Chris Clark Decommits
2015 TE Chris Clark has decommitted from #Michigan. No surprise there.
— Steve Lorenz (@TremendousUM) December 2, 2014
Decommittment RT @Clark8Chris: pic.twitter.com/XfWGoBGMu9
— Sam Webb (@SamWebb77) December 2, 2014December 2nd, 2014 at 6:21 PM ^
December 2nd, 2014 at 6:21 PM ^
Wouldn't surprise me if it got down to just Malzone and Runyan. Another rough year of football with no coach anymore - I can't blame these guys for looking around
December 2nd, 2014 at 6:30 PM ^
Hopefully, Michigan gets a spread guy and the TE position becomes a lot less relevant than it is right now. Since they really don't have room for a big class anyway, I am also hoping that the next guy is able to "hit the ground running" and get enough good recruits to save the class.
December 2nd, 2014 at 6:37 PM ^
We've got two potential good ones in Butt and Bunting. I don't want to see them disappear. I'm fairly convinced Butt will be a star if we can find a QB to throw to him. Dudes got some hands
December 2nd, 2014 at 6:44 PM ^
Hopefully Hill comes back strong from his injury because I thought he was looking pretty good before he got hurt.
December 2nd, 2014 at 6:58 PM ^
Yup, Khalid too. It would be painful to watch us swing violently back the other direction (to the spread) and waste all the young TE talent we seem to have
December 2nd, 2014 at 6:46 PM ^
Harbaugh dominated with multi-TE sets. Pretty sure all of his Stanford TEs are in the NFL as well.
December 2nd, 2014 at 7:29 PM ^
Jim Harbaugh, arguably the fiercest competitor to ever play for the University of Michigan, is not leaving the NFL while his brother John and hated nemesis Pete Carroll have Super Bowl rings and he does not.
Anyone who thinks Jim Harbaugh will be our coach next year is in for some bitter disappointment.
December 2nd, 2014 at 8:03 PM ^
Someone who would pay attention to a poster with -99522 points is in for some bitter disappointment.
December 3rd, 2014 at 7:29 AM ^
So I'm wrong because of my point total. Can't argue with that logic!
December 2nd, 2014 at 7:19 PM ^
Yes, because I too would desperately love to relive 2008...
Look, I'm all for a forward-thinker who can work in some modern, spread concepts, but going full-RichRod zone-read is a ship that I hope has sailed. Not because I don't like the offense, but because I don't want to listen to an offseason of, "Well, don't expect Michigan to improve too soon, as the new coach needs to get the personnel in place for his offense."
I'd be open to something closer to a passing spread, though, at least I think. I don't know. I'm reasonably familiar with the differences between the right personnel for running-based spread vs pro style, but less so on the differences with passing-based spread vs pro style. I asked on a thread a while back, but no one who could help me saw it.
December 2nd, 2014 at 6:21 PM ^
Just saw this and was about to post this up. Down to 6 commits for the 2015 class.
This also begs the question. How many players will transfer?
December 2nd, 2014 at 6:38 PM ^
but I don't feel like many would. I feel like Hoke's staff really sold their guys on Michigan and the pride of playing at Michigan. As long as we get a staff with a reasonably similar philosophy (i.e. not Paul Johnson) I feel like there will be less carnage than with the RR transition
But then again, I may just be dangerously naive
December 2nd, 2014 at 8:58 PM ^
Not trying to be rude but that isn't how you use "begs the question".
"Begging the question" is a form of logical fallacy in which a statement or claim is assumed to be true without evidence other than the statement or claim itself.
December 2nd, 2014 at 9:05 PM ^
At last, someone who knows what "begs the question" means. The phrase people are looking for, is "invites the question."
By the way, you base something on something else, not off it...
December 2nd, 2014 at 9:39 PM ^
commitment to the values most of these players signed up for, his explicit declaration that UM is looking to build on what it already has rather than starting over, and his future meeting with the players to listen to their concerns will go a long way. I think most will at least wait to hear who the new coach is and take it from there. Many are probably all in regardless; these guys have been through a lot together.
December 2nd, 2014 at 6:21 PM ^
He'll be back along with others when the new coach is hired.
December 2nd, 2014 at 6:25 PM ^
How do you think a big name hire (Harbaugh, Miles) will affect the players that have decommitted? Will it sway them to commit again?
December 2nd, 2014 at 6:27 PM ^
How would anyone here know that?
December 2nd, 2014 at 6:31 PM ^
As crazy as it sounds, a Harbaugh hiring in early January might not sway the recruits at all. If you're a 17/18 yr high schooler I'm guessing you are going to want to have established some sort of relationship with the coaches at the school your going to commit to. Since Harbaugh hasn't been involved in recruiting these kids, there is no relationship there, only the Harbaugh name.
Someone like Miles might sway them. Miles might have been recruiting a lot of these kids and already have some type of relationship with them.
December 2nd, 2014 at 6:48 PM ^
December 2nd, 2014 at 6:50 PM ^
Ridiculous thing to expect from eighteen-year-olds, vast majority of whom have no familial tie to the school.
December 2nd, 2014 at 7:00 PM ^
December 2nd, 2014 at 7:38 PM ^
It would be ridiculous to expect a kid to stay committed to a school that has no coach. There is no rule saying Clark can't commit later, when that fairly important detail is resolved.
December 2nd, 2014 at 7:55 PM ^
December 2nd, 2014 at 6:48 PM ^
If you're a TE like Clark, Harbuagh would be your top choice.
December 2nd, 2014 at 6:40 PM ^
from a school then end up reupping? I can't think of any...
December 2nd, 2014 at 6:50 PM ^
David Dawson. Will Campbell. It happens all the time.
December 2nd, 2014 at 7:06 PM ^
That depends on the coach. If its Harbaugh, then yes, if its a "spread guy" as some suggested above, then it probably doesn't make sense for a top tier, true tight end to come to Michigan.
December 2nd, 2014 at 6:22 PM ^
I have expected this for a few weeks. He always seemed like one of the most likely to decommit. Too bad, he was a nice component of the class.
December 2nd, 2014 at 6:22 PM ^
December 2nd, 2014 at 6:22 PM ^
I wonder if Clark really thought Hoke would be retained? I'm sure it won't be the last recruit we see go, but they could all come back for the right guy!
December 2nd, 2014 at 6:40 PM ^
But you can at least respect a kid for waiting until the verdict comes in before announcing what he's probably felt for some time. The players who decommit mid-season just added negative press to a bad situation and made it that much more likely that the staff wouldn't survive the season.
This is the more appropriate way to do it, I think.
December 2nd, 2014 at 6:23 PM ^
December 2nd, 2014 at 6:39 PM ^
Can't really dig him for dropping us here. Since he committed the bottom really fell out and the staff he connected with got fired.
December 2nd, 2014 at 7:39 PM ^
December 2nd, 2014 at 7:56 PM ^
If he was hadn't decommitted you would be the first one to say how great he is. Let's not turn into one of those boards. He has a right to change his mind and reassess things to see what's best for him. It's pretty petty of people to attack a young kid.
December 2nd, 2014 at 6:23 PM ^
December 2nd, 2014 at 6:24 PM ^
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December 2nd, 2014 at 6:26 PM ^
To his credit, he was always pretty upfront that what drew him to Mich was his relationship with coaches and didn't pull the plug until they were officially out.
December 2nd, 2014 at 6:27 PM ^
these recruits and others even better will be climbing all over themselves to get back to Michigan. I wish him luck if he doesn't come back.
December 2nd, 2014 at 6:27 PM ^
December 2nd, 2014 at 6:28 PM ^
Sorry... :(
December 2nd, 2014 at 6:28 PM ^
I saw his tweet about loving Hoke, and figured this was next. I'm just so much more concerned with the coaching hire, though.
December 2nd, 2014 at 6:30 PM ^
December 2nd, 2014 at 6:31 PM ^
How worried should we be about current players transferring because Hoke was fired? Or do you think a Harbaugh or Miles hire would keep them here?
December 2nd, 2014 at 6:37 PM ^
In the grand scheme of things, replacing the coaching staff is of the utmost importance. Any individual player(s) that transfer/decommit are losses but not nearly as critical as installing a high-quality coaching staff. Kids may leave and so be it if they do. Bigger fish to fry.
December 2nd, 2014 at 6:53 PM ^
I'd like to think though that the majority of this team sticks together compared to past transitions.
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December 2nd, 2014 at 6:31 PM ^
I thought the saying was "commit to the school, not the coach". So much for that.
December 2nd, 2014 at 6:35 PM ^