UM Football Recruiting - by WM Wolverine

[SeattleLionsFan]

While I disagree that Harbaugh has been an unmitigated disaster, it does seem like he's lost a little fire in his belly, at least from what we've seen publicly. Less effort on recruiting. Less competition with other coaches,etc. and what appears to be a real complacency with subpar coaches and a lack of meritocracy in that regard.

I hope he gets it back, because otherwise I'm afraid he's caught the Michigan malaise instead of fixing it.

[hack]

The whole ``doesn't care on the sideline anymore" thing is interesting. Can you really go from that fired up to that composed? Was it always all acting? I have no idea and will never know enough to know.

[hack]

Do we know it's less effort on recruiting? He did his thing for NPF having bowl practices at IMG, for example. Tackles just aren't coming here. Jeff has that one right -- they're not seeing what they need to see from the OL coaching.

[paul daugherity]

"Michigan malaise"

This really captures it. When he was hired, it was unamiously believed to be a great, home run hire. NFL teams were after him. And yet here we are after 3 years, with nothing won/accomplished, and a season where the offense looked beyond dysfunctional. It is mind-boggling. I don't think anyone predicted the way his tenure has gone.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Unmitigated disaster is a bit of a reach, IMO.

But what appears to be happening to the M football program under his leadership is troubling.

The problem we have as fans is that we really cannot know what is actually happening with the coaching staff, with players, with the development of schemes and plays. What we do know is 8-5 in 2017 and all the bad losses. What we also see is that M is consistently losing out on Top 100 recruits. Then we have that fuck-stick talent around to rub it in ...... Fuck osu.

I think it is pretty well established that without talent - not the fuck-stick I referred to above but rather Top 100 recruits - it's tough to win championships. So, unless Harbaugh has the kind of skills to spot talent and develop it like Dantonio does at MSU and Cryst does at Wisconsin, Michigan football is going to fall to 3rd tier in the Big.

At the start of the 2015 season, the finish of the 2016 season, I never thought I'd be typing this kind of well, obituary, for M football. Tragic is what it is but the evidence that JH can win CFB championships for M is not encouraging.

As I said about a month ago, Warde Manuel should be very concerned about what appears to be writing on the wall. No one is going to pay top dollar to watch M football teams get consistently beaten by its rivals and, in general, look totally outclassed on the field by a rapidly improving Big Ten from top to bottom. 2018 is a make or break year for Harbaugh. M either surprises the shit out of fans like me in 2018 or performs on a par with the shit-stain he was responsible for in 2017.

[Rocky Bleier]

Hopefully this counts as hitting bottom. JH needs to do a rethink.

He seems to have rethought his approach to recruiting. He has suddenly decided to pay more attention to the state of Michigan. I also think he may be trying to buildup the walk-on program. Sounds like the Wisconsin model.

[iam416]

The problem is that it hasn't been unmitigated success. And those were the expectations (by and large).

His body of work is way more encouraging than discouraging even if the past 4 months have been awful.

Coaching-wise, the big blip, IMO, is OL-play. I don't really blame him too much for the QB play last season. I also think there's fair questions to be asked about whether his offensive objectives are realistic viable for the college game.

Recruiting-wise, he is what he is. He was an unproven recruiter (IMO) when he came to M. I said it then and I think, over time, we're seeing that he's good, but not great. His problem is that fanbase expectations require him to be great. You can take a look at his own division, first and foremost, and then take a look at what Alabama and Clemson do every year and, perhaps most pointedly -- what Kirby is doing at Georgia (his first 3 classes will rank #3, #1 and, if I had to bet on 2019 -- #1).

If he had come along right after LLLLLLLoyd it's an entirely different conference and a far, far easier competitive landscape -- I mean, think about it -- M started off in a division split away from OSU and PSU. Instead the East is a monster and the elite programs are even scarier.

So, if it's championships you're after then 2017 is a really tough pill to swallow because you know the margin of error is so slim these days.

Meh. I should just sit back and enjoy the obit writing.

[hack]

M either surprises the shit out of fans like me in 2018 or performs on a par with the shit-stain he was responsible for in 2017.

I'll be more surprised with the latter. I think we'll see a much better team next year, with or without Patterson. Not convinced it'll be a playoff team, but I think things will start to make more sense again.

[Hannibal]

Then we have that fuck-stick talent around to rub it in ...... Fuck osu.

Talent doesn't even rub it in anymore, which shows you how far we have fallen. As I said somehwere else in the forum, my kids and Talent's kids are going to wonder why old people make such a big deal out of UM vs. OSU. It's a dead rivalry.

[iam416]

That's true, I try keep my direct sass of M to the tumbleweed hinterlands of beloved Paul's thread.

However, I do best to remain a fuck-stick with regard to all other topcis on all other threads.

Finally, my son doesn't wonder why I make such a big deal of OSU-M -- he's been schooled. He does, however, think Sparty is bigger threat to OSU.

[WingsFan]

That right, there is a generation now who doesn't understand.

I don't care what you say Talent, its not much fun going on two decades of total domination of a once rivalry.

[hack]

This is gonna seriously diminish mgoblog. It appears to lack the capacity to cope.

[WingsFan]

Well nothing gets pollyanna hack down

[Jeff Buchanan]

This is gonna seriously diminish mgoblog. It appears to lack the capacity to cope.

I've not even looked at most of the posting there today. Some, but not with any seriousness.

But, I agree with this. As far as football is concerned, there are better places for football news than mgo right now. It's going to be interesting to see if Brian stays. It will be a useless blog if he moves on. Most of the good analysis and commentary revolve around him.

[WingsFan]

Michigan's rough morning a reminder of Jim Harbaugh's reality

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/university-michigan/wolverines/2018/02/07/michigan-football-recruiting-national-signing-day-2018/315098002/