Buckle Up?
Yes, I do think fans are in the mindset of overrating Hoke's offers/evaluations. He can do no wrong right now because of getting Peppers and other highly rated recruits. It is a fact that some of these commits will not pan out. Nobody knows for sure who they will be, but some will. Might it be Winovich? Could it be Ferns? Could it be Wilton Speight or Shane Morris? Nobody knows. Some will do well, and some won't.
OSU offers aren't overrated. They're just other offers. Who's to say whether they're good or bad or right or wrong? The point is simply that if you take away that ONE offer, people on this here message board probably wouldn't be talking about him so much. It's a chance to steal someone that OSU wants, so Michigan fans are extra excited.
Let's take a look back at the recruitment of Kyle Kalis. If we had flipped a 5-star recruit from Washington or Clemson, would it have been a big deal? Sure. Did the fact that Kalis flipped from OSU make it a BIGGER deal? Absolutely. If we were recruiting Winovich solely against Pitt, Florida State, etc., would some people be excited? Yes. Is there MORE intrigue because he has a check mark next to "OSU" in the offer column? I don't think there's any doubt. That's it. That's all. People are trying to say that I'm bashing Winovich, but it has nothing to do with him as a player - it's about the perception of stealing a kid away from potentially committing to OSU.
It's not just Ohio State. The last 2 years we have been pulling recruits that have been getting high level offers from schools like Alabama, LSU, USC, Notre Dame, and Florida. I don't think this is just OSU. The players we were getting through most of the 2000s did not have offer sheets like Hoke's classes.
The only concern I have is the early offer/commits. I think Michigan may be missing out on kids who develop as seniors or taking some kids early who may prove to not be developing 6 months later. It's one advantage SEC schools have as it seems kids in the Southeast have tended to wait more toward Signing Day to decide
Players of Urban Meyer's at Florida "tearing it up in the NFL" include Percy Harvin, Brandon Spikes, Aaron Hernandez, Jermaine Cunningham, Joe Haden, both of the Pouncey brothers, and Will Hill. The list of players they have in the NFL is staggering. So that's just an absurd accusation. You're a hack, plain and simple, and I'm getting tired of seeing you on the board.
This is a conversation about linebackers. Brandon Spikes? 200 tackles and 1 sack in three NFL seasons. Not exactly "tearing it up."
every week, and while he's no Ray Lewis, Spikes is a very servicable NFL player. This notion that an Urban Meyer offer doesn't mean much is absolute horseshit, as much as we all hate him, he's one of the best coaches in the country. You know what, why don't you just start doling out offers for every major program in the country, you seem to know exactly how good every player despite basing your evals off of highlight tapes.
So...I should keep my opinions about football players to myself, but you've got Brandon Spikes pegged as a very serviceable NFL linebacker.
That's an interesting contradiction there.
If he didn't have an OSU offer, I doubt there would be as much hype.
Let's face it, this is a big reason why we are all so interested. (And it's a legit one IMO.)
and I still do. This has nothing to do with your Hoke comment, as I agree, the Hoke love these days is bordering on insanity due to his apparent recruiting prowess.
Your evaluations are often edited regurgitations of the big 4 recruiting sites. Once in a while you will dissent and have a varying analysis of a recruit (often more critical), but for the most part you are a parrot.
That being said, with 4 major sites and the absolute over saturation of recruiting information out there, it becomes extremely difficult to generate unique content and analysis on a player.
IE, one can be fast, explosive, big, strong, etc. and most of this is pretty apparent to the naked eye, and obvious to their HS coaches and college recruiters.
So basically, to me, the information you offer falls between opaque plagiarism and redundant verbosity. Anybody can hit or miss on this stuff...Hell, even after 4 years of college NFL scouts have a hard time evaluating a players likely floor and ceiling in the NFL. I will, however, trust Greg Mattison [NFL defensive coordinator and coach with decades of experience] more than you [internet recruiting blogger / part time high school coach] until an abundance of evidence and examples proving your expertise over his are revealed.
not that I don't like Magnus's site.
I don't even know where I would get talent evaluations from the "Big Four" recruiting sites. I'm not an ESPN Insider or a member of Scout, and those are the two sites that seem to offer scouting reports. Rivals and 247 are mostly about fluff and recruiting questions, and those are my two subscriptions. So how would I go about plagiarizing scouting reports?
Speaking of being a parrot, though, thanks for saying "I'll trust Michigan's staff over you." Wow, I've never heard that before. Nor do I care whom you trust.
Anyway, tl;dr, he's a really good three star.
that means he'll soon be an ESPN 5 star!
People are excited because:
a) It's always exciting when someone picks Michigan
b) It's a recruiting battle with Ohio, and we like winning those
c) Typically players who Michigan and Ohio fight over are better than generic three-stars, so there's some belief that his rating is too low based on that interest.
- Will Shakespeare (apparently he knew something about recruiting)
I'm interested because he seems to be the current best available for Michigan at SLB which is a poistion of "need" in this class. I use "need" because we have a starter there for the next two years, but after that we only have a couple potential players (McCray and Ferns).
Personally, I think Ferns can play either MLB or SLB. With the depth chart at MLB/WLB being Bolden, Jenkins Stone, Ross, Poole, Gedeon and the depth chart at SLB being McCray, I see Ferns at SLB. You'd like to have more than two players competing at a position, especially if one is redshirt freshman.
Hope Winovich goes Blue.
@WPIAL_Insider Chase Winovich will be committing tonight at 5:30. He is down to two schools: Pitt and Michigan
I remember Jimmy Swain being mentioned more frequently a couple of weeks ago as a potential option. It seems like that chatter has died out and we are hearing more about Winovich. Looking at the charts of OLB it does seem like there are only a few legitimate takers with Chase being perhaps our best bet. Not blown away with his skillset but recruiting is about filling needs with the best talent/fit available. That being said, I really think most fellow MGoBloggers are watching this so closely because it is a potential poke in Urban's eye.
Magnus,
I'm curious. When you're evaluating these prospects how many hours of game footage are you watching? Where do you acquire this footage?
And while we're at it, how much time each week would you say you deal with these TPS reports?
Office Space? Seriously?
That's like, your opinion man.
Look at me, I just used a quote from another 90's movie.
Just a gut feeling, I just read a quote from him yesterday where he said something to the effect of "it hit me that I'm making this decision not for just the next 4 years, but the next 50 years...I want to look back down the road and be proud of the school I attended."
Very smart comment, #1. But #2, I've heard MULTIPLE recruits say this in the past when referring to Michigan.
Makes me feel that it's something the coaches routinely say. Michigan does have a network unlike any other, that diploma means a ton and to Michigan is clearly something that graduates remain proud of.
It was just a comment that really stuck out to me because I've heard commits say that before, I've also heard graduating seniors say almost the same words in regards to Michigan.
We've heard on numerous occassions where recruits or players repeat things the coaches say. How many times have we heard "it's the expectation for the position" or something about "playing for Michigan," etc. I've heard this quote about the next 50 years and looking back down the road on numerous occassions, hopefully it's Hokespeak in Winovich's ear.
2 hours away, but I think Winovich is Blue...which is crazy, because two weeks ago I thought we were the runners up.
For everyone who thinks I'm bashing Winovich, here's my final comment on him from my scouting report:
however, I think he could be a BCS all-conference type of player if he can maintain his athleticism.
Wow. I must really think he's terrible, huh? It must be a mistake that Hoke offered him, since I think he could be All-Big Ten.
I don't care if you think whether or not he's good because your evaluations are tailored to create some contoversy within the mgoblog community. Yes, there are some hits and misses in recruiting, but a good way to determine whether or not you should get excited about a player is if he has legitamite offers from Michigan and Ohio (and don't be a smartass here). Urban Meyer knows what a good player looks like. So does Greg Mattison. At the very least, they see the potential to coach Winovich into a good player. Stop instigating with your "holier than thou" opinions and masquerading as an informed talent evaluator.
relax people, Magnus compared Winovich to Shawn Crable in his evaluation... if Winovich ends up being as good as Crable was, or even close to it, we won't be complaining.
Some sites predicted him to Michigan, others saying he loves Urban. Our prediction: He stays home as a Panther #H2P
These kids today have no respect for promptness.
Next hour or two.
Chase Winovich said he is giving his college choice first to a female reporter for ESPN. Chantel Jennings covers MICH. #clue
Here goes . . .
YES!
Sam Webb Clairton Pa. LB, Chase Winovich committed to #Michigan coach Brady Hoke moments ago
Whoo Hoo! Suck it, Urban.
No. I'm not too proud to act 12 years old.