Football is no longer a meritocracy

Submitted by 1VaBlue1 on

I won't link a story from the Freep, but it has Carlo Kemp's name in the title.  Go find it if you want to...  Essentially, Coach Harbaugh switched things up - football is no longer a meritocracy, its a cage match!

“We’re a total of 103 on the team,” he said. “There’s no difference between scholarship and nonscholarship to me. That’s the team, 103 right now. There’ll be 22 more coming. Plus preferred walk-ons coming as well. We’ve got to be 105 when we start training camp. Cage match to begin on Feb. 29.”   ...   

“It’s always a competitive thing is happening at whatever positon it’s at. That’ll be something that’s happening at quite a few positions. Might as well say all of them. Nothing’s set in stone. As we said, it is a meritocracy. Cage match. Let’s move from meritocracy to cage match.”

Marley Nowell

February 20th, 2016 at 11:08 PM ^

4 Scholarships need to be freed up by Fall Camp. I'm predicating 1 noncontributing 5th Year Sr, 1 QB, 1 WR, 1 DB, and possible a Medical Scholarship thrown in for good measure.

And remember, DON'T NAME NAMES!

Dr. Emil Shuffhausen

February 20th, 2016 at 11:09 PM ^

No more lollygaggin', pussy-footin', candy-assin', butt-draggin',

entitlement seekin', cry-baby, non-playin' like your hair

is on fire players.

Shit's gettin' real,  and all for the success of the team and

everyone on board.  Gone are the days of any Michigan player or

coach ever to mutter the pitiful cop-out " It's only a game"....

 

If you lose it breaks your heart to pieces and you

break down and cry like a man who lost everything because

that is exactly what you put into it.

When you win you win with humble pride and the

spirit of a champion who acts like he's been there before

and knows he was supposed to win because he earned it.

 

Thank God for Harbaugh,  and for the wise, competitve badasses

who put in the work to bring him home to Ann Arbor

where he belongs.

Go Blue!!!

 

Gucci Mane

February 21st, 2016 at 12:05 AM ^

This is so awesome. Everything is a competition. gone are the days where a player with tons of talent would come in and never reach his potential because he didn't feel pushed. The best part is the kids coming here realize how hard they will work, which means they like to be pushed and to improve.

Mr. Yost

February 21st, 2016 at 9:01 AM ^

mer·i·toc·ra·cy
ˌmerəˈtäkrəsē/
noun
noun: meritocracy
  1. government or the holding of power by people selected on the basis of their ability.
    • a society governed by meritocracy.
      plural noun: meritocracies
    • a ruling or influential class of educated or skilled people.

readyourguard

February 21st, 2016 at 11:58 AM ^

Currently at 103 + 22 on the way = 125


"We need to be at 105 by training camp."

I've never heard of a hard cap on the number of players you can have on the team.  Huh.   I think we were closer to 120 when I was there.  Also, I remember stories of Nebraska (who was known for their enormous walk-on program) being over 200.

Does anyone know if there is an NCAA limit to the number of players you can have on your team?

 

FooteSmith

February 21st, 2016 at 3:59 PM ^

.....of the game once talent gaps get reduced.  Harbaugh's culture had Stanford whipping a more-talented USC early on.  Now Urbz will continue to recruit well, but his teams will not have the backbone of Harbaugh's teams.....and his chest pains begin anew in December.