If you were negative recruiting against Michigan today....what would you say?

I'd probably say "They're Michigan fergodsakes!"  But I have a sneaking suspicion that would end up backfiring.

For an SEC school against any B1G school:

- girls

- weather

- Big Ten sucks

- $$$$$

- more girls

- essssss eeeee seeeee

- $$$$$

Michigan is in the Big Ten and the conferences recent bowl record leaves a lot to be desired. ESPN also has done a great job of making public opinion think that any conference other than the SEC and USC is inferior and not capable of winning anything. Until the Big Ten has a couple great bowl records along with a National Championship I think many coaches can use that to discredit Michigan and the other schools in the Big Ten.

You must be an under-cover Ohio fan.  There's NOTHING negative about Michigan, so let's not waste our time on this here thread.  

The analogy between negative recruiting and negative campaign adds is wrong. Negative campaign adds tend to keep independent voters from voting and bolster the confidence of those that hold the same views as the campaign that puts out the ads.

Michigan won't give you anything under the table.  No hostesses, no golden handshakes, no free drugs, beer, or tats.  And they make you do your own school work, too.  They'll kick you out of school if you get arrested for anything worse than DUI, and they won't even let you do more than one of them.  

If you come here to blah blah U, you won't have to worry about the police, either.  We handle everything "in-house."  And even if you get caught, we have the DA in our back pocket.  You can come here and do whatever you want on your way to the NFL, or you can go there and have to follow rules.

Probably lack of recent success, like how we haven't won the Big Ten since 2004, or how our last National Title was in '97.

Michigan has not won the conferences since 2004, they have only won 1 bcs bowl game in over a decade, and they haven't competed for a national championship in 15 years.

I've always wondered if some coaches warn kids about how tough UM's academics are as a way to steer recruits away.  I'd imagine a degree from Auburn would be somewhat, ah, easier to attain than one from UM.  

I could think of quite a few things I'd say if I was talking to a receiver...

Maybe-- "Why would you want to go to a school that has won 42 conference championships? Why not come here and try to build something?". Or "Do you really want to be blue your whole life?"

Right now it is difficult to put a whole lot of negative spin on playing with Denard or playing for the coaches we have.

One thing is the offensive style of play.  Our outside receivers haven't put up monster numbers in a few years, and I think other schools have been mentioning this to recruits.

If I were negative recruiting, I would use Michigan's performance in the Sugar Bowl. Any recruit interested in Michigan surely watched the game, and let's face it, while Michigan won, they didn't play all that well.  We know injuries played a big role, but recruits probably haven't analyzed it that carefully. With prospective TE's and WR's, I would push the idea that Michigan is a run-first program, doesn't pass that often, and can't pass all that well.  Again, we know the full story, but someone pushing a half truth can get a lot of mileage out of these tactics.

I would say the whole NFL approach you suggested probably plays a role, too.  They might even use Michigan's high academic standards against us, along the lines of, "Do you want to work your ass off in classes, or work on your football skills and get a higher draft rating."

Too many students with plus 100 IQ's. You know they'll kick you out if you flunk your classes? Come here. We got the diploma all filled out.

You would have to hit on several things, including perhaps:

 - the recent lack of high NFL draft picks (which is a developmental issue that would probably ring large in the minds of recruits dead set on going pro at some point). 

- relative lack of recent major titles (overall historic performance and bowl record notwithstanding, it's been 15 years since a national title, and almost ten since we won the B1G)

- the recent perception of the B1G as a middling conference (I imagine that the ones that are set on the pros might want to be tested against the perceived "best")

- climate (this might matter to some people - we are the 4th cloudiest state and fall can be bloody damp and winter can be bloody cold)

- the standards (which are high for obvious reasons, academically and otherwise, but you could probably spin that into "You won't be able to commit fully to you game", which again, might sway a few people)

This is not exhaustive, of course, but it is an intriguing introspection. 

"Unlike us they UNDER sign their recruiting classes, fergodssake"

They'll be warned in some subtle or not-so-subtle fashion that if they go to Michigan they will have to actually go to school, and won't be getting the cars, tatoos etc.  Stamford's in the same position (though with better weather).