UM Football Recruiting - by WM Wolverine

[Chuck Mallory]

I would have to say right now Michigan is on par with the SEC and USC in recruiting. They are ahead of USC in rankings now according to rivals. Yes we are still missing the top end skill position talent no doubt, but a commit from Green could change that.

Top 10 at rivals:

Florida
ND
Alabama
OSU
Michigan
LSU
USC
T A&M
Georgia
FSU

I would definitely take that all day every year.

[The Oracle]

If you ain't first, you're last!!

[Hannibal]

We'll probably end up somewhat in the 7-10 range on rivals, even with a Green commit, because those SEC schools will probably get lots of commits late in the process.

[Rocky Bleier]

If you guys are correct, I'll expect Michigan to be competing for national championships within the next 5 years. I think they'll win some BT championships, but I just don't see them on par with the teams who haul in the cream of the skilled players. I am glad, however, that Hoke started building the team from the trenches. That's something his predecessor didn't seem to understand.

[hack]

Some of them bust; others don't. Some are coached up well, others not. It's just one variable.

[Rocky Bleier]

Nice article on Dan Samuelson:

http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/index.ssf/2013/01/ol_commit_dan_samuelson_michig.html#incart_river

[The Oracle]

We'll probably end up somewhat in the 7-10 range on rivals, even with a Green commit, because those SEC schools will probably get lots of commits late in the process.

Almost no chance of that happening. Almost all of those schools have 20+ commits, so if a highly rated guy commits he will be replacing usually a 3 star guy which in most cases wont be enough of a jump in total points.

Only way we end up that low is if a lot of our guys drop in the final rankings.

[iam416]

I think USC will probably sign 2 more. That will be enough to jump M.

If FSU finished really strong, they could jump M, too. And LSU is close enough that a couple big names could push them ahead even if Green signs.

I see M at somewhere in the 5-7 range under the current ratings.

[Chuck Mallory]

I'm like scouts even better top 10:

Michigan
T A&M
OSU
ND
LSU
Florida
Georgia
Alabama
USC
UCLA

[iam416]

For Scout, they'll definitely drop. Alabama, Ohio State and Notre Dame are each under 25 by at least 3 or 4 and will likely end up at 25 or higher.

[Pasadena Blue]

this is all stupid. The differences between the various recruiting services formulas have been well documented here. The reality is no formula is perfect, and the fact that the top10 can be jumbled depending on which service you look at tells you all you need to know. Basically, every one in the top 10 or so will have a chance to have a class which will TURN OUT to be the #1 class based on actual on the field performance ... what actually happens will depend on coaching/player development, luck, and certain intangibles none of the recruiting service accurately/completely measures. Worrying about whether Ohio is 4 and we're 5, or vice versa, in my opinion is stupid.

[SeattleLionsFan]

Some of them bust; others don't. Some are coached up well, others not. It's just one variable.

This.

[Jeff Buchanan]

I think we all agree on this formula:

Talent + coaching + luck = championships.

My point in the original post I made is that because of the way M recruits, M's overall talent level (esp. as that is affected by elite skill players) may be a shade below the talent required for dynasty like (Alabama, if you will, what osu wants to be, if you must) performances. i.e., you can rest assured that as long as The Nick is around, as long as the SEC recruits like it does, one can expect the Tide to make regular appearances in the play-offs. Michigan will not. They'll get there on occasion but not regularly - dynasty like. osu? We'll see. The foundation (both the good part and the shady part) are there for that program to compete with the Bamas of the CFB world.

I'm not taking a cheap shot at osu here ..... it's pretty clear though that there is a culture there of taking every possible advantage of the rule book and exploiting every opportunity there is to gain a leg up on the competition for HS talent. i.e., meyer knows how to play the game like Saban and most of the rest of the SEC. He cut his teeth and earned his stripes there. IMO, the only thing keeping osu at a disadvantage relative to the Alabamas is the Big's signing rules. Therefore, osu will need a little more luck and a littel better coaching along the way. That is certainly possible.

[DennisT]

Recruiting metrics are fuzzy numbers. Just being in the top ten conversation two years running is good enough for me.

Like the Samuelson article. Good job by Dileo.

Question to whoever would know. In a couple of years, are they likely to rotate all these o linemen in and out to spread playing time and keep them fresh? Or rotate them in and out based on pass versus run situations? Or is it likely to be a constant top 5 with the rest filling in for injuries or garbage time?

[Chuck Mallory]

I'm certainly not worried about where Michigan is Pasadena, I trust Michigan's coaches. It does give you an indicator where your program stands as far as raw talent that is being brought in.