UM Football Recruiting - by WM Wolverine

[hack]

Sounds like the coaching staff is assuming Conley is gone. DaMario Jones (unranked by rivals) has become the newest Wolverine. Yay, another plan B "sleeper" at WR.

The two recruiting traditions that Hoke kept in place from Rodriguez are:

1. The Big House BBQ
2. Loading up on unremarkable 3* receiver prospects

C'mon already. We have no idea how good those 3-star prospects are going to be. You're pissed off today because one supposedly unreliable 3-star, Conley, was simply a guy UM was faster to scout than everyone else. It may suck to lose Conley but the lesson is that this staff is perhaps doing well at spotting talent, and that's a good thing.

[lineygoblue]

Mike Hart, Braylon Edwards, Dave Baas and Jason Avant were all 3-star athletes in HS.

[Hannibal]

C'mon already. We have no idea how good those 3-star prospects are going to be.

No, but I do know how good the 3* guys that have been populating Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Louisville, Indiana, and Purdue have tended to be over the years. Receivers are also easier to predict than most other predictions.

Move over, Jerald Robinson, Ricardo Miller, Jeremy Jackson, and Drew Dileo. You guys have got company!

Mike Hart, Braylon Edwards, Dave Baas and Jason Avant were all 3-star athletes in HS.

So were Teric Jones, Greg Brown, Delonte Hollowell, Carvin Johnson, David Cone, Mike Cox, Vincent Smith, Jordan Paskorz, Russell Bellomy, Isaih Bell, Mike Jones, Brandin Hawthorne...

and most of the guys who play for South Florida and Ole Miss...

Yes, I'm cranky today. So sue me.

[hack]

Forget for a second that you can't have a team full of 4* players -- again, Conley was a three-star for about 15 minutes after he committed, and it became quickly obvious he was going to be rated higher soon enough. This is a bad day to be making the argument that Hoke loves mediocre players.

[Hannibal]

I don't think that he loves mediocre players. I think that for some unfortunate reason, he is unable to recruit anything besides mediocre skill players. That, and he turned away arguably the best receiver prospect that he could have landed so far.

[lineygoblue]

and most of the guys who play for South Florida and Ole Miss...

...and a lot of the guys who play for Air Force, Notre Dame and Nebraska as well ...

[hack]

Too small a sample size so far. I'll be nervous if neither Green or Treadwell show up though.

[Da Geezer]

Let's assume that UM takes back Dawson, if Dawson REALLY wants back in. The kid took his trip (abeit in a sneaky manner), and confirmed that he wanted to be near home.

Let's remember that Dawson's Dad was killed at work after Dawson had committed. Now the kid makes a mistake and wants back in to a group of guys he has shown nothing but affection for. This is not a payola deal. I agree with Talent, the whole policy is silly; borderline childish. If Dawson wants back in badly, let him in. He has had enough disappointment, and has done nothing terribly wrong.

Did the Chicago Tribune ever break that story on the OT (Diamond) who got $ 50,000 from Auburn? I'd like to read that story. I agree, Treadwell is another waiting for the bucks.

[Chuck Mallory]

If Dawson broke the rules then he broke the rules, I don't care who he is. I agree with the post above about being consistant.

This is the essential question imo...Will it pay off to have only guys who are totally in love with the Michigan football program and fight that extra yard b/c they are so committed to the program? Or would Michigan be better off to ease up on the recruiting rules and allow for more visits, and maybe get a few more "highly" touted players? Thats whats all on our minds I think. I honestly can't say, I'm curious to see what the outcome is. I think it will be good.

[lineygoblue]

I don't know what the big deal is about Dawson.

Hoke makes it very clear to kids when they say they want to commit. He tells them to be sure of their decision, and lets them know that its a 2-way commitment. He agrees to hold a scholarship exclusively for them, and not offer it to anyone else. In return, the player agrees not to take any additional visits. Its a very fair process.

If the kid wants to take more visits, then he should not commit. Its a bit of a crap shoot for a kid who has Michigan at #1 on their list, but wants to see other places. That's because Hoke continues to offer scholarships to players at that position, and for that particular scholarship. If somebody else commits first, then the other guy is left out.

That could indeed be a two-edged sword. Michigan could miss out on a very good athlete who simply wanted to take more visits. But again, it could weed out some who are "visit hounds" who just want 5 free paid weekends to see the sights, like Maurice Clarett. I doubt that there are any Michigan fans that regret missing out on that recruiting jewel.

Bottom line, if Dawson wasn't done taking visits, he shouldn't have committed.

[WM Wolverine]

re: Conley... With Raymond Taylor's (good, not great boundary CB) emergence and Blake Countess (potentially very good field corner) getting a medical redshirt, need at corner isn't as high as it was 3 months ago. Still need depth so I hope one of the freshman, '13 recruits are as good or better than advertised...

Insiders are reporting DeMario Jones WR spot opened up because of Conley not Treadwell, so it sounds like Conley's spot is no longer there anymore. FWIW, D Jones didn't go to camps and plays in a run first, run second type offense in high school. Under the radar recruit with very good speed, hands, size and athletic ability. Really don't have anything to go on him other than third hand reports from people I don't know whether to trust their judgement so it's a kid we won't know much about till he's on the field. Another fan who saw him play in high school said he looked and moved like a B10 caliber receiver...

M is in real need of WR's (both quality and quantity) after taking so few in '10 and '11 that they do need the six they could potentially add in '12/'13. Darboh, Chesson, York, Dukes & now Jones... Treadwell would make that haul a very nice one.

[WM Wolverine]

re: Jones - He plays WR, RB, wildcat QB and DB for his high school team.

I imagine this (Conley likely is dropped if insiders are correct) will bring speculation to the Leon McQuay III questions, he's still in play and has a top 3 of Vandy, USC & FSU. His official visit to Ann Arbor is next weekend, vs NW I think. M has an opportunity to jump back into his top group but he'll be tough to pry from USC/FSU.

[WM Wolverine]

re: Dawson... His loss would hurt more if M didn't do so well at OL in '12 & '13 at OL; right now they have Kyle Kalis, Blake Bars, Erik Magnuson, Ben Braden for '12 (all red-shirting) and Kyle Bosch, Logan Tuley-Tillman, Patrick Kugler and Chris Fox for '13.

[iam416]

I think Conley is still struggling with the decision. His mom wants him to go to school out west (hence the potential Oregon visit). His dad loves M. He's only taken one visit. So his problem is this -- if he at least visits Oregon to find oout if he would like it, he's out at M. If he doesn't like Oregon or thinks it's too far away from Massilon (though, much closer to his mom), then he's scrambling to find the next best option for him. That would be Ohio State.

So, IMO, it's really about whether he wants to visit Oregon or not. If he does, then it seems that he's done at M.

FWIW, everything I've read about him is that he's a really good kid who is trying to make sure he makes the right decision. My thoughts on Hoke's policy are documented. This would be Exhibit A if it plays out like I think it will.

[WM Wolverine]

Thankfully M picked up Ross Douglas in this class who I keep forgetting about, similar in talent to Conley imo so his (Conley) loss won't be as hard to take thanks to Douglass and M's two underclassman starters at corner: Countess & Taylor.