OT: Drake Harris highly interested in Ohio
Urban Meyer dropped in on the Cass Tech boys and Malik McDowell today, but the biggest surprise was his visit to GR Chrisitan to see Drake Harris. Harris said he is very interested in Ohio and will be taking an unofficial there soon. This sounds like a decommitment could be coming, and that would be a crippling loss for Michigan State.
January 15th, 2013 at 10:53 PM ^
Dude, you are talking about totally different things than you were in the post he responded to. We were talking about recruit perception and he laid out some hard facts. Hard because they're hard to take. It sucks in fact. But it happened. He didn't say anything about Michigan not being a national program in the next 4-5 years. We definitely can be. But the present situation? That's not kool-aid. That's reality.
January 14th, 2013 at 11:08 PM ^
January 14th, 2013 at 11:20 PM ^
He can't take an official until fall for football.
January 14th, 2013 at 11:36 PM ^
January 15th, 2013 at 11:26 AM ^
January 14th, 2013 at 11:52 PM ^
January 14th, 2013 at 11:54 PM ^
January 15th, 2013 at 12:03 AM ^
Ohio's 2014 class is going to be just like this current class for M, they have a lot of momentum right now from the win and undefeated season. We aren't going to win the majority of the recruiting battles until next years game, just a fact.
January 15th, 2013 at 10:28 AM ^
A win in Ann Arbor can stop or slow that momentum down. I don't care if we are winless going into that game, we have to win that one.
January 15th, 2013 at 12:11 AM ^
January 15th, 2013 at 12:39 PM ^
Agree. Apparently it doesn't stop coaches visiting you / offering / attempting to communicate, and it doesn't stop you visiting anywhere, so really it's just words that are irrelevant.
January 15th, 2013 at 12:23 AM ^
January 15th, 2013 at 3:46 AM ^
accurate assessment.
January 15th, 2013 at 12:24 AM ^
FWIW, not trying to claim inside info or anything of the sort, but word on the proverbially AAU street is he silently decommited from MSU basketball awhile back.
January 15th, 2013 at 12:37 AM ^
Silently decommitting? Maybe I'm just dumb but why would someone do that?
January 15th, 2013 at 7:25 AM ^
I have no idea either, but I remember Ryan Perilloux being a commit to Texas for a long time despite everyone knowing he wasn't going there, and recruiting for LSU at the same time. Not saying Drake is a douche like Perilloux was, just that he certainly wouldn't be the first kid to be a "commit-but-not-really-a-commit".
January 15th, 2013 at 7:48 AM ^
There are plenty of reasons. I, for one, have silently committed and silently decomitted to the Michigan table tennis team during the process of writing this post.
January 15th, 2013 at 2:07 PM ^
January 15th, 2013 at 12:36 AM ^
Meyer's a great coach, but the best coach in the country is in Tuscaloosa, not Columbus.
January 15th, 2013 at 1:24 AM ^
be in the NFL. Saban has certainly been successful at this level but I do question how much of that success is due to the stockpile of talent at Alabama and the relative inadequacy of every other team. He had essentially no success, bar one season, at MSU and outside of his MNC season at LSU, he had at least 3 losses in every season. It wasn't until he reached Alabama that he became truly dominant.
January 15th, 2013 at 6:28 AM ^
January 15th, 2013 at 7:35 AM ^
January 15th, 2013 at 7:59 AM ^
I don't really buy this line of thinking. Coaching at the NFL level and coaching at the college level are two very different situations. As the de facto GM of Alabama, he has much more control of player personnel than he did with the Dolphins.
Also, it's not like Alabama's stockpile of talent vastly outstrips other teams who routinely recruit top-5 classes. Texas certainly hasn't had a ton of success since Vince Young graduated despite having highly ranked classes each year. Urban Meyer took a team full of his highly rated recruits in his 6th season at Florida to an 8-5 record. Florida State recruits like gangbusters and loses to teams like Wake Forest on a routine basis. Notre Dame coaches turned the past 15 years of excellent classes into 0 victories in BCS games. Look at the limited success of teams like Tennessee, Georgia, and Oklahoma.
January 15th, 2013 at 9:36 AM ^
Meyer may be a great coach and Saban may be a great coach, but if it was my kid, I would consider the Michigan coach the best coach in the country at the best school in the country.
January 15th, 2013 at 1:04 AM ^
January 15th, 2013 at 7:05 AM ^
January 15th, 2013 at 1:38 AM ^
Harris is the best player in Michigan for 2014. Wish he had Michigan interest and really hope he doesn't end up at OSU. I'm actually surprised he is ranked as #3 behind McDowell and Webb.
January 15th, 2013 at 1:39 AM ^
January 15th, 2013 at 3:48 AM ^
Drew Sharp is Exhibit A. Can anyone recall once that dipshit giving UM credit for back to back top 8 recruiting classes in his vendetta to declare Ohio the only legitimate BiG team on the national stage? Not I.
January 15th, 2013 at 12:16 PM ^
you're referring to leads to something better than 8-5, then Drew will say something positive. It we're still spinning our heels in the middle of this conference, then Drew will say something negative. Headlines in early February are nice, but if they don't lead to headlines in early January, then I don't care too much.
January 15th, 2013 at 6:14 AM ^
We haven't even had a Junior day yet. Even Michigan State has had a junior day by now so kids instate looking elsewere doesn't even surprise me right now
January 15th, 2013 at 4:41 PM ^
Aren't junior days suppose to happen after the current recruiting class' signing day?
January 15th, 2013 at 6:30 AM ^
January 15th, 2013 at 7:42 AM ^
Cosigned!
We are in on some pretty big names including guys like Da'Shawn Hand and Jabrill Peppers. Not to mention Malik McDowell. While losing guys like Webb and Harris is not exactly fun, the coaching staff seems to be doing an excellent job of getting in on some very talented big name targets.
January 15th, 2013 at 10:19 AM ^
is no slam dunk either. People keep thinking these players are in the bag when their decisions are a long way off.
Of course that works in our favor as well, as there is plenty of time for Hoke and Co. to make their pitch. Bottom line is that the recruiting war starts over every year and our coaches have to stay at the top of their game because Meyer and Ohio currently own the B1G until someone knocks them off their perch.
January 15th, 2013 at 10:37 AM ^
Exactly, if we don't beat them it'll make it very hard for us to rise on a national level. 11/30/13 for me is going to be up there as one of the biggest games since the '97 championship.
January 15th, 2013 at 1:41 PM ^
Don't get me wrong, I wasn't attempting to imply they were slam dunks, just possibilities. A lot of people seem to take x recruit committing elsewhere as a sky is falling scenario, when really, there are plenty of recruits out there, some who are even more skilled. For all the negative news, I like to focus on positives.
January 15th, 2013 at 8:32 AM ^
Hoke said in his introductory presser that the lifeblood of recruiting is in Ohio and the state of Michigan. I understand why people are panicking or concerned or whatever. At the same time, he's been recruiting on a high level. I think one of the most reassurring things about Hoke is the fact that we've seen him get classes together early. Right now, we have one commit and we're seeing our chief rival snagging kids we dubbed our own. Give it time, we'll be alright.
January 15th, 2013 at 8:37 AM ^
2014 NSD. Michigan is just getting started. Everyone has to accept that not every top prospect in Michigan will go to U-M. It's been that way forever in recruiting and it will continue that way in the future. Webb committed after the excitement of a big visit weekend, so don't be completely surprised if down the road (despite what he's saying now) if he opens up his recruitment again. Either way, Michigan can now pursue other high profile targets. But I do think getting McDowell becomes even bigger for Michigan now - not just because he'd be a great player for us (think McDowell and one side and Hand on the other) but to keep him away from the Dark Side.
January 15th, 2013 at 9:52 AM ^
January 15th, 2013 at 10:07 AM ^
Not concerned here, about that.....if we get none of the three McDowell, Harris, Webb, then and only then will I be concerned.
Why? Because we've been hoarding Ohio recruits...like McCray, Gedeon, Ferns. I always wondered why OSU never did that well in Michigan.
Notable is that we compete with MSU for the state's top talent, whereas OSU competes with US for Ohio top talent, as they don't have another state school as a threat.
However, I AM concerned of the edge OSU has had on us the past decade since Bo died. Gone is having a prick in the AD dept , and boy do we need one. Really.
Telling was when Boren left... had Bo been alive, he'd have never allowed it, via his dad...many here would call that being a 'prick'... well... thats what we need.
I really wanted Miles or Harbaugh to come...both are exactly that, and that I'm afraid, is what is really needed, to overcome the cheating Buckeyes. I like Hoke, and he has done well, and I am rooting for him. Time will tell if his approach will work
January 15th, 2013 at 11:30 AM ^
January 15th, 2013 at 11:02 AM ^
I have contacts on Drake's coaching staff and also know Drake's dad a bit. Here's what I do know:
Is Drake stongly considering decommitting? - Yes. Mainly due to him not knowing how good he would be at football before he committed to play basketball at MSU.
Is Michigan recruiting him? - Yes...you probably already knew this.
How interested is Drake interested in Michigan? - Not much but his dad is a huge Michigan fan. I guess that can only be a good thing.
Who else is going after him? Alabama/Saban is going after him HARD...as in sending him mail every day...yeah, you've probably heard stories about this with Saban. It's applying to Drake. Florida and USC have also been heavily interested him.
The main reason why Drake is committed to MSU right now is Tom Izzo. Drake had no idea how great he'd be at football, and is now strongly looking at his options because, ya know, MSU and football isn't the most appealing thing ;)
January 15th, 2013 at 11:25 AM ^
basketball recruit with "maybe football" for 2 years.
Now it seems like football is first (ie, Bama, USC) with no bball consideration. I am surprised that he doesn't pursue football first and "try basketball."
I really thought Hoke had built a football connection with Harrises last summer before the bball choice of MSU. Still want him in Maize & Blue by 2014.
January 15th, 2013 at 12:22 PM ^
It completely baffles me but for some reason it seems like MSU doesn't have problems landing stud WR and LB targets. Those two positions for them seem to work out.
And most recent articles about him have him actually shying away from basketball and focusing more on football. I remember when he announced and this board was laughing at the idea of him thinking he could play basketball at MSU. It seems to be coming to fruition that football is going to be where his heart is at, which would negate his connection with Izzo. Logically, it would negate the "before he committed to play basketball at MSU line" altogether because he had accepted a football scholarship at MSU, not a basketball one. The plan was always that he was a football recruit for them who was going to walk on for the basketball team.
And below I mentioned an interview from the fall where he said he was solid. He is starting to get major college football attention, no doubt, but if he was able to so easily shrug off Alabama when they came calling then I'm going to wait a little bit to get excited for us.
January 15th, 2013 at 10:42 PM ^
January 15th, 2013 at 12:46 PM ^
I don't get the mail-every-day tactic. I would find that incredibly annoying. I don't want to have to read mail from you every frackin' day. And really, what can you write today that is so different from what you've written yesterday and for the past week?
January 15th, 2013 at 11:52 AM ^
This is a Michigan blog.
January 15th, 2013 at 12:14 PM ^
If the kid has been able to shrug off Alabama (via a news article this last fall, maybe in the D NEWS or Freep?), I'm not getting my hopes too high he'll flip to OSU, us, or any other program.
Time will tell I guess.
January 15th, 2013 at 5:04 PM ^