Honestly, how do we recruit against UCLA?
If Mora stays put, he and Coach Harbaugh are going to be fighting over a lot of the same recruits for years.
Both: top public universities in the US, 30K+ students, academic peers, former NFL coaches in their prime, both named Jim, huge stadiums
UCLA pros: palm trees, girls (33% Asian, which some kids are into), weather, Hollywood, surrounding wealth on another level, Mora has a flashy Manhattan Beach mansion I'm sure he shows off to recruits, Snoop Dogg's and P Diddy's kids are on the team ("cool" factor)
UM pros: historical success, Harbaugh's personal university connection, success and high profile status
We have our biases, but I think we know what most non-affiliated teens find more alluring. UCLA's newfound momentum is not good for us.
February 5th, 2015 at 3:08 PM ^
work out for you in Japan? Oh right, American football is basically non-existant in Japan. Nobody cares about it, not part of their cultural fabric, period. And here in very ethnically diverse CA, a significant percentage of students in the UC system (and Stanford) are first and second generation asians who didn't grow up glued to their TVs every Saturday in the Fall watching college football. And here's some related news for you: compared to Ann Arbor or Columbus, college football is just not that big of a deal here, other than cross-town bragging rights. And most students who are CULTURALLY driven to get straight A's will be found in the library meeting with their study group on Saturdays, which absolutely is related to a person's cultural-ethnic background, whether you accept that or not.
And your StubHub comment is ridiculous, given that Michigan football was godawful - people had good reason to stay away, whereas at Stanford, I couldn't sell four premium tickets at face value for last year's game against Washington (where, at the time, Stanford was ranked #3 in the country, and Washington was #15). That says a lot about the demand to see college football at one of the top academic institutions here in CA. You're not in Ann Arbor anymore.
February 5th, 2015 at 3:36 PM ^
There are 10 million people in LA county. Approximately 10% are Asian. Blaming a half-empty Rose Bowl on disinterested Asian students at UCLA is disingenuous at best.
February 6th, 2015 at 12:10 AM ^
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February 6th, 2015 at 10:37 AM ^
What makes @socalwolverine1 a bigger moron is there is a league, or there was when I was there, of American Football. It wasn't the size of the NFL but what is? The Japanese are very athletic: soccer (as you mention), baseball, basketball, tennis, figure skating, hockey, rugby, ekiden, etc. I played on a company soccer team (2 foreigners are allowed per roster) and they ran my ass into the ground.
@socalwolverine1 asked if he wasn't very bright, then how'd he get a degree? I d on't know -- but I believe Michigan should take it back. He's ruining it for the rest of us!
February 5th, 2015 at 11:38 AM ^
has big football watching parties every Saturday with his mostly asian friends. I have another asian friend who goes to Vegas with his asian buddies and bets on the NFL and watches football all weekend, so keep your prejudiced statements to yourself, OK? And Heiko. Don't forget Heiko.
February 5th, 2015 at 10:40 AM ^
It has always been my opinion that Michigan should use the cold weather AS a recruiting tool. When you are in the NFL and at Green Bay during the playoffs, what program gets you ready for that situation better? UCLA palm trees or Michigan in weather that football was meant to be played in.
February 5th, 2015 at 10:50 AM ^
Winning games gets you high profile recruits.
February 5th, 2015 at 10:54 AM ^
Please delete this thread.
Original poster, use some flipping common sense and don't be such a flaming drama queen.
LA is essentially the worst sports town on the face of the earth.
Professional football teams leave there (repatedly) for a reason.
February 5th, 2015 at 10:55 AM ^
Now that USC is off sanctions and they have a lot of competition from other schools, they will have a bigger struggle. Aside from that, Michigan will be recruiting different players than them and so it won't affect us much. UCLA will always do well in their home-state though just as we will do well in Michigan. Nothing to worry about at all.
February 5th, 2015 at 10:55 AM ^
February 5th, 2015 at 10:56 AM ^
February 5th, 2015 at 10:58 AM ^
Is this stupid thread day? You act as if there are 25 recruits in the country to be fighting over. UCLA will get theirs, UM will get theirs - they will probably cross over for 5-8 recruits a year. There is a massive pond of players out there. And I bet Brian is willing to eat a lemon that Mora is not UCLA's coach in 2017.
February 5th, 2015 at 11:03 AM ^
three of UCLA's major pros: TITS! TITS! TITS!
February 5th, 2015 at 11:11 AM ^
Not to mention that the weather report for today is 80 and sunny....which is pretty much the weather report ten months of the year in LA.....
February 5th, 2015 at 11:13 AM ^
February 5th, 2015 at 11:19 AM ^
Three of them are pretty hot....the other two are not too shabby either...
That being said, on a serious not, UCLA is in many respects like Michigan. It does not have as storied of a history in terms of football like Michigan does, but it is an elite institution as far as academics go, the athletic dept has a ton of $$$, the sports facilities on campus are really nice, the campus is beautiful, the locations is fantastic, the weather is amazing....
February 5th, 2015 at 11:39 AM ^
UCLA not too shabby = A2 beauty queen.
February 5th, 2015 at 11:55 AM ^
I dont date at all....because I'm married, to a woman who is DEFFINITELY hotter than 4 of those girls, all 5 really but I'm biased. I'd post a picture on here but i'm afraid that you MGoCreepers might like it a little too much, and I have more respect for my wife than MGrowOld, don't feel a need to "show her off".
Have a fun day Magnus!!!
p.s. Is that you in the picture, didn't take you for a guy wearing glasses, the pony tail and pimples do not surprise me, however...
February 5th, 2015 at 12:32 PM ^
is the most beautiful woman in the world?
February 5th, 2015 at 11:22 AM ^
February 5th, 2015 at 11:38 AM ^
Have you seen my avatar?!?
February 5th, 2015 at 12:47 PM ^
February 5th, 2015 at 1:22 PM ^
based on how the women look, then I don't want them. And all the people on here agreeing with that? woof.
February 6th, 2015 at 12:29 AM ^
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February 5th, 2015 at 11:16 AM ^
that is all
February 5th, 2015 at 11:19 AM ^
Different strokes for different folks. UCLA recruits a lot of kids from the west coast, and obviously there are geographical issues.
Chris Clark is...a special case. He committed to UNC even though he immediately wanted to take other visits, then he committed to Michigan, then he decommitted from Michigan because of the coaching certainty, then he was all about Harbaugh because of the tight end usage, and then he committed to a team that doesn't have much use for a tight end. Not a whole lot of that story makes sense.
With those types of kids, you just have to throw up your hands and say "S*** happens."
I remember reading an article about kids who change their commitment during their recruitment. Those types of kids have a lower success rate in college football than the kids who commit just once. Granted, Michigan gets their share of guys who flip (Gentry, Washington, Higdon, etc.), but there are some reasons to doubt the wishy-washy kids.
February 5th, 2015 at 11:37 AM ^
but there are some reasons to doubt the wishy-washy kidsTwo words... Alex Legion.
February 5th, 2015 at 11:21 AM ^
Pros:
- Michigan has far more television exposure + eastern time zone
- Far more passion toward football - huge full stadium, student engagement. Football is king at Michigan
- Michigan has a far greater football reputation, history and "brand" - and Tom Brady too
- Ann Arbor is a fantastic college town
- Michigan's coach has more name recognition and has been more successful
- "Our helmets have wings"
Cons:
Westwood is beautiful, great weather and beaches
Whoever said caliber of co-eds is equal is insane - UCLA in a landslide
LA has big-city vibe, glitz, hollywood, etc.
UCLA is currently "hot" - that goes in cycles
People far underestimate what Michigan has to offer.
Remember, top recruits go to Lincoln NE, Norman OK, Waco TX, Auburn AL, South Bend IN and Columbus f-ing OH. Of course they will come to A2!
February 5th, 2015 at 11:55 AM ^
I'd actually disagree about Westwood village being awesome. It's kind of like a scaled-up South U, except with more douchebags in Maseratis and 50-year-olds with plastic faces.
Other things of note: CTools is a lot better than UCLA's course computing website, and people get ticketed for jaywalking on campus all the time, which totally sucks. Let the negative recruiting commence!
February 5th, 2015 at 11:28 AM ^
And, start loving the heck out of top in state players. Chasing so many out of state 5 stars( like Hand )we make in staters ( like McDowell) feel like second class citizens.
Win, get back on the big stage, and we will get plenty of players.
February 5th, 2015 at 11:33 AM ^
More fodder for the 100 point limit.
February 5th, 2015 at 11:33 AM ^
Clone Kate Upton so there are several on campus at any one time during recruiting visits.
February 5th, 2015 at 11:33 AM ^
the 405. That's enough to drive anyone insane.
February 5th, 2015 at 11:40 AM ^
I have my undergrad degree from UM and grad degree from UCLA, so here's the deal. UCLA has weather and their student body some other pleasureable aesthetic advantages over UM. But, I've always wondered how they could recruit when they have to put their recruits in a car/bus and drive an hour+ in traffic to show them their stadium. The Rose Bowl is nowhere near campus, and the students don't have a clue about football. To me, selling UM's history and passion for the game and gameday experience is the biggest advantage. Sitting in the stands during a UCLA game and listening to fans (if they are even paying attention to the game) is a weird experience. They truly don't know anything about the game, nor do they really care.
February 5th, 2015 at 11:42 AM ^
Global warming?
February 5th, 2015 at 11:46 AM ^
I think that if you'd given Harbaugh more than a month to recruit against UCLA we would have won some of those recruiting battles.
The constant refrain is that recruiting is all about relationships and, for the most part, our coaches did not have prior relationships to call on. Mora had 2 years to build relationships with these guys. The fact that we lost out to those relatioships isn't indicative of anything systemic. Just the nature of the coaching change beast.
February 5th, 2015 at 12:00 PM ^
"UCLA pros: ...girls (33% Asian, which some kids are into)"
For as long as I can remember, the joke's been that UCLA stands for "Ugly Caucasions and Lots of Asians." There might be a lot of hot women in LA, but Westwood is nowhere close to the epicenter of that.
Also, anyone who thinks (or ever has thought) that Puff Daddy adds "cool factor" is a straight-up corny cheeseball that I don't want to have to root for.
February 5th, 2015 at 12:20 PM ^
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February 5th, 2015 at 12:03 PM ^
You left out that we play in front of 100,000 fans in a stadium within walking distance of campus, while they play in front of 50-60,000 fans in a stadium of 100,000 that is located an hour away by car. Also, the fact that they are outnumbered by USC fans in their own hometown.
February 5th, 2015 at 12:27 PM ^
Chris Clark never even went to a game from what I can tell and neither did some of the other recruits. If he did things might be different. UCLA games are 1/3 empty and the fanbase has no energy.
February 5th, 2015 at 12:38 PM ^
Roquan Smith didn't go to a game either. They really only got one good recruit from out of their area that actually went to a game (Jamabo). I wouldn't worry that much, they will get their share of CA recruits. That is actually good for us if UCLA and USC split recruits and we meet up with them in a bowl game.
February 5th, 2015 at 12:30 PM ^
Let's give it a year before we worry about one of the Mora progeny.
February 5th, 2015 at 12:35 PM ^
Apples to oranges when you give a staff four weeks to finish off a class. Also, Mora will run back to the NFL whenever the right job comes calling, it's just a matter of time. UCLA plays in a beautiful stadium but it's a good hour+ away from campus. Unless they've recently upgraded, my understanding is their facilities are poor. And crosstown rival USC is again ascendant. If all the upside of UCLA you mention was all recruits cared about, they'd of had top recruiting classes for the last 30 years, which has not been the case. Mora will continue to do well as long as he's there but this is hardly a time to cry about the sky falling.
February 5th, 2015 at 12:39 PM ^
Ok....just the facts Jack....Coach Harbough did the majority of his recruiting prior to NSD...HE RECRUITED THE BEST COACHING STAFF IN THE COUNTRY....the players will come, develop and succeed....the staff is just incredible....Hats off the the University and Coach Harbough for assembling the best support system for current and future Wolverines....
February 5th, 2015 at 12:55 PM ^
February 5th, 2015 at 1:42 PM ^
How do we recruit against UCLA? We don't manage to get ourselves into a position where our newly-hired coach has two and a half weeks to fill ten spots in his recruiting class. Hopefully, that situation won't come about again anytime in the foreseeable future.
Seriously, everyone take a deep breath and relax. The sky is not falling. We all knew that waiting until the end of the NFL regular season to hire a coach would prevent us from hauling in a star-studded recruiting class, and I think we were all okay with that if it meant hiring Harabugh. Harbaugh and much of his staff came straight from the NFL, so not only did they not have a list of prospects whom they had already been recruiting at their old schools and with whom they could pick up right where they left off, they had to take time to acclimate themselves to the college recruiting scene and then scramble to assemble a class in two and a half weeks. Given those obstacles, I think they did an excellent job. The challenges they faced in putting together this class are a one-time deal, and I expect that recruiting in 2016 and beyond will be beyond epic.
As for UCLA, are you serious? UCLA's so-called built-in advantages over Michigan have always been there, and UCLA has only recently become a force to be reckoned with on the recruiting trail. Most of their recent success is due to Jim Mora, who is undoubtedly an excellent coach and recruiter. Before Mora, they weren't even the biggest name in their own city. I'm not worried at all about going up against UCLA. We've won recruiting battles against UCLA over 4- and 5-star prospects before, and we'll continue to do so.