UM Football Recruiting - by WM Wolverine

[SeattleLionsFan]

I think at one time Morris was a 4*, but due to his illness in his HS senior year he regressed to a solid 3*. He's never really regained his form since his illness. If anyone can find a way to develop him into a serviceable quarterback, it will be Jim Harbaugh. If Harbaugh gives up on him, he's toast, ... transfer bait.

I won't get into the rest of this post but this is patently false and possibly hindsight.

Shane Morris was the #4 overall pro style QB on the 247 composite. A full 20 spots ahead of John O'Korn.

http://247sports.com/Season/2013-Football/RecruitRankings?InstitutionGroup=HighSchool&Position=PRO

(Also of note Brandon peters is two spots BEHIND Messiah DeWeaver. And the GREAT KJ Costello is 6th overall (two spots behind where Morris was).

Hoke had many failings. Recruiting talented players wasn't one of them.

[Jeff Buchanan]

I think it might be interesting to know how many 4/5* QBs coming out of HS matriculated to the NFL. It might be that the QB position falls squarely into the undeniable fact that stars matter. By position group, though, that might change.

If it did change by position group, that would tend to support the argument that a coach that can scout and develop a QB (Harbaugh) is starkly different than a coach that can recruit well according to HS/pre-college entry rankings but his QBs are generally busts (Hoke).

If that is not the case, then my position with regard to the differences I see in these two coaches is not that strong.

[Da Geezer]

Speight was "chosen" by Al Borges after consultation with a California based QB guru. He was a 3*, but by committing to UM he moved to 4*. Never highly rated.

Why are we talking only about Morris, a home town boy who always wanted to come to UM and whose star rating was based on his extensive 7 on 7 play. So extensive in fact that he blamed his mono on too many QB camps. He may have been the 4th rated QB, but was that based on game play? Obviously not, because he missed his senior season.

Sorry, but to say that Hoke recruited well and then move immediately to recruiting services to prove that point, is a jump I am not willing to make. I remember one night (in early 2012 I believe) when 8 players with a 4* rating all verbally committed (a total of 32 stars for the day). Can anyone name those guys? Just the law of averages should have had provided 1-2 All-B10 players. Funches and Ryan were 3*.

No one will argue that there has been terrible player development, but to base an argument on the star system is a weak foundation. Take a look at Baylor's class.

[iam416]

I hope Harbaugh targets 3* players with that special "mettle." I really, REALLY do.

[lineygoblue]

SLF, my comment about Morris was my own opinion, and not what I believed the various recruiting services had him at. I know the recruiting services had him at either a 4* or 5*, depending on whom you want to believe.

I hope Harbaugh targets 3* players with that special "mettle." I really, REALLY do.

The coaching staff of the B1G team over in East Lansing has been doing that very thing for several years now. I'm told they are one of the best teams in the country nowadays.

[WM Wolverine]

Borges had the final call on evaluations on all QB recruits. Shane Morris was very highly regarded when he committed, hard to fault the staff on him. After Morris, I question some of M's QB targets when other QB's who were more highly thought of were very interested. I also fault Borges for those QB's lack of development.

[Jeff Buchanan]

keep in mind, were not assigning blame, we're trying to determine if Harbaugh has a significantly different approach to QB recruiting than Hoke. I still believe he does and the difference is not subtle in its style or likely impact. Only a few posters have stayed on point, talent and SLF among them.

[Optimus Prime]

2-3 years under Borges is the kiss of death, unfortunate for these kids but begins and ends with Hoke.

JH flew Wolverine1 out to Washington State to see Eason and offer. A little late in the 2016 game for early commits but honestly do you want to be groomed for the NFL by a 14 Veteran and League MVP runner up or do you want to travel across country to p!ay for GA?

Hello, does Andrew Luck readily come to mind?

http://www.aol.com/article/2014/10/22/ranking-nfl-quarterbacks-one-to-40/20982551/

[WingsFan]

Shane Morris was a 5* recruit. Period.

Not so black and white there pal.

Maybe before diagnosed with mononucleosis in High Shool he was a 5*. From his early commitment he has been nothing but disappointing. Morris dropped from the 19th-rated recruit to the 81st rated recruit after getting sick. He missed most of his senior year only to come back to soon. His last game in HS he was only 4 for 11 passing and something cleary was wrong in the Under Armour Game, which caused some to question if he even could play Division I. Sadly, I don'tsee him ever becoming a good QB at Michigan, but I have faith in Harbaugh.

That is....if he is named the starter next year.

[Optimus Prime]

Agreed. Perhaps I'm wrong but Morris had his shot and blew it. I'd like to see a Harbaugh spend his time on Malzone, Speight and especially Gentry, huge upside might be our MNC QB right there.

[iam416]

This is begging for a grave dig on Shane Morris predictions. If past performance is any indication, it ought to be fucking hilariously good.

FYI, post #2 on this thread, you dumbass hypocritical douchers:

1. Shane Morris QB (5*, Michigan)

Bolded so the bulk of you who miss the point have a fighting chance.

[Jeff Buchanan]

So, is Harbaugh substantially different than Hoke in his approach to QB recruiting? I think he is and IMO, that is going to be a difference maker going forward in terms of M's on-field performance.

I'd say no one has adequately argued otherwise, notwithstanding talent's weak arguments to the contrary in the first post following mine on that subject.

Sugar Shane may have been a 5* at some point before he came to Michigan but, by the time he showed up, that ranking was clearly in question as mentioned by several posters up thread. A good coach and recruiter would have seen that and found him a nice place on the scout team ..... permanently.

But no. Hokeorges wasted a year of DG's potential development by moving him to WR and then inserting fucking Bellomy into the mix only to face the stark reality of their dumbass decisions when he, then Morris shit the bed.

Frankly, you have to be a moron to not see that Harbaugh is not going to let that kind of thing happen for a number of reasons not the least of which is he is MUCH BETTER RECRUITER AND JUDGE OF QBs than BH could have ever hoped to be ....... and the difference is huge.

[iam416]

Keep shitting on Shane. I would have done so 3 years ago, but I would the M posters would have been outraged.

Again, just another case of M fans being soooooooooooooooo wrong.

[lineygoblue]

I don't think anyone is being unfair to Shane at all.

What I think Michigan fans have realized is that he's been over-hyped, and he may not be the QB of the future. Considering the way that Harbaugh is going after QB's, he may have seen it as well.

Which ohio QB would you be willing to trade to Michigan for Morris?

[Optimus Prime]

A Leopard cannot change its spots, we've seen enough of him to reasonably draw that conclusion.

That would be like expecting Talent to show up here later today, sane, sober, clean shaven and collegial, it's not likely to happen.