UM Football Recruiting - by WM Wolverine

[iam416]

It's too bad you can't your asskickings like a man, Hack. Gotta blame it on pink unicorns and the bogeyman.

But, yeah, HARBAUGH!!!!!

[Da Geezer]

Do you really believe Jordan Elliott is going to Texas, WM? That kid has repeatedly said he was he was 100% certain that UM was the spot for him.

[Da Geezer]

Spanellis goes blue.

[hack]

It's too bad you can't your asskickings like a man, Hack. Gotta blame it on pink unicorns and the bogeyman.

But, yeah, HARBAUGH!!!!!

Harbaugh.

[Detroit Dan]

Spanellis replaces Swenson -- Swenson was #30 OT and Spanellis is #61 OT (copied from lalondtm at maizenbrew). This puts the Swenson decommitment in a new light.

[Pasadena Blue]

Swenson really wanted to come to M bad, but he was showing signs he was not the type to bust his tail and push himself to the limit. He would have thrived under Hoke, but this is not tolerated under HARBAUGH --- Swenson was a Hoke recruit. As I understand, HARBAUGH and Co tried to give him time to shape up during his senior year and he was not giving off positive energy. JH did not play this one right. Rather than waiting for the kid to decommit, they should have jettisoned him earlier.

Talent seems to claim that UFM is just a better talent evaluator than JH and hence why JH is having all these late decommitments --- presumably all players that JH mis-evaluated.

That is not my take on it. I think JH did not know what kind of year M was going to have and he didn't know whether he would be able to land 4*/5* types. Unlike O-state/'Bama and similar programs, JH could not take the chance of holding out for the big fish and the little fish commit elsewhere.

As the year has gone by, I think he started to realize that he could be more selective. Rather than waiting for these lower ranked players to decommit, JH and co probably needed to push them out sooner.

Think JH could have handled all of this better and deserves the criticism he is getting, though, we are only hearing one side (recruit's) side of the story.
Hope they learn from their lesson and the bad PR doesn't bite us too much for future 'crooting.

[Da Geezer]

That is not my take on it. I think JH did not know what kind of year M was going to have and he didn't know whether he would be able to land 4*/5* types. Unlike O-state/'Bama and similar programs, JH could not take the chance of holding out for the big fish and the little fish commit elsewhere.

I was thinking that too. It is unfortunate that JH cannot tell his side of the story. If Swenson had been warned during the season that he had to "pick up his game", that is a different issue. Hoke would have undoubtedly taken Swenson in the same way he took Shane Morris. We know how that turned out. An honest test of JH's ability to evaluate talent will be to watch Spanellis and Swenson through their careers.

[The Oracle]

Catching up on all this. Jeezus, who gives a fuck. I've seen too many 3-4 time commit/decommits by one kid over the years that I rarely feel sorry for any kid. As Talent said somewhere, no one will remember this stuff a few years from now. If they truly blindsided the kid a few weeks from signing day, well, that's obviously not ideal but as of now we're getting one side of the story....and frankly I don't even care all that much. He wasn't a Harbaugh commit.

[lineygoblue]

By the way, this method of recruiting has been SOP in the SEC for many years now. Practiced by the "best coach of all time", none the less.

I don't like the impression it leaves, but teams and programs are ultimately judged by wins and losses. We wanted Harbaugh to come here and build a winning team. He's working on it.

Brady Hoke would probably walk from Oregon to get the program back again. None of us want that.

[WingsFan]

Jim Harbaugh's Recruiting Tactics a Reality of Michigan Rejoining CFB's Elite

Ha!

If Nick Saban has established himself as the Tony Soprano of the college football world and Urban Meyer is Don Draper, then Wednesday marked the moment Jim Harbaugh's Walter White revealed his Heisenberg alter ego to the world.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2609588-jim-harbaughs-recruiting-tactics-a-reality-of-michigan-rejoining-cfbs-elite

[Wellington_beefhouser]

I don't necessarily agree that it would have looked better for M and JH if they would've told this kid to scram earlier on. It may have hurt/looked bad for M in recruiting had we told a commit to look elsewhere right away (even though he stuck it out through a coaching change). Bottom line is M gave him a shot to improve, he didn't, what more do you want? We are trying to win now, not preserve a kid's feelings.

[WingsFan]

That right you want to play for Harbaugh, shape up when given the chance, so glad fat ass is gone.

[lineygoblue]

Harbaugh just signed transfer papers for the "best RB in the country", a 5-star athlete, who didn't measure up.

If Harbaugh told the kid to step his game up, he should have stepped his game up. Barring that, he can go play for Brady Hoke or Rich Rodriguez.

[Prime2]

Fatboy-Hoke-Recruit Swenson is likely to sign with NorthWestern, all is well that ends well.

Sure going to dread playing Fitzgerald the next couple of seasons though.

College Football Recruiting has become a Big Business, unfortunately sullied by the SEC, Saban, Meyer & Miles to name a few.

All that matters is WINNING.
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"They said" artificial sweeteners were safe, WMDs were in Iraq and Anna Nicole married for love" ... "They said"

[Hannibal]

Spanelis has a decent offer list.