Michigan football: 2015 recruits disappearing fast

With each passing day, Michigan’s 2015 recruiting class seems to lose one commit after another.

Thanks to the horrible season and the subsequent firing of head coach Brady Hoke, Michigan has already faced the de-commitment of eight prospects.

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Because of the large classes in bohh 2012 and 2013, the Wolverines will survive with relatively small class —somewhere from 14 to 16.

The new coach can reclaim a few of the lost recruits and then poach some from other teams.

Poaching is commonplace

Poaching, of course, is when a coach “recruits” a player from another team, despite the fact he’s already verbally committed to the first school.

National Signing Day, when players can first enter into a binding agreement contract with their school, is February 4, 2015, normally the first week in February.[table id=33 /]

Players can also wait until April 1 to sign, but that’s hoping a spare scholarship is available.

Those with a reputation of great poaching practices are Arizona’s Rich Rodriguez and Ohio State’s Urban Meyer.

Rodriguez recruits

Soon after Rich Rodriguez arrived in Ann Arbor he began making inroads in the recruiting battle.

In less than a month, he added nine players to the class that Lloyd Carr assembled.

But Rodriguez was rarely lauded for his achievements.

Former Purdue coach Joe Tiller wasn’t exactly first in line to congratulate Rodriguez on his recruiting bonanza (verbal commitments, as we should all understand, are not binding). Tiller believed there should be an early signing period, to avoid the last-minute chaos.

Snake-oil salesman

“You wouldn’t have a team with a guy in a wizard hat selling snake oil grab a guy at the last minute, but that’s what happened,” Tiller said.

On national signing day (2008), Rodriguez not only “poached” Roy Rountree from Purdue, he also “pilfered” Michael Shaw and Ricky Barnum.

When Meyer joined the Buckeyes before Christmas in 2102, he grabbed 10 new recruits for the 2012 class.

Brady Hoke, also did well to complete his 2011 class, claiming 11 prospects in less than three weeks.

Landing 10 recruits is certainly possible between the first of the year and NSD. All it takes is an outgoing coach, a good staff and maybe some of Rich Rodriguez’ snake oil.

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