The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Thursday, January 9, 2014 - 7A On Recruiting: Coaching instability plaguing efforts By JASON RUBINSTEIN Daily Sports Writer Let's go back to the night of September 7th. Everything seemed perfect for the Michigan football team. The Wolverines dismantled a ranked Notre Dame in front of a record-setting crowd. Beyoncd even exclaimed "Go Blue!" in a halftime video message. Life was good for Michigan fans. The 2014 recruiting class was top-tier, and the 2015 class was starting to take form. Any ques- tions about Brady Hoke or Al Borges's job security would've seemed ridiculous because a Big Ten championship looked within reach. But then the Wolverines sea- son started to deteriorate, and they fell to 7-5. Twitter exploded with demands for coaching changes. But was that really justified? Recruits noticed these demands, leading to uncertainty in their minds as to whether coaching changes were imminent. The first to publicly voice his concerns was five-star cornerback Jabrill Peppers, the Wolverines's top-rated commit. Peppers tweeted that he would take official visits to other schools in a violation of Hoke's recruiting policy, leaving Peppers decommitted in the coach's eye. "I am still 100-percent com- mitted to the University of Michigan and that is the place where I want to go to college," Peppers told ESPN's Tom Van- Haaren after the tweet. "With the rumors about coach Hoke possibly not being there, I need to make sure that IShave options and have seen other places." Two days after Peppers's tweet, Michigan Athletic Director Dave Brandon published a blog post to dispel rumors about the job security of the coaching staff. "Brady Hoke is our coach and will be leading our football program well into the future," he wrote on MoGoBlue.com. "There is no question about it. Anyone making efforts to stir up a coaching controversy at Michigan is ill-informed and is likely promoting a personal agenda that is not in the best interest of Michigan football." Brandon's assurances worked. Peppers later took an official visit to Ann Arbor and decided other visits wouldn't be part of his plan, reaffirming his commitment to the Wolverines. Borges, though, wasn't in Michigan's future plans despite Brandon's reassurances about the staff. Wednesday, Hoke announced Borges wasn't retained for a fourth year, and reports soon surfaced that the coordinator would be replaced by Alabama's Doug Nussmeier. Maybe it was a necessary change. But the Wolverines's prized 2015 commit, five-star running back Damien Har- ris, soon tweeted, "Man ..... I can't believe this about Coach Borges." Only time will tell whether or not Harris will decommit, but coaching changes certainly won't help, even if the offense may improve without Borges. But Harris's high school coach has ties to Borges. The two coached together at Auburn in 2007. It's possible that this is where Harris's apparent displeasure with the move is rooted. And if he decommits, it would be the second major loss for Michigan. George Campbell, a 2015 five- star wide receiver and ESPN's No. 2 overall recruit, officially decommitted from Michigan in late December, shocking Wolverine fans and defying the promise he made when he committed in August. "I'm going to stick with (Michigan)," Campbell said in an earlier interview with ESPN's Jared Sandler. "I was taught to stay with my commitment, and that's something I'm going to do, no matter what, with Michigan." Weeks after the Peppers scare, Campbell speared many Michigan hearts, even before Borges was fired. Many believe Campbell's decommitment occurred because of his fam- ily's views. Yes, Campbell will be able to play closer to home if he chooses to stay in Florida or enroll anywhere in the south. When a player commits to an out-of-state school, there's always a degree of uncertainty. Those qualms are easier to handle with a father-like coach. Hoke's supposed job insecurity ADAM GLANZMANN/Daily Michigan football eoach Brady Hoke announced that offensive coordinator Al Borges will not return to the team in 2014. pIV 7rJVVl Borgess annual salary, amongthe highest in the nation for an assistant. may well have been the factor that caused Campbell to decommit. It didn't end there. Hjalte Frojoldt, a four-star defensive line prospect who hails from Denmark committed to Arkan- sas over Michigan after most recruiting analysts considered him a heavy Wolverine lean. In any given year, committing to Arkansas over Michigan may sound ordinary and justified. After all, would you blame a kid who wants to play in the SEC and warm weather? But in 2013 Froholt was dif- ferent. He was a Michigan lean through thick and thin. Arkan- sas also went 3-9 and didn't win an SEC game. Yes, Michigan had its struggles, but Arkan- sas's were far greater. What did Arkansas have over the Wolverines? Coaching stability. It's hard to imagine Borges's fir- ing would've had any affect on Froholdt's recruitment. Bret Beilema just completed his first year coaching the Razorbacks after winning three consecutive Big Ten titles at Wisconsin. Hoke, on the other hand, has had a couple of strong recruiting classes, but the team hasn't competed in a Big Ten championship game, much less won the conference. Had Michigan converted the two-point conversion against Ohio State, or had one of three field-goal misses been made against Penn State, perhaps that coaching uncertainty wouldn't have arisen. Would Brandon have been forced to make such a bold statement defending his coach? Losing Hoke would be disastrous for Michigan. Just look at his recruiting classes. The 2014 contigent is shaping up tobe star-studded, while the 2015 class is doing the same, even without Campbell. Yes, Hoke may be on the hot seat. But consistently calling for his firing only exacerbates the recruiting problems. For Hoke's recruiting prow- ess to continue, the coaching staff largely needs to stay put. - Rubinstein can be reached at jasonbr@umich.edu and on Twitter @jrubinstein4. M inus-4 Rushing yardsby Michigan against Michigan State, a program worst. early in the season and had a tendency to hold onto the ball for too long. Sophomore quarterback Shane Morris displayed ample ability in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, but is still inexperienced. Nussmeier should help groom both quarterbacks. Nussmeier was a quarterback in college at Idaho and for five seasons in the NFL. He began as a quarterbacks coach, with stints at Michigan State and with the St. Louis Rams. He graduated to offensive coordinator at Fresno State, before moving to Washington and Alabama. Quarterbacks Jake Locker, Drew Stanton, Jeff Smoker and Marc Bulger are all former pupils, all of whom played or currently play in the NFL. When Keith Price inherited the quarterback position afterLocker left for the NFL, Nussmeier coached him to new records in touchdowns, completion percentage and passing efficiency. In fact, Washington improved statistically in each of Nussmeier's three seasons there. Nussmeier is ranked the 14th best recruiter in the nation by 247 Sports's coaching database, and he could push to sign five-star quarterback and Alabama com- mit Ricky Town. Nussmeier was the lead recruiter in snagging Town, though ESPN's Tom Van- Haaren reported that the quar- terback is planning to stick with Alabama after the two exchanged texts Wednesday night. Still, the offensive line has car- ried Nussmeier's offense while at Alabama. In 2012, the Crim- son Tide featured one of the best offensive lines in college football history, three offensive linemen that were drafted in the first four rounds of the NFL Draft, includ- ing two picked in the first round. Michigan's line will require much more development. By the end of the year, Borges had tin- kered with an unbalanced look, an end-around heavy offense and a screen-dependent attack to mask an interior incapable of opening holes. None of it worked. Nussmeier has experimented little at Alabama. "You didn't see a lot of new wrinkles, a lot of new things here and there," Torrence said. "It got pretty predictable at some points." Crimson Tide fans point to the loss to Texas A&M in 2012 as particularly frustrating. Despite heroics by Texas A&M quarter- back Johnny Manziel, Alabama still had a chance to win the game on its last possession. Needing a touchdown on 1st-and-goal from the six-yard line, with the best offensive line in the nation, Nuss- meier called three passes out of the shotgun, with just one run. The Aggies intercepted the fourth-down pass, and Alabama lost. BY THE NUMBERS Doug Nussmeier $850,000 Minimum salaryefor Nussmeier at Michigan, according to CBSSports' Bruce Feldman. $680,000 Nussmeier's salary at Alabama in 2013. 431 Yards his Alabamaoffenseaccumulated against Michigan in the2012CowboysClassic 4 QuarterbacksNussmeierhascoached whoplayed in the NFL 68 Touchdownsscored by Alabamain2012,a programrecord. 18, Crimson Tide's national rankingfor points scored this year. This is a developing story Check MichiganDaily.com throughout the day for updates AUSTIN BIGONEY/The Crimson White Alabama offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier will coach Michigan's offense in 2014, according to numerous reports. Gettingto know: Oensive coordinator Doug4 Nuss-meier By ZACH HELFAND Daily Sports Writer As the offensive coordinator at Alabama last season, Doug Nuss- meier, reportedly the Michigan football team's new offensive coordinator, was the subject of an online petition calling for his job. The petition "To fire offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier" received two signatures. But Nussmeier, 43, has plenty of similarities to Michigan's outgoing offensive coordinator, Al Borges, who was fired Wednesday. Both favor the pro- style, downhill running game to set up play-action and vertical routes. Both coach the offense and the quarterbacks. What Nussmeier had at Alabama, and Borges didn't at Michigan, was an offense good enough to quell dissent from a fan base that demanded better production. In Nussmeier, Michigan gains a coach who runs the pro-style offense preferred by Michigan coach Brady Hoke, a skilled recruiter and a proven quarterback mentor. His early success will hinge upon the question that flummoxed Borges and Hoke for all of 2012: how to succeed despite a young and error-prone offensive line? The early reviews are positive. Before the Sugar Bowl, according to Alabama's student newspaper The Crimson White, Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops praised Nussmeier and his offense. "It's old school. It's NFL- style football," Stoops said. "And they come at you in a variety of different sets, shifts, motions. They window dress things very well. It's very well organized. It's very well orchestrated." Alabama offensive lineman Cyrus Kouandjio told the Crimson White that everybody loved the offensive coordinator. "You don't see a lot of coaches like Coach Nussmeier," Kouandjio said. "That's why coach Saban hired him. And he's livingup to it." In Nussmeier's first year in Tuscaloosa in 2012, the offense set records for touchdowns (68), points (542), total offense (6,237) and passing touchdowns (32). In his first game with the Crim- son Tide, his offense dismantled Michigan in the Cowboys Clas- sic. Despite shutting down for much of the second half, the Crimson Tide won 41-14 and put up 431 yards of total offense, including 232 on the ground. Under Nussmeier, the offense opened up - at least for a Nick Saban-coached team - when he implemented more vertical routes and attacked teams over the top. The offense showed more three- and four-receiver sets, usually with an H-back who could become more involved in the passing game than a traditional fullback. The Alabama passing game grew with its quarterback, AJ McCarron. In 2011, the year before Nussmeier arrived, McCarron played a role largely described as "game manager." By 2013, according to Marc Torrence, sports editor at The Crimson White, McCarron "had the greatest season as a quarterback in Alabama history. You have to attribute that somewhat to Nussmeier." At Michigan, fifth-year senior quarterback Devin Gardner showed potential in his first full season at the starter, but he committed costly turnovers Nussmeier will inherit an offense that averaged 373.5 yards per game in 2013 and returns its startin gquarterback.