Bo Harbaugh

January 4th, 2020 at 4:54 PM ^

College football is a farce.  As long as this continues the sport will start to lose a lot of fans from teams that play skool.

I have spoken with friends from Notre Dame, Washington, Wisconsin and other good but not great teams that aren't bagging at the BAMA, OSU level and most feel are feeling further detached from the sport as the obvious unequal playing field and tactics have manifested in onfield results.  Many are just as annoyed as UM fans that there is basically no punishment for bagging or not playing skool.

UM and Notre Dame fans seem to be the last to let go of this fantasy of "elite" program status, and continue to blame coaching and execution (since we recruit top 10 classes), while the schools that are lesser traditional powers seem to be more accepting of the reality.

But the gap between top 6-10 program and top 5 program has never been so wide, and this lack of parity is going to damage the sport. 

Cue the, but "we could coach and execute better" crowd here, but if you can't see that the margin of error for OSU, BAMA, LSU, Clemson is so much larger than those not running full on football factory, then you are in complete denial.

Joined: 08/03/2019

MGoPoints: 38648

Navy Wolverine

January 4th, 2020 at 7:44 PM ^

"It's hard to beat the cheaters."

“Look,” Dudek says in (John Bacon's) book, “we know there are people who don’t operate on the same moral ground that not only Michigan expects, but that coach Harbaugh demands. So, the last thing I’m doing is going down that rabbit hole – probably the fastest way to get fired around here.

“The good news is we so rarely go so far down a path with a guy whose character we’re not sure about that we get to a point where a kid or his family asks for a bag of money. I’ve never had anyone directly for anything. If they’re going to do that, they probably don’t consider us very long.”

But as with Schembechler, Harbaugh makes two things perfectly clear from the start of his recruiting: No shortcuts will be taken and at the end of the day, Michigan isn’t for everyone. 

“If you want to make Michigan great, and make yourself great, this is a great place to be,” Harbaugh says in the book. “The ones you have to oversell what we have to offer, you know it’s not going to work. If you don’t get the appeal of the program, of a Michigan education, of the kind of camaraderie you get working with like-minded people – well, I don’t know what to tell you. You’ll probably be happier somewhere else – and maybe we will be, too!”

 

Joined: 09/26/2016

MGoPoints: 19370

Bluesince89

January 4th, 2020 at 9:45 PM ^

I mean I’m not advocating for cheating, but the last paragraph kind of rubs me the wrong way. When I’m interviewing candidates for positions at my firm, I know I’m selling us more than they are probably selling themselves.  I know I’m competing with other offers and places in and out of town.  The attitude just rubs me wrong.  

Joined: 09/14/2008

MGoPoints: 14739

xtramelanin

January 4th, 2020 at 11:01 PM ^

your firm, no matter how great it is, isn't probably selling a 4 yr culture and lifetime attachment.  and the divergent values that are the choice/decision points of a michigan education versus getting paid $ and blowing off school completely are not superficial considerations.   it is a deep character choice, plain and simple. 

Joined: 12/09/2014

MGoPoints: 15439

Bluesince89

January 4th, 2020 at 11:14 PM ^

No, but I’m generally interviewing senior level folks/people who I think can make partner and be here the next 20 years.  We have very low turnover.  I just don’t like the attitude — if we have to oversell you, it probably won’t work.  Why? If that’s really the attitude they’re taking with prospective recruits, that’s a problem. 

Joined: 09/14/2008

MGoPoints: 14739

xtramelanin

January 5th, 2020 at 8:02 AM ^

though i see where you are coming from, i think the context is important.  maybe a better analogy is getting married.  when it came time to get married, wild horses couldn't have dragged me away from my wife and, surprisingly, mrs. XM was the same with me.  neither one of us had to 'talk' the other one into gettting married, begging the other to agree, or something along those lines.  the match was right, no need to try and force something or oversell it. 

Joined: 12/09/2014

MGoPoints: 15439

scfanblue

January 5th, 2020 at 6:34 AM ^

Harbaugh also added “ but I will hire your Dad and former high school coach to get you here” also, I was holding camps in the south to recruit players but now I showed the NCAA because we go to Europe now. I’ve offered several players from the Vatican 

Joined: 06/02/2015

MGoPoints: 2067

JT4104

January 4th, 2020 at 6:11 PM ^

I'm 100% sure nothing will happen and their fan base will not care and will continue to compete for SEC championships and possibilities of getting to the college football playoff

Joined: 10/25/2008

MGoPoints: 12328

ILL_Legel

January 4th, 2020 at 6:17 PM ^

It’s hilarious that one of the violations is free team gear though.  That happens (almost) everywhere.  I know a family with a kid going to a Group of 5 school who played HS with several P5 kids.  His parents wouldn’t let him take any free gear and he would get pissed because his teammates always came back from visits (including Big 10 schools) with team gear.  They would say they paid for it but it was an open secret they got it for free.  

 

Joined: 08/13/2010

MGoPoints: 4840

BoHarb

January 4th, 2020 at 6:20 PM ^

Just shocking - discounted school apparel :( NCAA needs to send a strong message and eliminate all recruiting for a year.  Blatant disregard for the rules cannot be tolerated.  First it's a tshirt, then it's a Bentley.  Sad.  And everyone wonders why we can't attract top talent...time to start firing the school apparel cannon at recruits or risk falling behind on the recruiting front.

Joined: 08/23/2018

MGoPoints: 258