Carvin Johnson Update

Submitted by TomVH on

I spoke with Carvin Johnson tonight. I don't have 200 words, so I just put it here.

- He doesn't have an LSU offer yet. He said he's not really sure if they will offer, but if they do it won't change his commitment to Michigan.

- He also said that he didn't think the fans liked him because he didn't have enough stars. That was pretty much verbatim, and unprovoked. I didn't mention it, or bring it up, he did.

I hate to keep harping on that, but it's obviously starting to effect the recruits themselves, which is outrageous. I'm not saying it's only here, just relaying how he felt.

those.who.stay.

December 9th, 2009 at 9:33 PM ^

That I'm very excited to have Carvin Go Blue.

This kid is going to be a huge asset here. Big, ball-hawking safety, hits hard and is a leader of his defensive teammates.

Yes, Please.

clarkiefromcanada

December 9th, 2009 at 10:00 PM ^

He sounds like a quality player; I guess with no bowl to consider and the frustration of the previous year people may have some tendency to complain about ridiculous stuff like the number of "stars" given by so-called experts at Rivals/Scout.

To those who go that way, I ask this: If Tom Lemming's view of a player/person is your model of reference maybe you need to spend more time outside.

James Burrill Angell

December 9th, 2009 at 10:19 PM ^

1) JUST GET HERE!!! You'll see what Michigan fans really think about the men who wear Maize & Blue!
2) The people on this board (yes myself included) CLEARLY have too much time on their hands and not enough to do and our opinions should very rarely be taken with anything more than a grain of salt and a momentary passing thought.
3) A sort of offshoot of #1 - Every one of said people mentioned in #2 cares passionately about Michigan football, win, lose or draw (just ask all of us around for the 9-0-3 season) and will always have the players backs.
4) GET FREAKING REAL - YOU are an extemely talented safety who played for one of the dominant high school defenses for a dominant team in a state with some of the best high school football in the country. We are supporters of a collegiate team with a glaring need for people who happen to fit the aforementioned description of YOU!!!!
WE LIKE! WE LIKE!!!!
Looking forward to being one of the 112,000 watching you play in Ann Arbor on Saturdays for the next four years.

Geaux_Blue

December 9th, 2009 at 11:14 PM ^

Tell Carvin I'm going to his freeking State Championship game simply to see him play. That's a UM fan, not the ones who require an arbitrary and opinion-based system to decide how happy they are with a player. Tell him to rip it up at the Superdome and look in the stands for Blue (unfortunately I would be considered an unofficial 'host' and not racky 'hostess' - sorry Carvin)

BlueTimesTwo

December 10th, 2009 at 1:06 AM ^

Star rankings are like high school grades. If no additional information is available, they can be of some value in predicting college performance. However, like high school grades, there is a lot more to the individual than their star rankings. When additional information (like the opinions of those coaches who know the players the best) comes to light, you get a more complete picture of the individual. Some players might develop later in their HS careers, while others just slip through the cracks of the ratings services. The coaches look at more than just stars, so if they move on a recruit that lacks the impressive star rankings, we should assume that they have some information that we don't.

Also, like high school grades, star rankings mean jack shit once you get to campus. If Carvin plays the way that his current (and hopefully future) coaches believe that he is capable, nobody is going to care about stars. I am excited to see what he can do, and I hope that he can get on the field early. Some people play bigger than their star rankings, 40 times, etc., and I am hoping that Carvin is that kind of kid.

Welcome to Michigan, and Go Blue!

Seth9

December 10th, 2009 at 1:45 AM ^

"although i wasnt the one saying anything about him...."

Very helpful there. Great job!

EDIT: Out of curiosity, am I being negged for being an asshole (which I most certainly do not deny in this instance) or because I wasn't clear enough in my sarcasm?

bouje

December 9th, 2009 at 9:39 PM ^

You're one of the biggest douchebags here who is always negative who is always questioning the coaches about every little fucking thing that they do.

It makes me sick.

los barcos

December 9th, 2009 at 9:43 PM ^

bouje, i would bet if im considered one of the biggest deuches, you must be right there next to me.

and yes, i question the coach. is that bad? you can also go through every single one of posts, and no where, not a single one do i call out a player or recruit. thats more than i can say about you. and most of the people on this blog who have railed on the 2008 stevie browns, the masseys, mike williams, tate forciers, etc. etc.

so if im a deuche for questioning a man getting paid millions, what does that make you and everyone else for calling out an amateur player?

bouje

December 9th, 2009 at 9:46 PM ^

you think is questionable because you are just questioning the coaches decisions. You are also dogging the player and I've never railed on Tate Forcier. I might say that he made a couple poor decisions but that's about it. I don't rail on kids that play for Michigan.

Sorry that's not my MO.

teldar

December 9th, 2009 at 10:53 PM ^

like he's not a sleeper at all.

He sounds like he's got a great head for the game and reads and reacts to plays well.
If we had one safety like that this year we would have won a couple more games.

We could use 4 of him.

Smitty D

December 10th, 2009 at 9:02 AM ^

Carvin from what I hear is, that he does not have elite speed. Which makes no sense, he returns punts. You have to have speed great vision and change of direction ability to return punts.

I am not going to lie. When I seen no stars next to his name I was a little worried. After watching him play and reading articles about him, I seriously think this kid is going to be a player.

white_pony_rocks

December 10th, 2009 at 12:18 PM ^

well sure, we all were worried when we saw the star rankings, even Brian tastefully shows concern on this board when we get a recruit who has less than 3 stars. It is because for most of us it is all we have to go by. While most of us trust rich rod's judgment on recruits, we aren't privy to the same amount of data on a kid (video, face to face meetings, live games) he has, therefore we place our trust in an outside firm like Rivals or Scout because when you only really do one thing, you have to do it well or else you won't be around long. so we take what they say about 4 and 5 star recruits that commit to us and then decide since we believe them about our good recruits, how they are going to be all conference and lead us to a nat'l championship in a few years, we should believe what they say about the not so heralded recruits also. I said this in a post about ray vinopal, as fans we can speculate all we want, but we should never be assholes. if a kid is 5'9", we can speculate if he is big enough. if a kid has 2 stars or no stars, we can speculate about why. it is our right as fans, especially if the data is given to us. but we should never say things like "I hope we drop him for a bigger named recruit" or "man, why did rich rod offer him, he's just going to sit the bench behind our higher ranked recruits". those people are just assholes who need to be negged into oblivion.

BlueintheLou

December 9th, 2009 at 11:37 PM ^

I couldn't agree more. He could have offers from Washtenaw Community College, but if he plays how his coach says he plays. And he plays with the determination his opponents say. He's somebody I want with a winged helmet on. Bring him on up.

JPQ

December 9th, 2009 at 9:35 PM ^

If you read this, know there are plenty of Michigan fans who are thrilled with your verbal commitment. Can't wait to see you in the winged helmet! Go Blue!

BiSB

December 9th, 2009 at 11:56 PM ^

But Carvin, if you're reading this... STOP READING THIS.

We have no idea what we're talking about. They say that those who can't do, teach. And those who can't do or teach, blog about how other people should do and teach. I include myself in that group; we just can't help ourselves.

So forget about us. Come to Ann Arbor, put on the winged helmet, hit the field, hit some people. The rest is meaningless. Light up a Spartan or a Buckeye, and no one will ever remember, or care about, your recruiting ranking.

If you have any doubts, ask a Michigan fan about this guy.

MichiganExile

December 9th, 2009 at 9:36 PM ^

Seems like a smart kid with a good head on his shoulders and the pressures of this whole recruiting process is wearing him a little thin.

If he is good enough for the coaches he is good enough for me. Same with Vinopal and anybody else.

wildbackdunesman

December 9th, 2009 at 9:37 PM ^

It makes me sick that so many fans whine about stars and don't trust the coaches..... This kid should be excited about coming here and not have to put up with pathetic spoiled fans. Furthermore, we should be excited to have hard working kids coming in, especially after back to back losing seasons.

Section 1

December 9th, 2009 at 9:38 PM ^

that I am MOST excited about. We all know about Gardner, Miller, and White, and all of our other All-Staters from Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

We will always get our share of 4-stars. As will OSU and Notre Dame.

Carvin Johnson is the kind of player that will make Rich Rodriguez's future teams shine. Carvin Johnson is the kind of player that will make a difference for this team. Precisely because it is Rich Rodriguez seeing something special in him.

MGoPHILLY

December 9th, 2009 at 9:38 PM ^

I really like Carvin Johnson. How can you not like the best player on the best team in the state of Louisiana! This is rediculous. With the exception of what people at scout/rivals/espn (who very possibly have never seen the kid play), anyone who has seen Carvin play has come away saying he is an absolute stud. Here's hoping that we finally get some competent safety play.

samsoccer7

December 9th, 2009 at 9:38 PM ^

I really think we need to take it easy critiquing recruits on here. This really is a huge blog and definitely the best when it comes to Michigan football, so even google searches will lead people to this site. I'd hate to shatter a young guy's confidence before he even gets here. Even if some of the guys aren't blue chips, their self confidence is really a huge asset and we need to lay off.

jblaze

December 9th, 2009 at 9:44 PM ^

but it seems like the pay sites (Rivals and Scout) are the ones that recruits visit most. This may be because they can go to message boards of multiple teams relatively easily, but if they do read MGo, then let's be positive.

Just remember, most of us don't know anything about evaluating recruits and the Scout and Rival guys are not nearly as credible/ knowledgeable as RR or the Michigan staff.

itself

December 9th, 2009 at 9:49 PM ^

Since when did scout or rivals get to be the authority on recruits? Do we give them that right because we pay for their content?
Rich Rod has send on numerous occasions that recruiting is fun for the fans, but I think we forget that a rivals subscription doesnt make us a head coach.

MichMike86

December 9th, 2009 at 9:40 PM ^

Don't post anything negative. We might upset a potential commit. What are these kids going to do when they are boo'd? I am excited as the next to have this kid come play here but this thought that nobody can say that they aren't super high on a prospect is a joke. As long as no one says anything out of hand or attacks a kid then I think it is fine to not give rave reviews.

bouje

December 9th, 2009 at 9:41 PM ^

To talk shit about a player or to boo a player but Michigan fans should NEVER EVER EVER EVER (get my fucking point) boo or bash a Michigan player. It's sickening and ridiculous.

Cheer for the team and don't be a negative nancy little bitch.