Are we looking at any kickers for recruitment?
Im sure some of you guys who keep up on the recruiting trail can give me and possibly others some insight on this..
Are we even looking at recruiting a kicker? This would be a huge let down if we don't recruit a decent kicker for next year. Gibbons just looks like he doesn't care even when he gets a chance to come back in and kick extra points.. Some of them almost got blocked yesterday.
And our field goal attempts yikes..
On a side note i saw in the GR press that Morgan got offered from Fitz at NW this past wk. Still think he goes blue. At least he better, he lives down street from me haha
November 21st, 2010 at 8:01 PM ^
Goudis turned us down, he's staying solid with Boise. I think someone somewhere mentioned we brought in two unrated kickers this past weekend as well. We're definitely going after kickers
November 21st, 2010 at 8:07 PM ^
He simply couldn't turn down the sunny beach weather of Boise.
November 21st, 2010 at 8:08 PM ^
..or the potatoes
November 21st, 2010 at 8:28 PM ^
the best chips you'll never eat.
November 21st, 2010 at 9:26 PM ^
"Is it Idaho or Udaho?"
Though I guess he could do that anywhere, it's not nearly as funny unless you go to school there.
November 21st, 2010 at 8:06 PM ^
Kickers are a crap shoot. Highly rated or walk ons. Once they get in the games they can look a lot different than they do in practice or in HS. Than sometimes some random student walks through the door and is sweet... Its a pure crap shoot. Thats why I hate the "WE ARE MICHIGAN!! WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO RECRUIT A KICKER!! ARRRRHHH! from idiots at the stadium every weekend.
November 21st, 2010 at 8:14 PM ^
Some schools have kicking coaches right? I thought I read somewhere that there was a kicker looking at Michigan but decided to go to a school w/ a kicking coach.
November 21st, 2010 at 8:16 PM ^
I bet a kicking coach would have a better idea what to look for in a recruit, making it less of a crap shoot.
November 21st, 2010 at 8:46 PM ^
I think we recently had a problem with too many coaches, probably can't afford to add a kicking one.
Seriously though, I've also wished that Kornblue or someone could just work with the guys over the summer, but I don't think it would work within the rules. And I doubt there are that many big time programs that have a dedicating kicking coach because of the limits.
November 21st, 2010 at 8:33 PM ^
The announcers went on and on this weekend about how Michigan should be able to recruit kickers. It isn't like the coaches are blowing it off.
November 21st, 2010 at 11:02 PM ^
Or bother to look at our RS Frosh kicker who is on Scholarship
November 21st, 2010 at 8:11 PM ^
EDIT-Not Don Knotts, the one on the left.
November 21st, 2010 at 9:31 PM ^
That looks like the absolute worst movie of all time.
November 21st, 2010 at 8:08 PM ^
I wonder if there is a chance that Justin Meram re-joins the football team for our bowl game. Obviously it depends on how deep the soccer team goes into the tournament, but no matter what I would think he could have a few weeks of practice and be a viable option for the bowl.
November 21st, 2010 at 8:22 PM ^
since he would be better than Gibbons and Broekhuizen. Meram has shown that he is the best kicker of the three in spring practice and game because of his ability to get the ball off the ground quickly and elevate the ball pretty high.
November 21st, 2010 at 9:14 PM ^
when I read in the soccer reports that he was graduating. (At least I thought I read that.) Can he get eligibility if he's a graduate student and it's a different sport? If he is in school and can't play soccer, why wouldn't he want to save the football team? He certainly seemed to enjoy himself in that field house video.
November 21st, 2010 at 10:21 PM ^
You can play a sport for 4 years and then have 1 more year of eligibilty in a different sport, like Greg Paulus playing a year of football after 4 of basketball.
November 22nd, 2010 at 2:19 AM ^
I expect Meram to go pro or at least try to after this season is over.
November 21st, 2010 at 8:09 PM ^
Do you people think our coaches are retarded? Honest question.
November 21st, 2010 at 8:24 PM ^
I asked, cause i haven't heard anything about any kickers. I know the coaches know it is a huge problem and need a kicker.. but i figured they would of thought they needed more than gibbons last year after our walk on first year kicker graduated..
November 21st, 2010 at 11:51 PM ^
Or just certain positions?
November 21st, 2010 at 8:09 PM ^
Step 1: find out who Purdue is recruiting to be their next kicker.
<br>Step 2: apply snake oil.
November 21st, 2010 at 8:12 PM ^
step 3: ???????
step 4: Profit !!!
November 21st, 2010 at 8:11 PM ^
It seems to me that kickers are a crap shoot. Gibbons was a 3* and so far not so good. Everyone bitches about the kicking situation and RR went for a guy that was highly rated for a kicker. Lloyd Carr didn't seem to have a great time recruiting kickers there at the end. No one could've guessed that the kicking game would have been this terrible. I know I posted this after the Illinois game, but I was watching Broekheizen (sp) kick during halftime and the dude was nailing them, but when he kicked in the game, from the exact spot he was practicing, he missed. I think Broekheizen is the better option right now, but I think he's got gobblins in his head or something. Maybe RR should call a timeout right before he kicks, kinda like a reverse ice thing.
November 21st, 2010 at 8:15 PM ^
Bo never held kickers in any regard and had a long list of games lost due to missed field goals. He picked up a few good ones here and there, though. Don Bracken was the first punter he ever recruited, ca. 1980.
Bad kicking and Michigan football are a combo that goes way back.
November 21st, 2010 at 8:23 PM ^
Hayden Epstein, Garrett Rivas....uh, Jeff del Verne...and the unflappable Phil Brabbs.
Three yards and....a 42-yarder from the left hash?
November 21st, 2010 at 11:50 PM ^
Remy Hamilton in the transition...
November 22nd, 2010 at 2:11 AM ^
I'm not sure why Epstein has this great reputation around here. Strong leg, yes, but very erratic. He was 26-42 (61.9%) on FGs in his career, which might be better than what we have now, but below-average for a kicker in this era.
Rivas, OTOH, really was a very good kicker and for some reason never seemed to be appreciated that much. He was 64-82 (78%) in his career.
November 21st, 2010 at 8:24 PM ^
but WHY does it seem every other big10 team has a kicker who can kick a 40 yarder in their sleep and it's an exhibition in self-hating for us when we attempt a 15 yd field goal
November 22nd, 2010 at 2:14 AM ^
There's got to be more coaching involved than we think. The same schools (OSU, Iowa, Sparty, Nebraska) seem to have great kickers year after year. For us, it seems to be an adventure every time we break in a new guy.
November 21st, 2010 at 8:24 PM ^
I don't get why HS kickers aren't a good judge for kicker in college. What is totally different that the kid suddenly can't hit 30-40 yarders. Do they use tees in HS? That's about the only thing I can think of that might be why.
November 21st, 2010 at 8:37 PM ^
That's exactly right.
November 21st, 2010 at 8:47 PM ^
Do they use tees in HS?
You just answered your own question. There are quite a few kickers who have a lot of trouble kicking the ball off the ground instead of using the tee. IMO, HS should abolish on using the kicking tee for XP and FG since it's like a training wheels for the kicker.
November 21st, 2010 at 8:31 PM ^
We got to do something with the kicking game. Everytime we get in the red zone and its 4th down I hope we go for it. I get a sick feeling everytime we line up for a kick.
November 21st, 2010 at 11:30 PM ^
I believe the commentators even called it an adventure this week. That's never a good thing.
November 21st, 2010 at 8:36 PM ^
I wish we could fall into something I had seen on other teams, where there are a string of brothers who can kick and do it consistently, gives you years of having dependable kickers!
November 21st, 2010 at 8:48 PM ^
I'm pretty sure tenn had that.
November 22nd, 2010 at 9:58 AM ^
Yes they have had it! I am just outside of Knoxville so I have seen it up close, makes me even more sad.
November 21st, 2010 at 8:50 PM ^
Gotta be worth a shot at this point.
November 21st, 2010 at 8:58 PM ^
What are the chances of us getting Brindza from Plymouth? I know he a Notre Dame commit, but with everything going on there, the commitment might not be that solid.
November 21st, 2010 at 9:31 PM ^
We probably won't get him, but he did claim a Michigan offer before he committed to ND
November 21st, 2010 at 9:06 PM ^
You bring in the best you can, and it's up to the staff and the athlete to make it work.
This is a dire area of need for 2011.
November 21st, 2010 at 9:15 PM ^
Michael Stepanek out of Unity Christian in Hudsonville, MI. He has been to several kicking camps at Michigan. Played on the soccer team and kicked for the football team his senior season. Very consistent from 40+ yards all year
November 21st, 2010 at 11:11 PM ^
They're definitely recruiting kickers.. they brought in two senior kickers this weekend, and have been combing the state/midwest/country for them.
The problem for Rich I think is that Seth is actually pretty good in practice (from what I've heard) and Gibbon is decent at times too.. something just isn't translating in games.
November 21st, 2010 at 11:14 PM ^
Maybe he's still got some eligibility left.
November 22nd, 2010 at 12:08 AM ^
Don't you guys trust the coaches anymore? Why do you need kickers when we have this prolific offense that can't be stopped?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA