Animated: Odell Beckham Jr. dunks, imitates LeBron James
February 3, 2015National Signing Day, Josh Gordon’s suspension, and nicknames: While We’re Waiting…
February 4, 2015National Signing Day is the day when high school football players all across the country make their final decision on where they intend to play their college football for next three or four years. Ohio is a hotbed of high school football talent, so many of the big time colleges around the country look at Ohio to fill their recruiting classes. Ohio State not only recruits heavily in Ohio, but they also look outside of the Buckeye State to find their talent. Its a great day for the young high school football players because the dream of playing college football is finally cemented when they sign their letter of intents.
Over the course of the day, we will post the top commitments of the local Northeast Ohio football players, along with the big time national commits who have signed on to play their college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Check back throughout the day to find out what colleges the young athletes will be playing for in the next several years.
Commitments
*** 9:04 a.m. ***
QB Torrance Gibson
American Heritage HS (Florida)
247Sports: ♦♦♦♦ (4 stars) ESPN: ♦♦♦♦♦ (5 stars)
Committed: Ohio State
Four-star QB Torrance Gibson officially signs with Ohio State, spurns Auburn, LSU and Miami: http://t.co/WYFNjJsAL4
— Ari Wasserman (@AriWasserman) February 4, 2015
WR KJ Hill
North Little Rock HS (Arkansas)
247Sports: ♦♦♦♦ (4 stars) ESPN: ♦♦♦♦ (4 stars)
Committed: Ohio State
Big start for Ohio State – Buckeyes sign four-star WR K.J. Hill over Alabama, Arkansas: http://t.co/c0SE0jYZ2u
— Ari Wasserman (@AriWasserman) February 4, 2015
LB Justin Hilliard
St. Xavier HS (Ohio)
247Sports: ♦♦♦♦♦ (5 stars) ESPN: ♦♦♦♦♦ (5 stars)
Committed: Ohio State
Justin Hilliard's letter of intent is in, he's a Buckeye. He was my choice for most influential Ohio State signee: http://t.co/dRheeEkgf9
— Ari Wasserman (@AriWasserman) February 4, 2015
ATH Eric Glover-Williams
Canton McKinley HS (Ohio)
247Sports: ♦♦♦♦ (4 stars) ESPN: ♦♦♦♦ (4 stars)
Committed: Ohio State
Players who have officially signed NLOI so far to join Ohio St.: Eric Glover-Williams, Kevin Feder, Denzel Ward, Alex Stump, Liam McCullough
— Ari Wasserman (@AriWasserman) February 4, 2015
CB Denzel Ward
Nordonia HS (Ohio)
247Sports: ♦♦♦♦ (4 stars) ESPN: ♦♦♦ (3 stars)
Committed: Ohio State
WR Alex Stump
St. Edward HS (Ohio)
247Sports: ♦♦♦♦ (4 stars) ESPN: ♦♦♦ (3 stars)
LB Jerome Baker
Benedictine HS (Ohio)
247Sports: ♦♦♦♦ (4 stars) ESPN: ♦♦♦♦ (4 stars)
Committed: Ohio State
Benedictine's Jerome Baker said his papers are already in. He has signed with #OhioState on #nsdcle. pic.twitter.com/0NtDSrCdCd
— Stephanie Kuzydym (@stephkuzy) February 4, 2015
*** 9:50 a.m. ***
RB LJ Scott
Hubbard HS (Ohio)
247Sports: ♦♦♦♦ (4 stars) ESPN: ♦♦♦♦ (4 stars)
Committed: Michigan State
the fax does work … LJ Scott has signed with Michigan State
— Matt Charboneau (@mattcharboneau) February 4, 2015
DE Dre’Mont Jones
St. Ignatius HS (Ohio)
247Sports: ♦♦♦♦ (4 stars) ESPN: ♦♦♦♦ (4 stars)
Committed: Ohio State
Inked: Cleveland St. Ignatius defensive lineman Dre'Mont Jones is officially a Buckeye. http://t.co/UQJ3O7RYQS
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) February 4, 2015
OT Isaiah Prince
Eleanor Roosevelt HS (Maryland)
247Sports: ♦♦♦♦ (4 stars) ESPN: ♦♦♦♦ (4 stars)
Committed: Ohio State
BOOOOOM! Four-star OL Isaiah Prince commits to Ohio State over Maryland: http://t.co/YOkVk01oAn pic.twitter.com/4dPZZBQsu7
— Land-Grant Holy Land (@Landgrant33) February 4, 2015
*** 10:45 a.m. ***
QB Joe Burrow
Athens HS (Ohio)
247Sports: ♦♦♦♦ (4 stars) ESPN: ♦♦♦♦ (4 stars)
Committed: Ohio State
QB Joe Burrow of Athens, Ohio faxed in his letter http://t.co/In8GA1JZiC
— Ari Wasserman (@AriWasserman) February 4, 2015
LB Nick Conner
Dublin Scioto HS (Ohio)
247Sports: ♦♦♦♦ (4 stars) ESPN: ♦♦♦♦ (4 stars)
Committed: Ohio State
Already enrolled in classes at Ohio State: LB Nick Conner; DB Jamel Dean; DE Jashon Cornell; and OL Grant Schmidt.
— Jerry Emig (@BuckeyeNotes) February 4, 2015
DE Jashon Cornell
Cretin Derham Hall HS (Minnesota)
247Sports: ♦♦♦♦ (4 stars) ESPN: ♦♦♦♦ (4 stars)
Committed: Ohio State
ATH Shaun Crawford
St. Edward HS (Ohio)
247Sports: ♦♦♦♦ (4 stars) ESPN: ♦♦♦♦ (4 stars)
Committed: Notre Dame
ATH David Dowell
St. Edward HS (Ohio)
247Sports: ♦♦♦♦ (4 stars) ESPN: ♦♦♦♦ (4 stars)
Committed: Michigan State
8:34 a.m.: David Dowell, DB/WR, 6-1, 180, Lakewood, Ohio (St. Edward)
— Michigan State Football (@MSU_Football) February 4, 2015
LB Andrew Dowell
St. Edward HS (Ohio)
247Sports: ♦♦♦ (3 stars) ESPN: ♦♦♦ (3 stars)
Committed: Michigan State
8:32 a.m.: Andrew Dowell, LB, 6-1, 210, Lakewood, Ohio (St. Edward)
— Michigan State Football (@MSU_Football) February 4, 2015
RB Mike Weber
Cass Technical HS (Michigan)
247Sports: ♦♦♦♦ (4 stars) ESPN: ♦♦♦♦ (4 stars)
Committed: Ohio State
RB Mike Weber has signed with the #Buckeyes, major keep for them, good effort by #Wolverines late. pic.twitter.com/Sl9tr4fjz1
— Mike Farrell (@rivalsmike) February 4, 2015
*** 11:30 a.m. ***
Urban Meyer has had another great signing day for the Ohio State Buckeyes. It was pretty much a flawless day with most of the big decisions going towards the favor of the Bucks. The day started with a big commitment from receiver KJ Hill of Arkansas. That was followed up by the signing of quarterback Torrance Gibson, who many feared could flip to another school. The next hour or so, the Buckeyes’ day went as planned, signing the many players who had already committed earlier. The big announcement came when offensive tackle Isaiah Prince chose Ohio State. They stole him away from in-state school Maryland. The latest news of Mike Weber committing to Bucks really calmed a lot of nerves. Over the last few days, many people feared he could flip back to Michigan after the Wolverines put on the full court press over the last few weeks. But he cemented his commitment to Ohio State, signing his letter of intent. It has been a great day for the Buckeyes with no real loss and a couple of big wins.
*** 12:35 p.m. ***
Mitch Guadagni
Hudson HS (Ohio)
247Sports: ♦♦♦ (3 stars) ESPN: ♦♦♦ (3 stars)
Committed: Toledo
The QB is in! Dual-threat QB Mitch Guadagni from Hudson, OH is officially a part of #RocketNation #RocketNationR15ING pic.twitter.com/h9RpYfYUAk
— Toledo Football (@ToledoFB) February 4, 2015
QB Brett Kean
St. Edward HS (Ohio)
247Sports: ♦♦♦ (3 stars) ESPN: ♦♦♦ (3 stars)
Committed: South Florida
USf just signed what they hope is their QB of the future. Welcome to Bulls country Brett Kean @bkeanqb4
— USFBullsSports (@USFBullsSports) February 4, 2015
QB Jake Floriea
Mentor HS (Ohio)
Committed: Penn
#Mentor QB Jake Floriea signing his letter of intent to play at the University of Pennsylvania. pic.twitter.com/7vLMHvMtPH
— Eric Ristow (@ericristow) February 4, 2015
RB Eddie Daugherty
Mentor HS (Ohio)
Committed: Eastern Michigan
Excited to announce that Eddie Daugherty @40_eddie is an Eagle! Welcome to the family! Big expectations for this guy! #EMUSigningDay #WR
— Kalen DeBoer (@KalenDeBoer) February 4, 2015
LB Troy Dipre
St. Edward HS (Ohio)
247Sports: ♦♦ (2 stars) ESPN: ♦♦♦ (3 stars)
Committed: Kent State
He played a huge role in St. Ed's state title run…Welcome linebacker Troy Dipre
— Kent State Football (@KentStFootball) February 4, 2015
ATH Trevon Story
Glenville HS (Ohio)
247Sports: ♦♦♦ (3 stars) ESPN: ♦♦♦ (3 stars)
Committed: Cincinnati
Proud families at Signing Day. Thirteen young men from Ginn Academy got college scholarships today! #expectmiracles pic.twitter.com/TWBBEwN6B5
— The Ginn Academy (@GinnAcademy) February 4, 2015
*** 1:12 p.m. ***
DE Rashod Berry
Lorain HS (Ohio)
247Sports: ♦♦♦ (3 stars) ESPN: ♦♦♦ (3 stars)
Committed: Ohio State
Rashod Berry (@_berryrashod6) has signed his LOI and is officially a #Buckeye
— Jeremy Birmingham (@Birm) February 4, 2015
OG Matthew Burrell
C.D. Hylton HS (Virginia)
247Sports: ♦♦♦♦ (4 stars) ESPN: ♦♦♦♦ (4 stars)
Committed: Ohio State
Inked: Relationships helped the Buckeyes land Matt Burrell, Jr. one of their highest priority targets in 2015. http://t.co/b4iVw5WRpX
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) February 4, 2015
CB Jamel Dean
Cocoa HS (Florida)
247Sports: ♦♦♦♦ (4 stars) ESPN: ♦♦♦♦ (4 stars)
Committed: Ohio State
DT Robert Landers
Huber Heights Wayne HS (Ohio)
247Sports: ♦♦♦ (3 stars) ESPN: ♦♦♦ (3 stars)
Committed: Ohio State
Inked: Three-Star Defensive Lineman Robert Landers, from Wayne, Ohio, is Officially a Buckeye #BUCKEYES http://t.co/QVlRFnxeph
— Chris Uhas (@BuckeyeFanlnNC) February 4, 2015
*** 2:05 p.m. ***
LB London Cloud
Bedford HS (Ohio)
247Sports: ♦♦♦ (3 stars) ESPN: ♦♦ (2 stars)
Committed: Ohio
London Cloud @LC__11 is an Ohio Bobcat! #DreamGreen15 #AttackAndReact
— Michael George (@CoachMGeorge) February 4, 2015
CB Frank Sumpter
Glenville HS (Ohio)
247Sports: ♦♦♦ (3 stars) ESPN: ♦♦♦ (3 stars)
Committed: Illinois
3-Star CB Frank Sumpter has signed with the #Illini http://t.co/4kGVu0fBVw pic.twitter.com/YTI0a0jvI1
— The Champaign Room (@Champaign_Room) February 4, 2015
RB Richard Worship
Valley Forge HS (Ohio)
247Sports: ♦♦♦ (3 stars) ESPN: ♦♦♦ (3 stars)
Committed: Purdue
Ohio RB Richard Worship has signed with #Purdue #RivalsNSD
— GoldandBlack.com (@GoldandBlackcom) February 4, 2015
DE Justice Alexander
Nordonia HS (Ohio)
247Sports: ♦♦♦ (3 stars) ESPN: ♦♦♦ (3 stars)
Committed: Michigan State
New member of AWOL! @justice3215 Dream Big! http://t.co/b5kmb9V2vR #V4MSU pic.twitter.com/41z9QjnJKH
— Mark Dantonio (@DantonioMark) February 4, 2015
DE Marquise Copeland
Bedford HS (Ohio)
247Sports: ♦♦♦ (3 stars) ESPN: ♦♦♦ (3 stars)
Committed: Cincinnati
NLI #10 for the #Bearcats coming in from DE Marquise Copeland of Bedford, OH! #NSD2015 pic.twitter.com/E7f129CjAs
— Cincinnati Football (@GoBearcatsFB) February 4, 2015
OL Cameron Bell
Nordonia HS (Ohio)
247Sports: ♦♦♦ (3 stars) ESPN: ♦♦♦ (3 stars)
Committed: Toledo
Next up is OL Cameron Bell from Sagamore Hills, OH! #RocketNationR15ING Welcome to #RocketNation! pic.twitter.com/FdKL61zAEW
— Toledo Football (@ToledoFB) February 4, 2015
TE CJ Conrad
Keystone HS (Ohio)
247Sports: ♦♦♦♦ (4 stars) ESPN: ♦♦♦ (3 stars)
Committed: Kentucky
#BBN welcome early enrollee TE CJ Conrad! #StoopsTroops pic.twitter.com/xj5iZeSyqB
— UK Stoops Troops (@UKStoopsTroops) February 4, 2015
*** 3:07 p.m. ***
Here is the final list of recruits who make up the 2015 Ohio State football recruiting class:
2015 Ohio State Recruiting Class
Name | Pos. | Hgt. | Wgt. | Hometown/High School |
Joshua Alabi | DT | 6-5 | 295 | Detroit, Mich./Cass Tech |
A.J. Alexander | TE | 6-4 | 235 | Burke, Va./Lake Braddock |
Damon Arnette | DB | 6-1 | 190 | Fort Lauderdale, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas |
Jerome Baker | LB | 6-2 | 206 | Cleveland, Ohio/St. Benedictine |
Rashod Berry | TE | 6-4 | 235 | Lorain, Ohio/Lorain |
Branden Bowen | OL | 6-7 | 320 | Draper, Utah/Corner Canyon |
Matthew Burrell | OL | 6-5 | 310 | Woodbridge, Va./Hylton |
Joe Burrow | QB | 6-3 | 215 | The Plains, Ohio/Athens |
Nick Conner * | LB | 6-3 | 234 | Dublin, Ohio/Scioto |
Jashon Cornell * | DE | 6-2 | 261 | St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall |
Jamel Dean * | DB | 6-2 | 200 | Cocoa, Fla./Cocoa |
Kevin Feder | OL | 6-9 | 305 | Ramsey, N.J./Don Boscoe Prep |
Torrence Gibson | QB | 6-4 | 195 | Plantation, Fla./American Heritage |
Eric Glover-Williams | DB | 5-9 | 170 | Canton, Ohio/Canton McKinley |
Davon Hamilton | DT | 6-3 | 290 | Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington Central |
K.J. Hill | WR | 6-0 | 190 | North Little Rock, Ark./North Little Rock |
Justin Hilliard | LB | 6-2 | 230 | Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier |
Dre’Mont Jones | DE | 6-4 | 265 | Cleveland, Ohio/St. Ignatius |
Mirko Jurkovic | OL | 6-5 | 285 | South Bend, Ind./St. Joseph’s/IMG Academy |
Robert Landers | DT | 6-2 | 295 | Dayton, Ohio/Huber Heights |
Liam McCullough | LS | 6-2 | 230 | Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne |
Joshua Norwood | DB | 6-0 | 175 | Valdosta, Ga./Valdosta |
Isaiah Prince | OL | 6-7 | 280 | Greenbelt, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt |
Grant Schmidt * | OL | 6-6 | 275 | Sioux Falls,S.D./Roosevelt |
Alex Stump | WR | 6-3 | 193 | Lakewood, Ohio/St. Edward |
Denzel Ward | DB | 5-11 | 175 | Macedonia, Ohio/Nordonia |
Mike Weber | RB | 5-10 | 215 | Detroit, Mich./Cass Tech |
ESPN class rank: 6th
247Sports class rank: 6th
Scout class rank: 6th
Rivals class rank: 9th
*** 4:35 p.m. ***
For a more complete list of the local Northeast Ohio high school football players who are playing at a Division I college next season click here: Division I Football Commitments
For a list of the local Northeast Ohio high school football players who are playing at a non-Division I college next season click here: Non-Division I Football Commitments
Thanks for joining me today for WFNY’s 2015 Live National Signing Day Coverage and congrats to all the high school athletes who signed their letter of intents today!
41 Comments
Welcome, future Browns players. 😉
Joe: Can you please let us know specifically if Ohio State steals a major recruit (or loses one)? I don’t follow this stuff closely at all, but for some reason, that’s the info that really gets my attention.
Ohio State more or less stole Isaiah Prince from Maryland. Michigan tried their best to steal Mike Weber from Ohio State. It almost worked, but it looks like Weber is sticking with his commitment to OSU.
Prince from MD was big. We didn’t know if we were going to get him, OL 67 overall.
KJ Hill from Arkansas flipped from Ark, 6 foot WR runs 4.4 40, 157th overall
Weber is thinking of flipping from OSU to tSUN, he is 67th overall from Det, and we have the #1 RB in class of 2016 from NJ, so he could go to tSUN. I think he will head north.
That is probably about it. Interesting stat on radio, there were no 5 star recruits in SB, 8 x 4 stars, 20 x 2 stars. Ohio States class is not ranked as high because we don’t have the flashy guys (High WR/RB/WB) coming due to the young studs we have already on the team.
Weber just announced. Ohio State.
man we are stacked!!!
Gibson, Hill, Weber, Alabi, Prince. It was a perfect signing day for OSU. Pretty unreal considering all the rumors of the last few days.
You guys rock. It’s like having my own personal smartphone, with information right at my fingertips. Wait . . .
Jim Harbaugh just cursed.
And OSU technically stole Weber from Michigan back in November (though Hoke largely gave him away).
It was somewhat ironic: Harbaugh flipped a guy from Iowa (Karan Higdon) at the last minute, who’s a borderline 3/4 star RB, in large part due to the uncertainty with Weber. Then Weber said this morning that that commitment caused him to decide to go to OSU. Chicken/egg.
Ah, one last (C)Hoke job.
There are way, way more 2 star recruits than 5 star recruits each year. The fact that 8 4-star HS guys played in the SB means these guys are doing one heck of a job.
That is interesting. A tangled web.
But which is the chicken? Is it that Harbaugh flipped Higdon, or is it that Weber initially flipped from UM to OSU, thus causing Harbaugh to go after Higdon? Or is it that Hoke got fired, thus causing Weber to flip? Or is it that OSU hired Urban Meyer, which caused Hoke to get fired for losing so much? Or is it that Jim Tressel got fired, or that some dudes traded gear for tats causing Tressel to get fired? Or is it that those dudes were able to trade their gear for tats because of all the wins that OSU had, or is it that they had all of the wins because of OSU hired Jim Tressel? Or is it that John Cooper was such a failure at beating UM that this caused OSU to hire Jim Tressel?
Anyway, I think we’ll eventually take this all the way back to the very first chicken, who first laid an egg.
In all seriousness, how is UM doing with recruiting?
Meh, pulling some in from here and there. They need to show improvement and next years class could be a lot better. I just don’t know how much salvageable talent is there right now.
What’s Harbaugh’s QB plan? Is he trying to find his next Luck or his next Kaepernick? Passer or athlete?
In all seriousness, we need to ensure we get Joey Bosa’s brother to sign for the class of 2016
There’s a brother? And are there any more Borens?
his brother is sick. http://www.cleveland.com/osu/index.ssf/2014/12/love_joey_bosa_see_the_crazy_h.html
Hope he feels better soon.
Once again, Michigan’s administration messed up. For all his faults, (C)Hoke was a fantastic recruiter and there was no reason to allow for a extended lull between firing him and hiring Harbaugh. It destroyed their class (down to 6 commits the day Harbaugh was hired) and left them in a bad spot.
And, I am not complaining 🙂
He won’t until he commits to Ohio State!!!
3 thoughts from that link:
1) Better than Joey? Wow.
2) I watched about a minute of the highlight clip, and I believe it.
3) Chris Carter is a really cool dude.
They have a QB problem much like OSU, but theirs is trying to find out who is not the worst
But if you put all of your eggs in the Harbaugh basket, you kind of have to wait. I understand why they did it (and I’m not complaining, either!).
http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view1/1772176/rimshot-o.gif
“Meh, pulling some in from here and there. … I just don’t know how much salvageable talent is there right now.”
I don’t think this is accurate. Hoke was good at precisely one thing: recruiting. There is a lot of four-star talent across Michigan’s program, and guys like Derrick Green and Jabril Peppers are five-stars. Hoke’s biggest issue was establishing the identity of his team, and developing said talent. Harbaugh’s biggest challenge upon getting hired wasn’t recruiting his 2015 class; they actually only had about 15 spots, maximum, available. His biggest challenge is to start developing all of the highly touted recruits that are already there. In that respect, this season COULD be a lot like Urban’s first year at OSU. Not 12-0 or anything, but turning around a mediocre team from the year prior by coaching up the guys already there. Granted, they don’t have a Braxton Miller and Carlos Hyde on which to build, but there is plenty of existing talent that just needs to be developed.
“They need to show improvement and next years class could be a lot better.”
Yep. Also, just having Harbaugh able to run a full recruiting cycle with his NFL pedigree will already be an improvement over having just a month to scramble and see who they could pry loose at the last minute.
“They have a QB problem much like OSU, but theirs is trying to find out who is not the worst”
At QB, there are four options, including a four star that Harbaugh just flipped from Texas (Zach Gentry). He’s basically the same skills-set as Cardale Jones: 6’7″, able to run, strong arm, quick release. He’s probably not going to be the answer this year, but Harbaugh has shown an ability to develop QB talent in his past. They still have Shane Morris, and there are two other freshmen (one a red-shirt) that should be in the competition. Michigan’s success this year will have to come from o-line development and a running game.
I see Michigan losing at least 4 games. They are still at least a year away from being a 10 win team again. They have won 12 games in last 2 years. OSU won 18 games the 2 years before Urban came here, and 11 the year before that. The talent may be there, but they have looked awful the last few years. I don’t think Harbaugh is going to turn it around in a year. I think 8-9 wins should be considered a successful season for them next year, and that is not where they should be. They should be competing for a big ten championship each year like OSU.
the Bucks may not have the flash but they have the most important thing: the coach.
“I see Michigan losing at least 4 games. They are still at least a year away from being a 10 win team again.”
Agreed. I feel like 8-4 is doable in this conference and no longer having ND on their non-conference this year. But, their non-conference overall is tougher than in years past: at Utah, then home against Oregon State, UNLV, and BYU. No Appy States or Miami of Ohios in there. They probably lose to Utah, MSU, OSU without much question, and at least one other sprinkled in there for good measure should be expected.
“The talent may be there, but they have looked awful the last few years. I don’t think Harbaugh is going to turn it around in a year.”
I don’t think any reasonable Michigan fan expects this (not to say I don’t think there are many unreasonable ones out there). That said, he took a Stanford team that had much tougher recruiting limitations, was coming off a 1-11 season, and had won just 16 games total over the five previous seasons (in other words, a completely cratered tire fire of a program) and got them over .500 in just three seasons, and got them to 12-1 in year four. That’s a pretty solid record for turning something around pretty quickly, all things considered. The talent level at Michigan is far, far better than what he inherited that first year at Stanford.
The one silver lining is that the system Harbaugh runs isn’t hugely different in philosophy from what Hoke was recruiting for, so the learning curve on offense shouldn’t be as steep. The offensive line started to look competent toward the end of the season, especially against OSU of all teams, and the hope is that the uptick in coaching should help continue that trend.
“I think 8-9 wins should be considered a successful season for them next year, and that is not where they should be. They should be competing for a big ten championship each year like OSU.”
No kidding. It can’t be overstated the damage that was done by forcing Rodriguez out too quickly and then replacing him with someone who was in no way qualified to have the job at all, let alone for four years. It might take Harbaugh a full four-year recruiting/development cycle to undo the damage entirely, but his track record at Stanford and in the NFL shows that he’s pretty good at turning around existing talent quickly. We shall see.
I think 8-9 wins is a tad optimistic for Harbaugh’s first year. Taking away the snark, they have a brutal schedule next year.
OOC – @Utah, Oregon State, UNLV, BYU
Home Big10 Games: Northwestern, Michigan State, Rutgers, Ohio State
Away Big10 Games: Maryland, Minnesota, Indiana, Penn State
Even if you give them UNLV, NW, Rutgers, Maryland, Indiana (and I don’t think you should), then they still need to find another 3 wins from an overall tough slate of games. I don’t see better than 6-6 next year unless Harbaugh really is a great coach.
This is a fair assessment, but Oregon State is not a good team and is in the same boat with a coaching transition. Penn State is a team with more offensive question marks than Michigan has, and has been stuck in their sanction hell for three years.
I would argue–somewhat biased, of course–that Michigan was a better collection of talent than their record showed, and that they were so horribly coached the past three seasons that simple “average” coaching would have been good enough last season for two more wins (Rutgers and Maryland spring to mind).
As to the “unless Harbaugh really is a great coach” line, is there doubt about this? Has he not shown enough over the last eight years at Stanford and in the freaking NFL to convince you that he is?
I think that he is a very good coach. I do not think that he is a great coach and that his style is grating. But, that’s just me and I could very well be wrong on that, which is why I left it open for greatness.
And, I do agree that he would likely have gotten you 2 more wins this past season. I just think that next season’s slate is much tougher.
The talent level at Michigan is far, far better than what he inherited that first year at Stanford.
a completely valid and pertinent point.
I am fine with them going 6-6, as long as the last win doesn’t come in their last game.
“I do not think that he is a great coach and that his style is grating.”
I am not saying you’re wrong, because right now Michigan is basing it on the past several years. Until he does it on the field for Michigan, it’s all a guess. That said, I believe his track record to be great. He took a dumpster fire Stanford program and made it a top-five power in just four years. Granted, having Andrew Luck certainly helped, but that’s part of what a college coach does: finds the high school talent and develops it. So, it’s not fair to discount his Stanford track record with a “yeah, but Luck!” caveat (not saying anyone here is doing that) without noting that the reason Luck was there was because Harbaugh got him there and coached him up.
He then went to San Francisco, which was a collection of good talent that was completely rudderless. He turned a team that had won 46 combined games the previous EIGHT seasons into a team that won 44 games in FOUR seasons, went to the NFC title game three straight times, and went to a Super Bowl.
At some point, you have to concede that his coaching resume is actually better than “very good”. He has a very recent track record of turning very bad teams into very good teams quickly. Again, that doesn’t mean he will immediately make Michigan a top-five team. That said, I give him a pretty good puncher’s chance to win eight games against a lot of Big Ten competition.
As for the thing about his style being grating, clearly there’s data there, too. That said, college football programs turn their entire rosters over every four years, so the risk of player burnout due to that style is next to none. In addition, players coming into his program are choosing to do so, whereas in the NFL players have no choice where they’re drafted. I don’t see his style being any sort of issue in college even though it was for him in the NFL.
Yes, I wrote that one before you made me realize the shape that the Stanford program was in right before he got there. It’s been awhile and I forgot that they were such a laughingstock.
I still see it really tough to get to 8 wins (I see 4 almost definite losses with the Minny game away and then at least a loss or two more with that schedule).
Again, you’re not wrong there. That’s why I noted I was giving him a “puncher’s chance” to get to 8-4 this season. He has the track record, and is doing and saying the right things right now. That said, until they line up against Utah in the fall we have no idea how steep the hill really is and how well he’s climbing it.
Hey, we shall see. I think the Big10 is getting better (UM included), which is part of the issue there. And sure, it’s possible that Minny takes a tumble, but I personally think they are the new Iowa (team in the middle of nowhere that doesn’t get any stud recruits, but builds a program noone wants to play).
I am a big fan of football. I had played football as a captain for my school. Football refers to a number of sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball with the foot to score a goal.