Sam Webb on Swenson Decommitment

Submitted by DCGrad on

I'm surprised this hasn't been posted yet. Sam said this morning that Swenson was told during the season that he needed to pick up his play. While Sam thinks (and I agree) that the timing could have been better, this wasn't a blindside type of decision. I wonder how much of this timing issue had to do with Partridge coaching linebackers and bowl prep/dead period stuff. I think Swenson will land on his feet somewhere in the B1G West. Whether or not he is successful, only time will tell.

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Yeoman

January 21st, 2016 at 1:22 PM ^

If by then you've done your film review and you know you need to work him out to be sure you want to maintain the offer, why send a confirmation?

If you've got a film review scheduled that you haven't done yet, why send a confirmation?

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yossarians tree

January 21st, 2016 at 12:31 PM ^

This does seem consistent with this staff's M.O. I was excited earlier this year when a kid down the street received a Michigan offer. But it was contingent on him coming to Michigan's camp so they could really evaluate him. In the meantime he got a firm offer from another quality B1G program so he took it.

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The Mad Hatter

January 21st, 2016 at 12:26 PM ^

why would he do that?  The entire world knows that Harbaugh is insanely competitive, so I don't understand how he thought that was a good idea.

Hell, I'm a 38 year old man and if JH calls me right now and tells me he needs me to come camp at Michigan and work out with the staff, I'm hanging up the phone and driving to A2 immediately.

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BuckNekked

January 21st, 2016 at 3:17 PM ^

I watched his senior film and he is flat out slow. When he gets into a smaller kid he can push him around but trying to get to the second level wasnt happening against HS competition. Judging from his film I am nearly certain  the kid knew that once Harbaugh saw him live he was done. IMO he was trying to save his dream and I hardly fault him, Michigan was my dream too.

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gwkrlghl

January 21st, 2016 at 12:20 PM ^

I wonder if there was a bit of denial on his part that he really might be dropped by Michigan. Kinda like how it's hard for people to see someone is cheating on them till after they realize it's true. Sometimes in the moment people are slow to realize what's really going on 

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westwardwolverine

January 21st, 2016 at 12:22 PM ^

Well I'll be, who would have thought that Swenson wasn't just blindsided two weeks before signing day by the coaching staff. 

 

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Rabbit21

January 21st, 2016 at 5:13 PM ^

Mainly because the defenders chose the tack of "This big boy recruiting now bro!, get on board with these ESS EEE CEE style screw overs or stop being a Michigan fan!" Which is an extremely curious approach at the very least. Most of what I saw boiled down to, "We don't have the facts yet but this looks bad." Guess what, the only contrasting facts we have come from PR outlets and the story still looks bad. I admit this helps make everyone feel better but let's not act like the criticism wasn't justified.




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grumbler

January 21st, 2016 at 8:32 PM ^

Preach it!  

It now looks better, but it still doesn't necessarily look good.  Any failure to communicate clearly falls on the professionals.  If the kid was just kidding himself and had clear direction and failed to heed it, then the staff is exonerated.  That evidence isn't in yet.

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Reader71

January 21st, 2016 at 3:12 PM ^

Well, it looks like he was still blindsided. The issue now is whether he was right to feel that way. If all of this is true, which I have no problem believing, then he shouldn't be surprised at all. But this doesn't totally exonerate Harbaugh in my book. I've consistently said he should have been very clear. "We don't want you." I've also consistently said this whole "cooling on," and stopping of contact is a coward's way out. But those are certainly smaller, niggling matters of tact and recruiting styles. I can disagree with that style and still not feel like my coach is a dirt bag. Now to the last remaining complaint: what the hell does a scholarship offer mean today? You can't give an offer contingent upon a camp appearance. If he goes to camp and you like him, that's when he is given an offer. You don't send a letter with a written contract offer if it's not an actual offer. You don't have the kid on campus for the OSU game in November and not have a conversation with him then about him no longer having an offer because he didn't camp in the summer. What the hell is an offer?

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westwardwolverine

January 21st, 2016 at 6:03 PM ^

I think calling it a coward's way out is a bit strong, but to each his own. Like I said in another thread, I'm guessing this is the first time this method has really blown up into anything under Harbaugh, so if he's smart - which I think he is - he'll probably change how he goes about things next year. But if these accounts are to be believed, it really sounds like Erik Swenson (and family, which I assume contains some adults) should have realized this awhile ago and it wasn't just "Everything's great! You're good to go!" right up until this week, which is how certain people were acting it went down. 

I don't know what an offer is (and who knows what a commitment is either!), but I liked the idea of coaches and players signing binding contracts after an offer is given out. Forget a NSD, if the coach wants the player and the player wants to come, they put it in writing on the spot if they are both serious. Meanwhile, the player can decommit if there is some sort of coaching change (i.e. if he's on the offensive line and the OL coach leaves, he can decommit) and if there is an injury or a grade issue, the coach can pull the scholarship. This would probably go a long way toward erasing these type of issues and would get rid of people being offered their sophomore year and then no developing the way the staff would have liked. 

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Wolfman

January 21st, 2016 at 7:29 PM ^

reasons, to implement actions such as these that appear to have no downside. They have already initiated rules to protect recruits and even enrolled players, from having to stay with a program that is placed on probation, thus leaving it up to them to decide if they want to stay with a program that might not be eligible for bowl appearances, might not get stronger due to reduction in scholarships, etc. But they will only go so far. OSU, for example, was forced to set out a few bowl games but continuously got stronger through their probationary period and lifting PSU's sanctions due to actions so egregious they are lucky, imo, to still have a program at all.

But your logic is spot on. It would also give the young man a much clearer picture of his overall assessment. He would know by status of offer where, considering athletic ability only, whether he is likely to have success at the highlest level of the P5 schools, whether he should set his sights on mid-majors or whether he should limit his aspirations to FCS schools. I think the sooner players know the truth about their abilities, the better their decision will be and might prompt many to attend dominant academic based schools rather than NFL producers.


But, as mentioned, the NCAA doesn't act too often on what most would agree is a win-win scenario.

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Reader71

January 21st, 2016 at 7:31 PM ^

Eh, I'm not saying Harbaugh is a coward, but he certainly acts that way when he wants to get a commit off the rolls. He has a history of this going back to Stanford, and it's continued here. For the record, I think most coaches do this -- it's an attractive option due to the rules of the game. Again, it isn't some unforgivable sin, but it is a weakness. I just don't think it's right, and I expect more of Harbaugh and Michigan.

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pescadero

January 21st, 2016 at 3:04 PM ^

Perhaps the 'few weeks ago' part we heard about was them finally saying "Erik. You are not going to be in this class." after a lot of hint hint nudge nudge....HINT HINT NUDGE NUDGE ERIK

 

Problem is - there should never BE any hint hint nudge nudge - they should just TELL recruits.

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Erik_in_Dayton

January 21st, 2016 at 12:26 PM ^

Swenson wasn't pushed out to make room for another specific OL.  Sam thinks Michigan likely won't add another OL, in fact.

The major screw up here - as we've discussed - was the timing of when they explicitly told Swenson he no longer had a scholarship.  Michigan let Dele Harding know he wasn't going to work out as a Wolverine, but they did it earlier and kept it quiet b/c they thought it gave Harding a better chance to land somewhere else desirable.

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True Blue Grit

January 21st, 2016 at 1:13 PM ^

Michigan probably won't replace him with another OL in this class is a big problem IMO.  That means we'd only end up with 3 guys which in light of the massive 2013 attrition bust is definitely not good a few years from now.  If the center from U-T comes here, that will only help us in the short run.  And we can't depend on a PWO coming in and becoming another Glasgow.  Maybe Wheatley really will be switched to OT.  

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Alumnus93

January 21st, 2016 at 3:02 PM ^

a few thoughts...

whats with the talk of Wheatley to OL ?  why not DL?  I thought I recall he was an elite talent at DE.   Heard he put on alot of weight... is it bad weight, thus to OL ?  though his dad has gotten overweight, too...  I knew his father from the dorms in South Quad, and am surprised how big Sr has gotten.

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FauxMo

January 21st, 2016 at 12:23 PM ^

Great new information, and it should make us feel a little better. Sadly, this information will get far less play than the "Harbaugh Recruits Dirty" meme that I have seen on Facebook and elsewhere (mostly from Sharties) over the last 24 hours. Oh well...

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lilpenny1316

January 21st, 2016 at 12:28 PM ^

I think Ryan Ermani and Wojo are the only alumni working on the radio who could present all this info.  It would be nice if they would do it so it gains some traction.  Now I'm counting down the hours until I can get in the car and choose between Mike Valenti or Drew Sharp.  I'd rather listen to Stephen A. 

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ijohnb

January 21st, 2016 at 1:00 PM ^

hasn't been onto it much this week.  He discussed "over-signing" last week and did a little rant on that but he hasn't ran with Swenson yet.  He probably will today so he doesn't have to discuss why his basketball team lost to, well, everybody.

Wojo will present the full picture but will 1) do so in a comical way where most people miss the content, and 2) do so at 6:30 PM when most have already finished their commute, so it won't have much effect.

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aplatypus

January 21st, 2016 at 12:24 PM ^

basically saying Michigan sideswipped Swenson and something about NCAA rules (I think saying not against them technically). Made it sound like Michigan was sketchy as hell in the process but this new information makes a world of difference. 

People best need be backing up off Harbaugh now, pulling out pitchforks without all the info. 

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