Sometimes a 3 star is just a 3 star

Submitted by Farnn on

Has anyone considered that these guys Harbaugh is offering may just be what they appear to be?  Somewhat limited athletes who are smart and hard working?  Every team needs the guys who let the playmakers "make plays".  The ones who take on blocks, keep contain, and make sure tackles.  A reccurent theme at these camps has been how underrated the trait of being a good follower is and maybe these guys those guys who will work hard and take to the coaching and be dependable on the field.  The Ryan Van Bergens, Desmond Morgans, and Jordan Kovacs who are limited athletically but are vital to a team.

Yes, the team still needs those stars, but fortunately there is space left in the class and they tend to take less time to develop and see the field if you don't get them in this class.  So maybethe guy who has built 2 NCAA teams into 11 game winners knows what parts you need and certain ones are easier to get when you are just starting out.

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othernel

June 14th, 2015 at 9:18 PM ^

Yeah, you always have time to add role players... after you add the playmakers.

 

I don't get this strategy... but in Harbaugh I trust. 

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Black Socks

June 14th, 2015 at 9:22 PM ^

And...this was worthy of a new thread?  Why not just open up a recruiting snowflakes thread?

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Lakeyale13

June 14th, 2015 at 9:23 PM ^

And sometimes Five Stars are Two Stars. Our five star signings or highest rated recruit haven't done CRAP. Terry Ruchardson, Kyle Kali's, Shane Morris, Ondre Pipkins, Derek Green....and the list could go on. I could care less about stars. They meant NOTHING under Hoke, and I think they will mean nothing (in the best way possible) under Harbaugh.

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UMxWolverines

June 14th, 2015 at 9:32 PM ^

What five star recruits that we've gotten in literally the last decade or more have done anything here? Two I can think of are Lamarr Woodley and Chad Henne. Otherwise the rest have not even come close to living up to hype. Why people follow recruiting stars anymore is beyond me. Has nobody realized that recruiting services bump the rating of players just because they commit to a certain school as well?

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Lakeyale13

June 14th, 2015 at 9:41 PM ^

What compounds the damage of our 5 star / highest rated recruit signings is that they truly are busts. I totally get that many 5 stars won't go on to be All-Americans, but you simply can't miss on these signings and not have them at least be solid starters becoming an average to above average Big Ten player (think someone like Craig Roh). Pipkins, Morris, Grady, Green, T Richardson, Kalis, etc have been for the most part players that wouldn't be starters on 50-75% of other Big Ten teams.

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mgokev

June 14th, 2015 at 9:58 PM ^

So you're saying they were ahead of their peers in HS but somehow, in college, their peers surpassed them in skill and ability over a short span? Hm, could it possibly have been the atrocious coaching? The fact that our five stars have been busts isn't because recruiting services suck, it's because our coaching sucked. I wish I could see in an alternate universe if Morris, Pipkins, Kalis, et al at an OSU/Alabama/etc would be better or the same. Then we can decide if it's "5-star busts" or just flat out coaching busts.



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Blue Durham

June 15th, 2015 at 11:23 AM ^

There is a real-world example in Renaldo Nehemiah from the early 1980's. He was the top track star, and Bill Walsh signed him for the 49ers. Was with the team for 3 years but really had very little impact. There is a lot more to being a good wide receiver than being fast. Isn't the award to the top college receiver named after Fred Beletnikoff? You needed a calender to time his 40.

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Jack Harbaugh

June 14th, 2015 at 9:25 PM ^

Sometimes a winning coach just knows what kids are good football players. Remember before recruiting rankings when coaches actually scouted kids and offered them based on their ability and no one in the fanbase knew who was coming until they saw the roster? Why do we have to justify the best coach in football offering a player deemed a 2/5 by Mike Farrell? They're good goddamn players. Enough with the rationalization already. Let's just enjoy the fact that Michigan has the best coach in the world and we're only 2.5 months away from real football.

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