Jimmyisgod

May 4th, 2013 at 3:10 PM ^

Does literally everytime one of our taregets commits to another school some posters have to say we cooled on him?  Doles is a good recruit, we wanted him, he had an offer, but he decided on Noprthwestern, NW is a great school with a good football team.

Can't we just wish the kid good luck rather thaan sound childish and pretend we didn't really want him.

Good luck Mr. Doles, hope you're successful and have a great college career save for one weekend a year.

 

swan flu

May 4th, 2013 at 8:12 AM ^

It certainly is. Congrats to Mr. Doles. On an unrelated note, does Northwestern still give all their athletes "academic scholarships"? I know they did this when I was looking at schools because they constantly bragged about how they don't give out any athletic scholarships.

UMgradMSUdad

May 4th, 2013 at 10:43 AM ^

I'm not sure what it's like now, but when I was taking my Sparty daughter around various universities the summer after her junior year of HS (about 8 years ago), we were told that Northwestern didn't give out any merit based scholarships. They can call it whatever they want, but I call bs on the notion that they don't give special treatment to athletes to find ways to fund their education. 

WolvinLA2

May 3rd, 2013 at 11:03 PM ^

Please don't make this a "I'm glad he chose them so we can get someone who is good" post because that's super lame.  This is a good pick up for Northwestern.

Real Tackles Wear 77

May 3rd, 2013 at 11:07 PM ^

That wasn't the intent at all, it was more of a stream-of-conciousness type of thing. He is a good player and one who we all would have liked to have but given the position he plays and a number of other factors, all things considered its not a huge deal. And since some obviously took it the wrong way, my commentary has been removed.

WolvinLA2

May 3rd, 2013 at 11:09 PM ^

I get what you're saying, and if it's true that the coaches cooled on him you might even be right, it just looks bad is all.  It's like the guy who gets dumped and then says "I was going to dump you anyway" which, even if true, makes him look pretty lame.  I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, but I think it's better now that you changed it.

Geneticblue

May 3rd, 2013 at 11:12 PM ^

Hey, small campus, top-notch education, close to Chicago, tons of local chicks and that weird-ass Ba-hai Temple close by.  What's not to love about Northwestern?

Geneticblue

May 3rd, 2013 at 11:17 PM ^

I'd say they have more momentum going for them than Illinois does, and the as far as a coach goes, he's freakin fantastic for that school.  Being an alumnus doesn't hurt either.  I think they are on the way up as a program personally.

Wolverine15

May 3rd, 2013 at 11:44 PM ^

Is real. And it is here. But actually, I agree. With the small numbers this year especially at offensive line, this doesn't hurt. Plus, I don't mind losing a kid to NU. Hopefully M can pull Bars and continue the national scope of recruiting this year.

Elmer

May 5th, 2013 at 7:36 PM ^

That's the crux of the issue, the small class.  If we were taking 26-27 players in this next class, then Doles would have made more sense.

Some three stars, like a Ben Braden, just seem like they are under-rated.  Doles just seems like a 3*.  Good kid, hope he has a nice career and graduates.

Real Tackles Wear 77

May 3rd, 2013 at 11:19 PM ^

I was intrigued by Doles' interest in the service academies. I understand the feelings of duty to serve that some have, but I wonder how a prospect like this weighs those opportunities vs. a more traditional college football experience. I guess it isn't applicable here, but do athletes at the D-1 academies typically have competing civilian school offers?

Zone Left

May 4th, 2013 at 12:04 AM ^

Honestly, the academy networks are probably more important if you decide to leave the military. The promotion system in the military, while flawed, is transparent and didn't seem to favor the academies. Similarly, the assignment system didn't seem to favor groups so much as individuals with great reputations in their specific fields within service branches.

In contrast, after leaving the military, the academy networks are probably the most effective alumni groups in the business world in terms of helping their own after the military.

SC Wolverine

May 4th, 2013 at 10:15 AM ^

Being from a West Point family who went to UM on an ROTC scholarship and then served for several years in the Army, I would say the biggest benefit of the academy is that all of your college friends go into the same line of work.  Wherever you are stationed, you will always have a good number of close friends from school nearby.  This especially helps with the terrible post-college adjustment to real life.  Now, the longer you stay in the service, the more friends you have from guys you served with.  But probably the only regret I had from turning down my appointment to USMA was that I missed out on that social network in my career field.  (The great upswing was that I got to go to Michigan!)  As a multi-generational Army brat, it wasn't so big a deal to me, but I did miss all my college friends, who I virtually never saw in over ten years of constant deployments.

UMAFA08

May 4th, 2013 at 11:55 AM ^

Not sure what you mean by a flawed promotion system, but you are correct in saying that it does not favor Academy grads, per se. It favors those that perform in the top echelon in their job, regardless of commissioning source. On the contrary, the assignment system is a bit different for officers than it is for enlisted. Enlisted members are pretty much at the mercy of an assignment system, save a few very high-performing individuals in higher ranks (at least E-6's). That said, officers have a bit more say in their assignment, as there are many selectively-manned and/or high-profile assignments that require by-name reccomendations from superiors (i.e. commanders). These by-name reccomendations are made easier by having a "network" to interact with. Obviously, the academy network very much comes to the forefront as one of the primary means to make these reccomendations. These assignments can then bolster your officer resume, which, in-turn, then can place you above your peers when it comes to promotion time. So, you could say that it has the potential to affect your promotions and assignments, granted you're a hard worker and your commander sees that. You can't be dead weight and expect one of these assignments, obviously.

Boom Goes the …

May 4th, 2013 at 1:06 AM ^

ROTC are obligated to 4 years active service- the Naval Academy requires 5.  There is no distinction once you are actually in the military.  Yes the networks are great at the Academy, but I will be tapping into the Citadel one which is no slouch as well.  To say the academy is head and shoulders above is not true

UMAFA08

May 4th, 2013 at 11:44 AM ^

After graduation and commissioning, it's valid to say that Academy, ROTC, and OTS officers as 2Lts/Ensigns are all on an even playing field. Granted, the quality of education and work ethic differs vastly, as you're simply going to, more often than not, get a better product out of an academy grad due to the education received and the amount of work put in during their 4 years. Not necessarily everytime, as there are very high-performing individuals from civilian institutions (like the Citadel, which I have a profound respect for) that perform at extremely high levels, even perhaps placing them above their academy counterparts. I'm simply speaking in generalities. However, keep in mind that it's just not about the education. It's about the experiences and the leadership lessons learned from a 4-year "leadership laboratory" experience that ROTC programs simply cannot replicate. Academy cadets/midshipmen are immersed in it every day. There's something to be said about the kind of individual that gets into, survives, and graduates from a service academy. It is these things, ALONG with the network that benefits academy grads long after graduation, while in uniform and as a civilian. This isn't a knock on ROTC by any means. Please don't take it that way, but there's a reason for the selectivity that goes into the admissions process and there's something to be said about the attrition that occurs from entry to basic training to graduation day.

Geneticblue

May 3rd, 2013 at 11:25 PM ^

I'm quite sure in many forms they do.  Also to take into perspective a students post-acedemic career wishes and if those desires fall into such service branches, I'm sure it can only help them out in the long run vs something like wanting to get drafted high in the NFL.  Even still, as we saw with the great Central Michigan example, it can really happen anywhere if that goal shifts during the tunure at such said institution. 

Belisarius

May 3rd, 2013 at 11:28 PM ^

Typically, they do not. Not anymore, that is, they used to. Their physical and academic standards rule out a great many players, especially linemen. They usually look at a class of players who fit into their triple option system, which allows them to get a different breed of athlete, often overlooked by other schools, who are interested in serving their country. That's why the Armed Forces Academies allrun the same system: Navy proved they could make hay with it in their unique situation.

The obvious caveat is that some of these recruits do have offers from higher schools, and simply make life decisions.

 

WolvinLA2

May 3rd, 2013 at 11:44 PM ^

No it's not.  NW has always been an acronym for Northwest or Northwestern, not the university, but the cardinal direction.  So using NW for Northwestern (like tons of people do) makes a lot of sense.  When I see NU, I think Nebraska, but at best it's ambiguous.  

The real reason your statement is false?  If you said MG for Michigan, no one would know what you were talking about, but based on this thread, that's clearly not that case for NW.

WolvinLA2

May 4th, 2013 at 12:03 AM ^

Oh, I know that's the correct abbreviation for it.  And for the record, not only did I not ever say NW in this post, but I wasn't just correcting someone, I was correcting someone's correction.  

He said that calling Northwestern NW is akin to calling Michigan MG, which is wrong.  Just because a pseudonym isn't the correct one, doesn't mean it isn't accepted.  Lots of poeople shorten Northwestern to NW, and it works because poeple know what it means.  You'll even see the ticker during football season say NW for Northwestern.  I don't think I've ever seen MG used for Michigan.  

Magnus

May 4th, 2013 at 12:57 AM ^

I've been called worse by better.

Anyway, I know it's kind of ridiculous that good ol' Magnus is trying to be the voice of reason, but maybe everyone should just go back to his corner and cool off a little.  Getting into a slapfight about typographical errors and such is a little too heavy for a Friday night.  Everyone ought to be resting up for Sinko duh Mio.