Mailbag question: Understand the recruiting numbers

GBMW — Hi guys,

Could you answer a couple of recruiting questions for me? Is there a specific recruiting number a team can sign per year? Another blogger was talking about a couple of guys from Florida, who are a package deal, and said the duo will not be announcing until signing day. He says if the two wait too long UM may be full and would not have signing room left for them. That is what I do not understand.

From all that I have heard, Michigan is approximately 14 scholarship players short this year, and is graduating 16 seniors, that adds up to a shortage of 30. Taking your list of upcoming 5th year seniors, lets say 7 of those do not come back or are not asked back, now we are up to 37 spots. Let us assume for argument three go to attrition. Now we’re at 40 spots. How are we going to be full? According to Scout, Rivals and ESPN, we are nowhere near those numbers. If there is a set number, how is the program going to make up for this current shortage? What am I missing?

Thanks and keep up the good work.

Tom T.

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Thanks for the question.

Recruiting numbers are weird and hard to follow for most fans.

Michigan has been hit with the low numbers because of all the transfers, kids that did not want to play anymore, or moved on to the NFL early, have really put the numbers considerably low the past two years.

A Big Ten team is allowed twenty-five signings, maximum, per year, but teams are also allowed to sign three more, a practice called over-signing, in case several kids do not qualify. But for each recruiting class a team is only allowed to have twenty-five signings that eventually count when all is said and done. The SEC was a conference that always signed a lot of recruits, knowing that several of them would not be able to get into school. We believe it was Ole Miss that one year signed 37 kids, but only 22, or something like that, actually made it in.

Then consider the rule for recruits coming in early that enroll in January. These recruits actually count on the previous year’s recruiting class and schools must closely watch the allowed numbers.

When all is said and done schools cannot go over the 85-scholarship rule at any time.

Here is an article that we compiled recently on the seniors: who is out of eligibility and who might not be coming back. Seniors and eligibility.

One thing that is not mentioned is that several walk-ons will earn a scholarship for what they have accomplished during the football season. Many people will not count the walk-ons because they want to sway the numbers, one way or another, allowing the coaching staff to say the numbers are low thereby convincing recruits that the program is rebuilding and the roster is quite thin. The intended outcome is for recruits to infer earlier playing time.

As far as the two players you are talking about from Florida, Tony Grimes and Clarence Murphy, we believe this coaching staff because of obvious need and the position they both play would accept both players. We have been a leader of recruiting more defensive players even when it was not cool to go against the coaching staff’s thirst for offensive weapons. Other sources are picking up the defensive side of the ball needs and have adjusted the current articles to that parameter. Still, it seems that some offensive players may be under scholarship consideration.

Sooner or later this staff is going to have to make decisions regarding some of the very early offensive commitments. Will UM keep the commitments or give some the Jordan Barnes treatment and hope the player decides to look elsewhere by stopping communication?

If these two kids are a package deal then this current UM team must save a spot for them.

Tony Grimes is a player you save a spot for, especially being a lock down type of cornerback. We know that several kids are coming in at this position, but it is uncertain the quality of depth that these recruits will ultimately provide.

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