I highlighted one phrase from Dorsey’s Q&A with TomVH at mgoblog on my post earlier this morning and meant to follow-up on that. Here’s that post and here’s that phrase:
DEMAR: …..I haven’t heard anything from the coaches yet.
On first glance that could be taken as a bit troublesome. I busted into Ira and Sam’s “Recruiting Roundup” on WTKA this morning to offer up Webb some well-deserved praise and then asked Sam about this comment. Note that earlier in the broadcast Sam was touting a yet-to-be published interview with Scout.com and Dorsey. Audio:
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So if you don’t care to listen, Sam clarifies that Dorsey told Scout.com he did speak with the coaches but added that Dorsey says his parents have handled much of the talking (and perhaps that’s what he meant in the mgoblog interview).
And later this morning the GBW/Scout piece ($) came out and there’s this: [Ed. I don’t normally cut and paste paid content but I think this safe. Sign up for GBW.]
GoBlueWolverine: Have you been in contact with the Wolverine coaching staff?
Demar Dorsey: “Yeah, they were down here checking on me. I talked to the coaches a couple times, but my parents talked to them most of the time.”
Not surprisingly, word on the street is that Rodriguez is “furious”. Via a tweet from Angelique:
Am told by someone who would know that Rich Rodriguez is furious about the Demar Dorsey situation.
And that sentiment is shared by much of the Michigan faithful, accurately summed up in this tweet by the great Craig Barker of the HSR:
Well, I’m glad to see that Ann Arbor Torch and Pitchfork will be doing another huge bit of business today. Blerg. #fb
Ugh.
Related:
5 Comments
B$B
How dare the University of Michigan not admit a student with a 2.5 GPA,18 ACT, and felonious past!?!?! EVERY applicant with the bare minimum qualifications should be guaranteed admission!
CN
Yeah, man, I’m sort of outraged at the outrage. I understand that there needs to be shading around the edges in order to run a successful program, but that’s not a blank check for the football program to recruit anyone who passes absolute minimum NCAA standards. Let’s not pretend that there’s any principle behind the anger. People wanted a potentially great player and so they support undercutting admissions and administrative oversight. Given a choice between admissions strong-arming football or football strong-arming admissions, the right answer is not remotely difficult. The other path leads to Alabama.
Lew
Dorsey previously signed a letter of intent with a juco several months ago as a “fallback” in case he didn’t get into Michigan (http://www.annarbor.com/sports/um-football/michigan-recruit-demar-dorsey-signs-junior-college-letter-of-intent-as-fallback/). Did he sign that before or after signing his Michigan LOI? Either way, he or someone else looking out for him had questions about whether he’d be admitted at Michigan and thought it would be a good idea to have a fallback plan. If Coach Rod truly is “furious” then it sounds like another communication breakdown between the football coaching staff and the rest of the university. I’d be shocked if this is all on admissions — you’d assume/expect that the coaching staff would be kept apprised of the factors and decision-making process at every step in a case like this. (Anyone know how these kinds of cases typically play out internally as between admissions and coaching staff?) Conspiracy theorists might argue that Coach Rod is positioning this as his excuse to get out of dodge.
tbliggins
The outrage over this situation is not necessarily that Dorsey didn’t get it – just that this process took so long. Why leave the kid and the team hanging so long if he isn’t going to get in? In any situation where a coach is recruiting a kid that may, or may not, get in there has to be communication between the coaches and admission so that the coaches aren’t wasting their time – AND so that the kid can take care of his own future.
CN
How is it different than a high-school senior getting waitlisted by admissions and ultimately denied? It probably stings, but there’s nothing cruel and unusual about it. I understand being disappointed that Dorsey can’t come to Michigan, but hitting the torch and pitchfork store because admissions doesn’t defer to the football program has it backward.