UM Football Recruiting - by WM Wolverine

[Jeff Buchanan]

........Plus side is Buchanan's nonsense concerns about 2019 were egged almost immediately.

If it's going to be as good as M fans seems to think it is, then it needs to be closer to 9 or 10.

First, the comment I made that is controversial is that you cannot be enamored with Harbaugh's recruiting trajectory. TBF, in my analysis it may be a stretch to carry that trajectory out to 2019 when we really don't know how that class will end up.

But the point was that for his trajectory to change, he has to close on more top 100 guys in that class than he has in his first three classes. It seems that the consensus here is that he needs to get 9+ recruits in this category to contend for championships.

I don't know why the point I made appears to make no sense in that you are saying pretty much exactly what I am saying, if I'm reading your posts correctly. Harbaugh's recruiting has been good but it's not good enough, to date, to consistently contend for CFB playoff spots/NCs.

If he doesn't land those 9+ Top 100 players you speak off in 2019 and continue to build on that kind of talent haul, I'd argue my point stands. OTH, as Hanni offers, if all M fans want is to beat osu and then go on to win impressively a couple times over a 20y time span, than HARBAUGHH!! has met every expectation both in advancing the program and in recruiting.

[*JD*]

Cameron McGrone to Michigan.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Right ...... I used osu, Alabama and probably FSU/Clemson out of the ACC that M has to get through to win championships either at the conference or national level.

I have a pretty good feel for how M is doing v osu and you just confirmed the numbers. I don't know that kind of detail re Alabama, Clemson or FSU.

The whole point of my post that prompted Oracle's comments was that flat or downward, it's not upward. Upward is where it needs to be for M to compete with these teams. So, I kinda resent Oracle's comments that suggested that the comment I made is dumb. I've got no problem with yours because I get the sass. Doesn't bother me. I'm also pretty sure Hannibal knew exactly where I was going with my initial post that prompted this entire discussion.

[iam416]

"The" Oracle has been a thorn in the side of right-thinking, morally decent humanity for eons. He's certainly challenged and possibly surpassed "The" Wizard as the single biggest pox upon the interwebs.

[Detroit Dan]

Critics of the mgoblog homers, did you read the writeup of Oliver Martin today? Are any of Ohio's 5* recruits as good as he is?

Also, Daniel Faalele will be one of the better 3* gets.

Is it just me and my mgoblog glasses, or is Michigan pulling some real gems from the ranks of the 3 and 4 stars?

[Jeff Buchanan]

........Is it just me and my mgoblog glasses, or is Michigan pulling some real gems from the ranks of the 3 and 4 stars?

I read the mgoblog stuff; the features are ok. Some think it's useless fluff. My view is there are worthwhile things there, you just have to sift to find it ..... not unlike most journalism.

I do think that polishing rocks has potential but it is greatly overrated as a means of assessing the competitiveness of a CFB team. Every meaningful and reliable measure of a team's competitiveness relies to a significant extent on the level of talent on that team.

So, yeah, stars assigned by the recruiting services and rankings by position and overall are a big deal. Polished rocks? Not so much.

[hack]

We might be. Way too early to tell. Agree that it's not a plan though. Recruiting has to improve. It's not been a disappointment, but still has to improve.

[WM Wolverine]

There is nothing wrong with M's recruiting.

The only issue is Harbaugh is playing catch-up and competing against the best coach in CFB whose the best recruiter in CFB in UfM.

[WM Wolverine]

M might've given Sammy Faustin S the green light to commit, he's been on-and-off my recruiting board because I mostly believed he was a Plan B. Not sure how many DB's M will take.

[The Oracle]

There is nothing wrong with M's recruiting.

The only issue is Harbaugh is playing catch-up and competing against the best coach in CFB whose the best recruiter in CFB in UfM.

Seriously. Goddamn.

[WM Wolverine]

For those of you worried about Harbaugh's recruiting, I'd recommend you wait till you see the '16 & '17 class in action this upcoming season and see the results on the field. Insiders are saying the underclassman are far more talented than the group who just graduated and it's not really even close. Many of the recruits who people groaned when they committed are solidly in the 2-deep or even starting.

The group that graduated in '16 didn't have a great season but they were really close to playing in the CFB/B1G title game; 3 losses decided by 2 points and a referee spotting a first down in overtime.

[iam416]

Yeah, they're full of inexperienced talent. This is the last season that 2014 and 2015 will impact the roster. Going forward they're not going to really have holes. Kids will get a year in the program and then step in and then go pro. Far cry from slew of experience they had last year.

[Detroit Dan]

So, yeah, stars assigned by the recruiting services and rankings by position and overall are a big deal. Polished rocks? Not so much. [Jeff Buchanan]

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree, or wait and see. Does anybody dispute that 5* ratings are often conferred upon recruits because they are polished? And that 3* from smaller programs, or who are late bloomers, can and often do become the equals of 5* after a few years in the program?

Nothing against Jabril Peppers, for example, but he was no Jourdan Lewis in terms of impact upon the Michigan program. He only played 3 years, missed 2 bowl games because of injury in addition to most of his freshman year. We'd all prefer to recruit Jabril Peppers ahead of Jourdan Lewis, but it frequently doesn't turn out not to be THAT BIG a difference.

Admittedly that is just one anecdote, and Talent can probably provide some numbers to show that it's an anomaly. But what if there are some coaches who really can and do do a better job of evaluating talent than the recruiting services?

But perhaps it's just my mgoblog glasses. When I read that Oliver Martin has the 2nd highest SPARQ score of any wide receiver in the class, and that he got reviews like this after competing in "The Opening", which seems to be filled with 5* :

simply one of the best players in the entire 7on7 Tournament. … burned guys across the middle, down the field and toward the sidelines on corner routes. … By the end of the weekend, he was the talk of the camp.

"…one of the day's true pleasant surprises. … snagged double-digit catches on the day including multiple first downs, a 15-yard touchdown on a corner route, and he shook five-star linebacker Dylan Moses on a quick pass." Also: "…fantastic performances in 7-on-7 play. … one of the top receivers in the country … superb route runner with excellent hands."

"…one of the best receivers in this entire class. He was the steadiest pass catcher of the event. … He's a freaky athlete with a crazy ceiling."

It's hard to worry about the stars. Who does Ohio State have to compare to this guy? And he may be our 4th most highly rated wide receiver this class.

Similar story on the DLine. Don't sweat the stars. They are just the beginning in terms of evaluating recruiting success...

[Detroit Dan]

http://michigan.247sports.com/Season...otball/Commits

#12 (overall) -- Donovan Peoples-Jones
#118 -- Tarik Black
#135 -- Nico Collins
#176 -- Oliver Martin

[hack]

There is nothing wrong with M's recruiting.

The only issue is Harbaugh is playing catch-up and competing against the best coach in CFB whose the best recruiter in CFB in UfM.

And, since this is our main rival, therefore, recruiting has to improve. Or we have to start getting some of those reffing crews they get.