Magnus, can you spell that out for us who aren't as tuned in?  Why was it not a coincidence that they all committed in mid-February?

It's totally legal, but also totally stupid, especially when done overtly.  Now, if we have 5 OL commits and want 5, we might take a 6th commit from a really highly rated kid and hope one of the others doesn't like it and bails, but the coaches would never tell one of the committed kids that their offer is no longer valid because they found someone better.

This same thing happens at some schools, but the coaches are a little sneakier about it than how you suggest.  And like you said, it's a good way to get bad press for your program and piss of high school coaches who might have other kids you're interested in.  That said, if you're the coach of Alabama or LSU, your reputation in the South is likely stronger than a couple pissed of recruits can change.

there is no binding agreement until NSD.  Some schools will "stop showing the love" in hopes that a kid de-commits on his own and/or noting that promises of playing time no longer apply given the later commits, some will convert the offer to a grayshirt, and in some cases (like UM last year) they will offer a grayshirt up front if a spot does not appear available.

I recall RR and staff losing a few early commits (lower rated ones) after doing the first, the 2nd is unethical but not as bad as outright telling a kid his offer is no longer good.

I believe thata Hoke and Co. have a bead on recruiting that they really don't have to do any of the first two.  They were very open up fornt last year with our "grayshirt" (Clark?) and were happy to give him the scholarship once the opening in the position group appeared.

In answer to your other question - I believe that you can't say "no" to a Tunsil caliber player, but I would hope that Hoke would approach the current commits first, particularly if they told all that 5 was their OL cap for 2013.

(EDIT - beat on the reply.  Damn you, below-average typing skills!)

I was expecting DarthSidious17 to have a post here saying, "I will make it legal."

DarthSidious17, I AM DISAPPOINT

I'm sick with the flu, just life.

The dear Mrs. Kass is at work with special needs kids. But regardless, free free to bomb all threads with Kate et. al. (although, please avoid autoplay Victors soundtracks.) The mods will tell you when you cross the border line. Into Bolivia.

Not aware of him signing elsewhere.

He didn't have the necessary language credits to pass admissions. 

announced yesterday that he is going to be picking between Vandy, Pitt and Ole Miss, I think.  I could be wrong about Vandy, because I would expect them to have a similar language credit policy.

You're wrong about Tommy Schutt. Pipkins was already a silent verbal and for that reason the coaches turned him away.

No need to seem like an ass, the OP's additions made it possible to discuss many issues within the simple question that you wished she had asked. 

I believe, if we're getting technical in a "what can I legally do" way instead of "what can I do without expecting a shitstorm of bad press" way, the school isn't obligated to anything until the coach signs the financial aid agreement, which is after a student has enrolled in summer classes.

Only a Miles or Saban kind of coach would deny a kid a scholarship after they enrolled, but a LOI isn't binding on a school, and I don't think a written offer is either.

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that's the case.

LTT - and later Kugler were faced with the choice to make their decision to go to the school they knew they wanted (per direct quote from LTT) rather than "enjoy the process" and possibly lose out on getting one of the 5 spots.

This is also shown in a recent interview with an OL recruit (McGovern?) who noted the ealy commits and noted "good thing I am visiting in early March" inregard to getting an open spot.  Turns out March was too late - although I expect the coaches would have slow-played Kugler if that recruit in March was one of their must-have guys.

That said, some kids aren't going to make an early decision. We may see the same with LB's if one of the 2 (?) spots fills early but a kid like Treadwell at receiver not only has many options but also appears to know that UM will save a spot for him if he waits out the entire process.

I have been doing my best to get that want to be a Wolverine back to recruits.

Having just started a new business, I'm learning that the "This is Michigan fergodssakes" philosophy applies to business as well. Undervaluing what you have to offer is probably worse than pricing yourself out of the category. Hoke's putting a high price on playing at Michigan, and you either buy it or you go elsewhere. And people are buying it.  

like Tunsil (ethically) assuming that Hoke and Co. left that door open or opens it with the existing guys in the fold.  Most 5-stars probably aren't worried about the potential competition although some of the current commits might.  I also suspect that the coaches have a decent feel for which top recruits they have a good shot at and plan accordingly in the early months.

In regard to the early commits, there is always a risk of regression or injury but this is where first-hand scouting comes in versus relying solely on the recruiting services. (Also gives the coaches a better feel for the character of potential recruits).  The biggest danger of filling up early is not having a spot for that great, but too short, lineman etc. who has a late growth spurt to bring him to a 4-star+ capabilities.

What if you held spots open for the five stars but they commit elsewhere?  In the mean time, the four stars that would have committed to you in February, commit elsewhere while you were waiting for the five stars to decide.

What if one of the five stars that you waited on, commits, but ends up sucking? Or gets injured?  Or gets lured away?

What if the coaches rate a four star player higher than recruiting sites do?  What if the coaches rate a five star player lower than the recruiting sites do?

Bottom line, trust the coaches.  They know a lot more about what they want/need than you do.  They have a lot more at stake than anybody else - their livelihoods depends on it.

In simplist terms recruiting is a crapshoot; 5 stars dont always pan out and 3 stars become All Time greats (Mike Hart)

The coaches have had the chance to watch these kids films, talk to them get to know their character, and get to know their families.  So just because a site ranks one above the other doesnt mean he fits Michigan better and these kids fit Michigans style to the T.   

To be quite honest I am more than happy with them taking these early commits as it means these kids want to be here and do not sell them short; these kids are all Watch List if not Top 100 players to all 3 services. 

This is not quite the same as RR shotgunning out offers and getting a bunch of 3 star (3 star Mafia Represent) kids to commit in Feb/March who end up not qualifying and cause your depth chart to quiver in fear. 

yourself in the foot when you get an o-line class like this. It's probably going to be the best class in UM's history.

There is no foolproof way to get the absolute best players who would be willing at some point to commit. Turning down this group in the hopes of getting all 5* players would almost certainly get you a weaker, possibly much weaker group.