why did DQ Jones commit in the first place?
from a rivals article following Dequinta's visit this past weekend:
http://michigan.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=904635
"(Michigan) has a pretty good chance now that I've taken a visit up there. I think Michigan will be where I end up," Jones said. "Before the trip I wasn't very interested in them, but now that I've taken the visit up there I feel pretty good."
huh? if you weren't very interested in UM before the trip, why did you give the coaching staff a commitment? just found that quote to be very odd. did taking his commitment make coaching staff back off of any other prospects?
January 25th, 2009 at 11:44 PM ^
I'm not sure, but I'm ok with it. Given the other DT recruits we had a shot at, he is definitely a good pick up.
January 25th, 2009 at 11:51 PM ^
Sounds like some negative recruiting going on. Something initially made him like us and commit. Then, with no visit and no real intervening events, he becomes completely uninterested in us. Then he actually visits and says hmmm not so bad.
Yes I know we had a shit season and all, but I doubt that was what caused the loss of interest. The rumblings of his soft committment and setting up visits would have happened much earlier than they did.
January 26th, 2009 at 12:06 AM ^
I've said this before, but it doesn't seem to stick. Early on this year, Rich Rodriguez felt pressured to secure certain positions, and used different kinds of recruiting. There were kids early on that were pressured into committing, and hence why we saw most of them decommit. As the year went on, he got more comfortable with the class, and position we were in with recruiting. If you look at the interviews with kids now, compared to the beginning, they are a thousand times different. Everyone now is talking about how much fun RR is, and how it's like a family, and they're all blown away. This is the recruiting style he uses, because that's who he is, and he's now comfortable.
Early on, the kids that decommitted, i.e.-Bryce McNeal and Anthony Fera, were pressured, and told commit now, or we're moving on. Unfortunate, but true.
DeQuinta falls in this category, but we've just held on for some reason. I could be wrong, but I think this was one of his first visits, if not the first to Ann Arbor.
We won't see the pressuring from now on, since Rich Rodriguez is comfortable with what Michigan brings to the table, and the players he has to work with.
January 26th, 2009 at 12:32 AM ^
Any reason why he went with that style? I see the point in the hurry-up pressure sales pitch he likely had to use when he got here for the '08 class, but why do it 8 months away from signing day in the '09 class? He had plenty of time to charm recruits and do whatever he does.
January 26th, 2009 at 12:48 AM ^
RR had to realize that the fanbase (take a bow) were getting restless. What is the easiest way to diffuse a bad season? An OMFG awesome recruiting class. I would have tried to get dudes to commit faster and furiouser than Vin Diesel and Paul Walker. And yes Yak knows that isn't a word.
January 26th, 2009 at 8:23 AM ^
This recruiting tactic has been working for Charlie for quite some time now.
January 26th, 2009 at 12:53 AM ^
commit like in June? It seems that at least some of the decommits procured through RR's altered tactics committed before the season even started...so the bad season couldn't have forced the tactics, right? I mean, unless he somehow knew the season was going to melt down before it did.
January 26th, 2009 at 12:57 AM ^
Didn't everyone know the season wasn't going to end well? It was said a thousand times that he didn't have players that fit his system, so he did what he had to do. I'm not in his head, so I can't speak for him, but it happened.
January 26th, 2009 at 1:57 AM ^
my Initial thoughts were a 5 win season.....but, with Threet n Sheredin, No O-line, True Freshman everywhere, tons of Turnovers, new offensive system, and Stevie Brown, It actually could have probably been worse.
I do find it interesting that all these kids are talking about the Family of Michigan........I thought RR got rid of the Michigan family values....per Boren????????????????
January 26th, 2009 at 8:03 AM ^
Family? I heard they're going to be an orphanage of kids who wished they had a family. No time for family values... the stone which the builders rejected will be used to create a football sweatshop factory.
January 26th, 2009 at 8:25 PM ^
ann arbor is the new island of misfit toys
January 26th, 2009 at 12:39 AM ^
Because it takes time to build relationships with this kids. Coaches will start recruiting kids in their sophomore and early junior years; hell, Michigan had been recruiting Will Campbell for well over 3 years. Marvin Robinson was offered a scholarship at Michigan's camp when he was a sophomore. So the fact that we will probably end up with a top 10 recruiting class despite all the de-commitments and the 3-9 season says alot about Rod's recruiting prowess. With more time he has had for the '10 recruits, I expect the next class to be even better.
January 26th, 2009 at 4:40 PM ^
Sam Webb disputed an earlier pressure-to-commit-now tactict on his recruiting roundup show today.
January 26th, 2009 at 6:07 PM ^
I don't listen to his show, but I've talked to 4 kids seperately that have all told me the same thing.
January 26th, 2009 at 12:11 AM ^
looking back on the recruiting board revisions, just seems that were not very many names that appeared as possible prospects. besides campbell, graves and jones, there was another kid rhodes from VA that eventually dropped off. were there just not that many DT prospects this year?
it would be nice for whatever voodoo curse that prohibits UM from recruiting 4* and 5* DT's to be lifted sometime in the near future. yes, i know, gabe watson, terrance taylor, mike martin and now big will - but they were all michigan kids, and all about 3-4 years apart. always seems like we are fighting an uphill battle to build some depth at that position.
whatever recent 'sleepers' or 'projects' never seemed to pan out - only one i can recall contributing substantially is alan branch. will johnson ended up being good, but not great playing next to TT. just seems like LSU, Oklahoma and tUOS just reload with the next great DT year after year, and we have to hold our breath every year to fill that spot on the D-line.
January 26th, 2009 at 12:31 AM ^
Wait, what? I've listed DT commits in past 4 recruiting classes
2005 - Taylor, Slocum, McKinney (all 4-star and were in Rivals 100)
2006 - Patterson, Kates (both 4 stars)
2007 - Sagesse (3 star)
2008 - Martin (4 star)
Sure, not all of them panned out, but I'd say we did a fairly good job of recruiting highly regarded DTs.
January 26th, 2009 at 12:35 AM ^
Phil Steele mentions every year how Canadian recruits are severely underestimated.
January 26th, 2009 at 12:53 AM ^
thats the same recruiting tactic that Mack Brown uses....if you ever notice most of the time texas fills up their classes the fastest because Mack tells them on their official visit that they either have to committ or the offer is off the table. it works well for mack somehow
January 26th, 2009 at 12:56 AM ^
He has an entire state on lockdown. Oh, and the state is enormous and filled with talent.
January 26th, 2009 at 1:04 AM ^
Texas recruits are mostly Instate life-long Longhorn fans. I have to imagine if Michigan consistently had more in-state talent, to the point where M didn't need to cast such a wide net, there would be a larger number of early commits. If you could sufficiently do all your shopping at your local convenience store, would you frequent your local (insert Target/WalMart/PigglyWiggly here).
January 26th, 2009 at 2:35 AM ^
west texas blue,
didn't mean that we haven't gotten some players that looked great on paper, but seems as if only the michigan kids stick around and contribute, and there hasn't been anyone else to pan out at that position
your list: (my note)
2005 - Taylor (graduated - mich kid - great player, everything he was hyped to be),
Slocum (took 1(2?)years to finally qualify, then invited people to come f with his f-lion - gone from team)
McKinney (no longer on team - ended up at louisville?)
2006 - Patterson, (currently listed as DE on team, not DT, was 260 when he signed - project if you ask me - only appearance in 2008 was utah - one tackle - did he get injured? can't remember)
Kates (both 4 stars) - (gone from team)
2007 - Sagesse (3 star) (canadian = project - maybe he will have one great game ala alain kashama and have everyone wondering "where the hell was that all year long?")
2008 - Martin (4 star) - (mich kid, looks to be ready to take over taylors place as disruptive force in the middle)
so, besides taylor - 2005 was a washout for any depth or development
2006 - patterson still around? DE?
2007 - sagesse was depth only - 3 tackles last year
2008 - martin is starting - and doesn't seem to be much behind him with skill or experience
not dumping on the kids that we did sign, more angry at michigan hating dt-recruiting god that we can't seem to get more than one great player at the DT position at one time. hopefully martin and campbell will clog up the middle for the next 3 years together, but would be nice to have a strong 2nd line, or some replacements where the talent dropoff wasn't so steep.
don't get me wrong - think RRod is doing a great job getting the kids he wants, and hopson is probably getting us some defensive players from parts of the country that wouldn't have looked at UM in the past.
btw - thanks tomVH - maybe DQ saw that michigan was his most intriguing offer, and they told him to take it or leave it, and he committed to secure it. just troubling that his only visit is 2 weeks before signing day, and his comment is "i wasn't so interested in michigan, even tho i committed 6 months ago, but now they are right back in the mix"
January 26th, 2009 at 7:19 PM ^
Gavie - Sam did not directly dispute what TomVH has reported, rather he was just kind of incredulous about the charge in a vague way. Although he tried to refute the general notion by immediately going into why Kevin Newsome decommitted which he said was because of the fact that RR was recruiting other quarterbacks. Not a sterling rebuttal by any stretch.
I have no reason to doubt that is in fact what RR was doing, and I hope that it stops. There is nothing unethical about it, and the fat guy in Indiana does the same thing (although his usually stick until after their freshman year rather than decommit during the process). I just think that at the end of the day, it gets us no where.