Damien Harris not attending BBQ
Title says it all.
2 top prospects will not attent that were scheduled to.
http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/index.ssf/2014/07/five-star_rb_damien_harris_won.html#incart_river
I didn't expect him to recommit anyway - clearly Al Borges was a key reason he was considering the school - and that's fine. Wish him the best wherever he lands, but the idea that Michigan is screwed without him ignores the reality that this team has three top backs entering their second years, and Isaac is probably going to be pushed back another year.
I'd put Roseboro as a strong lean. Weber as leaning more than a month ago. Cole is a mystery.
Too bad for him.
I will say that I am not terribly perturbed by this development, but I will credit the comments attached to the MLive article for representing the weird elements of the fanbase certainly. There are strange people commenting on that article that seem to earnestly expect that there should be zero attrition in a class that is essentially theoretical. Very strange people indeed.
Glad to see some positive news on my first day back on mgoblog in a while. AWESOME:))))
Why is it bad news that he's deciding December 13th? If anything, it's good news since it gives us a chance to win football games as opposed to him deciding in the next 40 days.
Why do people say land x recruit and the rest is gravy? Was Dashawn Hand gravy last year? I sure would have liked a top 3 national recruit to shore up the DL along with a top 3 national recruit in Peppers.
Who cares, wish the kid the best but hey when your not competitive stuff like this happends. Win some games and beat your rivals and you will win great recruits.
I know he's a 5 star and all that but I'm sorry I simply CANNOT get past the idea that he decommitted because Al Borges was fired. Yes I know he's close to Harris's HS Coach but Jesus man does the kid not own a television set?
It would be like if we lost a 5 star defensive player in 2011 class cuz Gerg got smoked.
Harris committed early and didn't immediately recognize that he was in the upper echelon of recurits. He saw that other recruits who had yet to commit were being wooed like chaste virgins and he wanted some of that. So when Borges was let go Harris used that as an excuse to withdraw his committment so that now not only is he being wooed by many, he's making some national news.
Kid likes being stroked and wants his 15 minutes of fame. Does that mean I think he'll return to the Michigan fold...nope, I have no thoughts about it one way or the other. He will or he won't, though I do believe every win Michigan chalks up increases the chances that he does.
My take:
He had a personal relationship with Borges. He committed after the team stumbled in 2012, 1 season removed from a BCS game, but with legit losses to multiple teams that finished in the top 5, plus Nebraska (QB injury) plus a tight one in a bowl (anyone's game). All explainable. The trajectory looked up. Aside from Bama we were competitive with everyone...you can explain away Bama. We won the cupcake games more convincingly and did pretty good in our wins to boot.
Then he watched this season play out and saw a team was in complete dysfunction at his position and the one his position relies on. (for related reasons) He watched 27 for 27, and -48. He was probably (like us) in shock at how bad his side of the ball looked for long stretches. He saw us struggle to put away bad teams like Akron and UConn. He saw us not look competitive vs MSU. He saw us - with a month to prepare - look like shiat versus an equitable KSU team. Yes OSU but aside from Minnesota there was not a convincing UM win in 2 months....and the losses piled up in every fashion. Then Campbell and whoever else (I already forgot) decommitted. I am sure at that point there had to be at least SOME doubt in his mind on what the hell was going on with the team. Then you throw Borges on top of it and it makes sense.
Look results matter to most recruits. It just does no matter what they say about education, tradition, family atmosphere etc. If this team was 10-3 last year (stomping Akron and making UConn look like an afterthought like any good team wouldI think Hand, Harris, and most likely McDowell (who was reported to sway heavily to MSU in November) would probably be Wolverines or future ones. Thankfully the brand is so strong we are still recruiting very well relative to the 8th place finish we just pulled...in a bad conference. But it's not complicated to see why some kids are wavering - there is no guarantee the coach they are committing to will even be there. Yes you commit to the school but uncertainty combined with a pathetic season hurts. The 2011 momentum is gone as is the "fresh coaching face" momentum. Now the team needs to look like a top 10-12 program to make this type of stuff end.
Thanks for bringing us reason.
What we don't know is what Borges might have said to his HS coach after he got canned. If he painted a picture of dysfunction on the staff and bad-mouthed Hoke to boot, it would certainly carry some weight. Some here have doubted that Borges would do any such thing, but human nature says different, at least to me.
Unless Al wanted to guarantee he'd be coaching at the Div III or h.s. level for the remainder of his career, such action would be tantamount to career suicide. The only year he won here, he "no-brained" it for the season, using RR's offense. Or perhaps, I should reprase that and say that was the only year he used his brain because that was the correct thing to do. After that, he was useless as an OC. He might be o.k. in a system that is not rebuilding and is capable of exploring multiple offensive strategies, but no one will be any good anywhere until they perfect at least one way of putting the ball in the end zone. When that occurs, other ways just seem to follow because you have the d back on their heels. You can't teach five different schemes at the same time. Offense is built on a foundation and the additions are added one piece at a time, not by having everyone working on different projects at the same time.
Well said. I think that Borges's problem was that he vastly over-estimated the amount of information his players could digest, and underestimated the amount of practice that was needed to master a football concept. The guy was book-smart, but maybe not people-smart. I still like him, and wish him well, but I am glad he isn't responsible for rebuilding Michigan's offense.
I don't see this as too big of a deal. We have an opportunity to impress any of the other 50 recruits in attendance.
One recruit doesn't make a class, and through the years we have missed out on some great players, however running back is far from our most desperate need.
jdon
Sure, yeah. Let's impress one of the other 50 recruits that will never be a starter for a top 25 program. That makes me feel much better. There a only a small handful of uncommitted recruits coming now that can help this team in any way.
is that how you see our recruits for the Bar-B-Que? and even if one takes your pessimistic mood I can still counter that our connections with kids, coaches, and programs still matter...
jdon
With Green, Smith, and Isaac in the fold, we should be fine through the 2016 season. I'd love to land Weber, but as long as we get good RBs in 2016 and 2017 we'll be OK.
He knew for a while he wouldn't be able to make it. Why was he saying he was coming? This football camp he has to attend didn't come out of nowhere.
MOAR MEAT for Weber, please
...not so much anymore.
Sidenote...this far and no "I only care about guys who WANT to play for Michigan!" post.
I realize that he could still want to play for Michigan...so I ONLY CARE ABOUT GUYS WHO WANT BBQ AT MICHIGAN!
/chestout
I think he will be interested again in UM if we win some games. If we lose 4 or more again, then I expect him to sign with a program that wins more. Hoke is recruiting good considering our record. If we were a top 10 team, then I think we would be a five star magnet!
...who actually played for Bo in the 70s and I discussed the concept of roster talent recently. There is undoubtedly more parity in college football talent-wise than in the 70s, but we both tend to agree that Michigan now has plenty of talented athletes to compete for the B1G championship moving forward. In the final analysis, we think winning is now more a function of coaching as it relates to conditioning, technique, game-by-game schemes and player motivation and not talent, per se.
We have a hard time buying the argument that we don't have the talent on the current roster.
have the talent. Hoke is a great recruiter and we have ton's of talent at every position. The problem is that we can't develop that talent. If Hoke was even 1/4 as good developing talent as Dantonio we'd be playing for the NC year in and year out
Whatever...My daughter is two. If she were coached by Dantonio, she'd already be potty-trained, reciting poetry, playing concert piano and running a 4.2 40. With Hoke, she'd just be reading Goodnight Moon.
and, for those for whom sarcasm is hard to grasp..... /s
If you think Hoke and staff are not developing talent at no greater than minus 75% of Dantonio and staff, you are as nuts as your last statement woul indicate. No one plays for the NC year in and year out. What does year in and year out mean anyway?
There is no doubt not many DCs do as good as job as Narducci and his db coach, in particular. W/O the type of play on the back end you simply can't play attack defense on every down. However, if development includes attempting to rip an opponent's head off when he's in a defenseless position, lying on the ground, and he's not so much as suspended for the remainder of the quarter, let alone getting him out of the game entirely, than you can have such development. As I stated yesterday, certain coaches belong at certain schools. No matter who coaches here, you'll only see that type of play one time from that player and if he doesn't refrain in the future, not only will he be gone, but so too will the coach.
MSU had a great season last year, able to finish off their last two games whereas OSU couldn't, but if you want to suggest to me that MSU is a better program than OSU right now, then we will have room for debate.
B/c the thought behind it is correct. I agree that we could change his mind with a good season that I think is well within reach. That said, you lost me when you wrote "Hoke is recruiting good." My estimation of your intelligence dropped dramatically. Hoke is recruiting well, not good.
...that Hoke is recruiting very goodly.
It's in the bag, man.
He isn't going to the BBQ, and he isn't going to Ohio the night before because of a team conflict. Nothing at all to see her folks.
Time to move on
Im more concerned with Weber maybe not attending than I am with Harris. Harris is not attending due to a prior commitment with his high school football team. Weber will be in Southern California on a recruiting trip. Which one of those events scares you more? I get that Harris is a decommitment and Michigan needs to get him on campus, but Weber now seems to be our #1 target at RB. Id much rather a recruit miss out on the BBQ at the Big House because he's with his high school football team as opposed to being on the beach in Cali with beautiful women everywhere. Obviously I dont blame the kid for taking a trip to USC. Who would? But as a Michigan fan, I just think Weber missing out would be more detrimental than Harris. Maybe I am just looking at it from a different perspective. Hopefully he can work it where he can go to USC and make it to the BBQ.
RB Mike Weber told me he's trying to get an earlier flight home from his USC visit to make it to Michigan's BBQ. He visits USC July 23-27.
— Tom VanHaaren (@TomVH) July 22, 2014
.@ccrowder22 DE Darian Roseboro, RB Mike Weber, DE Jalen Bates is supposed to be. Checking on some others.
— Tom VanHaaren (@TomVH) July 22, 2014
Two big 2016 TE's will be at Michigan's BBQ this weekend. ESPN Jr. 300 Naseir Upshur and Luke Farrell. 2015 Tyrone Wheatley Jr will not be.
— Tom VanHaaren (@TomVH) July 22, 2014I don't care any more, even if he goes Buckeye, as long as he doesn't become the next Barry Sanders.
But seriously, isn't amazing the impact Borges is having on the program even 8 months from his departure? If his head has not been up his ass and had the offense performed well last year, he still has a job and guys like Harris are still Blue.
This is an absolutely crucial year for this program. If Hoke tanks this year then we stare at another 4-5 years of horrid transition.
This will then be widely interpreted as "He sure gets a lot more out of those kids than Hoke did!" rather than as a credit to Hoke & Co.'s roster re-build.
Disappointing, but I can appreciate his committment to his high school team. Even if he goes elsewhere (and I think he will), getting Weber - and having Ty Isaac eligible in 2015 - will take away any sting of missing on Harris. Personally, I'm bothered more by the fact that McMillon will also miss the BBQ.