Michael Onewnu still taking visits

Submitted by James Burrill Angell on

Looks like Michael Onewnu is still taking visits despite committing. 

Definitely unsettling but maybe not so bad:

"I'll still be going on my visits," Onwenu said, adding that he'll be visiting some schools "down south" over the summer but not sure where he intends to visit yet.

As uneasy as that might make Wolverines fans feel, Onwenu made sure to add that he doesn't "have anyone in second right now," referring to Michigan being the only school he has intentions of attending after his upcoming senior year.

 

http://highschoolsports.mlive.com/news/article/-1341155592547866056/aft…;

ST3

June 3rd, 2015 at 7:24 PM ^

I've never met someone named Bordon before, male or female.

Regarding Caitlyn, I thought for sure she would spell that with a "K" to fit in with the rest of that group. Probably just another subtle dig at Kris Jenner.

Oscar

June 3rd, 2015 at 6:36 PM ^

But what does committing do for a recruit? Does it guarantee them a scholarship? Does it guarantee them the coaching staff will be there next year? Does it guarantee them certain promises will be kept?
So if a recruit knows Michigan is where they want to be under the current circumstances, why shouldn't they "commit"? And in case things change, wouldn't it be wise for them to have a backup plan?

BigBlue02

June 3rd, 2015 at 6:53 PM ^

Maybe you should look up the definition of commit also. Saying you are going to a school and then taking visits to other schools you are interested in attending isn't "committing" in any sense of the word. Committing to a school means you won't look at other schools and they stop recruiting for your spot. If someone commits but says they will look at other schools, the coaching staff will be completely fine recruiting and taking actual commits from people who have evaluated schools and want to go to Michigan. I hope he is very comfortable not going to Michigan in case the coaches get some commits at his position before he stops taking his visits. I'm not saying that is plausible, but it is possible in that type of situation

Oscar

June 3rd, 2015 at 7:10 PM ^

I'll reiterate for the reading impaired...

"So if a recruit knows Michigan is where they want to be under the current circumstances, why shouldn't they "commit"? And in case things change, wouldn't it be wise for them to have a backup plan?"

Oscar

June 4th, 2015 at 6:04 PM ^

This is the situation where the recruit has the most leverage, the rest of the student-athlete rules are mostly in favor of the school.  And honestly does it matter if the recruit commited now or later?  They can always decommit, so a commitment only means as much as the person behind it.

One final question, so if the top rated recruit wanted to commit to UM, but will still take additional visits, you would still be against his "commitment"?

aplatypus

June 3rd, 2015 at 8:54 PM ^

how recruiting actually works. A player can 100% commit to a school, not take visits, not even take calls from other coaches and then get screwed over in the end if the school decides not to honor that scholarship offer. 

Committing early like this has virtually no downside and lots of upside for the player. Harbaugh apparently doesn't mind, so I don't see why we should. 

BigBlue02

June 4th, 2015 at 10:33 AM ^

But there is no upside either. If both player and team can look elsewhere, then the only upside it has for a player is that he lets the team know they are at the top of the list. His commitment is what others call his list.

WolvinLA2

June 3rd, 2015 at 7:58 PM ^

We should all be insecure when it comes to recruiting - flips happen all the time.  Hell, we had the #1 class in the country last year just in decommitments.  

I thought Hoke's policy was a little too strict, but I liked the essence of it.  If you aren't committed to me, I won't be committed to you.  Go ahead and take visits, but if someone comes along in the meantime who wants to be committed, I'll be giving them your spot.

Oscar

June 3rd, 2015 at 8:43 PM ^

You assume that whenever a recruit goes on a visit, it is b/c they are looking for something better.  And before you say I am assuming the opposite, I'll say that some are looking for better, and some are just taking advantage of a free trip.  But to "punish" everyone is not the way I would do business in this scenario.

East German Judge

June 3rd, 2015 at 6:12 PM ^

Agreed.  No one is saying don't go visit or that kids should not enjoy the experience, they should.  However, that is not a COMMITMENT to say that you are committed, but I will still go look and visit.  Finish your visits and then commit. 

I hope then JH views the commitment the same way, in that he still recruits other kids for that same "committed" spot, because there is no real commitment with the kids.  This was one of the topics Hoke had correct.

WolvinLA2

June 3rd, 2015 at 7:33 PM ^

I agree. You can't have it both ways. This is like a college guy telling a girl he wants to be exclusive, then also saying he wants to enjoy being a college guy when he goes and sleeps with other girls. If you want to enjoy the process, get that out of your system before you commit.

In my mind, no kid who is taking visits is committed. As long as Onwenu says he's still taking visits, he's not a commit for my purposes.

Mr Miggle

June 3rd, 2015 at 6:19 PM ^

Commit is just the word that's commonly used in recruiting. It doesn't have the exact same meaning as in some other circumstances. We could use accepting an offer or reserving a place instead. They're more accurate, but we're stuck with commit.

It's up to the other side to agree on the conditions. If Harbaugh is willing to take commitments from players who tell him they still want to look around, maybe your beef is with him. Look on the bright side, maybe Onwenu will spend those visits recruiting for Michigan.

Rabbit21

June 3rd, 2015 at 4:58 PM ^

While I don't begrudge anyone the opportunity to get wined and dined, I'll take this as a "soft" commitment at best and hope the coaches have a plan "B" in place.

Onwenu is an exciting prospect and I'd love to have him join the program but I do wonder why you would "commit" anywhere and then go look around if you're not sure.  It's not like he was about to lose his spot and there was pressure on him to reserve it.