I actually never thought about the logistics of recruiting on that level. Always just follow from a very high level. I know the importance of the lead recruiter but I always assumed the best choice would be made.
So is that what you mean? That kids from GA or FL receive a lot more effort of that kind (calls, letters, calls to coaches, calls from Harbaugh himself, etc.) than kids from OH?
If that's true, that is actually quite curious. Any speculation as to why? If they "were after" those kids from OH, why wouldn't they put in the same effort as to recruiting someone from FL or GA? Especially since I doubt they would not be "takes." I am especially curious as to whether it is reflected in any way in who the lead recruiter was since even someone like me knows who our best recruiters on the staff are.
So, I won't argue about perception among Ohio high school coaches since you seem to have first-hand info.
But is it fair to say that Harbaugh ignored Ohio, especially this cycle? I can't remember what we did in 2016 and 2017, but looking at the list you posted above:
- we were after Jackson Carman but OSU
- we were after Jaelen Gill but OSU
- we were after Dallas Gant but OSU
- we were after Tyreke Smith and I remember he visited the Ohio satellite camp. Not sure what happened after that, but all the chatter died down
- we were after L'Christian Smith but OSU
So we were definitely after the top Ohio kids. So are you saying you should be going after more lower-rated kids (similar to what MSU, PSU and ND do)? I am not necessarily against that, but then again, since they are lower rated, they are rougher around the edges and our staff might not like what they see. If you are saying rather than taking lower rated kids from places like Georgia and Florida, we should be taking lower rated kids from Ohio, I don't necessarily disagree with that. Might help build relationships. But I just don't have enough info to speculate.
As to the kids that are going to Kentucky...They are either not going to Kentucky or there is a reason they are going to Kentucky. You probably know better than me that a blue-chip prospect from Ohio is not going to Kentucky unless he has no other choices.
The first two times I went to Rick's I thought it was the most disgusting off-putting awful place I have ever been to. I still think that but I also love it.
I don't know. My friends and I just went there to dance and look silly. And Rick's was perfect because everyone there looks a lot worse than silly. We kept to ourselves, didn't hit on anyone, didn't start fights, and just danced and then went to NYPD. I will always remember that fondly.
In conclusion, I love Rick's. Whether that makes me one of the many douchebags, I don't know. Survey says probably.
I read somewhere (don't remember where, honestly) that Texas just got a commitment from a second TE in their class, and that probably is it for them. Woudn't that eliminate our biggest competition for his commitment? Feels like that's big news.
And this is why I stopped following club football (soccer) around 5 years ago. Used to be like a religion for me. The competitive imbalance spurred by the financial imbalance has been ridiculous post 2008.
For real, back then I could tell you the starting lineups of every Premier League and La Liga teams. Now I don't even know who Barca has besides Messi.
This is a bad example because PSG is buying from Barca, putting Barca in the shoes of the clubs it buys players from, but the fact that they can even spend that kind of money on one player...
But shouldn't their classes be more like Hoke's last class? I didn't follow recruiting closely back then, but was it Hoke's imminent firing and a new coach, or that the program went 5-7 that cratered the class?
I know ND will be ND, but is it too much to ask for their recruiting to suck for like a season.
I don't get why ND is being so competitive in recruiting.
They did go 4-8, right? I am not making that up. ND played 12 games last season, won 4, and lost 8 of those games. They lost to an MSU team that went 3-9. Their record was 4-8 is what I am saying.
So why aren't they cratering? I want them to crater. Is that too much to ask.
Well, in a year those sophomores will be juniors, and those freshmen will be sophomores.
2016 seems like an all-timer, to me, when it comes to the D-line. And, especially, the depth of the D-line. In all other respects, it was an amazing defense, but not necessarily an all-timer. Jourdan Lewis is Jourdan Lewis, but we are supposed to have the next Jourdan Lewis next year, backed up by a faster Jourdan Lewis. The other corner spot seems like it will be just as good based on the highly touted lanky corners we have there (or David Long). We won't see another Peppers for a while, but maybe we can replace his production by the bunch of athletes we have in the VIPER/linebackers spots (Hudson, Bush, maybe Uche, Gil, etc. All of whom will be juniors next year). Safety is a concern because both Hill and Thomas are underrated guys.
The D-line will not be as good even if just because of depth. I don't think I will see a 2-deep D-line as good at Michigan for a long time.
Of course, it all depends on actual production as opposed to projection. But the projection is the reason optimism seems warranted.
I think the point is that people think that Harbaugh would have unleashed the NFL Brady at the college level because he is the best QB coach at the college level.
I feel like it's also important to mention which rounds those guys would have been drafted in. I don't know how much that matters to us (in recruiting, perception-wise, etc.), but it does matter to the NFL teams. Obviously, they value 1st and 2nd round picks more than later rounds.
So, I think without Harbaugh and Brown's defense, Taco definitely gets drafted, but probably not in the 1st round. Peppers actually might have been drafted even higher because he would have played just one position under less creative head coach and DC.
I feel the same way about Willie Henry. If he had stayed and maintained/improved his production, he would have been a 1st or 2nd round guy.
Those guys got a lot more national exposure due to Michigan being a top-10 team, playing in the biggest Game of the decade, and high-profile Orange Bowl. Without that exposure, some of them probably go lower, or maybe even go as UDFA. And that exposure is due to Harbaugh and his coaching.
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Nope, no idea.
I actually never thought about the logistics of recruiting on that level. Always just follow from a very high level. I know the importance of the lead recruiter but I always assumed the best choice would be made.
So is that what you mean? That kids from GA or FL receive a lot more effort of that kind (calls, letters, calls to coaches, calls from Harbaugh himself, etc.) than kids from OH?
If that's true, that is actually quite curious. Any speculation as to why? If they "were after" those kids from OH, why wouldn't they put in the same effort as to recruiting someone from FL or GA? Especially since I doubt they would not be "takes." I am especially curious as to whether it is reflected in any way in who the lead recruiter was since even someone like me knows who our best recruiters on the staff are.
So, I won't argue about perception among Ohio high school coaches since you seem to have first-hand info.
But is it fair to say that Harbaugh ignored Ohio, especially this cycle? I can't remember what we did in 2016 and 2017, but looking at the list you posted above:
- we were after Jackson Carman but OSU
- we were after Jaelen Gill but OSU
- we were after Dallas Gant but OSU
- we were after Tyreke Smith and I remember he visited the Ohio satellite camp. Not sure what happened after that, but all the chatter died down
- we were after L'Christian Smith but OSU
So we were definitely after the top Ohio kids. So are you saying you should be going after more lower-rated kids (similar to what MSU, PSU and ND do)? I am not necessarily against that, but then again, since they are lower rated, they are rougher around the edges and our staff might not like what they see. If you are saying rather than taking lower rated kids from places like Georgia and Florida, we should be taking lower rated kids from Ohio, I don't necessarily disagree with that. Might help build relationships. But I just don't have enough info to speculate.
As to the kids that are going to Kentucky...They are either not going to Kentucky or there is a reason they are going to Kentucky. You probably know better than me that a blue-chip prospect from Ohio is not going to Kentucky unless he has no other choices.
The first two times I went to Rick's I thought it was the most disgusting off-putting awful place I have ever been to. I still think that but I also love it.
I don't know. My friends and I just went there to dance and look silly. And Rick's was perfect because everyone there looks a lot worse than silly. We kept to ourselves, didn't hit on anyone, didn't start fights, and just danced and then went to NYPD. I will always remember that fondly.
In conclusion, I love Rick's. Whether that makes me one of the many douchebags, I don't know. Survey says probably.
I read somewhere (don't remember where, honestly) that Texas just got a commitment from a second TE in their class, and that probably is it for them. Woudn't that eliminate our biggest competition for his commitment? Feels like that's big news.
edit: never mind
Well, in a year those sophomores will be juniors, and those freshmen will be sophomores.
2016 seems like an all-timer, to me, when it comes to the D-line. And, especially, the depth of the D-line. In all other respects, it was an amazing defense, but not necessarily an all-timer. Jourdan Lewis is Jourdan Lewis, but we are supposed to have the next Jourdan Lewis next year, backed up by a faster Jourdan Lewis. The other corner spot seems like it will be just as good based on the highly touted lanky corners we have there (or David Long). We won't see another Peppers for a while, but maybe we can replace his production by the bunch of athletes we have in the VIPER/linebackers spots (Hudson, Bush, maybe Uche, Gil, etc. All of whom will be juniors next year). Safety is a concern because both Hill and Thomas are underrated guys.
The D-line will not be as good even if just because of depth. I don't think I will see a 2-deep D-line as good at Michigan for a long time.
Of course, it all depends on actual production as opposed to projection. But the projection is the reason optimism seems warranted.
I think the point is that people think that Harbaugh would have unleashed the NFL Brady at the college level because he is the best QB coach at the college level.
I feel like it's also important to mention which rounds those guys would have been drafted in. I don't know how much that matters to us (in recruiting, perception-wise, etc.), but it does matter to the NFL teams. Obviously, they value 1st and 2nd round picks more than later rounds.
So, I think without Harbaugh and Brown's defense, Taco definitely gets drafted, but probably not in the 1st round. Peppers actually might have been drafted even higher because he would have played just one position under less creative head coach and DC.
I feel the same way about Willie Henry. If he had stayed and maintained/improved his production, he would have been a 1st or 2nd round guy.
Those guys got a lot more national exposure due to Michigan being a top-10 team, playing in the biggest Game of the decade, and high-profile Orange Bowl. Without that exposure, some of them probably go lower, or maybe even go as UDFA. And that exposure is due to Harbaugh and his coaching.
Except for Butt. Poor Butt. Feel so bad for him.