Hoke& 2014: One sign to look for

I vaguely recalled Brian saying multiple times that Terry Richardson might transfer, given his lack of play time.

I'm going back to the "Where is Herm?" thread

While low numbers are generally favorable I don't know if you can draw any definitive conclusions based solely on the raw number of transfers, for me it's the reason for the transfer that I look at more closely.  "I'm leaving because I'm buried on the depth chart and the talent level coming in is so high I'm never going to see the field" is not a bad thing and pretty understandable.   Also transfers resulting from a scheme change (say a new Defensive Coordinator) that doesnt fit the players particular skill sets or physical attributes arent always a bad thing either.

Players leaving because they arent having any fun (yes football is suppose to fun on at least some level) or because they feel they were mislead by the coaching staff during recruiting is a very bad thing.   I'm not sure what's going on in Florida right now other than, as Magnus said in a different thread, they might be thinking "damn..... this offense is horrible and I still cant see the field...time to move on."

By the way OP - I love your avatar - Dr Strangelove is one of my absolute movie favorites of all time.  There were so many little fantastic touches that Kubrick tossed in that you really don't notice until like the 10th time you watch it.

Edit: Can somebody explain why this post is getting hammered with down votes?  Outside of the OP's "what I'm looking for" tone it's pretty tame and does raise an interesting point of discussion.

Devin Funchess has made ESPNs top 25 underclassmen for 2013.

I'm just happy we can upvote/downvote again

Truthfully, some attrition is probably good for both the players transferring and the team. 

Players who don't see a future on the field can transfer to a different school and potentially contribute there. Hoke and Co. then have extra scholarship slots open up for players who may be a better fit than the players who have left. 

I can think of several players who this might apply to, but probably best not to name names.

A fairly positive post to death.  All he was saying was that he hopes that there was no attrition.  I would hope we all hope for little or no attrition but it is a daily occurence across the NCAA that people do make mistakes and move on, whether for playing time, home sickness, etc.

While the OP has a point, be careful what you wish for. Attrition is a necessary element of a vital, growing program. For example, the 2015 recruiting class, as it stands now, will be too small for comfort: in the 15-20 range, I believe. We sure could use a half-dozen more slots. And, since most players who transfer do so simply in order to receive more PT elsewhere, attrition is beneficial to them, too. 

be looking for run-blocking. QED

Actually I believe the biggest sign will not be attrition - the biggest indicator is what jersey sales in Ohio are doing over the course of the next 12 months

Things to look for in 2014?  Man, I'm just looking to find out who, who, who let the dogs out.  People have been asking that important question since ~2000 and I don't believe it's been answered yet.

Is development of the players this staff has recruited. 

I think this staff has shown that they can go out and recruit with anyone and have shown they have the values and beliefs that line up with what parents and recruits want to see in a program. Whether some players leave following any given season won't detract from that and given what we have seen, it will almost certainly be related to their prospects of playingtime.

The issue that I see as a potential for turning recruits heads is the seeming lack of development we have seen over the course of the past couple of years. This year they have an excuse of sorts in that the team was very young (though I still think we should have seen more progress during the year). Next year, though we will still be young, the core of the 2 deep will have been here long enough that we should see significant improvement.

If a trend becomes evident where highly touted players come to UM but don't develop into NFL draft picks, players are going to start to question whether coming here is going to get them to the next level (which many of them aspire to do). 

So for me, the number 1 thng I want to see from Hoke (and more specifically this staff as a whole) is that they have developed the players we have by showing us the results on the field. If they can't do that I am going to have to seriously question the long-temr viability of BH as the head coach of UM (which I haven't done to this point). 

Clearly, transfers is not the best indicator of good coaching, but there certainly is no denying that it not only factors into the medica coverage and perception of the program, but it ensures the team keeps building depth and experience.  Look at Florida and Michigan. Florida's transfers have to be absolutely killing their perception with the media and recruits.  We of course all remember Michigan's situations, but the transfers without a doubt had a major impact in kililng depth and experience on the team under Rich Rod.

Can't say this is the biggest thing, but it is at least a positive thing to note.

The program usually announces all the transfers and unrenewed 5th years at once, right?  I imagine that'll happen a little while after the bowl game, after Hoke has a chance to talk with each player (and the player talks with their family over winter break).