Mailbag question: Fans, Sites, or team responsible for bad recruiting?

Posted at 8:00am — 11/16/2010

Mailbag question: Fans, Sites, or team responsible for bad recruiting?

Hello staff members,

I watched and read material from Coach Rod’s press conference where he appears to be blaming the Michigan fans, the Michigan media, and Michigan sites/blogs for the bad recent recruiting by Michigan football.

What do you guys think?

I believe Coach’s dilemma has more to do with the product on the field the past three years rather than fans and others being upset about star ratings.

Are fans part of the problem or just an excuse for coaches to use for bad recruiting and what we see on the field?

Did you guys also find it a little strange in timing that Coach Rod presented this revelation at his press conference Monday after a win against Illinois? Does pursuing a possibly negative course of action like above indicate that Rodriguez now feels a lot more comfortable about his job status after the win?

Wayne T.

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Thanks for the question.

We also definitely got quite a chuckle from the above “revelation.” Your point about the timing of the statement could indicate that Coach Rod feels comfortable in his job security since the team is now bowl eligible.

Blaming Michigan fans and Michigan sites for recruiting woes is laughable from a logic and reality standpoint. The argument holds no water from a logic position. At the very least, the declaration is guilty of the classic straw man scenario. The reality is that Coach Rodriguez has provided his own actions and measures that certainly have been used by competing programs. And on their own such actions and measures are of the nature as to be scrutinized by potential recruits and families independent of other sources such as competing coaches, negative news sources, and any other factor.

The litany of actions and measures is long and well documented; little would be served to bring up the ulcerated past.

Michigan’s downward spiral in attracting a sufficient number of elite athletes to ascend again to the top of the collegiate football is multivariate and web sites are at the bottom of confounding variables that provide a documented effect on recruiting success.

Discount the myth that elites do not fit Michigan’ system and other athletes are better fits. A rose by any other name is still a rose.

An age-old strategy is to blame the messenger. In football the general public buys into the documented success much more than whispers of injustice. Five Big Ten wins in three years are not attributable to outside sources. Once in the football environment (meeting rooms, conditioning, practices, and games) outside influences can affect performance, but daily operations far outpace the effect of extraneous sources.

Interpretation: such charges are bunk and exhibit weakness, not strength.

Back to reality and the now common practice of rankings do not matter if a recruit’s rating is suspect (by major program standards). But such ratings are trumpeted when the coveted athlete with a four or five star rating commits. This phenomenon is not unique to Michigan, but instead is near universal.

Do recruits and families check the sites? Sure they do. But almost all are smart enough to trust what they perceive and experience directly more than what is read or heard. A recruiting trip to Michigan is a powerful asset and any counter influence is most likely to occur in a competing program’s coaching office. Dissenters and clear negativity within the perceived program’s sphere may catch the attention of a recruit or family, but again it is a certainty that astute families will provide ample opportunity for counterpoint and clarification.

Frankly, the staff has a hard time accepting the underlying assumption that players genuinely interested in a program of Michigan’s athletic and academic stature would let a few negative fans, never met or never seen before, affect a critical lifetime decision.

Any recruit so worried about what a few hidden fans think behind a computer believe may also fear snake pits like C-Bus, where over 100,000 screaming fans who hate your guts call you every name in the book.

All programs have their share of negative fans, not just Michigan. Look no further than Morgantown, West Virginia for support pertaining to the above position.

It takes little insight to conclude that the primary factor within the control of the coaching staff, the on field product over the past three seasons, is the primary factor in any analysis of difficulty.

Losing to a sub-par Toledo team from the Mac (effort is being made to be kind and respectful to the fine Rocket faithful) that fired the coach after that same season would seem to be quite more damaging than website chatter. Losing to a very bad Illinois team last year, one that could not do anything right until they played Michigan (and was 14 down to the Wolverines), would seem to be quite more damaging than website chatter. Losing to Purdue when the Boilers put a running back, the week before, at the quarterback position (and two losses in a row) would seem to be quite more damaging than website chatter. Losing to Michigan State and Ohio State three straight years, and to continue to let Ohio State run amuck in the Big Ten almost unchallenged, would seem to be quite more damaging than website chatter.

Players in contemporary recruiting heavily weigh and value the construct of fitting into a program and how they will be used, the scheme the coaches run, how their niche within that scheme will evolve, and how they connect with the coaching staff and players would seem to be quite more influential than website chatter. Players want the security of coaching staff and scheme favorable to them as opposed to uncertainty. Uncertainty in and of itself would seem to be quite more damaging than website chatter.

All you have to do is check any Ohio State website after a loss. They generally make Michigan sites look tame, and just think Ohio State has won the last five Big Ten Championships. The sports editorial page of the Dispatch rattles for two or three weeks after any Buckeye loss.

Michigan followers, conversely, have had two straight losing records, no bowl appearances, have lost three straight to Michigan State and Ohio State, and have not witnessed a signature win yet with Coach Rod as the head coach.

Does the internet have an affect on recruits? Yes, but we are sure it is a small, puny, and insignificant factor in the overall decisions of recruits. Is it funny or pitiful that someone appointed but maybe not anointed the titular head of football’s most successful historical program is blaming fans, sites and other places for recruiting problems, and not on-field/off-field shortcomings, NCAA probation with admitted violations, and an overall mediocre team record?

Readership, we invite you to decide. As for us beating Wisconsin deserves the energy of the week. This week was a week to build upon not revisit those nasty septic sores of the past.

Written by GBMWolverine Staff

Go Blue — Wear Maize!