2018 Recruiting Thread

[ELA]

well that usually happens when you fire the entire coaching staff and hire a new coach this late in the game lol.

I think it's more WHO they hired, with the major offensive philosophy shift.  These guys had to have known for a month they wouldn't be playing for Riley.

[ELA]

saw that. has MSU been on him? All his CRYSTAL BALLZ went from PSU to Cloudy. Will be interesting to see if Michigan gets in on him. They need tackles in the worst way. I really like Ryan Hayes' and Jalen Mayfield's upside, but they both need redshirts and to put on a little bit of size. Reed is more physically ready to step in and play right away if need be.
I wonder if distance was a factor here in his de-commitment from Penn State. Reed went to that IMG Academy super-school in Florida for a year and transferred back home because he was home sick.

EDIT: sounds like it might be grades issue. doubt Michigan or MSU get in on that one if it's the case. Kentucky?

MSU not getting involved for now.  Sounds like the grades thing is legit.

[rolltidefan]

heard a rumor Tua might transfer to UCLA to play for Chip. Might make sense for him honestly. Hurts isn't leaving any time soon, he's not a legitimate NFL QB prospect. Hurts will be the QB in 2018 and 2019.

i've not heard that other than complete fan speculation. wouldn't be completely surprising, but i would guess no going by things now.

[MaximumSam]

4 star receiver Kamryn Babb and 4 star DT Tommy Togiagi commit to the Bucks

[847badgerfan]

the recruit does a better "W" than the coach

the Coach is no Scott Frost

Williams is sticking with Big Red.

[Mdot21]

4 star receiver Kamryn Babb and 4 star DT Tommy Togiagi commit to the Bucks

two big time pick-ups. Ohio State's 2018 class is incredible. It's silly really.
Harbaugh had back to back #4 and #5 classes (if you recalculate 2016 with Shea Patterson, that is) in 2016 and 2017. Meyer was #5 and #2 those years. Pretty close on paper. Right about where Harbaugh needed to be to keep up pace.
But this year though, entirely different story. Meyer has lapped Jim and left him in the dust on the 'crootin trail. OSU is a virtual lock for the #1 class and it's one of the highest ranked classes ever since the 'crootin sites have been ranking classes. Harbaugh slipping all the way to #12 in 2018 and it doesn't look good for him down the stretch. Probably won't finish in the top 10, unless they get some unlikely surpirses, probably more like top 15 ish finish.
2019, Jim's off to a hot start nationally with a 5* DL commit from Georiga, 5* DL commit from Kentucky, high 4* OL commit from Ohio, and a 4* LB commit from Florida, but it's somewhat of big year in-state with one 5* prospect and eight 4* prospects, and he's not really a big factor for any of them at the moment and he'll have to do major work to get involved.

[ELA]

Harbaugh was selling change.  He's been there long enough, he has to sell results now, and he's got none of them to sell.

Michigan always sells itself though.  Kind of just have to stay out of your own way and you'll land a top 10ish class without trying.

[Mdot21]

Harbaugh was selling change.  He's been there long enough, he has to sell results now, and he's got none of them to sell.

Michigan always sells itself though.  Kind of just have to stay out of your own way and you'll land a top 10ish class without trying.

That's partially true. 2016 was a wasted opportunity. If they had taken care of business against Iowa and Ohio State, they were a likely playoff team. That would've helped out recruiting, obviously. Michigan can recruit itself to a certain extent. It'll get you in the door for a lot of high school recruits. But you still need great recruiters to actually land a lot of those kids.
I think the recruiting has fallen off though because he lost his recruiting co-ordinator Tony Tuioti to Cal (Cal hired him as an actual position coach- he coaches LB's there) before the start of this season and brought on a new recruiting co-ordinator who is probably not as good as the old one. Tuioti was actually integral in landing 4*'s Devin Asiasi out of California and Chuck Filiaga out of Texas. Not sure the new recruiting co-ordinator Matt Dudek is a difference maker like that. It's also obviously fallen off because of the coaching changes. Wheatley was honestly maybe their best recruiter. He's gone. Jedd Fisch was also one of the stronger recruiters. He's gone. Drevno was known as the weakest recruiter on the staff. Until Harbaugh hired Pep Hamilton that is. Hamilton is the worst recruiter on that staff. He's landed no one. He comes from the NFL, he's coached in college for like 3 years his entire coaching career. He hates recruiting.
Losing Wheatley was a huge blow. Word on the street is he wanted to stay but he and Drevno did not get along. At all. Good choice Jim. Good choice.

[ELA]

Yeah, I just meant to recruit at Meyer's level, his pedigree and name aren't going to be enough anymore.  He has to win at Meyer's level.

[Mdot21]

Yeah, I just meant to recruit at Meyer's level, his pedigree and name aren't going to be enough anymore.  He has to win at Meyer's level.

that's definitely true. you don't land classes like the one Meyer is this year without winning a National Title. That class is insane. Just doesn't happen unless you've won like Meyer. They weren't ever going to land a class like that. But they've fallen from back to back top 5 classes to likely finishing outside the top 15 this year. It looks really bad for the finish down the stretch, they are probably going to miss out on everybody.
Michigan's recruiting has fallen off the map since losing Wheatley to the NFL, Jedd Fisch to UCLA, and recruiting co-ordinator Tuitoi to Cal. 247Sports does a top 25 recruiters of the year list. Wheatley and Fisch were on those lists every year they were at Michigan. The guys who replaced them...nowhere near that list. Pep Hamilton is terrible at recruiting, he hates it. Don't get me started on the new recruiting co-ordinator who is basically a clown. He's been engaging with fans on twitter like a damn moron and half the stuff he tweets- just absolutely embarrassing. He is not a grown up. Reminds me of that OSU WR's coach or something.
Alabama is trying to go after LB's coach Chris Partridge hard, who is by far Michigan's best recruiter and was #1 on that top 25 recruiters of the year list for 2017 and #12 in 2016. Partridge and Mattison are the only reason this class hasn't fallen off the deep end. If they lost Partridge to Alabama, my GOD man, don't even want to think about that.

[847badgerfan]

I admittedly have not followed much, but is Harbaugh on the trail himself? He's a good recruiter and should be doing that as much as possible. Or is he just the closer now?

[Mdot21]

I admittedly have not followed much, but is Harbaugh on the trail himself? He's a good recruiter and should be doing that as much as possible. Or is he just the closer now?

he's on the trail, just not as much as the assistants. he is definitely "the closer". The guy they send on the in-home visits to seal the deal.
Most of the leg work is done by the assistants though. Chris Partridge and Wheatley were like their rockstar recruiters, they both landed a lot of highly rated kids and recruits just love them. Mattison and Fisch were really good recruiters as well, not quite at the level of the other two, but both very good. It was kind of a perfect recruiting set up with those 4 guys. They did most of the leg-work and Jim and Don Brown would do the closing. And Partridge and Wheatley- that was just an awesome combo. The work Wheatley did to re-gain foothold in the state of Michigan- just completely went out the window soon as he left. 2019 in-state looks pretty bad for Michigan, and it's going to be a pretty good class of in-state talent. Have a feeling it'd have been a hell of a lot different if Wheatley was still there.
Drevno has long been known as the weakest recruiter on that staff. Until they hired Pep Hamilton that is. Hamilton haaaaaates recruiting. One of the top 247Sports national recruiting analysts Steve Witflong (who is a ND fan, but very plugged into recruiting around the country) basically called out Drevno and Hamilton, said they are two of the weaker recruiters in the entire country and they aren't earning their salaries. And the dude has got a point. Drevno is making over $1 million per year and so is Pep Hamilton. The fact that Jim feels the need to pay those guys that kind of money, absolute insanity to me.
I've got no problem paying coaches that sort of money, if they are worth it. Those guys are nowhere worth it. Let them hit the open market. They'd never in a million years get jobs paying them that kind of dough. Only reason they are making that kind of scratch is....they are favorites of Jim Harbaugh. All that meritocracy talk is just that. Talk. If he's supposedly only going to hire the best coaches then why on earth would he hire those two and pay them that kind of loot? Or hire his son for that matter. If he's only going to play the best players, then why on earth did he stick with J'Oke for so long before pulling the plug and inserting Peters? Or why did he only give Karran Higdon, who is clearly his best pure runner- the bulk of the carries only after Ty Isaac went down with an injury? Don't get me wrong, I love the guy and think he's one of the top 3 or 4 coaches in the sport and he's the best Michigan can get, but he is definitely full of a lot hot air.

[847badgerfan]

It will be telling to see what happens after the bowl season, or even after Wednesday's signing period. If those two guys are not out recruiting now, maybe there is a reason.

But.. there is no way he's gonna fire his kid and there are probably not many schools who would do Harbaugh "a favor" and take the kid off his hands... Heh.

The kid has no useful purpose, from my outsider's point of view.

[Mdot21]

It will be telling to see what happens after the bowl season, or even after Wednesday's signing period. If those two guys are not out recruiting now, maybe there is a reason.

But.. there is no way he's gonna fire his kid and there are probably not many schools who would do Harbaugh "a favor" and take the kid off his hands... Heh.

The kid has no useful purpose, from my outsider's point of view.

lots of "insider talk" that Pep Hamilton wants to go back to the NFL. I say good riddance and good luck. Don't let the door hit you on the way out. That was a huge bust of a hire. He has been dreadful on the recruiting trail. A guy making that kind of money better either be an offensive genius like a Mike Leach or an unbelievable ace recruiter like a Wheatley or Partridge. Pep Hamilton is neither of those things.
I don't know how he's ever going to get rid of Drevno. Sounds like he just won't fire the guy for some reason. Apparently- according to the insiders- Jedd Fisch was going to be promoted to OC because Drevno had another job lined up last off-season but Drevno had a change for heart at the last second. I don't know if it was Jim talking him into staying. But what a disastrous turn of events for Michigan. That cost them Jedd Fisch and Tyrone Wheatley. Fisch left for an OC job with UCLA, and word on the street is Wheatley left because he didn't see eye to eye with Drevno. There was a lot of friction on that staff between Fisch and Drevno and Wheatley and Drevno.

Harbaugh screwed up badly. He should've fired Drevno, promoted Fisch to OC, given Wheatley a pay raise and given him the title of Associate Head Coach and Run Game Co-ordinator. Would've been able to keep Wheatley and Fisch. All he had to do was get rid of Drevno.

Don't get me started on the son. That one really pisses me off.