UM recruiting style changes?
This is just something i've been wondering over the past few weeks after we've gotten commit after commit....are we beginning an era of Texas style recruitment? We all know how Texas offers these kids and basically says first come first serve, guys get a little nervous about their spot on the squad and pull the trigger on their commitment very early.
I hope that's what we're becoming under the Hoke regime. Top 5 classes every year doesn't sound too shabby to me.
Anyone agree that this could be an every year strategy? Or am I just getting too jacked up about the wave of stud prospects committing early to UM?
I hope not. Michigan's high school football talent isn't exactly the same as Texas.
I think we're getting a bit of a distortion this year, as their seems to be a higher talent level than normal in this class.
Eh, I think this year is a little different because of the ton of talent in MI, and OH for that matter. Texas gets away with that style because TX puts out a ton of talent each year. OSU does it to some extent with OH as well. When there's not as much talent in MI, we will have to look elsewhere and that takes more time.
You need to extend a number of offers. Tennessee did this with Dooley. A lot of it is about developing relationships with High Schools and HS Coaches.
There has been a massive shift in the University of Michigan's recruitment style. Between Noah's ark and snagging every player in Michigan, things will never be the same again.
Recruiting style will be greatly enhanced by wins on the field this fall. This will cement the committments of the current and pending class members and get the 2013 class prospects more excited. It appears that Hoke, Mattison, and company are working agressively to get ahead on recruiting overall and this will make future recruiting easier.
I feel like this could also potentially backfire if they don't win and a lot of the better end commits decide to jet somewhere else. I feel like then we'd be left with no commits and no talent who'd want to commit to a losing program.
That's just the pessimist in me talking though. I still think(hope) Hoke and co. will get the job done.
I don't know that Texas tosses out 152 offers by May 9. I could be wrong because I don't follow their recruiting extremely closely, but they give out offers only to a select few.
Michigan has offered "elite" talent for the most part, but it's not quite the same level of picky-ness.
Not only is this one of the best years in the midwest in recent memory, but Michigan doesn't have a lot of spaces this year. Consequently, supply and demand is making a lot of kids decide they would rather have a scholly at Michigan than another seven months of attention and visits.
I'm surprised more don't visit Auburn for the "hostessess," though.
I have to admit, if Auburn offered me Ho Ho's I would commit too
Zeke Pike agrees.
just awesome.
By filling up much of the class early, before all the players have even played their senior seasons, you risk potentially missing out on some guys who "blow up" late in the process. It can work if there are a lot of elite "so-called can't miss prospects" lining up to play for you like Texas. But, Mack Brown and his staff have had years to establish a strong relationship with HS coaches in Texas. Give our staff some time. But, this year's Michigan class may be the exception rather than the rule going forward.
IMO, the early commits hurt B10 schools. It really stumps me why a B10 school would want to push for early commitments.
In the south, the recruiting game plays out until February for all the schools. Some schools in the SEC don't even beleive that recruiting gets serious until December. So, SEC schools get to see players for JR spring, camp, Junior season, SR spring, camp and Senior season. There are very few misses, outside of academics. If Florida, Bama, LSU, or others offer a committbale scholarship the kid can play.
B10 schools taking early commits have to make a decision off their Junior season. The margin for error is much higher and there are less B10 level players. So, if UM or PSU spent all that time recruiting their in-state studs, offer, accept the commit and the kid can't play it hurts badly.
I can't understand why UM fans want early commits. Give me the kids in January when you know what you got.
They're not going to miss out on anyone late in the process. If a kid "blows up" and is really that good, UM/Hoke will find room for him.
But I think it is amazing how this staff has been able to thouroughly dominate in-state recruiting, and they haven't even coached a down yet. I thought it would have taken a year or two for the Hoke regime to get the ball rolling. With everything going on down there, UM might just win the state of Ohio in recruiting as well.
But it is important to lay your foundation and ground work in state and and in the mid-west. Then hopefully, they will be able to build on it and move out from there.
This year is the outlier for Michigan.
You have 3 things happening at once: a bumper crop of talent in the state as well as the entire Midwest, a head coaching change (bringing postive energy/new faces/excitement), and a philosophy change back to "Normal" football.
As stated above Texas can get away with offering 20 kids by May and get 20 commits because they produce so much high end talent that they can fill their spots with the scepter of loosing your spot it you dont commit.
Face it right now M football is riding in the limelight with a footbawl coach who is a "Michigan Man" (good for PR), a sterling NFL pedigree DC who gets kids to commit by saying "Ray Lewis" and the fact that former players are professing their love for M again.
Now if Michigan goes 3-9 like RR did then all that good will goes away and kids wonder if this coach can get the job done. Hoke is walking into a loaded situation like Charlie Weiss (luv b2g Guy), where he had a talented roster and did great his 1st year and faced drop offs every year after that.
While we may have thrown out a 150 offers we have also offered a ton of high level talent and gotten said talent on campus. I always believed the problem with Rich was that he recruited like he was still at WV, and while his system is great for those 3 star slot ninja types why not get the 6ft 4in WR who runs a 4.3 forty? or at least offer that kid and when he says "Hey Michigan I like you too" then you put the full press on him. Instead we went after kids who deep down we knew were ticketed elsewhere.
Either way: this years class could be damn good but dont count on it every year.
Well, yes, if Hoke's teams lose, recruiting will suffer. And, yes, RR too often seemed to be recruiting as if for WVU. (A team that traditionally attracted top-10, as Michigan had done, should not have ceded that advantage.)
But I don't know why you're comparing Hoke to Weis. Hoke is not inheriting a "loaded" team. He's inheriting a good offense, but one that has been a bit more sizzle than steak. He's got Denard, of course. And Lewan.
But the defense? This is about the least loaded Michigan defense in history. It's young. It will improve (hopefully). But it isn't stocked with surefire talent. Hoke has his work cut out for him.
Nobody thought the 2004 ND team was loaded going into 2005. It turned out they had a ton of NFL talent on the roster of a ridiculously young team that appeared to get awesome overnight thanks to Charlie Weis (at least according to ND's administration that gave him a ten year extension). Freshman/sophomore Brady Quinn just wasn't as good as upperclassman Brady Quinn (like virtually every player ever, aside from the strange case of Pierre Woods). Upperclassman Denard Robinson is going to be completely unstoppable.
As for the defense, Martin, RVB, Roh, Gordon, and Demens are all blue chip recruits with significant starting experience. Woolfolk and Kovacs have loads of experience. Avery and a bunch of young safeties played last year and are backed up by some very talented young guys (Robinson and Furman). And the secondary adds five additional new bodies while losing only James Rogers from the list of folks capable of taking the field last year. This isn't 2006 on the defensive side of the ball, but the roster is in far better shape than at any point in the last three years. A team that won 7 games with a record breaking young QB that is going to have better talent/experience/depth at 20 of 22 positions (and at every specialty spot) is about as loaded as you can get for a team going through a coaching transition.
I think a big part of it is that the coaching staff truly wants to build on their relationships with the midwestern high school staffs, especially at the better programs, and this strong rush is a way to do that.
Hoke is selling these commits largely on the family atmosphere that the program will provide. Unless players dramatically fall off during their senior years, they should be rewarded for their eagerness to join the Michigan Football family. I would hate to see anybody's offer pulled for a better prospect, just as I would be disappointed if there were front-runners that decommitted if we underperformed in 2011.