| Chris Singletary (image via MLive.com) |
Over the last couple weeks, news has come out about Michigan's recruiting staff. Most significantly, director of player personnel Chris Singletary is out. The former Michigan linebacker reportedly created a bit of a rift in recruiting circles around the state of Michigan. The story goes that he only had strong relationships with a few schools - the ones that would have perennial FBS prospects - and largely ignored a lot of the other coaching staffs in the state, except when they would have a blue-chip prospect. Now that he's gone, some of those traditionally talent-laden schools are miffed. There are rumors floating about that Singletary burned some bridges to Michigan on the way out, too. Contrary to that rumor, Scout's Sam Webb says that Singletary is being considered for an administrative job within the athletic department, which would be an odd move for a guy who allegedly bad-mouthed the program toward the end. Webb is typically a trusted source, but he is also friendly with Singletary, so the truth might lie somewhere in the middle.
Meanwhile, former Paramus (NJ) Catholic head coach Chris Partridge, who was hired a few months ago, is now the lead man in the recruiting office. He and Matt Doherty are handling the majority of recruiting info, but Jim Harbaugh has also pulled out the ace he had up his sleeve: Erik Campbell. Campbell, who played and coached at Michigan, spent time with Iowa and the Montreal Alouettes in recent years. He was hired to work in the football program this offseason, and now it looks like he will have the task of maintaining and/or mending relationships in the state. Campbell, who grew up in Indiana, was an associate head coach under Lloyd Carr and has a very good reputation. I expect Campbell to return to coaching before too long (whether on Michigan's staff or elsewhere), but in the meantime, I think it's an excellent move by Harbaugh to put him on the recruiting trail.
Now hit the jump for some new 2016 and 2018 offers, plus some guys who committed elsewhere and some random bits.