If Danny O'Brien goes to Tennessee......
So, for those of you who follow recruiting far more than I do, I remember the staff telling a potential star DL recruit not to visit because they were hitching their trailer to Pipkins and O'Brien. We obviously have Pipkins. However, if Danny O'Brien picks Tennesse, is there any word on the staff pursuing other defensive tackles (or making a call back to whomever that was they initially denied). It seems we'll have some spots available now and it still seems a position of need. Has anyone heard anything?
September 23rd, 2011 at 1:18 PM ^
You're thinking of Tommy Schutt.
And I doubt they give him a call.
September 23rd, 2011 at 1:26 PM ^
Couldn't remember the name. Like I said, I don't follow recruiting particularly. I was going to say Riddell but now I get why.
September 23rd, 2011 at 3:59 PM ^
We have a solid dline class. Yes, I would like to have him, but if not, so be it. Im more concerned with getting the likes of Payton, Darboh, Banner, Wright, Diamond, and possibly Dunn.
September 23rd, 2011 at 5:45 PM ^
We could use another sold interior lineman in the trenches, right now DE Heininger (walk on I think) is our first choice interior backup and all of our 2012 class aside from Pipkins need time to grow into their positions. We have a good crop of speedy edge rushers to get after the qb but our interior depth isn't really depth. Once Martin is gone we could have problems stopping the run at all for a while. If we miss out on any more linemen then we'll really need all those top little skill players if their qb has all day to stand in the pocket and ours needs to run for his life.
September 23rd, 2011 at 7:05 PM ^
The coaches are seeming to cool on on O'brien and also don't go after an interior d-lineman type, I'm guessing they feel comfortable with what they have on the roster. Big Will still has another year, and Q Wash still has two more years. You've apparently completely written of Richard Ash, who is just a RS Freshman. I trust if we don't get O'brien or another DT, that the coaches like what they see in some of the other young talent on the team.
September 23rd, 2011 at 1:28 PM ^
did we need another thread on Danny O? yeah he is a talented kid, but its far from the end of the world we don't get him. its not like last year when that traverse kid went to oregon which left a gaping hole in the Oline class, out Dline class is set right now. We could really use the scholies more on offencesive skill positions (of which we have 0 right now commited)
September 23rd, 2011 at 1:29 PM ^
I do admit it's a bummer losing O'Brien and Zettel in back to back years. Think what our DL would be like in a year or two with those guys.
September 23rd, 2011 at 1:34 PM ^
Have we actually lost O'Brien yet? I thought he wasn't announcing until 10/7.
September 23rd, 2011 at 1:40 PM ^
The feeling is that we have lost him since he is visiting Tennessee the week after. However I think he still has his MSU visit after the announcement as well so who knows at this point.
September 23rd, 2011 at 1:52 PM ^
I should have worded that better. I meant if DOB commits elsewhere, it would be a bummer to miss out on them both.
September 23rd, 2011 at 2:27 PM ^
I don't think the too are all that similar. Zettel hurt...We were his leader up until the end. O'Brien has always been a Tennessee lean with the occasional blip of us on his radar. If we get him, its icing on our recruiting cake. If we lose him, oh well
September 23rd, 2011 at 2:44 PM ^
They're similar in that they are both highly rated D-linemen from Michigan.
September 23rd, 2011 at 4:12 PM ^
So this will hurt? Why didn't it hurt when we lost out on Schutt? O'Brien is closer to being a UM recruit, but Zettel was the one who everyone wrote in as being a guarantee...UM fan for life and we were his favorite all along...O'Brien was a guy we stopped recruiting for a while, always maintained UT as a leader. We never were expecting to get him until the last few weeks. Not even close to being the same. Plus we got the DT of our choice so its not that painful anyway
September 24th, 2011 at 1:18 AM ^
Agree on the dissimiliar...biggest difference IMO is Zettel made a point that PSU was a great opportunity to make it to the next level. I don't think DOB can take that same relative line of reasoning. He'll do well wherever he plays ... but Michigan offers DOB a lot more defensive growth than it initially did to Zettel. Had the timing been better Zettel might be blue...but that's speculation...what is this internet thing for again?
September 23rd, 2011 at 2:50 PM ^
September 23rd, 2011 at 3:42 PM ^
FWIW, I think he was talking about Fisher, not Zettel.
September 23rd, 2011 at 1:32 PM ^
I think the coaches will go after the best kids available - DLine can be incredibly fickle in terms of who pans out and who just stumbles through 4 years, so if there is a legit recruit who wants UM then I have to think the coaches are focused on it. That said, I do agree that not having any WRs/RBs in this class should make it a bigger priority than adding depth.
September 23rd, 2011 at 2:29 PM ^
Amen! Its not a lost cause if we dont land this kid. We have a very solid D Line class coming in. Mos Def need those scholies for skilled offensive players. Not to mention the possible addition of Yuri Wright and Shaq Thompson who says they are both going to make officials.
September 23rd, 2011 at 4:28 PM ^
...is changing his name.
September 23rd, 2011 at 1:28 PM ^
I think the coaches go after the other top prospects we're in on. If a late-bloomer type pops up that we don't know about but who looks like a good DT, we might go after him now.
September 23rd, 2011 at 2:11 PM ^
Not really a late bloomer, but it is reported that grades are an issue. He is very athletic for a person who weighs close to 300lbs.
September 23rd, 2011 at 2:32 PM ^
His video is great, not a lot on defense but he's clearly very athletic if the 290 part is legit. Hell, that would be good if he was 270.
But he's pretty anonymous on the sites. Is that because his grades are that bad? A guy who even had a shot at qualifying shouldn't be completely ignored by the sites like that.
September 23rd, 2011 at 3:14 PM ^
All rumors, but I heard he has no shot to get into Michigan with his current grade situation and the other school might even been a stretch.
September 23rd, 2011 at 7:32 PM ^
There is no way that kid is 290...
September 23rd, 2011 at 7:32 PM ^
There is no way that kid is 290...
September 23rd, 2011 at 1:30 PM ^
What I believe the coaches said was they were taking one more DT and everyone on this board insisted they would take two (with no evidence whatsoever). Pipkins makes the one DT and it might just be that the coaches meant what they said when they kept repeating that they would only take one and O'Brien simply got left out in the cold.
September 23rd, 2011 at 1:39 PM ^
I'm guessing its not really left out in the cold more they wanted one got the commit from pipkins, then told obrien we'll still take you but don't expect us to recruit you to hard since we are set, and if you don't want to be a michigan man good luck. Don't mean that as a bad thing basically telling the kid if you want to play for michigan you know by now what were about.
September 23rd, 2011 at 1:57 PM ^
from various rumblings around this blog and elsewhere it appears that the coaches cooled on him. I take that to mean they wanted one DT and got it in Pipkins. This isn't the first time this has happened with this staff either. They have a set number of players they want at various positions and seem to be sticking to that.
From what I have seen lately with DOB it appeared he wanted to come to UM but there is not a spot left for him, thus my left out in the cold statement, just like Schutt before him
September 23rd, 2011 at 2:30 PM ^
He said that the Michigan coaches told him we would take him whenever he was ready to commit.
I think the most likely scenario for our class would be two wide receivers (Amara Darboh and Jordan Payton), an o-lineman (Banner or Diamond), and O'Brien. If Dunn switches, he will be an early enrollee and would add on to this class. If we don't get O'Brien, I am not sure we take anyone with the open spot.
September 23rd, 2011 at 2:34 PM ^
I'm sure we fill up our open spots if we have people to fill them with. If we don't, Jeremy Clark would be a part of this class.
September 23rd, 2011 at 2:43 PM ^
lids often say things that aren't 100% accurate, and what Danny said was in direct contradiction of what the coaches said. The coaches never said they would take anything but 1 interior lineman. Other people have said differently (Danny included), but the coaches have never said anything of the sort.
I'm just sayin'. The coaches have always said they would take one and what has happened of late leads me to believe Danny got his wires crossed somehow.
September 23rd, 2011 at 4:26 PM ^
...or a elite db.
September 23rd, 2011 at 3:04 PM ^
Godin is a DT. Not to mention Wormly is already 275 and could be 290 by the time he gets on campus and could be put at DT. If Obrien goes else where not all is lost. This DLine class is solid.
September 23rd, 2011 at 1:31 PM ^
Do you have a link where the staff said they were hitching their trailer to Pipkins and O'Brien? Sounds like an urban myth to me.
September 23rd, 2011 at 1:37 PM ^
I know I saw multiple articles on this site and some that quoted Sam Webb and the Rivals guys that said Schutt was told not to visit because they were going to focus on the two guys they were pursuing and leave it at that.
September 23rd, 2011 at 1:44 PM ^
I think Schutt being told not to visit is a fact, after that things get a little hazy and speculation runs rampant. Very few "insiders" know much more than you and I, but spreading rumors and innuendos is good for business.
September 23rd, 2011 at 1:55 PM ^
Gordie Bell is right. There was never anything that specifically said that the coaches "hitching their trailer to Pipkins and O'Brien." If anything they were "hitching their trailer" to Pipkins because he committed.
If you want to talk about something that was actually reported on was the fact that the coaches told DO that they were only going for one interior player. That might have to do more with telling Schutt not to visit than the coaches thinking they were going to get O'brien.
September 23rd, 2011 at 2:31 PM ^
They did say this to him, but they also supposedly told him they would take him whenever he was ready to commit.
September 23rd, 2011 at 3:12 PM ^
Schutt plays the same DT tech as Pipkins. Pipkins told the coaches earlier in the week that he was going to commit so that is why they told Schutt not visit. I got this information from Tom VH as I posed a question to him why we are still pursuing Obrien when we could of had Schutt and Pipkins. Obrien and Pipkins two different DT tech.
September 23rd, 2011 at 1:32 PM ^
Is it possible that we're happy with BWC/Washington/Ash/Wilkins on top of Pipkins (and maybe even Godin)? It's possible that the young guys are gonna be ready to contribute next year - BWC is showing signs of promise.
Maybe there's something in those three guys we're not seeing. I may be wrong, but if we don't get O'Brien, it looks like we could just find someone in the 2013 class.
September 23rd, 2011 at 1:32 PM ^
Didn't we also miss out on Sevon Pittman because we were looking at Pipkins and Obrien?
September 23rd, 2011 at 1:33 PM ^
No, we didn't miss out on Pittman. He tried to commit, but we told him no. Missing out implies that we still wanted him but couldn't get him.
September 23rd, 2011 at 1:41 PM ^
That's exactly what I meant by "miss out", didn't realize that implied we couldn't get him.
Either way I'm happy he didn't commit to TSIO
September 23rd, 2011 at 3:39 PM ^
FWIW, I still think he ends up at OSU.
September 23rd, 2011 at 4:23 PM ^
As soon as the ducholic coach in el finish the season...he declares that tuos job has always been his dream job,and rides out of home.
September 23rd, 2011 at 4:41 PM ^
Why would OSU settle on a coach who fails to have winning seasons back to back years, loses every bowl game and has overseen a program plagued with off field issues? MD is not even a good recruiter? NO chance OSU settles for MD.
September 23rd, 2011 at 4:55 PM ^
Because they aren't going to get who they THINK they can hire. This guy is interviewing for the job PRESENTLY.
September 24th, 2011 at 1:25 AM ^
Unlikely if M rolls MSU this year. Beating M is a pre req. Hoke is just going to get better. MD has no upside outside of his blind respect for last year's Ohio coach. I don't have any inside info...I just can't wait for the MSU game...but first things first...SDSU must be Denarded.
September 23rd, 2011 at 1:36 PM ^
No. Pittman is a defensive end, not tackle. There were rumors about him wanting to come here but nobody knows what's true and what isn't. In the end, he got stuck with MSU (and I say stuck because he pretty much said he committed there to have a spot, but is looking around still).
September 23rd, 2011 at 1:39 PM ^
Pittman plays a different position.