Oregon now favored to land top-100 WR Gatlin Bair
https://saturdayblitz.com/posts/oregon-football-trending-for-elite-2024-wr-gatlin-bair-01hnbt8mq6zj
Originally, he was favoring Michigan. This seems to be an indication that Michigan's NIL is not where it needs to be. Bair has a 3.93 GPA and will be going on a mormon mission for two years. Losing this kind of guy shows how stupid our NIL policy is.
January 30th, 2024 at 10:37 AM ^
Makes sense, Herb spends a lot more time with most of them than Jim, and they knew the last couple years there was a chance Jim was leaving.
January 30th, 2024 at 12:34 AM ^
Herbert was arguably our biggest selling point in development and now that proven concept no longer exists.
January 30th, 2024 at 12:57 AM ^
Boise State's strength coach must have been fucking incredible to earn his original commitment. Maybe we can spend a couple million dollars on that coach to secure a WR who might come here in 3 years?
January 30th, 2024 at 1:33 AM ^
My comment was our recruiting pitch in general but it applies to Bair too. Now, if you've been paying attention, the reason for Bair's original Boise State commitment was his existing relationships with the staff.
January 30th, 2024 at 3:19 AM ^
Bair is from Idaho, and his family had some connections to Boise St. as well.
January 29th, 2024 at 11:06 PM ^
And Boise States was? This kid never wanted to come to Michigan. He wants to be close to home. If I was Michigan I’d move on. If he pops back up in 2026 after his mission then they can talk.
January 29th, 2024 at 11:13 PM ^
It has never felt like he really wanted Mich. No idea why and don’t think he’s disingenuous but clearly never got to #1 on his list.
January 29th, 2024 at 11:06 PM ^
Here comes the Warde Manuel hate. He must to be blame somehow. Even though you wonder how much NIL matters right now to a kid doing a two year mission. But, yeah, NIL must be it, nothing else. And thus Warde Manuel. It's easy to forget, reading that garbage, that Michigan just won the National Champion under that very same AD. I'd rather bask in that than give in to the hate, but to each his own.
January 29th, 2024 at 11:10 PM ^
Keep defending Warde. Show your work. He doesn't.
January 29th, 2024 at 11:14 PM ^
Hey, enjoy the hate. Bask in the hate. It's your existence not mine. I'm still basking in the glow of the championship, and it feels just fine.
January 29th, 2024 at 11:26 PM ^
Passive aggressive blog posts to fellow Wolverines is how you bask in the glow of a championship? Hey, its your existence.
January 29th, 2024 at 11:39 PM ^
Ha! It's ironic.
I was there. It was glorious! I want it to happen again. Trend with this AD isn't great. I wanted Brandon fired for the same reason and bought season tickets when he was. Never thought Beilein or Harbaugh should be canned and don't currently think Juwan should go (I don't know what happenedwith Sanderson). #wardehate.
January 30th, 2024 at 9:50 AM ^
Well good news! Neither of those coaches was canned!
January 29th, 2024 at 11:42 PM ^
Beats people dropping "Fire Warde" in every post. Or all the fat jokes or assertions that he's lazy from people who have no idea what an AD does or what he does all day and are probably pretty hefty themselves. I'm not even defending the guy. If he were fired tomorrow I wouldn't shed a tear. I'm just irritated that we won a NATIONAL FUCKING CHAMPIONSHIP, something we all dreamed about but didn't think was even possible, yet people insist on being miserable over every rumor or tidbit with any negative connotation they stumble across. It's sad, really, this refusal to simply enjoy the moment.
January 30th, 2024 at 8:15 AM ^
Let it go,"Clarence!"
January 29th, 2024 at 11:46 PM ^
It's funny that people credit the national championship to Warde Manuel. He had as much to do with it as Brian Cook.
January 30th, 2024 at 12:03 AM ^
except probably less
January 30th, 2024 at 2:17 AM ^
Yes, right. It's fine though to blame the guy for things he had nothing to do with.
Beilein leaves because he hates dealing with the increasing number of one-and-dones and quick transfers. Yeah, that's Manuel's fault.
Bakich wants to go to Clemson because of the advantages warm weather schools have in recruiting and being able to play outside at your own facilities in February and March. Absolutely, that's Manuel's fault.
Carol Hutchins retires because...well, she's coached for some time and has established a great legacy. What's Manuel doing???
Harbaugh jumps to the NFL because he wants to win the Superbowl--a game he's already coached in and lost. FIRE MANUEL.
Meanwhile, our programs are strong enough to challenge Stanford for the AD award. Manuel has nothing to do that
Got it ...
January 30th, 2024 at 9:51 AM ^
The number of posters here and Brian Cook called for Harbaugh to be gone in 2020. So yeah he definitely deserves more credit. Sorry.
January 29th, 2024 at 11:21 PM ^
Yeah, the kid's probably going to spend two years of his life in some remote area of the US/world helping the poor on his mission. For some reason that doesn't strike me as the type of person that's going to have NIL as a driving factor in his recruitment.
January 30th, 2024 at 2:05 AM ^
Mormon missions aren't about helping the poor, for the record. They're 100% to recruit new members. Any good they do is in the framework of trying to emotionally manipulate people into joining the church.
Source: grew up Mormon.
January 30th, 2024 at 7:50 AM ^
I've been a mormon my whole life and served a mission and you are 100% wrong. Source: served a mission. I don't push my religion on anyone and certainly don't try to manipulate people into joining the church. When a young man of 18 believes strongly enough about his religion to give up two years of his life to knock on strangers doors and ask (not manipulate or push their way in) if they would like to listen to your message I'd say the above poster is correct: NIL probably plays zero role in what he is going to factor into making his choice. Also, for the record, in two years we had one day for ourselves out of the week to be regular 18-20 year old boys and on those days, we generally were volunteering in some capacity.
I'm not saying any of this for admiration of any sort, I just get sick of people spreading false information about the religion I practice. Now I'll go back to leaving everyone to their own chosen religion and not attempt, in any way, to discredit their choice or manipulate them into joining mine.
January 30th, 2024 at 9:53 AM ^
Don't worry about the admiration bit.
January 30th, 2024 at 12:07 PM ^
Thanks for clearing that up
January 30th, 2024 at 11:46 AM ^
It's just amazing to me that religious proselytizers are so out of touch with the world that they think knocking on your door and asking if they'd like to listen to your message is pushing your religion on people.
ALL proselytizing is pushing religion on people.
January 29th, 2024 at 11:36 PM ^
Well, Herbert was key in recruiting him, and Herbert is gone because of Warde, ergo...
January 29th, 2024 at 11:55 PM ^
Warde just signed him to a five year contract last season
January 30th, 2024 at 6:37 AM ^
And he was already the highest paid S&C in all of football.
January 30th, 2024 at 8:17 AM ^
Username checks out.
January 30th, 2024 at 2:24 AM ^
Scary to think so many are so simple minded.
January 30th, 2024 at 5:09 AM ^
Ah yes, because Warde didn’t just sign him to a 5 year extension making him the highest paid S&C coach in college football or anything…
January 30th, 2024 at 5:40 AM ^
The Warde hate is because he’s awful at his job. Every single personnel decision he’s made has made that respective team far worse. He’s bad at negotiating he’s bad at PR he’s bad at managing his employees. There’s not one good thing he’s done. It’s no different that if for 8 years Michigan football slowly went down hill each and every season. That football coach would be fired.
January 30th, 2024 at 6:38 AM ^
Retaining Harbaugh in 2020 was a personnel decision.
January 30th, 2024 at 7:30 AM ^
It was? One bad season and people wanted him gone? Or was it just a lot of rabble rabble. Harbaugh was retained because Harbaugh wanted to be and didn’t have a legit NFL offer. When the rubber hit the road Harbaugh left. He wasn’t able to be retained. Warde is a cancer. He’s done nothing.
January 30th, 2024 at 9:11 AM ^
People had been bitching about Harbaugh for 3 years by then. Yes, people absolutely wanted him out after 2020.
January 30th, 2024 at 9:45 AM ^
Warde has done 1 thing to help us win a championship this year and that was not fire Harbaugh after 2020. Everything the team accomplished was in spite of him, not because he helped.
January 29th, 2024 at 11:06 PM ^
2 year mission. Chill, people, chill!
January 29th, 2024 at 11:07 PM ^
I can get worked up about a lot of stuff, but not the recruiting trends of a kid who won't be playing football until 2026.
January 29th, 2024 at 11:17 PM ^
To each their own, I guess. I'm already worked up about 2042 and why we don't we have a commitment from Mike Sainristil's unborn child yet.
January 29th, 2024 at 11:20 PM ^
Fire whoever the AD is in 2040!
January 30th, 2024 at 6:38 AM ^
Isn't he having a daughter?
January 30th, 2024 at 8:21 AM ^
Shows how little you know about the future of football.
January 30th, 2024 at 9:13 AM ^
Wait, Sainristil is having a daughter? FIRE WARDE. What is he doing? Get off your lazy butt and ALTER THAT KID'S GENDER IN THE WOMB!!
January 30th, 2024 at 9:48 AM ^
He's not playing football for two entire years or even training in a P5 S&C program. Then he'll be facing, by orders of magnitude, the best competition he's ever seen. Likely he won't see the field until 2027.
January 29th, 2024 at 11:12 PM ^
Webb said he was waiting on what Harbaugh was going to do.
January 29th, 2024 at 11:12 PM ^
This seems to be an indication that Michigan's NIL is not where it needs to be.
Yeah no, we had a coaching change/staff shakeup. Our NIL approach didn't change. This is the kid who was committed to NIL Powerhouse Boise State until they fired their coach and then he decommitted. Him trending Oregon has nothing to do with NIL.
January 29th, 2024 at 11:52 PM ^
Man... I don't really feel the need to spend time defending Warde, but the blaming everything that happens on him has been way over the top over the last week. People need someone to be mad at I suppose but geez...
January 30th, 2024 at 12:50 AM ^
The irony is that there are plenty of very legitimate criticisms of Warde. His handling of the Mel Pearson scandal. His bizarre loyalty to Juwan Howard. His frequent mismanagement of non-revenue sports (see, e.g., the volleyball fiasco).
But "letting" Harbaugh leave (as if he needed Warde's permission) and refusing to emulate the TAMU/Miami NIL strategy are among the more half-baked critiques.
January 30th, 2024 at 11:04 AM ^
How did he mismanage the volleyball situation with Rosen? He signed him to an extension the year prior, then he took a leave of absence for health, and eventually fired him after the season. Are there details out there about why he was fired and that this was an issue before he took a leave of absence and knew about it when they extended him?
January 29th, 2024 at 11:19 PM ^
It's not shocking in the slightest