expatriate

December 9th, 2011 at 10:28 AM ^

Doesn't mean he necessarily met Michigan's standards.  And what do you expect a mother to say?  Whatever the reason, I am sure there was a good one for Standifer/the coaching staff to go in a different direction.

Section 1

December 9th, 2011 at 11:56 AM ^

The Free Press sent not one but two investigative reporters to Florida, to investigate Dorsey.  Talk to acquaintances, go to the courthouse to check records, etc.

That was in addition to stories by Mark Snyder, not one but two columns by Drew Sharp, and one column by Mick McCabe.  There was a freep.com blog post by Jamie Samuelson as well.  That's at least five bodies assigned to "Demar Dorsey" at one point or another.

And, it is clear:  Dorsey was a pawn in the Freep's proxy war against Rich Rodriguez.  And the field of battle that was very carefully chosen by the Free Press was "Respectability."  That was the guts of the Stretchgate story; that after more than a lifetime of clean football at Michigan, Rodriguez and Barwis' methods were somehow taking the program down a dirty path.  Ditto the Dorsey story; the narrative was more dirtiness in the form of players who do not fit the Michigan Man Mold.

So your joking about journalistic stakeouts is apt.  I am not criticizing you one bit.  But what you rightly suggest is also not so funny when you think about the recent past.

Section 1

December 9th, 2011 at 2:17 PM ^

I do think that Michigan admissions made their determination apart from Free Press reporting.  So the Free Press didn't, as far as I know, perform any publi service -- they didn't save the greater University of Michigan community from associating with this terrible young man by forcing a negative decision on admissions.

I responded to a half-humorous point about journo-stalking high school athletes.  And you can say a lot of things about Dorsey but what everybody would have to agree on is that he was the subject of some remarkable Freep journo-stalking.

That was my point, and I was right.

But still, I understand where you are coming from.  Jim Harbaugh would have been so wonderful.

go16blue

December 9th, 2011 at 10:29 AM ^

So a conventional decommit then, I see. It seems to be mutual thing, so good luck to him wherever he goes. We should actually be able to improve our class because of this, it was getting too cramped and I would hate to turn down a guy like Yuri Wright.

ypsituckyboy

December 9th, 2011 at 10:29 AM ^

Assuming the very worst from our coaches, they thought could get a better player so they decided to move on. Isn't that still better than getting a guy on campus for a year and then cutting him a la Saban and Miles?

Amaizeinblue

December 9th, 2011 at 11:20 AM ^

As a coach, that's probably a dangerous precident to set where you cut up a kids scholarship because you found a player better than him. I'm not suggesting that's what I think happened, I'm still believing this is either a grades thing or maybe now that he's garnering more attention from top schools he wants to take all the free visits and see some other schools, which I don't have a problem with. But I agree with the staff and I've thought this way for years, you're not committed unless you stop taking visits and stop looking around. Kids these days change their minds on a whim and as a head coach you can run a good program if these "commits" are changing their minds with every visit that they take and wavering with all the propaganda being fed to them about why you shouldn't go to school X and why you should come to school Y. You don't want to be scrambling around, especially this late in the game, looking for new guys to replace a kid who was never really committed to you in the first place.

redhousewolverine

December 9th, 2011 at 3:47 PM ^

In all fairness though, the South is chalk full of kids so much that you can piss off one high school's coach and still have more D-1 prospects than you know what to do with (probably just step over them in the hallway and maintain that as the captain of the ship and need to stay composed for the team's sake), and it is tougher to piss off coaches in the Midwest when there is a smaller pool of recruiting talent coming from here. That being said, dropping a kid's scholarship just pisses off one high school coach, one family, and one kid. It isn't that damaging, especially if you already have a repuation for integrity.

Doctor Wolverine

December 9th, 2011 at 11:48 AM ^

It seems he probably had an honest convo with the coaches about this and possibly that there was an off chance he may not qualify. After they talked, it sounds like both parties agreed it would be best to look elsewhere. I wish him the best and hope he had great success somewhere outside of the big ten :)

coletrick42

December 9th, 2011 at 10:38 AM ^

We had room for Wright regardless of what happens with Standifer.  I agree with expatriate , we don't want another situation such as what happened with Dorsey.  Luckily there is plenty of talent still available to fill the viod. 

coletrick42

December 9th, 2011 at 10:38 AM ^

We had room for Wright regardless of what happens with Standifer.  I agree with expatriate , we don't want another situation such as what happened with Dorsey.  Luckily there is plenty of talent still available to fill the viod. 

StephenRKass

December 9th, 2011 at 10:45 AM ^

I respect the right of Hoke & Standifer to keep their reasons to themselves. Privacy is a reasonable thing that we all appreciate.

There could easily have been a combination of things. Grades are one possible issue. Character another. Fit another. Depth another. Who knows.

This being the internet, and a Michigan sports blog, and the beginning of the off-season, well, speculation will run rampant. Isn't that what the Internet is for? However, neither Hoke nor Standifer owe anyone anything as to the reason for the change.

Hoke & Mattison have received high marks for being honest. Perhaps as they looked at Yuri Wright, or others who will commit shortly, they were honest enough to tell Standifer, "we'll honor your commitment to us, and ours to you. You have a spot. However, you are going to need to compete to start. There are no guarantees you will play.  You likely won't see the field for several years, maybe only on special teams."

If something like this happened, neither party would want it to be public.

mackbru

December 9th, 2011 at 3:32 PM ^

Right. Assuming Standifer had no issues with grades or discipline, I have no reason to believe the coaches did anything wrong here -- ie, nudge Standifer out. Unless or until there's evidence that the staff does that sort of thing, they're presumed 100 percent innocent.

More likely: the "market" is just sorting itself out. At the time Standifer signed, recruits like Wright and Reeves were not so much on M's radar. Now that they are, well, the coaches in no way intend to bump Standifer. But would they be crushed if he wants to leave (thereby creating a slot for a Wright or Reeves)? Unlikely. So when Standifer gets nervous, the coaches assure him that he's still safe and wanted. But if he wants to explore other opportunities, they don't exactly fight him on it. And why should they? Would you? 

 

redhousewolverine

December 9th, 2011 at 3:54 PM ^

You seem to be trying to prove their innocence. Hypothetically (as you say), if the coaches wouldn't feel like they are missing out on too much then it could be equally plausible they sowed the seeds of his unrest themselves. I don't think Hoke is like that, but if he is, then we should call him out on it. Biggest thing from the earlier thread was Ace said that Treadwell is completely fine and no changes there (he also said he thought Treadwell just loved Michigan anyways), which if Michigan did drop him, Treadwell's coach would be immediately in Treadwell's ear about it.

neoavatara

December 9th, 2011 at 10:42 AM ^

Not all DI qualifiters qualify at Michigan.  We know this from past evidence.  We go through this year after year.  

In any case, I don't want to investigate this any further.  Standifer hopefully will end up in a good situation, and I wish him the best. 

gopoohgo

December 9th, 2011 at 10:59 AM ^

Agree;  although the depth chart still looks very favorable for any DB coming into Ann Arbor.  Floyd will be a senior, Countess will have his side locked down for at least 2 more years, with Avery and Brown as the only other CBs on the roster...

chitown.victor

December 9th, 2011 at 11:11 AM ^

...but Raymon Taylor, Terrance Talbott and Delonte Hollowell are all youngsters who should compete for the position Floyd will vacate after the 2012 season.  Still, I have to agree that I don't think the depth chart at CB will scare any recruits away.  And if any CB is ever scared off by the depth chart, chances are they are better off elsewhere anyhow.  Competion is a good thing....always.

CincyBlue

December 9th, 2011 at 12:44 PM ^

I am pretty sure AS was expected to have his Official visit this weekend, I also believe you have to have passed the NCAA Clearinghouse to take an official.   So that might be our clue right there.

mackbru

December 9th, 2011 at 1:47 PM ^

Given that M has been hot on the heels of Wright, probably it was pretty clear to Standifer where he would stand in the pecking-order. Happens all the time. Recruits aren't stupid. Standifer would probably be better off elsewhere. He knew it. M knew it. Period.

redhousewolverine

December 9th, 2011 at 3:58 PM ^

I think you are overestimating these kids' evaluations of their abilities. They pretty much dominate their high school games and then get bombarded with fans, coaches, and recruiting sites about how talented they are. They usually don't have fears about competing with each other for spots. Look at any SEC recruiting class; lots of highly ranked kids who seem like they would have a better shot at getting immediate playing time elsewhere.

davi2188

December 9th, 2011 at 1:49 PM ^

It seems it would be in the best interest of both parties (the coaches and Standifer) to come out with a brief statement to squash any rumors that are circulating, and get ahead of more of them that are sure to come out.

As for me, I'll withold any criticism unless there are reports that come out in contrast to the "mutual" idea.

kmedved

December 9th, 2011 at 1:51 PM ^

I just don't imagine many guys at the high D1 level get scared off by the prospect of fighting for playing time with other recruits. This is true at most positions, but especially at CB I would imagine, where 4+ guys are going to receive major playing time every year. It's not like he's a QB where the entrenched starter is going to be there for years.

I dunno. I'd be a bit bummed if he decommitted because Hoke wasn't showing him the love as far as playing time went.