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| 2013 prospect LaQuon Treadwell and 2012 prospect Anthony Standifer |
Back at the beginning of June, Crete (IL) Crete-Monee cornerback Anthony Standifer committed to Michigan. At the time the recruiting services hadn't really picked up on him yet, despite the fact that he had offers from decent schools like Iowa, Michigan, and Notre Dame. As of this morning, Standifer is a 3-star to all four major recruiting services, and anywhere from the #28 to #46 cornerback.
He remained committed for the past several months and seemed strongly interested in coming to Ann Arbor, but a few days ago, it all started to fall apart. Michigan and Standifer have made a mutual decision to part ways, although rumors suggest that it was due to some academic shortcomings on Standifer's part.
To fill the open spot at cornerback, Michigan has recently re-established contact with West Roxbury (MA) Catholic Memorial's Armani Reeves and continued to pursue Ramsey (NJ) Don Bosco Prep's Yuri Wright. Reeves is currently committed to Penn State but is wary of the coaching situation. Wright has often said that Michigan is his dream school, but he has yet to visit.
It's unclear where Standifer will end up playing ball, but there is another player who factors into the situation: 2013 wide receiver LaQuon Treadwell. Treadwell is Standifer's teammate and seemed like he would commit to Michigan at some point. Without Standifer in Ann Arbor, that might make Treadwell's commitment less likely. While he has stated that the news about Standifer won't affect his recruitment, I have to wonder if that will hold true or not. Treadwell has picked up offers from Indiana, Nebraska, and Notre Dame to go along with his Michigan offer.
For other news on former Wolverines and ex-commitments, check out the Ex-Wolverine Encyclopedia.
I expect Treadwell to hold to what he has said. Rarely does the package deal ever come to fruition and you have to think that Standifer's next destination won't be a Michigan-level program.
ReplyDeleteI highly doubt Shane Morris will let him go elsewhere. He recruits Laquon hard!
ReplyDeleteIt strikes me as pretty strange to see a 16/17 year old all tattooed up like Standifer in that picture. Couldn't he have signed with OSU and gotten them for free? Don't know if the guy is shady or not, but it is definitely a shady look for a kid that young.
ReplyDelete"Michigan and Standifer have made a mutual decision to part ways, although rumors suggest that ..."
ReplyDeleteHey, what a surprise - a high schooler decommits from someone's favorite college sports team and rumors spread slandering the kid.
Can we just recognize those rumors for what they obviously are and stop printing them? Every time someone leaves Michigan, or declines to attend, it's the same old, ugly thing. It's embarrassing to even read it.
@ guanxi 1:23 p.m.
ReplyDeleteIn this case the rumors were spreading prior to the news of Standifer's "decommitment" (or whatever you want to call it). Generally, where there's smoke, there's fire. Unless Standifer comes out and tells us why he and Michigan parted ways, then I think it's fair to assume that the issues are what have been represented. Standifer's mom said that his academics are in order, but there was no alternative reason given.
His education is far from in order and I agree all the body ink is to much for a 17 year old. He has a horrible attitude to his teachers and is getting in trouble. Let this be a lesson to all kids. At the end of the game against Richwoods he posted on Twitter oh well we lost let me go make money at Mich. That attitude right there shows why he will not be a Wolverine.
ReplyDeleteThe kid is an athlete regardless of how you feel about him. Whatever school he chooses to go to he will be successful. Tattoos for athletes at this age are very common, you people find anything to slander a young athlete about when they choose another institution.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I really couldn't care less about his tattoos. That's kind of a silly criticism.
ReplyDelete@Thunder
ReplyDelete"Generally, where there's smoke, there's fire. Unless Standifer comes out and tells us why he and Michigan parted ways, then I think it's fair to assume that the issues are what have been represented."
Like a rumor, that smoke and fire thing is often repeated but absurd when you look at it. There's plenty of smoke around hot penny stocks, aliens at Roswell, and consipiracies that run the world (maybe that explains Big Ten refereeing -- ha ha). Go to India, where there's a lot of smoke about reincarnation; is there fire?
I think your point is that it's fair game. For us it's a game -- our favorite sport and people gossip about the players like others gossip about movie celebrities. There seem to be 'rules' -- a rumor is put out there and they have to respond, or they lose the 'game'.
But the recruits are not playing our game. They are high school kids who play football, which doesn't oblige them to us for anything at all. They aren't public figures who are well-compensated for enduring the slander, and they aren't mature adults -- they aren't fair game. In our society, we protect and nurture kids, not publicly humiliate them when it suits us. You don't see Hoke doing it.
I don't think anyone means it that way, people just get carried away.
@ guanxi 12:26 p.m.
ReplyDeleteWhen I say "Where there's smoke, there's fire" in regard to a recruit, I'm talking about past experiences with recruiting. Many of the kids who are rumored to have personality/work ethic/academic issues actually DO end up having those issues - Austin White, Tate Forcier, etc. I've followed recruiting closely for several years, and rumors don't often start without being based at least a little bit on reality.
I agree he is a teenager and maybe this may have been to much for him to handle right now. Some kids mature faster and take things more serious and some do not, just as the same goes for adults. No one should bash a kid at all and we all need to remember he is a kid. I am sure he is down right now and kicking him while he is down is terrible. These kids arent getting paid tons of money, yes getting a free education but you guys are acting like they are NFL players or something. I am positive he will get kicked up by another school and rise above all this. This will be a lesson learned to the other teamates at Crete Monee High School that you have to keep working all year round all the way to the end. Grades, GPA, Attitude, everything. Let the streets bleed with the blood of the non believers..
ReplyDeleteIt is quite upsetting to see that "rumored" personal issues of 17 year olds are being aired out in public. If the mother of the recruit did not openly give out this information, what gives anyone the right to give out the status of his academic standing? His attitude problems are fair game because his public behaivior. Academic issues are very private matters. Whatever source you my have could be subject to privacy law violations or liable depending on how close they are to the situation. As a previous poster mentioned, these are non public figures who have a right to privacy. We need to remember that amateur atheletes are not getting compensated for public scrutiny.
ReplyDelete@ Anonymous 4:20 a.m.
ReplyDeleteIn the recruiting world, "academic" issues often relate to behavior in the classroom.