The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/432566
BY TIM SULLIVAN M ichigan has been through coach- ing changes twice in the past eight years, and is preparing to hire its fourth coach in that period (Lloyd Carr, 1995-2007; Rich Rodriquez, 2008-10; and Brady Hoke, 2011-14). The Maize and Blue had not hired a new coach as of mid-December, but we do have an idea what a change can mean for recruiting. 2008 RECRUITING CLASS When Carr retired, it wasn't much of a surprise for Michigan fans, but the change from his pro-style system to the spread run by Rodriguez still resulted in a few key changes in the Wolverines' recruiting process. U-M lost a pair of pledges, and added sev- eral pieces to fit the read-option of- fense favored by Rodriguez. A pro-style quarterback was not among the priorities for Rodriguez and his staff, and Tuscola (Ill.) High three-star quarterback John Wienke saw the writing on the wall. The 6-4, 196-pounder, a three-star prospect and the No. 14 pro-style passer na- tionally according to Rivals.com, made the flip to Iowa. He didn't pan out in Iowa City and moved to punter as a senior, where he was a backup for the Hawkeyes. Four-star athlete Christian Wil- son of McKees Rocks (Pa.) Montour was planning to play an H-back or tight end role in Carr 's pro-style attack, and the switch to a spread gave him the feeling he wouldn't be properly utilized in Ann Arbor. The 6-2, 228-pounder and No. 32 athlete nationally instead opted to switch to North Carolina to play in the Tar Heels' offense. He never saw the field for UNC. The change didn't just result in losses from the class — Michigan added plenty of value with new tar- gets. Ricky Barnum, a 6-2, 246-pound of- fensive lineman from Lakeland (Fla.) Lake Gibson, was committed to Flor- ida at the time of Rodriguez's hiring. FOOTBALL RECRUITING The Impact Of Michigan's Recent Coaching Changes Martavious Odoms, a 5-8, 164-pound wide receiver, embodied U-M's shift in offensive philosophy from Lloyd Carr's pro-style sys- tem to Rich Rodriguez's spread attack in 2008. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM