Steve Wiltfong crystal balls in-state LB Lance Dixon to Penn State
Harbaugh's in-state recruiting woes continue. Dixon is #252 in the composite but #72 overall in the 247 rankings. After missing on Willie Gay in 2017 and Otis Reese in 2018, Dixon would mark the third straight year UM has missed on their top Viper target if he does indeed commit to PSU. It would also mark the fourth top 5 player in MI to commit somewhere other than Ann Arbor. To make matters worse, his head coach at West Bloomfield is an alumnus and defensive coordinator is a UM fan, along with his dad. If someone told me this would be happening in year 4 of Harbaugh when he was hired, I would have laughed in their face.
How is it fine to miss on your top target at Viper three recruiting classes in a row? There is literally no one developing behind Khaleke Hudson right now.
How is it fine to miss on your top target at Viper three recruiting classes in a row? There is literally no one developing behind Khaleke Hudson right now.
In Don Brown's defense, Sam and Viper are the same spot on the field with different positional/situational roles and strengths/weaknesses.
The Viper has rarely taken the place of a second safety, hence why Brown has prioritized the linebacker-shaped prospects you pointed out (Gay, Reese).
I can't tell if you're trolling or not, but I really hope you get banned asap.
No they aren't.
Well, we hit a snag but the sky is not falling. We simply need to win, in particular, we need to beat MSU regularly to change the perception of Michigan in the state of Michigan.
It’s probably more about fit than anything else. PSU is a better fit for the kid. Get over it.
Not worried. Have Don Brown.
Per Allen Trieu West Bloomfield runs the exact same defense as UM does and Dixon is their Viper. He was previously a safety but moved down to Viper before last season. He literally couldn't be more of a perfect fit for Michigan.
In other words, he isn't very bright. How could you say that about a high school kid?
Or maybe he likes other things about PSU that he thinks are a good fit for him. You know, something outside of football.
Maybe James Franklin and Jim Harbaugh attract different people. Just maybe. (Not saying one is better than a the other.)
If you look hard enough in any situation or scenario, you can find something to whine about.
You're doing a magnificent job of it.
Why do people think that being ignorantly contrarian somehow increases their standing and credibility?
You don't have to look very hard when it comes to in-state recruiting!
Sports writer predicts 17 year old kid is going to a college that isn't in his home state = Harbaugh sucks.
Got it.
THIS!!!
I'm confused /s. Has he committed? Oh wait this is just a crystal ball, yes a reliable crystal, but let's wait to be a debbie downer about a non-commit until he actually commits somewhere else.
Wiltfong changes his crystal ball with the wind. His final choose is only matters some. Who knows if he’ll switch it again.
Is this the same post as yesterday, only for a different player? At least change it up a little. The, "If someone told me this would be happening in year 4 of Harbaugh when he was hired...." line is getting tiresome. Can't wait to see the next post when someone issues a crystal ball pick or when a recruit puts a team list on twitter.
Being this dedicated to trolling is almost as impressive as it is disturbing.
Is bluey gonna cry?
Everything's gonna be ok bluey.
Sometimes you just have to let them cry it out.
Onwenu, Hill, Nordin, DPJ, Ambry Thomas, Josh Ross, Kelly-Powell, DIB, Paea, Hutchinson, Mayfield, Hayes, Van Sumerren, Gray, Barnhart, and Malone- Hatcher, Hall (who didn't work out, but since were playing the recruit game). Look at how many players on this list are contributors already or should be this year that I can think off the top of my head.
Julian Barnett, and Dobbs are losses...but for whatever reason Belleville hates MI. Antjuan Simmons was a loss that we didn't pursue hard for whatever reason, Corley felt like a loss but is now in legal trouble.
Logan Brown is a loss who decided to go to his dream school...can't blame the guy.
For the most part MI has got every instate recruit they wanted since Harbaugh has got here...don't let this losers misery cloud your view of the facts.
Exactly this. There is more to a player than just his stars and metrics. I still have trust that guys like Harbaugh and Brown know what to look for in a recruit. There are other factors like character, work ethic, etc that make a Michigan man.
Michigan wants Dixon, so your comment isn't really relevant.
At the end of the day, we made significant staff changes in the off-season, and it takes time to build up in-state relationships. We also have to win some games. There's not really any reason to be negative, though. There is always going to be some bad fallout after an underwhelming season. The best antidote is to win games.
It IS relevant because I was replying to a post concerning multiple recruits and not just Dixon.
To your point though, I think its foolish to be concerned at all about recruits that wont sign for over a year. Last season is hurting us now but that is easily corrected with a great season this year. I get tired of watching a handful of our group here do the chicken little every time something doesn't go our way. All I was trying to say is we can guess all we want as to how or why our coaching staff recruits but at the end of the day, they are the experts. We miss out on some and get others that might have been a better fit anyway. Lots of recruits out there.
I'm one of the typical negative-nellies when it comes to recruiting (especially on OL) but is anyone complaining about Khaleke Hudson? How about Drew Singletary or any other LB who could easily be a Viper?
It would absolutely be fantastic to get all the top guys but it's just not happening. Not unless we are winning B1G Championships and going to the playoffs on a regular basis.
So now we are panicking because of a crystal ball pick? Let’s wait for the kid to commit - still a long ways to go with the 2019 class.
Until he signs the LOI nothing is for certain just ask Otis Reece or Emil Ekiyor...
/Bluey reads
/lights self on fire in remembrance of Reece and Ekiyor
/screams "SEE WHAT I MEAN??!!!!"
You're a sad sad little man Bluey
I think JH noticed there was an issues with recruiting and that was a key driver behind some of the staff changes. Unfortunately, it'll take some time to build those relationships back up. Kids that are committing now are committing to coaches they have been in contact with 2-3+ years.
Hopefully, UM can get some big wins this season and speed up that process a little. It seems Washington and Moore can recruit. I am not sold yet on the "pep is repairing relationships in Detroit" narrative just yet.
Fully support actual recruiting news and even OT recruiting news.
This post, though, is simply a pessimistic diatribe about the overall state of UM recruiting with the excuse of one crystal ball for the #252 recruit. The mods need to snuff out this type of BS.
Maybe they should change this site again.
Go Blue.
Are there any details to the recruitment? Did Michigan not show as much interest? It has seemed like he has been at the top of the board right?
So why are you upset at Harbaugh? If a kid gets recruited equally by those 2 teams and decides PSU then later. Yes they have won more the last 2 years but have also just lost the best player in college football. To turn down being on a top 3 defense who a year ago had 9? guys from the defense on NFL rosters come fall is bonkers.
Bye, Bonkers.
If they were all going to MSU, I'd be a little concerned. That's really the only threat here. Otherwise Michigan is going to get someone as good or better, and PSU is going to get highly rated kid anyway. They're back now and elite recruiters.
IOW, if you can keep a 4* instate and force MSU to take a 3*, that's an advantage. If Michigan gets a 4* from Illinois and PSU gets one from Michigan, doesn't really matter. You can trade them and it washes. Yes maybe Dixon is M's top target for viper, and losing him to PSU stings a bit. But they'll bring in someone else who'll do just as well in this defense. And over a long enough time horizon the back and forth will wash.
Context is also helpful here: Dobbs and Michigan have been weird for a while, for whatever reason; and Logan Brown is a lifelong Wiscy fan who gets to go to his favorite school. That's two of the top four or five that Bluey is fretting about. Barnett is similar to Dobbs, Belleville kid stuck in that weird dimension of whatever's going on there.
Its Lesigh that when PSU was down M couldn't really kick them into their grave. I mean would've been nice if we dominated them so much that no one from Pennsylvania/East coast let alone Michigan would think of committing there.
Oh well. Will have to beat the crap out of them this year.
Bring on field goal franklin.
IMO PSU isn't that type of program. I mean they were as down as you could possibly be. But get the right coach and start winning, and you can turn it around.
Michigan is one of these programs. Baylor, as an example, isn't. If they hired the wrong guy they could slip away forever, and only an elite coaching hire could bring them back.
Yea you're right. I just feel like they were slipping in mediocrity from late Paterno years and M beat them on the regular (we still do). Its just that I would want a Barkely on M team :)
Also I hate that best B1G teams are on the east. SMH.
Anyways, super excited for this year. Seems like we are abotu to take step forward with the offense which is exciting when paired with this D. Lets go!
Stop that. This thread clearly does not allow rationality.
I was going to write "Oh, dear. Someone will need to hold Maizenbluey." Too late, obviously, as Bluey is the OP.
What is the point? So, we have missed on a few top in state players. Everyone sees it, including Jim. With success on the field, next year will be different. If we finish 8-4 again, then we will have bigger problems. For now, I am going with Jim, realizing that the likes of you were ready to fire JB because he did convince an 18 year old to pick UM.
"did not"
He has an OV scheduled for this weekend at PSU, Wisconsin the following weekend and UM the weekend after that. Can you at least wait until the visits play out before concern trolling?
Mods, if cratering Maizen was appropriate why on earth is he allowed to change his name then continue on posting the exact same BS?
I might be wrong, but I don't think Maizen was cratered. I think even he was embarrassed at how wrong he was with his "Fire Beielin" posts, causing him crawl into a hole somewhere in the spring of 2017, only to resurface in April 2018 as Bluey.
Really not going to get my knickers in a bunch because a recruiting guru gave a crystal ball to some 18 year old kid 6 months in advance of him signing.....really?
Please keep in mind that kids have a say.....Michigan high school kids don't automatically go to M or MSU. Remember the old saying....you can lead a horse towater but you can't make him drinl.
I'm sure no one here is celebrating our current recruiting efforts in-state or our class last year, but the majority of us realize that being angry about it isn't worth our time. There is literally nothing we, as message board posters, can do to influence 17 year olds with big egos to choose the school we like. In fact, there's only so much Harbaugh can do, and the majority of that can't change until the actual football season starts, and none of what he can do will change based on your incessant negative posts on this board.
Try to find a hobby that gives you joy.
Apparently Franklin has been pushing hard the angle of guys getting to help the first black coach win a national title in college football and it is certainly working.
This is a bad sign. Its not the end of the world but Michigan's recruiting needs a big year incredibly badly. I know our class is ranked 7th right now but that means absolutely nothing and if you look at the guys we lead for versus the guys osu and psu lead for its pretty clear that unless something changes in the fall we are going to be the third ranked class and outside the top 10 again.
A little early to panic, I think... If Michigan has a good year things will change!
I remember when you used to post negative stuff about Beilein and his recruiting all the time. Now that there isn't much to complain about with him, you've taken your concern trolling shtick over to the football program.
It's a shame you didn't learn anything from your prior foolishness.
I find two factors encouraging:
(1) Don Brown
(2) Plenty of time left. Winning solves a lot of problems.