UM Football Recruiting - by WM Wolverine

[The Oracle]

Bah, there's plenty of interest from guys who are solid 4 stars. I'm not going to draw an arbitrary line between 150 and 220; splitting hairs at that point. However, M is almost in the position where it NEEDS to get guys like Gary, Kelly, Brederson and the Detroit area kids to go to get where they need to be. If they start missing out on those guys, I'll sound the alarm.

[iam416]

If they get Gary OR Kelly, I'd consider that a major win. Personally, I'd bet on the South for Gary, but M is very much in that one. I'd be really surprised with Kelly. It also sure doesn't look like they're getting Corley.

But, at the end of the day, the metrics are clear. You're right that 150-200-250 all that much differentiated.

[The Oracle]

And there definitely isn't a large margin for error. But I'll wait until they start dropping elsewhere before I get too down.

[iam416]

Nothing wrong with that. You have my permission to remain optimistic until facts warrant otherwise!

[The Oracle]

I think optimistic is already too strong a stance.

[Jeff Buchanan]

........Out of curiosity, Buchanan, how do you figure? I mean, the clearest metric of pushing a huge recruiting advantage or doing something hugely innovative and attractive to recruits is, well, RECRUITS. It strikes me that your statement is an article of faith at the moment. As WM noted, there isn't even a ton of interest in M from top 150 kids.

I can't argue against the merits of your position. On counterpoint, let's put it this way: Michigan football has a HUGE hole to dig itself out of based on 10 years of suckage. Before HARBAUGH! talented HS football players looking at options right now have known that suckage since they were 7. Michigan? Yeah, cool uniforms, great school, great history but right now, they are NOT GOOD at football.

Besides that, M has natural disadvantages to hauling in high value targets that Peetty, for example, in his resurrection of USC didn't face. AA is nice but not that nice compared to LA. Maybe a stretch, but Saban probably had ..... bags full of cash. It's just the way things are done down there. ufm didn't have a decade of rotten football to recover from. It didn't hurt osu recruiting that he went 12-0 in his first season.

So, you gotta start somewhere. Harbaugh knows where M football is positioned. I'd say he's done a good job getting the program off the mat. He's got the pub, he's got the cache' himself, he has a staff with a ton of NFL coaching experience that kids with an eye towards that are going to be attracted to.

Bottom line, I don't have the expectation that he's going to make any recruiting hauls until he delivers on the hype he's created in his space. He HAS to win football games to do that.

[Pasadena Blue]

I can't emphasize the importance of this year .... we HAVE to go 10-2 or better, or Harbaugh is going to have an even bigger hole to dig out of, and getting back to where we want to be maybe years away or never. As was pointed out, the talent deficit with O-state is growing substantially.

Harbaugh should be doing better in recruiting than he has... quite frankly, I don't get it. He's even got several staff members who have a reputation to be great recruiters.

A so-so year this year, and Harbaugh recruiting will be hurt even further.

I have to say I am excited and worried about this year at the same time. I would have been less worried if we were reeling in top talent and not bringing in Dunaways.

[lineygoblue]

ufm didn't have a decade of rotten football to recover from. It didn't hurt osu recruiting that he went 12-0 in his first season.

And it didn't hurt that Michigan has been down during his entire ohio tenure.

[WM Wolverine]

I wouldn't say 10-2 is a must but there must be positive momentum, 10-3 with a bowl win is an impressive improvement from winning 5 games in '14.

[hack]

9-3 means losing the two rivalry games at home. Between those two and Utah, going 0-3 would be bad. 1-2 would be good. 2-1 would be great.

[WM Wolverine]

I figure M isn't that much better than the B10 mean and BYU... I think they have a loss among PSU, Minnesota, Northwestern, BYU, Rutgers, Maryland...

I hope for a split vs Sparty and Ohio and expect the season to get off to a sour start in Utah.

[SeattleLionsFan]

I expect the start of the season will be rough with improvement through the year. I am counting both Msu and OSU as losses. They are simply too far ahead of us right now.

[Da Geezer]

That Utah game will be big for the program. Thursday night and a national audience tuning in to see Harbaugh and what he has accomplished.

Whoever scheduled that game should be shot and then hung.

[WM Wolverine]

All new coaches, new QB, road game at the very start of the season. Utah might be the 3rd toughest game on M's schedule and its on the road.

[hack]

Agree with WM -- split against MSU and OSU, a win against Utah is a bonus.

I think we've got to win one of those home rivalry games to keep the sizzle going.