UM Football Recruiting - by WM Wolverine

[Ghengis Jon]

Perhaps a third party organization to manage schollies. Once an athlete signs, the schollie is a done deal and no longer in the school's hands. Run by those who don't give a damn about sports so that those internal biases don't come into play. Once a player commits and signs, its a done deal but works both ways. If an offered/signed player bails out (short of hardship), he's free to walk-on to another (same division level) school but no schollie. Once the ledger is full, you're done. Attrition losses can be banked for the next year's schollies. Make penalties steep too. Each violation results in a one year bowl ban. Three violations in 4 years results in a season length TV ban. And above all, the 3rd party org is not associated in any way with the NCAA.

[Jeff Buchanan]

This will be interesting. Telling comments by the dick-heads at the NCAA. Those fucks should just get the hell out of the way.

I support it. This is going to take time but its time has come and I will be glad when the NCAA gets rolled.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2014-01-28/sports/chi-northwestern-football-players-labor-union-20140128_1_basketball-players-labor-union-national-labor-relations-board

[Jeff Buchanan]

This is what I get for being absent and then skimming ..... ignore the above and go to the great posts on this subject elsewhere.

..... not that you haven't already done that.

[lineygoblue]

I like Jon's suggestion.

Once a player signs that legally binding LOI, that scholarship should be his for 4 years, as long as he obeys university rules, stays eligible, is a good citizen, etc. The scholarship should not be able to be pulled by "Coach Super Recruiter" just because "little johnny football" ended up playing like Tinkerbelle. If a recruit bombs out as a player, .. oh well. Recruit better next time.

Recruiting should be a crap-shoot for ALL schools, not just those that reside above the Mason-Dixon line.

[Da Geezer]

good ideas Jon.

Obermann had the NCAA legal eagle response last night and it was seriously humorous. The NCAA has to be eliminated from the process.

[iam416]

OSU Scout guys are starting to feel that BOTH M and MSU are falling behind for McDowell and that FSU may be team to beat with OSU having a puncher's chance.

It seems that McDowell wants MSU and doesn't want M and his parents are opposite. FSU (and possibly OSU) are compromise schools. Hugely odd.

I still say MSU. That's where he wants to go.

[Rocky Bleier]

Sam Webb's take on Malik McDowell:

http://www.stationcaster.com/player_skinned.php?s=901&c=4701&f=2372823

[iam416]

Seems likes Hoke's visit a last ditch attempt to stop OSU visit and get him to visit M. If he visits Columbus, I'd say M is out of it.

[WM Wolverine]

He's been to AA more than anywhere else.

[iam416]

Yes, but Hoke was almost certainly asking him not to go to OSU. There is no reason to go to OSU if he's not interested. Columbus isn't Miami. I'm slowly starting to think his parents won't let him go to MSU and he doesn't want to go to M. If he preferred M, it would be over.

[WM Wolverine]

Yes, Hoke certainly wanted to change McDowell's mind on his last OV which didn't happen. I'm worried about his recruitment but not because of the OV, he already knows M well enough to not need another visit. Same kid who almost committed in November.

[Da Geezer]

He claims he wants the "social life" at MSU. If Matteson and Hoke (two d-line coaches) can't change his mind, then I think MSU is the choice.

Do the parents have to consent to a scholarship?

[WM Wolverine]

Sounds like Sparty wins this recruiting battle (if true), I'd assume McDowell is old enough (18) to sign himself.

[WM Wolverine]

Sorry for implying I was going to give a recruiting update though part of that is a handful of people brought up the news I was going to report like Campbell, Harris, McDowell, RB's, etc.

As far as the '15 class, there are tons of new names in the past month with offers that it'll take me and the players themselves to find out which have mutual interest in M. We'll have more solid information about the class of 15's top targets in another month. The top targets are still the same but there are a good bit of new names that will very likely make my next recruiting board.

[jaadam4]

Ok.. This is funny

McDowell told the Free Press that U-M defensive coordinator Greg Mattison came into the room while MSU defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi was having an in-school visit with McDowell recently.

“Michigan State was here, then Michigan came, they just walked right in and sat down,” McDowell said. “That was pretty funny. I was just sitting there watching … (coach) Narduzzi was sitting right here. It just all stopped. Then (Mattison) was like, ‘Oh, is this a bad time?’ It made me laugh.”