Wash Post article on Da'Shawn Hand - why UM has a strong shot
Article by Washington Post today on #1 recuit in the nation for 2014, DE Da'Shawn Hand (Woodbridge, VA, about 20 min south of Wash DC). This will provide some insight on why he might be high on Michigan -- he wants an engineering degree. Look at all of the top football programs, none East of the Mississippi are quite at our level of engineering too.*
The Post, at least, makes this kid sound like the kind of quality recruit we fancy would see us as a cut above Bama and tSIO.
* I would say these are the competitive engineering programs at BCS conference schools on somewhat of the same plane as Michigan: Illinois, Penn State, Ga Tech, Auburn, Virginia, VaTech (well VaTech likes to think they are on this list). If you go further west, then Stanford (obv), Cal, TAMU, and Washington come into play. If you look at which ones are going to be football powerhouses turning out DL guys to the NFL, well, only Auburn and possibly VaTech would be real competitors. If i were a 2014 recruit, I'd worry about Beamer not being there in 2018. Same with Auburn's coach, who might not be there in 2014, frankly.
EDIT: Forgot the obvious engineering school Purdue, as has been pointed out. UT-Austin sometimes is said to be a good engineering school, but I'd be interested in those in the engineering field agree with that. Somewhat like Va-Tech, some schools claim to be good at engineering but, out in the market, companies don't necessarily see it that way.
October 19th, 2012 at 10:29 AM ^
Anything to keep him away from VT. They do have a strong engineering program.
October 19th, 2012 at 10:53 AM ^
My best friend is his DC right now. He is in an interesting situation. He isn't a prima donna, he is very down to earth and a very very smart kid. He does want an engineering degree and loves that Mattison is recruiting using the entire school and not just talking football.
He loves VT, because of Bud Foster, not Beamer. He also has only been to schools that are within driving distance. His head coach is a Michigan fan, and Hand is not a fan of the bias. I am actually going to with them to Columbus Beauty School for the GAME. I have 8 hours in a car with him to play the Victors and talk about Michigan...
October 19th, 2012 at 11:29 AM ^
"His head coach is a Michigan fan, and Hand is not a fan of the bias." Does that mean that Hand doesn't like the fact that his head coach is outwardly pro-Michigan, and therefore gets a feeling (whether true or not) that he is trying to steer him there? If that's the case, and your riding with Hand for 8 hours, maybe it's not best to talk about Michigan the whole time and play the Victors. Or I could be reading the line all wrong.
October 19th, 2012 at 11:34 AM ^
Then again, I've seen more people misuse the word "bias" than just about any other word.
October 19th, 2012 at 11:39 AM ^
You're bias against people who use the word "bias" is bias.
October 19th, 2012 at 12:16 PM ^
usage of you're is bias.
October 19th, 2012 at 2:17 PM ^
Misuse of bias is one of the most dominate mistakes I see in written English.
October 19th, 2012 at 2:31 PM ^
I wish I could say it doesn't phase me, but it does.
October 19th, 2012 at 3:41 PM ^
Who gives a shit? I could care less what you think.
October 19th, 2012 at 4:07 PM ^
see what you did there
October 19th, 2012 at 8:04 PM ^
Dominate = VERB. Dominant = ADJECTIVE.
October 19th, 2012 at 1:05 PM ^
especially since I will be a guest of his while visiting Ohio...I will have to keep the Pro-Michigan to a respectable minimum. And to be honest, as a fan, it would be nice, but I could care less where he goes to school. His coach however, I'm the best man in his wedding so, I don't mind doing a favor to go to my first OSU/UM game. I will take the opportunity to say some good things from a fan perspective however, but in the end, he's a great kid, very funny, and i'll root for him ALMOST anywhere he goes lol
October 19th, 2012 at 10:29 AM ^
Ha 20 minutes south...if you're in Marine One :)
October 19th, 2012 at 10:34 AM ^
I wouldnt hold my breath (or buckle my seatbelt) on this one. The next high profile, 5 Star recruit that actually places academics on the top of their decision making tree will be the first. They all claim publicly how vitally important the quality of their eduction experience will be in choosing the school but at the end of the day I think it ranks significantly behind other, more immediate factors: coaching staff's ability to place players in NFL, weather (sadly), night life, girls & sometimes payolla.
October 19th, 2012 at 10:51 AM ^
Actually, the next 5 star that actually means what he says about academics will be at least the second. Myron Rolle chose FSU largely because they taylored a program that allowed him to do all his pre-med requirements in 2 1/2 years and gave him extensive grad level lab work in physiology. And it worked out pretty well for him.
October 19th, 2012 at 11:23 AM ^
October 19th, 2012 at 11:52 AM ^
I'd also add Josh Garnett to that list. When he chose between two shirts saying "Michigan Football" and "Stanford Medicine", it definitely showed that academics were huge in his decision making.
October 19th, 2012 at 11:54 AM ^
Aaron Burbridge chose MSU because of academics.
October 19th, 2012 at 12:50 PM ^
The opportunities from the packaging school are second-to-none and, if the need ever arises, the prison-to-work program is beneficial. Can't really blame the kid.
October 20th, 2012 at 8:54 AM ^
October 19th, 2012 at 11:32 AM ^
Five-star recruits that are also smart enough to handle a pre-med or engineering role are pretty damn rare. So yeah, probably shouldn't be any breath holding.
October 19th, 2012 at 10:51 AM ^
October 19th, 2012 at 11:34 AM ^
You guys are right. There ARE two and I stand corrected.
I, however, get the other 5116 players though who make the claim how important their education is and then pay zero attention to academics when they actually "put on the hat" on signing day.
October 19th, 2012 at 11:45 AM ^
means caring about the "best" or highest ranked program....it could mean something like the best academic support.
October 19th, 2012 at 11:57 AM ^
Let's also not forget that considering the backgrounds of a lot of these kids, "going to college" is much higher on the academic ladder than a lot of their peers will climb, and if you never thought you could ever actually go to college and aren't planning on trying to get a job with a high-powered Wall Street firm, one college is as good as any other.
October 19th, 2012 at 4:04 PM ^
October 19th, 2012 at 12:16 PM ^
Are you really keeping score?
October 19th, 2012 at 11:48 AM ^
I still remember the premature celebrations around here when Myron Rolle said that he wanted to go to medical school. Everybody thought that it automatically meant he would end up in a winged helmet. After all, nobody with those kinds of aspirations would want to go to FSU, right?
October 19th, 2012 at 12:31 PM ^
I think people make two basic misconceptions regarding recruits who say that academics are important in making their decisions.
First, academics may be important, but that doesn't mean that it is the only consideration. Recruits will consider all kinds of things; just because academics are publicly cited as one consideration doesn't automatically mean that it's the only thing they'll consider.
Second, even if the recruit is putting academics above everything else, that doesn't automatically mean that Michigan is the best place for them. Someone above mentioned Levenberry. That was a recruit that took academics seriously and wanted to pursue a degree that Michigan doesn't offer, so he went to a good school that offers the program he was interested in. And as someone else mentioned, recruits who want to pursue an engineering degree will have an extra logistical hurdle of having to contend with commuting between practice and N. Campus. If a football player wants his engineering degree, maybe the problems created by the layout of Michigan's campus means he shouldn't come to Michigan.
Maybe I'm just not as cynical as other posters here, but I don't automatically assume that because a high school kid is a highly regarded football recruit that he's blowing smoke up everyone's ass about wanting a good education. There are plenty of schools that have good football programs and good academic reputations. Just because a recruit says education is important and then picks a school besides Michigan doesn't mean that he was lying.
October 19th, 2012 at 2:42 PM ^
Academics are an important part of the mix, but there are many and varied reasons to go to a school.
And let's be honest: if you want a good education, there are many places you can get it.
There are other factors in the academics than just the school ranking. For instance, iirc, there have been potential Michigan recruits interested in architecture and nursing. Unfortunately, the way classes are scheduled at Michigan, my understanding is that it is impossible to do the practicums and be on the team. (something like being required to do something in the afternoon that's required, and a direct irreconcilable conflict with the football practice schedule.)
It would be great for Hand to come to Michigan, but in the end, he will neither make nor break the 2014 recruiting class.
October 19th, 2012 at 10:35 AM ^
I can't imagine how awesome a player of his caliber would be with the seemingly magic DL coaching abilities of Mattison and Hoke.
October 19th, 2012 at 2:08 PM ^
I think Montgomery often gets overlooked but I've only heard good things about him. Hand will have three coaches to help him become the best player he can be if he chooses Michigan. When you couple that with the academic aspect, I think that makes Michigan a contender for him.
October 19th, 2012 at 10:35 AM ^
I'd almost recommend against Michigan if he wants to do engineering and football. I don't know that I've heard of a M football player who has pulled that off yet what with the huge workloads of football and engineering school.
October 19th, 2012 at 10:40 AM ^
October 19th, 2012 at 10:41 AM ^
I don't remember who exactly, but I remember someone on the O-Line majoring in nautical engineering. Anybody remember who? Or am I just making this up?
Edit: Answered before I even asked it.
October 19th, 2012 at 1:52 PM ^
for his major is Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering.
October 19th, 2012 at 10:41 AM ^
Isn't Omameh an Engineering major?
October 19th, 2012 at 10:51 AM ^
Hugye was too. I think it's do-able, but it won't be easy. I got a Mechanical Engineering degree at Michigan and it was tough by itself. The advantages he will have are:
All the academic support
year-round classes - no 20 credit semesters for sure
any/all AP credit - I came in with 28 credits due to APs and the Engineering School's foreign language program (instead of retroactive credits, they just give you credit for whatever you pass out of on the exam during orientation)
I think you could pull off being an engineering major and a football player, as a couple of our linemen have proven.
October 19th, 2012 at 10:53 AM ^
I thought he was, too, but mgoblue shows a double major in sociology and communications.
October 19th, 2012 at 1:03 PM ^
October 19th, 2012 at 2:53 PM ^
And I don't think that's anything new. I remember that from a couple of years ago.
EDIT: Hadn't refreshed my screen over lunch-- the "correct" was referring to the sociology & communications major. It's possible he started in engineering, but if he switched, I don't think it was recent. Whether that was because of the demands of the engineering or not, can't say, but I seem to remember him really liking a sociology class early on...
October 19th, 2012 at 10:44 AM ^
But I believe it's possible and do not think they are discouraged from trying. Most players take 12 credits a semester and make up for this by taking classes spring and summer (in order to receive scholarship checks).
I think a redshirt year would go a long way. No throw away classes and 12/13 - 12/13 - 6 - 6 credits and I think it can be done. Loads of academic support available for our athletes as well. Just takes a special individual to want to pursue that kind of work.
October 19th, 2012 at 10:52 AM ^
OK, reasonable point but then where would you tell him to go? Somewhere where he can get an engineering degree without going to class? Yes, it would be tough at Michigan but it would be tough at any school. If he wants to do both, I don't see why Michigan would be a worse choice than would other engineering schools.
October 20th, 2012 at 12:42 AM ^
this. an engineering degree is difficult anywhere.
October 19th, 2012 at 10:58 AM ^
you would make an extremely bad advisor. First of all, as others pointed out, last year's OL had an engineering major. Second, if he wants to go to any engineering school he's going to have a heavy academic workload, even if you try to push him into a less competitve program.
October 19th, 2012 at 11:03 AM ^
...is getting an engineering degree. There may be different workloards re: basketball and football but it seems comparable.
October 19th, 2012 at 11:13 AM ^
Basketball might be even tougher academically, since it stretches across two semesters, and the grind in the first semester starts at the same time as basketball pre-season practice.
October 19th, 2012 at 11:34 AM ^
October 19th, 2012 at 11:36 AM ^
Going back a ways - Stephan Humphreys. I believe he had a dual major in engineer and some sort of biology/pre med program and went on to medical school after his NFL career.
October 20th, 2012 at 2:10 AM ^
Stefan Humphries .