Wash Post article on Da'Shawn Hand - why UM has a strong shot

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October 19th, 2012 at 10:26 AM
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superstringer
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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.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/highschools/dashawn-hand-of-woodbridge-the-recruit-who-cares-as-much-about-academics-as-the-gridiron/2012/10/18/5c15c23e-18a0-11e2-9855-71f2b202721b_story.html

* 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.

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October 19th, 2012 at 10:29 AM | Anything to keep him away (Score:3 Normal)
MaizeAndBlueWahoo
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Anything to keep him away from VT.  They do have a strong engineering program.

"We've beaten Michigan the last four years.  So where's the threat?"

- Mark Dantonio

Blogging the Virginia Cavaliers at http://fromoldvirginia.blogspot.com/<

October 19th, 2012 at 10:53 AM | D. Hand (Score:5 Normal)
canzior
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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... (Score:5 Normal)
Space Coyote
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"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.

4/23/13 - Denard Robinson's NFL Future, Part II

October 19th, 2012 at 11:34 AM | That's how I read it, too (Score:1 Overrated)
Blazefire
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Then again, I've seen more people misuse the word "bias" than just about any other word.

"This is the EMU game, not the emo game."
October 19th, 2012 at 11:39 AM | You're bias against people (Score:5 Normal)
Magnus
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You're bias against people who use the word "bias" is bias.

Twitter - Recruiting Update: May 20

October 19th, 2012 at 12:16 PM | Your (Score:4 Normal)
JohnCorbin
Joined: 07/12/2011
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usage of you're is bias.

October 19th, 2012 at 2:17 PM | Misuse of bias is one of the (Score:3 Normal)
Markovits is Great
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Misuse of bias is one of the most dominate mistakes I see in written English.

Except for the other thing. That hurts the most. But the lack of respect hurts the second most.

October 19th, 2012 at 2:31 PM | I wish I could say it doesn't (Score:4 Normal)
MaizeAndBlueWahoo
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I wish I could say it doesn't phase me, but it does.

"We've beaten Michigan the last four years.  So where's the threat?"

- Mark Dantonio

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October 19th, 2012 at 3:41 PM | Who gives a shit? I could (Score:4 Normal)
DeuceInTheDeuce
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Who gives a shit? I could care less what you think.

October 19th, 2012 at 4:07 PM | ಠ_ಠ (Score:0 Redundant)
October 19th, 2012 at 8:04 PM | I assume you did that on purpose. (Score:-1 Flamebait)
October 19th, 2012 at 1:05 PM | Certainly joking (Score:5 Normal)
canzior
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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 (Score:3 Normal)
Hardware Sushi
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Ha 20 minutes south...if you're in Marine One :)

Intensity is a lot of guys that run fast.

October 19th, 2012 at 10:34 AM | I wouldnt hold my breath (or (Score:0 Overrated)
October 19th, 2012 at 10:51 AM | Actually, the next 5 star (Score:5 Normal)
Needs
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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 | Speaking of FSU....Wouldn't (Score:5 Normal)
OmarDontScare
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Speaking of FSU....Wouldn't EJ Levenberry be another good example?

I got the shotgun. You got the briefcase. It's all in the game though, right?

October 19th, 2012 at 11:52 AM | I'd also add Josh Garnett to (Score:3 Normal)
a2_electricboogaloo
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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.

USING GRATUITOUS AMOUNTS OF CAPS LOCK SINCE APRIL 2011

October 19th, 2012 at 11:54 AM | Aaron Burbridge chose MSU (Score:5 Normal)
Magnus
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Aaron Burbridge chose MSU because of academics.

Twitter - Recruiting Update: May 20

October 19th, 2012 at 12:50 PM | C'mon (Score:2)
Drkboarder
Joined: 01/24/2010
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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 | Although academics were high (Score:2)
Yost Ghost
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Although academics were high for Josh didn't it come down to proximity to his family in Puyallup WA?

 
"True loyalty is that quality of service that grows under adversity and expands in defeat. Any street urchin can shout applause in victory, but it takes character to stand fast in defeat. One is nois
October 19th, 2012 at 11:32 AM | 5-star and super smart? (Score:2 Normal)
I Like Burgers
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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.

Hot dogs are the devil.

October 19th, 2012 at 10:51 AM | You forgot Myron Rolle (Score:5 Normal)
UMfan21
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You forgot Myron Rolle already? 5 star. Rhodes Scholar.

October 19th, 2012 at 11:34 AM | You guys are right. There ARE (Score:0 Flamebait)
October 19th, 2012 at 11:45 AM | I think the misconception is that "caring about academics" (Score:5 Normal)
Voltron Blue
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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 (Score:5 Insightful)
MaizeAndBlueWahoo
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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.

"We've beaten Michigan the last four years.  So where's the threat?"

- Mark Dantonio

Blogging the Virginia Cavaliers at http://fromoldvirginia.blogspot.com/<

October 19th, 2012 at 4:04 PM | Tactful (Score:2)
Cope
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That's a very tactful way of saying "easy," Voltron Blue.

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http://mysonsfirstbible.blogspot.com/2013/05/15-things-you-may-have-miss...

October 19th, 2012 at 12:16 PM | Are you really keeping score? (Score:2 Normal)
coldnjl
Joined: 12/31/2009
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Are you really keeping score?

October 19th, 2012 at 11:48 AM | The next will be the first. (Score:1 Flamebait)
Don
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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 | Maybe Michigan isn't the right place for them (Score:2 Normal)
GoBlueInNYC
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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.

I am this close to going all Dark Blue in here.

October 19th, 2012 at 2:42 PM | Agree completely (Score:2)
StephenRKass
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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.

"It does not matter how many times you get knocked down, but how many times you get up." Vince Lombardi

 

October 19th, 2012 at 10:35 AM | I can't imagine how awesome a (Score:3 Normal)
Trebor
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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 | Don't forget Jerry Montgomery (Score:2 Normal)
BrownJuggernaut
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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.

Avatar is a reference to this. Go Blue!

October 19th, 2012 at 10:35 AM | If I was his advisor (Score:0 Normal)
October 19th, 2012 at 10:40 AM | I think Mark Huyge did. But, (Score:3 Normal)
ken725
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I think Mark Huyge did. But, your point still stand because im sure it is a short list.

Greetings from Bolivia.

"It's special how the real true people hang together. And if you don't support the program you're not a true Michigan guy. It's that simple."  - Gary Moeller

October 19th, 2012 at 10:41 AM | I don't remember who exactly, (Score:2)
Blue-Chip
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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.

Your friendly neighborhood contrarian.

October 19th, 2012 at 1:52 PM | It was Mark Huyge, but the correct name (Score:1)
True Blue Grit
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for his major is Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering.

"You owe it to every man, woman, and child in the State of Michigan to beat the Buckeyes and silence their fans!  Now go out there and make it happen!"

- Bo Schembechler (Result: U-M 22  OSU 0)

October 19th, 2012 at 10:41 AM | Isn't Omameh an Engineering (Score:4 Normal)
HHW
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Isn't Omameh an Engineering major?

I just destroyed that toilet with a huge Rosenberg.

October 19th, 2012 at 10:51 AM | Yup (Score:3 Normal)
JeepinBen
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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.

"Over? Did you say, over? Nothing is over until we decide it is!"

October 19th, 2012 at 10:53 AM | I thought he was, too, but (Score:3 Normal)
Needs
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I thought he was, too, but mgoblue shows a double major in sociology and communications.

October 19th, 2012 at 1:03 PM | I think he started as an (Score:2 Normal)
ken725
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I think he started as an engineering student. That is what he told us in the countdown to kickoff video.

Greetings from Bolivia.

"It's special how the real true people hang together. And if you don't support the program you're not a true Michigan guy. It's that simple."  - Gary Moeller

October 19th, 2012 at 2:53 PM | Correct (Score:1)
Michigasling
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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 | Difficult, sure (Score:2)
Lucky Socks
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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.  

Twin Cities

October 19th, 2012 at 10:52 AM | OK, reasonable point but then (Score:3 Normal)
Blue In NC
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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 (Score:2)
AnthonyThomas
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this. an engineering degree is difficult anywhere.

October 19th, 2012 at 10:58 AM | Sorry, but it sounds like (Score:2)
Mr Miggle
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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.

Eating is murder.

October 19th, 2012 at 11:03 AM | Jordan Morgan on the Hoops Team... (Score:2 Normal)
EQ RC Blue
Joined: 08/18/2011
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...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 (Score:2)
Needs
Joined: 08/05/2008
MGoPoints: 4159

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 | Garrett Rivas did it back (Score:2)
gbdub
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Garrett Rivas did it back before Brendan Gibbons knew how to think about brunettes....

October 19th, 2012 at 11:36 AM | Going back a ways - Stephan (Score:1)
Ypsiwolverine
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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 | Met his dad at Disney World (Score:1)
geno
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Stefan Humphries .

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