EJ Holland vs. Sam Webb

Whichever guy is predicting that a big recruit won't be coming to Michigan is probably the guy you should consider more reliable. Always. 

Well Harbor isn't coming to Michigan and hasn't been for most of his recruitment so its not Webb. 

Also Webb is selling clicks without commitment. He isn't saying Harbor is going to pick Michigan, he's saying Michigan is still in it and has what Harbor is looking for. Which is a way to play both sides and continue to get people to read the recruiting articles. He's also a sunshine blower from the program whose access comes from being a program mouthpiece. Webb is a seemingly good guy who is fun to have as part of the WTKA and beat coverage. But he's not a reporter, he's a propogandist. His takes have value in the context of knowing that what he says is what the program is comfortable with being said

lol call right about an eighteen year olds decisions!  Hilarious 

Webb posted a "Welp" thread about this, he doesn't think it's going to be Michigan.  We're probably 3rd or 4th.  South Carolina probably lands him. Maryland might be runner up, Oregon after them.

Trust NO ONE.  Start there.

I listen to both these guys.  They are both very good and do have a lot of inside info.  They just come at it from different perspectives, but if you actually listen to what they are saying….a lot of time it’s the same/very similar thing…they just say it differently.  With this particular recruitment, I’m not necessarily expecting Harbor to sign with Michigan, but I’ll be pleasantly surprised if he does.  That’s pretty much how Sam and EJ have reported on it.  It might happen or it might not.  It’s up in the air, but Michigan has at least a shot.  

EJ is younger and can probably hold up better if this gets into the later rounds.  Sam looks like he has an advantage in the weight category, but may not have the reach.  If he can get inside and work body shots in the early rounds he could open up EJ for a combination that does damage.  My prediction is Same with a 4th round KO.

Am I crazy?  “Checks all the boxes” does not equal “favorite”.  
 

Sam’s just been reporting what Harbor’s parents and track coach tell him, that Michigan has a good shot.  Which they do.  Doesn’t mean they’ll get him.

Sam also told everyone to chill the fuck out when J’yaire Hill left Michigan off his final list and when Dax flipped to Bama. People acting like he’s some clickbait doofus are nuts.  If he were this site would not be on his show every single week and wouldn’t have his posts linked in every single recruiting post 

I think the winds have been pushing against Harbor coming to UM for a while and reading what they both say they seem to largely be saying the same except that Webb is slightly more optimistic about that 10% chance he goes to UM while Holland isn't.  It doesn't really mean a ton.

Sam said for weeks and weeks that NIL wasn't gonna matter much to Harbor and now suddenly signing a different tune

One of them is a program slappy and the other isn’t 

Sam Webb is holding out hope that the Lions will win the Super Bowl.  Nyckoles Harbor may be a better bet than the Lions but if Harbor goes elsewhere, we will all move on and Sam will still be waving the Honolulu blue and silver.

I tend to find Sam will generally shade towards the most optimistic-to-Michigan view of any given situation. If Sam is 'holding out hope' then I'd say that puts the odds of Harbor coming here pretty close to zero

EJ Holland "pessimistic" = Sam Webb "holding out hope". 

No idea who is correct on Harbor but overall I much prefer Holland to Webb. Got no tolerance for guys who make crystal ball predictions, then just hours before an announcement pull their CB and still claim they were accurate because they removed the CB prior to a decision.  Webb is also hilariously full of himself - so there's that too.

i was hoping this was going to be one of those amateur boxing things where EJ and Sam get in a ring a fight each other with oversized boxing gloves

now that I know it's about Harbor i'm pretty disappointed.

With a program that's very optimistic and a fanbase that's incredibly pessimistic, it seems like Sam usually finds the sweet spot of how things actually go down recruiting wise for us. Pretty good. Not ideal. Not terrible. 

Surprised Harbor has gotten this much attention here with the likelihood he will choose Michigan being very small. Go Blue and good luck to the kid who seems to want track more than football anyways. 

I'd be pretty shocked if it isn't Oregon if he truly cares about track more than football. 

Sam always errs on the positive side so I discount his predictions accordingly.

I side with Holland here

I still don't understand how people still have a hard time reading Sam Webb. He's definitely a bit of a homer, but it's not hard to deduce from what he says where we stand with recruits. If he says "Michigan still has a shot" or "they're holding out hope," it means it's unlikely but still possible. If he puts in a crystal ball for Michigan, it means there a good chance Michigan gets him. If he has a "gut feeling," it means he has word that a recruit is coming to Michigan

Its still bonkers to me that people make a living off following around teenagers and trying to guess what decision they may make in the future. 

I’m curious on this as well since a lot of people on the board criticize both Webb and EJ when discussing about said guys. I do like Webb but at times believe he has fan shades on. Webb also seems like he has good relationships with UM recruits, see Davis. Both are good imo. 

EJ is going with more "facts" and Sam is hedging his bets. Sam strikes me as being more the fan and holds out more hope and EJ seems drier and more prone to past experience. My $.02.

Does EJ Holland feel pessimistic because another school has a lead, or because there is a legit 3/4 chance he ends up elsewhere (Sam just stated this morning: 4/5 schools still in it believe they are in the lead). 

Personally, I don't think this is nearly a lock for Michigan. I wouldn't even firmly say we're leading. But we have a good shot at the top remaining target in the 2023 class. That's exciting and I'm choosing to be optimistic about our standing.

People talking trash about their favorite insider is always hilarious.