Monday Recruitin' Still Uses Word
Well, crap, I guess I should probably do one of these.
Goodbye: Chris Clark
— Chris Clark (@Clark8Chris) December 2, 2014
Mere moments after the announcement of Brady Hoke's dismissal, four-star 2015 TE commit Chris Clark decommitted in a move that came as little surprise. In talking to The Wolverine's Brandon Brown, he gave the impression Michigan is pretty unlikely to regain his commitment ($):
"I'm still interested in Michigan but it kind of just depends on the impression the new coach makes on me," he said. "I'll be honest, it's probably going to be pretty tough but we will see. I just really have to see who the new coach is going to be and what coaches are going to be on his staff.
North Carolina, the school Clark originally committed to, is among four other programs vying for his services, along with Texas, UCLA, and USC. Providing a small ray of hope, Clark said he'd like to take one of his official visits to Ann Arbor, and his recruitment should extend until Signing Day or close to it.
[Hit THE JUMP for the rest of the roundup, including updates on Kinnel, Cole, the 2016 commits, and Wheatley.]
Still Waiting: Tyree Kinnel, Brian Cole
Four-star safety commit Tyree Kinnel is in heavy contact with Notre Dame these days, taking an official visit to South Bend over the weekend and then hosting a couple Irish coaches for an in-home. Afterward, Kinnel laid out his next moves for Scout's Dave Berk ($):
“It was definitely different,” he said. “Notre Dame is more unique in the way they do things and the way the campus is set up. I didn’t expect it to be so different, but it’s different in a good way.”
While fans of the Irish may have wished for Kinnel to make a quick decision and pledge Irish over the weekend, he’s got things to think about first.
“I’m taking an official visit to Michigan State on the 16th of January,” he said. “I’ve also thought about going to West Virginia on the 20th. But I feel that is going to be kind of late and the Michigan State visit is pushing it too.”
There's still a decent chance Kinnel remains in Michigan's class, but contact with the program has been intermittent due to the coaching change.
Based on his father's discussions with Sam Webb, it seems like Brian Cole will stick, if for no other reason than he still expects to enroll early and doesn't seem to have a backup plan:
“We’re still waiting to see who ends up in Michigan,” Coles’ father said. “Hopefully we’ll know sooner rather than later. With no coach in place we have no idea what the plan is.”
“We want the opportunity to sit down and talk to the coach. That’s an important piece.”
Webb also mentioned that all Michigan's new coach should have to do to keep Cole is "assure Cole that he will have a chance to compete for an impactful role on offense," which shouldn't be too hard to do for an athlete of his caliber.
The winter semester begins on January 7th; ideally, M will have a coach in place at least a few days before then, and with San Francisco's elimination from the NFL playoffs as of yesterday it would be quite the surprise if that were not the case.
2016 Commits Remain Such
2016 four-star OT commit Erik Swenson told Scout's Allen Trieu he remains committed to Michigan, though his qualifier is somewhat ominous:
"Maybe a little bit," he responded when asked if anything has changed. "I'll maybe look at other schools, but it's still Michigan for now."
Which other schools have been in contact?
"A lot. Basically the whole country. People were preparing for bowl games, but some will be in soon."
Four-star QB commit Messiah deWeaver is in wait-and-see mode, per Scout's Bill Greene:
"I understand the business side of things, and I'm still committed to Michigan," he insisted. "I will sit and talk with my parents about this obviously, but I'm going to wait and see who Michigan hires and see if I fit in with what they want to do on offense. I'm going to wait and see who they hire, just like everyone else is. I'm looking forward to meeting and building a relationship with the new coaching staff."
DeWeaver has added offers from Michigan State, Indiana, and Penn State since Hoke's firing.
Off The Board?
Four-star 2015 DC CB Marcus Lewis, once a top Michigan target, named a top three of Kentucky, Miami (YTM), and Washington State, per Rivals' Adam Friedman ($).
Five-star CA CB Iman Marshall, meanwhile, seems to be on the verge of replacing his long-planned Michigan official with one to Alabama after he pulled in an offer from the Tide, per Rivals' Adam Gorney ($):
Marshall will take his first official visit this weekend to Notre Dame. Trips to LSU and Oklahoma are also planned and the five-star cornerback has set his trip to Florida State for Jan. 16.
His fifth trip is still undecided. The uncertain Michigan coaching situation could open up a free weekend for Marshall to get to Tuscaloosa but nothing is settled yet.
Marshall's father called Alabama "a big, big offer." Always a longshot, he's obviously more of one now.
While this would likely change in the event of a big-name hire, four-star NY ATH Tyrone Wheatley Jr. isn't saying much about Michigan. The header to this Scout article mentions a potential official to Ann Arbor, but there's not a single word of the Wolverines in the actual post, which covers a very good visit to USC and Wheatley's future visit plans ($):
After the recruiting dead period Wheatley still plans on taking more official visits before focusing in on a limited number of programs.
“I have a visit set up for Alabama, and then I’ll go to UCLA or Oregon after that” said Wheatley.
We'll see how this unfolds once Michigan gets a coach in place; Wheatley would hopefully—almost certainly—be one of the first calls when the new guy looks to fill out the class.
Another Route?
Tennessee announced yesterday that three current freshmen plan to transfer:
Tight end Daniel Helm, defensive end Dewayne Hendrix and running back Derrell Scott have decided to transfer from Tennessee.
Coach Butch Jones said after Sunday's practice that the three freshmen would be looking to continue their careers at other schools. Jones said ''We thank them for everything they have given to Tennessee and wish them the best in moving forward.''
Helm is the most interesting name to watch here; a former four-star tight end prospect from Illinois, he had very strong interest in Michigan before his ultimate commitment to the Vols. If (when) Michigan is scrambling to get a class together late in the cycle, they could do a whole lot worse than adding him to the roster, even though he'd have to sit out a season.
Hendrix could also be one to keep an eye on; a fellow Illinois four-star, he got a hard look from Michigan but didn't reel in a scholarship offer from the Wolverines the first time around. At 6'4, 275 pounds, he'd be a nice guy to stash on the roster at DE.
Goodbye Goodbye: Mike Weber
Welp.
December 15th, 2014 at 3:31 PM ^
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December 15th, 2014 at 3:45 PM ^
AS WELL
December 15th, 2014 at 9:01 PM ^
YOUR FRITOS ARE MINE, MOTHERFUCKERS!
December 16th, 2014 at 5:18 AM ^
December 15th, 2014 at 3:33 PM ^
December 15th, 2014 at 3:39 PM ^
Mike Weber will be back if we get Harbaugh.
December 15th, 2014 at 6:06 PM ^
I am really beginning to hope that Harbaugh comes in and poaches recruits from MSU and OSU. Dantonio, especially, seems to have offered every single Michigan commit from this cycle as soon as it became obvious Hoke was gone.
One thing for sure: if it is Harbaugh, hatred won't be a one way street in either rivalry anymore.
December 15th, 2014 at 8:14 PM ^
but I am pretty condifent either Harbaugh or Miles will fill up this class with talent by February and keep most of the talent we already have. Please make it so, Mr. Hackett. My rapt attention to Mgoblog will continue well into the New Year it seems.
December 15th, 2014 at 3:39 PM ^
seeing Penn State snatch up the #1 JUCO OT this past weekend, also seeing the 2015 recruiting class dissolving before our eyes, and uncertainty around our new coach (ok, so it's gonna be Harbaugh...), I start to again wonder if we can fill some last minute slots with quality JUCO's ourselves...strictly in the event Harbaugh is unable to get ALL the 5-stars, of course!
December 15th, 2014 at 3:54 PM ^
Isn't the problem that UofM doesn't take many transfers, period? Forget about football, they don't take many "regular" students from other schools who want to apply and transfer credits. The reason is that they don't accept many credits when transferring. Is that still a thing?
As opposed to a school like MSU, where in my day anyone who didn't get in could just enroll in Lansing Community College for a semester or two, apply and get in to EL. Again, this for non-athletes.
December 15th, 2014 at 4:12 PM ^
but the Ty Isaac transfer made me more optimistic that times might be a changin'...JUCO is a bit different than a transfer, of course...but still - don't like seeing a former 4* go over to that scumbag at that school in Happy Valley.
December 15th, 2014 at 5:56 PM ^
December 15th, 2014 at 6:58 PM ^
But if the JUCO xfer is a solid academic performer and has some other feature that the school upticks for (historically disadvantaged, etc) the door is pretty wide open based on available slots in the school of their declared major. As a junior xfer, you gotta have that major declared to even get a look. Nonetheless, LSA should have several slots open each fall for an upperclasser due to attrition. So it comes down to academic performance and quality of course credits reviewed for xfer. An "A" in psych, good, a "B" in racquetball, not so much.
December 15th, 2014 at 3:43 PM ^
So he wrote his decomittment letter in Word, snapped a picture with his phone, then tweeted it? I don't know what the kids are doing these days, but back in my day we used screenshots.
December 15th, 2014 at 3:44 PM ^
but just didn't execute.
#TarHeelsWillWriteMyPapersAnyways
December 15th, 2014 at 4:02 PM ^
but twitter has the character limit obviously.
To do a screenshot and tweet it out, he'd have to type it up, do a screenshot either by print screen or something like snagit (do macs have a snipping tool type feature?), then save that picture, then log into twitter on his laptop, and upload that picture.
It's at least 5 unique steps to share that way.
His way is roughly 2-3. Type it up, pull up twitter on phone, hit the photo button and snap picture, done. Not as pretty, but quicker and more efficient I'd say.
December 15th, 2014 at 6:33 PM ^
December 15th, 2014 at 6:45 PM ^
Yeah, there is an app called Grab that comes with OSX - allows full screen, window or selection captures
December 15th, 2014 at 5:00 PM ^
... never actually tweeted from a desktop before.
December 15th, 2014 at 6:35 PM ^
Because there are ways to copy and paste long messages into a tweet, I'm surprised that Chris Clark apparently didn't know that the 140-character limit on Twitter can be overcome by using TwitLonger.
I've also used TinyURL.com for reducing the character size of links posted into tweets.
December 15th, 2014 at 3:44 PM ^
If we get Harbaugh, none of this matters. I'd just hold off on doing these till he's announced as the head coach.
December 15th, 2014 at 3:46 PM ^
My thought exactly. We can afford a down year in recruiting if it means getting Jim, but even then, I think Jim would be able to salvage a good class in 2015. Getting a good and proven coach is way more important than a bunch of unproven high school kids.
December 15th, 2014 at 3:49 PM ^
December 15th, 2014 at 4:34 PM ^
CC: Glen Mason.
His wife passes the James Franklin test.
December 15th, 2014 at 3:52 PM ^
But if sounds like he doesn't want to play here! So, best of luck where ever you play.
December 15th, 2014 at 3:53 PM ^
December 15th, 2014 at 4:41 PM ^
Corel WordPerfect.
December 15th, 2014 at 5:22 PM ^
Classic.
December 15th, 2014 at 6:23 PM ^
WordPerfect is like a mix b/w Apple and Windows - total ease of use and intuitive yet still works on a PC. I miss that stuff.
December 15th, 2014 at 3:56 PM ^
Probably because it came with a duffel bag full of cash.
December 15th, 2014 at 3:57 PM ^
It sounds like he's still leaving the door open for us if we hire the right guy.
December 15th, 2014 at 4:04 PM ^
In "This week in former recruits" Kirkland Jr just committed to TN.
At least it's not ND. /silverlinings
December 15th, 2014 at 4:06 PM ^
That's a good letter, and speaks well of him.
Rob
December 15th, 2014 at 4:06 PM ^
The hits just keep on coming....
December 15th, 2014 at 4:17 PM ^
I'm happy in Cole sticks. He's going to be REALLY good at Michigan. They need playmakers at WR. He and Harris along with Canteen in the slot. That could be fun to watch in a few years...or even next year.
December 15th, 2014 at 4:18 PM ^
Harbaugh signing can't happen fast enough. Hackett is willing to take a hit on recruiting this year and wait to until Harbaugh is ready. I find it odd that Harbaugh would not say anything if he was not headed to Ann Arbor.
December 16th, 2014 at 9:47 AM ^
How do you know he hasn't?
December 15th, 2014 at 4:19 PM ^
coach on or near the first of the year, our recruiting will turn around quite a bit - at least to the point where it's a solid, small class. Then, we go out and get an awesome class in 2016. For now, we keep taking these hits. Hopefully, we've reached rock bottom now and it will start getting better again.
December 15th, 2014 at 4:23 PM ^
December 15th, 2014 at 4:22 PM ^
with the coaching change still undetermined. Until that is resolved leakage will continue. Hopefully, the new hire will give a burst of impetus to the entire program and revive the drive for a decent recruiting class with some of the lost boys returned to the fold. We shall see. Dwelling on attrition at this point seems like a waste of time. Kids are gonna do what they are gonna do, and there is nothing to do about it.
December 15th, 2014 at 4:23 PM ^
but nothing is official until that fax comes through on signing day. This has happened to us before after a coaching announcment. It still sends a negative message about the program being de-committed from.
With that being said, would like to get a "big name" hire to get some of these kids to flip in our favor.
December 15th, 2014 at 4:34 PM ^
Fucking Ohio State. I hope one of Jim's first orders of business is a straight-up dick punch to Urban in the form of a top recruit snatched out of Glenville or St Ignatius.
December 15th, 2014 at 4:42 PM ^
R E L A X.
Nothing is over until early February. A top flight coach (ok, Harbaugh) will be able to get back in and see these kids in order to make an impression. As has been mentioned many times, this class will be small, so he should be able to focus on a group of highly rated players and get solid commitments. Note that a lot of these kids don't rule out Michigan, they just want to see who the next coach is. If I'm a parent of one of these kids, I'm telling my son to keep his options open, it is the pragmatic thing to do.
December 15th, 2014 at 5:09 PM ^
he has to do whats best for him. Thats the (bottom) line.
December 15th, 2014 at 5:29 PM ^
December 15th, 2014 at 5:52 PM ^
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December 15th, 2014 at 6:43 PM ^
A giant fierce ray that blew thru town incinerating all in its wake, leaving despair and anxiety.
That kind of sunshine.
I'm sure it's nothing to be concerned with though..for they say all will be cured when Harbaugh walks forth.
This whole search drama is rising to epic biblical proportions. All levels of destruction wrought and only one true Savior can tame the oceans, recommit the decommitted, and shower us with the mannah of wins and chamionships.
Do they make fur-lined khaki robes? Someone needs to commission the "M" jeweled crown (with headset attachment) asap.
December 15th, 2014 at 6:49 PM ^
We are lucky this class is projected to be small so scholarships can be banked for 2016. Once our next coach is hired he can recruit the to the standard we need and not have to take fliers on marginal prospects.
December 15th, 2014 at 8:09 PM ^
convincing him that an athlete of his caliber will have a chance to compete in our recieving corps should not be a problem. Wanted: athletes who can run routes, separate from DBs, and catch passes consistently. Yes, Mr. Cole, I think you might fit that description. Prove it and you have yourself a job.
December 15th, 2014 at 9:20 PM ^
if Harbaugh/Miles/Mora are in place in 2 weeks recruiting will take care of itself. If the HC comes from the plan B list the rebuilding may take longer and the loss of a couple recruits likely won't make that much difference.
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