UM Football Recruiting - by WM Wolverine

[Jeff Buchanan]

Too many M fans started to get breathless when Harbaugh offered some big name 2015 recruits. It should be no surprise that most of them will stick.

His best shot is still with Clark and Weber and he'll probably flip one of those.

And yes, it's no small achievement to flip Zach Gentry from Texas although circumstances obviously aided that one.

Not worried about Harbaugh's recruiting "chops" going forward. He'll win some, he'll lose some. talent, you're right about getting elite talent to compete at the elite level ..... consistently. I think the big thing about being able to do that is that your football team becomes self sustaining through that kind of momentum.

I'm not sure M will ever get there regardless of how good or not good Harbaugh is as a recruiter. There are just too many obstacles for M/Harbaugh to recruit like Alabama/Saban and other programs that have more favorable circumstances.

M is going to become a better, much better, football team but its not going to do that because it sucks up every 5 star in the country. Its going to do that because Harbaugh has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he can do a lot with not as much. That's M's strength now.

So, while osu may challenge for the play-offs consistently, every season as long as Meyer remains there and the talent pipeline is maintained, M will play good enough to to see its share of play-off appearances and wins. I'm not too worried about that and in the big picture, that's where the hope and excitement should lay NOT in whether or not some talented 17 year old football player happens to get reeled in by Jim Harbaugh.

[*JD*]

[ame]https://twitter.com/michigannews13/status/562665317466640385[/ame]

[The Oracle]

Grant Perry, 3star commits to M. Malzone's top WR at BBR. Will play slot at M.

Wayne Lyons possible 5th transfer from Stanford. Good not great player. Will probably come in and start right away though. Great size at 6-1, 193. Seemed to be better as a junior than senior.

[hack]

I wonder if that's an indication of giving up on Marshall. Damn, I really want Marshall. I care less about the others, but him and Peppers and Lewis, and if the staff can resurrect the prospects for Dymonte Thomas -- that'd be a lights-out secondary and make everything easier for everyone else on D.

Which, speaking of -- Dymonte Thomas was a pretty good HS RB. Maybe that's where he can shine here.

[Cody_Russell]

Marshall has been all USC for a week.

Funny that Michigan's class is nearly ranked higher than my Boilermakers.
If Michigan scores with Clark (I'm doubting that now) or Wheatley (likely), Michigan will jump Purdue (who has 24 commits) lol.

Just saying, Purdue is a MAC school at football when it comes to talent.

[SeattleLionsFan]

What is the story that Michigan has been telling recruits for the past two years? It's not we will get you to Sunday's. It wasn't that we can win games. Hoke's biggest selling point was always that we will take care of your sons. But for most of the past year it was obvious that he wasn't going to be able to do that.

So Harbaugh comes in a month before NSD, without much in the pipeline or any real recruiting momentum. He can't be expected to turn the ship that quick.

If he wins and if he puts players on the field on Sunday's, he will be a beast recruiter. If he doesn't win or put players in the game, well...he will be very good.

[*JD*]

A Baltimore Raven trying to help Michigan's cause:

[ame]https://twitter.com/JordanStrack/status/562706222605144064[/ame]

[drok]

What is the story that Michigan has been telling recruits for the past two years? It's not we will get you to Sunday's. It wasn't that we can win games. Hoke's biggest selling point was always that we will take care of your sons. But for most of the past year it was obvious that he wasn't going to be able to do that.

So Harbaugh comes in a month before NSD, without much in the pipeline or any real recruiting momentum. He can't be expected to turn the ship that quick.

If he wins and if he puts players on the field on Sunday's, he will be a beast recruiter. If he doesn't win or put players in the game, well...he will be very good.

That's an interesting point. Unlike UFM's situation at OSU, we basically hadn't been recruiting for 4 months...really more like 8, but I also don't want to overblow this effect. Will be interesting to see how 2016 shapes up.

[Hannibal]

Our 2014 class plus our 2015 class = 1 Auburn class.

[SeattleLionsFan]

That's an interesting point. Unlike UFM's situation at OSU, we basically hadn't been recruiting for 4 months...really more like 8, but I also don't want to overblow this effect. Will be interesting to see how 2016 shapes up.

Well and to be fair OSU was 12-1 under Tressel in 2010 and ended up #5 in the nation. Then on the eve of 2011 the poop hit the fan. Three months later UFM was hired. (And for at least a month UFM was appearing on ESPN pimping himself to every recruit in the nation "denying" that he was going to coach OSU.)

Overblow underblow I don't give a shit. I don't care who he recruits right now. Make this team tough and competitive, and the results and the recruits will improve.

[hack]

OSU was just incredibly lucky. The point that many of those flips were PSU commits at the time just compounded by the fact that there he was available at that time, and that the outcome of investigation into OSU's program was laughable, well, it's enough to make a Michigan fan disown the concept of karma. Unless something big big BIG is coming to balance things out.

[iam416]

Well, Gene Smith did manage to, in all likelihood, cost Ohio State and UFM a chance to play Notre Dame for the BCS title.

[Hannibal]

OSU was just incredibly lucky. The point that many of those flips were PSU commits at the time just compounded by the fact that there he was available at that time, and that the outcome of investigation into OSU's program was laughable, well, it's enough to make a Michigan fan disown the concept of karma. Unless something big big BIG is coming to balance things out.

To be fair, the Scientific Method should be enough to make anyone disown the concept of karma. At some level everyone knows that it is superstitious nonsense.

[iam416]

Some really interesting stuff on OSU boards. Some real "game theory" notions re Cass Tech. There's a chance tomorrow will kill off Cass Tech for OSU. Of course, when the coach is actively pushing kids to M it probably matters little.

Alabi may have to find another place to play.

[hack]

Well that's just a thing one says, and not really and truly a statement of belief in Buddhism, but yes. OSU's bunch of craven shitheads in some ways, but they've been very competent craven shitheads who found themselves in the right place at the right time to avoid the worst of punishments and transition to a new era with the guy who is probably the best coach in CFB right now. Lucky AND good.