UM Football Recruiting - by WM Wolverine

[hack]

If Shallman can play, Harbaugh will figure out where, and get him on the field. But first he has to stay healthy.

[Hannibal]

Yeah.

Those TEs though -- what an embarrassment of riches. Too bad there's only one ball.

[Da Geezer]

any idea yet on how big the class will be? I don't recall seeing Higdon in the Spring game.

[iam416]

WM has said it will be be a full class, but not oversized like last year's.

So, go with 25 +/- 2.

[Jeff Buchanan]

It'll be 25-27 the higher end depending on attrition .......

Speaking of which and relevant to concerns about too many TEs or RBs or whatever position that looks fat, Harbaugh is recruiting at a different level than any of his predecessors at M.

My view is that he has taken a realistic and pragmatic approach to recruiting and assessing player development both before a recruit hits campus and during his early months in the football program.

The HS football players that have the skills and size to potentially play in the NFL and accordingly are being pursued by major CFB programs have little interest in attending college and more in prepping for the NFL draft. Recently, as CFB has evolved into high priced sports entertainment, the entire recruiting landscape is changing.

As much as we might wish for the concept of the student athlete and the higher goal of educating this group of kids, that is definately a lower priority goal. Higher up is winning. You win by bringing football talent into your program not great students athletes (M admission standards not withstanding). Harbaugh understands this.

We might look down our noses at the recruiting and thinning of a class tactics used by Saban and most of the SEC but doing that and doing it both fairly and we'll have become the norm for dominant CFB programs. That Harbaugh appears to be doing that (stacking players by position) to an extent is probably not something we should be complaining about.

[WM Wolverine]

Tons of TE's/FB's but JH uses them as much as anyone. Khalid Hill is a FB or was suppose to move there earlier in the spring... Shallman and Davis are big RB's, at least for now. Shallman should move to TE/FB as I don't see him getting carries. Davis I think is capable of staying at RB...

Samuels film wasn't too impressive, he's got near elite speed. Plenty explosive but the competition he played was awful and was able to simply outrun most defenders. Showed good footwork, balance, vision the rare times he was running between the tackles. He's rated about where he belongs (barely a 4-star)...

M (recruiting) offensively really only needs a couple blue chip OT's and a couple top 100 overall WR's and I'd be satisfied.

Oracle - M isn't going to out recruit Ohio State in '17 if that's your bet, I hope that isn't your bet as M chances of catching them are close to zero.

[iam416]

That's the bet.

[WM Wolverine]

smh. Just pay-up right now, Oracle. Even if Urban gets caught banging a cheerleader, I think Ohio State is safely going to be ahead of M. Meyer has built Ohio State into a machine that M is a year or three away from being able to recruit near that level. I don't see that machine slowing down anytime either.

I'd have possibly made a bet that M would have a top 5 class or better in '16 but Ohio State going forward is nearly guaranteed a top 2-3 recruiting class.

[The Oracle]

Hey, I admitted when I made the bet the odds are way in Talent's favor. I also knew we'd have big #s and they would not and that would be my only out. Still early, but not looking good.

Just good, honest, fair competition to make the cycle more interesting....and I'll just send Talent's 6er right back to him(if I ever get it!).

[iam416]

A big if. Heh.

Numbers are/were way Oracle wins. UFM will have to undertake massive roster management to go more than 15-16. However, even at 17-18, they should be at 280-290.

[WM Wolverine]

Class size is the only way you have a chance Oracle, M will need to land 26+ and Ohio less than 17. JH is content taking too many 3-star types early.

[Pasadena Blue]

Hey, I admitted when I made the bet the odds are way in Talent's favor. I also knew we'd have big #s and they would not and that would be my only out. Still early, but not looking good.

Just good, honest, fair competition to make the cycle more interesting....and I'll just send Talent's 6er right back to him(if I ever get it!).

suggest Talent not send it over to avoid bi-directional shipping charges.

I would have bet instead that we would have a top 10 class again, which may be reachable.

I'd rather bet that Urbz outrecruits JH every year while the two are at their respective schools. Given that Talent has made it clear that Urbz is at least as good if not better developer of talent than JH, I presume Talent is predicting an O-state win every year.

[iam416]

Nah. There will be occasional years where an experience deficit is too much.

Moreover, JH will have M at a comparable level in most years. The odds of a team winning two games in a row where it is a 60% favorite in each is only 36%.

Anyway, back to M recruiting.

[Wellington_beefhouser]

Lots of crootin left to go...

[edindetroit]

Lots of crootin left to go...

I never ends.