Recruiting and why stars don’t always matter
On paper osu is a more talented team
worhour question they are loaded with studs, but do they play as a team when times are tough?
not yesterday, a lot of those buckeyes play for themselves and care more about NIL than osu.
their D quit on those last 2 drives, they had enough of our Oline who is a bunch of tough gritty men who took coaching and play as a unit, they had enough of Hassan Haskins beating them to a pulp and lumixhimg tacklers.
it was a thing of Beauty
no TFLs
no sacks yesterday against a D filled with stars.
chemistry is important and our boys play like a TEAM
they play for each other
they play for MICHIGAN
next time we get a recruit who isn’t a 5 star let’s give them a chance and beleive the coaches know what they are doing.
Go Blue!
BEAT Iowa!
November 28th, 2021 at 9:33 AM ^
You know what matters? Heart, work, dedication, execution. Hutchinson, Haskins, and friends worked harder than osu for months and months - and it showed yesterday.
November 28th, 2021 at 9:35 AM ^
I wish every player in every sport played with the non-stop intensity of Aidan Hutchinson and Hassan Haskins, and I wish we could recruit them every year. A team of Hutchinsons and Haskins would be unstoppable!
November 28th, 2021 at 9:37 AM ^
Here is the crazy part: Mike Morris and Taylor Upshaw seem to have ‘it’ as our future DEs, as do Corum and Edwards. Let the good times roll!
November 28th, 2021 at 9:36 AM ^
Compare Nick Saban's record in the Big 10 versus his records at LSU and Alabama. Do you think Nick Saban was a mediocre coach then and suddenly morphed into a college coaching legend or perhaps it was the huge talent upgrade that he acquired while coaching LSU and Alabama?
Talent does matter. Winning this game was important to Michigan not simply for getting a victory over OSU but also remaining competitive in the college football arms race.
Michigan would also be wise to setup a lucrative NIL structure. The school's alumni needs to compete in that area now as well.
November 28th, 2021 at 9:38 AM ^
I think it’s safe to say that our boosters are ready to $pend to get more joy like yesterday.
November 28th, 2021 at 9:40 AM ^
This is true. NIL will be key to acquiring top tier talent, my only concern is that sometimes that top tier talent isn't as committed to the hard work that it takes to be the best.
But we need to keep up with the Joneses in the CFB arms race.
November 28th, 2021 at 10:26 AM ^
Yes-they do matter, especially for consistent winning at a high level. This breakthrough had to happen though for us to get any traction in leveling the recruiting imbalance but it's just a first step. Continuing that with NIL, etc and then coupling that with more will and heart--then you've got something that we all thought we'd get with JH. Huge step yesterday!
November 28th, 2021 at 9:38 AM ^
we mashed them on both sides of the ball...
Looking at depth chart, if we remain focused, I think we may be better next year.
November 28th, 2021 at 9:47 AM ^
You know, I have tried not to be rude or mean about it, but through the first half of the season, I was absolutely unimpressed with the WR corp. But in the second half of the season, they have started to look polished, started to look like an asset, a threat.
If I'm right, all of them return next year (with the TEs). I know Bell may declare for the draft. But the younger guys are really coming into their own.
November 28th, 2021 at 10:24 AM ^
Why would Bell declare for the draft, he wouldn't even get drafted this year?
November 28th, 2021 at 10:50 AM ^
Remember the first half of the season Mich barely passed the ball so of course they didn't look up to par. When they number got called, the Wrs stepped up
November 28th, 2021 at 11:11 AM ^
Michigan Football announced yesterday that:
”Ronnie Bell is a team captain who is highly productive, a fierce competitor, and a leader amongst his peers. He loves the game of football. A shining star who will crush his rehab to come back to Michigan next year and build upon his legacy as a great player and team leader.”
November 28th, 2021 at 12:36 PM ^
A constant on MGoBlog has been Brian's axiom that young receivers suck. I think Bell's injury meant that coaches had to ease into giving more run to the remaining corps, which had limited experience prior to this year. Also props to Gattis for coaching them up. I'm an idiot, but to my idiot eye, routes have really improved as the year has progressed. We knew that CJ had the chops to be a solid outside receiver, but Wilson and Sainristil have been wonderful surprises as the season progressed. Plus they block their asses off.
November 28th, 2021 at 9:44 AM ^
The touted stars of osu signed up thinking they were going to play for the next urban. But their coach is actually day. Who isn't and can never be urban.
Have we entered a new decade?
November 28th, 2021 at 10:52 AM ^
Ryan Day recruited majority of that team on the surface but I do think Urban did the recruiting from the inside
November 28th, 2021 at 9:46 AM ^
I’m not surprised the OL limited their sacks and TFLs. This OSU team didn’t have their typical edge terrors or stud LBs.
November 28th, 2021 at 10:53 AM ^
But what about Zach Harrison? Maybe GMatt did us a favor.
November 28th, 2021 at 9:47 AM ^
They aren't mutually exclusive, but whatever the reason we witnessed it yesterday.
We've also been on the receiving end of that equation more than once. Yeah, I'm looking at you, Iowa.
November 28th, 2021 at 9:49 AM ^
I didn't say it aloud (I have sports superstition) but what I was thinking all week: How has MSU managed to beat Michigan when Michigan had more talent? They played with a chip on their shoulder.
Michigan played with a chip on their shoulder. They wanted to decisively shut OSU up.
What's the old saying? In sports, the better (i.e., more talented) team doesn't always win.
November 28th, 2021 at 9:48 AM ^
"next time we get a recruit who isn’t a 5 star let’s give them a chance and beleive the coaches know what they are doing."
Great point. Hassan Haskins and the OL were too much for the OSU defense.
Cade McNamara may not have the cannon arm and may not be the runner but he refused to be rattled.
Onward to Indianapolis!
November 28th, 2021 at 9:53 AM ^
For those of us that think Stars do matter, crystal balls coming in for a 2023 4 star DL out of VA. Joel Starling, 6'5" 310lb #196 overall
November 28th, 2021 at 10:06 AM ^
"I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, not the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all"
But it is definitely the way to bet.
November 28th, 2021 at 10:06 AM ^
It’s funny how winning changes everything
November 28th, 2021 at 10:07 AM ^
During the cooper era OSU was often the more talented team on paper and we beat them almost every year.
We had a couple highly rated classes under Harbaugh that turned into a bunch of transfers out and locker room cancer.
Having talented players is very important, but their character is even more important.
The team, the team, the team.
November 28th, 2021 at 10:42 AM ^
Yes, it's been my operating theory that Harbaugh has been valuing fit over stars the last few classes. I'm ok with that.
Teams are made up of individuals, but their real strength is how they work together.
November 28th, 2021 at 11:00 AM ^
It's interesting that your entire argument has changed from "Michigan cant be elite because academics and the talent gap is too big" just after yesterday when some of us were calling bullshit on it for years...and pointing our that Michigan beat more talented OSU teams in years past.
Michigan has enough talent to compete with OSU every year. Yesterday we finally saw the combination of the right coaches and the right players execute a near perfect gameplan.
November 28th, 2021 at 10:20 AM ^
Anyone upset we missed on Zach Harrison and got David Ojabo? Harrison isn’t an impact player at this point.
November 28th, 2021 at 10:33 AM ^
Talent does matter, equally important is evaluation of said talent. We have seen 3* become absolute stars and go to the nfl as we have seen 5* never live up to the expectations or hype. Safe to say a lot of it depends on motivation as much as coaching. At this level desire to be the best has to be greater than your ability no matter your talent. Desire to succeed has to drive you through the ups and downs of every off season, injuries and difficulties in the game as well as outside of the game.
Leadership, you cannot say enough about the leadership of Hutch, Haskins, Corum, Vastardis, Ojabo and others driving this team. Literally pulling the wagon so to speak all off season.
Coaching staff, it’s also clear the buy in of the players. Gray, DJ Turner, Corum, Haskins.. All improved big over last season. Take the RB’s for instance, how many times did you see Haskins devastate a blitzing lber or knock a DE on his back chipping.. it wasn’t just a chip it was you sure as fk aren’t hitting my QB. At position groups coaching is improved imo, hard to believe MacDonald, Moore, Hart, Clinkscale, Weiss and others would be such an improvement but wow. Are there things to work on, yep, always will be.
November 28th, 2021 at 10:37 AM ^
Yesterday was amazing. It was the happiest I've ever been after watching a football game. Michigan rose up and beat down a team that's dominated them for the past 15 years.
But I hate seeing this "stars don't matter" mentality.
Yes. They do. They matter a lot. They really matter if you want to beat Ohio State consistently instead of once every 10 years.
Let me qualify that by saying that teams who don't have as many projected recruiting studs absolutely can beat the Oklahomas, Alabamas and Ohio States any given year. In one game, anything can happen.
But to consistently compete for national championships year in and year out, stars matter. All the statistics show there is a direct correlation between getting highly recruited players and winning.
This isn't a difficult concept, but it's one so many people miss. There's a difference between an individual player's ranking and a full recruiting class ranking.
Some individuals will outplay their rankings. Others will be worse than their rankings. Some will end up exactly how they were projected to end up. This happens at all levels. Five stars. Four stars. Three stars. Although I do believe there are a fewer percentage of five-star busts than there are four-star busts and three-star busts. And there are busts. It's why rankings aren't everything. Your coaching staff absolutely needs to evaluate all the players and recruit the right type of highly ranked players to your program.
But the truth is -- no matter what type highly ranked player you recruit -- if you want to win year in and year out, you want a team filled with five stars and four stars, with the occasional three stars sprinkled in. It's just the way it is. And, yes, you'll miss out on some unheralded surprise players. But your chance of competing with the best teams year in and year out greatly improves if your TEAM ranking is in the top five of recruiting rankings for multiple years. To do that you need five stars and four stars.
There's a reason Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma and Clemson are amazing year after year and the rest of us are storming the field when we beat them ... because they're recruiting the five stars and we're not.
I'm sorry if that seemed negative. It's not meant to be negative at all or rain on this victory. I'm ecstatic with this win and this program right now and feel this could be a turning point for this era. But the truth is I'm hoping this win leads to higher rated recruiting classes to bring in the type of talent where teams storm the field every time they beat us because they're shocked they just pulled off the upset.
November 28th, 2021 at 11:22 AM ^
The reason the five teams you mention get the 5 stars is $$$. The NCAA has turned a blind eye to boosters buying players. Take the basketball cheating that came out two years ago now…has Bill Self or the guy at Arizona been fired? Lost any scholarships? Anything? Nope. They just swept it under the rug. If you want to compete with those five (and you can add a fee more SEC teams, Oregon, etc) on the recruiting trail to that list you need to cheat like they do. Maybe the NIL will even it up more.
November 28th, 2021 at 10:39 AM ^
MSU teams have made a living out of non 5 stars giving M and even OSU (this year not withstanding) the business.
Stars aren't everything but they help. A motivated 3 star can play like a 4.5 star.
5 stars tend to be in their own category most of the time.
November 28th, 2021 at 10:40 AM ^
I would not say that stars don’t matter, but…
Ryan Day just got his ass kicked by a first year defensive coordinator when Day had way more talent. Stars matter, but coaching can matter more.
November 28th, 2021 at 11:21 AM ^
Amen, I am more concerned with who the coaches want for their system and kids that want to come to Michigan for different reasons than just the NFL. Sure, many good players will make it to the league but before hand they can get an amazing degree and be a part of something special. I will take the 5 stars, of course, but only as long as they are all in on Michigan!!!