The OFFICIAL MICHIGAN TEAM 136 THREAD: THE CONQUERING HEROES

HNIC973

R.I.P Bandana P
Joined
May 16, 2012
Messages
24,235
Reputation
2,512
Daps
47,323
Reppin
Brick City,New Jerz
"North Mesquite offensive lineman Jean Delance got a good look at his potential future quarterback over the weekend.

Considered a Texas lean, Delance saw 2017 Longhorns quarterback pledge Sam Ehlinger put on a show as Austin Westlake routed North Mesquite in the third round of the state playoffs.

“He’s definitely a great player,” Delance said. “He’s a great pocket passer. He can get out of the pocket. Overall, the guy has great talent. With so much talent at the quarterback position committed this year and next, UT is going to be stacked at quarterback.”

Both Shane Buechele and Ehlinger have taken it upon themselves to recruit hard for Texas. Ehlinger has been in contact with a number of recruits, including Delance, about joining him on the Forty Acres in the near future.

“I talked to him before the game and earlier this week,” Delance said. “He sent me a message saying good luck, bro. I sent him a message saying good luck, bro. He’s a great guy.”

As mentioned, Texas appears to be in the lead for Delance, but his recruitment is far from over. Delance will be making an official visit to LSU on Dec. 5 and is now slated to make one to Michigan on Dec. 12.

Delance said he would also make official visits to Alabama and Texas in January if he decides not to make his announce his college choice at the Under Armour All-American bowl.

Of the three programs battling Texas for Delance, Michigan appears to be the primary threat. Delance is friends with recent commit Jordan Elliott and shifted his plans to make sure he got a chance to see Ann Arbor before the All-American game.

“I already knew (Jordan Elliott was committing),” Delance said. “He told me a week and a half ago that he was going to commit. They (Elliott, Dontavious Jackson, Jeffrey McCulloch and Chris Brown) are all great guys, and I wanted to go up there with them, but I had to take care of business.

“I know Coach (Jim) Harbaugh is willing to get the job done in recruiting and with the guys that are already there. He’s already getting the job done.”


Delance added that he fully believes Charlie Strong is the right guy to lead Texas and said he’s also “taking care of business in recruiting and on the field.”
:jawalrus:
 

HNIC973

R.I.P Bandana P
Joined
May 16, 2012
Messages
24,235
Reputation
2,512
Daps
47,323
Reppin
Brick City,New Jerz
On Monday, Michigan tight ends coach Jay Harbaugh stopped by the IMG Academy to check in on 2016 five-star tight end Isaac Nauta, who has quickly emerged as one of the Wolverines' top overall targets on their board, and one they feel like they have a legitimate chance at landing.

Isaac Nauta IMG Academy
1_4025762.jpg

Where will Isaac Nauta commit to?
  • 1_48272.gif
    80%
  • 1_20764.gif
    17%
  • 1_3448076.png
    2%
All Crystal Ball Predictions


Wolverine247 talked to one person with direct knowledge of the recruitment and visit from Monday. The current belief is as follows:

1. It'd remain a major surprise if Nauta ended up anywhere else besides Georgia or Michigan. Alabama has multiple tight ends committed, and Ole Miss, Oklahoma State and TCU don't appear to be factors at all. A Jacob Eason flip to Florida could give them a shot, but it's a longshot either way.

2. This is common sense, but Georgia's next hire at offensive coordinator will be pivotal. As Brian Cook pointed out during my appearance on MGoRadio Monday, AJ Williams had more receptions and yards than Georgia's leading tight end this season, former Top100 recruit Jeb Blazevich. The source I talked to said in a way, Georgia's hire may eventually help their chances with Nauta depending on how they can pitch the tight end position. That's one thing Michigan is keeping an eye on.

3. Michigan's belief regarding Georgia is that they're the hometown school and that they're going to have every opportunity to reel him in. He has ties to the Great Lakes State, and they're important, but Georgia is the hometown favorite school growing up and that Nauta feels he can be a productive player wherever he goes. It's those two major hurdles that the Wolverines believe they have to overcome at this point.

The sense I get right now is that Michigan is cautiously optimistic of their chances with the five-star, but he remains nowhere near a lock or lean at this point. A lot of their questions will be answered when the Bulldogs make their next OC hire. Kirby Smart appears to be the favorite for the head coaching job, but this will be much more about who will be in charge of the offensive side of things.
 

Trust Me

Coli Prophet
Joined
May 1, 2012
Messages
23,545
Reputation
4,096
Daps
50,263
Reppin
Orlando
Everything I read leads me to believe that it doesn't matter who Georgia hires .. Nauta wants to be a Bulldog. They could hire Air Force's offensive co-ordinator, and he'll still be a Bulldog. I'm feeling kinda similar to Dylan Crawford too. He finally got his dream offer (Oregon) and now he's fallen off the map. That Jackson piece doesn't make me feel any better. Because it's always been Us and Texas .. Florida State was never an option.. and now another school clos(er) to home is in the top spots? One more thing with Jackson, it's always been believed that his mom and dad wanted him out of the state to play .. the further the better. I guess his friends are constantly in trouble.. but this piece tells us that the family wants him closer to home. I'm confused.

Either way .. I think we end this class really strong .. I just don't think it ends as epic as we'd like. 2017 on though ... :banderas:




.. and I'm ok with that.
 

Trust Me

Coli Prophet
Joined
May 1, 2012
Messages
23,545
Reputation
4,096
Daps
50,263
Reppin
Orlando

Fellas .. I'm seriously worried about who we'd bring in to replace him. I'd do anything to get Pruitt in here, but for him to leave the south ... that would be a miracle in itself. If we were to get Pruitt to Ann Arbor .. his coaching and recruiting would revolutionize our football program. Literally. Other names that I'm hearing are making me cringe.

Not only that.. but with the desperate need that we have at LB, Durkin's been the lead recruiter in all 3 of our major LB recruits (Jackson, Bush Jr. and Kelly)


I'm speechless.
 

HNIC973

R.I.P Bandana P
Joined
May 16, 2012
Messages
24,235
Reputation
2,512
Daps
47,323
Reppin
Brick City,New Jerz
Former Syracuse HC Scott Shafer
Baltimore LB coach Don Martindale
Chicago Bears DC Vic Fangio
Trust Harbaugh he'll bring in a good replacement not worried about it
 

HNIC973

R.I.P Bandana P
Joined
May 16, 2012
Messages
24,235
Reputation
2,512
Daps
47,323
Reppin
Brick City,New Jerz
What I know on Michigan's situation with D.J. Durkin's departure:

1. I was told by an excellent Michigan source that this "shouldn't catch top targets by surprise". Take that for what you will, but it at least appears that there was some indication given to recruits that Durkin would take the job if offered.

2. A little more on the three names I put out earlier with added intel and two more names to potentially keep an eye on:

Scott Shafer - I do believe that Scott Shafer is the odds-on favorite to replace Durkin for a few reasons. One, he's familiar with Jim Harbaugh, working with him at Stanford in 2007. Two, he's familiar with the Michigan program having spent time there under Rich Rodriguez. Three, he's had a very high level of success coaching the defensive side of the ball for his entire career outside of (ironically) his stop at Michigan, where he was instructed to run Rodriguez's standard 3-3-5 defense. Syracuse has consistently fielded one of the top defenses in the country under Shafer despite recruiting underwhelming talent. Two sources mentioned Shafer immediately when Durkin's name popped up for the Maryland vacancy.

Vic Fangio - The longshot as he reportedly turned down Harbaugh the first time around, but he's a name that has been thrown around behind the scenes. Michigan will pay top dollar for a replacement in this situation, so if he truly is the guy Harbaugh would want to focus on, we're not fully going to write him off at this point. He would be a coup.

Don Martindale - I had one source mention Martindale last week and another backed it up on Tuesday as a potential "dark horse" candidate. He worked with Jim's father Jack Harbaugh at both Cincinnati and Western Kentucky, and currently works under John Harbaugh in Baltimore as the linebackers coach. He's an Ohio native as well, something that wouldn't hurt on the recruiting trail. He is a wild-card type candidate.

The other two names that many are speculating on are Chuck Heater, the former Michigan running back turned defensive coordinator, as he currently coaches the position at Marshall and has coached at Ohio State, Notre Dame, Washington and Florida among others. Heater is 63 years old and hasn't crossed paths with Harbaugh at any point in his career. That's not a prerequisite for getting hired (see: Jedd Fisch), but seems to be a common theme with the majority of them. The other name is Stanford defensive coordinator Lance Anderson, who was hired by Harbaugh in 2007 and ascended under David Shaw to defensive coordinator, where he has been for a few years. Anderson's name was also thrown around in the original coaching search, but more as an addition to a staff that would have already included Durkin. He could be a name to watch if given the opportunity to run the defense himself, as he's more than capable of doing.

Reactions
Recruit reactions are all going to be similar: Kids who were recruited by Durkin will be bummed, but it's unlikely to be a "make or break" situation for committed or senior recruits, most of whom understand what the Michigan program is about. I'll add to this as reactions come in.

2017 safety Jaylen Kelly-Powell: "It hurts a little bit, because I was building a good relationship with Coach Durkin, along with Coach Partridge. Coach Durkin has run great defenses now both at Florida and at Michigan. I'm excited to see who Michigan hires to replace him though."

2016 OL Terrance Davis (Michigan/Maryland target): "This doesn't affect my view of Michigan at all"
@Trust Me relax breh:smugfavre:
 

HNIC973

R.I.P Bandana P
Joined
May 16, 2012
Messages
24,235
Reputation
2,512
Daps
47,323
Reppin
Brick City,New Jerz
Steve Lorenz ‏@TremendousUM 1h1 hour ago

This is Harbaugh's show. Losing Narduzzi and Herman didn't hurt MSU or OSU, as great as they are. This is no different.

18 retweets 37 likes


Steve Lorenz ‏@TremendousUM 3h3 hours ago

Steve Lorenz Retweeted Paul Myerberg

Yep. Top assistants want to coach under him. Same for guys like Meyer too.

Steve Lorenz added,


Paul Myerberg @PaulMyerberg
Just amazing that Harbaugh has been an FBS HC for just five seasons but has already had six assistants become head coaches.
23 retweets 26 likes
 
Top