LSAClassOf2000

March 9th, 2012 at 6:01 PM ^

...it's rather more of a recruiting bullet train really. It's looks pretty darn good to have that many strong verbal commits in such a short span. The #20 CB in the nation per Rivals is certainly welcome.

JonSnow54

March 10th, 2012 at 1:04 AM ^

But....but....I thought it was safe to un buckle Monday through Friday?!  The speeding bullet train seems to hit top speed every weekend.  A man's got to unbuckle every now and again, right?  Plus if you unbuckle, it is really exciting to re-buckle.

Ehh....maybe you're right, though.  Maybe permanent buckling is in order...

DGDestroys

March 9th, 2012 at 6:22 PM ^

I don't want to turn this into a Magnus-bashing thread, although I know that's not your intention.

IMO, Magnus just gives his plain and honest opinion. It varies sometimes from other sites, because most other sites are (a) homers, or (b) unwilling to criticize the kid too harshly because they rely on his interview to get subscribers. I respect Magnus' work more than any other evaluations I read out there.

dennisblundon

March 9th, 2012 at 6:25 PM ^

I like that Magnus isn't a fan boy but he takes it in another direction completely. His act is to be bullish on all recruits in an effort to differentiate himself from other Michigan sites. Now he is no Valenti, but then again who is. He is more like those Muppets that sit up in the balcony and didn't like anything.

MattisonMan

March 10th, 2012 at 2:14 AM ^

Without Magnus, we'd think every one of our recruits was a stud every year. It's a good reality check and you're allowed to disagree if you like someone's film. That said, I think his speciality is linemen but at least he's specific about it; he backs up his criticisms very well. I know I don't really look out for 'knee bend' or first step very much.

WolvinLA2

March 9th, 2012 at 5:55 PM ^

A bird in the hand, my friend.

Just how the coaches are calling off the uncommitted LB recruits, I'm sure they'd do the same thing at other positions if they felt there were elite recruits we had a good shot at or were worth waiting for.  Or maybe the coaches think Conley is that good.  Scout has him as the #20 CB in the country, which is pretty solid.

wlubd

March 9th, 2012 at 6:00 PM ^

Another thing to consider is that the coaches look for 2 different types of corners. One of the reasons they liked Standifer was his size and ability to play the boundary-type corner spot that J.T. Floyd does.

Add Conley in with Jourdan Lewis whose more of a pure cover corner and you've got a very strong pair of CB's in this class

Marlo Stanfield

March 9th, 2012 at 6:11 PM ^

Not directly related to the announcement but around the 15 second mark of his highlights is pretty hilarious. A defensive tackle sized punter throws an interception to Conley...definitely one of the more unique plays I've ever seen. 

Edit: Seems people have the same observations as I do. 

WMUgoblue

March 9th, 2012 at 5:59 PM ^

Ummmm why? We are already in on plenty of blue chip recruits, would you rather recruits string the coaches along the whole time only to pick other schools? Jordan Diamond, and Joshua Garnett are prime examples. 



It would seem easier to get kids to stay committed to your school, rather than trying to get them to commit in the first place.

Blue boy johnson

March 9th, 2012 at 6:08 PM ^

Another thing, rating a recruit is highly subjective, it is possible the coaches have Conley higher rated than the recruiting services. I value a Hoke, Mattison opinion over Alan Trieu, or Tom Lemming or whatever recruiting guru you want to name. I appreciate what Trieu and Lemming do but I can't give their opinion more weight than our coaches.

P.S. I have no idea what opinion Trieu and Lemming have of Conley, I was just making a general point.

WolvinLA2

March 9th, 2012 at 6:15 PM ^

Absolutely.  Remember, Michigan has a full staff of experienced, well-funded football minds scouting their players.  They have great access to recruits films, their coaches, and the recruits themselves.  And they can focus their attention on a much smaller group of recruits than Lemming or Trieu.  Not only that, but the gurus rate a guy on how well he'll do in college in general, and our coaches "rate" a kid based on how well he'll do at Michigan, in our system. 

Point is, if Hoke and Co. really like a guy, but Lemming doesn't - side with Hoke.  He has a lot more riding on that decision than Lemming does anyway.

MFanWM

March 9th, 2012 at 6:09 PM ^

If I remember correctly, Pipkens was not on anyone's radar last year.  Standifer was another example that gained attention after Michigan's offer and if not for the missing language classes was picking up alot of attention as well.  

Given that many HS players continue to grow and develop I would give a lot of string to the fact that the coaches are picking up on very good talent very early in the process.  

Chi-Blue

March 9th, 2012 at 6:14 PM ^

In a way a see your point, buuuuuut one of the reasons we are having so much success with this class is because we got the job done early last year and were able to start concentrating on 2013 before anyone else in the Midwest. I specifically remember when we were all over Taco Charleton and it was like last summer. He said something along the lines of he didnt grow up a Mich fan and was more of an OSU guy. When asked about his recruitment in the fall he said that Mich was by far and away showing him the most love and that paid off for us in a big way. The name Malick McDowell is another bit of positivity when it comes to our efforts in the 2013 class being put together so early as he will be a bigtime prospect, and we are his first Bigtime offer (no the Cuse doesnt count). I personally think thats why we will not only finish strong in 2013, but we will also start very strong in 2014.