So… this was unexpected. After assuring the staffs of Scout and Rivals that his commitment was solid, he announces that he’s commiting to Tulsa and disconnects his phone.
There are other quarterbacks in this class that will be getting a call from the staff, most notably Florida QBs Denard Robinson and Eugene Smith. Rich Rodriguez and Co. will definitely try to sign a second someone.
I’m not sure if we’re into full panic mode, but it’s a shock to lose a recruit to Tulsa. But hey, we have had a lot firsts this year. They’ll find someone else, and if nothing else, this will help Michigan’s chances with Devin Gardner.
Posted under Recruiting
Tags: big trouble, shavodrick beaver
15 Comments so far
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unexpected indeed.
Gardner, Robinson, Smith up for grabs.
I don’t think it’s gonna’ be a major issue, Forcier had the edge goin’ in. They do need to land another viable QB candidate.
Forcier was the better QB coming in and unless they bring in one that’s rated higher, any other QB will end up being the back up. Beaver did the right thing for himself, because he wasn’t going to have much playing time anyway.
This is another example of a rivals.com era recruit (that was pretty highly rated) realizing that he wasn’t going to be the #1 option and decided to jump ship to a smaller pond.
I think the athletes that Rich Rod recruits (read: Jeremy Gallon(!), Justin Feagin) are a much better Plan B (insert Beaver abortion joke here) to Tate if Tate doesn’t pan out to be the accurate, moderately-mobile QB that we expect him to be. Let’s not forget that we were considering Beaver for some kind of slot/QB/RB position after assuming Tate was going to win the QB job.
At the end of the day, this puts pressure on getting a hopefully not too early commitment from Devin Gardner (we know how well those early mobile quarterback commitments have been lately).
Why Tulsa? Because Shavod realized (other than having his momma grab him by his short hairs and telling him he isn’t ready for big time college football) that he really isn’t a competitor. He’s one of those kids that talks the talk but can’t walk the walk. At Tulsa, he’ll be a big dog in a little run area where he can mark his territory without fear of anyone else pissing on him. It’s why he chose Tulsa and no other big time football program. And honestly, the kid has a bum shoulder that needs serious rehab. He became damaged goods. It’s best that he doesn’t come to Michigan and end up being another talented has been that ended up doing nothing due to injuries.
I love how after he makes this decision everyone comes out and declares that TF was much better anyways, he has a bum shoulder, ect. I personally think he had a leg up on TF simply bc he is a better runner, and that seems to be what RR is more comfortable with. Without a clear cut favorite as a solid starter, and there is no solid favorite at this point, this will be a huge loss if we can’t land another QB.
To pilfer a line of thought from MGoBlog:
Recruits are like lottery tickets – the more you have, the more likely one will hit. We just lost a ticket at a spot we need many. (end MGoBlog pilfering)
The main thing is this: choosing the best QB of Forcier, Beaver, and Threet would have a greater chance of yielding a positive result than choosing the best QB of just Forcier and Threet.
I know everyone is in love with Tate, and heopfully that proves to be justified. But we have nothing to imply that he was an immensely better talent than Beaver, or anything approaching a guarantee that he’ll be a good player. Highly rated QB’s bust out all the time – Jason Kapsner was one of the most coveted QB recruits in Michigan history, and spent his career watching lesser-rated guys such as Dreisbach, Griese, and Brady get the PT everyone felt would one day be his.
The coaching staff really need to reevaluate their approach to recruiting. Sure, Michigan has national appeal and can always land guys from afar, especially those that have connections to the school or the area (i.e. Roh’s family from Michigan; Tate’s familiarity with the school through his brother; the 2010 receiver commit whose parents attended the school; etc.). Aside from these types, most of these kids (yes, they are kids) just are not ready to move that far away from home, particularly in the case of Beaver who was not assured of worthwhile playing time. In addition, the coaching staff needs to recognize that Michigan, albeit a national powerhouse, is a school in the Midwest. Just as all the top guys in Ohio attend that awful school in Columbus, Michigan should focus on reeling in the top guys in the State of Michigan and the greater Midwest. May be tough to do when all your coaches are from Mississippi and West Virginia. At the end of the day, Beaver was damaged goods and would not have cut it in the Big 10. And if depth is required, it should be noted that Thomas Gordon and Jeremy Gallon, albeit midgets, were successful quarterbacks in high school.
We know that there are no guarantees in sports, that’s a given. However, Forcier is the real deal. He is a far better QB than any of his brothers FWIW, and he has always had his own special QB coach/tutor to guide him in his development. He even changed schools so that he would not have to start over his older brother.
Watching his games he may not be the best QB coming into college, but he is without a doubt the best fit for the RR system. He is the most ready QB coming in. Keep in mind that among other things, the Spread Option attack is a read and react system. To quickly know what the defense is doing and to react just as quickly to it. You are always a QB first therefore, being a good accurate passer is most important, but with an effective threat of the run. Threet was the most effective when he ran at the right time. He didn’t have to run like Carlos Brown, only hit the gap when it’s there. He made the defense account for the QB and therefore, gave the offense more options. Looking at Forcier he seems to be the best combination of all of these things coming in.
We’re sorry to lose Beaver, but he wasn’t going to be able to compete effectly coming in with a bad shoulder. Once he started behind Forcier, he would have likely stayed there. However, we wish him success at Tulsa.
Tulsa has one of the most explosive offenses in the nation. They finished 2nd in total offense, 6th in passing offense. We all know how Michigan turned out this year. Their QB threw for nearly 4000 yards and 40+ TDs. You think any QB under Rich Rod is going to put up those numbers, even once everything is up and running? Todd Graham’s offense is a passing QB’s dream offense, so I can’t fault Beaver for switching.
You know, the Forcier QB family reminds me of another QB family, the Clausens. Anyone recognize that name? The first two Clausens, Rick and Casey, were decently rated QBs who had okay careers, and then there’s the heralded third QB, Jimmah. This somewhat matches up with the paths of the Forciers so far, with the first two Forciers, Jason and Chris, decently rated QBs who have had okay or not much a career, and then the heralded third QB, Tate…
More turmoil, just what a program in transition DOESN’T need. I’m glad everyone is so high on Forcier, but let’s not forget he was never the #1 choice himself. Newsome was their guy and if they could have gotten Pryor we would be getting ready for a bowl.
…and I’m thinking more and more that Les Miles will be the Wolverines coach before the end of RR’s contract after LSU cuts him loose.
anybody have any idea of who we might go after now since Beaver left us?
I really like Eugene Smith. He had an interest in us and he is a soft verbal to West Virginia.
BlueFromOhio –
The top prospects for consideration could be: 1)Tajh Boyd, 2)Eugene Smith, 3)Denard Robinson.
Tajh Boyd deconcommited from Tennessee, while Eugene Smith is committed to WVU.
Robinson is the guy with the Athlete tag on him. If signed the understanding would be he could compete for the job but if he doesn’t get it then he would be moved to another position. He has the skills to play QB and other positions. I personally question the ability to move the other two.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recruiting/tracker/player?recruitId=57337&season=2009