Wolfman

November 1st, 2017 at 11:40 PM ^

If we get one, either expected or through surprise, chances are he'll be rated high by pretty much all the sites, or if he's under the radar, he will, more than likely,  produce as if he were rated as a blue chip. That is one thing we cannot aruge about under Harbaugh. Although there was not a star system when Bo was here - our qbs would have been three star under him - we have not recruited players of the same caliber since Harbaugh took over. His classes have been absolutely fantastic. Look at the abbreviated '14 class and he has about half of those producing this season. '15 was better and '16 and '17 were absolutely fantastic. 

I can recall one of Lloyd'd last classes. It was a good one. No five stars but the fans were excited - i belonged to the wolverine then- and the commit list was listed each day. The commits were listed every day and the excitement was high because there was a list of ten 4*s in a row. I silently called it the class of the lbers. There were four of them I believe, all rated 4*. That was the class of Witherspoon, but i don't think he was the only not to show. Various reasons. I bet that same membership on the wolverine is absolutely insane over the quality of the players Jim has brought in. Michigan has never had it so good in terms of talent and it's just beginning to show up on the field. These freaking kids are freshman and sophs. They're running around like NfLers in the form of Gary, Bush, Hudson and now Harbaugh's first qb, Peters and he comes in with guns blazing. Alright, it was lowly Rutgers, but Damn, I can understand the excitement. These kids were forced to play early for two reasons. The staff before him faltered somewhat and he had to rebuild. The other reason is the kids are so damn good you can't keep them off the field. Hell in addition to Gary, we had a 5* - imagine that, a 5* from SEC country start on the DL last week. 

Oh, I can understand the excitement, but hold on. It'll take another year or so and then Hell yes, let it out. We'll have people like Samuels and Walker running behind gaping holes made by Ruiz, Fillaga, Hayes, Owennu, Bredeson, et. al., TEs like Gentry, Wheatley, Eubanks, McKean catching passes from Peters, McCaffrey, Milton if he doesn't burn their hands. Wide receivers that no one in the nation can equal and more on their way.  We got Ambry who's looking so good they might want to play him both ways. Fans can bitch all they want about a little bad luck, but none of them are foolish enough to fight with recruiting facts. 

And look at the defense. Singleton, Vilain, McGrone, Hudson(s), Ross, Johnson,Hutch Reese Already mentioned  Paye What a frickin unbelievable job and he's been here not even four full recruiting classes. Damn the future is going to be so frickin bright I can understand the excitement.  But remember, this is Michigan. Let's forge forward with class, not bragging about our riches. It's to be expected and was there any doubt when the name Harbaugh was announced? I thought not. Damn, don't know how many years i have left. Been around since Bo, but you youngsters are in for a treat and i just hope those of us who have been around this long can take another journey on the glorious run about to come. Going to be some good times. Oh Hail Yes!!!!

Joined: 07/23/2008

MGoPoints: 8259

Wolfman

November 2nd, 2017 at 1:21 AM ^

I really don't know if they're recruiting anyone from the Big Reds. Their qb is going to UCF. Last year's went to VT. They do have a line, hell of a line and I'm sure you'll see some arond the BIG. This is his best team, giving up 2 tds all year until they faced the no.1 team in D1 shores, who they beat handily but surrended more than that. If they were still coached by Tony, I'd say yes, easily. I think they should win it all, both teams really. But Shane has found some unique ways to lose that final one. I'll say yes this year, just because they have more talent than any other team in D3 can come close to. If he doesn't get too fancy and try to show whoever the opponent is everything they can do and just stay behind the big guy from the opening kickoff, I think they bring the big trophy back to the westside this year. They say that first one is the toughtest. If he gets it, chances are he'll get a few more. 

Joined: 07/23/2008

MGoPoints: 8259

1VaBlue1

November 2nd, 2017 at 8:44 AM ^

What Harbaugh did with the 2015 team is two-thirds of the problem he had just a couple of weeks ago.  Expectations went through the roof for a team everyone knew pre-season was a 2-4 loss outfit.  The Floriduh opener, combined with recent 10-win memories, had people thinking playoffs for a team that lost 17 starters from last year.  All of the calls for firing assistants, and the questioning of Harbaugh, were just ridiculous.  All of the snowflake threads...  Ugh...

I let my expectations bloat a little, too.  And I was quite frustrated after the MSU game.  But I also realized what we were seeing - a new offense with a bunch of new players and a QB that wasn't quite there.  I think there's another loss in this team, but I don't know if its UW or OSU.  Well, I know what I think, but I don't want to think that...

BTW, the tackles for the 2018 team will be an upgrade over Cole and JBB.  You heard it right here.

Joined: 01/31/2016

MGoPoints: 127316

ijohnb

November 2nd, 2017 at 9:58 AM ^

don't think the "fire Drevno" crowd was particularly informed under the circumstances, but it is important that the offense continue to improve and take shape.  The Iowa game last year was a play calling debacle that never should have happened and the failure of the offense to do the very little that was required to secure the OSU game last year was disastrous.  Those kinds of outcomes need to be eliminated.  The offense looked abysmal to start this season as well.  We have seen some improvement but I think he remains somewhat under the microscope.  Personally, I think there is going to be some shuffling of our offensive staff regardless of how this season plays out.  There are a lot of cooks in the kitchen right now and I think it may be TMI for a lot of college players.

Joined: 09/21/2009

MGoPoints: 69986

Tyrone Biggums

November 2nd, 2017 at 6:26 PM ^

The negativity has been so bad that I had to take a break from my beloved mgoblog. Lots of things and players on this team to be excited about. It's not likely but I wouldn't be surprised if they win out. If anything besides the talent level stands out to me in comparison to the old regime is that Harbaugh and crew aren't gonna roll over and quit! Steel sharpens steel! The future is really bright. Got my shades on.

Joined: 01/16/2013

MGoPoints: 4720

Night_King

November 1st, 2017 at 9:32 PM ^

Dillon Spalding released his top 2, Michigan and West Virginia. Not sure who else this would be about. Maybe he’s a silent? In other recruiting news, Artur Sitkowski (former QB target) flipped from Miami to Rutgers.

Joined: 03/02/2016

MGoPoints: 25672

DrMantisToboggan

November 1st, 2017 at 10:14 PM ^

No, it's more interesting. I find it very interesting when respected people in the evaluating industry come away with starkly different opinions than the best coaches. Obviously coaches are generally correct, but it shows how imprecise the recruiting ranking system is and how relying on ratings can mislead you.

Joined: 11/26/2014

MGoPoints: 74183

Mr Miggle

November 2nd, 2017 at 7:51 AM ^

a lot more accurate than they would be just by scouting since they use offers and commitments to influence their rankings, While they put up early rankings just like coaches put out early offers and take early commitments, they (and we) typically use their final rankings when we make comparisons. It's harder to know when coaches change their opinions. Reported offers never come off the lists, even when they're pulled. While commits do get pushed out, it happens far less often than opinions change downward.

Joined: 10/07/2010

MGoPoints: 47691