Exit Xavier Worthy
This one hurts badly:
Worthy intended to enroll early but could not for reasons that remain unclear. Rumor has it that Michigan, the institution, was a problem. Worthy then stuck it out but that didn't sit well, and now he's out the door. Whether it was coaching turnover or player departures that made the decision is unknown.
This is a major own-goal for the football program and a depressing way to lose a guy who may be the fastest dude in the country.
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This really had nothing to do with the program...
This really had nothing to do with the program...
Lolololololololzzzzz
The kind of difference-making elite talent that Michigan needed to close the talent gap on OSU.
I'm telling you, this program is cursed at the WR position
At least the HB position doesn't have hyped recruits not working out or transferring. Or the TE position. Or OT. Or DE. Or QB. At least the recruiting at those positions is strong and pans out / doesn't lead to high star recruits transferring or otherwise not living up to recruiting hype.
Right?!
You're framing it as a player problem and not a program problem. I think that's incorrect.
Certainly was not my intent. My point was I'm jaded to Michigan recruiting. Even the nice things don't every work out for [insert snakebit reason].
Here, something something admissions.
But when we get a Ty Isaac transfer or a Derrick Green signing, or Devin Asiasi, or Kekoa Crawford, or Donovan Peoples-Jones, the most we seem to get is a flash here or there, a high upside but a transfer, or if they play out their scholarship, a good B10 starter who falls short of All American hype.
But then we also get a Cesar Ruiz, Jabrill Peppers, Devin Bush, Jake Butt, Jourdan Lewis, Mo Hurst, etc. Has Michigan underwhelmed at times? Sure. But I also think we sort of ignore the success UM has had as well.
Bronx, agreed. But we're all gamblers at heart, right:
Mike McDermott: ... but every player can remember with remarkable accuracy the outstanding tough beats of his career.
You're really citing Caesar Ruiz with all those others? That is part of the problem. Caesar Ruiz ended up a first round pick and will probably have a very good NFL career, but every single other one of those other players finished as an All American. I'm not sure Caesar even makes the top five best centers UM has even had.
How did we have an offensive line in 2019 that looked just okay with four returning starters and a first round pick at center?
You think academics are a problem at OSU??? Let's call it what it is. We don't pay kids what they are worth and expect the world from them.
Besides, his best friend left. And who knows for what reasons.
The problem is that we are losing to teams that we have a talent advantage over, and that started long before COVID. I do wonder if Michigan has stuck to the practice hours a lot more strictly than other programs do after the Freep Jihad.
I have also seriously wondered about that last bit for a while, given the general execution problems that seem to plague the team.
I mean we have actual programs under FBI probes for paying players and institutions giving out fake grades. I say break every practice rule in the book at this point because its all just a farce. The NCAA will crumble eventually.
The NCAA only exists as an entity because people believe it has actual authority. The first handful of programs to say "yeah we just, like, don't care anymore man" will be the end.
The complete lack of any sort of hurry-up offense definitely could be a practice time issue.
Wasn’t the practice time the same for Hoke’s teams?
so how’d they manage the Dileo slide field goal to win a game?
It’s laughable we are still comparing ourselves with osu. Harbaugh in year 6 can’t beat Mel Tucker in year 1. Let’s pump the brakes on “we won’t pay what Osu does”.
Theres pellet of issues to fix before we get to the OSU excuses.
I’ve accepted that Michigan football is never going to be what I want it to be.
This is it Heisman...everyone just needs to lower all expectations and be happily surprised whenever those special seasons come around (and they will from time to time). Is that right sentiment for a program like this with JH at the helm?... hell no and it shouldnt, but here we are...so time to adapt.
Celebrate the wins, eat the losses for only a couple hours, and move on with your day.
When I read Xavier was transferring, I thought “at least it isn’t basketball,” a thought I figured never to enter my mind.
Despite having so many advantages, something is keeping us from being among the elite. I hope it gets fixed, whatever it is, but after nearly two decades of losing to our archrival with a general decline into mediocrity, I, too, am giving up on the idea of national relevance and titles, and hoping for that occasional big ten championship, like a Purdue or Iowa does. The program and administration seem okay with that, so I’ll lower my expectations and work on becoming less invested in a now-just okay program.
I tend to agree with this the older I get. I stopped comparing us to OSU many years ago. Now when we recruit players I hope they put us in a position to be .500 or better against the PSU, Wisc and MSUs of the world. That's just what we are and likely always will be. I hate that it feels like a stepping stone towards total apathy, but I feel what I feel.
If he left because of Jackson leaving that seems weird since he's not going to wind up at Washington in all likelihood. And since he was admitted in the end it probably isn't grades. I really do assume it was a guy who always seemed a bit apprehensive about UM for various reasons realizing he wasn't happy and moving on. I don't blame him and wish him luck.
It doesn’t have to be that he only wanted to play with Jackson. I think the most logical thing here is that he tried to enroll early, and that went haywire, the one of his best friends on the team left because something pissed him off (who know - depth charts, playing time, Milton leaving, etc..) and the kid started to get a bad feeling about things.
"And since he was admitted in the end it probably isn't grades."
This is why I don't understand why everyone is taking the easy way out and blaming admissions here... if there was a dead line to get his paper work in to be an EE and he missed that dead line or his HS missed that dead line then that is not on U of M... on the flip side if there was a person in the AD that was supposed to be making sure that all of the EE kids had their paper work in on time and somehow missed Worthy then that on that person for being a dumbass and should be out of a job (maybe that person is now)... as always there is way more to this story than we will ever know...
and lets be honest here, he commits in July of last year no public wavering from him what so ever up until November when Sark and Bama started to make a push to the point he takes an OV to Bama 2 or 3 weeks before early signing day leaving Michigan fans wondering whats going on... people are going to blame the contract status of Harbaugh as reason for that or was it that the used U of M as his place holder just incase something better didn't come along...
Well fuck me runnin'.
This program is an absolute tire fire. I have lost every bit of feeling i have for it. I hope they do well, but at this point they are just an afterthought to me.
Do you get on lots of blogs for things that you have no feelings for and comment about them?
Basketball
Oh oh. Watch out. You don't want to get Kentucky boy above start ranting all over again calling you a whiner for having too high expectations.
So glad we signed Harbaugh to that extension!
Meh, it's designed to be a one year trial run. If the pandemic really was the reason for last years dumpster fire, the team will pull out of it. If not, the transition is a year later for less money. The options all sucked and while this wasn't my preferred one, I think it was about the best of the realistic ones as the NFL wasn't lining up to solve our problems for us.
At this rate I expect him to resign before the season opener.
I’d be ecstatic to see that bum be gone
It gets harder every year to believe things will ever get back to what they were during the Bo and Mo and Lloyd eras. If it isn’t one thing, it’s another.
You mean the Bo Era (which didn't have nearly the hurdles of the this Era, in college football. *Go and look at my posting history, to get a detailed rundown of those *).
But....
Here's what everyone did, since Bo got here
(+) = outright BIG Championship
(++) = shared BIG Championship (which is no longer a thing)
Michigan vs Ohio State (Since Bo)
Bo Schembechler
(++) 1969: 8-3
1970: 9-1 Ohio State win
(+) 1971: 11-1
(++) 1972: 10-1 Ohio State win
(++) 1973: 10-0-1 UM AND OSU TIE
(++) 1974: 10-1 Ohio State win
1975: 8-2-2 Ohio State win
(++) 1976: 10-2
(++) 1977: 10-2
(++) 1978: 10-2
1979: 8-4 Ohio State win
(+) 1980: 10-2
1981: 9-3 Ohio State win
(+) 1982: 8-4 Ohio State win
1983: 9-3
1984: 6-6 Ohio State win
1985: 10-1-1
(++) 1986: 11-2
1987: 8-4 Ohio State win
(+) 1988: 9-2-1
(+) 1989: 10-2
Gary Moeller
(++) 1990: 9-3
(+) 1991: 10-2
(+) 1992: 9-0-3 UM AND OSU TIE
1993: 8-4
1994: 8-4 Ohio State win
Lloyd Carr
1995: 9-4
1996: 9-4
(+) *1997: 12-0 (Co-National Champions)*
BCS ERA:
(++) 1998: 10-3 Ohio State win
1999: 10-2
(++) 2000: 9-3
2001: 8-4 Ohio State win
2002: 10-3 Ohio State win
(+) 2003: 10-3
(++) 2004: 9-3 Ohio State win
2005: 7-5 Ohio State win
2006: 11-2 Ohio State win
2007: 9-4 Ohio State win
Rich Rodriguez
2008: 3-9 Ohio State win
2009: 5-7 Ohio State win
2010: 7-6 Ohio State win
BIG Divisions Era (2011-2020):
Brady Hoke
2011: 11-2
2012: 8-5 Ohio State win
2013: 7-6 Ohio State win
Playoff ERA:
2014: 5-7 Ohio State win
Jim Harbaugh
2015: 10-3 Ohio State win
2016: 10-3 Ohio State win
2017: 8-5 Ohio State win
2018: 10-3 Ohio State win
2019: 9-4 Ohio State win
2020: 2-4 UM AND OSU DID NOT PLAY
Here's the OSU side of things
Ohio State vs Michigan (Since Bo)
Woody Hayes
(++) 1969: 8-1 Michigan win
(+) 1970: 9-1
1971: 6-4 Michigan win
(++) 1972: 9-2
(+) 1973: 10-0-1 UM AND OSU TIE
(++) 1974: 10-2
(+) 1975: 11-1
(++) 1976: 9-2-1 Michigan win
(++) 1977: 9-3 Michigan win
1978: 7-4-1 Michigan win
(+) 1979: 11-1
1980: 9-3 Michigan win
(++) 1981: 9-3
1982: 9-3
Earle Bruce
1983: 9-3 Michigan win
(+) 1984: 9-3
1985: 9-3 Michigan win
(++) 1986: 10-3 Michigan win
1987: 6-4-1
John Cooper
1988: 4-6-1 Michigan win
1989: 8-4 Michigan win
1990: 7-4-1 Michigan win
1991: 8-4 Michigan win
1992: 8-3-1 UM AND OSU TIE
(++) 1993: 10-1-1 Michigan win
1994: 9-4
1995: 11-2 Michigan win
(++) 1996: 11-1 Michigan win
1997: 10-3 Michigan win
BCS ERA:
(++) 1998: 11-1
1999: 6-6 Michigan win
2000: 8-4 Michigan win
Jim Tressel
2001: 7-5
(++) *2002: 14-0 (National Champions)*
2003: 11-2 Michigan win
2004: 8-4
(++) 2005: 10-2
*(+) 2006: 12-1 (Played in National Championship game)*
(+) 2007: 11-2
(++) 2008: 10-3
(+) 2009: 11-2
2010: 12-1
BIG Divisions Era (2011-2020):
Luke Fickle
2011: 6-7 Michigan win
Urban Meyer
2012: 12-0
2013: 12-2
Playoff ERA:
(+) *2014: 14-1 (National Champions)*
2015: 12-1
2016: 11-2
(+) 2017: 12-2
(+) 2018: 13-1
Ryan Day
(+) 2019: 13-1
*(+) 2020: 7-0 (Playing for the National Championship)* UM AND OSU DID NOT PLAY
I've brought this up elsewhere but Harbaugh has half as many 10 win seasons as Carr did and over half of the 10-win seasons over the past 15 years (i.e. the time frame in which anyone UM is recruiting could conceivably remember UM football). Harbaugh has underwhelmed compared to the sky-high expectations people had for him but Michigan football is decidedly not the juggernaut people seem to believe it was for a couple of years under Bo almost a lifetime ago.
I believe the expectations for the program should be higher. OSU can win championships with a then-unknown Jim Tressel and continues to do so (conference) with a very unknown Ryan Day.
Luke Fickell looks to have the makings of a Harbaugh level of success in his career, 10 win seasons etc. and OSU could not rip him out of the HC chair fast enough because that isn’t good enough.
Michigan should decide to be the same and then go be that. Why make excuses?
Luke Fickell when OSU ripped him out was 6-7 and went 3-5 in conference, plus Urban Meyer magically came available that offseason. Pointing to Fickell's success at a G5 team years later wasn't a reality when they got rid of him.
Also, Ryan Day took over for Urban Meyer while Meyer was still at OSU and, by all accounts, actively part of gameplanning and development. I assume OSU will be good this year but Harbaugh taking over for an under-.500 Hoke after an under-.500 RR isn't remotely the same circumstance.
Michigan should decide to be the same and then go be that. Why make excuses?
Like going out and getting a highly-regarded alum who had taken a previously-moribund P5 program to nearly unprecedented heights for them and then taking an NFL team that hadn't made it to the playoffs for nearly a decade to 3 straight playoff spots, two division titles, a conference title and the SB? Something like that? Or do you mean a barely-.500 HC at Iowa St. who had a good season in which he went 4-2 in one-score games?
I'm fine if UM moves on from Harbaugh but save this BS about how UM is "settling" more mediocrity.
Tressel was hardly "unknown." By the time OSU hired him Mickey Monus was headed to prison, Ray Isaac had admitted to jury tampering, the full scope of YSU's cover up had been revealed and the only reason their national championship wasn't yanked is that the statute of limitations had expired.
Lloyd carr from 1997 - 2001 and 2004-2005 played 11 game regular reasons, so that likely skews the 10 win season mark. Furthermore, Lloyd Carr won Big Ten titles in 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003, and 2004. Sure, there were no conferences, but Lloyd had success in getting the team to top notch bowl games, and at points beating OSU.
Sure, but in 2000 they went 9-3 and in 2001 then 8-4, and 2004 then went 9-3 and 2005 7-5, so at best there are two more chances to win 10 games; had this been a normal year with a normal schedule perhaps UM wins 10 games.
As for beating OSU he did that early on; once Tressel showed he went 1-6 against OSU. So let's not act like UM wasn't trending in the wrong direction with the rivalry long before Harbaugh showed up.
I hear ya man, but while having a 12 game season, and Ambry and Nico back would've helped, I doubt Michigan wins 10 games. The QB position would still be up in the air, Vincent Gray would be at corner, and the line would still be breaking in 4 new starters.
No doubt that the rivalry was trending in the wrong direction, and that OSU is on another level, but I don't think it's too much to ask for Harbaugh to be as competitive with OSU as Hoke was, or beat them every 4 years or so.
My expectation when Harbaugh was hired was that Michigan would actually be BETTER than Bo, Mo or Carr. I believed we were headed to no worse than a 3-loss season once Harbaugh established his program. Nothing about JH as a person or his success at other stops led me to believe we'd be any worse. Call me crazy, whatever, but hindsight is 20/20.
It's understandable. Harbaugh's resume prior to Michigan was about as good as coaching resumes get. It's surprising he hasn't had more success here.
To be perfectly honest, I think there's an element of luck involved here, his early teams were close to getting over the OSU hump, didn't quite manage it recruiting suffered, people started second guessing the program, maybe he starts second guessing himself, changes are made, etc, etc.
It's a vicious cycle, Michigan needs to beat OSU, but the longer this goes on, the more difficult it becomes and the fewer resources we have to accomplish it.
Bring in another coach and I assume they'd have the same problem.
That's sort of my take as well. Harbaugh had a chance to break the streak a bit those early years and just couldn't for any number of reasons (luck, gameplanning, etc.), but OSU is a fine-tuned machine that doesn't relent. Maybe they'll take a small step back this year because there is some uncertainty at QB, but probably not enough that UM could take advantage. But the idea that Matt Campbell or Luke Fickell would step in and suddenly overcome the various systemic issues happening at UM right now is crazy to me, and is part of the reason we've bounced around from late-era Carr-RR-Hoke-Harbaugh malaise.
You were duped by the noise machine.
I may need to rethink being a UM football fan. It has not been easy the past decade. I don't really get much enjoyment out of it any longer. I hope to be proven wrong in the very near future.
I envy anybody who is able to switch it on or off by command.
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