Rashad Weaver
Cooper City (FL) Cooper City defensive end Rashad Weaver decommitted from Michigan on Monday. He had been committed to the Wolverines since June after being offered during one of Michigan’s satellite camps in Florida. Here’s his post on Twitter, which I think sounds appropriately bitter:
Decommit…. pic.twitter.com/lQAKijMzyW
— ▲Shad▲ (@R_Weaver80) January 26, 2016
As you can see if you like, I was not high on Weaver when he committed (LINK). I gave him a TTB Rating of 45, which is/was the lowest of Michigan’s 2016 recruiting cycle. Then Weaver went out, and no doubt through hard work, made me eat some of my words. I thought he took some tremendous steps forward as a senior, and I was no longer regretting Michigan’s decision to offer him a scholarship. (Certain recruiting insiders were saying that Michigan viewed him as a top-5 defensive end in the class when they initially offered.)
Hit the jump for more.
This is not a common stance for me. If you have seen my reactions to the decommitments of Erik Swenson, Sir Patrick Scott, Kiante Enis, etc., I have not been overly sentimental. I don’t believe those recruits were championship-level players. But with Weaver, I think he’s got something. He said in his Twitter post that Michigan had not been in much contact for several months, but I don’t think it’s a coincidence that he is not the first commit to come out and say that he’s no longer wanted by Michigan. My guess is that the Wolverines were holding off on cutting ties with Weaver, viewing him as someone who was on the chopping block but one of the last cuts (or perhaps the last cut) they would be willing to make.
You never know what goes on behind the scenes, so I hate to speculate without knowing a timeline of events, exactly what the player was told, exactly where he fell short of the staff’s expectations, etc. However, this is yet another public relations blow for Michigan.
As I’ve said before, winning cures everything. If Michigan wins the College Football Playoff next year or even makes it into the top four, people will forget about these “blips on the radar.” But in the meantime, why is Michigan scheduling satellite camps for this coming summer? Clearly, the purpose was to make connections and bring out under-the-radar recruits. That happened. But now those recruits are getting axed from the recruiting class, and many of those bridges are being burned. I’m not sure I understand yet another round of satellite camps if the only guys who are going to be allowed into the class are big-time recruits who don’t bother with satellite camps, anyway.
As for Michigan’s on-field situation, the team is down to 24 commitments. Weaver would have been a defensive end or defensive tackle, and Michigan still could use help at those positions. Rashan Gary and Connor Murphy are the two most likely to step in. The class is expected to reach somewhere between 28-30 prospects.
Here are Weaver’s senior highlights:
Wherever he ends up, I hope he finds success.
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Helluva letter. He’s got me pulling for him.
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I would like to think — perhaps “hope” — that this is startup hiccups for Harbaugh and his recruiting process. I would like to think (hope) that going forward, we will not see more of this type of thing. It is not good for all involved.
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exactly. This is a big PR blow, since Weaver was offered by Harbaugh. I really hope Harbaugh and staff cut down on these things. Looks really bad…
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Would like to think so too, but Harbaugh is not a first year guy still getting his bearings. He was at Stanford for four years, so he knows perfectly well how the recruiting game works at this level. And he is not a disorganized guy..he has a hand on everything, and makes calculated moves.
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This is not Michigan.
Michigan is about winning, with class, with student athletes who become good people.
There’s a lot of “who cares just win” reactions out there but that’s never been the Michigan I’ve rooted for.
I’m disappointed. This is a situation that is readily fixable just by being a little more honest with the fringe kids earlier. Ignoring the situation is spineless.
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This sucks. We don’t know all the facts though. As a parent, I’d be nagging my child all the time if he/she didn’t hear from their recruiting coach and then become pro-active in finding another program to play at well before a couple of weeks before LOI day.. I realize not all kids have PITA fathers like me, but this is a major milestone in a kid’s life. I would want to make sure I’ve done everything in my power to help my child succeed…
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Exactly. I wish more facts were known, but am hoping this is just unorganized communication. As a parent–or even an athlete–you gotta have your own Plan B
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Weaver is taking official visits to Penn State and Pitt this weekend, so there seems to be a good chance that he lands on his feet.
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Do you think that Penn State and Pitt are options for Weaver if Harbaugh doesn’t hold a camp, extend a then committable offer to Weaver that he subsequently accepts enabling his name to sit for 7 months on Michigan’s committed list?
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