This year's crop of football blue-chippers brings about expected hoopla

That's where my roommate and I sat freshman year at our first Michigan football game. Amazingly enough, our seats got progressively worse as the years went on, and now we're left with no seats at all as our final home football game is three months in the past.

He's one of those guys who picks up the paper daily (no pun intended) usually in search of a quick crossword but more often to see what's going on in the Big House. He's interested in the information - even when the Wolverines won't play for months.

Mark Snyder

But the more you think about it, the more the dates, comments and ugly incidents circle about, the more you realize Michigan football has no offseason.

From the end of the bowl game on Jan. 1 until the first game on Labor Day weekend, the Michigan football team is a contradiction. Few see it practice, even fewer know what happens inside Schembechler Hall, but it remains in the spotlight - for better or for worse.

Though recently we've been besieged by the worst the program has to offer - accusations of theft, violence and the reminders of previous sexual assaults - the better is on the way.

Six days from now we'll see that next big news day. But unlike the episodes thrust into the spotlight by Jason Brooks and William Peterson, next Wednesday's announcement is planned and well-orchestrated.

National letter-of-intent day falls on Feb. 3 this year and Michigan coach Lloyd Carr - despite spending this past weekend in Maui coaching an all-star team - will stand in front of a horde of media to announce the new players who will dress for his football team in seven months.

While to a normal bystander such announcements may seem absurd for the arrival of 20 players (presumably) still in high school classrooms, many fans live for this day.

Both Detroit newspapers ran sections last week previewing the big day and where all the local players will be taking their talents. There was analysis, discussion and even profiles on the profilers, the recruiting gurus who feed the frenzy with their analysis of each school's crop.

A year ago, Carr was amazed by the media attention the announcement received. He had been up until the wee hours of the previous night, coaxing Justin Fargas to supplement an incredible recruiting class. Fargas and linebacker Larry Foote were the final commitments, with Foote coming through hours before the press conference.

Traditionally after such success, the next year would experience a lull. The next class is often in sharp decline because nobody wants to play backup to a stellar group like the year before.

But once again, Carr and recruiting coordinator Bobby Morrison have dumbfounded the experts. Michigan is expected to reel in as many skill players as last year - including six running backs - and some blue-chip linemen to match.

Texas is drawing raves as the top class in the country, headlined by the son of former New York Giant great Phil Simms, Chris, an all-everything quarterback touted as being better than his father, but Michigan is in the thick of the hunt for a top-five class. Evidently, success breeds success.

Before anyone starts making Sugar Bowl plans, though, remember this season.

Even with the best recruiting class in the nation, very few of them played.

Fargas ran solid in just one game (at Northwestern), Drew Henson was relegated to mop-up duty on the few occasions he played and David Terrell caught an occasional third-down pass. With the notable exception of placekicker/punter Hayden Epstein, this freshman crop barely played, let alone made an impact.

They'll get their chance, there's little doubt about that, but the frenzy over the mere possibility that they might be All-Americans is amazing.

Few can predict the future and Carr will readily admit that come Wednesday. He'll talk about how these are Michigan men, good character people and how they'll enhance the Michigan program.

With the incidents of late, the program's image could use any positive publicity it can scrounge up.

My only question for these new guys: Can they get my seats back?

- Mark Snyder can be reached via e-mail

at msnyder@umich.edu.

The

Grind

01-28-99