David Dawson cancels Florida trip
#michigan commit @D3_MrUnderated_ informed us this morning that he has talked to Michigan's coaches and has canceled his Florida trip.
Taco is excited:
Also, according to Magnus, Mike Cox could've been a Heisman winner and JT Floyd didn't show much improvement last season.
Mike Cox should have won three Heismans.
Or at least an AVN award.
I had to google "AVN award"...
...and it turned out to be exactly what I was afraid it would be.
David Dawson's going to be one heck of a Michigan Man. Now let's leave him alone and let him enjoy his summer like everyone else.
Child, please!
I obviously can't defend the people who were calling him out on Twitter or whatever...
...but if Brady Hoke indeed put the kibosh on Dawson's Florida visit, then I think the 200-ish post thread was somewhat relevant. If the coaches didn't mind, then the visit would probably still be happening. So when the alarm bells went off in some of our heads, it was probably warranted (although, like I said, some people apparently crossed the line).
had any influence on the coaches. They've set a firm policy with recruits right from the start that if they commit to Michigan and then take visits elsewhere as if they are still shopping around, then their spot is now open and will not be held for them. I applaud the coaches for taking a hard line on this. It may create a few awkward situations, but the word will get out that we only want people who are REALLY committed, not just verbally. We want people who are enthusiatic about playing for this school, this team and this coaching staff. It's especially important when we're getting so many commitments early, because we don't want guys who will bail later on and leave us empty handed because we stopped pursuing recruits at their position.
I don't think Hoke reads MGoBlog or that the thread influenced him. I just think all those people saying "It's just a camp, no big deal, don't overreact" weren't really grasping the significance of the trip.
Agree 100%. If it wasn't a big deal, he'd still be headed down there. My question is, people keep referring to fans bashing him and going after him, but I haven't seen much of that. In the 200+ post freakout thread it seemed like most were just expressing disappointment at possibly losing him, along with questions as to how the coaches would handle it (a clear compliment) with very few (but admittedly rude/stupid) 'we don't need him' or 'he's so immature' posts. Where is all the bashing people keep talking about? Maybe I just missed a bunch of posts that got deleted or something...
I guess people were accosting him on Twitter, but I didn't bother to look for it and I don't follow Dawson on Twitter.
Site hits aside, I really don't think it's a big deal that a thread of "Who might replace him?" popped up. That's sports talk for you. It's full of what-ifs. You wouldn't bat an eyelash if you saw a thread saying "If Miguel Cabrera leaves via free agency, who could we get to play 3rd base?" I don't know why this should elicit a different response.
The situation is totally different. A blog doesn't really have that much influence on, say, baseball players. They're older, more secure (Albert Belle as a conspicuous exception), and getting paid money to play.
Now contrast that with a 17-year-old kid who's deciding where to go to college and play. He's not getting paid, so all financial considerations (such as those that Cabrera might have) are gone. It's all about the team, fanbase, and how the recruit feels. They're uber-sensative to whispers about them because they're that age and the power differential is really screwed up on a number of different levels.
TL;DR: Teenagers are very often insecure, and so vibes of rejection on a place as prominent as this one can be harmful.
"Who could replace him if he leaves?" is a fair discussion, regardless of a kid's feelings. If he's too sensitive to handle a discussion like that, he's too sensitive, period.
"Good riddance, this kid is a prima donna!" is not a fair discussion.
This is the internet. The former inevitably turns into the latter, to some extent or another.
That seems like an issue to be addressed to the wayward posters. Immature posters are going to be immature. You can go to any newspaper's website, read an innocuous article, and see people calling each other names in the comments section. That doesn't mean the article shouldn't be posted. It means there are idiots in the world, and they should be ignored or banned from posting.
Well that answers our question about whether school-sponsored camps are considered camps or visits. Clearly the best thing to do if you're a recruit and interested in something like this is pick up the phone and run it by your position coach at UM. I may be wrong, but I think that recruits can always call the coaches -- the dead periods apply only to coaches calling recruits.
Got me some high hopes for that interior offensive line in a couple years. Him n Kugler should be a wall.
All it took was one look:
And Dawson reconsidered. :-)
(I'd love to have heard what was said between Dawson and the coaches. My sense is there were no harsh words or veiled threats ... just, 'Son, we'd rather you didn't.' ... and that's all that was needed.)
He looks like his name should be Wolfgang.
#randomthoughts
Glad this is done with. Honestly, this was the first time I have not wanted to come on mgoblog over this twitter debate mostly surrounding Dawson.
I agree with Magnus that it was a significant piece of news but at the same time everyone freaking out about it and bombarding him on twitter isn't either.
Personally I'm glad to hear the news, but the way some people reacted to this was absolutely buckeyeian. Most people on this board probably read the story about the tragedy involving Dawson's father. But the people who were all upset about his "reported" trip to Florida, keep in mind this a 17yr old kid who lost his father only a few weeks ago. He should be getting nothing but support from everyone who supports the Maize and Blue, regardless of whether or not he wants to visit another school.
Yeah, that's what he said. And airlines aren't known for giving refunds...