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julius welschof

Julius Welschof Hat Sich zu Michigan Verpflichtet Comment Count

Seth

It’s a happy early signing day:

The coaches always planned to take another DE in the class, and with Oweh dropping them and Anoma almost certain to go to Alabama, Michigan didn’t wait long to move on their next target, das unglaubliche 6’6”/250 Deutsch ende Julius Welschof.

Welschof was on Michigan’s radar since impressing the coaches—particularly Mattison—at their mid-June camp. He was committed to Georgia Tech until Michigan moved on him late last week. Še das d' kemma bisd, der Moritz Wagner des amerikanischen fußballs!

More informative update kommen.

Comments

SalvatoreQuattro

December 20th, 2017 at 12:07 PM ^

that as James Holland makes clear in his superb “The Rise of Germany”. He cited open to a former professor of mine at EMU, Dr. Robert Citino, who happens to be the preeminent American expert on German military doctrine of that era. He currently is a senior historian at the National World War Two in New Orleans. Bewegungskrieg is a more description of the Germans tactics.

Joined: 11/30/2010

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True Blue Grit

December 20th, 2017 at 11:46 AM ^

from the Letterman Show years ago.  One of his top ten lists was Top Ten Responses of the French to the German reunification.  One of them was install speed bumps at the border to slow down the Panzers.  <insert punchline drum sound effect here>

Joined: 01/21/2011

MGoPoints: 32372

DonAZ

December 20th, 2017 at 9:33 AM ^

This.  Of all the coaches, Mattison has most earned the "trust the coaches" badge.  He's a DL genius.  Look at the string of DL dudes we've had since he arrived.  Think about Chase Winovich, who bounced around until he landed under Mattison.  

Mattison is going to shape Welschof into a fine young man, and an excellent DL.

Joined: 12/05/2011

MGoPoints: 16763

ak47

December 20th, 2017 at 9:54 AM ^

If he actually impressed Mattison that much they would have offered in the summer. Its not like he had a fall of high school football to impress them with. The offer came because Michigan isn't getting Oweh or Anoma, two players they valued higher and wanted more.

I'm sure he will be fine but this entire class isn't Michigan finding guys most other schools miss, its them missing on top guys and settling for back up projects.  The 16 and 17 classes give them a little bit of leeway for that (though not getting an elite OT or DT would be bad) but they better continue to pick it up in 19

Joined: 05/05/2011

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Blue Durham

December 20th, 2017 at 9:27 AM ^

understand this new signing period. But, wouldn't it be reasonable to assume that anyone who is verbally committed to a team but doesn't sign during this early period should be regarded as a light commit for NSD in February?

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 6082

mgobaran

December 20th, 2017 at 9:44 AM ^

Brian linked an SBNation article last week where the author asked coaches of their strategy. The almost concensus was that the coaches would sign just about everyone they could, that this is the New Signing Day. One P5 coach even went on to say,

“If you’re verbally committed, and you don’t sign, you’re not committed,”

article

Joined: 09/12/2012

MGoPoints: 22811

mgobaran

December 20th, 2017 at 10:10 AM ^

From that article it seemed to me that we should expect the class to be 80%+ full after these three days. Anyone left committed & unsigned is a soft commit at best, either due to player or team interest. Recalibrate from here, and make the final push in the last two months.

Joined: 09/12/2012

MGoPoints: 22811

mgobaran

December 20th, 2017 at 10:19 AM ^

It's good and bad. I see it as more good than bad. Players aren't blown away in February when they are asked not to sign and scrambling to find a new team within 24 hours. Teams aren't shocked by last second decommitments and switches with no time to cover up the holes. Commitments are meaningless anyways until that letter is signed. Hard commit, soft commit, silent commit, blah blah blah. This schedule provides more flexibility. And it's not like position coaches don't switch teams after NLI are signed anyways. 

Signing a NLI is bad and has always been bad. Players have alternate options and they just aren't choosing them for whatever reason. 

Joined: 09/12/2012

MGoPoints: 22811

Pepto Bismol

December 20th, 2017 at 12:08 PM ^

This doesn't change anything. 

The "Signing Day" that you recall from all years prior was actually a signing PERIOD which began in early February and stretched until April, I believe.  It spanned almost two months.

If you don't sign today, or a school drops you, you have until the traditional signing day to find a new home -- a period of almost two months.

All we've done is move it up the calendar.  There is virtually no change to the structure other than inconveniently moving the most important and action-packed recruiting week right smack into the middle of bowl practices. 

GT just lost Welschof on signing day.  Now they have to find a replacement. 

Because that happened on December 20th instead of February 7th, that somehow makes this better for GT?  What if we moved signing day to November 1st?  Would that be the best ever?  It's so early!  It's like Spinal Tap with an amp that goes to 11.  It's the same thing, guy.  You just changed the number.

(And we haven't even started talking about the great haste with which schools are canning and hiring coaches.  3 years ago, we were still a week away from hiring Jim Harbaugh.  We would have went through signing day without a coach.  There was absolutely nothing wrong with a February signing day waiting for the season to conclude and allowing everybody to solely focus on finalizing recruiting.)

 

Kids aren't committed until they sign their letter of intent.  Whatever day of the calendar we designate as the first day they can do that, that's signing day.  The rest is window dressing. 

 

Joined: 02/03/2015

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Expert In Bird Law

December 20th, 2017 at 9:31 AM ^

I like how we are taking more developmental prospects, the only postion that we truly need a player to contribute right away is probably DT, Friday will hopefully fill that. Taking a lot of guys who have high upside but are maybe a year or so away makes perfect sense.

Joined: 01/03/2017

MGoPoints: 1309

ak47

December 20th, 2017 at 9:59 AM ^

Its a just nice rationalization but I think it would be better to take elite playes and develop those instead like osu and bama do.

And we have a lot of young guys but a ton of the depth is really unproven.  We have a lot of bodies along the dline but only like 5 who have actually played against high level d1 competiton before, our safety depth is pretty much Woods and thats it. We still don' have any proven OT's on the roster next year etc.  If we get Petit-Frere and Friday I agree with you, if we don't I think this class has to be looked at with a little dissapointment.

Joined: 05/05/2011

MGoPoints: 33614

1VaBlue1

December 20th, 2017 at 10:18 AM ^

I can roll with this take...  Getting a couple of the top players will certainly help (Friday and NPF are my hopefulls), but I like the class for the solid depth it brings even if the top end isn't all that.  But that top end is still pretty good!

Joined: 01/31/2016

MGoPoints: 127170

Rabbit21

December 20th, 2017 at 10:41 AM ^

Of course it would be better to recruit elite players as depth guys, but thats not where Michigan is right now and frankly may never be.  At least they're acknowledging that and have a strategy in place rather than flailing at the wall and then being left to scramble.

I get the concern, but I think it's based off of an expectation that doesn't match the reality of the situation.  

Joined: 11/12/2009

MGoPoints: 30303

Double-D

December 20th, 2017 at 9:40 AM ^

Thie staff is looking at their board and they are going to lock in players they think can help the team at a position of need. Then they are going to focus on the big names.

Joined: 12/21/2013

MGoPoints: 87524

MHWolverine

December 20th, 2017 at 9:52 AM ^

Jim has realed in many starters from the 16 and 17 classes. I think they're building good depth with this class coming in and next years class is already setting up to be top 5! Go Blue! 

Joined: 12/07/2017

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