To say many were surprised when new Ohio State head coach Ryan Day lured long-time Michigan assistant Greg Mattison away from Ann Arbor would be an understatement. It’s not every day a guy that had put so much blood, sweat and tears into a program moves on to an arch-rival.
But move on to Columbus he did. He replaced his maize and blue wardrobe with one with the clashing color palette of scarlet and gray. So far, the move appears to be paying off.
Mattison experienced a win in The Game while prowling the Ohio State sideline after he had been on the wrong end of it for seven-straight years under Brady Hoke, then Harbaugh.
He’s also won some recruiting battles the Wolverines likely would have lost in years past to the Buckeyes. He got to head to the desert and the College Football Playoff. Yes, the colors and change in scenery fit just fine thank you very much. So much so that Mattison has been as honest as the day is long when hitting the recruiting trail against his former employer apparently.
According to a story appearing by 247Sports, 2021 four-star defensive tackle J.C. Latham had some interesting things to say about what Mattison told him when out recruiting and comparing the two programs — a position he is unique and qualified to discuss having experience at both places.
“When I first went to Ohio State back in the spring time for practice, [Coach Mattison] was the first guy I talked to because I knew him right off the bat,” said Latham to 247 Sports. “He was telling me how different Ohio State’s program was and how their facilities, practices, culture, all that was a lot better at Ohio State than Michigan. He was really telling me at their school, it’s a business and they ran it strict to a T.”
Mattison went on to try and seal the deal apparently with how much time the coaches will take to develop him.
“He was telling me, ‘If you’re here, I can see you getting developed ten times better than I could see at any other school.’ So he was kind of really just breaking the ice with me when I first visited.”
Former Michigan assistant Greg Mattison negatively recruiting against Wolverines with top 2021 recruit: https://t.co/2je5lpH9DL pic.twitter.com/1xqWaayUvA
— 247Sports (@247Sports) January 8, 2020
It has to be interesting and a somewhat bitter-sweet for Mattison to recruit against a place he was so entrenched at for so long, but if anyone knows the difference between the two, it’s him.
He’s now taking a lot of heat from Michigan fan forums and boards, but the evidence is on the Ohio State co-defensive coordinator’s side. The Buckeyes continually out-recruit and outplay Michigan. They have also sent a ton more guys to the NFL that have been successful.
If that doesn’t speak to development and culture, I don’t know what does.
Be angry if you want Wolverine nation, but the proof is in the pudding. In fact, Mattison isn’t the only one that sees it. Director of recruiting at 247Sports Steve Wiltfong also had some very eye-opening comments about the difference in the two schools that he sees when out on the recruiting trail. We’ve also seen former a former Michigan videographer tell the scathing truth when comparing the two programs from the inside.
Look, the rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan is better when the Wolverines are good. In fact, the Big Ten and college football is just more fun when Michigan is competing for really big things. The reality though is that the two programs have splintered far apart ever since the end of the Lloyd Carr days.