UM Football Recruiting - by WM Wolverine

[lineygoblue]

Well, the LSJ is always going to paint a smiley face on the Spartans hopes.

But the fact of the matter is, Hoke and company are flat-out kicking their butts in Michigan, and are also ahead in Dantonio's supposedly strong area of Ohio.

Sparty is going to have to hope that they can recruit better nationally, but history isn't on their side. They are not the national brand that Michigan is. That's even true in Basketball. Izzo's best teams were the teams that he built within Michigan, not out of state.

[Pasadena Blue]

it's a good point. Recruiting in-state talent is good for M on many fronts, not least of which is that it damages the talent level at MSU .... eventually that has to catch up with MSU.

On the other hand, to compete against O-state, Hoke will start to have to land some of the blue chippers from out of the midwest.

[hack]

No doubt about it Hoke is the kind of coach you want to see succeed. He's got the aww-shucks shtick down very well and one gets the sense that it's not totally an act but really quite genuine. And he killed it getting Mattison. Now that he's here we're all rooting for him, and it's hard not to drink the kool-aid given recruiting. And Harbaugh is definitely the kind who can turn you off. But it's a bad idea to hire a coach based on whether you think you'd want to down pints and scoff wings with him. Or which one is most eager to walk cross-country for the job and hope to settle for life. You hire the guy who's gonna get you the best results while staying on the right side of the rules. This offseason, Harbaugh was unquestionably that guy.

[Jeff Buchanan]

So, what are the chances that Jimmy Ball Game would have uttered something along these lines between his hire at M and September 3rd:

"We're going to kick Sparty's ass."

"Come December, you're going to like how this team played against ohio."

"I'll bet a year's salary ND is going to leave Ann Arbor late Saturday, September 10th in worse shape than when they arrived."

I can do without that risk.

There's more to hiring a coach than just the number of wins he's chalked up and their are several modern day FB and BB programs that will attest to the validity of that statement, including our beloved Michigan.

No, all things considered, I think Hoke was the right hire.

[lineygoblue]

Harbaugh was my first choice, based on what he did at Stanford. That's the kind of quick turnaround that Michigan needs.

Even with the coaching hires that Hoke has brought, I'm not sure that he can match what Harbaugh did at Stanford. Maybe he can, but I admit that I'd have more confidence in Harbaugh than I do in Hoke.

All that being said, I'm still 100% behind Coach Hoke. I wish him the best. I want him to succeed.

[WM Wolverine]

Concour with those that see Sparty's string of mediocrity coming to a halt. They are going to be looking at 6-7 win seasons more times than not if they can't recruit the 2nd tier talent in M & Ohio.

[WM Wolverine]

Terry Richardson should make it 9-0 for the Wolverines against Sparty from those who have offers from both.

[jack_crancer]

I'm sure he's a good high school player, but the dude is 5' 9" How well will that work against some of the receivers he lines up against. Dude is a midget.

[WM Wolverine]

Average height for NCAA corners is 5'10", scouts 'optimum' height for NFL draftees is 5'11" for corners.

[Jamie H]

Yeah, 5'9" isn't an ideal height, but it is hardly too short for him to play and play well.

BTW, Dre Bly measured in at just under 5' 10" and he was a 3-time 1st team All-American.

It would be great to get all Woodson types at 6'1", but that isn't feasable.

BTW, just looked it up and Scouts lists him a 5' 9.5". If true, that would make him just 3/8" shorter than Bly was measured at the combine.

I'm not happy when we take marginal guys that are also small/short. But when you have players with obvious talent like Richardson, I'm far more concerned with how they play football than their measurables. This kid has offers from Alabama, LSU, Notre Dame, USC, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State & UCLA. Kid can play.

[WM Wolverine]

Gunner Kiel (#1 QB by some) top four: Oklahoma, Missouri, Alabama, Michigan.

[Hannibal]

Interesting Top 4 to have. What's up with Missouri getting all of these 4* and 5* QBs lately?

[The Oracle]

They have a great offensive scheme and can get you to the pros?

[Jamie H]

Yeah, their scheme promises to let you pass until your arm falls off and practically guarantees you a high completion percentage and tons of yards if you are good.

[Pasadena Blue]

Shane morris's commit has to be negative for Kiel, right?