Exit: Keith Washington
[Bryan Fuller]
Per Sam Webb, Keith Washington has given word that he intends to depart from Ann Arbor.
Got word today that Michigan soph DB Keith Washington gave word of his plan to transfer. Stay tuned for more on this story in hours to come. pic.twitter.com/00BUlNeip8
— Sam Webb (@SamWebb77) August 21, 2017
A 3-star recruit out of Prattville and one of Harbaugh's first recruits, Washington redshirted in 2015 and appeared in nine games last year. He was reportedly in the mix for the second corner spot, and Mike Zordich mentioned earlier today that we may see him in different roles as well. Apparently, this is not so.
The starting corners will now likely come from the group of Lavert Hill, David Long, Brandon Watson, and Ambry Thomas. Drake Harris and Benjamin St-Juste are also extant, as is Jaylen Kelly-Powell.
August 21st, 2017 at 5:42 PM ^
August 21st, 2017 at 5:42 PM ^
August 21st, 2017 at 6:43 PM ^
I'd say doubly concerning.
August 21st, 2017 at 5:11 PM ^
Washington looked like our best corner in the spring game. I'm sure he feels that way, and probably feels that he's getting passed up for the younger guys that have a higher ceiling.
Best of luck to him.
August 22nd, 2017 at 12:13 PM ^
SO, I take it Woodley does not believe in the "Meritocracy"?
August 21st, 2017 at 5:13 PM ^
August 21st, 2017 at 5:34 PM ^
Was it good? I don't remember.
August 21st, 2017 at 5:37 PM ^
I thought Washington was 2014?
August 21st, 2017 at 5:56 PM ^
MGoSearch indicates that Washington was a 2015 recruit.
So, 2014 recruiting =
2015 recruiting =
August 21st, 2017 at 6:23 PM ^
August 21st, 2017 at 6:48 PM ^
back. And the 2014 class wasn't a total disaster. I mean, in addition to Peppers, there was Mason Cole, two DL starters this year (Mone and Winovich), another rotational OL in JBB, our likely starting TE in Bunting, and our likely starting QB (for the second year).
For the small size, which was a sacrifice you make for huge 2012 and 2013 classes, it wasn't a total disaster. It certainly wasn't great, I grant you that.
2015 was much, much worse (and not helped by the Newsome injury) Yeah, transitional classes aren't usually the best, but when you bring in a coach of Harbaugh's caliber, you certainly expect to be able to nab some top level guys. Look at any other transitional class recently in which a top program fired and replaced a coach:
LSU 2017: 7th nationally, very good.
Texas 2017: 25th, not great.
Georgia 2016: 6th, very good.
Florida 2015: 21st, not great but way better than our 37th despite hiring Jim freaking McElwain
Sooo, it's more than possible to have a great transition class, and by not means a given that transitional classes should "suck" and none of these transitions were to a big name coach.
August 21st, 2017 at 7:44 PM ^
the recruiting class ranking before and after the new hire coach. Not as hard to hold a top LSU class together than to build one from nothing in 2 months.
August 21st, 2017 at 7:46 PM ^
August 23rd, 2017 at 4:14 PM ^
Do you remember when everyone was complaining about OSU having 2 coaching staffs at the same time. And that was the same year as the PSU scandal. Meyer then signed the best players from the PSU class.
August 22nd, 2017 at 9:56 AM ^
The entire program that slime ball inherited was incredible.. Honestly can't think of a coach who stepped into a better situation than he did. Ugh. Thank God we have Harbaugh now.
August 21st, 2017 at 8:01 PM ^
Michigan was much more like UT and UF -- two big name programs in a tailspin. Doesn't matter who you bring in, it's tough to flip kids at the last minute and make them think a program that's been shit the entirety of their HS career is suddenly going to be THE place to be the next 3-4 years.
August 21st, 2017 at 8:28 PM ^
August 21st, 2017 at 8:46 PM ^
August 21st, 2017 at 9:16 PM ^
The only point of showing those recent transitional classes is to prove that transitional classes in general, don't have to suck, and even in situations when there is a struggling, almost certain lame duck like ours in 2014 (Florida and Texas fit the bill), it doesn't have to be that bad (i.e. 37th bad rather than at least top 25).
But our 2015 was that bad, and it is holding us back as much or moreso than the 2014 class which was the only other point that I was arguing.
As for the reasons why it was bad, the geography argument doesn't fly either. Harbaugh could be anywhere he wanted on the private jet about as fast as you can drive halfway across a state. Brian Kelly did well his first year at ND in the same region.
I'm not blaming anyone other than Brandon/Hoke for it. The handling of the PR that season was a disaster with recruits, probably, we had to wait for Harbaugh's season to be over, so Harbaugh absolutely did not get any gifts when he was signed That was because of some weird circumstances, certainly not a given that we'd always have a bad transitional class because of geography or simply because that's how transitional classes go even with a struggling coach.
Although I think everyone around here was surprised the splashy hire didn't get us a few studs even though it still would have been a pretty bad class still because there was no starting point.
August 21st, 2017 at 10:00 PM ^
August 21st, 2017 at 10:19 PM ^
Have we forgotten how those class rankings are calculated? That class was only 14 players and one of them was a kicker. That Florida class had a lower average and was ranked #21.
August 22nd, 2017 at 12:31 AM ^
a lot worse than the rankings even suggested, regardless of how they're calculated at the time. Cole transferred. We had two highly ranked QBs that will probably never contribute.
The only projected starters in year 3 (!!!) are Kinnel and Grant Perry and they're by no means stars.
TWJ still projects to potentially be really good. Higdon is getting some hype. Ulizio, of course, is competing at a position of need with Runyan. But other than those guys, that is it!
Really weak class overall. Far worse than the 2014 class.
August 22nd, 2017 at 12:36 AM ^
I don't know about far worse.
But the uncomfortable truth is that it was a class Harbaugh finished, and there is no way to look at it as anything other than a disappointment, regardless of the reason. The upshot is that Michigan had not one but two really bad classes (a couple of highlights such as Peppers, of course) and those are the classes that should be the core of this team.
And that's why this is the youngest Michigan team of modern times. Now, Harbaugh has demonstrated that he recruits just fine, so we've got guys in the pipeline (though I have to say that the class coming together this year, while ok, isn't blowing anybody's socks off--but nobody will notice if we keep raking up the high 4 and 5 stars for 2019) but the unique issue with two bad classes means that a season that would normally be one of growth has a remedial aspect to it.
August 22nd, 2017 at 1:33 AM ^
and depends on how some of these pan out, but yes, totally agree on everything else.
We're going to have some growing pains this year and our great 2016 and 2017 classes should have us very good in 2018 and potentially title worthy in 2019.
August 22nd, 2017 at 10:04 AM ^
It won't be a huge class anyway and a lot of the elite kids don't commit until late.
It's too early to pass judgment on the 2018 class, but I hear ya on it not blowing anyone's socks off yet. That said, Ekiyor, Simms, McGrone and Reese are pretty high level guys.. No, there's not a ton of them but as much as we like to star gaze (and yes they do matter) I think I'd rather have a roster full of 3/4 star guys that Harbaugh hand picks than 4/5 stars that may not fit what he's trying to build here.
August 21st, 2017 at 9:26 PM ^
harbaugh had been out of the college game for 4 years. you lose alot of your connections to recruiting.
August 21st, 2017 at 11:59 PM ^
and was probably a big reason he wasn't able to get many guys to come over.
August 22nd, 2017 at 12:21 PM ^
Worth noting every school you just mentioned was $EC or UT, huge crootin footprints, hired/retained coach who'd been in college.
Harbaugh came from NFL, previously Stanford, so no ties to most players who went to those schools to speak of.
just sayin'...
August 22nd, 2017 at 4:41 PM ^
As the season got worse and it became apparent Hoke was out, that years class dwindled to less than nothing. Harbaugh came in later than all those other coaches due to his NFL schedule and cobbled together left overs in 30 days. The classes you listed and Michigans are apples and oranges.
August 22nd, 2017 at 8:49 PM ^
August 21st, 2017 at 6:26 PM ^
was in that class. Competing with Jon Runyan, Jr. and another OL for the top spot at the position. So whenever that's the case, things are looking up.
August 21st, 2017 at 5:14 PM ^
Too bad we didn't get to see him in action. Good luck to him in all his future endeavors. Those who stay...
August 21st, 2017 at 5:14 PM ^
Probably because Zordich saying mean things in the press conferences.
August 21st, 2017 at 5:20 PM ^
August 21st, 2017 at 5:18 PM ^
Guess Zordich hurt his feelings.
August 21st, 2017 at 5:23 PM ^
August 21st, 2017 at 5:27 PM ^
August 21st, 2017 at 5:23 PM ^
Great, now we have an extra scholarship for Jean Dela....shit.
August 21st, 2017 at 6:25 PM ^
August 21st, 2017 at 5:23 PM ^
August 21st, 2017 at 5:24 PM ^
sam said (maybe friday?) that washington was running with the ones. very surprised.
August 21st, 2017 at 5:25 PM ^
Well obviously he wasn't a top 2 corner if he is leaving.....but this hurts depth big time, no way around that.
August 22nd, 2017 at 10:06 AM ^
Not necessarily.. Devin Asiasi would be have been a top TE and he still transferred.. You never know what motivates a kid to leave. Given what we've seen, and heard, about the CB's this offseason I'd bet that his decision isn't based on him wanting more playing time.
August 21st, 2017 at 5:28 PM ^
I am feeling very uneasy about David Long's twitter right now.
August 21st, 2017 at 5:33 PM ^
For those who don't want to go to his twitter page, he currently has nothing (all black) for his profile photo and his banner.
August 21st, 2017 at 5:35 PM ^
Maybe (hopefully) eclipse-related?
August 21st, 2017 at 5:43 PM ^
Yeah it's possible. I don't have twitter and I've never looked at a players twitter before, but I thought I'd do the ground work to check out what his twitter looked like. I have no idea if he's always had that as his picture and banner, or if it's new for today.
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