RRod Recruiting

Submitted by Laura63 on
Michigan's 2010 recruiting class clarifies the debate about whether Rodriguez will go after higher-ranked recruits now that he's at Michigan.  Brian has already documented our program's "natural" prediction for "tweeners," players who don't fit neatly into the ranking services categories, and thus draw lower star ratings.  But I think the issue goes beyond that

- Michigan's midwest recruiting base has not been Rodriguez' territory during his tenure at West Virginia, Tulane, etc.  Here, he's competing not only against MSU for state recruits, but against the perennial challenge of pulling recruits from Ohio against OSU's turf.  He has some leverage against Pennsylvania, perhaps, and some against Ohio because of his stint at West Virginia, but overall he will not find many 5 or 4 stars in the Midwest. 

-  Rodriguez' preference for the spread-option scheme inevitably pushes him to recruit in talent-rich southern states, in Texas, and in California.  These areas, like the Midwest, feature powerful programs that draw the highest rank recruits, leaving our program to fight for those not committed to LSU, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, USC, Texas, UCLA, Cal, etc.  Drawing 4 and 5 star recruits to Ann Arbor from the south and west has always been a staple of Michigan recruiting, and will continue under Rodriguez.  But it will not increase significantly under Rich Rod unless he shifts his balance from emphasizing "scheme" to "raw talent regardless of scheme."  He won't do that.

-  Compared to other high-profile coaches, Rodriguez strikes me as more doctrinaire.  Oddly enough, Bo, Mo, and Lloyd were more willing to try different offensive schemes during their careers.  Among current coaches at established powerhouses, Tressel, Carroll, Saban, Meyer, Stoops, Mack, Meyer, Miles, etc. strike me as more adaptable, more flexible than Rodriguez.  Put simply, it is impossible to talk about Rodriguez as a coach without immediately jumping into his success with the spread.  But it is possible to talk about some of the best of his peers without identifying a single offensive scheme.  Were the spread to become the pros preferred offensive scheme, I think we would double the number of 4 and 5 star recruits.  Until that happens, college coaches who continue to be more flexible in offensive philosophy will probably draw more of the higher ranked recruits, because there will be more opportunities for larger, less nimble players, players with great talent but not well-suited to the spread.

Comments

BleedingBlue

August 17th, 2009 at 11:52 AM ^

Face...Palm...Sigh

you're right. They should hire you as recruiting coordinator and special advisor to the head coach immediately, or we are in a heap of trouble. How RR could have had any success whatsoever in the past without your acute knowledge of talent is amazing.

BleedingBlue

August 17th, 2009 at 5:02 PM ^

They = RR yes! you got something right!

we = University of Michigan football team and it's fans (the collective 'we') because the team will suck.

Face Palm Sigh = check out the picture lower in the thread, or just click HERE

You'll have to enlighten me on what the last line in your reply is referencing. If you are implying that I have an empty life because I think your post was a pile of poop rife with gaps in logic and inconsistent, problematic arguments, then I don't know what to say. I guess that leap in logic would make sense in light of your diary post. If your statement is referencing my use of sarcasm, the thought of debunking your arguments was daunting due to the repetitive nature of topics that have already been discussed ad nauseam, thusly I decided on a quick bit of sarcasm that I thought conveyed my feelings succinctly.

likwid

August 17th, 2009 at 12:02 PM ^

I hope...

Your post is entirely incorrect, quite frankly. Your fourth paragraph is laughable. Rodriguez is the one who is inflexible? Alright.

No scheme they ran last year would have worked offensively. Not a pro-style attack, not a spread, not a triple option, not a single wing, not an A-11. Nothing.

When you emphasize scheme over pure ability, you are building a football program the right way. That is why USC always loses those games that they shouldn't. They are missing a key piece or two and that limits their potential. They've got huge potential, but instead of being a team they are a group of stars with the same uniforms on.

And on the NFL comment -- my own research into this has shown that in the past few years spread style offensive linemen have been drafted much more higher and much more often than pro-style offensive linemen.

And on the recruiting stuff -- Michigan's staff goes wherever they find the guy who fits what they want to do the best. Whether that be Alaska, Ohio, or Florida. They don't care about where, they care about who. And they certainly realize that Michigan's recruiting base is in the Midwest, as shown through this recruiting class.

MichiganExile

August 17th, 2009 at 12:54 PM ^

"When you emphasize scheme over pure ability, you are building a football program the right way. That is why USC always loses those games that they shouldn't. They are missing a key piece or two and that limits their potential. They've got huge potential, but instead of being a team they are a group of stars with the same uniforms on."

I agree with what you said other than this. USC loses games for a multitude of reasons, none of which are being a group of stars and not a team.

They have lost games the past few seasons because
1) They got beat by a better team (Texas 2006, Oregon 2007)
2) They got caught with their pants down and/or were looking ahead (Stanford 2007, Oregon State 2006 and 2008)
3) They had key injuries (UCLA 2006, Oregon 2007)

You may and probably don't agree with what I just wrote, but the fact is that Pete Carroll puts together young men who are all highly talented yes, but he forms them into a very cohesive unit that plays with high energy together. You need look no further than USC's offensive line this year, which is arguably the best in the nation.

On another note, the difficulty inherent in going undefeated and the fact that football is a game with a fair bit of luck also contributes greatly to the reason teams as talented as USC, Florida, Texas, and yes even OSU have trouble running the table.

Nick Sparks

August 17th, 2009 at 1:46 PM ^

I love the obviously evil mustache on that post.

And yeah, RR would definitely give up a 5 star stud athlete if he didn't fit his scheme (sarcasm)

He has his system that doesn't incorporate tight ends. That's why he won't think about using a tight end this year and would't dream about recruiting stud tight ends in the future (more sarcasm)

JC3

August 17th, 2009 at 12:05 PM ^

When you talk about recruiting talent rich states, I'd assume you meant Florida, where Rodriguez brought in 8 players in the 2009 class. California? Not so much.

CPS

August 17th, 2009 at 12:23 PM ^

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CPS

August 17th, 2009 at 5:15 PM ^

Because if there’s a problem with MGoBoard, it’s the deluge of ASCII art that has infested MGo. But everything has it’s place, so from now on I’ll stick to repeating misogynistic jokes from 5 year old movies.

OSUckSteverMSUcks

August 17th, 2009 at 5:23 PM ^

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Bluerock

August 17th, 2009 at 12:34 PM ^

Why is it so important to draw higher ranked players that can't excel in your system? Don't you think RRod is getting the players he wants?
I think it was a RRod recruited WV team that poured a 55 gallon of whoop-ass on a highly ranked Okie team.

Laura63

August 17th, 2009 at 4:05 PM ^

I think RRod is getting the players he can get. I hope that he wants them. Reading this blog for the last year, I think its the bloggers who question if he's getting the right players. The commentariat has shifted from high expectation when RRod was announced -- "imagine what kind of 4-5 star classes he'll bring in now that he's at an elite program"-- to the unquestionable belief that that low 4 star and 3 star players are necessary complement of 1) a 3-9 season, 2) the requirements of the spread offense, & 3) the resulting "tweener" recruits who don't fit the star rating system.

brad

August 17th, 2009 at 9:43 PM ^

Everything else, oh no!

The system is not keeping recruits away, it is the hopelessly awful season last year, almost entirely. Big time program + big time winning brings big time recruits. The system then becomes basically irrelevant.

Durham Blue

August 18th, 2009 at 1:30 AM ^

but I am sure she knows who Drew Sharp is, as she has a myriad of other usernames at Freep.com. She uses the same arguments over and over again at freep and mlive. How can RR beat OSU if he can't outrecruit Tressel? Barwis is a fraud. He never fought "in the MMA" (as if MMA=UFC?!). RR a liar. He has no character. Blah blah. It goes on and on, ad nauseum. I'm just surprised she hasn't ended one of her comments with a "sheesh" or "hilarious". It's all legendary garbage.

brewandbluesaturdays

August 17th, 2009 at 12:50 PM ^

I don't know why I actually followed through all the way to the end of this article. I feel like I should -1 myself for finishing. These shennanigans must stop. Rich rod will turn the ship around. He had an empty ship to work with. If you really consider it, our best offensive weapon the majority of the year, was the space emperor... He'll bring in the guys he wants and it will be just fine...

brewandbluesaturdays

August 18th, 2009 at 12:04 PM ^

Ohhh goodness, did I upset you? Your post showed your obvious lack of intelligence in regards to football. Therefore I figured I would make a simple easy metaphor, one that your simple mind could relate too. Also, your reading skills need to improve dramatically. I never said the space emperor would turn around the empty ship. I said if you really considered all things (which obviously your incapable of doing) he was our best offensive weapon for a majority of the season last year. Thus, proving lack of offensive talent Rich Rod had last season. Thanks again for your insight...

cpt20

August 17th, 2009 at 1:00 PM ^

If you look at RR's history, he has adapted the personel everywhere he has been. Tulane, he ran a run and shoot with Shaun King. At WVU he let Pat White run because that is what he was best at doing. This and in the future, RR is probably going to pass more.

So yes he can adapt.

Big Boutros

August 17th, 2009 at 1:08 PM ^

Drawing 4 and 5 star recruits to Ann Arbor from the south and west has always been a staple of Michigan recruiting, and will continue under Rodriguez. But it will not increase significantly under Rich Rod unless he shifts his balance from emphasizing "scheme" to "raw talent regardless of scheme." He won't do that.

Do you remember Miami of the early 2000s under Larry Coker? They did precisely what you propose Michigan do. They recruited only the most highly touted players in the country, regardless of scheme, fit, or natural position.

After two consecutive appearances in the BCS National Championship game, that same Miami program has gone 37-25 in the past five seasons. That video game style of recruiting left Miami virtually bereft of applicable talent for Randy Shannon's first two years as head coach.

Meanwhile, Rich Rodriguez compiled recruiting classes ranked 37th, 46th, 47th, 31st, 52nd, and 23rd in his tenure at West Virginia and went 60-26. Believe me when I say that Rich Rodriguez knows infinitely more about what his football team needs than you do.

MichMike86

August 17th, 2009 at 1:33 PM ^

Laura63, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone reading this blog is now dumber for having read your post. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

steve sharik

August 17th, 2009 at 1:35 PM ^

going 3-9 = lesser recruiting classes

Rodriguez has proven he can beat you with lesser players. He will continue to do that here in the short run. Once he starts winning consistently, the recruiting will be back among the top 10. And if RichRod can beat you with a roster of Top 30 recruiting classes (like he did at WVU), what do you think he can do to you with Top 10 classes?

Elno Lewis

August 17th, 2009 at 1:36 PM ^

Tell me you were drunk when you wrote that post.

CPS & Big Boutros....excellent posts. You can have a cookie.

His Dudeness

August 17th, 2009 at 2:02 PM ^

Everytime I read a post like this I can't get the image of someone reading it through a megaphone on top of an overturned car, ala a German propaganda campaign in WWII,out of my head.

"Your leaders have deceived you! Your football team will never reign as a power again!! Your in-state recruiting dominance is nothing, but a dream!"