Baumgartner: What We Learned in Harbaugh's First Year
Thought this was a good read. Really puts emphasis on the way Harbaugh closes this recruiting class as a crucial variable for future success:
This, basically, is Harbaugh's first full class. It's the first class the staff has had a full year to work on. And it's the most important class he'll sign because it'll be the backbone of his program.
Take Ohio State as an example. In Urban Meyer's first full class, the 2013 group, he hauled in names like Joey Bosa, Ezekiel Elliott, Vonn Bell, Jalin Marshall, J.T. Barrett, Eli Apple, Gareon Conley and more. That's the backbone of Ohio State's national title squad right there. Brady Hoke's first full class (2012), as a contrast, produced exactly one All-Big Ten player to date (Devin Funchess).
The race to the first Wednesday in February is always important. Right now, for Michigan, it's beyond critical.
November 30th, 2015 at 4:03 PM ^
Not a knock on the OP at all, but I read this earlier and the summary is: Harbaugh really good, ahead of schedule, but the team needs more depth and more athleticism via recruiting. Nothing ground breaking in there...
November 30th, 2015 at 4:14 PM ^
November 30th, 2015 at 4:41 PM ^
Was he an asshole or something?
November 30th, 2015 at 5:00 PM ^
November 30th, 2015 at 5:21 PM ^
No religion on MGoBlog... ok?
November 30th, 2015 at 6:09 PM ^
November 30th, 2015 at 6:16 PM ^
saw there was no way in hell we were stopping the ZR so just ran it and ran it and ran it. A lot of coaches would still try to stick to the gameplan and be balanced. Urban saw a weakness and exploited it till we could stop it (which may be in 2016 or 2017)
November 30th, 2015 at 8:54 PM ^
He pretty much followed Kevin Wilson's gameplan. And had a better defense. Much better.
November 30th, 2015 at 5:11 PM ^
I don't want to wait two years....but it looks like we'll have no choice.
November 30th, 2015 at 7:08 PM ^
November 30th, 2015 at 9:06 PM ^
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November 30th, 2015 at 4:05 PM ^
that was a helluva first recruting class for Urbs. Bet there wasn't an available Escalade within a hundred miles of Columbus after NSD that year.
November 30th, 2015 at 4:07 PM ^
November 30th, 2015 at 4:21 PM ^
Obviously he was joking, but do you believe that OSU does not engage in SEC-like recruiting practices? If so, I suggest that you google Terrelle Pryor (and his many "borrowed" high-priced cars), Maurice Clarrett, Tatgate and a host of other OSU recruiting issues, and when you are done with those, take a look at some of the allegations about OSU's current coach back when he was at Florida. Also, OSU's former coach, only gone for a few years, was forced out because even the pathetic NCAA enforcement arm found that he created an environment in which there was a lack of institutional control!
I hate the O$U / Urban Liar type jokes as much as anyone, but what the poster that you responded to said is totally fair.
November 30th, 2015 at 4:32 PM ^
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November 30th, 2015 at 4:44 PM ^
Yes, that is correct.
November 30th, 2015 at 4:42 PM ^
Harbaugh will have this team LASER focused on 2016. We will go into the shoe, and we will beat the Buckeyes just as bad as they beat us this year. 'RABACK' it, 'Sideline' it, I don't care. This will happen.
November 30th, 2015 at 4:06 PM ^
What I learned...I can put steel in my spine.
November 30th, 2015 at 8:14 PM ^
I learned to avoid the two dollar steak special at Sizzler.
November 30th, 2015 at 4:08 PM ^
all influential UM alumni and particularly former players are doing everything they can to legally help JH and staff recruit the best players possible. I'm no Magnus, but there has to be a way to legally leverage UM alumni success and connections to beat our rivals on the recruiting trail. Neg me if I'm just wrong.
November 30th, 2015 at 4:13 PM ^
...to know the rules as there's a very good chance that a well meaning person might do more harm than good.
November 30th, 2015 at 4:09 PM ^
This is dead on.
Much of Harbaugh's success / failure this year and next will be predicated on players recruited by Hoke. If Harbaugh does well, he will rightly get the credit for developing these players; if he struggles, most rational fans would give him the benefit of the doubt and understand that Harbaugh inherited a roster that - while not a bare cupboard - is lacking in depth at numerous positions and will lose even more from the inevitable attrition associated with even the smoothest coaching change.
By year 3-4, however, most fanbases (and the media, which unfortunately drives perception to a large degree) will expect results and will blame any lack thereof on Harbaugh. The kids recruited this year wil be sophmores / juniors during those years. If this class produces some of the home run hitters that Meyer's first class produced, we will be set up nicely for some great success during those years. If not, we could still be struggling against our chief rivals in years 3-4 of Harbaugh, which wouldn't go over well, even for Harbaugh.
November 30th, 2015 at 4:12 PM ^
just curious, didn't urbs have the luxury of recruiting while adam sandler was coaching the team the year before or was that the 13 class?
November 30th, 2015 at 5:46 PM ^
I thought OP was making a Waterboy reference, but they actually do look alike.
November 30th, 2015 at 7:35 PM ^
November 30th, 2015 at 4:30 PM ^
That was the 2012 class.
November 30th, 2015 at 4:44 PM ^
November 30th, 2015 at 5:58 PM ^
Wow, great call...
Never realized how much he looks like Sandler.
November 30th, 2015 at 4:20 PM ^
My expectation is closing out with a good recruiting class including some difference makers (which looks likely) and bowl game performance that in no way resembles the OSU game.
November 30th, 2015 at 4:22 PM ^
How did Harbaugh's first Stanford class look? How good was Stanford when JH left?
November 30th, 2015 at 4:47 PM ^
Harbaugh's culture of finding a way to get a little bit better each and every day will compound over time. I expect that a few freshman and sophomores that are presently well down the depth chart will surprise in say 2017 and emerge to be strong contributors.
November 30th, 2015 at 4:52 PM ^
2007- Composite class ranking of 45. Coby Fleener and Doug Baldwin both were relatively low rated recruits... Both are having pretty good careers.
2008- Composite of 45 again.. Luck, Martin, DeCastro.
2009- 18th composite
2010- 25th composite
November 30th, 2015 at 4:32 PM ^
November 30th, 2015 at 4:33 PM ^
November 30th, 2015 at 8:20 PM ^
His 2013 class was insane.
Gonna take a lot to keep up with that.
November 30th, 2015 at 4:36 PM ^
November 30th, 2015 at 5:15 PM ^
I think it's also worth noting, though, that the players from his first full class, as promising as they were, didn't gain any significant attention until Harnaugh and co. worked with them. Hoke brought in SOME talent, and did virtually nothing with it. Conversely, Harbaugh and co. were able to develop Hoke's somewhat talented but essentially undeveloped players into a group of guys who strung together a pretty impressive season.
November 30th, 2015 at 5:19 PM ^
I am not putting down any of our current players, but let's look closer:
Funchess was great and a huge get. I agree. Chessen and Darboh are also rounding into great and very good wide receivers, as well. After that, it gets a bit dicey. Henry and Wormley are solidly above average, and Wilson is looking like he, too, will be above average. Bolden? Really?
So Hoke got 3 good receivers and two good DL players in his first class. Pretty decent, and that has contributed to our winning 9 games and possibly 10. But, compare that to the haul that Urban got in year 1: Bosa (one of the top DL players in the country), Zeke Elliott (one fo the top RB in the country), J.T. Barrett (last year's Heisman candidate), Von Bell, Jalin Marshall, Gareon Conley - these are the types of recruits that lead to NC contention. Does Joe Bolden really measure up to those guys?
November 30th, 2015 at 7:15 PM ^
November 30th, 2015 at 4:41 PM ^
We learned that Michigan's QB recruiting under Hoke was atrocious. An Iowa cast off is likely going to finish the season as the second best single season passer in school history.
November 30th, 2015 at 4:46 PM ^
FUCK sparty baumgardner. He was jumping up and down watching his spartans win on a fluke while standing on the michigan sideline. Hackett needs to revoke his press credentials and tell the MLive management (all MSU alumns, btw) to send us an unbiased reporter.
November 30th, 2015 at 5:02 PM ^
Did you read this piece? It's extremely favorable to Harbaugh/Michigan.
November 30th, 2015 at 5:04 PM ^
Boner over Baumgardner needs to stop, seriously.
November 30th, 2015 at 5:38 PM ^
November 30th, 2015 at 5:44 PM ^
Im pretty sure we dated right now
November 30th, 2015 at 6:09 PM ^
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November 30th, 2015 at 9:36 PM ^
Is there video of him doing this? Because I would like to see it. While I think his writing usually has some sort of negative jab at Michigan somewhere in the article, I don't recall him doing this during this years game.