The Meteorology Thread
January 12th, 2009 at 4:08 PM ^
he was originally a lsu basketball committ and i think just recently he announced his intentions to play football instead....great athleticism alot of upside.....i would assume we could land him because it looks like it is us, Arkansas, miss st, and tulsa....look out for tulsa though cause they arent about the logo
January 13th, 2009 at 7:25 PM ^
...linked us to this recruit. It sounds as if Mitchell's head coach was a fullback at Southern. I may be a little late with this link in the chain but I just heard Mitchell's head coach, Coach Alden Foster, mention Southern in an interview. That coupled with the fact that Rivals has Hopson as Mitchell's recruiter.
January 14th, 2009 at 11:09 AM ^
Sam Webb seems to believe that there really isn't interest in this kid. He said at one time there was but it is not the case now. So we probably shouldn't get our hopes up about the guy.
January 12th, 2009 at 4:14 PM ^
Wow, this guy seems like a solid athlete, if nothing else. His passing numbers are pretty high for his senior year, 2400 yards with 28/5. Let's get 'em.
January 12th, 2009 at 4:20 PM ^
what I was thinking. Pretty solid stats. Only downside is we don't have much luck when we are the only midwest/northern team in the list of favorites. Us against 3 pretty much southern schools usually not a good sign. I would assume we'd continue pursuing Denard, but I like the fact that RR is trying to get as many decent qb's as possible.
January 12th, 2009 at 4:22 PM ^
U-M can use another QB commit. If anything else, with his althelitcism he could be used elseware on the field. Maybe one of those "diamond in the rough" type players that nobody knows who he is but the local Universities.
January 12th, 2009 at 7:15 PM ^
he is 6'3" 175. That is almost Roundtree skinny, but if QB does not work out then he could make the transition to outside WR with his height and speed.
January 12th, 2009 at 7:21 PM ^
Wow - Rivals has him at 220. One of those is way off, that is a 55 lb swing. He looks pretty thick in pictures, maybe not 220 but definitely more than 175.
January 12th, 2009 at 7:23 PM ^
I watched his film and he's definitely bigger than 175. If I were just guessing from film, I would say about 205.
January 12th, 2009 at 4:27 PM ^
So maybe this is a silly question. But how is this kid not rated by anyone?
January 12th, 2009 at 4:32 PM ^
a silly question. I was wondering the same thing. That's why I made my "diamond in the rough" statement. Wasn't Pat White basically this same type of player, a 2* with so-so shcolie offers? Rich Rod still to this day thinks he was the smartest football player he's ever coached. Maybe something could come out of a kid like this.
January 12th, 2009 at 4:43 PM ^
Pat White got three stars from Rivals and had offers from Auburn and LSU. The only team that offered him AS A QB was WVU.
January 12th, 2009 at 4:47 PM ^
something like that. But I didn't think he had those offers. I was thinking he had offers from smaller schools. I was wrong, sorry about that.
January 12th, 2009 at 4:29 PM ^
film please? Scouring youtube has come up negative.
And mdsgoblue, I take it you didnt read the first response by bluemcmaize
January 12th, 2009 at 4:36 PM ^
I did but didn't assume just because he had said he was playing basketball that that automatically takes him off of recruiting services radar's.
I mean, everything is so black and white with these kids...right?
One question? Would it have been any harder to maybe, say, Rivals doesn't look at players that have committed to another sport!
That is 2 words less than your statement.
Just sayin...
January 12th, 2009 at 4:39 PM ^
dude, get over it
January 12th, 2009 at 4:41 PM ^
I didn't have anything I was trying to get over. Asked a silly question and got a silly answer.
I'm fine.
January 12th, 2009 at 4:42 PM ^
i found this on mitchell....its an article from back in october http://www.neworleans.com/sports/sports-blogs/lee-brecheen/52002-louisi…
January 12th, 2009 at 4:47 PM ^
Love the potential! Definitely has the physical attributes.
Thanks for the post!
January 12th, 2009 at 4:54 PM ^
you sir, are retarded.
January 12th, 2009 at 4:56 PM ^
That's whats wrong with me! Well good now that I know I can move on.
January 12th, 2009 at 4:47 PM ^
I'm almost positive we haven't offered him for football - that's his basketball offer list on Rivals.
January 12th, 2009 at 5:07 PM ^
That's his football recruiting list since it's under football recruiting, they give his football stats, call him a dual threat qb, and he's being recruited by arkansas d-coordinator and qb coach.
http://michigan.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=68846&sport=1
January 12th, 2009 at 5:15 PM ^
You're right. I had found his basketball page, where he was listed as a shooting guard, and it listed the same offers. But the coaches they list for Arkansas are football coaches, so...
January 12th, 2009 at 5:17 PM ^
This is Brandon Mitchell's BASKETBALL page:
http://michigan.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=2&pr_key=68846
This is Brandon Mitchell's FOOTBALL page:
http://michigan.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=68846&sport=1
Same offer list information.
January 12th, 2009 at 5:00 PM ^
Did I miss something? Why is Glen Mason's Hot Wife acting like it's that time a month? I didn't think the initial question was way off the mark.
January 12th, 2009 at 5:11 PM ^
Friday's high in A2 is forecast to be 7 degrees. If he survives that we've got a chance, as it's supposed to shoot all the way up to 17-21 on Sat.
January 12th, 2009 at 5:20 PM ^
Why does everyone suddenly seem to think that cold Ann Arbor weather is going to scare away all of our recruits? I seem to remember us recruiting okay for the last 100 or so years, and the weather hasn't changed too much. Most recruits don't give a shit about the weather--they do give a shit about playing time at a major football factory and the NFL dollars that follow it.
January 12th, 2009 at 5:28 PM ^
Some recruits care and some don't. You're right that we've been able to convince some of the ones who don't care to come to UM. However, there are a lot more that don't come, and for some of them it's because of the weather. All people are saying is that they hope that this kid isn't one of the many who might be swayed by it.
January 12th, 2009 at 5:47 PM ^
But I think weather is a much smaller factor than most here think. Otherwise, how have we been able to recruit at essentially exact same level as the other top 10 or so superpowers (some of which are in warm state, some in cold states) over the past 40 or so years? Do we have more prestige than the warm weather schools that makes up for our cold weather? Again, this is just my opinion, but I think the truth is that weather is about 2% of the equation to most of these recruits, and we freak out about it as if it were 40% of the equation.
January 12th, 2009 at 6:00 PM ^
There have been a few players this year who said flat-out "I don't want to go up there because it's too cold."
Dewayne Peace is one of them.
Rod Woodson is another.
January 12th, 2009 at 7:45 PM ^
But I don't think that's the major reason why Dewayne Peace isn't coming here--it's because the staff wanted him at CB. There are a number of factors that matter to some recruits, and usually it's hard to get recruits to leave their home area, but that's not necessarily because of the weather. It's hard to get Ohio recruits to leave for Florida as well. But, I will concede that weather might matter a little bit more than I first stated--I still don't think it matters much though. I'll revise to saying I think it's about 5% of the equation, rather than 2%. If it were really that much of a handicap, you would see cold weather power schools like M and OSU with a serious deficit in recruiting, and I just don't see that.
January 12th, 2009 at 8:07 PM ^
Also, he didn't want to come here because of the cold.
January 12th, 2009 at 5:52 PM ^
There have been a number of posts regarding this over the past week. Your argument is valid, weather won't be an issue for those kids that want to be here ala Ricardo(sp?) Miller. It is different now since the "type" of athlete we are engaging to attend Michigan is now much different than it was in the Bo/Mo/Lo era. We are counting on a larger number of kids from southern states. To win those recruiting battles, Michigan must continue to sell the program on other attributes when up against the schools like Florida, Miami, LSU, Texas, etc. Despite my personal feelings for Michigan, the fact is, these guys don’t love Michigan like we do. The transformation to Michigan Men happens over time like a good religious cult.
It may be all physiological, but spending time in the south, your body adapts. The first summer in Texas for me was miserable. Now, not so bad. Call it thinning of the blood, acclimation to my surroundings, whatever. I do know given the chance to play D1 ball after living down here, I would be more open to considering other programs. I miss the snow and the seasonal changes (nothing like a brisk morning of tailgating with friends before walking to the Big House). Still, those cloudy gray cold days in January and February seem to last forever. Who wouldn't rather run to class without getting bundled up from head to toe...opps, retract that, we are talking about college kids now aren't we - they wear shorts all year round. Anyway, for me I like the idea that a light jacket during winter is all I need. I am sure the recruits in the southern area's do too.
Should weather matter to those who bleed blue? No, if I were forced to move back north, I would only go to AA. It does to some of the players. That’s what snake oils for.
January 12th, 2009 at 6:41 PM ^
I totally agree with you. I am from Wisconsin and now live in Phoenix and after living through a few winters here it would be a tough choice if I had to choose between ASU and Michigan not factoring in my love of UM.
January 12th, 2009 at 7:31 PM ^
"It may be all physiological, but spending time in the south, your body adapts. "
True that. I lived in Manila for two years and was completely destroyed by the heat and humidity for the first 3-4 months. By the time I left something in my body had switched on (or off) and the heat was no problem.
I visited Michigan for b-school recruiting in January. When I left Manila it was 96 degrees -- on arrival in Detroit it was 4 degrees. If I can handle a 92 degree swing in order to calculate the weighted average cost of capital then these damn whippersnappers can play football in Ann Arbor.
January 12th, 2009 at 5:29 PM ^
Somebody hit him with a slush ball when he gets into town so he'll commit
The cold is like kryptonite to these southern players, it robs them of their southern speed and they know it. Fortunately the prospect of snowball fights for the next 4 years overshadows the potential loss of their regional super powers
His size and speed and 2400yds passing sounds pretty cool eh? I hope he digs it in A2
January 12th, 2009 at 6:01 PM ^
Weather isn't that big an issue.
I'd imagine there isn't that big a difference between a MI blizzard and a foam party with USC cheerleaders
I am, however, willing to do the necessary research if anyone disagrees.
January 12th, 2009 at 6:10 PM ^
It's 81 here today and I can see the ocean from my office window (which is about 20 miles away). Kids who are used to this don't know how to handle the snow like those of us who were raised there. People who have never lived in the north have a certain perception of the cold, and it's not a positive one. Don't under estimate how important the weather can be.
January 13th, 2009 at 3:27 PM ^
I agree that some people who were born and raised in warm climates are terrified by the thought of cold and snow. But that's not all of them.
My wife and I, for example, were born and raised in SoCal and hated it. We never traveled out of the state until our 20s, so we didn't even know what we hated, but once we got a chance to see snow and experience seasons we will never go back south. Ann Arbor is about as warm a climate as I ever want to live in again.
The trouble is that we really have no way of knowing how many of these kids are like me and how many are like my brother (who stayed in Cali and loves his 80 degree Christmas mornings). I think it's silly to assume that they are all one way or another.
January 12th, 2009 at 6:19 PM ^
If you don't think weather matters, come down south when it gets below freezing. They extend news casts and interrupt programs to discuss. People freak around here. People honestly go home from work with there is the possibility it may snow a little.
January 12th, 2009 at 6:33 PM ^
didnt we go through a whole thread like this last week? anyways i dont think weather is a huge factor....not anymore so than any other reason a kid chooses a school...considering the schools involved though(Tulsa-obviously has depth at qb and also a stinky Beaver, Arkansas also has plenty of depth, then miss st.???)i would think if he doesnt chose UM the reason is he doesnt wanna leave the south
January 12th, 2009 at 6:39 PM ^
I lived in Tennessee for a while and there would honestly be a run on milk, bread, and batteries at all of the grocery stores whenever snow was coming. Any snowfall was like they were preparing for a hurricane. Also, very few of the locals could drive in the snow so people stay home out of fear of driving into stuff (and there were very few snow plows to clear roads, too).
January 13th, 2009 at 10:00 PM ^
I grew up in southern New Mexico, and that half of the state would literally shut down if a snow flake fell to the ground. If it was at or below freezing the state police would shut down the major highways(only two). Warm folk don't know how to handle cold weather. Why should athletes be different? just sayin.
January 13th, 2009 at 11:45 AM ^
Rivals is saying he may not visit this weekend, but could come next instead. They're also listing that he's scheduled to visit Tulsa next weekend.
I think this could be a major catch for us. He may not be the next Pat White, but we desperately need Spread QB depth. Just got to convince him to come north is all.
January 13th, 2009 at 11:45 AM ^
Rivals is saying he may not visit this weekend, but could come next instead. They're also listing that he's scheduled to visit Tulsa next weekend.
I think this could be a major catch for us. He may not be the next Pat White, but we desperately need Spread QB depth. Just got to convince him to come north is all.
January 13th, 2009 at 3:55 PM ^
This kid could be the next Justin Feagin!
January 13th, 2009 at 3:58 PM ^
Awesome. I can see it now:
"Play Brandon Mitchell! Could he possibly be worse?"
January 13th, 2009 at 4:07 PM ^
Tom VH made a good comment last week about recruiting and the weather, and wrote about the way the program sells itself specifically to the southern athletes. While there are some that will be strongly swayed by cold weather, there are plenty that would be more strongly swayed by the many positive aspects of the program. Perhaps the strongest argument was that at some point, a player who has lived exclusively in the south who wants to play pro ball at SOME point has to learn how to play in weather. I am no high level athlete, but a logical person who wants do a particular thing at the highest level should probably do everything in his power to acclimate to the rigors associated with the challenge.
and also, at the risk of a biting retort - Glen Mason's wife does seem to be in a bad mood today.