November 29th, 2022 at 8:20 PM ^
Really? It’s hurting the sport because one talented player gets to keep playing and help his family? At least he doesn’t have to go work at the mill and always wonder what could have been.
November 29th, 2022 at 7:59 PM ^
Good Luck to the young man. Better now than signing day. Next!
November 29th, 2022 at 8:02 PM ^
Well whatever this is about, it's not about football. No comparison there.
November 29th, 2022 at 8:07 PM ^
Moeller and Carr had teams that were loaded with talent. The rosters from 1995 - 2006 had many star players. And they competed for those players against teams that paid good money up front. Why we're having trouble getting into the top ten rankings when we're on the precipice of two straight Big Ten Championships is beyond me. The team is getting praise nationwide for the way they play, but Notre Dame and Penn State are still out-recruiting them? I know our coaches can recruit, so what gives?
November 29th, 2022 at 8:22 PM ^
My guess is that before NIL, you had to worry about a handful of schools doing things illegally. Now pretty much everyone participates in NIL so it becomes very difficult to say look at our cool big stadium and come play here for free. There's a reason Michigan basketball and football's recruiting pretty much went in the tank when the NIL era began. It is so hard to compete in recruiting against that tide. It comes back to Warde Manuel and the regents and it doesn't seem like they're doing much. When they do move, they are two steps behind everyone else.
November 29th, 2022 at 8:08 PM ^
Honestly not even worried. Class will close strong just like last year.
November 29th, 2022 at 8:42 PM ^
Changing gifs I see
November 29th, 2022 at 8:15 PM ^
I believe recruiting obviously matters and getting the best players matter, but count me in the group who thinks oh well on this development. We are in the best position since 1997 to actually win a National Championship. If we keep playing the way we have been for the last 12 games, our recruiting will be just fine. Go Blue!
November 30th, 2022 at 1:00 PM ^
100% agreed.
Plus, as a grown-ass man who grew up poor, had to financially support my mom over several illnesses, and is currently helping financially support my stepmom and dementia-stricken father: there's not a lot I wouldn't do for a magic "make our financial issues go away" button.
If it's true he's chasing the bag to help his mom, all I can say is: godspeed and go get paid, young man.
November 29th, 2022 at 8:18 PM ^
Miami has a top 10 class?! Wtf
November 29th, 2022 at 8:24 PM ^
These days in recruiting: Money talks, winning walks.
November 29th, 2022 at 8:31 PM ^
They have the bagmen obviously. It’s now a matter of getting real coaches to Miami. Not ones that ride the coat tails off other successful coaches.
November 29th, 2022 at 9:20 PM ^
They've had top-15 classes for years now and it hasn't translated to the field. Honestly, I think Miami is one of those schools that benefits a ton from the innate South (esp. Florida) bias that seems to exist in recruiting where every 3*-ish kid with some speed gets hyped up because he plays in Florida versus other places even if their talent doesn't necessarily warrant it. It isn't to say that Florida doesn't have a lot of talented players but when the 55th-best player in your state is considered a fringe top-300 recruit nationally while states like CA and TX typically see that designation for a top-40-in-state kid I tend to believe there's some puffing up of a class based on familiarity and convenience.
November 30th, 2022 at 1:30 PM ^
True. Colston Loveland in Florida is a 5 star recruit.
November 29th, 2022 at 8:26 PM ^
Miami trying to be this year’s A&M.
November 29th, 2022 at 8:29 PM ^
Hey, they're already good at going 5-7!
November 29th, 2022 at 8:29 PM ^
If it's really a financial decision makes a ton of sense. He'll get some financial relief, get a chance to compete at a P5 program, and when Miami inevitably shits the bed again he can transfer to a better spot.
November 29th, 2022 at 8:29 PM ^
I'm convinced the staff doesn't really feel that strongly about most of the 2023 class of recruits. I'll be curious to see how many guys take their covid year.
November 29th, 2022 at 8:32 PM ^
1. Best of luck to the kid!
2. We're ranked #2 and (hopefully) heading to our 2nd consecutive playoff after our 2nd consecutive whooping of Ohio State.
3. We did it with players that came in as part of classes ranked 7th, 10th, & 14th nationally.
4. We are adding recruits graded in the mid 80s (for 2023) and losing our best recruits to lesser programs with heavy NIL approach and we have a class ranked in the mid 20s...
I fear our success will be unsustainable with such a talent differential between our current team and the projected team with a few classes in the 20s. It is 100% the NIL approach at this point, right?
November 29th, 2022 at 8:41 PM ^
Ummm what about the class before the 7th ranked class? I’ll help you out, that would be a class ranked 22nd. You know, the one with a ton of contributors to this team that’s beaten OSU twice. The one with likely a chip on their shoulder.
calm down, UM will likely have a great class in ‘24 with a really good qb.
btw, it was really obvious that you omitted the 2018 to fit your narrative.
November 29th, 2022 at 9:28 PM ^
I always love the "calm down" comments
'm expressing a curiosity and mild concern here. I think its unproductive to blindly defend the status quo as the best way and be unwilling to be honest about threats to sustained success. Of course, success on the field is a complex combination of factors – many of which were thoughtfully pointed out in other replies. But I do think that the unwillingness to pivot (for reasons unclear to me to this point) to take advantage of the legal boundaries of NIL has the potential to bite us down the road. You're welcome to disagree.
November 29th, 2022 at 10:06 PM ^
Actually, if you look at the 2018 class (which you conveniently omitted) you’ll see that there were many lower rated 3* star recruits than in 2023 (a class that hasn’t been completed). Who were these 3* star bums that you would be so mildly concerned about having on this team? Michael Barrett, German Green, Luke Schoonmaker, Ronnie Bell, Hasan Haskins, Taylor Upshaw and likely 2x Groza winner Jake Moody.
As a matter of fact, the kids that didn’t pan out tended to be the 4* kids that year.
So let’s look at this like a 5 year cycle. I bet UM kills it next year and so on.
This is the best development program in the country. This team is #2 in the country. This team beat the Buckeyes, again, by double digits, again.
November 30th, 2022 at 12:19 AM ^
It’s pretty well litigated that higher recruiting rankings over time correlate to more success. Not sure why it’s so offensive to suggest that our (amazing) team’s (that I love… yes, even the 3*) on field success not translating to recruiting success is disappointing.
November 29th, 2022 at 8:50 PM ^
1. With transfer portal rules, retaining your talent is just as much if not more important than getting the top recruits.
2. With paying kids being legal now the top kids are getting spread out a little more (Texas A&M, Miami) instead of all ending up at Baja or OSU.
I think there is a combination for success. Kids that will stay on campus for 4-5 years (Mikey S, Barrett, Mike Morris, Bell), some sprinkled in 5 star kids (Donovan, JJ, Will Johnson), patch a few holes with a few grad transfers (Okie and Olu) and a O Line that can fucking maul. I trust our coaches and what they are building. Just look at some of the true freshmen on this team that have been balling. We are in good hands.
November 29th, 2022 at 9:11 PM ^
Last year's class was in the high teens/low 20s until they closed strong and my guess is UM will pull a couple of more kids especially as schools change coaches and the like. But yeah, this year they sorta just missed on a bunch if guys for reasons that aren't necessarily due to one factor but probably a bunch.
I do think, yet again, that a lot of people overreact about NIL. Yes, there are going to be some kids who sign with a school because of money up front. But then, more often than not when it doesn't work out they'll bolt pretty quickly afterwards so then does it really matter who you recruited? If Michigan has lost a couple of kids to NIL so be it at this point; that's just UM's approach at this time and for better or for worse they're unlikely to change.
November 29th, 2022 at 8:34 PM ^
I do wonder if this says anything about Roderick Pierce, a top-100 DL who just decommitted from Wisconsin and apparently is leaning to UM. Might be unrelated but I could see a kid also looking at the landscape and figuring he could have a path to more playing time at Miami.
EDIT: Nevermind, I'm an idiot. I read the page wrong.
November 29th, 2022 at 8:40 PM ^
Rod pierce os rated in the 700’s nationally and plays DT.
November 29th, 2022 at 8:41 PM ^
Pierce looks to be an interior DL.
Collins looked to be a pure Edge.
November 29th, 2022 at 8:38 PM ^
Well, shit.
November 29th, 2022 at 8:39 PM ^
Not a good look. Can’t explain it great success on the field but losing your 2nd best recruit the same week as beating oHIO state. It’s frustrating to see the success on the field translate to floundering in recruiting. I get the trust coaches sentiment but that was a kid they identified and recruited for over a year. He’s ranked as a high 4 star and we signed a bunch of guys ranked rougly 500 spots lower. SMH.
November 29th, 2022 at 11:01 PM ^
It’s insane. We make 2 straight playoffs and the recruiting class gets worse.
November 29th, 2022 at 8:47 PM ^
Adios amigo!
November 29th, 2022 at 9:12 PM ^
Good luck to the kid but fuck that sleazeball Cristobal.
November 29th, 2022 at 9:45 PM ^
17 year old gonna 17 year old. Best of luck to him.
November 29th, 2022 at 9:47 PM ^
That’s a tough loss
November 29th, 2022 at 9:59 PM ^
NIL is a S.O.B.
November 29th, 2022 at 10:21 PM ^
Miami offered him a ton of money upfront because he has an ill family member who he is trying to help out. Technically offering money up front like that is still not within the rules. Miami doesn’t care nor does Texas A&M. Also Miami and Texas A&M are about equal. This kids best season will be 8-4, if he even sticks it out there. But I don’t blame him. Michigan does have NIL that is just fine. Tons of Michigan players making 6 digits, but Michigan refuses to offer them a promise of money up front. It’s just not the way they’re going to do it.
November 29th, 2022 at 11:14 PM ^
I'm never "that guy," but I'll be him today.
If I really didn't think Collins Acheampong was worth the rating. It seemed to be based on the freakest measurables, but his film...eh, I didn't see it.
Now Enow has been shaky, lose him? Big blow, his floor is Kris Jenkins, IMO.
Collins seemed like a guy who was going to redshirt and then do nothing for 2 years and if you're lucky enough to have him and he doesn't transfer...it was that 4th year that I think he has a crazy year and goes pro. So one amazing year 3 years from now.
Koumba is the sleeper that I love, I see him and I see Josh Uche 2.0. A man without a true home that will also take some time to develop, but because he's probably more of a one trick pony...you probably get two great years from him (like Uche).
I called Collins Acheampong the EDGE Chris Hinton...nothing to sneeze at, but certainly not someone who changes everything.
I love Enow Etta though, people see his size and think Mike Morris, maybe in his first year, but I think he plays that Jenkins role and does it as a crazy high level.
November 30th, 2022 at 9:06 AM ^
I do agree to some degree. Acheampong was always pure upside. It terms of bend, technique, and pass rush, he never really showed much. There’s also the possibility that 6’8” is too tall to get adequate bend and leverage on the edge. Etta reminds me of Kwity Paye so would suck to lose him. I’m pretty high on Koumba. He’s raw but has everything you want right now in a high upside pick up. Long arms, good bend, decent speed for someone not in a college S&C program, and already has a decent push/pull move
November 29th, 2022 at 11:23 PM ^
This one always felt iffy as it was such a back and forth affair before his commitment, so while it’s disappointing it’s not much of a surprise. Hopefully the coaches take this as a shot across the bow to work on locking down Etta. It’s Elston so it’s in the hands of one of the coaches who can recruit so I feel better about that.
I wish Collins the best of luck with his family situation and with Miami.
November 30th, 2022 at 12:25 AM ^
Uh, fire Harbaugh?
(am I doing this right?)
November 30th, 2022 at 4:17 AM ^
Proof that our current plan is not sustainable. Michigan has 2 of the best lines in the country, is undefeated, #2, and headed to the playoff. Miami sucks and we just lost a recruit. If we don't make a change in philosophy soon, we will slowly but surely suffer.
November 30th, 2022 at 7:03 AM ^
Maybe or maybe the bet made on culture and pulling in players who are willing to wait to cash in on NIL and are buying in to the program will pay off vs. the Texas A&M season. No-one knows how this will end up playing out.
Michigans approach will also need time to build up examples to fight off the immediate payoff offers.
This is frustrating for sure, but it’s one player with circumstances that lined up with Miami’s approach who was already torn between Michigan and Miami earlier. If it turns into a trend it’ll be a problem, but for now, we’ll see..
November 30th, 2022 at 5:21 AM ^
Three preseason top 25 teams are sitting home this bowl season: T A&M, Michigan State, and Miami.
November 30th, 2022 at 8:21 AM ^
If the real story is he is flipping because of NIL money, which we will never know, but if it is then that is not a winning formula as it relates to his work on the football field. You want kids that really love your program and want to be at your program. Then you end up with high impact players because they will work really hard to help themselves and the program succeed. And when your guys work hard at it then you end up with team success not unlike being the #2 team in the country near the close of the season.
Michigan is doing it right. Stay the course.
November 30th, 2022 at 1:27 PM ^
Well that's certainly a decision.
December 31st, 2023 at 5:35 PM ^
Just guessing that a kid from Ghana who relocated to California who then chose Miami is not going to end up in the grey, somber, chilly north.