leverages that market and its Fields.  OSU got extremely lucky that Fields is that type of player.  Michigan was fortunate to get Patterson, but what if you reverse just this one item (i.e. what if Patterson was a Heisman level player and Fields was just above average)? 
  • Harbaugh has done a very good job, he's taken Michigan from doormat to very good team 
  • Yes, I'm appreciative 
  • No, it's not enough.  They have to improve. 
  • I believe they will 

Joined: 06/08/2010

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DHughes5218

February 27th, 2020 at 9:05 PM ^

I think you (and a lot of us on here) pretend like Michigan was at Rutgers level when Harbaugh took over. The team wasn’t that bad and was actually very talented.  
 

The roster Harbaugh inherited was better than any he’s put together. With Hoke, we had talent, but lost games they had no business losing. That doesn’t happen under Harbaugh, but the team has been primarily Harbaugh recruits and development for the last couple of years and they aren’t gaining ground on OSU and may be losing ground to PSU. I’m not saying things can’t get better and Harbaugh is the wrong guy, but if he doesn’t win something significant in the next two years, I will consider Harbaugh a disappointment.

Joined: 10/04/2014

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Bodogblog

February 27th, 2020 at 9:38 PM ^

Thanks for the fan fiction of how ridiculously extremist some "Michigan fans" can get when extending their whiny arguments.  Lol though, I don't even think they would go that far!  Michigan wasn't that bad after RichRod and Hoke, HaHA that's great stuff thank you!  You should have said something like Shane Morris getting concussed, put back in the game by a clueless staff and administration emblematic of the once-in-a-century depths to which the team had fallen, not to mention the team getting obliterated by Minnesota, was really just the same as going 10-2 / 9-3 every year!!   HahHAaA that's excellent stuff, great work! 

EDIT: sorry I missed the part about PSU!!  HhaaHHaaAa losing ground when Harbaugh is 3-2 against them!!  Too notch stuff! 

Joined: 06/08/2010

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buckeyejonross

February 27th, 2020 at 4:09 PM ^

Five years of results under Harbaugh have broken Michigan fans. We're dividing by 0 a this point. What's the answer? If the recruiting is good enough for top tier results, then the coaching and development isn't. If the coaching and development is good enough for top tier results, then the recruiting isn't. If both are good enough, why hasn't Michigan had any top tier results? Is it as simple as not being able to achieve top tier results because Michigan can't beat OSU? Maybe? But Michigan also loses to Wisconsin and PSU half the time, and loses its bowl game every time. Michigan is 1-9 in the last two games of the season under Harbaugh. Michigan has gone into the offseason on a two game losing streak for four (4) straight years. 

You read that article and group the teams and it's painfully obvious that Michigan belongs with Texas, aTm, and South Carolina in the "why can't these teams make it work?" section, instead of in the OSU/Georgia/'Bama/Clemson/OU "yea that makes sense" section.

Michigan has problems that run deeper than the mere existence of OSU.

Joined: 07/27/2010

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Bodogblog

February 27th, 2020 at 7:51 PM ^

If Maryland completes that pass in 2018, Buckeye fans tear Urban Meyer limb from limb.  Ohio State deserved to lose that game. 

Or if there is even officiating in 2016. Or if there's a midway competent uninjured QB on the roster in 2017.  

Don't act like Buckeyes wouldn't be doing the same. 

 

Harbaugh is a very good coach, and has done very good work bringing Michigan from the depths  He'll get there. 

Joined: 06/08/2010

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wolve1972

February 27th, 2020 at 8:25 PM ^

OSU fans would not of been happy but to trying to compare a couple of "possible" failures to what we've went through the last 15 years is crazy. Repeat - it's been 15 years since a B1G championship. We'd run out of paper listing all of the OSU championships and accomplishments in the same period. People can make all the excuses they want, but Harbaugh was hired to fix all of this and BEAT OSU and is very well paid for it. I sure do miss Bo.

Joined: 12/07/2018

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M-B Devil Dog

February 28th, 2020 at 7:29 AM ^

We can't base our arguments on optimism when every data point is a " IF this happened" or "We just need".  Those are not data points on our  getting our ship righted.  There is a culture problem within the program. 

One consistent theme I hear from former players is We are not recruiting the studs we need to and the ones we get aren't being developed. 

Joined: 12/05/2018

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Bodogblog

February 28th, 2020 at 9:39 AM ^

But of course they are. 

If you had a business, and you had a guy running it who saved you from certain bankruptcy, but wasn't yet getting you the top returns in the business, you'd need to analyze it.  You have a good business with a lot of advantages, so you expect him to do well.  Of course you'd give him time to salvage the company from bankruptcy and getting back up and running.  

If he got you within a whisker of the top companies in his second year, even after pulling you out of bankruptcy, that would be amazing.  If that didn't happen because of things out of his control (refs at OSU), you'd need to account for that.  Same for FSU/2017 OSU/Alabama instead of Auburn in the bowl game. 

If you didn't, you might think something really stupid, like this guy needs to be replaced.  You'd replace him with someone who probably has something like a 90% probability of doing worse.  

Let me put it in a context you'll understand: all of you ReSuLTs UNACCEPTABLES would have fired Dabo Swinnery after his team got murdered and had 70 put on them in that Orange Bowl forever ago.  That would have been correct in your context-less NO EXCUSES I'M A TOUGH GUY world, but quite idiotic in the real one. 

Joined: 06/08/2010

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MGoStrength

February 27th, 2020 at 6:39 PM ^

If the recruiting is good enough for top tier results, then the coaching and development isn't. If the coaching and development is good enough for top tier results, then the recruiting isn't. If both are good enough, why hasn't Michigan had any top tier results?

I agree it's a combination of recruiting, coaching, development, and retention.  What percentage is what I'm not sure.

Is it as simple as not being able to achieve top tier results because Michigan can't beat OSU? Maybe? But Michigan also loses to Wisconsin and PSU half the time, and loses its bowl game every time. Michigan is 1-9 in the last two games of the season under Harbaugh. Michigan has gone into the offseason on a two game losing streak for four (4) straight years. 

I think if you a dig a little deeper beyond those numbers, it suggests it's more likely an OSU problem.  They are not as good as OSU.  That could easily still mean they are in the top 6 in the country, but OSU is in the top 5.  Here's why I think it's specific to OSU. 

Lets look at the PSU.  JH is 3-2 vs PSU.  During that same time OSU is 4-1 vs PSU.  One of UM's losses were by 7 pts on dropped a last minute TD.  Two of OSU's wins over PSU were by one point.  Those numbers are not indicating a significant difference when playing PSU. 

Let's look at Wiscy.  JH is 2-2 vs Wiscy.  The home team wins.  It's that simple.  OSU has done better against Wiscy for sure because they are better.  But, UM's problem IMO was specific to Wiscy's strength last year being UM's weaknesses (Wiscy's good running game vs UM's poor interior d-line).  They beat them soundly in 2018 and in a close game in 2016. 

Let's look at bowls.  UM's record in bowl games is 1-4.  They lost to a top 10 team in FSU in 2016 by one point.  Their best player (Peppers) didn't play.  They lost to S.Carolina with their 3rd string QB by 7 pts that required a 4th quarter melt down.  In 2018 they got killed by a top 10 team in Florida with lots of guys out (Gary, Bush, Higdon, etc.).  Again, these are super convincing issues on their own.

Now, all that information doesn't dissolve JH of any fault/blame.  They should have done better and there are clearly areas for improvement.  But, if you dig beyond the numbers you'll see JH is a lot closer than 1-9 in their last two games.  The only glaring problem is they can't beat OSU.  The reality is only Clemson can with any consistency.  The rest is kinda meh.  

Joined: 07/29/2010

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Khaleke The Freak

February 27th, 2020 at 3:53 PM ^

Did the coaches fumble in the red zone, jump offsides on a 4th down punt?  Sometimes talent puckers under the bright lights too.  I don’t think McCaffrey will pucker.

Joined: 05/20/2017

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1VaBlue1

February 27th, 2020 at 12:51 PM ^

McCaffrey's rank in the final QB/overall list had everything to do with him not competing in any camps his senior year.  Prior to that, when he did compete in them, he was neck and neck with Jake Fromm and Hunter Johnson for the top QB spot.  He was also listed in the top 20 overall (5-starz) at the end of the 2016 HS season rankings (his junior year).  Not competing as a senior, because he was already committed to Michigan (presumably), directly led to his slide down in the rankings.

That said, he may well have not performed very well in the camps, had he attended them.  We'll never know that...

Joined: 01/31/2016

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AC1997

February 27th, 2020 at 12:52 PM ^

I think he's correct with this article if he's looking at top-10.  The problem is that it is really top-4 and 6-10.  Alabama, Georgia, OSU, and Clemson are way ahead of Michigan, Auburn, Texas, A&M, SC, and the others on the list.  

Joined: 09/19/2008

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SpartanNation

February 27th, 2020 at 1:02 PM ^

This list is STUPID. How can it leave off the TRUE SPARTAN WARRIORS at Michigan State? They're recruiting at a national level. From Grand Rapids to Port Huron, and from Kalamazoo to Traverse City, MSU is getting the recruits it wants, whenever it wants. This article is just one more example of the BLUE WALL.

SPARTAN NATION

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