Mailbag question: Recruiting improved under Coach Rod

Posted at 12:00pm -- 1/27/2010

Mailbag question: Recruiting improved under Coach Rod

GBMW,

Has Michigan 's recruiting improved under Coach Rodriguez?

Thanks for your time, and Go Blue!

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Thanks for the question.

Better or worse is tough to justify because Carr UM and RR UM are so far apart in needs. But the recruiting is definitely different, GBMW likes some of the differences, others not so much.

We like the more mobile quarterbacks, the emphasis on defensive backs, and the increase in the overall athletic ability of the recruits. Getting more athletic players will help increase the team speed and help out on special team talent.

We would prefer more size on defense, especially at defensive tackle and inside linebacker, and speedier, more vertical, threats at split end and tight end. And we would like to see more emphasis on recruiting power running backs, like we had with Minor, Wheatley, A-Train, etc. Not scoring from the one-yard line on several attempts is a telling sign.

We will get a better impression about the younger players once we see some of the red-shirt freshman this spring and attempt to determine how they have progressed over the off-season. Spring is a delight also because the early enrollees can be viewed first-hand.

If one goes by star rankings, Coach Rod’s classes are not rated as high as Coach Carr's, but as stated earlier, the two very different programs recruited different type players at key positions. Take into account also that in most rankings speed backs and slot receivers do not get rated as high as power backs and traditional wideouts. Coach Rod seems to like getting a certain type of player and develop them. He looks for the high risk/high reward type of players with a lot of potential. That is where a coach like Coach Barwis is so important because he is the guy assigned to get the players ready through program development and get them ready to be football players. Then the coaches take over.

Written by GBMW Staff

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