Harbaugh Recruiting Tactics
Mods feel free to delete since this is hearsay, but I've seen a lot of "disappointment" in Harbaugh's recruiting tactics the past few days on the blog. So I figured I would post this.
My former teammate's cousin is (probably was at this point) a Michigan commit. I will leave his name out for privacy reasons. I talked to my buddy last weekend, and he told me that his cousin would probably be playing at a different school.
However, he had nothing but good things to say about Harbaugh and his staff. He said the coaches meticulously laid out who his competition would be, and explained to him that they weren't done recruiting the position yet. Harbaugh also told him that his scholarship to one of the best academic institutes was absolutely still available to him, but he would need to work his ass off to see any playing time. Said recruit has decided that while academics are important, playing football is his true passion and wants to see the field sooner than later. He would rather fine tune his game on the field and get better.
He also said he was ecstatic with the Michigan offer, because not a lot of schools were looking at him before. Now he has quite a few offers.
Again feel free to delete. This is only one recruit; I have no idea about any of the others. I was having a hard time believing that the coaching staff was simply ignoring recruits (nothing about Harbaugh's personality suggests that type of passive-aggressive behavior). There is always two sides to every story. A true leader has to make tough decisions. Not everything can be unicorns and rainbows.
*Queue brother's sister's cousin twice removed comments.
January 20th, 2016 at 1:30 AM ^
In my opinon, I don't think you can rationalize it because it happened so late in the process. Pretty lame of the coaching staff.
January 20th, 2016 at 2:38 AM ^
January 20th, 2016 at 3:25 AM ^
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January 20th, 2016 at 3:45 AM ^
There has been such a holier than thou attitude from many on here, give it a rest and time will tell us what's going on.
Quit trying to create a controversy where one probably doesn't exist.
And if the worst case scenario is what's going on, which I don't believe it is, is it that egregious really? Guys will eventually go where they go, if they have talent someone will give them a chance and said talent won't be wasted.
Look at the NFL rosters and you'll see guys from all sorts of small colleges, a degree from any college is better than no degree from any college even if that school is not Michigan.
January 20th, 2016 at 6:42 AM ^
Thank you & well said.
People who assume the worst without having all the facts are DUMBASSES!
January 20th, 2016 at 5:10 AM ^
Pretty lame to throw shade at Michigan's coaching staff without knowing all the facts.
January 20th, 2016 at 4:18 AM ^
January 20th, 2016 at 5:54 AM ^
You want the best talent available, period. Sometimes you miss but you can't afford to take chances when the stakes are this high.
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January 20th, 2016 at 6:30 AM ^
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January 20th, 2016 at 6:48 AM ^
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January 20th, 2016 at 6:46 AM ^
*Cue brother's sister's cousin twice removed comments.
FIFY
January 20th, 2016 at 7:52 AM ^
January 20th, 2016 at 6:53 AM ^
January 20th, 2016 at 7:00 AM ^
January 20th, 2016 at 8:02 AM ^
This could very well be how it played out with other recruits, and I wouldn't be surprised if Harbaugh did act with a fair bit of compassion and honesty. But this story doesn't really change how it will be interpretted. For those who want to put a bit of a rationalization into it, then this is just Harbaugh being honest with a recruit and giving him a change (though late in the process) to find a better fit. And yes, this is a cutthroat business and kids shouldn't be surprised. For those who still find it a bit scummy, this is just a bad look even if the harm is ultimately somewhat minimal.
To me, it's not that I'm naive enough to not believe it happens, nor does it shake my faith in the coaching staff as people or talent evaluators. They are paid, in part, to win, and that isn't a clean and pleasant job. But at the same time, this isn't the best way to handle the situation, especially given the semi-consistent reaffirmations both sides made along the way.
And if the tables were turned and some other coach did something similar, I doubt anyone would be putting this much effort into defending it as part of life. But that's okay; fandom is like that. But I just hope that there aren't a million threads around here in a couple weeks when guys start falling out of other programs at the last minute or shortly after signing day.
January 20th, 2016 at 8:11 AM ^
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January 20th, 2016 at 8:29 AM ^
January 20th, 2016 at 8:46 AM ^
January 20th, 2016 at 8:33 AM ^
Is Swenson being fat and lazy or is Harbaugh screwing him, because he sees better people, even though he accepted Swenson?
Unfortunately, we'll never know the answer (well at least for a few years), so why speculate based on nothing? Aside from the actual staff, nobody knows.
January 20th, 2016 at 9:28 AM ^
Or is Swenson trying his hardest but he peaked early in his development and he is struggling to embrace the new reality that he isn't going to be a highly valued part of this recruiting class like he thought he would be?
Black or white scenarios like this bother me. There doesn't have to be a bad guy. Even if everybody tried their best to do things right, feelings can still get hurt with young men.
January 20th, 2016 at 12:02 PM ^
the nature of kids committing at ages 13-15 and people being in various stages of puberty means some kids are going to be world destroyers in late middle to early high school just because they grew faster.
You see it constantly with hockey recruits. I believe both Tristan Llwellyn and Luke Moffatt were trumpeted as the best in their age group as like 12-13 year olds. As everyone else developed though they went from best ever to just D1 caliber players.
Swenson likely was an early bloomer and crushed people as freshmen. When everyone else caught up to him then it probably became apparent he's not super-elite as a tackle, just very good
January 20th, 2016 at 12:08 PM ^
Well said. This isn't zero sum in terms of "fault".
January 20th, 2016 at 8:45 AM ^
Swenson gets to go where he will be wanted and on a better level to compete.
Harbaugh gets to coach the guys he actually thinks have a chance to play.
Its a win win for everyone and its the right decision in the long run even if it makes Harbaugh look like an asshole in the short run.
January 20th, 2016 at 9:19 AM ^
OP isn't necessarily talking about Swenson. It could be Rashad Weaver, Nate Johnson, or one of our other commits that weren't on the radar of most schools before we offered them.
January 20th, 2016 at 8:18 AM ^
http://gregghenson.com/rumor-longtime-ol-committment-out-of-2016-class/
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January 20th, 2016 at 9:45 AM ^
That's not very reassuring. And it seems to conflict with the Twitter information IncrediblyBlue found. Frankly, the whole article reads like one of the "Harbaugh would ever do wrong, plus this is big boy football " comments from this or Space Coyote's thread on Swenson. I hope it's true, but Henson strikes me more as a guy who is good at making educated guesses than a person with real information.
January 20th, 2016 at 8:41 AM ^
Honestly, even if its not a good look for Harbaugh and staff, its probably the BEST thing for both the player and the coach in the long run. The coaches get to coach the players they want and the player will get to go somewhere that is likely more on his level and where he will have a better chance to compete. In the short run it may look bad for Michigan, but in the long run no one will care (look at how Mike Weber's shady recruitment has caused OSU's recruiting to plummet!). Let's be real: Is Erik Swenson really going to want to be the next Blake Bars or Dan Samuelson? Cause that's who he reminds me of at the moment: A 3/4 (though more toward the four) star type not known for his athleticism. Probably not.
Everyone just needs to take a deep breath and let the adults handle the situation instead of creating long original posts about what it all means and how disappointed they are that the coaches don't want to take a player that likely won't play and will transfer in two years anyway, thus doing wrong by the player in the long run but appeasing said fans delicate sensibilities in the short run.
January 20th, 2016 at 8:57 AM ^
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January 20th, 2016 at 11:21 AM ^
You could be right. Maybe Harbaugh will regret it. BUT I think he's got a pretty good eye for talent and if he thinks that Swenson will not be able to compete at the level he would like, then I think we should trust him on it. And even if it looks bad at the moment, like I said: Its better for Swenson to go somewhere he is wanted rather than to a place where the staff is only taking him because they feel they have to do it.
January 20th, 2016 at 11:02 AM ^
Lying to recruits is always going to come back to haunt you, and isn't a benefit in the long run.
I'm not saying that harbaugh and staff lied to anyone, just that the proposal here that it is "the best thing for the player and the coach in the long run" if the staff accepts commits and then drops them when someone better comes along for that spot is not true.
January 20th, 2016 at 11:17 AM ^
Right, "lying" to recruits is CRUSHING Meyer and Saban right now.
January 20th, 2016 at 12:47 PM ^
Right, because Meyer and Saban have never failed to land a recruit they wanted (since you have turned this into a hyperbole contest).
January 20th, 2016 at 8:55 AM ^
The history books will call this the Age of Entitlement. Nobody wants to work hard and compete, they want what they "deserve". And if you are told you arent good enough its time to play the victim. Even if you dont play the victim card, others will label you as such and slander those who do not agree with them. This whole culture makes me want to retch. We are becoming soft and lazy and far too cynical. The dying breath of the American Dream.
Everything Ive seen and heard regarding Jim Harbaugh is that hes an honest guy, a straight-shooter, who cares about each and every one of the kids that come through his door. He wouldnt mince words in an attempt to sidestep a kid who he doesnt think can make the grade, whether thats on the field or in the classroom. If he thinks you will get buried on the depth chart he will tell you and give you the opportunity to choose competition or another school. Hes not going to have kids buried on the bench wondering how things may have turned out if they had all the information, including information they may not have wanted to hear at the time.
The people here trying to paint Harbaugh as a snake, without all the relevant information and far too prematurely, just need to leave the blog, quit watching football and any other competitive pursuit and go cry in the corner for all the hapless victims that got a full ride scholarship to Central or Western or Temple instead of to Michigan where they simply didnt measure up.
Neg away politically correct douchebags but remember youre making me a victim now too.
January 20th, 2016 at 9:05 AM ^
No high horse here just right and wrong.
That said, feeling like this one is just a bunch of dudes making up facts on a blog. IMO, Swenson was the longest pledged guy and deserves some special consideration for waiting it out. If he want any told a year ago what some are alleging now, that probably ain't cool either. Again, that's simply speculative, and again, not against the rules.
Tough one.
Signed,
Douche bag
January 20th, 2016 at 9:55 AM ^
January 20th, 2016 at 11:24 AM ^
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January 20th, 2016 at 11:39 AM ^
But in this case, Harbaugh is actually doing the decent thing if this is as simple as the staff not being impressed by Swenson's development. He's telling Swenson the truth: We don't think you'll compete for playing time at Michigan and it would be best to look elsewhere. He's doing this despite the fact that self-righteous Michigan fans will work themselves into a fit about how we're doing things the "wrong way" and becoming SEC. He's doing the hard thing, which is often the right thing.
The easy way out would just be to have Swenson come here despite not wanting him and then when the staff is likely right and he doesn't sniff playing time, have him transfer. Which in reality is the wrong thing for both the player and the program but looks like the honorable choice to the outsider who can only see things in black or white.
January 20th, 2016 at 8:59 AM ^
One group of people will say the staff should have kept Swensen. While the opposing folks will say they did him a favor. IMO it is somewhere in between and I would lean towards doing him a favor. I don't think of it as them letting him down other than his personal wishes but that initself will not get him early playing time. Meanwhile they will continue to persue other OT's who have a better shot at playing early because that is the need after all, someone who can step right in and play at a certain level after being with the team one year.
January 20th, 2016 at 9:17 AM ^
Y'all need to get real. Michigan is just like everywhere else when it comes to cutting throats and winning.
January 20th, 2016 at 9:45 AM ^
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January 20th, 2016 at 9:51 AM ^
I hate to break it to you but whenever there are millions of dollars at stake and the life blood of that revenue stream is coaches and players, and they operate on handshakes for a year up to maybe 4 or 5, everything will not exactly run on smooth rails all the time.
January 20th, 2016 at 12:56 PM ^
I hate to break it to you, but people who only seem to act in the honorable way when things "run on smooth rails" are people who are acting dishonorably all the time, except you just don't see it all the time. Who wants to cheer for a team led by people like that?
There are not millions of dollars at stake in the decision to treat college football recruits honorably.January 20th, 2016 at 1:05 PM ^
So Harbaugh is getting paid millions of dollars to hand out academic scholarships to the best players available?
January 20th, 2016 at 5:40 PM ^
So this is a non sequitur contest? Hmm. Okay.
"So, Harbaugh is paid millions of dollars to hand out shoes to Salvation Army Santas?"
How's that? A contender?
January 20th, 2016 at 9:24 AM ^
I'm not saying I don't believe your story but you say you don't see not talking to a recruit in Harbaughs personality but there is pretty extensive track record that this is exactly what he did at Stanford.
January 20th, 2016 at 9:24 AM ^
A lot of the thoughts regarding the Swenson situation specifically and recruiting in general seem to focus on 'PULLING OPPORTUNITIES IS IMMORAL' or "WIN AT ALL COST OF GTFO."
There is a lot of middle ground. I don't think there's anything wrong with pulling a scholarship or putting a guy on grayshirt as long as therej's a clear and honest expectation between the two parties. My thoughts on the Swenson situation would vary significantly based on how it played out.
If the coaches were telling him all this time that everything was good,. He visits several times and hears everything was good. Drevno visits his school on 12/5 (per 247 Sports) and tells him everything is good--- and then they just call him this week out of the blue and said we're moving in a different direction-- yeah, that kind of sucks.
On the other hand, if they laid out a clear expectation that yes, you have a scholarship offer. It is contingent on us seeing improvement in your play. Based on timing, we might not be able to give you a definitive answer until January. It's not a guarantee, so if you decide to look around, we will definitely understand. They look at his tape and see that he didn't improve and Drevno gives him the news when he visits the school.--- that's a completely different story.
I would like to think that it's the latter scenario. Given the fact that Michigan needs several OL and doesn't have anyone close to taking his place, that scenario would seem to make the most sense to me. As someone who wants to see the team win and to do it well-- I hope that's the case.
January 20th, 2016 at 10:40 AM ^
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January 20th, 2016 at 12:58 PM ^
I agree with this to the extent that it is understood that, if the staff accepts a committment, they will honor their word. If the kid isn't likely to see any playing time and decides to go elsewhere, that's fine. If the staff has buyer's remorse after accepting the committment, then that's the staff's problem, not the recruit's.
January 20th, 2016 at 9:30 AM ^
I'm not one of those fans that ever thought we were much different as far as recruiting tactics go, so this doesn't really bother me. Is Harbaugh really pushing it in terms of integrity? Not sure, I do know he's gotted more creative and more cut throat.
As I said, I'm not the type of fan that ever felt we were superior in these ways to other programs, wo it doesn't bother me, I just want to win. Am I sorry for what happened to Swenson? Sure, he seems like a good kid and was all Blue for a long time, but this is the environment we are trying to compete in.
As long as the NCAA doesn't care, neither do I.
January 20th, 2016 at 9:53 AM ^
That's the inconsistency that I don't understand. What did fans actually believe when we hired Harbaugh? I love him as a coach, but I don't pretend that he won't stretch boundaries to get the best team he can field within the rules.
In my opinion, Swenson was probably not treated with fairness, but that's assuming recruiting and college football is an entirely fair process. If there were no scholarship caps, then yes, we should take him. I do feel sorry for Swenson since I would hope that he was told earlier (if the facts are what's being assumed). However, I would rather have Harbaugh be upfront before signing day and tell a recruit that he should look for other options (than oversign and push out players who have already signed the LOI and want to stay for the four full years).
This may burst some people's bubbles, but college football is not really an amateur sport. The athletic department is willing to pay out its nose for corporate boxes, new facilities, and coaches. It may have a bit higher academic standards than other schools in the B10 outside of NWU, but even those, are stretched a bit to admit some athletes who wouldn't otherwise have the grades and test scores to get in which is the case at every school - D1 and lower. Frankly, that's fine with me because I don't think grades and test scores are always reflective of aptitude anyways. And yes, I think we should pay football players too.