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It’s kind of like a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
We can all recite names of recruits we had to have that didn’t pan out. Portal guys can be more of a known quantity, at times, while recruits can be more of a crap shoot at times.
But I do think MF’s recruiting is much better than his predecessors. He identifies talent well. He’s really upgraded the talent & depth on the roster.
I do agree with the article that recruiting has to be strong and the backbone of the program. Portal is for depth & filling holes.
Just my 2 cents, as always I could be wrong
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Development and experience being equal, the more talented team will win. Alabama proved this against us in the 2012 season as well as the 2020 season. Clemson also did this during the 2018 and 2020 season (ACC championship game) as well.
The teams we had in 2012, 2018, and 2020 were polished veteran teams that actually had well-developed players. Unfortunately for us, Alabama and Clemson had better talent overall, and the results speak for themselves.
That being said, if the talent gap isn't nearly as significant, then I agree that development and coaching can give you a chance of overcoming that talent gap. Michigan proved it with well-developed and coached players, but needed the right set of circumstances to help them get that victory.
Several things worked in their favor that day, besides the experience and development advantage.
1) Tommy Rees shit the bed with his play calling in OT.
2) The center had some bad yips that game.
3) Alabama looked sluggish, while Michigan had great timing. This definitely was a contrast to how well the Tide looked against a stellar Georgia defense a few weeks earlier.
The third circumstance probably had the biggest effect out of the three. I would even say that it was similar to how we looked against Louisville, where our very good offensive line looked terrible against a Louisville front seven that was good, but not great.
I would guess that Alabama wins that game three out of every four times, even with the above circumstances, but unfortunately for the Tide, Michigan was there on the fourth time.
In the end, Michigan played great, and earned that win, even if they needed a lot of help from Lady Luck. I hope that they get crushed by Washington.
On another note, for as much flak as Bill O'Brien took from the Tide faithful last year, many of the fanbase would have been happy to have him back as the OC for the 2023 season.
And Bama still almost beat them. I wouldn’t categorize this Bama team as a super team.
It would have been interesting if FSU had stayed healthy and played UM. They represent the two future likely models.
the star ratings are laughable and not to put much stock in them. I also heard a coach previously say anyone can see a true five star; they are men among boys and are few. He also said anyone can see the kids that won't play past high school. It's finding and developing the kids in between that is both art and science.
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Michigan's more experienced Four and Three Stars were more frequently in the right place at the right time.
UM did what we should have - pay to retain key talent and smartly time their playoff run.
Swarbrick’s one of many failures.
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To see the direct relationship between the two. A team full of 2 and 3 stars isn’t going to finish anead of the Georgias,
Alabamas and LSUs along with Ohio States, Michigans etc