Michigan Starting to Make Progress With Players at Southeastern...?
http://michigan.scout.com/2/959149.html
The article is behind a paywall, but the gist is that Michigan is recruiting 2011 LB Ed Davis from Southeastern. As most who follow recruiting closely know, UM has not had much success with Southeastern since RR's arrival in AA. But with Archie Collins (the former Defensive Coordinator at Southeastern and the person thought to be most responsible for swaying recruits away from AA ) joining the staff at MSU it looks like we might be starting to get our foot in the door a bit.
Perhaps the most intriguing quote was when Davis mentioned something he noticed about the Michigan team when he watched them practice:
This team, they work as a family. I like their togetherness; they are close as a team.Family values...? At Michigan...? Whoda Thunk it..... Given the talent coming out of SE (Fred Smith, Gholston, Hankins) and the fact that its been earmarked to some of our direct rivals, I'm giving RR an imaginary +1 for capitalizing on Collin's departure so quickly and bringing Southeastern kids to campus. I know it might take a year or two before we actually start getting players from SE to commit, but it's definitely a step in the right direction. While Detroit isn't the hotbed of D-I talent it once was, solidifying our base in the biggest city in our state is certainly not going to hurt.
First of all, what a terrible decision on MSU's part to add that guy to their staff. He essentially already worked for their staff but had better access to the players at his school and around Detroit. Secondly, I don't think that RR was avoiding those kids before Collins left. I am sure they were putting in the calls to the guys they wanted and just weren't getting many results. I would be upset if our head coaches felt outmatched by some nitwit HS coach and gave up on recruits they valued.
How is it a terrible decision when they are adding a homer who has helped them get good recruits and will now be able to expand on his ability to get other recruits? But then again we can clearly prove that MSU is prone to making many terrible decisions especially in the character of kids they bring to the school and condoning criminal behavior.
He got good recruits becasue they lived at his house and were forced to spend several years listening to him becasue he was their coach. Walking cold into someones school and spouting crap about UofM won't carry as much weight.
I've got to agree with you here, Dad. With Collins acting as a conduit by being a guardian of sorts to the players MSU coveted, the recruiting process was easier.
I can't think Collins has enough cache in Detroit to be considered some kind of coup for MSU. Now any relationship he has with recruits will fall under the auspices of the NCAA rulebook--no more sleeping with Gholston or Smith to make sure they don't sneak out at night to play NCAA on XBox as Michigan.
I think they lose something by hiring him---then again, maybe he said, "Hey ya'll...I don't know if I can keep doing this with my players much longer...you know, they eat alot, cost a lot of money...know what I mean?"
I'll lay odds as well that Dantonio thinks he's Big Time now. He got a couple prize recruits out of Detroit, Rich Rod is being raked over the coals by the Detroit press (and probably won't last much longer, meaning another transition for Michigan)--Dantonio is feeling like he's money right now.
He can keep going 7-5 to 9-3, win a bowl game eventually, and be the next best think since Duffy Daugherty there.
I'm not sure how he's going to be able to expand on their ability to recruit. He's no longer there to run interference at Southeastern, and he's not on their coaching staff, so he can't go on the recruiting trail. He's not Dan Enos's replacement. He's a coaching aide.
what have you heard about this coaching aide postion that collins got??? what will he be doing, a cup and twist when dantonio asks for it???
I didn't mean to imply that RR wasn't working his tail off to get SE kids before. To the contrary, I think he was getting frozen out by guy who just had it in for UM, RR, and his whole staff.
I posted the article to emphasize (1) just how quickly things change in the word of recruiting and (2) that a door previously closed to UM might have just opened a crack.
This is good news...
Interesting to read about all the Detroit players who attended practice Thursday. Once William Campbell blows up at DT, kids from the area will realize which team is better at player development.
A reward for past service to the program or someone to replicate the Enos role for sparty?
For the next recruiting cycle, do you guys think we will offer any other in-staters? We already have offers out for Zettel, Beyer, Arnett and Hayes. Just curious about guys like Showers, Schlacter and Davis.
The only place left would be Renaissance. If we ever get our foot back in that door we'd rule the World!
for that to happen andre criswell and carson butler need to have a "come to jesus talk" with their former coach and show him the light...
Yeah, and we all know that's not how Carson normally solves disputes.
Isn't it amazing how progress can be made when certain elements are removed from the equation...