recruiting roundup
crootin
rashan gary
dylan crawford
david long
boss tagaloa
devin asiasi
donald stewart
chris evans
cesar ruiz
levi onwuzurike
pie young
khaleke hudson
chase allen
autodefenstration
jaevon mcquitty
cj cotman

Monday Recruitin' Autodefenestrates Comment Count

Brian

Rashan Gary panic(!)

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There was a disturbance in the Force late last week that you may have felt. A full explanation is forthcoming because you better believe we're going full Kremlinology on NJ DE Rashan Gary's recruitment.

So: A couple of Ole Miss guys ballz'd Gary to the Rebels, which set off distressing rumbles from the wing of the Michigan fanbase that takes after Tweek. This was compounded when Chris Balas did the thing he frequently does where he furrows his brow at the $EC and makes grim noises about things going off the rails because people are cheating. That came just a couple days after his colleague Tim Sullivan said it would be "all but impossible" for anyone to catch up, went off like a bomb, and was deleted after a sorry-not-sorry apology didn't calm the Ann Arbor Torch & Pitchfork crowd.

In the aftermath both Scout and Rivals have reaffirmed their strong belief that Michigan leads for Gary. We're pretty good at the Crystal Ball stuff because we read between the lines, so here's my thinking. Who you talk to is as important as what you say. Rationale for Ole Miss ball flip:

The relationship the Ole Miss coaching staff has with Rashan's mother, Jennifer Coney, who is instrumental in his recruitment, is the predominant reason. It is very strong.

Okay. May be true. If it was true she might be talking to Ole Miss sites. But to my knowledge the ball-flipper's never talked to her. (After the Ole Miss official she talked to Wiltfong.) Instead it's Sam Webb who posts article after article featuring her thoughts on Gary's recruitment. One side has some vague second or third hand feelings. The other is talking to the horse's mouth. Don't panic. Crootin.

Gary visiting or not visiting or visiting

Michigan's going to have to fend off some schools, though. Gary has a line of coaches on the way in…

"Dabo Swinney is coming, (Jim) Harbaugh is coming, (Gus) Malzahn is coming, (Nick) Saban is coming, Urban Meyer is coming," Gary's mother Jennifer Coney told NJ.com. "I don't know. There aren't enough days for everyone to come, but everybody wants to come and put their last pitch in."

…and a couple officials left. One is to USC, the other still undecided but maybe Clemson, and this is a bit of a twist:

"I'll probably take a couple non-officials to the three that I'm looking at, like a student of the day visit," said Gary. "So from there, after I take those visits, I should have a good idea of where I'm going."

That's not great news since it looked like Michigan was going to be the only school to get an unofficial. I'm a bit skeptical this tour is going to happen—a lot of recruits plan to do a bunch of stuff and then scale it back—and in fact as of yesterday that plan had been pared back. An Ole Miss Scout guy said there were no unofficials scheduled, even to Michigan, causing another round of fainting and autodefenestrations, but Gary's coach told TomVH that his visit schedule looked pretty good for Michigan:

Lorenz reiterates that he expects Gary along with teammates WR Donald Stewart, 2017 LB Drew Singleton, and maybe 2017 DT Corey Bolds on the 22nd. That is the most current intel. If he sticks to that we're golden.

But I learned how to spell it

Nobody really knows who leads for TX DE Levi Onwuzurike, but the previous roundup mentioned that various camps were split between his recruitment being a Michigan/Baylor battle and a Michigan/Washington battle. The implication there was obviously nice.

That appears to have been misplaced hope, as Steve Lorenz reports that Michigan "appears" to be out for Onwuzurike. That comes on the heels of a Washington 247 site interview with him—again, who you talk to is important. In it he says he's "80 percent sure" where he's going. I assume that's the Huskies*.

If Michigan is out for Onwuzurike attention turns to AZ DE Connor Murphy, FL DE Joshua Uche, and California teammates Devin Asiasi and Boss Tagaloa. Asiasi wants to play TE and Tagaloa is a DT, but Michigan already has a couple DEs in the class so like whatever man. Speaking of those guys…

*[Doubly annoying because I was going to sleuth the bad news based on "who you talk to" before Lorenz stole my thunder, such as it is. /shakes fist for various reasons]

Asiasi to visit like a Boss

Steve Lorenz reports that Asiasi has dropped his Alabama visit and will make it out to Ann Arbor for an official on the 22nd. So will Tagaloa, who named Michigan in a top five back in November. At the time Scout's Greg Biggins thought it was a UCLA-M battle, but that was before a USC offer came in.

Lorenz says Michigan has some optimism here. They do want to play together and Asiasi badly wants to play tight end; they're also NorCal guys familiar with Harbaugh's work with Stanford and the 49ers. Get the visit, see what happens. FWIW, USC gets the last word with both on the 29th.

One potential hitch in the previous bullet point

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Allen's YMRMFSPA is 100% guaranteed to be Ian Bunting

Asiasi's official is set for the 22nd. MO TE Chase Allen is coming in the week prior, and Steve Wiltfong hears that Allen is a "huge, huge lean" to M. Presumably he will commit on the visit, occupying Michigan's final(?) tight end slot in the class.

This is good. Allen's picked up offers from Nebraska, Mizzou and Oklahoma State in addition to the back-to-back Michigan and FSU offers. He is under the radar because he split his time between basketball and football in high school, choosing AAU over football camps and the like. He's a high upside, high academic guy who Michigan seems eager to take.

But it does make you wonder if Michigan will still be in the running for Asiasi and potentially Tagaloa the week after. On the one hand, if there's a school in the country that can make good on TE promises it's Michigan, and they could take Asiasi as an ATH. On the other, at some point you can't cram more guys in the phonebooth.

Cram cram cram cram cram (brief pause) cram cram cram

Speaking of said phonebooth, Wiltfong also recently ballz'd NJ WR Donald Stewart to Michigan. Stewart is a Paramus guy who Michigan looked good for early and then faded for as people assumed he would go to Stanford. I and most other people had written him off entirely until he announced a Michigan official, also on the 22nd.

I can't imagine FL WR Pie Young and Stewart fit into the same class at this juncture unless there's unexpected attrition and have no idea who's preferred. Young just re-iterated that Michigan leads at the South Florida Express tryouts (he was a spectator) but it is possible that Young's spot is accounted for since Michigan just picked up two slot types in TN WR Nate Johnson and CA WR Dylan Crawford. He did just announce a suite of officials to USC, Louisville, and Tennessee. He is a NSD decision; that may result in Young finding there's no room in the phonebooth.

In yet further cram news, Wiltfong also believes Michigan has a "great shot" with PA ATH Khaleke Hudson; he would pick M if forced to make a CB pick. Penn State losing DC John Shoop to Tennessee at this late stage has got to help. As mentioned last week, I loved Hudson in the Semper Fi bowl and am pro-get-him.

cram cram cram cram

More crammin' with positive Long vibes

CA CB David Long continues to trend towards Michigan. Lorenz joins Wiltfong and Barton Simmons with a ballz in favor of M after doing the proverbial digging, and Sam's gut is all like yeah:

That isn't "he is going to commit" but it ain't bad; I interpret that to mean he is set on Michigan but he has that official to Washington left and people can change their minds.

If he even takes it, that is. Rivals's Blair Angulo joins the chorus of folks expecting Long to commit to Michigan, and he's hearing that might come in the next week. That would obviously preempt a Washington visit. Probably, anyway. Crootin and all.

Assumption on the situation: Long has decided on Michigan but wants to follow through with a visit he told Washington he would make. He is considering dropping it because it's a waste of time for everyone. If he does indeed go to Seattle then UW might have a shot, but this feels like an inverse Nauta.

Evans solid again

IN WR Chris Evans got a once-coveted OSU offer and for a moment there it looked like he was set to visit on the 15th and presumably flip, but he changed course and will stick with his commitment:

Wiltfong reports that Michigan is indeed bringing him in on offense while the OSU offer was as a defensive back.

Meanwhile other wobblers are status quo. We'll see what this weekend brings with visits.

Further Crawford evals

A bit more on CA WR commit Dylan Crawford, Michigan's prize from the Army game:

“Crawford has been very good this week,” Farrell said. “He catches everything, that’s the thing with him. I haven’t seen him really drop anything. He’s not the fastest, he’s not the biggest, but he’s a good technician. He’s a smart kid. He’ll fit right in with what Harbaugh wants to do because he’s a willing blocker as well. I think he’s a well-rounded receiver.”

He was mentioned as a top performer on Thursday:

He looked to go through the motions throughout much of the first two days of practice, but he took his game to new heights on day three. His effort really stood out today. He got free a lot during 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 and made sure to finish each run when the ball came his way.

Crawford is now qualifying his plan to take officials with an "if". None have actually been set. Even if those happen Michigan is very likely to hang on to Crawford, especially if Long commits with him.

2017 combine happens, articles are written

A caution: at this juncture a lot of out-of-state players have offers but have never been to Ann Arbor. Michigan might be their biggest offer right now. Meanwhile Michigan might have offered as a way to pique a kid's interest while they continue to evaluate a bunch of targets.

So even kids who say Michigan leads aren't that likely to end up in the class. Michigan might end up turning down the heat; they might pick up offers closer to home that are the ones they actually want. (In state or proximate is different, as they've been on campus and Michigan can and will take those prospects now.)

Anyway:

  • MI WR Donovan Peoples-Jones releases a top ten with Michigan in it. Fast forward to Signing Day for that guy.
  • TX DT Marvin Wilson has Michigan on his radar but a top four of LSU, FSU, USC, and Bama. Wilson is one of the top 2017 prospects in the country.
  • MO WR Jaevon McQuitty really really liked his Michigan offer, telling Brice Marich that he tried to tell his parents but he couldn't because he was "shaking too much." Tentatively plans to visit in March.
  • FL OL Cesar Ruiz says he's tight with "like five" Michigan commits in this class since he just relocated from New Jersey to play at IMG. Maintains no leaders and will take his time. PSU, M, and UNC may be a tentative top three.
  • FL WR/DB CJ Cotman tells Josh Henschke that Michigan is the school he's "really leaning on"(?) because he likes Harbaugh and Partridge a lot. Cotman has early offers from OSU, Oregon and FSU along with M and looks like he'll be a big-timer. Hopefully leaning on someone is good. Someone who is familiar with the rap music please tell me.
  • FL WR Joshua Palmer names Michigan his leader. Michigan is currently his biggest offer, as he's a three-star type at the moment. Moved from Canada to St. Thomas Acquinas in an effort to get recruited, so Michigan is closer to home than southern schools.
  • TX RB Kennedy Brooks names Washington and Michigan his leaders, thus continuing this weird recruiting rivalry we've got with UDub.

Etc.

VA LB Jaquan Yulee decommitted from Alabama and Michigan is "in the picture." We'll see if he sets an official. Webb says that Michigan State is in the picture with MI CB Lavert Hill, "not that Michigan State is now the favorite or anything." Still expect Hill to Michigan. In that vein, TX DT commit Jordan Elliott says “I think we are about to get about three more commits. Big time guys, DBs."

Balas says TX OL grad transfer Jake Raulerson is "trending" towards Michigan. He visits this weekend. As a grad transfer he can take his time deciding, especially if he needs to finish this semester at Texas.

Rivals reported that M had offered MD OL Stephen Spanellis, a Virginia commit and teammate of MD OL commit Devery Hamilton. Nobody else has confirmed that.

Comments

Jkidd49

January 11th, 2016 at 12:47 PM ^

seems pretty interesting when it comes to DB's... even if you assume Hill and Long are 2 of the 3, who is the third?  Hudson?  Hill also seems to be trending towards one of these guys who seems like he'll commit for forever and then never does.

Joined: 01/30/2012

MGoPoints: 5141

Jack Daniels

January 11th, 2016 at 12:48 PM ^

I've always thought UCLA was a top contender for both Asiasi and Tagaloa, and the Bruins just hired Marques Tuiasosopo from USC. He was their main recruiter for the Trojans and this hire could push momentum to Westwood. 

Joined: 05/12/2012

MGoPoints: 1692

Mr. Yost

January 11th, 2016 at 12:49 PM ^

Can't they give us like 5 or 6 of their "bonus" scholarships in exchange for Treadwell?

That worked out well for them...it's time to pay back your debt. They can have a normal recruiting class size this year and we can go get 33-34 guys for a year. A trade is a trade and a deal is a deal.

Joined: 07/25/2011

MGoPoints: -9898220

Honey Badger

January 11th, 2016 at 12:51 PM ^

I've read all the articles and understand that we are going to take 27 recruits.  I still don't understand how they are all going to fit?  24 + 8 does not equal 27.  What a juggling act must be going on behind the scenes.  

Joined: 06/15/2015

MGoPoints: 3676

Templeton Peck…

January 11th, 2016 at 2:21 PM ^

Having that coversation has got to suck... Don't know if you'll see this Magnus, but it seems as though you understand this business better than most... how common is that sort of thing at UM (pushing guys out of the class)? I've seen and heard both vague and specific rumors regarding individuals pushed out at places like tOSU and 'Bama, but I'm not aware that this is common practice at UM. Crootin' sometimes seems a shady business and maybe I need to get down with the harsh reality that winning may necessitate difficult decisions/actions.

Joined: 10/14/2015

MGoPoints: 3173

Magnus

January 11th, 2016 at 6:02 PM ^

It doesn't happen often, but it has happened a few times. Sometimes it's because kids don't qualify, sometimes it's because kids don't qualify, etc. I've never been up close and personal with that kind of conversation, exactly. However, coaches generally try to soften the blow by encouraging players to look at their other options. Or they will suggest that a player could grayshirt or be a preferred walk-on. That's often enough for players to get the message. David Reese is an example of someone who was encouraged to look at other suitors; the coaches knew he wanted to enroll early, but they told him they wanted other guys to take those early enrollee scholarships.

Joined: 07/17/2008

MGoPoints: 166007

Magnus

January 12th, 2016 at 8:17 AM ^

I said "sometimes it's because kids don't qualify" twice. One of those should have been "sometimes it's because kids commit too soon." For example, there was a kid a few years ago who didn't really have an offer, but then he publicly committed to Michigan. The coaches had to gently tell him that he jumped the gun.

Joined: 07/17/2008

MGoPoints: 166007

Brian

January 11th, 2016 at 2:36 PM ^

I don't think it's much of a juggling act on the inside.

Here's my read of the situation, a combination of a little inside baseball with deduction:

1. There are one or two grayshirts amongst the lower-rated guys. Was told that they knew they were taking a grayshirt from the drop and might get the Clark/Pallante bump if things fell their way.

2. There are a couple commits who have taken zero official visits, which is usually a sign that they are not going to qualify. Even if they do Michigan may not take them because their standards are higher than NCAA minimums when it comes to backfilling classes and the like. 

3. There are a couple commits who haven't been in regular contact with Michigan and have taken or scheduled visits that look like soft landing visits. 

In total I expect ~five players currently listed as commits to not sign LOIs, and I think they already know this. And then Michigan would add eight to get to 27. 

Best guess as to those eight:

R Gary
L Hill
D Long
C Allen
C Murphy
1 of P Young/D Stewart
2 of J Jones/J Uche/K Hudson

I know Uche is rated as DE but he's 6-1 or 6-2, 210, he's an OLB. 

 

Joined: 05/26/2008

MGoPoints: 118859

alum96

January 11th, 2016 at 3:25 PM ^

Hmm, I wonder who your mystery 5th dropout is then

I have been counting on 4 not making it to NSD

  Other potential lanes    
1 Rashad Weaver Temple visit  
2 Kiante Enis Indiana visit communication stall
3 Sir Patrick Scott communication stall vague grade rumors
4 Dytarious Johnson vague grade rumors  

 

Joined: 04/28/2012

MGoPoints: 82517

PetoskeyBlue

January 11th, 2016 at 12:52 PM ^

I don't love that other schools are gaining ground in Gary's recruitment, but I still would rather be us than them. We are the leaders for him if you believe what you read. I am still confident we get this man-child! Long time reader, first time poster. I'll hang up and listen. Thanks!

Joined: 01/11/2016

MGoPoints: 282

123blue

January 11th, 2016 at 1:04 PM ^

I understand "cheating, money, girls, etc", but I can't wrap my mind around the fact that any young, black student athlete would ever want to play for the notoriously racist Ole Miss.  Hell, I don't understand how any non-racist person of any ethnicity would ever want to attend or support that school.  The mascot is a fucking plantation owner.  It's crazy.  

Joined: 10/02/2014

MGoPoints: 3380

Lanknows

January 11th, 2016 at 1:26 PM ^

But the number of SEC schools that DON'T have an embarrasing history on this front is...small.  Ole Miss may be more overt and out-of-step with the times, but every southern institution has a racist past that hasn't all the way disappeared.  One of the things southerners appreciate about the south is that feelings, even bad/racist ones, are more out in the open.  At least you know who/what you're dealing with, etc.  My point is I think a lot of kids who want to play in the south figure racism comes with the territory and is unavoidable.

Joined: 03/23/2012

MGoPoints: 5384

Carpetbagger

January 11th, 2016 at 2:31 PM ^

If you haven't at least lived in the South, i don't think you can appreciate the difference in how people think.

In the North/West, there is more of a pandering racism; ie, well, they are black, so no way can they make it on their own, give the guy a shot.

In the South it's much more; I prefer that white guy over the black guy, but man the black dude can play ball/lawyer/paint better, so he's fine by me kind of thing.

I think it's up to you on which you prefer.

Joined: 12/31/2010

MGoPoints: 6559

The Man Down T…

January 11th, 2016 at 2:50 PM ^

then moved south for the next 25.  There are JUST AS MANY racist a$$holes in the north as there are in the south.  The difference is that in the north they aren't as out loud with it as they are in the south.  Northerners make the comments behind backs or in whispers, but make no mistake, when it comes to hiring, hanging out, etc the racism is there just as much as in the south.

 

Joined: 12/04/2008

MGoPoints: 20133

The Mad Hatter

January 11th, 2016 at 1:37 PM ^

I've made that point several times.  It's like their whole theme is designed to attract backwoods pekerwoods, and yet they're getting black players from northern and progressive states to go there.

I wonder if any of them eventually regret it the first time they're called a N****r by a drunken frat guy?

Joined: 02/17/2015

MGoPoints: 112109

Hail Harbo

January 11th, 2016 at 3:28 PM ^

That's never happened in SE Michigan / Ann Arbor.  At least not as far as you know and that's all that counts.

Perhaps it seems counter-intuitive to you, but most people can accept knowing who their enemies are, those are the ones which can be delt with.  It is the perceived friends who would shove a knife in your kidney while describing you as one of their black friends that are the greatest threat.

Joined: 06/18/2015

MGoPoints: 13428

StephenRKass

January 11th, 2016 at 5:06 PM ^

I want to chime in with regards to racism in the North and South. While a student at UofM, I got to be friends with an Ann Arbor bus driver who was black, and yet came from the South. He strongly felt that Ann Arbor was just as racist, even more racist, than where he grew up in the South. The difference is that the racism was much more hidden, less overt, less out there. It wasn't just that the racism was hidden, but it was under a polite patina, a veneer, of acceptance and tolerance and diversity. In Ann Arbor, he would never be called a N***** or "Boy" to his face. People would smile, and be outwardly polite. But he put it this way. "In the South, you know where you stand. In the North, it's impossible to tell."

I won't defend Ole Miss in the least. They're dirty as all get out. I would bet a significant chunk of change that "fringe benefits" is why Treadwell ended up there and not at Michigan. Having said that, to suggest that Ann Arbor is a much kinder, more welcoming environment for black students is hopelessly naive. While I don't understand the dynamic for black students at Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss, Clemson, Auburn, and LSU, it is clear that there are ways in which many black athletes feel more at home there then in the North.

Joined: 07/15/2008

MGoPoints: 23001

LKLIII

January 11th, 2016 at 1:05 PM ^

Drew Singleton is legit.  I happened to be on vacation in October right near the Bradenton/Sarasota area.  And my fabulous MGoWife agreed to come with me to watch the IMG/Paramus game when Harbaugh went down there to recruit Gary & Nauta.  Maybe it was the nature of linebacker play vs. defensive lineman play, but more often than not, SINGLETON was the guy who was cathing my eye, moreso than Gary actually.

He'd be a great addition to the team.

Joined: 11/06/2013

MGoPoints: 8927

jbibiza

January 11th, 2016 at 2:47 PM ^

Totally agree. Kid is really fast with good play recognition and reaction time. He can play at about 225 and be the perfect LB/S hybrid. So far he is 7 for 7 on early crystal balls... let's lock him down and keep the Jersey pipeline flowing.

Joined: 10/08/2009

MGoPoints: 7385

M-Dog

January 11th, 2016 at 4:11 PM ^

Gary had a really poor IMG game.  Not sure why.  He looked tired.  He looked nothing like the player we saw in the AA game.  But that aside, yes Singleton looked really good.

Man, we really need to oversign this year.  There are too many game changing guys out there that want to come to Michigan.

Fuck it.  Let's do it.  Let's be bad. 

Joined: 07/06/2008

MGoPoints: 257517

Lanknows

January 11th, 2016 at 1:19 PM ^

Are very similar in many ways.  Big public state schools with strong academic reputation, bad weather (at least in context of the CFB world where California, Texas, and southern schools are so prominent), excellent head coaches, 90's glory, and a "big things coming" vibe. 

Like Michigan, UW had an elite defense that flew under the radar a bit (unless you're staying on top of the advanced stat rankings) because of overall record.  Both teams return a ton of talent and could well be on a collision course for Pasadena should they best the reigning powers.

Dispite distance (an increasingly marginal factor), it's a bit surprising that UW and UM haven't regularly faced off for more recruits.

Joined: 03/23/2012

MGoPoints: 5384

Rabbit21

January 11th, 2016 at 1:45 PM ^

I think that's down to Michigan having a relatively higher profile when it comes to both academics and tradition, along with Washington's recent history of being even lower than Michigan when it comes to on-field success.

Agree Michigan should be facing off with Washington much more often in the future, as well as with UCLA  as Michigan expands the net into California and all three expand the net in Texas.

Joined: 11/12/2009

MGoPoints: 30303

Lanknows

January 11th, 2016 at 2:02 PM ^

I'm just saying they have more in common with each other than they do with some other schools they compete with regularly (e.g., Oregon, Ohio State).

I think UDub can counter M's advantage in academic rank and prestige with warmer weather and proximity to Seattle, but that's going to come down to personnel preference, depending on the kid. 

As it stands, Michigan's going to be more attractive to most national recruits due to the fanbase and prestige. UW doesn't appear on the cusp of landing any top 5-10 classes.  But, there should hypothetically be a huge overlap between the 2 schools for west coast recruits where Washington can pitch the advantage of proximity.  I think Stanford/Washington/Michigan/Notre Dame will be fighting for a lot of the same guys.

Joined: 03/23/2012

MGoPoints: 5384

alum96

January 11th, 2016 at 3:53 PM ^

Washington seems to be this year's UCLA in that we seem to be fighting for quite a few kids here in the final month. 

Stanford is going to be annoying as long as they are good and Shaw remains there as we are going to be going for a lot of the same type of players on offense.  We are at the point now all the Shaw haters who say he is nothing but a coat rider of Harbaugh should go eat a few lemons.  He seems very Carr like to me - a bit too conservative but a quality coach.

The longer Mora sticks around the less I am worried - 8-5 with a roster many deemed playoff ready if Rosen could be competent is sad.  I have him jumping up the ranks of "coaches who do less with more" pretty quickly here.  Of course they have a lot of inherent advantages in terms of "Asian girls" and weather and such but from a pure football perspective they remain underachievers and Mora sounds like he always has 1 foot dangling towards the NFL.

Unlike UCLA I really do like Washington's staff - they have a VERY young offense with some very exiciting skill players coming up who are underclassmen still and could make some noise next year...along with a top notch DC.....but tough to be in a division with both Stanford and Oregon rolling.

UCLA has boggled me for a long time - always seems like a program that should be a perrennial top 10-12 type and they rarely have been there since the 1980s.  But they do sport some of the best home unis in all of sport....

Joined: 04/28/2012

MGoPoints: 82517

Rabbit21

January 11th, 2016 at 4:42 PM ^

A couple things with UCLA:

1.  This year was disturbing, but they had an EPIC run of bad luck with injuries this past year.  I'm more interested to see what they do next year with a non-freshman Rosen and still returning a lot of talent on both sides of the ball.  If this next year goes poorly then I think you can throw him in the do less with more pile, but for now this still feels a little premature(although I tend more to your interpretation).

2.  Mora and Neuheisel both recruited well and the talent has been upgraded, so unless the bottom falls out they're going to around if for no other reason than they are of an equivalent academic rep and a fairly high profile.  And there are some talented recruiters on the staff.  They're establshing a lot of ties to Texas and now that Michigan is no longer ceding the South to everyone else, I expect the two schools paths to cross more often and not just in California.

3.  They just promoted Kennedy Polamalu to be the Offensive coordinator and brought in Marques Tuiasosopo to be their QB coach, so I think they're moving from the Mazzone spread to a more power based style, so they're going to be looking for similar types of offensive players moving forward.  I think defensive styles are similar as well, so we can expect the coaches are going to like the same kinds of play and film. 

4.  In terms of their historical position, I think it comes down to sharing a home with Southern Cal.  It is REALLY hard to get a Southern California kid who gets a USC offer to consider UCLA instead and so, while there is a ton of talent in Southern California and more than enough to go around, the real game changers all seem to want to line up to go to USC and the same dynamic doesn't really exist for UCLA.

We'll see what happens, but unless the bottom, completely falls out under Mora(possible), I think you're discounting them as a recruiting presence prematurely. 

 

Joined: 11/12/2009

MGoPoints: 30303

Lanknows

January 11th, 2016 at 4:05 PM ^

There's a HUGE cultural difference between living in LA and going to UCLA vs those other schools IMO.  But yeah UCLA is very strong academically and has a "pro-style" offense.  On weather alone you're going to attract a different type of recruit.  Not that there will never be an overlap of course, I just think the type of kid that typically go to Michigan will overlap more with UW than UCLA.

Joined: 03/23/2012

MGoPoints: 5384