SI's Andy Staples on the Gwen Bush (Wayne Lyons' mom) hire
SI's Andy Staples wrote about Gwen Bush, Wayne Lyons' mom, being hired by Michigan for Player Development. He dispels the notion that Michigan hired her to get Lyons by adding background on why she is perfect for the job.
He also talks about the NLI and the Mike Weber situation a little, and warns Harbaugh to be careful of criticizing OSU having an assistant leave right after Signing Day because it will probably eventually happen here. Don't totally disagree with him, but the bigger problem with the Weber situation for me was that Drayton was giving a hard sell late into the night for an undecided and torn recruit, and some of the stuff Drayton was reported to have said looks pretty deceitful now with the knowledge that he was already out the door. If that happened here, I (and I think most here) would be just as critical of our staff.
Harbaugh lobbed some criticism in Ohio State’s general direction, but he caught lots last week when Gwen Bush’s name appeared in Michigan’s employee directory with the job description of “Player Development” in the athletic department. Bush is the mother of Stanford cornerback Wayne Lyons, who is set to graduate and would be able to transfer and play his final season of eligibility anywhere.
Harbaugh’s hiring of Bush might be an obvious attempt to land Lyons, a player Harbaugh recruited during his tenure at Stanford, but isn’t much different than when Florida State hired Mario Edwards Sr. in a player development role just as defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. was set to join the team. Plus, if anyone is qualified for this job, it’s Bush. At most large programs, player development personnel work in a mentoring role for current players and serve as contact points for recruits and their parents when they seek info about the program and school.
Bush is perfect for this job because she knows exactly what parents will ask. When Lyons was being recruited the first time around, she asked pretty much every question. It was Bush who designed the in-depth questionnaire (http://www.si.com/more-sports/2010/05/17/lyons-questionnaire) Lyons sent to every school that offered him a scholarship. The 50 questions covered everything from insurance coverage to graduation rates to the distance to the nearest department store. Bush told me in 2010 she got the idea from then-Wisconsin back James White, who had sent questionnaires to all the teams recruiting him.
http://www.si.com/college-football/2015/02/09/national-letter-intent-punt-pass-pork
February 9th, 2015 at 11:46 AM ^
I agree that the Gwen Bush hire should not raise too many eyebrows. I don't think many coaches will be creating positions so that they can get a one-year player, and I get the sense that Harbaugh demands excellence from anyone he works with. She's not getting the job if she can't do it, and Coach Harbaugh's not creating the job unless it adds value (apart from grad transfer value).
The tweet about the "wicked web we weave" is not one I'm a huge fan of, because we don't know the facts of the situation down at OSU. (A helluvalot of smoke, though.) But it's just part of Coach Harbaugh's personality, and from what I hear it's the only one he's got.
Thanks for posting - and I love the questionnaire idea.
February 9th, 2015 at 12:27 PM ^
February 9th, 2015 at 12:35 PM ^
Agree, and I loved the tweet. The beauty of it was not calling anyone out by name and their reaction speaking volumes. I'm sooooo tired of folks being afraid of offending our rival, aka Ohio.
February 9th, 2015 at 12:42 PM ^
They're not offended because they don't understand the quote. One would have to have read something besides 11 Warriors to understand the Sir Walter Scott quote.
February 9th, 2015 at 11:49 AM ^
Lyons is basically a taller Raymon Taylor we are renting for a year. Outside of RCMB and 11 Warriors it's not a controversy (RCMB already has this as a major NCAA violation of course). If anything you hope she helps in a "Curtis Blackwell" way in southern florida for a few years due to the 7 v 7 environment she was around but it's sort of silly to make it out as if Lyons is some massive piece that elevates our D to incredible heights - he lost his job this past year as a SR and was the CB Pac 12 offenses went at constantly apparently.
February 9th, 2015 at 12:03 PM ^
February 9th, 2015 at 12:20 PM ^
Everything is about Michigan with them and they look for reasons to take shots to make them feel better about their lives. If you think their pages are bad, look at the Big 10 FB page or ESPN gameday on FB.
ON the ESPN page they even had fans telling Austin Hatch not to fly on the same plane as them for his story and they posted the SI cover of their win.
February 9th, 2015 at 11:49 AM ^
I love that questionnaire. That's a family that has their ducks in a row.
February 9th, 2015 at 11:50 AM ^
No questions about hot chix on campus though. Not enough input from the player. He should have probably snuck in his own version to coaches as well.
February 9th, 2015 at 11:57 AM ^
concerned about clothing for some reason. Two questions about department stores and one asking the school to buy the kid some winter clothes.
Weird.
February 9th, 2015 at 1:17 PM ^
It's basically running an RFP process. After you narrow things down, you eventually do your demos and site visits. I both write and respond to RFPs in my line of work, so I absolutely love this. Go mom!
February 9th, 2015 at 11:46 AM ^
February 9th, 2015 at 11:47 AM ^
a coach leaving near NSD is very possible, but the deception that other teams used just doesn't seem like the thing Harbaugh would do. Given his background, and especially since he's been so critical of others doing so, I feel confident saying he would not allow this to happen during his tenure at Michigan.
February 9th, 2015 at 11:51 AM ^
I agree, but the problem is that things can happen outside of Harbaugh's control that would give the appearance of impropriety. So long as we have the 13th Amendment (and I'm strongly in favor of it - no politics rule be damned!), people can leave their job with little notice and at inopportune times.
February 9th, 2015 at 11:57 AM ^
February 9th, 2015 at 11:47 AM ^
This is a non-story. Bush is well-qualified for the position she holds and will be a big benefit to UM. If her son chooses to play here next year that's great, but this hire will pay dividends with players who currently have no idea they will be playing at UM in the next 2-5 years.
February 9th, 2015 at 11:53 AM ^
...I wonder if she will play the role of a mother figure with these kids. Harbaugh the awesome, kickass dad and Mama Bush as the loving mother who wants the best for her kids. I'd hate to already think about the recruiting aspect of things, but if a professor can almost land us Da'Shawn Hand, I wonder how big of a role she could play.
February 9th, 2015 at 1:02 PM ^
do with its timing and the suggestion that Lyons son might transfer to Michigan for his final year of eligibility, even though there is no indication at this point that he will.
You don't have a problem with this if he doesn't come to Michigan. And then you just look at the credentials and background Mrs. Lyons brings to the job and whether being the mom of a recruit taints or augments the hire. It turns out that being a recruit's mom now or previously makes her perfectly qualified for the duties she performs.
I look at this hire in the same way that I look at John Baxter's hire. Here's a guy who not only has a tremendous record as a special teams coach but has augmented that with creation of an academic guide that he developed while at Fresno State to improve the football team's APR. And he has used it to help kids at USC. Now, he can offer it to Michigan's program.
There is no question that there is widespread nepotism in coaching and that relationship-building is a key to coaching hires. And the Harbaugh family is rife with them. And I think its important to simply acknowledge that the reason Jim Harbaugh came to Michigan as a player was because of his dad's connection to the program under Bo. And then you can just look at the hires over time and see a recurring pattern. This is just a part of the coaching game at all levels. It's about relationships. And that's the case with Mrs. Lyons hire by Michigan.
February 9th, 2015 at 11:52 AM ^
going to fit in just fine at Michigan.
February 9th, 2015 at 11:48 AM ^
One question sums up a sizeable advantage the SEC has versus our schools in BIG land - "what is the temp of the coldest day?". : ) How do you explain 5 below f and walking to conditioning before sunrise in January to a kid who has maybe expereinced 30 degrees a few times in his life ? Can be done, but definately is something all northern schools have to deal with.
February 9th, 2015 at 11:56 AM ^
Yeah, she has like 3 questions on cold weather. That's not good.
If she is going to work for us, she needs to take those out of the template and replace them with questions like "How many days do the temperature and humidity both exceed 90?"
February 9th, 2015 at 12:07 PM ^
February 9th, 2015 at 12:32 PM ^
February 9th, 2015 at 11:57 AM ^
February 9th, 2015 at 12:04 PM ^
How about this question:
Given that almost all NFL teams in the playoffs are from cold weather cities, how can you assure me that the weather gets cold enough on your campus to get my son properly acclimated to real-man NFL weather?
February 9th, 2015 at 12:15 PM ^
February 9th, 2015 at 12:38 PM ^
I think he was making a joke.
February 9th, 2015 at 12:55 PM ^
February 9th, 2015 at 1:28 PM ^
DENARD
February 9th, 2015 at 11:51 AM ^
Mario Edwards Sr. played football for FSU and had a previously existing relationship with the university.
February 9th, 2015 at 11:56 AM ^
February 9th, 2015 at 12:05 PM ^
we come to the conclusion that Harbaugh = the university
February 9th, 2015 at 12:07 PM ^
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February 9th, 2015 at 12:32 PM ^
February 9th, 2015 at 1:39 PM ^
to a pre-existing relationship with the university, not with the coach. My point is that I do not believe comparing Bush to Edwards Sr. is an apples to apples comparison. If Bush had been an athlete at U of M, then it would be a fair comparison.
February 9th, 2015 at 1:47 PM ^
February 9th, 2015 at 2:00 PM ^
will be unable to turn him into an all conference player? Dude, where is your confidence?
February 9th, 2015 at 2:17 PM ^
February 9th, 2015 at 2:52 PM ^
has absolutely nothing to do with this discussion. The original comparison was with the parents and the universities. When Sr. was hired in 2012, Edwards Jr. had not played college football yet. That is the reason for the jest about the all conference thing.
February 9th, 2015 at 1:59 PM ^
A pre-existing relationship is a pre-existing relationship. Trying to distinguish between coach and university is pointless
February 9th, 2015 at 3:20 PM ^
between Ty Wheatley and U of M is no different from the pre-existing relationship between Harbaugh and Bush? Distinguishing between the two would be pointless?
February 9th, 2015 at 12:33 PM ^
February 9th, 2015 at 12:05 PM ^
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February 9th, 2015 at 12:04 PM ^
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February 9th, 2015 at 12:37 PM ^
not gettting into this argument but edwards was the #1 player in the entire country. lyons is a grad transfer who might not even start wherever he transfers
February 9th, 2015 at 12:40 PM ^
Another big difference is that Edwards came with 4 years of eligibility as opposed to 1 for Lyons. Plus, Lyons has shown himself to be a good, not great player and Edwards was one of the highest-rated recruits at the time
February 9th, 2015 at 11:52 AM ^
Who knew Briarwood Mall was such a strategic advantage for moms who did surveys like this.
February 9th, 2015 at 12:05 PM ^
February 9th, 2015 at 12:36 PM ^
If we're talking about staying on a budget and you care to go east and not south of campus, there is a Marshall's in Arborland. Probably doesn't make up fo the absence of Mervyn's, but at least the University - if it were to fill out the questionnaire - would have that secondary option going for it.