In reply to by Hard-Baughlls

death by wolverine

August 2nd, 2017 at 5:53 PM ^

I agree that the officiating was bad but I look at matchups. Is this kid stopping Curtis Samuel or the line of players with similar skill sets as Samuel? Maybe. I guess we'll find out.

BigBlue02

August 2nd, 2017 at 9:25 PM ^

Ah yes, I generally like to wonder if the worst cornerback in our class, who is still in high school, could stop a 2nd round draft pick that proved himself in college. Ugh, what a horrible fucking point. Why wouldn't you hypothetically line up one of the two higher ranked CBs we got in this class on Samuel?

pmark1210

August 2nd, 2017 at 7:02 PM ^

stars aren't the only indicator of talent, but they are a good indicator of talent. So yes, I do care about stars.

reddogrjw

August 2nd, 2017 at 6:17 PM ^

even with adding Faustin our average is over .9 on the composite

 

we have 4 non-4-star commits at the moment out of the whole class on 247 composite

1 - Turner - a 4-star on ESPN and top 500 guy

2 - TE Schoonmaker - 2nd rated in Conencticut - not a highly scouted area

3 - Faustin

4 - German Green - will probably get a ratings bump once he plays after recovering from an injury

 

it is one thing if the entire class was all "diamonds in the rough", but having a couple isn't a big deal

Jtre1212

August 2nd, 2017 at 8:49 PM ^

30% of the 2017 class was 3 stars or less (9/30) 4th ranked class in the nation

50% of the 2016 class were 3 stars or less (14/28) 8th ranked class in the nation 

 

And yes i know this class will be smaller than those 2 but Harbaugh has clearly shown that he doesnt mind taking underated 3 star recruits (either the top players in small states, of overlooked guys in hotbed states). This class will probably hit around 20-22 and we'll probably once again have about 30% 3 stars and finish with a top 10 class. Everyone needs to relax. 

Michology 101

August 2nd, 2017 at 6:29 PM ^

Welcome, Sammy! I think Harbaugh may give Don Brown one or two of these diamond in the rough guys every recruiting class. He also did it with the 2017 class. Don Brown has been a defensive mastermind over the years. Therefore you have to respect his opinion when he wants certain players for his defense. Though I'll agree with others about not wanting to take too many far under the radar guys and especially taking them early in a small class. I must admit that I'm hoping the final spots will fill up with mostly top 300 recruits.

The Fan in Fargo

August 2nd, 2017 at 8:16 PM ^

Well I for one am not part of the Michigan team so I don't care about rankings but this kid has got it. He's a hawk and you can just tell how he moves and watches things. He's got a good build already and is pretty damn fast when he's closing in on whatever situation. It's a great get regardless of ranking. 

AA Forever

August 3rd, 2017 at 6:56 AM ^

that he is not at Boston College any more.  He does not have to settle for so many 2nd and 3rd tier recruits.  Maybe he can make good players out of some of these guys, but it IS actually possible (and easier and more likely) to make really good players out of highly regarded recruits.

You can say "trust the coaches" all you want, but this guy has a third tier offer list.  Harbaugh and Brown are not the only coaches at top tier programs who have evaluated this guy, and pretty much all of them have decided he's not worth an offer.  Regardless of stars, that's the consensus among elite coaches.  Are Harbaugh and Brown the ONLY coaches in the top 20 whose ability to evaluate talent can be "trusted"?  Does it make sense to stick rigidly to a "system" and only take guys who fit that "system", no metter their talent level, or to take the best athletes available, and fit your scheme to what you have?

reddogrjw

August 3rd, 2017 at 8:07 AM ^

was rated super low or not rated at all

 

went to camp at Michigan

 

got offered, accepted

 

went to camps, his rating ended up a 4-star

 

stars get earned at camps when competing against other high level players

 

someone like Paea has been mentioned he would have been a 4-star had he camped, but he chose not to

 

German Green didn't camp due to his injury, but his twin brother is a 4-star so when healthy German's rating likely rises

 

offering and getting a kid before he blows up is a skill - look at how many players Harbaugh offers who blow out with offers later and end up going elsewhere - look at Shough this year as an example - when Harbaugh offers, other schools look to see what they missed

AA Forever

August 3rd, 2017 at 10:10 AM ^

Rating services just throw that extra star out there because, Michigan, and they know they'll get page clicks. It's not necessarily because the player has actually gotten better. The skill that actually wins championships is waiting to see who the top talent is, and THEN offering and signing them, in spite of competition from other top programs.

reddogrjw

August 3rd, 2017 at 10:15 AM ^

waiting for others to rate talent high then offer is a wrong strategy

 

kids remember first offers, who had faith in them first, etc.

 

Benjamin St. Juste got a few other offers after he committed, but committing to Michigan did not bump his rating, it was his performances in the Opening that did that

 

camps are responsible for ratings bumps more than most things

 

if Alabama or Michigan offer a player then people that overlooked a player may re-visit, like what happenned with Shough

AA Forever

August 3rd, 2017 at 10:50 AM ^

Don't tell Nick Saban that..it seems to be working out just fine for him. He's been perfectly content to sit back and not rush to offer low rated guys early in the game because he knows plenty of elite guys will be lining up to sign with him whenever. Alabama's ranking for 2018 has been very low because of numbers, but they're not panicking and worrying that they'll be left empty handed. They know the best players will be there for them. Our coaches don't seem to have that confidence, unfortunately.

ArmenHammer

August 3rd, 2017 at 8:53 AM ^

I'm actually very excited about this kid as I have been ever since seeing his film back in April or so. Like Milton, he has a certain uncoachable ability that makes him stand out, to be able to see an offense's play before it develops, and in that way I'll accept him as another great developmental player. So, I don't think all 3-stars suck, but I also don't see many other of these high-ceiling 3-stars on the board except for Faalele and Tre'Shaun Harrison if he decommits from Oregon at some point. So yea I understand people's frustration over this year's class, especially when it looks like we've taken the attention off of higher-graded players even in Florida. Nevertheless, I trust our coaching staff more than anybody else to call these shots.

bakerblue9

August 3rd, 2017 at 11:28 AM ^

His coach never sent any videos out of him. He's vertically unknown to recruiting sites. If he goes to a few camps I'm sure his ratings will go up.

reddogrjw

August 3rd, 2017 at 12:00 PM ^

the difference between our regular season and Clemson's is NC State's kicker missed his game winning FG against Clemson and Iowa's kicker made his

 

we lost 3 games last year - 2 by 1 point and 1 in double OT

in 2015 we lost the opener because of a pick 6 at night on the road, some weird play vs MSU, and one bad loss where Zeke ran wild over our injury depleted defensive line

 

20-6 is 8th best out of 65 power 5 schools (includes Notre Dame)

 

just think if the 2014 and 205 classes were like the 2016 and 2017 ones

 

we're in great shape - sorry to the glass half empty or throw the glass at the wall and break it crowd

AA Forever

August 3rd, 2017 at 12:41 PM ^

Ifs and buts. At some point you have to start actually winning those games, and not blame bad luck, bad weather, bad bounces or bad officiating. When that happens, we can talk about being in "great shape". If we have aspirations to be a regular playoff participant, there are no "moral victories" at that level. Only wins and losses.

reddogrjw

August 3rd, 2017 at 12:45 PM ^

I am not one to still bitch about refs, etc.

 

I am saying that winning a national title does involve a little luck sometime

 

us vs. Clemson last year - FG made vs. FG missed

 

it is why you need to be so much better than bad luck doesn't cost you - easier said than done

 

like how we overcame 3 missed FG to still beat Wisconsin by 7