2015 class at a crossroads right now
With the way Michigan's 2014 season has begun and all of the antics that have gone on both in the athletic department and on the field over the last few weeks, Ann Arbor is a bit of a wild place right now, and not in a good way.
The Wolverines have stumbled out to a 2-3 record to start the year and the status of everyone is in doubt. There is not a ton of optimism floating around the program and as things begin to get more toxic, it only means more and more negative things on the recruiting end.
Michigan has built itself a very nice 2015 recruiting class, arguably Brady Hoke's best yet, and many of the guys seemed pretty sold in their commitments, until now.
Steve Lorenz of 247 Sports is reporting that there are players that are currently committed that are having discussions about taking other official visits and going elsewhere. ($)
I spoke with a few prospects last night that confirmed to me that if this coaching staff is gone, their chances of ending up with the Wolverines decrease significantly. Many of these guys have spent the last few years building relationships with this staff, so if the staff was to be ousted, the players' chances of ending up in Ann Arbor shrink significantly.
There doesn't look to be a magic switch that can be flipped to remedy all of the things that have gone on this season, so things could very easily get worse with this class before they get better. We will just have to wait and see what happens.
Darian Roseboro takes official visit to NC State
Speaking of 2015 commits possibly taking visits, here's one that actually took place over the weekend,
Four-star defensive end commit Darian Roseboro (Lincolnton, North Carolina) took an official to North Carolina State this weekend for their game against Florida State. (FREE)
We've touched on Hoke's "no visit policy" before, where if a player checks out another school he is no longer considered committed by the staff and they openly recruit his spot. Michigan isn't really in a position to let that policy stand right now with the uncertainties of the coaching staff and the number of commits that begin to look around from this group will continue to rise.
Roseboro tweeted over the weekend that just because he is on an official doesn't mean anything has changed with his commitment, but it remains to be seen what effect this will all have. Things are pretty fluid with what was once a solid 2015 class, so we will have to continue to monitor the situation.
Roseboro will not be the only one who takes an official somewhere else if things keep up.
Chris Clark chimes in on coach Hoke
One of the members of Michigan's 2015 class took to Twitter over the weekend to address his thoughts about Hoke and the coaching staff and how their dismissal would affect his recruitment.
Tight end commit Chris Clark (Avon, Connecticut) said. "If coach Hoke gets fired that changes everything." The tweet was subsequently removed shortly after.
Clark is one of Michigan's more outspoken commits and has been a guy who has been a candidate to possibly take visits elsewhere before the status of the coaching staff was in question.
Like I stated above, it is looking like at least a few players share Clark's sentiment about Hoke. If he is gone, it could open things back up.
Clark is a four-star prospect and arguably the most talented player the Wolverines have been able to bring in during the 2015 cycle.
Daelin Hayes visits Michigan over the weekend
Four-star 2016 linebacker Daelin Hayes (West Bloomfield, Michigan), who is currently committed to USC, was at Michigan on Saturday for the game against Minnesota.
Daelin Hayes at the #Michigan game. Down on the field chatting with Ty Isaac.
— Matt Pargoff (@MaizeBlueNews) September 27, 2014
Reports from last week surfaced that Hayes is moving back to the state because of a custody battle between his parents. He had moved out to California with his mother this summer.
Scott Schrader of 247 has more on that situation here. ($)
Hayes has seemed very happy with his choice to commit to the Trojans after falling in love with the school in the summer. It remains to be seen if the move back to Michigan will affect his commitment or not.
That's it for Monday's roundup. Check back in Wednesday for the latest news and notes on Michigan football recruiting.
Be sure to follow Maize n Brew Recruiting Reporter Anthony Broome on Twitter, @anthonytbroome.