TSUN News/Recruiting

[Best Buckeye]

Michigan: Football

U-M hires 2 of Rodriguez's West Virginia assistants

Associated Press

ANN ARBOR -- At least two West Virginia assistant coaches will follow former Mountaineers coach Rich Rodriguez to Michigan.
Assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Calvin Magee will join Rodriguez's staff in Ann Arbor. So will defensive backs coach Tony Gibson.
Michigan athletics spokesman Bruce Madej (MA'-dee) says he can't comment on an ESPN-dot-com report that three other assistants also are headed to Ann Arbor.

[jwinslow]

FreeP

1/6

U-M's Rodriguez confirms Manningham, Arrington, Mallett no longer are on team

ANN ARBOR -- Newly hired Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez confirmed Tuesday night that receivers Mario Manningham and Adrian Arrington and quarterback Ryan Mallett are no longer with the team.

Rodriguez confirmed the news in an impromptu briefing with the media at halftime of the men's basketball game against Indiana. Rodriguez also said his staff is nearly complete, but he needs to add a defensive coordinator and give some assistants specific roles with the team by this weekend.

In regard to Manningham and Arrington, Rodriguez said both players didn't attend a team meeting Monday, so he expects both to test the NFL waters. Mallett also didn't attend the meeting.

Rodriguez said Arrington text-messaged him Tuesday about his plans to pursue the professional draft. Rodriguez said he hasn't spoken to Manningham since the Wolverines' Capital One Bowl victory over Florida.

Cont'd...

[OCBucksFan]

Wow... DickRod is making friends already.

[buckiprof]

From jwins link

"Obviously, with Mario and Adrian, they made a decision they thought would help them professionally and decided to come out early," Rodriguez said. "We wish them well and that's all I have to say about that."

That is rather Gumpian.

[OCBucksFan]

Originally Posted by buckiprof

That is rather Gumpian.

I really got a feeling for his character based on this paragraph:

As for Mallett, Rodriguez declined to give many details. But when pressed on the freshman's status, he replied: "I don't care. He's not playing for Michigan. I'm concerned with who's playing for Michigan."

[NFBuck]

Wow. Guess all the eggs are in the Pryor basket now.

[sandgk]

A fuller transcript was linked in by mgoblog from a Rivals article.

From mgoblog "Happy Trails" - quotes from Rodriguez on Jim Rome:
On Mallett --

"I talked to him and all the quarterbacks about how our system can adapt to the quarterback because we've had throwing quarterbacks in this system that have had great careers and gone on to the NFL and all that," Rodriguez said. "But I did it a couple times (with Mallett.) I recruited him once, I recruited him twice and after the third call, I'm thinking okay, three calls is enough for me. It's a great institution and if somebody doesn't want to be here that's already here, you wish them well and move on."

A Rivals article with a more complete transcript:
On transitioning to the spread with pro-set players ...

"There are going to be challenges because it's a transition. These guys have been recruited for a different systems, and we're putting a lot in there. It's going to take time for them to adapt. But I like winning too much not to adapt to our personnel a little bit, too. It's going to be tough. We're losing our quarterback, a couple of our leading receivers may turn pro, we're losing a great running back, our best offensive lineman … it's going to be some transition, but I think they guys have a great attitude, and they'll buy into it.

On selling TSUN's brand to recruits ...

"The one thing that is exciting … obviously the great tradition we've had here, and not just recently, but throughout 120 years of college football. The 33 consecutive bowl games, the number of guys in the NFL, the reputation of the institution academically. We have more living alumni than any school in the country, which is quite amazing.

"When you walk into a young man's house when you have that Michigan jacket on, you get immediate attention from them. That's pretty exciting."

And no article would be complete without the Pryor question ..

"Unfortunately, I can't talk specifically about recruiting. But we are excited about one of the commitments we have. We have 15 or 16 commitments, and I'm also excited about the recruits we think we can get here.

"The neat part about it is we have some coaches and recruits that Michigan has been recruiting for years, and also my staff, whether they came from West Virginia or elsewhere, has a number of recruits they are excited about and think can play at a high level. We are going to mix those in the next three weeks and try to assemble a great class. I know we are going to be able to sign a full 25, so that's exciting."

[jwinslow]

But we are excited about one of the commitments we have.

He sure is lucky he has to be vague.

[wadc45]

Originally Posted by NFBuck

Wow. Guess all the eggs are in the Pryor basket now.

Or the Star Jackson basket...

[starBUCKS]

But we are excited about one of the commitments we have

Kind of a slap in the face to the rest of the commitments if you ask me. Dick Rod exudes class.

[vioravis]

Originally Posted by jwinslow

He sure is lucky he has to be vague.

Originally Posted by starBUCKS

Kind of a slap in the face to the rest of the commitments if you ask me. Dick Rod exudes class.

I think he meant to say every one of the recruits they have already committed.

[HailToMichigan]

Originally Posted by starBUCKS

Kind of a slap in the face to the rest of the commitments if you ask me. Dick Rod exudes class.

I really don't think Rodriguez meant he's only excited about one commitment out of the 17 he's already got. That's a really big stretch.

[NFBuck]

Originally Posted by HailToMichigan

I really don't think Rodriguez meant he's only excited about one commitment out of the 17 he's already got. That's a really big stretch.

Probably not, but that's the way it read to me. As the head of one of the major programs in CFB, he needs to be careful with what he says.

[OCBucksFan]

Originally Posted by HailToMichigan

I really don't think Rodriguez meant he's only excited about one commitment out of the 17 he's already got. That's a really big stretch.

Yeah, well, welcome to big time college football and the internet. Everything you say is going to be picked apart and people are going to look for a reason not to respect you. Everyone gives Tressel crap because he basically doesn't say a whole lot other than "I am proud of our kids, we did our best, they are a great team" but it's a trap to go too far beyond that.

"We have a really exciting class coming in, a lot of great talent here, there's going to be some adjustments, but overall I think Michigan football will be exciting" Something along those lines is much harder to pick apart.

[HailToMichigan]

Small tidbit but significant given the pending losses of Manningham and Arrington: Darryl Stonum has enrolled at Michigan and will be available for spring practice. Nice to have, seeing as the go-to receiver position is wide open.

Stonum was never a commit that I was worried about - he stated when he committed that his goal was to wear the #1 traditionally given to the best of the best WRs at UM. He was a program commit all the way.