Conley Taking Visits

Submitted by umuncfan11 on

Per Bill Greene.

Bill Greene ‏@BillBankGreene

Gareon Conley will visit Cincinnati tomorrow. Says he's solid to Michigan but parents want him to take a few Trips Oregon coming in Monday

 

Sounds like he was having a hell of a night too.

Bill Greene ‏@BillBankGreene

Massillon moving at will on Fitch early. Up 7-0 early. Billy Price being doubled. Gareom Conley needs doubled. Not able to check him

 

Gareom Conley scores again. Massillon up 21-7. Could be 35-7. Fitch D getting ripped. Conley is a stud Michigan fans.

 

And Gareon Conley just caught another TD bomb. Not a typo. Massillon pimp handing Fitch. 28-7. And they've left points out there.

 

Now we have to sit back and see what happens with that commitment. Disappointing because I think Conley is a real player.

ChuckWood

October 6th, 2012 at 12:05 AM ^

Pretty sure Hoke makes it clear.  Visit before you commit and know you want to be at Michigan.  Onward and upward.  But oh man would i hate Oregon if they take another one.  They are snakey when it comes to recruiting.  Get in on guys late.  Brown, Fisher, and now going after Conley.

Denarded

October 5th, 2012 at 11:18 PM ^

When we offered Conley his only offers were NW and Marshall if I'm not mistaken? Gotta think high caliber teams realizing how good of a player he really is, is starting to turn his attention to see other teams. Hopefully we can keep him, but if the Hoke policy goes into effect, then the full court press begins on McQuay.

MrVociferous

October 5th, 2012 at 11:21 PM ^

Personally, I don't like this staff's stance on commitments.  Seems very old-fashioned an unrealistic in the current climent of recruiting.  If a kid wants to take some other visits, so what? Just means you're going to have to work a little harder to convince the kid.

ChuckWood

October 5th, 2012 at 11:24 PM ^

It's not old-fashioned.  They tell kids NOT to commit unless they are certain.  It's actually a really respectable approach.  They're not like a bunch of programs that pressure guys until they make an emotional decision and commit.  I love it.  Plus, it's worked so far.

MrVociferous

October 5th, 2012 at 11:37 PM ^

Decommitments are fairly rare in general, so I don't know if I would say that the policy is working.  I don't think its caused anyone from decommiting that wasn't going to do it anyways.  I mean, these are teenage kids.  Sometimes you make a decision in your junior year, and have second thoughts.  What's so bad about wanting to see what else is out there??  Isn't it just as healthy and respectable to tell the kid, "Sure, have a look.  And if you see anything better, then good luck.  But we think we have something good here at Michigan and would love it if you were a part of it."  So if Conley wants to look around, we intentionally poison the waters with a commit due to some sort of forced policy?  The whole thing just seems psycho over-posessive girlfriend to me.  But, you know...viva la Hoke.

ChuckWood

October 5th, 2012 at 11:58 PM ^

What is the point of looking around?  To find something better?  Exactly!  Looking around means he is not committed to Michigan.  Also meaning that Michigan should not be committed to him.  The staff makes sure the prospects know the drill before they commit.  

Commit after commit has stated that they appreciate the approach taken by Michigan coaches.  Not appying pressure but making sure the kid is ready.  Would you rather sit in a room with coach Saban giving a sales pitch making promises he can't keep, or sit in a room with Hoke telling you to be sure before you make a commitment?   Being to Michigan or another school.

Tacopants

October 6th, 2012 at 12:22 AM ^

You know who says that? Guys who committed to Michigan. We don't tend to get lots of feedback on Michigan's recruiting from guys who didn't commit to Michigan.

You know who probably doesn't appreciate Hoke's method of recruiting? The top 50ish guy who actually wants to take his time, has options, take all 5 official visits, and make the most informed decision. That's assuming the rules of "You can commit whenever but there may not be a spot" even apply to that player. I'm sure there's a legion of 3* dudes out there who would love to come play WR.

WolvinLA2

October 6th, 2012 at 12:28 AM ^

I know but that's life. If I get offered a very good job, I don't get forever to decide if I want it or not. If I'm still waiting on jobs I might like better, I might miss out on that job. If I meet a girl who really likes me, and I don't commit to being her boyfriend because there are other girls I'd like to check out, I might miss out on that girl.

This is how life works with most "positions" that are sought after and limited in number. If you get your window of opportunity to take it, it usually doesn't last forever.

MrVociferous

October 6th, 2012 at 10:27 AM ^

For a lot these kids, the point of looking around is getting to go to places and see things that you wouldn't normally get to see.  So if a kid makes an impulse decision to commit, and then 6 months later realizes he's going to miss out on one of big perks of recruiting, its not that crazy.  Maybe he just wants to see the crazy Oregon facilities, or fly out to LA, or visiti Texa for the first time in his life.  And we're going to deny him of that because of some insecure policy??

Magnus

October 6th, 2012 at 10:31 AM ^

Insecure or not, these decisions, decommits, etc. impact the lives of 10 coaches, 100 football players, and numerous other staff members, let alone fans.  Coaches have to do what's best for their program.  If Hoke believes this is best for Michigan, then that's the way he needs to do it.

UMICH1606

October 6th, 2012 at 11:04 AM ^

It's not like Michigan is the only one with this policy. Oregon, the same school who is trying to swoop in, also have a no visit policy if you commit. I don't blame schools for recruiting to the bell either. It's not like Hoke didn't go all out to sway Dunn last year.

julesh

October 6th, 2012 at 12:06 AM ^

It's not like Hoke is pulling the offer if he says he considers Conley or anyone else not committed. It just means that the staff is able to fill that spot, if necessary, with someone else who less likely to possibly leave Michigan in the lurch. Seems perfectly reasonable to me. Call him uncommitted and go back to courting him like someone you are trying to get to commit. I don't see how that poisons the well. 

Tacopants

October 6th, 2012 at 12:11 AM ^

You're being willfully blind if you think Michigan's policy is putting less pressure on recruits.

On one hand the coaches tell recruits to only commit if they're sure, and on the other they say that their spot may not be available if they continue to wait.  if you were a 3ish star guy like Conley was and your best other offers were low BCS/MAC level, you jump on that offer like a Great White on a seal.

Now that Conley's been blowing up, he's getting offers from other high level BCS teams and realizing he has other options.  it would be nice if he stuck with Michigan, but its not exactly shocking that he may be rethinking the biggest (well, probably the biggest) decision of his life so far.

I don't even understand why people are so excited about the opportunity to get McQuay instead of Conley.  Conley has shown far more interest in Michigan than McQuay ever has.

cbs650

October 6th, 2012 at 9:09 AM ^

so why didnt he just wait? We have seen in recruiting that some recruits use offers from one school to garner offers from other schools ( not saying this is the case hear). This is where a early signing period would help or a policy where u can offer a recruit until July 1st of their upcoming senior year. In this situation, it seems like the visits are not entirely his choice.

Callahan

October 6th, 2012 at 9:38 AM ^

It definitely puts more pressure on recruits ... if they actually want to go to Michigan. What it stops is the M Decommit All-Stars (Pearlie Graves, Dequinta Jones, Kevin Newsome, Anthony Fera, Shavodrick Beaver ... I'm sure there are more that I've forgotten) who "committed" so that they had a BCS slot, then looked around until the found someplace they really wanted. Michigan was their safety school. Do you really want Michigan to be the safety school for, IDK, Texas Tech, Tulsa, and Arkansas?

Mlaw2010

October 5th, 2012 at 11:26 PM ^

Every other kid in the class has been able to deal with it. I like the policy. So many of these kids would have visited other schools and just based on averages a couple would have left. This policy has greatly limited my concern when it comes to decommits.

MrVociferous

October 5th, 2012 at 11:42 PM ^

A) That's just foolish to think because someone visits another school he would leave.  Lots of recruits visit lots of schools and don't switch commitments all willy nilly.  Decommitments weren't much of an issue prior to this policy, and they haven't been much of an issue since.

B) It just seems cowardly to force these kids into a position where you don't have to compete with other schools once they are committed.  It seems much more healty and trustworthy to let them explore their options.

The whole thing just seems stupid to me.  So Conley wants to look at other options. Big deal.  But as a fan base now, because of this policy, we have people that are all FUCK OFF CONLEY, GOOD RIDDANCE!  I mean, Christ...that's the essence of the very first comment on the post, and lots of people have voted it up.  How is that healthy???

WolvinLA2

October 5th, 2012 at 11:48 PM ^

No one is saying fuck off Conley, people are just saying that he should either stay committed and not take visits, or decommit and do whatever he wants. What I'm saying is that he can't have his cake and eat it too. That's not mean, it's fair to both sides.

WolvinLA2

October 6th, 2012 at 12:15 AM ^

The bye bye to Conley is in response to his decision, not ours. And mother Hello to McQuay is hoping that we get a good player to replace the good one we may be losing.

I don't think anyone is saying they want Conley to leave. But to be excited for McQuay when Conley is leaving us is no if deal.

Remember, this is Conley's decision, not ours.

MGoBrewMom

October 6th, 2012 at 1:41 AM ^

Be crystal clear, and to apply to everyone equally.

If someone doesn't like the policy, they can go elsewhere. I like it because it is decisive, clear and applies equally. And, I especially like that Hoke doesn't give a shit if people don't like it. The next time *you* are the head coach of Michigan, you get to pick the policy.

*you meaning anyone

WolvinLA2

October 5th, 2012 at 11:30 PM ^

I agree with the last part completely. They'll have to work harder for Conley. But if he's not committed to us, why should we be committed to him? It has to be a two way street. USC has a kid looking around, and SC is looking to fill his spot. We should be doing the same.

If you're a man, you can't get married until you've decided on a mate. You can't pick a wife, and then go around dating to see who the best one is for you. You do that part first. If you decide you made your commitment too early and you need to look at your options, don't expect your wife to be waiting around for you afterward. She might be, but don't be surprised if she found someone to replace you in the meantime.

Oscar

October 5th, 2012 at 11:57 PM ^

Your analogy needs work.  The recruits are not married to us until they sign their letter of intent, until that time they are free to do as they please without penalty.  If you can't trust someone to "look around", then why do we even want them in our program to begin with?

I actually like Kiffin's policy, his recruits can take as many visits as they like as long as they make USC their last visit.

WolvinLA2

October 6th, 2012 at 12:04 AM ^

No, they are committed to us before signing day, just not legally so. There is a commitment there. They want us to save their spot, right? So they expect a commitment from Michigan. We should expect a commitment from them.

If they aren't sure Michigan is for them, that's OK. But they can't expect us to save their spot while they figure it out.

Oscar

October 6th, 2012 at 12:28 AM ^

Ok, I reread your post, and it was a little confusing how you referred to the school as your wife when I think you meant fiancee.  Regardless, I still think the policy is outdated.  I do understand both sides of the coin, sure we have a policy that "forbids" commits from visiting other schools, but the only thing we are doing is guaranteeing a decommit like P. Brown (would he have stayed with UM if we didn't automatically pull his commitment?  I guess we will never know...), or postponing a possible commit like L. Treadwell or D. Green (obviously I don't know if they would have commited already, but who knows if they would have commited if they knew they could still visit other schools).

Additionally, even with our current policy, we still have to continue recruiting players until NSD even when the class is full of commits, so that argument holds little weight.

MrVociferous

October 6th, 2012 at 12:05 AM ^

The trust thing is the part that bothers me.  If you really boil it down, that's why they don't want them to visit.  Just like the game on the field, recruiting is a competition.  Not letting someone go on a visit after they've committed just screams insecurity to me.  If you're secure in what you have to offer, and what your vision for the team is, then who cares?

ChuckWood

October 6th, 2012 at 12:08 AM ^

So you would let your girlfriend/wife sleep around?  I think not.  Unless you're into that kind of thing.  

It's not insecurity.  It's a recruiting strategy that has kept some pretty damn good recruits.

Tacopants

October 6th, 2012 at 12:42 AM ^

It would be more like trusting the GF to go out with her parents and not cheat on you if another guy buys her a drink.  If your relationship isn't strong enough for that, then maybe you weren't meant to be in the first place.

Switching metaphors - its essentially the same process as getting recruited for a job senior year. This is essentially the only time in the process where you/the recruit will have any control whatsoever, so you should take your time and take all of your visits/interviews. If you are a quality candidate in high demand and happen to get multiple offers, take your time to consider which company you want to work for.

Good companies don't tend to pressure their top candidates with deadlines or forbid them from interviewing with other companies. I don't even know what my reaction would have been had a company told me that 5 people had been offered for 1 spot and I could take all the time I wanted but the position could be gone if I took too long.

Tacopants

October 6th, 2012 at 1:09 AM ^

Trying to put myself/you in the shoes of a highly ranked HS Recruit. You got options, you interview well, you got a degree from a good school, had a good internship, etc. In the corporate world you're the equivalant of a Rivals 100 recruit.

Companies don't tend to threaten to pull offers, offer multiple people a job for which they only have 1 opening and so on because that's a great way to piss off the people you're recruiting. Then the underclassmen will hear through the grapevine that the Walt Disney Co. acted like dicks to their recruits, and suddenly they won't get the same caliber of applicants.

 

dayooper63

October 6th, 2012 at 1:00 AM ^

And guess which program has told certain kids that they have all the time in the world to decide?  Michigan.  From what it sounds like, Treadwell can take as much time as he wants, the coaches will hols a spot for them.  They did that with Pipkins last summer.  They even turned a top 100 kid away (Day) because they told Ondre' that there was a spot for him.  It's certain kids they think are program changers that they hold spots for.  Conley is a nice prospect, but is he a game changer?  I don't know.  I bet you, whether right or wrong, the coaches have an opinion.

Tacopants

October 6th, 2012 at 1:25 AM ^

I'm actually completely with that aspect.

I just don't know how some of these kids know what the right decision is if they don't get to take visits other places.  if all you've seen is Michigan, how do you know that Michigan is actually what's truly best for you? Again, if my best offers are NW and MAC and I know I need to make this decision now or not have a spot, guess what? And if USC and Florida come calling later on, well, why is it wrong to go visit? Policy seems unfair to the recruits while the coaches come out looking good.