UM Football Recruiting - by WM Wolverine

[Hannibal]

Is Reeves being recruited as a corner or a safety? As I understand, Morgan is a safety.

[Jamie H]

I've seen Morgan listed as both a CB and a S. I think he plays S in High School.

[lineygoblue]

Tweet on another site said that Shane Morris was named the MVP at the Nike camp in Columbus. Not sure how reliable that report is, but if its so, the kid may be as good as advertised.

[Jamie H]

Morris himself tweeted that he ended up ranked #2 in the Elite Eleven camp and was rated as having the strongest arm at the camp. This is as a SOPHOMORE. If the kid progresses at all like you would expect he has a chance to be one of the top QB's in the country by his senior year.

He also said that he always wanted to play for Michigan but lost interest when Rodriguez installed the spread. Now that Hoke is back to the pro set, Michigan was the only place he wanted to go and he isn't going to take any other visits. He's 100% committed to Michigan.

[geo weidl]

Even the infamous pat caputo is concerned over the instate recruiting battle.

CAPUTO: Hoke has in-state recruiting battle shifting in Michigan's favor

http://www.dailytribune.com/articles/2011/05/21/sports/doc4dd83cc694ba2848872228.txt?viewmode=fullstory

[Rocky Bleier]

Wow, surprisingly honest assessment.

[lineygoblue]

High School talent in Michigan HAS taken a downswing over the past several years due to population loss. I agree with the article's assessment of the Rodriguez approach who appeared to eschew the talent in Michigan as unsuitable for his spread offense and 3-3-5 defense. He chose rather to go outside our borders to stock the team's talent. Problem with that is, if you rely totally on out of state talent, you better hit a home run every year. Rodriguez didn't hit a home run in ANY season he recruited, with perhaps a mild exception for the class that Denard came in with.

But the 2012 class in Michigan in particular, is a rarely well stocked class. There are many Division 1 players available, and it was important that Hoke hit a home run here in the state. Not only to replenish the lack of talent, but to re-establish the Michigan name among the HS teams and coaches. I'm flat-out amazed at how Hoke and Mattison have made inroads at Farmington Hills Harrison, and Orchard Lake St. Marys. These two schools have traditionally been a MSU pipeline, even when MSU sucks.

I think Hoke's approach is going to be a long term success. We may have to muddle thru one more teeth-grinding year, but help is definitely on the way, and the pipelines for that help will continue well into the future.

[Jamie H]

I still worry about the long-term downtrend in state talent due to everyone leaving.

[lineygoblue]

Yeah, that's a concern, but the football factories will still turn out some talent. Maybe not in huge numbers, but it will still be there. Michigan has to be on top of it every year, to get the best of it. We don't need to leave any doors open for Dantonio's bunch.

[Jeff Buchanan]

So, everyone is going ga-ga over the current staff's recruiting successes. Here's an observation that I think is a part of Hoke's recruiting scheme .....

Lemming made a point this week that Michigan may have the most offers on the table for the 2012 class of any program that has 20 or more scholarships to give. But it's not this "wide net" thing that it looked like Rodriguez was doing. Offers go out with, it seems, a tactical purpose.

Take the recent offer to Glenville's 4* DB Dev'an Bogard. We know how many DBs M wants to take. It almost has its planned take in hand. What Hoke is doing to these flighty 17 and 18 year olds who want to drag out their recruitment as if its some kind of show business game, Hoke is saying screw that. You either sack up and make a decision or will find someone of equal talent who will and in the process of playing your games with us, you'll lose out on an opportunity of a life time.

Hoke is playing the Michigan card and it's sexy again. Moreover, it looks like its working as among conference competitors plus ND, Hoke's 2012 class is now ranked #1 (mgoblog).

[WM Wolverine]

Wayne Morgan CB announces June 1st, M is expected to have a comfy lead over Rutgers. Terry Richardson gets a big assist for getting him aboard, impressive a kid recruits someone who plays the same position and is more highly rated.

[WM Wolverine]

M can recruit nationally when they are consistently good, which they haven't been for 5-6 years...

I couldn't agree more with Hoke's philosophy of building his recruiting base in M, than going outwards to Ohio, than the B10 country before putting efforts into national prospects. M [obviously] has the best shot at kids from M; a better shot at kids from neighboring states than states more than a car ride away.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Another flaw in Rich Rodriguez's recruiting philosophy. Obviously said in retrospect and influenced by how successful Hoke and his staff have been locally.

Admittedly, I thought RR's wide net (meaning avoidance of competing with osu, ND, MSU and PSU, et. al. and hitting the southern tier states) was a strategy that would work. It might have given time but looking back, MSU got stronger for that approach.

Its possible that we're over-rating Holk and staff. The confluence of events with regard to osu and the appearance that M is on the rise, osu on the fall is having an impact. Rich could have benefited from that.

However, MSU is definitely feeling the heat associated with Hoke's new focus in the mid-west. RR would not have achieved that because I don't think his shitty defense and the kind of offense he was running was going to attract the kind of talent that a pro-style offense and GM's rep is attracting.

[geo weidl]

Richrod justed recruited for offense and it cost him in the end. If there was no room for that player on the offense, he put him on defense. Hoke is recruiting players to fit his needs both on offensive and defense. A linebacker is a linebacker and a safety is a safety. Non of this hybrid s#!t.

[paul daugherity]

And the hire of Mattison as DC is huge, at least as far as defensive players, IMO. It immediately let defensive players know that UM is very serious about improving the D and making it something to be feared. It seems like a lot more defensive recruits are willing to look at UM now.