Nicholas Petit-Frere Discusses Michigan and His Recruitment

Submitted by Navy Wolverine on

Very good Sam Webb article and interview with NPF in conjunction with the Under Armor game.

https://247sports.com/college/michigan/Article/Tampa-Fla-Berkeley-Prep-5-star-OT-Nicholas-Petit-Frere-discusses-Michigan-practicing-at-his-school-his-remaining-official-visits-and-more-112964785

He said he is still sorting through his options - will take his final 3 visits in January. 

First time I have seen NPF in an interview. Comes across as very intelligent and deliberate. He strikes me as a Stanford, ND, U-M type of young man.

His goal is to find a school where he can be comfortable and succeed both on the football field and academically.

Was very humbled that U-M practiced at his high school. You can tell the coaching staff has done a great deal to mature the relationship. 

He is aware of the Coach Frey to FSU rumors. Not sure if that would have an impact.

Was pretty neutral about Mullen to U-F.

Sam peppered him with a bunch of questions. NPF's facial and body language looked pretty posititve when discussing Michigan.

MGoBoard

DrMantisToboggan

December 31st, 2017 at 11:25 AM ^

You can kind of tell when a kid actually cares about the academic side of things and when a kid is BSing. NPF appears to mean it, to me. Stanford doesn't seem super involved right now, but I could see them getting a visit. I think the academics will keep this to a UM-ND battle, with the possibility of a Stanford or USC jumping in late. While ND's general undergraduate institution is ranked higher than UM in US News, our programs in the fields that NPF has specified interest in are ranked higher than theirs (business and law). I'm not sure if that's what this will come down to, but I think we have what it takes to get this kid.

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DrMantisToboggan

December 31st, 2017 at 12:07 PM ^

Jehu Chesson was, Jack Miller was (I believe did PoliSci major and Ross minor or double major?), Zoltan Mesko was, Garrett Moores (starting holder I know lol) is in graduate program at Ross, Nate Schoenle (rotational starter, ton of PT) is a Ross preferred admit - those are the recent/current names off the top of my head. 

 

Not Ross, but Furbush is in an engineering program that is much more challenging than Ross.

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CalifExile

December 31st, 2017 at 1:29 PM ^

Not in the fields mentioned here but Kirk Lewis and Stephan Humphries did pre-med studies and are now doctors, like yourself. There have also been several engineering types.

It would be ironic if Harbaugh tried to limit players' academic selections after the way he threw Bo under the bus while he was at Stanford.

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Tunneler

December 31st, 2017 at 4:10 PM ^

He was pumping up Stanford's stringent academic requirements when he used Michigan as an example of how athletic depts. have ways to get borderline guys in. Just about everyone does it & everyone knows it. Bo was his mentor. He patterns himself to be like Bo as a molder of men. What he said about Michigan could have been said about any program, & he meant no disrespect to Bo at all.

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CalifExile

December 31st, 2017 at 11:45 PM ^

Wrong. Read Endzone, page 47-48. Harbaugh says he wanted to be a history major but "I was told early on in my freshman year that I shouldn't be. That it takes too much time. Too mch reading. That I shouldn't be a history major and play football."

Harbaugh was on the same team as Stefan Humphries. Maybe there was a reason Harbaugh was discouraged while Humphries was encouraged. As head coach, Bo was responsible for the treatment of all players. Harbaugh waited until Bo was dead to voice his criticism and put Bo in a bad light. That's pretty disrespectful.

 

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CalifExile

January 1st, 2018 at 12:54 PM ^

and Three and Out, Bacon's other great book on recent Michigan football history.

It is clear that Harbaugh doesn't think it was good advice. I don't understand why you think a competitive guy like Harbaugh would think it was good advice to be told he wasn't smart enough to handle Michigan academics and football at the same time. Especially when Humphries was doing both in a much harder discipline. He thought M should meet the same academic standards as Stanford - at least he did while he was at Stanford and the claim helped him in recruiting. It would be interesting to know whether he has rigidly applied those standards now that he is in control of M's program. I don't think he has. In any case, he was explicitly critical of the way the Michigan program was run while he was there and that is criticism of Bo - criticism he held back until Bo could no longer defend himself.

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UM Indy

December 31st, 2017 at 11:45 AM ^

A pretty ironic question, whether intentionally or not. Harbaugh of course famously commented on not being allowed to pursue his academic interests while a student at Michigan so you would think he’d be particularly sensitive to the academic interests of his players today. On the other hand, college football has only gotten more intense, more demanding, etc so maybe he realizes it’s just not realistic to have a big time player in the business school. Don’t know.

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ColeIsCorky

December 31st, 2017 at 11:33 AM ^

Sam Webb has compared his mentality to that of Grant Newsome. Main reason for him having Grant as his host on his official. Probably been said many times before, but there you go.

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KennyHiggins

December 31st, 2017 at 12:01 PM ^

Of Stefan Humfries (3.9 Chemical Engineering and OG all pro) and Kenny Higgins (4.0 and Harvard Law)

Michigan Football gets a ton of incredibly smart, high academic achievement kids

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Sopwith

December 31st, 2017 at 12:17 PM ^

like he's been in the NFL for 10 years. That was a clinic of minimal, all-business answers without making any headlines. It's like he's been put through deposition prep by an attorney: answer yes or no, don't volunteer more information than what is asked, if asked to expound keep it short.

Hard to believe that is a teenager.

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SD Larry

December 31st, 2017 at 12:24 PM ^

great addition.  Know he has a lot of choices, but love Harbaugh playing chess here and he sounds like very bright young man and a Michigan player to me.  

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TheGhostofMM14

December 31st, 2017 at 12:27 PM ^

Bama and ND are on him hard. He will OV to FSU which will likely have a bignorant impact on his recrutiment especially with the Frey to FSU element being out there. Michigan will certainly have a solid shot to land him also. He definitely seems mature and not your typical 3 run of the mill 5 star. Very athletic lineman almost built like a weak Side Defensive end. Likley best in a spread-ish scheme that will get him moving around a lot. He's made several comments to that effect. FSU certainly checks that box as does ND. Bama and Michigan will be more of a smash mouth look.

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