Wherefore art thou 247 4stars from 12 and 13

Submitted by leftrare on
A number of guru-approved recruits in the Hoke era have not managed to see the field in serious playtime. From 2012, you have Terry Richardson, who apparently took a medical redshirt last year and, let's be honest, has not filled out. And where has Tom Strobel gone? BH gave him mentions in pressers, but the guy has been invisible. From 2013: Chris Fox has had health issues. Not much mystery there. Mike McCray has been up against a packed depth chart, but still, zero PT, IIRC. Wyatt Shallman may have been a victim of the Nussmeier scheme, but I think I'm more surprised that he has stayed in the backfield at all, if you believe the Fall roster. He seemed like such a great athletic prospect out of high school that he would have seen the field somewhere else last year. Finally, Pat Kugler. Son of an OL coach, check. Body ready to go, check. I appreciate that Jack Miller has done a great job, but, wow, I wouldn't have expected Kugler to sit the bench last year and likely 2015 as well. I know that every class has guys that don't pan out, but is it too early to write off these six? I hate posts that just ask questions, so of those six, I will posit that in the Harbaugh world, Shallman now has the best chance of making an impact. Thoughts appreciated. Edit: sorry no paragraphs from this here iPad.
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Och3517

February 13th, 2015 at 12:05 AM ^

First the 2013 class were all pretty much redshirt freshman. I also like Kugler a lot and I really think this staff will put the best athletes on the field. Hoke did have too much love for walk-ons, like Wormley and Henry should play way more than Ryan Glasgow. Also don't assume anyone is a lock to start especially on the O-line who will get way better under this staff I believe.

Joined: 08/09/2011

MGoPoints: 97

Space Coyote

February 13th, 2015 at 8:42 AM ^

Because he played the best NT on the team over scholarship players? Because two years ago, the best interior OL was a walk-on (and probably the second best OL on the team last year)?

This board is all over the map. "I get the feeling Hoke didn't play the best players" to insinuate he was star gazing. "Hoke cared more about seniority". So he started Cole at LT from day one? "Hoke had too much love for walk-ons." Because a few of the walk-ons (and really, the Glasgows are a bit of a special case) played over scholarship playes?

No, this board has no consensus about what the problem was. They just know there was a problem and the cling to something that seems like it'll be an easy fix for the next staff. Like burnt redshirts and whatnot. Just a few simple fixes that any half-wit could do, and now we got a full-wit with Harbaugh.

Sorry Och, this really isn't just lashing out at you. But the "too much love for walk-ons" doesn't sit right with me, especially with several of the other remarks made by the same group in the same thread that take a completely different look at "the problems".

Joined: 06/18/2009

MGoPoints: 38962

UofM626

February 13th, 2015 at 12:13 AM ^

Is a freshman or a senior! The best players play, I live here in So Cal and watch this every weekend at SC and UCLA. They play the best players regardless of year or experience! I watched SC play 5-6 true freshman all year long. Same with the Bruins. We need to get to that level and just play the best damn players! I'm sick of this entitlement thing that has been going on here at Michigan for years.

Joined: 01/02/2012

MGoPoints: 3443

Danwillhor

February 13th, 2015 at 12:37 AM ^

those that don't have to live on their phone don't know about the MGoBlog App Crisis. The struggle is real. Heck, be happy you have the Apple version! The Android app was (kindly, I admit) literally a pro bono gift of a programmer that made it in his spare time & no longer works on it. He have the ability to reply in threads. That's it. I feel your pain & fight those that seek to make you feel inferior because you don't have the time in the day to use your computer (ha). ANYWAY, regarding this entire roster I think you're going to be shocked how many guys move positions almost right away. No joke, dont discount any rumor of a position change! Dymonte Thomas to LB? Very plausible......Thomas to HB?!? Don't be shocked. Not saying it's happening (!!) but a lot if players will be playing another position soon. WS is a kid I could see being anything from a FB to H-back to head knocking LB maybe playing both ways eventually. The thing is Harbaugh uses his first moments of on field work like a Jr HS coach would: He looks for physical attributes in EVERY player. If he sees a WR that can move well at 6-2 but has iffy hands, was considered a low floor/high ceiling project recruit at WR, etc....guess who just joined the DBs! Haha. Vice versa & all around. Not even QBs are exempt. If Gentry just isn't panning out at QB he'll be a TE. Book it. In fact, I consider him an ATH recruit under Harbaugh! He'll do everything to make him a QB but if it just isn't working out he's transferring out of school or to the TE coach lol. Finally, I'm extremely excited to see what they do wrt Redshirts. They know TONS of kids should have been given one & weren't mostly due to some very unimportant field duty. So, I want to see if any kids accept later career RS for their development. As for players, I'm excited to see what they do with Taco. A RS could see him turn into a very multifaceted tool on defense! Build him up, coach him up & he has the natural tools to line up inside as a speed DT, kick out to DE with the size & athleticism to hold an edge, rush the passer or defend the run or even use him in an Aldon Smith role - shift around but mainly line up real wide & get that QB or force him to collapse that pocket by going right through a blocking HB. IMO, Taco could be a star. IMO, in two years Mone will be a 1st-2nd rnd draft pick. A lot of players could show that the scouts weren't wrong add much as they weren't given a chance to succeed, etc. Hoke left a talented team behind, dash whatever else you want but he recruited his ass off. Talented but unfulfilled due to coaching, position, attitude, etc. I'm excited to see what a top tier HC & staff do with these guys of the field as much as on year one.

Joined: 12/02/2008

MGoPoints: 8609

kb

February 13th, 2015 at 12:40 AM ^

is going to have to piece it together this year until he can recruit some other guys. Some of the "underperformers" will be used better now that we have a real coach.

Joined: 10/31/2009

MGoPoints: 7151

cigol

February 13th, 2015 at 8:06 AM ^

The real question isn't "where are these four stars that haven't seen the field?" As this board has pointed out, 4 stars disappear at every school. The real question is why all of these four stars haven't seen the field while the four stars we have seen look nothing like their peer recruits that went to other schools. I really think that the strength and conditioning has been abysmal. Whether that's Wellman's fault of a crappy program or Uncle Hoke's fault for creating a culture of satisfaction, who knows. All I know is that I watch other schools playing with far greater speed and "omg shirtless" type muscle than michigan has been putting out there. Given that the 2012s at Alabama/osu looked the same on the Rivals videos as the 2012s at Michigan, there were obvious deficiencies floating around schembechler hall.

Joined: 11/21/2010

MGoPoints: 1374

pappawolv

February 13th, 2015 at 9:44 AM ^

But I bet you are first in line every year to get the freshman autographs on fan day, push aside kids so you can get your posters signed, and say nothing but great things to their faces.

 

Joined: 04/14/2014

MGoPoints: 521

pappawolv

February 13th, 2015 at 10:00 AM ^

about denigrating recruits being deplorable - so, unloading on kids now once on the team is acceptable?  Stroebel as an example is a great, great young man.  He works his butt off and in the worst case will have a degree from UofM. 

Don't understand why certain fans want to  do this

Joined: 04/14/2014

MGoPoints: 521

MinWhisky

February 13th, 2015 at 12:25 PM ^

I do not recall any significant switching of players from one position to another (e.g. from RB or WR to DB) at UofM under Hoke but I recall MSU doing it with great success with several players during the past few years.

Being able to match up a player's strengths and skills with the team's needs and then coaching them to successfully make the changeover is huge.

I wonder if JH and his staff will be doing any of that during the spring and fall practices.

 

Joined: 10/17/2011

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