Malik McDowell to MSU (Per Ohio Insiders website, as discussed on Reddit)
http://www.reddit.com/r/CFB/comments/1x1w9l/malik_mcdowell_to_msu_again…
Apparently he won't invite his mum to the ceremony.
February 5th, 2014 at 10:20 AM ^
A disappointment to be sure, but I'm not sure how Hoke & Co. can be held responsible for an 18-year old's preference for the social life at another school, which was apparently a big factor for MM. Would a much better 2013 season have swung his choice our way? Possibly, but I'm not sure it would have been a slam dunk.
As for Hand, nobody around here seemed to take his assertion that he wanted to be in an engineering program seriously, but Alabama made that an option for him. We can LOL till the cows come home about the difference between UM and AL when it comes to the respective strengths of our engineering programs, but it's not like Bama's program is an unaccredited diploma-mill engineering school in the Caribbean. To Hand, the possibility to play for a perennial NC contender while having at least the opportunity to pursue his engineering ambitions might well have been a no-brainer.
February 5th, 2014 at 10:49 AM ^
I don't "blame" the coaches for not getting MM to commit to Michigan, but nevertheless this is a big miss. IIRC, he grew up a huge Michigan fan, and his family's preference was well documented.
Maybe the prior season's records could have helped. Who knows. But it's a big miss and a big gain to one of our rivals.
February 5th, 2014 at 11:23 AM ^
Are you saying that we should have told him that he doesn't have to attend class? It sounds like the partying and MSU's lax attitude towards academics were selling points to him. That is not what Michigan should be selling, and if that is what it would have taken then he doesn't belong here and I hope that he goes 0-4 against Michigan.
February 5th, 2014 at 11:43 AM ^
You are putting words in my mouth that was never said or even implied. Well done!
Are we not allowed to say that the coaches missed on a player ever? If said player goes to another school, its always because that school paid him, allows him to skip class, etc?
No, I said none of that. I am simply stating that this was a big miss. I still have faith in our coaches and our team. We will be fine. But none of that dismisses the fact that we are missing out on a great athlete. I don't know what we could have done differenlty, possibly nothing at all.
I wish Malik the best, and hopefully this doesn't permanently ruin relationships with his parents. Go Blue.
February 5th, 2014 at 10:25 AM ^
It's difficult to see why any defensive player wouldn't choose MSU over Michigan. MSU has shut down pretty much every offense it's faced over the past two years and has sent numerous players to the pros. Right now, it looks like the difference between MSU and Michigan's defensive player development is the inverse of the difference in quality between the two engineering programs.
February 5th, 2014 at 10:12 AM ^
Signing to get a free education to play football.
February 5th, 2014 at 10:13 AM ^
Hoke's first (big) in-state recruiting loss to Dantonio if I am not mistaken?
February 5th, 2014 at 10:19 AM ^
February 5th, 2014 at 10:23 AM ^
We've officially hit rock bottom. Congrats to MSU
February 5th, 2014 at 11:00 AM ^
February 5th, 2014 at 10:28 AM ^
that wants to be near his buds and is at odds with his parents over what school to attend? This doesn't sound like a situation that will lead to a kid doing well right away. Save the scholarship for someone next year that will be more talented.
February 5th, 2014 at 10:34 AM ^
Good for him. I know we are all taught to honor and respect our parents and their wishes, and undoubtedly without their own dedication, he would not have gotten to where he is. However, the fact of the matter is that he is essentially paying his own way through college and is about to head in to a part of his life where he is to commit pretty much of fiber of his being to football. He will live it, he will breathe it, and he'll have to find time in between to at least attempt getting an education. I dare say the next 4 years for him will be much much more difficult that I or his parents have ever done or will ever do. Yes, the advice of his parents are important, but it should not be the deciding factor. Kudos to him for making the decision he wants to make and shame on his parents if they don't support him for it. Good luck to kid.
February 5th, 2014 at 10:39 AM ^
February 5th, 2014 at 10:52 AM ^
Are you freaking kidding? Do you have children of your own?
No parent is morally obligated to support, condone, or approve of their child's decisions just because the kid wants something. If MM's parents truly believe that MSU (or whatever school) is a bad choice for tangible, serious reasons, they'd be abdicating their roles as responsible parents to simply turtle and yield.
February 5th, 2014 at 11:14 AM ^
Yes, I am a parent, thank you very much. On top of that, I was a kid once too, believe it or not. Thank fucking god when I was Malik McDowell's age and made my own decision that drastically went against what my parents wanted me to choose that they then themselves had the balls and common sense to eventually accept my decision and give me guidance down the path I decided to create for myself. I hope to be man enough to do the same when and if the time comes with my daughter.
February 5th, 2014 at 12:23 PM ^
Sure, they can attempt to persuade him before the decision, but to continue to disapprove of his decision after it has been made is petty and childish.
February 5th, 2014 at 10:34 AM ^
February 5th, 2014 at 10:37 AM ^
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February 5th, 2014 at 10:49 AM ^
February 5th, 2014 at 10:54 AM ^
February 5th, 2014 at 11:29 AM ^
February 5th, 2014 at 10:57 AM ^
I personally have been turned off by what has been publically reported as to WHY he wants to go to MSU - because he "had a good time". A kid who esteems that over education and football, and disregards what his parents desire is typically a kid who is not going to find much success. He's more likely going to find himself on the sports page because of something he did off-field than on-field.
February 5th, 2014 at 11:03 AM ^
MSU's program has a hell of a lot more momentum than ours right now. They're fresh off a Rose Bowl win, have a dominating defense that can potentially shut down anyone, and have kicked their instate rival to the curb for the last 5-6 years.
We're fresh off getting our asses kicked by a meh KSU squad, an uninspiring 7-6 season, along with little to no proven track record of player development, save for a few spots. That's not to say that things can't turn around for us, but it's very easy to see why McDowell picked MSU over us.
February 5th, 2014 at 11:16 AM ^
February 5th, 2014 at 11:49 AM ^
February 5th, 2014 at 11:55 AM ^
Despite there being some truth in what you said, the reports on MM's recruitment indicate that those things were NOT the reason he chose MSU. If Hoke starts selling the parties, and lack of class attendance as positives (or at least brushing off those things as valid concerns by a recruit's parents) then he would be doing a disservice to the school and to the recruit. I don't think that there is a recruit out there that it talented enough to warrant that kind of an approach from Michigan.
You can point out the negatives of the last couple of years all you want (while overlooking the positives, such as our own stud recruits that should be getting more involved this year), but I don't think that it is fair to assume that 2012 and 2013 seasons are somehow the new normal. MSU's recent successes have been with teams that were very experienced and were being led by a coach that had been with the program for a significant period of time. As Hoke's team goes from being a very young one with uneven talent, to a more experienced one with more high end talent, we should be able to figure out a lot more about where this team is headed.
February 5th, 2014 at 11:19 AM ^
While I havent followed this story to much I did listen to his mothers lengthy interview. It seems to me his parents ...after hearing about the alcholol and women involved in his MSU recruitment AND other players telling him he didnt have to go to classes at MSU were very concerned about him going to MSU....Then apparently when they confronted MSU coaches they were brushed off...Isnt that what a GOOD parent should be doing?..Im on their side
February 5th, 2014 at 12:45 PM ^
February 5th, 2014 at 5:57 PM ^
Malik's mom made this all up. Point to a neutral source that reported that MSU players told Malik about the great partying and skipping classes.
Malik's mom is the biggest Walmart Wolverine there could be. She had her 15 minutes of fame, thanks to her son. Regrettably, she used it to tell lies about MSU. She definitely lied when she claimed to not know that Joe Rexrode, of the Freep, was going to write a story about her interview. That she thinks she could get away with such a thing says everything you need to know about her.
I get it. You need the "MSU is a party school and no one ever goes to class" narrative. Whatever gets you through the day.
February 5th, 2014 at 11:39 AM ^
No clue if he'll end up being a good player or not, but seems like he's got more downward spiral potential than many. Maybe he should have gone to school in the south (or OSU) where you don't go to school to play class. I think he could've been a distraction at UofM. Our coaches did the right thing in continuing to sell him on hard work, attention to classes, etc. It sucks for a talented kid to go to a rival, but that's about the extent of it. Michigan needs to be Michigan.
All this reminds me of my days in the dorm, overhearing a (football player) neighbor playing back his messages with the door open and Moeller was screaming at him (something like), "You stupid ^%&^@#. If you ever skip another class, you'll never see the @%#&^# field again!"
February 5th, 2014 at 12:06 PM ^
I say that now because still no confirmation on the MSU side of things that Malik McDowell has actually sent his in.
@MarcGivlerBG McDowell just had a piece of paper with lines for his name and dad's. Not an LOI.
February 5th, 2014 at 12:17 PM ^
Sam Webb said watch carefully to see if he actually submitted a signed letter. He said MM is very conflicted.
February 5th, 2014 at 12:24 PM ^
There's been no LOI sent in on McDowell's behalf. The kids all had LOI's in front of them to sign. McDowell's paper was changed, from an LOI, to some other piece of paper.
What a weird day to become a "verbal."
There is something more going on here.
February 5th, 2014 at 12:39 PM ^
Kids are unpredictable. But it's fair to wonder how Michigan, whose two most prominent coaches are D-line experts, lost their top two D-line recruits. D-line is supposed to be the heart of this team. We got a couple good ones, though.
February 5th, 2014 at 12:41 PM ^
And kids are fickle, some more than others. Remeber last year when Ole Miss was all the rage? MSU had a great year, cracked the door open, and is reaping the benefits.
February 5th, 2014 at 2:41 PM ^
February 5th, 2014 at 12:39 PM ^
Dang the kid obviously wants to go to MSU. His mom should stop being such a helicopter parent and accept his decision.
February 5th, 2014 at 12:49 PM ^
None of us are privy to what happened on the official visit or interaction with coaches. If she did witness players telling Malik about skipping classes or feel disrespected by their coaching staff, I think any parent is within their rights to avoid what they feel may not be a good situation for her child.
Similar to how some parents choose to send their children to different high schools when they feel their child are running with the wrong crowd. There was already a red flag when McDowell transferred from Loyola to Southfield for his senior season.
February 5th, 2014 at 12:56 PM ^
Doesn't matter. The decision is not hers to make. She can try to persaude all she wants until signing day, but the time for that has now passed. He chose MSU, and she needs to get over it.
February 5th, 2014 at 1:14 PM ^
A guardian has to sign the LOI. There is clearly a strong reason why they don't want him at MSU, and personally, it is probably none of our business to judge them. We don't know Malik, his family, or the details of the situation at all.
Let me propose the reverse situation for you: If your parent really didn't want you to attend a school that badly, would you probably pick another school considering you have your choice of any school in the country?
February 5th, 2014 at 3:29 PM ^
He is still a kid. Not a legal adult. This is not all his decision, nor should it be if the parents feel there is a valid reason to keep him away from MSU. You obviously have no children, and I would guess are in your twenties, probably early twenties.
February 5th, 2014 at 1:16 PM ^
Look, I would love to have him from a talent perspective. But if he has friends in the SE Michigan area, its not like it is a tough drive to get down here to Columbus. And we have girls and booze as well. FSU would make more sense if you were worried about the friends, but that still doesn't mean he won't find trouble if that is his inclination. Heck they could send him to BYU, but if there is a will there is a way.
At some point, he has to make decisions and then live with the cosequences. They had 17 or 18 years to teach him that. My oldest is only 10, so I can't speak from parental experience, but I recall friends in high school that had been "good" kids and got in with a "bad" crowd and got in trouble. At some point in life we are going to make mistakes. And maybe that is what he needs to finally learn what his parents are telling him.
February 5th, 2014 at 12:46 PM ^
I hope you excel during 11 games per year and I look forward to Mason Cole, etc. destroying you in one game every year
February 5th, 2014 at 1:01 PM ^
It's your world. We're just living in it.
GO BLUE!
February 5th, 2014 at 6:38 PM ^
would refuse to back her sons decision. We hope as parents that our children, by the time they graduate High School (well almost) that they will think the process thru and conclude what is best. That being said, it is obvious that she Loves her son very much and wants to protect him at all cost, even by missing his NLI Day. Yet Mom needs to cut the apron strings and embrace his desire to go to East Lansing.