WebbBits

Submitted by alum96 on

Went thru this weeks recruiting bits on Webb's podcasts and a few nuggets of interest:

  • Crawford - Sam as been told by west coast guys Oregon has stop pursuing Crawford. 

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I noted in the "guess the 3rd commit Mitchell hinted at" prediction thread last week I thought it was Crawford - it ended up being Pie... but it sounded like a "non commitable" for Pie.  Pie's decision is now pushed out to NSD as it would read he wants to be here but we have to see if he can fit in the class.  (my reading of it anyhow) Mitchell said a "4th" was close and that is his position group -  Crawford could be a silent by this point.

  • Delance - Sam feels good BUT also says Texas insiders feel very good about him as well.... while most fans think LSU is the one to beat. 

The combined Brian/Ace crystal ball went to UM yest for Delance - that's one mighty ball but only 1 thus far.  I'd still like to see a Lorenz and/or Wiltfong ball head to UM but our questions will be answered Jan 2.

  • Gary - Webb has not spoken to mom yet about new DC but hopes to today.

Not much new here.  By the way (maybe it was posted on board this summer) one of the guys at "The Opening" which is the big Nike summer event said Gary was the best prospect at any position he has seen there in 5 years.  Wow.  Guy said he is not just a physical force but a student of game.

  • Davis - Webb said Davis is going to go til NSD. UM may not have a spot for him by then. 

It sounds like if Delance is not a Wolverine next week UM might not take another OL because too many coals in fire.

  • Nauta - as everyone else thinks, Sam also thinks GA.  Says GA insiders are very confident yada yada
  • Mathis - Sam "feels good".

This has been a very quiet recruitment, I barely ever hear anything about him.  Been projected to FL (who does use TE a lot with Nuss) but like Davis and Jones for UM, Mathis has been projected to UF a long time but has not pulled trigger.  I think the situation here is a lot like Davis.... will there be room for a non Nauta TE? They would of course make room for Nauta, but Chase Allen and Mathis it depends on moving parts.  Is it better to take Pie AND Crawford or give the Pie spot to a TE not named Nauta ...or heck a defensive player.  Thats my reading anyhow.

  • Long - WA is a very serious threat, he really likes WA.  Long goes to Italy (?) a few days after his official to WA mid Jan so Sam expects a decision in those few days. 

As Brian noted pulling a guy right after an official elsewhere is tough. I'd expect a lot of troops including Jim himself in Long's home a few hrs after he gets back from his official!

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alum96

December 23rd, 2015 at 11:04 AM ^

Totally unrelated to Sam, but posted on the edge of the internet is a rivals story on "reaction to Brown hire".... Sir Patrick Scott was asked about reaction and apparently told rivals guys he has not been in contact with staff in quite a while.  This is same stuff we heard from Enis (and a month later he is on official visits elsewhere) and same way Jim sort of tells commits not so interested anymore. 

Airing of grievence: I don't love that Jim does this and if it was OSU doing it we'd be all over them for it.  Just be upfront and say we may not have room....recruits talk to recruits and it's not a good look.  It's one thing to be in limbo or a "plan B" and that has been made clear to you - its anothe to just cease communicating to someone who has committed to you and thinks they will be in AA next fall.

But anyow it appears a "lane" is forming with SPS just like with Enis and Weaver.   I also thought quotes from Weaver vs say a Ron Johnson are telling on Brown hire.   Only 1 of the 2 speaks of Wolverines in 3rd person.

Ron Johnson Jr: “I love him and I can’t wait to work with him and learn from him.”

Rashad Weaver: “Michigan’s defense is gonna be very scary under him.”

So w/ that said we have 4 openings but I am "feeling" its really 7 minimum (Enis, Weaver, Scott) after heaing of Scott's situation. 

  Top Target Backup Backup Result?
$$$ Rashan Gary Nooobody   Rashan Gary
WR Dylan Crawford π Young   Dylan Crawford
TE Isaac Nauta Chase Allen Jacob Mathis Chase Allen
LB Dontavious Jackson Jonathan Jones Elysee Mbem-Bosse Jonathan Jones
CB David Long Lavert Hill Chris Brown Lavert Hill
S Jordan Fuller Khaleke Hudson   ??
OL Jean Delance Terrance Davis   ??
DE ? Connor Murphy* Levi Onwuzurike* ??
ETC Quinn Nordin (PSU) Victor Viramontes   Quinn Nordin
         
Nope Mecole Hardman Jr Caleb Kelly Donnie Corley n/a
      Velus Jones  
         
  Other potential lanes      
1 Rashad Weaver Temple visit    
2 Kiante Enis Indiana visit communication stall  
3 Sir Patrick Scott communication stall vague grade rumors  
4 Dytarious Johnson vague grade rumors    
5 grayshirt(s)      

 

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alum96

December 23rd, 2015 at 11:26 AM ^

Wouldnt call it "confirmed" - some now speculate it is grades... but I see that lofted often on eleven warriors or rcmb too when a guy decommits or picks another school etc.  We do it too.  It is convenient cover that is prob true some of the time - who knows in which specific cases...

Lets say it is grades... you still talk to the recruit.  My airing of grievance isn't  SPS specific - it's for this "stop talking" methodology that was done at Stanford as well as here it seems.

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Reader71

December 23rd, 2015 at 10:14 PM ^

If it's grades, and the coaches have informed him of the decreased likelihood of him being admitted, that is fine. But that means there has to be some communication -- checking on his progress, etc. If they just cut off communication, that is a bad look. Just be transparent. Coaches have all the power, they can pull any offer. They are the adults. Act like it. Pulling an offer might look bad to future recruits, but the answer is to honor your promise, not to act like the kid doesn't exist.

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Rabbit21

December 23rd, 2015 at 11:43 AM ^

I'm on alum96's side, I don't like the "Let's stop talking to guys and hope they get the message" thing either.  Obviously we don't know the coaching staffs side of it, but I'm not sure I love the look here either.  

It may be a cost of doing business but it doesn't feel right.  Hopefully it starts to straighten out as the staff starts to realize who are realistic targets and can start to prioritize better in recruiting.

 

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FormerlyBigBlue71

December 23rd, 2015 at 11:50 AM ^

I have no problem with this. You can either recruit the lower rated prospect very hard and lose out on the unicorn because you don't have a spot. Or you can sever ties with the lower rated prospect, potentially miss out on the unicorn and end up with a Mac level prospect on signing day. Lose lose scenario for a coach. Harbaugh will be fired in 3-4 years if he doesn't show results. Recruiting unfortunately is a cut throat game.

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Rabbit21

December 23rd, 2015 at 1:56 PM ^

You don't have a problem with not communicating honestly with a kid you have implicitly offered to play a big role in his life for the next four years?

Look I get it, chasing the bigger fish happens, but stopping communication as if to say, "take the hint" seems less than above board and not a good look for trying to convince people it's worth putting their trust in you.

I am sure this will shake out now that the staff has a better idea about realistic gets and can prioritize, but this feels a bit like a high school kid without the balls to break up with his girlfriend so he just stops talking to her.




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BuckNekked

December 23rd, 2015 at 2:31 PM ^

Its making a very large assumption that the recruits arent told they may be a backup plan or their grades are jeopardizing thier future here before communication slows or stops. The tiny bit of evidence we have is one-sided and circumstantial. 

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M-Dog

December 23rd, 2015 at 4:26 PM ^

I don't care about the situation, if it's December and you are not 100% certain you are going to take a kid that is committed to you, you need to let that kid know immediately and directly.  Not just stop talking to him.  You need to man up and tell him exactly where he stands.  Period.

.

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Franz Schubert

December 23rd, 2015 at 4:37 PM ^

He is doing the right thing and honoring the offer. If he chose to pull the offer, that would be wrong. If the recruit doesn't get enough attention and decides to look elsewhere that's fine. If the recruit decides to enroll and take the scholarship that is fine. Harbaugh is not backing out on his offers. This boils down to being upset that Harbaugh is not giving the recruits enough attention.

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Franz Schubert

December 23rd, 2015 at 4:28 PM ^

The scholarship is being honored. No offers have been revoked, if the recruit wants to use the scholarship it will be honored. If Harbaugh pulled a scholarship offer it becomes an issue, until then this is all about not giving recruits enough attention.

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Reader71

December 23rd, 2015 at 10:28 PM ^

Pulling a scholarship isn't necessarily any worse than the cold shoulder method. Pulling a scholarship is probably OK as long as it isn't too late in the game, leaving the kid with no other options. This is bad because the desired result is to extricate the coach from having to honor the offer while also saving the coach the bad PR of pulling the scholarship. It is trying to clean shit with piss.

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bronxblue

December 23rd, 2015 at 2:14 PM ^

You can still, you know, pick up a phone and tell a kid directly.  Not talking to him and hoping he gets the hint is crappy and not something that should be tolerated, if it's happening.  Harbaugh is getting paid like a grown man, and that includes being responsible for your decisions.  And if you offer a guy a scholarship and he accepts, and later on you want to rescind it, then you have to man up and do so, even if it is unpopular and paints you are a hypocrite.  

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Crazy Canuck

December 23rd, 2015 at 6:17 PM ^

How recruiting visits work. Especially last two paragraphs. Kids are funny. Maybe the coaching staff knows they are solid and is trying to communicate with those they are not so sure are. Or they are spending most of their time coaching the team they already have and trying to get others to commit like Gary and Nauta. Only so much time in a day.

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MGlobules

December 23rd, 2015 at 11:42 AM ^

because your comment--like so many here the last few days--is bloody annoying. Since when did we become an authoritarian state where venturing the slightest objection, simply advancing the FACTS, gets long-time valuable contributors neg-bombed. Not a good look for a site about my great school, thanks (a school with a deserved rep for openness and thoughtful give and take). Take this sh*t over to RCMB and keep it there.

P.S. Someone should ASK Harbaugh about this, next time there's an opportunity at a presser.

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m_go_T

December 23rd, 2015 at 12:49 PM ^

Kids change their mind all the time.  The Michigan offer and subsequent commit (or offers from Alabama, OSU, LSU, etc) only serve to give the kid more options and more visibility.  If I am Enis, Weaver, Scott, I am trying to parlay the percieved snub into another good offer.  I can look into other acedemic schools (e.g., Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Cal) if that's what I am looking for or better football schools than were calling when I first committed (e.g., Wisconsin, Penn State, Nebraska).

Either way, these kids were good enough to get the initial offer.  They will be just fine, no matter what school they end up at.  The only one that I kind of feel bad for is Dele Harding.  He seems to be ignoring the tea leaves.  As far as I can tell he has not taken any visits.  I hope he gets things figured out soon.   

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snarling wolverine

December 23rd, 2015 at 11:43 AM ^

It seems, based on your immediate reaction to the Brown hiring and now this, that you have a bit of a tendency to shoot from the hip.  

I don't think anyone here knows the whole story.  The kid is giving his version, which may or may not be accurate, and we won't get Harbaugh's because 1) it's not allowed until February and 2) he probably wouldn't bother anyway.  Given this, I think we should avoid casting judgment.

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The Mad Hatter

December 23rd, 2015 at 1:30 PM ^

Say the kid's grades are bad. Is he going to admit that? Especially when Harbaugh can't comment about whatever the situation is? I do agree in general though. If you want to rescind an offer I think it's best to just be honest with the recruit. Then again, we're paying Harbaugh a lot of money to win a lot of games, so I trust his methods.

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Franz Schubert

December 23rd, 2015 at 5:00 PM ^

He is not "recinding the offer". Can you give one example of Harbaugh offering a scholarship, the recruit accepting it, and then Harbaugh pulling the offer? So long as Harbaugh never goes back on his word and will not honor the offer then this is nothing. As far as I know, every recruit Harbaugh has offered has the opportunity to use the scholarship which was offered. So at that point the issue becomes that Harbaugh is simply not giving the recruit enough attention. How horrible!

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