Brian and TomVH spoke last night to a group of NYC alums. Brian did his usual excellent job. I believe it was Tom's first time doing this (at least in NYC) and he did excellent as well. The content of their presentations largely has been covered on this site and elsewhere, but here are a few key points that were made:
- Brian's pretty high on the OL, thinks it might be the best in the B1G. Lewan is obvs, but he's also really high on Schofield;
- Both are super high on Pipkins and the practice buzz apparently backs that up;
- Status quo on Green and Treadwell - nothing you don't already know;
- Tom has heard from a significant number of recruits and their families that Hoke and Co. have done an outstanding job creating a family atmosphere that separates UM from the crowd and it isn't going unnoticed;
- To make matters better, in addition to being high on Hoke and the coordinators, Brian thinks that the position coaches are all outstanding;
- Both give us about a 25% chance against Alabama, and think reasonable expectations are about 9 wins. Doubt anyone will argue much with that;
- Neither seemed to think that the Roundtree injury is a big deal;
- Brian expects to see a lot of A.J. Williams;
- Brian thinks we'll see a lot more of Gardner at WR than most in the crowd were expecting; and
- Tom said that he thinks that the staff are such good recruiters that he expects the epic recruiting to continue. In fact, he thinks Hoke's magic poop will prevent Meyer from fencing in Ohio.
All that said, I personally was disappointed with the turnout, so if you're in NYC and didn't go, shame. I don't place the blame on the Alumni Association. I'm not actively involved with the Association, so I can say from a neutral standpoint that I thought they did a good job of publicizing the event, keeping the cost down, and running the event. And Brian and Tom did a great job, so the low turnout wasn't their fault. I know that last night the weather was horrible, but after the low turnout for the Novak/Hunwick event, this bothers me. If you're an NYC area alum, please consider this and make an effort to attend these events in the future. Your attendance benefits everyone.
I agree with Brian that we could certainly have the best group of starting linemen in the conference. Just please stay healthy guys!
Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.
- Vince Lombardi