Take a Break from Recruiting News
I think we need to take a break from recruiting news. I'm not giving up on A. Walls, D. Cooper, S. Watkins etc. because of a negative report, verbal commitment or "trimmed list".
In RR's 3 years he has proven he can close strong and if he's retained and we have a good bowl performance the mojo can turn quickly.
So stop jumping off the ledge with every piece of news, these kids are being blasted with negative recruiting against Michigan and I think reacting accordingly. This thing has a long way to go and no matter who the coach is we will flip some guys late.
December 14th, 2010 at 11:08 PM ^
Less than 2 months before signing day? I might take a break on February 10th.
December 14th, 2010 at 11:09 PM ^
December 14th, 2010 at 11:40 PM ^
I have to make a shameless OT plug for John Harvey's detective series starring Charley Resnick. Honest--Harvey is an outstanding writer.
December 15th, 2010 at 1:24 AM ^
Stare hopelessly at our new logo and division names and know that no matter what happens with recruiting or RR's future we have already seen rock bottom and know we can sink no lower. Sorry but I am having a hard time dealing with this.
December 14th, 2010 at 11:11 PM ^
How can I take a break from recruiting when Dave Brandon keeps me up all night worrying!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
WE'RE LOSING RECRUITS AND HE DOESN'T CARE!!!!!!!!!1!!!!!!!!!1
December 14th, 2010 at 11:16 PM ^
Brandon doesn't care about defensive recruits. The more offensive (see Carradine, Tank) the better for DB.
December 15th, 2010 at 12:05 AM ^
Maybe he knows something we don't. And that's why he's the AD at Michigan and we're posting on Mgoblog.
December 15th, 2010 at 4:45 AM ^
That's a ridiculous concept. I refuse to believe it.
<br>
<br>MGoBloggers are all-knowing.
December 15th, 2010 at 8:09 AM ^
We all have Mgopoints!!
December 15th, 2010 at 8:32 AM ^
December 15th, 2010 at 8:55 AM ^
We have a better football product on the field while he's here than Dominos did pizza while he was there. Otherwise, we are going to suck!
December 14th, 2010 at 11:15 PM ^
is what we "MICHIGAN MEN" do best.
Also DERP (directed at me not the OP)
December 14th, 2010 at 11:24 PM ^
That avatar is incredibly disturbing. I have seen it on a million threads, but I just had to point that out this time. Just... wow. So there's that.
December 15th, 2010 at 1:26 PM ^
just to make myself feel better. Try it. It works.
December 14th, 2010 at 11:15 PM ^
you are correct, how can RR recruit when he doesn't even know if he will be here..
December 14th, 2010 at 11:18 PM ^
Anyone take you seriously when you are obviously a tool?
December 14th, 2010 at 11:20 PM ^
Any commitment at this point has to come with a grain of salt. Each one of them is suspect to change depending on if RR is retained. If he is, then great. If not, we will have tracked all of this for nothing, and have to switch our focus to which players the team is able to hold onto.
I don't think any of us can help giving a read to some recruiting news, but one can't get anything close to invested in it at this stage. Things are even more up in the air than they usually are at this point in the year. There is even a chance that if RR is retained, that some players who went elsewhere because they were uncertain about his future could come back into the fold.
December 14th, 2010 at 11:39 PM ^
So glad I don't bother getting worked up over recruiting. To each his own, of course.
December 14th, 2010 at 11:55 PM ^
...the season ended for Michigan...with disappointment. :(
December 15th, 2010 at 12:35 AM ^
I'll step off the ledge now.
December 15th, 2010 at 12:50 AM ^
I loves me some recruiting. Obsessing over things you have no control over is the best!
December 15th, 2010 at 1:14 AM ^
Quite a refreshing perspective to things but you have to admit we're at about Defcon 3 with the program. I just don't see how changing coaches in Jan is gonna help things. Gotta push through, get the players healthy, and bring our redshirts onto special teams and backup roles. Let's pray RR has formulated a batch of extra-strength snake oil, he always seems to pull some signing day wizardry.
December 15th, 2010 at 1:19 AM ^
My theory on why we risk our livelihoods upon good recruiting news is that recruiting is the only part of college football that fans can look at and quantify and decide what the future of their program looks like based on the commit list. This is a ludicrous phenomenon, for a number of reasons, considering Mike Hart was a 3* recruit and Kevin Grady was a 5*. Also, if Zettel commits, we have three DE. Jack Miller is a DE who we've recruited as an OL. Add Zettel and we'll have six linemen committed. Not one of them could be converted to play DT? Ezeh was recruited as a RB, Cam Gordon was a 4* WR, Quinton Washington was an OL, William Campbell was a DL, etc. Players switch positions all of the time.
The paranoia surrounding recruitment is like predicting a national champion based on preseason polls. I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have had Auburn and Oregon in the title game and I'm pretty sure we can't predict how recruiting classes will turn out.
December 15th, 2010 at 1:34 AM ^
People switch positions all the time - but how much of that is attributed to there being not enough talent in the position of need compared to genuine interest in playing a new position.
Recruiting true position players over converts is a good idea in general.
Also - Obi Ezeh is a really good example of why we should recruit natural position players than make them switch posiitons at this level.
December 15th, 2010 at 1:40 AM ^
The coaches decide to switch them because they're better suited for that position.
December 15th, 2010 at 10:13 AM ^
We have more talent at their recruited position and have a need elsewhere or the two guys in front of them on the depth chart means they are not going to get much playing time but they are good kids and good athletes that we want to get on the field or .......
Evaluating talent from high school that is 17-18 years old and then knowing exactly what that talent is going to look like at the college D-1 level at 21-23 years old is an art, not a science.
As a thought, take a look at the professional teams for the NFL that have a ton more money, a much larger body of accomplishment to look at (3-4 years of college football) and still strike out on draft day or draft a back-up at a major college (Cassel) and the guy turns into gold. Some organizations do a much better job at evaluating talent and players than others. True in the NFL and in college as well.
Lots of complicated and non-scientifically measureable things go into the total make-up of complex humans who play football, and thus all the ranking and what not in the world represent only what a group of people think, and boy have many groups of people been wrong both at the college and pro level many a time.
December 15th, 2010 at 11:55 AM ^
switch positions. It keeps things fresh.....
December 15th, 2010 at 1:33 AM ^
No matter whether you folllow it casually or are into it like Tom VH, following recruiting gives little "shots" of hope for the future. Sometimes those shots turn out to be cheap rotgut and sometimes they age into a fine Napoleon Brandy, but they are always intoxicating.
December 15th, 2010 at 7:59 AM ^
get worked up about it. On the other hand, it might matter, so I am thankful for those people that spend the majority of their waking hours worrying.
December 15th, 2010 at 1:44 PM ^
there are two options:
1) Ignore the recruiting process entirely and just find out who actually signs on signing day
OR
2) Follow recruiting during the entire process and ride the roller coaster!