February 6th, 2018 at 2:10 PM ^
Reposting my comment from a different forum. You can still find tons of insiders who admit in comments that nobody really knows who its going to be for NPF. The largest share of CB's at 42%, (edit: now 71%, since they all copy each other), are now pointing to columbus. I've attempted to dissect their rationale, and here's what it boils down to:
The Buckeyes have managed to turn themselves into a contender late in the process, largely beginning with Petit-Frere’s relationship with Schiano and later with offering an impressive package of academics and personal development on his official visit to Columbus. The ways in which a program can improve Petit-Frere as a student and person off of the football field are critically important in this recruitment, and I’m told that Ohio State has impressed in those categories.
???? Do these guys not know that NPF probably knows how to google information?
Personally, Nicholas Petit-Frere strikes me as a guy who would get bored talking to osu football players after about a day. He also strikes me as the kind of guy who doesn't want to be treated like any old recruit and figured out like he's a dumb lineman. Let them CB him to osu. This guy is no Tyler Friday.
If its more that he just took his official to osu, so it must be osu, I see that as more of a cursory nod, same way he visited alabama recently. He's been involved in other programs such as ND, Mich, and Florida for months. Heck, if I was Harbaugh and the kid told me he was pretty solidly leaning Michigan I'd tell him to keep it to himself and take an official with osu last minute, and record what urban promises him. That might prove enlightening.
February 6th, 2018 at 2:17 PM ^
I'm sure NPF regards academics every bit as seriously as Myron Rolle and Deshawn Hand, who chose FSU and Alabama over Michigan.
Michigan fans continuously delude themselves that when a recruiting target says "academics are very important to me" it then means Michigan is automatically the front-runner.
February 6th, 2018 at 3:18 PM ^
Generally speaking I think most people don't listen to talking points like "academics are very important to me" or "it was a great visit". It's boilerplate speak, what recruits often say. Even if it is true in this case, it doesn't make Michigan the frontrunner. Honestly I thought he was leaning to ND for months, until Hiestand left for the Bears. Now? It would be nice, but who knows.
Why I think he's actually interested in academics more than the next guy:
NPF according to an interview before his ND visit stated that he was talking to ND and UM earlier in his process and was picking schools based on academics, school history, reach, and what the football program could do for him personally. When a top recruit is setting up visits with those two schools instead of visits straight to alabama, clemson, ohio state, florida, (he already had offers from all of these schools). It says a lot more to me than boilerplate statements. Check out some of his answers in the interview above, or to Sam Web in a later interview. He comes across as a lot more put together and cerebral than I was at his age, and I'm sure most of the other recruits out there.
An earlier interview with his mother that seemed to fly under the radar also underscored my opinion of him:
Still, he holds his own in the classroom. Petit-Frere has a 3.7 grade-point average and scored a 1,270 on his SAT. Those were the numbers that mattered to his mother. Loris' parents are from Haiti and did not graduate from high school. The family moved to Fort Pierce for better educational opportunities before relocating to Tampa. Loris was the first among her seven siblings to graduate from college. She also was as a single mother. "In Haiti you have to pay for your education, even in high school," she said. "Here, in high school, it's for free and our parents stressed taking advantage of that.
February 6th, 2018 at 4:04 PM ^
February 6th, 2018 at 4:24 PM ^
So many of our fans are delusional when it comes to this. These aren't community colleges being compared to Michigan. Myron Rolle is the perfect example. Who wouldv'e thought a recruit with that advanced academic ability would pick Florida State and he ended up with the Rhodes scholarship.
Ohio State's real life Wednesday or whatever they call it is consistently impressing recruits and their families. Denying that a student can't have as good a life outside of football because our school rankings are higher is so damn ignorant I'm sick of it. Fact is they've proven that if you want to be serious about your education and compete for championships you can do both at Ohio State.
February 6th, 2018 at 5:15 PM ^
Having read your last 25 posts where consistently you only comment on OSU and speak highly of them in academics and how godlike urban meyer is, I will take your comment above with a grain of salt. It's also super obvious that each of your posts you have to do something to specifically label yourself as a Michigan fan. I.e. "so many of our fans"...
Your buckeye degree and attempt at trolling Mgoblog aside, let me provide some clarification:
There are absolutely great, smart, hardworking, intelligent players who choose all sorts of schools for various reasons. If you have to reach back twelve years to grab an academically minded player who went to FSU, how many very academically oriented players on OSU's current football team can you name? What about Michigan's? The point here, is that there is a certain type of player, we call them Michigan men up here in Ann Arbor, who gravitate towards programs that can offer them a lot. OSU is super attractive to a lot of players, there's no denying that, but you lose a bit of interest from some of the players who are more interested in academic pursuits when as a school you let any ncaa eligible player in. A certain type of recruit is looking for a team where he can fit in, and where others are really interested in what they are studying as well.
I'll follow this with my own example. In choosing Michigan I was looking for novel ideas from faculty, and a combination of experience, insights and hard work from my classmates as I knew I would have an opportunity to learn from them as well. Yes, you can learn at many schools, but it's hard to stay as motivated when you don't have the support system in place.
Real Life Wednesday (it's okay, you don't have to pretend to be unsure of what it is, your posting history makes it clear) is an attempt to bring motivational or other highly regarded speakers in to talk to the team, and provide real life insights. Michigan offers highly regarded speakers weekly on a broad range of topics if you are in to that.
I was not surprised when Tyler Friday picked OSU at the last minute. I hadn't read anything to indicate that he was someone like Van Jefferson or Newsome who saw an amazing benefit from what Ann Arbor brings. However I will not be entirely surprised if NPF makes a surprise decision tomorrow.
February 6th, 2018 at 5:26 PM ^
Off the top of my head, DE Sam Hubbard was named an Academic All-American and will be graduating with honors from Fisher's College of Business. I only know that because there was some rumors that Hubbard was thinking of forgoing the NFL draft to earn his MBA, but ultimately decided that he could come back and do it after the NFL.
February 6th, 2018 at 11:29 PM ^
Apparently Michigan Men can't play football very well.
February 6th, 2018 at 3:40 PM ^
I was right there with the story "offering an impressive package of......" academics? more like coeds, weed and ink.... along with a sweet sports car from Jack Maxton Chevrolet.
February 6th, 2018 at 1:33 PM ^
February 6th, 2018 at 1:37 PM ^
Calvin Anderson, undoubtedly our top target, said, literally just last week, that Matt Dudek was the best in the country at his job and that Tim Drevno's experience is one of the greatest factors in his recruitment.
Matt Dudek has received rave reviews for his work with recruits.
You're upset about us missing on a recruit that we had only a slim chance with anyways and you're not being reasonable.
February 6th, 2018 at 1:41 PM ^
February 6th, 2018 at 1:46 PM ^
Based on what, other than the fact that a few Poly kids liked that he was also Poly? More recruits from a wider range of ethnic backgrounds (LOL I can't even believe this is part of the conversation) have said positive things about Dudek. The criticism of his is unfounded.
February 6th, 2018 at 1:55 PM ^
Who is one guy in this class that Matt Dudek has been the point man on? When Partridge was recruiting coordinator we went in and cleaned up in NJ. He was the main recruiter on our biggest targets all over the country as well. There has been more recruiting whiffs this year than any year in recent memory. I'm not necessarily a star gazer, and I'm not doom and gloom on this class...but theres a big difference between taking some under recruited guys mixed in with your top targets vs. taking under recruited guys because we miss on all of our top targets.
Recruits can continue talking about how hes the best, or give "rave reviews" but if they continue to sign elsewhere it means nothing. I feel Dudek might be a nice guy/good at building relationships...but Partridge was/is a closer. Need another guy like him.
February 6th, 2018 at 2:03 PM ^
What are you talking about?
Partridge is still our best recruiter and one of the best in the nation. He's still running point on our biggest targets in NJ and the south.
Dudek can't "run point" because he can't go out on the trail. He handles visits and administrative/organizational things within the recruiting department, which is the same thing Partridge did when he had the same job. Partridge wasn't the "main recruiter" for guys when he wasn't an on-field coach because he couldn't go visit anyone.
February 6th, 2018 at 1:44 PM ^
It's pretty apparent that Drevno isn't going anywhere. His apology bought him a life-time contract. I don't know much about Dudek. He had some good success with Arizona and Pitt. First two years at Michigan were pretty dang good. I'll put the so-so recruiting class on Harbaugh and his staff. Players want to win championship.....going 8-5 isn't going to do that.
February 6th, 2018 at 1:49 PM ^
Matt Dudek joined the team in July 2017. I'm not sure you can blame this likely top 25 class on him. Especially, if rumors are true, when some of the coaches didn't really want to be on the road recruiting.
I believe in holding people responsible and making changes when neccessary. However, the way some people throw around the "he should be fired" phrase the country's unemployment rate would be 100%.
February 6th, 2018 at 1:57 PM ^
"What an awful class."
February 6th, 2018 at 1:36 PM ^
February 6th, 2018 at 1:40 PM ^
February 6th, 2018 at 2:16 PM ^
February 6th, 2018 at 1:41 PM ^
February 6th, 2018 at 2:17 PM ^
February 6th, 2018 at 2:49 PM ^
February 6th, 2018 at 3:24 PM ^
February 6th, 2018 at 1:50 PM ^
Yeah, because the 15 high 4 and five star Defensive Linemen Ohio State has for him to practice against aren't going to prepare him.
February 6th, 2018 at 2:18 PM ^
February 6th, 2018 at 2:50 PM ^
February 6th, 2018 at 1:50 PM ^
Yeah, because the 15 high 4 and five star Defensive Linemen Ohio State has for him to practice against aren't going to prepare him.
February 6th, 2018 at 1:53 PM ^
I don't think you've been watching the same Michigan-OSU games as the rest of us for the last 17 years......
February 6th, 2018 at 2:12 PM ^
February 6th, 2018 at 3:12 PM ^
You're either a troll or you've buried your head in the sand for the last 17 years.
If it's the latter, I wish I had your optimism, but until Michigan finds a way to actually win that game, until I see it happen with my own eyes and it's not Luke Fickell coaching on the other sideline, I go into every OSU game assuming Michigan will find a way to lose. OSU has a massive psychological advantage in that game with having won it so much recently, and while we've found a way to compete, we do not know how to finish that game. OSU does, and that's what has made all the difference in almost every non-RichRod year.
February 6th, 2018 at 2:03 PM ^
Fuck yeah!!
February 6th, 2018 at 2:20 PM ^
February 6th, 2018 at 1:38 PM ^
February 6th, 2018 at 1:40 PM ^
Meh, their class is already historically good. I'm pretty much at the point where I just say "Oh they're getting another five star? Well at least half of their starters are former five stars anyway so difference does it make?"
Seriously, as long as Meyer is there you ought to expect more of the same with recruiting. And as long as he keeps beating us I can't realistically expect any recruit with no prior loyalties to pick us over them. I hate being a cynic but that's what 17 years of torture do to you.
February 6th, 2018 at 1:43 PM ^
February 6th, 2018 at 1:55 PM ^
People keep saying two top 5 classes, I show us with the 5th and the 8th ranked classes. We'd drop to 19th this year if we lose Reese, are 17th with him. In the meantime, our biggest rival has put up the #4, #2, and #1 class in the country.
We lose Reese and Bowling Green, Tulsa, and Troy have classes closer to us than we have to Ohio State.
February 6th, 2018 at 2:16 PM ^
Personally, i think you can add transfers to the class when dissecting the quality of players coming in.
February 6th, 2018 at 2:59 PM ^
According to 247's own rankings, they were top-five classes:
2016: 5
2017: 3
According to the the 247 composite, they were top-ten:
2016: 8
2017: 5
February 6th, 2018 at 2:59 PM ^
February 6th, 2018 at 3:03 PM ^
with a guy who is leaving for the NFL... cool
February 6th, 2018 at 3:29 PM ^
February 6th, 2018 at 3:35 PM ^
Not great, but does make me feel slightly better
February 6th, 2018 at 3:01 PM ^
Sobering? Yes. Surprising? Not at all. Meyer is a better coach than anyone in the college game who's name is not Nick Saban. And many would argue that Meyer is a far more relentless recruiter than Saban.
Meyer is going to reel in top-5 class every year until he retires. All I can hope for is that he doesn't plan on staying in the game as long as Saban, who is 13 years his senior. If Meyer plans on sticking around another 10-15 years (and god knows OSU fans would have him), we're maybe only a little more than halfway through the torture we've endured the last 17 years.
February 6th, 2018 at 1:49 PM ^
is the emergence of OSU. That sucks, but nobody should have been assuming that he was coming here. If he chooses Michigan, it should be regarded as a huge upset victory for us.
Ain't holding my breath, nor for Otis or Calvin either.
February 6th, 2018 at 1:47 PM ^
February 6th, 2018 at 1:54 PM ^
February 6th, 2018 at 1:55 PM ^
The Rice transfer will be more of a help in 2018. But no suprise NPF is not going blue. Hopefully Florida steals him from OSU.
It'll be interesting to see what generic 3* pops for UM tomorrow.
February 6th, 2018 at 1:56 PM ^