Recruiting "best guess" questions for Magnus, other insiders and anyone else who's interested...
Magnus (and others),
It's still REALLY early, but COVID-impact notwithstanding, how do you see us closing out this recruiting class (generally speaking)? It seems like more guys are committing early than ever before. I've heard coaches are pressuring them due to the pandemic.
We all know that there's been a lot of bitching about stars (and in some respects, rightfully so)...I just ran through every 2021 top prospect by position and outside of Edwards and Spindler (who may be a ND lean right now), it's tough to see it getting much better. What are your thoughts?
Here's what I was able to gather simply from 247Sports.com.
QB (1):
JJ McCarthy
Notes - need filled.
RB (2):
Donovan Edwards (4* - ovr: #38)
Prophet Brown (4* - ovr: #339)
Notes - this feels like a problem, we need two and it seems like we only have two that are firmly at the top of the board and neither is a "shoe in," but I don't see anymore high level options - this felt like a theme, having to hit on most the options that are left.
WR (2-3):
Markus Allen
Cristian Dixon (4* - ovr: #171)
Xavier Worthy (4* - ovr: #208)
Andrel Anthony (3* - ovr: #495)
Kamonte Grimes (3* - ovr: #392)
Notes - there were are few others listed as "prospects," but didn't feel like we had a realistic shot. If we can get Worthy and Anthony, I'd consider that a win.
TE (2):
Louis Hansen
Thomas Fidone (4* - ovr: #98)
Jack Pugh (4* - ovr: #319)
Notes - either one would be a huge get, but again, it just feels thin, like we're not in true contention with enough guys...too easy to strike out, thoughts?
OT (2):
Giovanni El-Hadi
Rayshaun Benny (4* - ovr: #191)
Tristan Bounds (3* - ovr: #633)
Notes - this one is the most disappointing...there are a TON of natural OTs in this class and we seem to be swinging in missing (Benny looks like a OG/OT tweener type prospect) - very frustrating that we were in on at least 4 top OTs who've already committed (or heavy leans) elsewhere.
OG (2):
Greg Crippen / Raheem Anderson
Rocco Spindler (4* - ovr: #44)
Drew Kendall (4* - ovr: #110)
Notes - hope to hit on both and maybe Spindler can play DT for us, but where is the 4th or 5th option?
OC (1):
Raheem Anderson / Greg Crippen
Notes - need filled.
WDE (2):
TJ Guy
Josaiah Stewart (3* - ovr: #438)
Notes - again, need one and only have one more name that feels like it's realistically a Michigan lean today (that said, some of these guys listed as SDEs will probably stay WDEs in college).
SDE (1):
Dominick Giudice
Kechaun Bennett (4* - ovr: #324)
Arden Walker (3* - ovr: #846)
Colin Mobley (3* - ovr: #433)
Darryl Peterson (3* - ovr: #479)
Notes - I hadn't heard of most of these guys, not sure if that means we're not really at the top for any of them, regardless, the top end guys seem out of the picture.
NG (1):
Notes - this is concerning, we need an elite player in this role.
DT (1):
George Rooks (4* - ovr: #202)
Ikenna Ugbaja (3* - ovr: #1032)
Notes - Ugbaja seems like a realistic option, another Don Brown New England tweener...his film is kind of rough, he's bigger than a lot of guys and gets put on his ass 3x in his own highlight tape.
RUSH END (1):
Quintin Somerville (4* - ovr: #102)
Notes - Uche's role.
WLB (1):
Jamari Budden (4* - ovr: #294)
Notes - LB hard to project exact position.
MLB (1):
Casey Phinney
Jaydon Hood (4* - ovr: #292)
Notes - need filled, nice that we're in on another since our LBs play multiple positions.
SLB (1):
Tyler McLaurin
Junior Colson (4* - ovr: #126)
Notes - LB hard to project exact position.
VIPER (1):
Notes - this is concerning, we need an elite player in this role.
CB (2):
Ja'Den McBurrows
AJ Green (4* - ovr: #193)
Ryan Barnes (3* - ovr: #550)
Notes - doesn't feel like we lead for Green or Barnes, but at least we're in the mix.
FS (1):
Rod Moore
JD Coffey (4* - ovr: #180)
Notes - need filled, nice we're in on another.
SS (1):
Donovan McMillon (3* - ovr: #432)
Notes - need more than just the one option.
K (0):
P (1):
Tommy Doman
Notes - need filled.
I guess the concern is...if we hit on all of the uncommitted guys listed, GREAT! There's some real talent listed. But that doesn't seem realistic and we don't seem to have a lot of realistic options that are Michigan leans outside of what's listed. Are there other top guys that we have realistic shots at? Should any of these guys be removed?
Thanks!
Yes! No? MAYBE!?
I don't know
Can you repeat the question?
You’re not the boss of me now!
Who's on first?
I say we magic 8-ball it for the answer
Safety recruiting in particular has been noticeably worse since Partridge left.
Safety recruiting under Patridge:
Daxton Hill 5 star, RJ Moten 4 star, Jordan Morant 4 star, Makari Paige 4 star
Under Bob Shoop it's 3 star Rod Moore and according to Brice Marich in a report today he said 3 star Ryan Barnes and 3 star Donovan McMillion are the other top two targets. Pair this with Zordich's below average CB recruiting and it's entirely possible if not likely Michigan doesn't sign a 4 star recruit in the defensive backfield this class. Scary thought when you look at what OSU is bringing in on offense.
So yeah this is bad and it's the price you pay when two of your worst recruiters on staff coach the same part of the defense. I don't know how people continue to make excuses for this but they do.
Welcome back maizen. This is a pretty reasonable take.
Is it me, or are almost half the posts here either "Maizen" in disguise or Maizen bashing replies? Stop feeding him.
Seriously the maizen bashing posts are almost as annoying as the maizen posts. Stop giving this thing oxygen.
This is a very reasonable take because it's true. I don't know why people have such a problem with the truth
Because people can only be honest with themselves directly after OSU whoops our ass every year. The other 51 weeks they delude themselves into thinking that our coaches are better than they are, that recruiting is going better than it is, and that next year is going to be the year. This has been going on for 20 years and people still haven't learned, and will probably go on another 20 years because UM isn't beating OSU recruiting the way they are and we all know it. This is really pitiful recruiting from this staff and people defend it, it's insane.
Probably because this is the first offseason without Partridge and 2/3 of it so far have been recruiting in the Zoom Zoom Zion room Instead of the Boom Boom room. Just shake your rump somewhere else, man.
FWIW, which is probably nothing looking at your join date and where this is probably headed...but Ryan Barnes is a 3Star who is probably going to move up and has offers from Oklahoma, Penn State, Va Tech, Tennessee, Florida and FSU, LSU, Clemson , Notre Dame and USC among others.
McMillion is a 3star in the composite, but a 4 star already and Top-200 on 247 with offers from Florida, Oklahoma, LSU, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State
And as the writers on this site have noted already, Rod Moore's position in the state of Ohio and at safety has historically put him in 4star territory and probably will be by signing day.
We took 3 safteys last year bud, Rod Moore will probably get a 4 star, runs a 4.41, legit speed, not even sure we need to take another safety this year if we don’t Donovan McMillion, I think Donovan is good just feel like he will be a Josh Metellus type, maybe a little bit of a higher upside
I like Donovan McMillon as a prospect and I get why they like Rod Moore. If those two are the safety class I can get on board. Where I draw the line is Ryan Barnes on top of two guys who may or may not pan out. There is absolutely nothing special about that kid's film and I know he has some "offers" but I'm not impressed at all.
The other thing is why does Zordich continue to get a pass for being such a crappy recruiter? He hasn't landed a top 100 recruit since David Long. Maybe those ties will help UM get in on a guy like Ceyair Wright, but right now his recruiting leaves a ton to be desired. They ask him to recruit 2-4 kids a year. He can't even do that with competence and instead has to settle for a bunch of 3 stars.
DB is one position that is easy to evaluate and where you need guys who are highly ranked. Anyone who has paid attention to UM football in the last 25 years can tell you that.
If you don’t think Ryan Barnes is good, you just need to stop posting & stop trying to act like you know anything. I can tell you for a fact major programs love him & are pushing hard for him. He’s tall, long & really instinctual & will be shooting up the rankings as time goes on.
And stop acting like you know how to analyze a kid from film, because your statement just proved you are full of crap.
No. Also stop repeating everything EJ Holland says and have an original thought of your own for once.
An entire class of 3 stars in the defensive backfield is just straight up incompetent recruiting. We all know that so stop denying it.
EJ Holland is an idiot & doesn’t know anything about analyzing recruits, so he would be the last person I would ever repeat. We don’t like each other.
“For once?” LOL
Im not a Michigan fan you idiot. I never have been. I post unbiased recruiting info from the Great Lakes region. That covers teams like UM, ND, OSU, PSU, UW, etc...
I can tell that you have no football knowledge & have no business trying to talk about recruits based on their film. There is a reason Barnes is not ranked high yet, it is based on his living situation. But I can tell you that teams, with recruiting classes higher than UM, are pushing for him over top 250 guys.
There was a kid two years ago who was a DB, barely a 3 Star, almost a 2 Star. He was being recruited hard by Alabama, OSU, Clemson, UGA, ND, UM, and every other school in the country. He in ended up a 5 Star, & then a Freshman All American & now ranked as a top 5 Safety in the country as a true sophomore.
The point is there is a reason major programs go hard after kids despite idiots like you staring at stars & trying to make comments off of zero knowledge.
I'm well aware who Kyle Hamitlon is thank you.
As for my evaluations, well they are almost always on point. I'm sorry you don't see them that way. Ryan Barnes is not good. He's a three star for a reason. It has nothing to do with his fucking living situation. Get fucking real trying to peddle that bullshit here. Experts don't rank recruits based on their fucking address you bozo.
Mander98 can't tell the difference between "living situation" and "address". Maybe his knowledge of reading comprehension matches his knowledge of recruiting.
Almost always on point... with an eye like that how aren't you on a coaching staff somewhere big!?
Let me get this straight. You have to pay $5 every time you create a new account?
Imagine if Maizen used his powers for good... something that was actually helpful.
Eddie Dub was a terrible recruiter coming in if you ask anyone from OSU. So what does Maizen do? Parrot that same thing. Ranting nonstop about whiffing on Keegan and how we're gonna have to settle for 3* at the timen Petit-Frere. Crazy how that unfolded.
Now we get some new coaches who haven't even gotten in the building good and he's railing on them already. Well only Shoop now, because updated info came out about the other's ties in key recruiting areas.
I only hope the constant unpacking of negativity is always worth the price of admission.
If he started his own blog, I'd definitely read it. I admire his ability to maintain an uncanny consistency with his comments over the years... with particular signiature writing style that's hard to explain, but easy to spot, and never really dull.
He'd force a lot of the actual writers outside of this blog to step their game up. No cap.
“I admire his ability to maintain an uncanny consistency with his comments over the years...”
People with compulsive disorders tend to be extremely consistent in their behavior.
i bet it would read something like if alex jones started bashing UM sports.
Quick turnaround I see after your last account was cratered, I see.
Yeah, but do you see??
Nice minority report reference, I think
I thought it was Red Dragon?
Hasn't Shoop been here for like 6 months? Not a great argument bruh.
We took a ton of safeties last year. Not to mention, regardless of your opinion on Shoop as a recruiter, bringing in a coach during a dead period which is immediately followed by a global health crisis is going to crush their ability to recruit.
Shoop hasn’t had an opportunity to meet face to face with these recruits, their families, their coaches. Hasn’t had a chance to bring them to campus. Right now is a horrible time for new coaches to be recruiting. Even BJM, who is known to be a phenomenal recruiter, has had almost no impact yet. Largely for the same reasons.
It’s unrealistic to expect new coaches to make connections and establish relationships when they’re limited to text message and FaceTime. It’s an uphill battle for those guys.
First recruiting cycle after a guy leaves and it’s a disaster!!!! If we can’t land 4/5 stars immediately after hiring a guy we should just pack it in
A few tidbits: JoeyV, ErikA, and EdW are all working out in Columbus together. EA is the real deal, and an NFL player, probably early rounder. Joey is in the 2 deep at WILL and 3rd string Viper. He's going to play a lot, and most likely leave as a team captain. They were talking yesterday about how Michigan is one of the few schools that got no practices in before CV19. Spoke about what the coaches are looking for: burst, speed, technique, strength, and toughness. In my opinion EW is not an option on the roster.
Coach is personally getting back involved in recruiting, much more than last year (2015 JH), specifically the top dogs (Both Clarkston boys, and Edwards among others)
Gattis is a beast. Holding out for some high end kids, but worst case he closes with a few low 4 high 3 star kids. His relationship with Jay is strong, and the two of them seem to be a nice complement to each other with these young kids, and on the trail.
True Freshman going to play. The entire staff loves last years class. WR, RB, DB, and S all have legit freshman who want to go get it.
Lastly, I asked my pal very close to the football team and JH if they were aware of the recent move USC made to bring on 2 of the best recruiters in the country from LSU staff, also that CP has left a void. He said, "coach loves what JM and BS bring to the table, and how well they fit in with DB and the rest of the coaches, might not be the sexy choice, but it's exactly what we needed, which has everything to do with geography and familiarity in these regions"
Cheers
First of all, that's a bold prediction, putting All into the NFL based on 1 career catch. Certainly hope you're correct as that would mean tremendous success for him and the team.
Second, your initials are driving me crazy. Is EdW, Coach Warriner? If so, I'm not sure if that really excites me that he's working out with two kids, much less a safety and TE. And, who is EW, who is not an option on the roster? This one has me stumped.
By the time the season starts (if/when), I think it will be completely irrelevant if a team got in a couple spring practices before the pandemic hit. The most important thing is how well kids stay in shape during the down-time, and either get or stay healthy.
Good news on Harbaugh becoming more involved in recruiting. If that was ever not the case, it would be like McDonald's focusing on filet o fish sales. It's a nice change of pace, but it's not what brings in the money.
Last, I'm still waiting for the day when a coach admits that his latest coaching hire was just a desperate move, that he was the last guy standing and there were no other choices. EVERY coaching hire fits the program, and hardly any are sexy.
Ed Warinner Jr. LB transfer from MSU. Type of guy who wasn’t going to contribute to his 4th or 5th year anyways.
EdW is obviously Ed Warriner Jr. your reading comprehension are atrocious.
Calling the hires desperate only confirms to us that you are a moron.
My apologies for not knowing all of the PWOs. I did not realize Ed Warriner Jr was near the 2-deep.That's why I asked the question. I was not calling the coaching hires desperate. I was joking because Ghost's source characterized that the hires were a perfect fit for the program, as was to be expected. I have never heard a coach say that his hires were desperate and that they were not a good fit for the program. I'm pretty confident with my reading comprehension and writing skills. Perhaps my sense of humor is where I lack.
Ed Warinner Jr. or EW to me is not a starting big ten caliber player. Adam Shaheen showed up yesterday and EA was neck and neck with him all day. AS has a stupid catch radius, but other than that EA his equal. I'm telling you he is going to be good!
Yep, this is the same coach who hired Pep Hamitlon, Tim Drevno, Jim McElwain, etc.
The guy just doesn't get that he needs better recruiters on staff. Tennessee hired three 247 sports national recruiters of the year. USC hired 2 guys from LSU and Oregon's stud recruiter (who Sam Webb reported would have accepted the safety job here) and look how both those programs have turned it around.
There is no such thing as elite programs anymore only elite coaches. UM doesn't have enough of them.
is that the same guy who hired Warinner, Partridge and Brown?
@mander... I think we've had generally underwhelming safety play in two decades. But just maybe Shoop brings in a different type and more heady player, and that it works out. Let's give him benefit of doubt here because of what came before him. Am talking pre Dax..
Who does one pay attention to on film evals ? A top 10 DC that UM employs as a Safties coach, or some jabrone with severe mental issues that likes to waste 100 bucks a month on MGoBlog accounts?
Just a thought here Shawn cause I know you'll do you, but maybe take the $5 fees you keep paying for your new accounts and bundle them together. Then when you have $100, buy some meals for frontline health care workers. Instead of people fighting with you online and getting another account banned, you'll be helping some folks who have had a rough few months.
Idea for a new MGoGameShow: Name That MGoUser
"I can name this MGoUser in 1 sentence, Brian/Seth/mods"
Hi Maizen!
A few quick notes:
- M is recruiting Benny as a DT not OT.
- I believe M would LIKE to take 2 RBs but classifying it as a need/concern seems a bit dramatic to me. I think Haskins is the only one of the assumed top 3 that is even eligible to leave after this year (not counting Evans - he is a “bonus” this year). Add Turner - who was getting some game time as a Frosh - and Giles Jackson/some of the other slot-bugs who played RB in High School and I think M would be OK with just one.
If Edwards wants to be the only RB in the class I can get on board with that. If UM really wants two guys then I have no idea why they didn't pursue the kid that just committed to Minnesota Markese Irving. Watch his hudl, that kid is a stud.