If you were negative recruiting against Michigan today....what would you say?
There has been much talk recently on the board and in the media in general about the whole negative recruiting issue. Many of the kids we actively recruited said that Hoke did not engage in this tactic while many of those same players reported that other coaches they met with did. Lets face it - recruiting at its core is simply sales. The salesman (Head Coach) trying to "sell" the recruit on the virtues of signing on the line that is dotted (I'm looking at you Alec Baldwin) so they will attend your school and play in your program for the next 4-5 years. And having spent the better part of the last 30 years of my career in sales and sales management I can definitely tell you there are two schools of thought regarding negative selling.
School #1 states you NEVER mention your competition during your sales pitch. That the merits of your offering should be enough to sway the buyer and besides, why waste your valuable time with the client talking about the other guy. This would seem to be the current Hoke approach.
School #2 believes if you can clearly identify your opponent you go for the throat and use whatever means necessary to discredit their value in the eyes of the buyer. Turn on the TV or radio during an election and you'll see first hand this approach in all its negative glory. Coaches negative recruiting against us in the past used Carr's health (allegedly) and RR's potential termination as means of negative recruiting against Michigan's potential players.
But what about today? What could you say if your were head up against Michigan and were going negative? About the only thing I could think you could use was our poor NFL draft showing recently. Auburn, for example, if going negative in the battle for Diamond, could point to a very strong NFL presence in the last few drafts while we have no one since Brandon Graham drafted very high. And the reasons don't really matter nor does the number of players we used to place high in the draft under Carr. We have done poorly recently in grooming players for the NFL and I wonder if that isn't a big underlying reason why we are losing out on some of these last big name recruits.
What do you think?
February 4th, 2012 at 9:47 AM ^
They'll be warned in some subtle or not-so-subtle fashion that if they go to Michigan they will have to actually go to school, and won't be getting the cars, tatoos etc. Stamford's in the same position (though with better weather).
February 4th, 2012 at 9:51 AM ^
I guess if you like salt water better than fresh you could make the weather arguement but other than that.....
February 4th, 2012 at 9:53 AM ^
oops...got me before i caould fix it - I live in CT so cut me some slack :)
February 4th, 2012 at 10:19 AM ^
I was just teasing. Actually at first i thought you wrote "samford" and I have a buddy of mine whose daughter attends there. So i got that snarky response all cued up before i realized I had misread your mistype!
February 4th, 2012 at 10:22 AM ^
got me again before I could fix "caould"...rough morning so far...I think I'm too stressed thinking about our Giants tomorrow
February 4th, 2012 at 10:28 AM ^
My best friend is from Long Island and is HUGE Giants fan. I'm not telling him (yet) but i'm laying the 2.5 and taking Brady/Pats. I read an article today that said money is dropping 2-1 on the Giants and the points and usually when that happens, go the other way!
Either way I'm jelous you have a team in the game. I'm from Detroit (Lions fan) and have lived in Cleveland for the past 20+ years and now have Browns seasons tickets. So I have a strong rooting interest in two of the last teams to never make the big game!
February 4th, 2012 at 12:07 PM ^
My brother-in-law and his three sons are rabid Browns fans. Without a doubt the Browns are the most painfully frustrating team in the NFL. The Lions have actually been worse - with the Browns it's the near misses deep in the playoffs that kill you. From my time at UM the Lions are my second favorite team - hopefully it happens soon.
Can't argue with your logic - it is basically NY fans taking the Giants vs. nuetral fans taking Brady. Actual New England fans are not enough to sway it. I think the Giants are going to win but not easily, especially if they stay on their no-turnover run. Putting aside the much discussed pass rush advantage, I think the improvement of Eli may be the deciding factor. He has been razor sharp over the last 6 weeks.
February 4th, 2012 at 1:51 PM ^
Brady or Mannigham
February 4th, 2012 at 9:47 AM ^
"Son, why would you want to go to the school with the winningest program in college football? 11 National Championships? 3 Heisman winners? Great traditions that date back many years?"
After second thought, I have no idea how some of the coaches convince these kids not to go to Michigan. Man I love this school!
GO BLUE!
February 4th, 2012 at 1:54 PM ^
I'm committed
February 4th, 2012 at 9:57 AM ^
1) Weather
2) Our degrees are very comparable....large state school with big alumni network. Unless you're from Michigan, you probably wouldn't know the difference. Also, Michigan really sets itself apart in its grad programs...the undergrad is maybe top 30, to where if some SEC / Big 10 school is 40-60, I dont think a kid going into undergrad is really going to give a crap about the Michigan academic advantage...especially when most of that advantage will never be realized since Im not sure the last time a big time football recruit pulled a 170 on the LSAT or 30+ on the MCAT. Also, kids get jobs based on graduating at big time college football programs. Trust me, the football players going to Alabama, Texas, Florida, etc. that are graduating with a moderately human GPA are getting hooked up with jobs in the same way that Michigan players do.
3) Brady Hoke is all about the seniors....sooooo if you want to play early, you better beat senior X out by a huge margin. (This isn't necessarily true, but when you hear him on TV talking about the seniors, then another coach throws a half truth in there, it could stick: SEE Republican primary).
February 4th, 2012 at 9:59 AM ^
Parking situation, girls are smart, weather, and for Jordan Diamond: See Newton, Cam.
February 4th, 2012 at 12:46 PM ^
IF you can beleive the rumors from OSU fans, if Diamond was looking for extra incentive then Auburn is the finalist that would make me suspect the rumor more.
February 4th, 2012 at 9:59 AM ^
you have to go to class.
February 4th, 2012 at 10:05 AM ^
"They tell their players to think only of brunettes. Here, when the going gets tough, you are free to picture redheads/blondes/etc."
February 4th, 2012 at 10:06 AM ^
down to it. That's why Michigan really doesn't want to depend on getting last-minute kids to fill up our recruiting class. We're always going to do poorly trying to play this game because of the negative recruiting we're up against. Most of the players who are waiting to the last minute to sign are undecided (and possibly indecisive) and can easiliy be swayed by some slimy recruiter who waves some kind of inducement in front of them or makes pie-in-the-sky promises. Homey (Michigan) don't play that game! That's why we're going to lose out in most of these Jordan Diamond-like recruiting battles. He seems like one of those players where the more he looked around, the more undecided he became - not less.
February 4th, 2012 at 10:15 AM ^
Bingo - all the hand-wringing and gnashing of teeth over Hoke's "inability to close" at the end was a bunch of crap, because the coaches absolutely did close in that we lost no one at the end...
In my mind, this NSD rocked, because it was low stress, with no surprises, and no desperate hoping to get a stud or two while competing against the cheaters in the SEC...
February 4th, 2012 at 12:47 PM ^
There's still a good chance of one more, which will be nice, but beyond expectations at this time. Hoke's method works in securing low-drama, high-quality players early on in the process and then keeping them. I don't expect him to be able to compete late in the process until he has been in place longer and has some championships and NFL starters to his credit.
February 4th, 2012 at 10:09 AM ^
Coach prestige: Brady Hoke hasn't proven he can do anything at Michigan with his own recruits and say he's just benefitting from RR's players. The same goes at SDSU. He was only there for 2 years and didn't prove he could build a program. He also hasn't done anything on a national scale or proven he can sustain success.
Coaching longevity: Coach Mattison is 62 and will slow down soon.
Location: self-explanitory
February 4th, 2012 at 10:12 AM ^
What would I say?
"RichRod was the coach there very recently. In his 3 1/2 recruiting classes he took midgets at every position. You'll have mostly midgets on the field and the scout team won't have any players of normal size. You'd be better off at MSU or Wisconsin."
February 4th, 2012 at 10:13 AM ^
February 4th, 2012 at 12:39 PM ^
Don't come here unless you want to compete against the best every day in practice.
February 4th, 2012 at 10:15 AM ^
I only want the kids smart enough to not buy into the negative as a part of my team!
February 4th, 2012 at 10:21 AM ^
If you walk over the Washtenaw overpass carrying new textbooks, there's a chance you'll get caught in a massive wind gust and all your books will fly out of your hands and onto busy Washtenaw below. (I saw this happen once after a person had just gotten a bunch of textbooks at Ulrich's).
Other than that, smooth sailing. Ann Arbor is awesome.
February 4th, 2012 at 10:22 AM ^
If I'm Saban probably the weather stinks, classes are harder, and I've won 3 national titles since they have won one.
February 4th, 2012 at 10:25 AM ^
Two points to address here. First of all Mgrowold, I disagree that there are only the 2 sales approaches you stated. I've been a successful entrepreneur for years and in my experience, the most effective method of "sales" (if you're looking for longterm relationships) is to absolutely acknowledge your competition and to do so positively. I objectively lay out what I do well and not so well and do the same regarding my competition. (trust be known, you can position things as positives for your competition that actually drive the prospect to you. See answer to your question below). You get the clients you should have and more importantly, KEEP THEM, and the ones you shouldn't have don't come to you. That's a positive too since I don't go to the up-front costs without reaping the longterm benefits. Most importantly, when your clients are a good fit, it's just more fun.
Ok, a sarcastic answer to your question is I'd tell recruits "if you'd rather play AGAINST the best rather than FOR the best, come to my school. We play Michigan every year and you'll never get a better chance to measure yourself against the best".
I'm out!
February 4th, 2012 at 10:32 AM ^
You are 100% correct. Let me restate...."while there are many different methods of conducting a successful sales call there are two widely known schools of thought...."
I stand humbly corrected. (eyes looking down at shoes)
February 4th, 2012 at 10:35 AM ^
Your sales approach only works if indeed your product/service is better unless you really spin the facts. I agree that for long-term relationships (and, keeping clients is a lot less expensive than getting new ones...) your method is sound. But if they start producing/providing a lot better product/service - you might be in trouble as loyalty only takes you so far.
February 4th, 2012 at 1:52 PM ^
It's why I'm an entrepreneur rather than a salesman. A salesman is generally locked into the product/product line he/she represents. In my environment, I keep a given product/service at a competitive advantage as long as possible (at some point someone always builds a better mouse trap or penetration leads to declining new sales) then discontinue offering to new clients once it isn't. It's why I always have an ever evolving product/service line going. Because product cycles move so fast today, I find it makes a whole lot more sense to establish strong macro client relationships and bring appropriate products rather than represent a product and always looking for new clients the way the majority does. Anyway, best of luck to you!
February 4th, 2012 at 10:31 AM ^
You like Michigan? What are they paying you?.......Nothing???!!!??? You don't want to play for an ameteur team, do you?
February 4th, 2012 at 10:33 AM ^
If I where using negative recruiting against Michigan I could think of a lot of stuff to be perfectly honest.
Al Borges : Best QB he coached was Cade Mcnown .... who?
Greg Mattison : How much longer do you think he;s going to be coaching? Yea he coached the ravens Defense one year but it's not like he engineered it.
Rest of the coaching staff is a bunch of old white guys
the winningest program in college football yea sure , but they only won 26 games in the last 4 years.
You'll have to attend classes and actually do the work required!
They don't put players in the NFL
Appalachian State and Toledo
February 4th, 2012 at 12:32 PM ^
Strangely enough, I don't remember us playing Appalachian State or Toledo.
February 4th, 2012 at 1:48 PM ^
Rest of the coaching staff is a bunch of old white guys
And Fred Jackson, who thinks this list is tremendous!
February 4th, 2012 at 1:53 PM ^
Our coaching staffs will need a makeover
February 4th, 2012 at 4:29 PM ^
Actually, if I were negative recruiting an RB, I'd mention Fred Jackson. Something along the lines of:
"Prospect, according to Fred Jackson, every running back he's coached over the past three years has had the strength of Jim Brown, the speed of Chris Johnson, and the toughness of Herschel Walker. Yet despite that talent, the team's leading rusher has been the quarterback. So is he lying, or is he just a godawful coach?"
February 4th, 2012 at 6:08 PM ^
And Jerry Montgomery, who is definitely neither old nor white.
February 4th, 2012 at 10:42 AM ^
February 4th, 2012 at 11:28 AM ^
Is from incompetent. He pretty much aced his most important decision on the job.
February 4th, 2012 at 6:13 PM ^
You know Brandon has to be doing a pretty good job as our athletic director when the case against him boils down to "too much rock music" and "road uniforms aren't pretty enough."
February 4th, 2012 at 12:10 PM ^
I have coached in the SEC. I know how to beat Alabama and LSU. I have coached teams to win 2 BCS championships. Yes Mattison was there with me, but he us old a may retire before you graduate
February 4th, 2012 at 1:55 PM ^
Mattisons time in Michigan might be an issue
February 4th, 2012 at 10:43 AM ^
A lot of these comments are from the viewpoint of a school outside our conference, but what would other B1G schools say about us?
The lack of recent success, while true, is almost more of a positive aspect than negative. There's a reason we brought in a new staff, and they've done a tremendous job thus far.
Nothing comes to mind right away that another B1G coach could negatively and truthfully say about us. Perhaps they could mention Mattison's age as a concern. That's a worry of mine, but I doubt it would really sway a recruit away from us.
February 4th, 2012 at 12:03 PM ^
You could bring up the age of the coaching staff in general. As far as negative recruiting goes you could say Hoke is out of touch , he doesn't use twitter or even e-mails. Depending on the recruit You could say who on the coaching staff is going to relate with you? They're all old white guys and Fred Jackson.
Another thing which is a little more recent is the strength and conditioning at Michigan must be a joke even their seniors went out of the program to work out for the combine and senior bowls.
No program is safe from negative recruiting really.
February 4th, 2012 at 1:45 PM ^
I wouldn't say the S&C program is a joke - Barwis coached most of those guys for 3+ years, and they have a rapport with him. My guess is that in 3-4 years, we'll see kids coming back to work with Wellman.
February 4th, 2012 at 12:33 PM ^
B1G coaches have a much harder time recruiting negatively against us. This is obviously evidenced by our tremendous success recruiting against the rest of the B1G. They have the same negatives we do - weather, the lack of B1G success nationally, un-glamorous midwest location - plus more negatives of their own.
The exception to this is Ohio State. Over the last decade or so, they have successfully positioned themselves as an "SEC North" school. They went the opposite direction of Notre Dame which emphasized academics and integrity, and instead made it clear to recruits that anything goes, someone will cover for you.
Bringing in Urban Meyer just fuels this even more. Make no mistake, this has been extremely effective for them. If you are a 4/5 * recruit who's plans are to play in the NFL in a few years, it can very attractive to go to a place where you can just hang out and run wild through town when you are not playing football. Who needs the extra burden of classes and lots of rules?
We have to hope that the spotlight on them from the NCAA infractions, and the instant hostility Urban Meyer has created among B1G coaches will constrain thier SEC-ness somewhat.
February 4th, 2012 at 10:55 AM ^
"Don't know if you noticed, but there's goat blood all over their locker room from the last coach. It's pretty gross. You don't want any part of that."
February 4th, 2012 at 10:59 AM ^
Their obesity is an indirect turnoff for some recruits. It's like a job interview. All other things being EQUAL, an employer chooses the well-groomed, fit candidate over the 350 pound, sloppy one.
<br>I also think that a lot of blue chip skill position players like to have their egos stroked a little, which I don't think our staff does to the degree of others. I think their shtick works better with lineman (which recent events unfortunately don't corroborate). Also, being overly critical, it is possible that some players (maybe more of skill positions) have more confidence in someone who is more slim and fit. If u were a stud WR and saw some overweight coach vs a fit or simply not morbidly obese one, who would give u more confidence all otter things being equal? Parents' opinions are probably subconsciously affected as well. I know this post will draw some harsh responses, but keep in mind I'm talking about potential negatives that may affect a recruits' decision process when he is torn between two schools.
February 4th, 2012 at 11:33 AM ^
1. See Charlie Weis. Couldn't coach, but could recruit like a monster. He was fat.
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<br> 2. Hoke just put together a top 5-6 class. All while being fat.
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<br>As to skill players, I think that the issue holding us back is probably Denard and maybe devin. It is not entirely rational, as Denard is graduating this year and Devin has a strong arm, but for a WR prospect, our passing attack is still an unknown. If I were a top WR I am not sure i would want to take the risk of going to Michigan until we show that we will have a consistent passing attack. These kids are making decisions partly to get to the NFL and a team's recent history of utilizing their position has to factor in.
February 4th, 2012 at 1:45 PM ^
Hoke played football and has a solid frame under the fat. He can still run out if the tunnel & touch the banner. Weis is a pile of fat that has always been fat. Weis's stomach ate through his stomach staples. Hoke is just portly. Weis is obese.
February 4th, 2012 at 12:20 PM ^
Let's be clear about this. Brady Hoke is NOT "morbidly obese" yeah he's a bit overweight but Charlie Weis he is not. Al Borges on the other hand is almost there.