BBrown: Quick Chris Clark Update
2015 TE and recent North Carolina commit Chris Clark just texted me to tell me that he will visit Michigan afterall. He was scheduled to visit Michigan last weekend and committed to the Tarheels just days before. He had a very real sentiment about why he still wants to check out Ann Arbor.
I'm visiting Michigan not for attention man, it's just a place I really like and need to see. I only get to make this decision once and I want to make sure I get it right. I owe that to myself.
Clark doesn't know exactly when he will visit yet, he said he'd tell me later tonight once he gets the plans finalized.
"I only get to make this decision once..."
I LOLd.
Reminds you they are kids.
I mean, there's no way we can match UNC's academic assistance for athletes (which I've heard is incredible), but I think we've still got a lot to offer.
March 26th, 2014 at 12:07 AM ^
Clark has quite the offer list beyond North Carolina actually. I just looked at it when I saw the post actually.
We offered him, of course, and within the Big Ten, he also has offers from Ohio State, Nebraska, Penn State, Purdue, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana (Maryland too - can't forget our new compatriot). In the SEC, he holds one from Alabama, Auburn, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Tennessee. All in all, about a third of Division I offered Chris Clark. Not bad.
North Carolina that Michigan wouldn't give up and he would end up at Michigan. Long way to go yet, and as you mentioned, lots of quality schools to choose from. I did not see us losing to North Carolina if he gets on campus.
Allow me to break it down for you Fred Jackson style: Chapel Hill is like Ann Arbor, but much warmer. But I do agree that Michigan has quite a bit more to offer to a young and talented football player than Carolina does.
Someone on the coaching staff has been doing some strong work lately. They were able to convince a heavy UCLA lean, Josh Rosen, to visit within days of his decision and now Clark after his commitment feels compelled to visit.
It's good that they are making a strong enough pitch get these recruits to listen and maybe even consider.
Sam Webb talked about how M didn't offer Taylor for a while, and Roy Manning had to do an excellent job keeping Michigan in the mix until an offer came. He did so.
Taylor went up to East Lansing first, then visited Ann Arbor. And that was that. I heart lol'ing at those stories
Michigan didn't string Taylor along, according to Sam. Michigan was upfront and honest with the kid from the get go and I think that played a huge part with the kid knowing that Michigan wanted him but needed to sort out their available spots. When one opened and the scholi was opened to Taylor, he knew hew was dealing with an HONEST coaching staff. Some kids are mature enough and have honest coaches who steer them in the right direction.
I dunno man. Coffee's for closers and so far, while we've been able to get them to visit, we havent actually flipped anybody yet.
Do you know how much my watch cost?
More than his car?
You think 4/5 star prospects with offers from places like OSU visits AA just to eat a meat sandwich at Zingermans? A 5 star don't walk into Schembechler Hall unless he wants to commit. They're sittin' there just waiting for you to tell them to give us a commit. Are you gonna take it, Brady? Are you man enough? What's the problem, pal?
If you sign the recruit, you get a new Cadillac. Second place, you get a set of steak knives.
Fuck you. That's my name.
we're going a little out of order here guys, but i'll play along
"You know what it takes to win national cahmpionships? It takes brass balls to win national championships. Go and do likewise gents. The trophy's out there, you pick it up its yours,. you don't. I got no sympathy for you."
Up votes for the Glengarry GlenRoss references.
If it can get kids who are committed in word or in mind to come visit. Michigan won't be able to flip every kid but it surely does help when your coaches can get kids to visit to make sure they made the right decision.
Brandon,
How solid is he to UNC? I remember his top 5 changing many times before he committed to UNC.
I think he genuinely loved his visit at UNC and committed earnestly, but then after a few days and recognizing the other opportunities out there he realized he may have acted on impulse a little bit. This is all my own opinion by the way.
He did tell me that he loved UNC and loved the way they used Ebron in the offense which makes a lot of sense, but now he just wants to check out some of these other high profile programs.
He hasn't said to me that he's wavering, but I wouldn't be surprised if he decides to reopen up his recruitment based on our conversations before he committed.
Have you heard about his family really wanting him to go to ND?
He's not solid at all. He committed to UNC, and within about a week, he was saying he wanted to visit OSU. Just look at the quote in the OP. He only gets to make this decision once, and he wants to make sure he gets it right. He's clearly a kid who basically named UNC his leader, not someone who's committed to them.
based on deciding to visit Michigan a few weeks after committing, I would say his solid verbal is approaching sublimation
That's sublime.
Just watched his tape and all I can say is WOW! 6'6 245, can play with his and in the dirt and looks athletic enough to play off the line of scrim as well! I hope we blow this kids mind and can flip him.
March 25th, 2014 at 10:23 PM ^
With his and in the dirt and not his but, he'll be just fine.
Why the heck did he committ somewhere else if he isn't sure yet? I hate to blame it on the kid, because maybe it's the system, and he feels he has to committ in order to keep from losing his spot at UNC, but sheesh it doesn't make much sense to me.
I can't imagine being in the position these KIDS are in. They are treated like kings during every visit they take, they are shown the top of the top of the top of the line facilities, given loads of gear, presented with opportunities I can't imagine, girls flock to them on every campus either naturally or as part of the visit, there are impermissable things going on in some cases...it's got to be insane. Lord knows I've made some pretty impulsive decisions with a lot less involved.
I would love to see a kid pick somewhere and stick to it, but there are so many variables that make that extremely difficult to do. And Chris is right, he gets to make this decision one time, so it needs to be right for him right now and for his future. The "verbal" isn't actually the decision so while it would be cool if kids just verbally pledged one time and stuck with it, I can't say I could do it even at my age now.
It seems completely insane the emphasis and pressure we put on these kids. I know plenty of people on here might say, "Wish I had such problems," but sometimes the worst thing you can do to a 16, 17 or 18 y.o. kid is give him everything he wants and that much attention.
Do you think there's some practical, fairly modest change that the NCAA could implement to bring some of this under control?
And if so is someone making sure he gets a raise soon?
You're totally right about the pressure and the pedestal these kids are put under/on. I think to some degree personality plays into this as well. Some kids love the attention and being seen/heard/recognized while others probably hate it. That's probably also part of why it frustrates me because that's not my style. I've never been an impulsive person and have always been conscientious. I've always thought out my decisions and probably a bit stubborn as well. So, anytime I made a decision, I stuck to it for better or worse and no one would convice me otherwise, even as a kid. So, that probably gets to me because I don't understand the lack of decisiveness, but that's probably as much a personality characteristic as anything else.
March 26th, 2014 at 11:19 AM ^
Do you think it is hypocritical of Michigan's staff to continue to recruit these kids once they have committed, yet expect our verbals to not take visits? This has probably been beaten to death in other threads, but I'm curious as to what Mr. Brown thinks on the subject.
As Brandon Brown said "He's not certain he could make that decision at his current age." Occasionally you will come across a h.s. kid, not necessarily an athlete, that is years ahead of his class in terms of maturity, able to make wise and informed decisions routinely, and above all else, is aware of the steps he has to take and the vehicles he has to use to arrive at his desired destination in regard to long term goals. Hell, the vast majority might have an idea of their long term goals in regard to a certain profession or career path, but this, more often than not, changes with age. Add in the fact these kids are dealing with great recruiters, i.e., great salesmen, and the ability to look one of these imposing figures in the eyes and say, "I really need more time and the opportunity to look at more schools," sometimes becomes almost impossible to say. Every great HC loads his staff with coaches who have perfected this art. You can narrow your choices down to two as to who will become a position coach. You've gotten this far in the process by deciding, rightfully so, who the best teachers are for a respective position. But the man who ultimately lands that job will not necessarily be the better of the two coaches. He will always be the one with the superior resume in regard to recruiting. This is true because recruiting is the lifeblood of any program. And his recruiting prowess will not be limited to his position only. ^Hell, we've all read stories of Moeller and how his one-on-one with a h.s. athlete seldom ended until he got the verbal from the kid. And although he wasn't around long enough to enjoy the fruits of his labor, he was able to land enough qbs and wrs to change MI's offense drastically and paved the way for Carr and staff to build upon and continue a long line of future NFL qbs and receivers. Now think back to when you were at that age and try to determine just how good you would be at saying no thanks to some of the world's greatest salesmen, especially when each had a tremendous product they were attempting to peddle. Hell, if we all had the experience of a thirty-five year old when we were 18, I'm guessing most of us would make the right call.