UM Football Recruiting - by WM Wolverine

[hack]

Some really interesting stuff on OSU boards. Some real "game theory" notions re Cass Tech.

Like?

[iam416]

I edited my post. Basically it's been floated that UFM may tell Cass to F off and pull Alabi's offer if Wilcher manages to push Weber to M. If he does that, then CT is off of OSU's radar. There's no need to keep take up a spot with a marginal player in that case. And there's wisps of smoke that Alabi won't be sending is LOI to OSU.

[hack]

Hmm. Why do that? How would Wilcher suffer from it and how would OSU benefit? Wouldn't it be to your advantage to, if it happens, take the high road and continue to challenge Michigan for Cass Tech players? Sounds more like possible face saving.

[SeattleLionsFan]

If UFM fucked over Alabi because he is pouting about a high school kids decision (and his coach) fuck him. That's some real bullshit.

[Da Geezer]

So, if I understand you correctly, if Weber recommits to UM after being flipped by OSU, UFM will take it out on Weber's buddy Alabi and pull Alabi's scholarship. That is surely treating Alabi like a piece of meat, useful only for blackmail. The purest form of SEC thinking.

I'll just bet Harbaugh will be able to find a scholarship for a 300 lb strong-side defensive end, assuming Alabi can get into UM academically.

[iam416]

Like I said, it's just a theory being floated around based on almost nothing. It's last-minute recruiting craziness.

I will say Alabi is, IMO, probably their weakest recruit. He didn't really do jack this season to get better. If he were another kid from another school he probably would have been told to look elsewhere.

[The Oracle]

So if Michigan ends with Jefferson, Clark and Weber is it a good day? I'd say so.

Edit: MSU and UM both we're meh towards Alabi. Pretty clear Erb just wanted to get a stronghold on the school.

[hack]

Sure, though I'm stuck on Marshall. If we miss out on Clark there's still Butt and Bunting and the chance at the top TEs next year. Which I guess is true for CB too, but one this good to pair with Peppers is just such an enticing vision. I'm holding out for the long-shot there.

Talent that sounds like sour grapes and spin. Which, if JH has done his job in state, might be a reasonable thing to do in a bigger picture sense. It's shitty to do to Alabi, or perhaps it's a good excuse to drop a recruit you're not enthralled with, but nobody put ``be a good person'' in the job description.

[iam416]

IMO, if Wilcher did what I think we all know he did with Weber, then I'd cut him out. I think the job of a HS coach is to get your kids the best offers possible and let them decide. I know Ted Ginn Sr is a big OSU fan, but he never really pushed his kids to OSU and he always made them hold off until late in the process to keep coaches coming back with the hope they'd see other kids. If Wilcher is just going to push all his kids to M, eh, whatever. Adios.

I'd probably honor Alabi's verbal, but he'll find a spot regardless. It's big boy recruiting and UFM's numbers are tight. IMO, Alabi would have been told to look elsewhere a long time ago. Hell, they told Josh Moore to do it at the end of November.

[hack]

I don't know what he did. What did he do?



I know Ted Ginn Sr is a big OSU fan, but he never really pushed his kids to OSU and he always made them hold off until late in the process to keep coaches coming back with the hope they'd see other kids.

Yes, that sounds prudent.

[iam416]

Wilcher was extremely active in getting Weber to reconsider M.

[hack]

EXTREME ACTION? GOOD HEAVENS!!!

OK, srsly, I see your point. Did he do that with Webb? Or is he a Harbaugh guy? Still, wouldn't it be wiser to take Alabi, take the high road, and make JH sweat just a little bit on those Cass Tech kids? For now, sure, you can save face. Weber seems to have become a Poland for Germany and Russia to fight over, maybe more publicly than Dymonte Thomas was when Meyer tried to flip him. But, long term, everybody forgets that stuff and you're the defending national champ and why screw over a kid? Don't burn a bridge, even if it's a shitty one, right?

That said, I don't know where the line is between ``extremely active'' and providing counsel and mentorship to your kids. Maybe Wilcher has his reasons -- maybe he, like me and many others, genuinely do believe that Michigan stresses an ethical approach and, though it doesn't succeed every time, does so most of the time and that's good, particularly in comparison to a school willing to make another kid collateral damage. I just don't know. Just saying. Weber seems to be a kid that doesn't have a dog in the fight. He didn't seem to love us, then he committed. He obviously doesn't love OSU. Maybe he's particularly in need of an adult to help him think about it. Maybe Wilcher's taking the heat so his player doesn't have to. Dunno.

[iam416]

Eh, from OSU's perspective, Wilcher burnt the bridge. OSU will still try to recruit elite CT kids -- Peoples-Jones (or whatever his hyphenated name is), but they know they can't do it through the coach or trust the coach or deal with the coach in any way.

CAVEAT -- if any of this message board crap is true! They could take Alabi tomorrow and all of this would look silly.

[hack]

Wilcher isn't gonna suffer whereas OSU very well could. Wilcher doesn't seem like he has a bridge to burn. OSU seems like it loses out here more than Wilcher does.

[iam416]

The other thing Weber did -- and I'm almost sure this was intentional -- was continue to tell UFM and OSU he's coming. Up until tomorrow at 10am. Effectively eliminating any chance OSU had for a Plan B.

LJ Scott was interested in visiting OSU several weeks ago (after Narduzzi left) and OSU told him no, they were sticking with Weber. So, yeah.

Big boy recruiting.