We're a week away from Signing Day and a bizarre recruiting controversy just arose, so it's time for a mailbag. Let's get this one out of the way...
The Daishon Neal Thing
@AceAnbender Mattison's not that gaffe prone, right? Is this the nature of "steal yo girl" recruiting at the moment? #MGoMailbag
— Craig Barker (@cdbarker) January 28, 2015
If you missed it, Michigan appeared on the verge of flipping SDE Daishon Neal from his Nebraska commitment until Greg Mattison's in-home visit went awry:
"Michigan was a powerhouse, they came in and they stormed us, they made one bad statement and it was over," [Neal's father] told 1620 on air. "They said without football, Daishon wouldn't be able to go to Michigan. Like we couldn't afford to send him there, or that we couldn't get him in academically.
"Once he said that, we pretty much escorted him out of the house."
Neal continued by stating: "(They) basically tried to call me stupid in front of my face."
There are a few issues at work here. First of all, Michigan can't comment on an unsigned recruit without breaking NCAA rules, so there's no way for Mattison to tell his side of the story; in all likelihood, this won't ever be addressed specifically.
Second, what Mattison reportedly said, in so many words, is often true—one of Michigan's most reliable recruiting pitches is that being a football player allows prospects the opportunity at a first-rate education that wouldn't necessarily be available otherwise. This isn't meant as an insult; plenty of smart people with strong academic resumes don't get into Michigan. I think it's great that Michigan presents this opportunity to those who may not have a 3.8 and a 30 on their ACT; football players have a huge impact on campus life and come away with well-earned degrees.
Finally, Mattison is a seasoned recruiter. I have a difficult time believing he presented this information in any way close to calling Neal "stupid." That's not a particularly effective way to convince a student-athlete to come to your school. A football scholarship pretty much guarantees admittance as long as the recipient clears NCAA academic requirements, which are far less stringent than Michigan's usual admission standards—coaches almost always check with admissions before offering a scholarship.*
Even if Neal has an excellent academic record, that doesn't offer the same guarantee he'd get in. Perhaps Mattison didn't put this in terms Neal and his family appreciated, but it seems far more likely this was an unfortunate miscommunication than a deliberate slight by Mattison. So it goes.
*Demar Dorsey stands as the exception to the rule, and that didn't work out so well.
[Hit THE JUMP for M's chances with Iman Marshall, the proclivity of TE/DE types, and how Harbaugh will look to replace Messiah deWeaver.]
Hope for Marshall?
Does Michigan have any chance of landing Iman [Marshall]? Or does USC have it locked up?
The common theme throughout Marshall's recruitment has been recruiting writers suggesting he's a near-lock to USC—he grew up a fan, his dad's a huge fan, he's been on campus several times, and when in doubt, the five-star California prospect usually ends up there—and Marshall denying he's a lock to anywhere.
It'd still surprise me if he didn't pick USC, but it seems like Michigan made as much of an impact with their official visit as they could reasonably expect—there's a decent chance M is the second most likely choice. They got the Dad Seal of Approval after their in-home visit this week, per 247's Steve Lorenz ($):
"The visit with Michigan went great," the elder Marshall said. "It was very informative and enlightening. I do feel comfortable with them as a staff now. You can tell they're first class coaches, but more importantly they're first class men and fathers. I would have no issues sending my son to Michigan and attending that program because I know they have his best interest both on and off the field."
That's significant since Marshall's father wasn't able to accompany him on his official visit. While USC is the favorite, and for good reason, I wouldn't rule out Michigan.
Jumbo Athletes
So far this year, it's pretty clear the staff has a high interest in TE/DE type athletes. Do you think this is primarily driven by need (We could use both TE and DE), likelihood of commitment (These guys are mostly 3 star tweener types who are likely to jump at a Michigan offer), or do you think this is going to be the norm going forward?
I ask because it would seem to reflect Harbaugh's general attitude regarding development and these are the type of athletes who could grow in a variety of valuable roles (TE, DE, LB, even OT).
It's certainly true that Michigan has a huge need for both tight ends and defensive ends in this class, and that's driving a lot of these offers. A look at Harbaugh's recruiting at Stanford indicates this isn't a one-year anomaly, however; in the 2009 and 2010 classes at Stanford, he took 13 combined TEs or DEs. While some of these guys—like 6'8" four-star TE Levine Toilolo—were clearly ticketed for one side of the ball, many of them were in the height/weight range where they could contribute at a number of spots.
2009 three-star DE Geoff Meinken found a home as a helmet-popping short-yardage back before knee injuries forced him to retire from football. 2009 three-star TE Ryan Hewitt ended up as a standout fullback after playing both FB and TE as a redshirt freshman. 2010 three-star DE Eddie Plantaric played DE, FB, and TE during his college career. There was even some flexibility with Harbaugh's O-line recruits; 2010 four-star OL Dillon Bonnell switched from #75 to #96 as a junior so he could be an eligible receiver in Stanford's "Ogre" U-back role—while he never caught a pass, he saw action in every game that year.
While there didn't seem to be too much position-flipping once players got on campus, it looks like Harbaugh isn't afraid to take bigger athletes many would consider tweeners and sort them out when they start practicing. Wyatt Shallman seems like an in-state prospect he would've been all over; I get the feeling he'll have a significant role in the offense now that Harbaugh's here.
Replacing Messiah
@AceAnbender people don't seem too worried about the Messiah decommit. Are we that confident Jimmy gets a stud QB in 2016?
— Larry Opalewski (@LarryOpalewski) January 28, 2015
For those that missed it, 2016 four-star QB Messiah deWeaver opened up his recruitment late last night. I'd be surprised if Michigan's didn't find a more than suitable replacement, though. Harbaugh has already been in contact with a couple of the nation's top QB prospects. CA four-star KJ Costello, the #4 pro-style QB in the country, has shown interest in visiting; the high interest shown by his friend, top-50 CA WR Dylan Crawford, should help Michigan's chances.
Harbaugh and Jedd Fisch also went all the way up to Washington to watch the #1-ranked QB, Jacob Eason, who's currently a Georgia commit. While it's unclear how much interest Eason has in Michigan, I doubt Harbaugh will stop there, especially since he usually took two QB recruits per class at Stanford. Given his track record with QBs—hi, I'd like to introduce you to Andrew Luck—and the amount of hype surrounding his move to Michigan, he should be able to land at least one top-flight QB prospect.
@AceAnbender with the Messiah DeWeaver decommitt, should we be worried about our 2016 recruits from a "Great name" standpoint?
— Takao Yamada (@TakMacYamada) January 28, 2015
This, admittedly, is a concern.