Very interesting article on Hoke and Michigan

Donate To GopherHole

Yipes! Quite an indictment.

Personally I like Hoke. He could be Jeff Garlin's stunt double and I get the feeling he's a really decent guy. He inherited Rodriguez' team and those teams were super-talented, but built for the spread and have under-performed. I think once he gets his guys in place, he'll be fine.

I do think the point about being "five-star struck" is a good one though and one we need to remember. Recruiting has really gotten crazy and a lot of these kids get full of themselves at a very early age. Try to find good athletes that fit your system and are willing to meet your expectations.
 

EE_Gopher said:
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/9936259/brady-hoke-fix-michigan-wolverines

Quite an honest opinion. It really gets to the point that if you have a super talent player who isn't buying in, you are better off without him.

I love "He's five-star struck".
Click to expand...

I agree with a lot he has to say. I've watched Lewan and have been underwhelmed with his performance. Then he got in front of the mic after Akron and pulled a Tim Tebow saying how that type of play would never happen again.

Watching Hoke on the sideline, he just doesn't seem to have a strong connection with the players.

You have to recruit to your system and your beliefs.

I hope he gets it turned around and we are playing them for the Little Brown Jug in the Championship game down the road.
 

VERY interesting article.

I especially liked this:
"The Michigan State train wreck was predictable. Every flaw on this Wolverines team was laid bare in East Lansing. Michigan State's strengths (high character and toughness) are Michigan's weaknesses. Hoke's team was beaten by his mirror coaching image, Mark Dantonio, who took a bunch of three-star grinders with chips on their shoulders and demolished Hoke's collection of recruiting all-stars.

Brady Hoke, lost in the riches of Michigan, has momentarily lost who he is."

BUT BUT BUT 5 stars!!!!

IMO you could replace Dantonio and MSU with Kill and MN in a few years. Doesn't mean we'll have the exact success, but Kill's style is similar when it comes to recruiting and the attitude/toughness he requires of his players.
 

MaxyJR1 said:
I agree with a lot he has to say. I've watched Lewan and have been underwhelmed with his performance. Then he got in front of the mic after Akron and pulled a Tim Tebow saying how that type of play would never happen again.
Click to expand...

Lewan is just a horrible person. Whitlock hits on some of the stuff " Lewan...He's been embarrassing. The ridiculous and selfish unsportsmanlike conduct penalty he received in Saturday's game is indicative of his play all season. He's resorted to cheap shots and bullying because he failed to adequately prepare to have a dominant senior season."

And he didn't even touch on the worst of Lewan, with the rape stuff. I don't cheer for injuries, and I won't with him, but I hope he flames out.
 


Very interesting article. It makes me even more confident in the way Kill and his staff recruit. Not to say I wouldn't mind grabbing some 5-star kids, but even though they're a 5-star player they still have to be the RIGHT 5-star player.
 

jaymil said:
Very interesting article. It makes me even more confident in the way Kill and his staff recruit. Not to say I wouldn't mind grabbing some 5-star kids, but even though they're a 5-star player they still have to be the RIGHT 5-star player.
Click to expand...

Bingo.

I don't think that Coach Kill is "can't miss", but more and more when I see an offer to a recruit that might not be highly rated, doesn't have a great offer sheet, etc. I just kind of shrug my shoulders and think...well, if the staff wants him, they must see something, so I'll trust them.
 

Fantastic writing in this article and fascinating because of the light it sheds on the Gophers' recruiting.

This also shows why Alabama is so unbelievable. Saban recruits 5-stars and gets them to play their pants off consistently - ridiculously hard to do.
 

AEmerson40 said:
Fantastic writing in this article and fascinating because of the light it sheds on the Gophers' recruiting.

This also shows why Alabama is so unbelievable. Saban recruits 5-stars and gets them to play their pants off consistently - ridiculously hard to do.
Click to expand...

Part of that has to do with Alabama getting the pick of the litter. I would venture that Saban would say it is more about him getting 5-stars who will play their pants off consistently than it is getting 5 stars and then getting them to play their pants off consistently. Pure speculation, but I would bet that Saban passes on plenty of 5-stars who he doesn't think have the right attitude. There are different schools of thought out there, and I think some people would take a 5-star recruit with a questionable attitude over a lower ranked recruit who fits the system and has a good attitude. Those people also tend to be the ones who don't live up to expectations.
 



AEmerson40 said:
Fantastic writing in this article and fascinating because of the light it sheds on the Gophers' recruiting.

This also shows why Alabama is so unbelievable. Saban recruits 5-stars and gets them to play their pants off consistently - ridiculously hard to do.
Click to expand...

That's why Saban and his team are among the best as a college coach and college team. He somehow makes it all about the team and the kids buy in, which as the quoted poster says is quite a challenge in an era with prima donnas all over the place.
 

Similar to USC. Michigan is definitely underachieving vs their recruiting stars.

USC is the epitome of a soft, I'll-disciplined team of high star recruits (this was evident long before the scholly reductions). This is what makes college football so exciting vs say, the nfl. The nfl strikes me as a collection of uscs. Not a lot of heart and real emotion in those games, manufactured drama.

On the other end of the spectrum coaching, effort, heart all matter a great deal in college football and CAN level the playing field to a great extent. Any given Saturday...
 

Ole said:
VERY interesting article.




IMO you could replace Dantonio and MSU with Kill and MN in a few years. Doesn't mean we'll have the exact success, but Kill's style is similar when it comes to recruiting and the attitude/toughness he requires of his players.
Click to expand...

It is how Wisconsin has been recruiting for over 20 years. Takes longer to build, but once you do, you have a much better chance for long term, sustained success. Of course you want talented kids, but they have to be kids that will buy into the program.
 

I think the most impressive thing about Brady Hoke is that he's able to balance coaching Michigan with being governor of New Jersey. No easy task, I'm sure.
 



You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom