Wolverine Wednesday: Ask a Question, Get an Answer

Yesterday, I asked a bunch of questions regarding the state of the Wolverines as they head into Saturday's game.   Since the media got 15 minutes of practice time, many of those questions were answered.   A quick reminder on the questions:

Is the cast off Donovan Edwards right hand?  

Is Mike Morris healthy and playing on Saturday?

Were there any injuries during bowl practices or the Big Ten Championship?  

Any chance that Hill-Green will play LB?  He has been out all year. 

Does Jesse Minter have a solid game plan for TCU's offense?

Is Mullings the #2 RB right now or just the power back?

Is Schoonover 100% heathy?

Answers as follows:

• Edwards was seen with a smaller cast on his hand. Reports are he was catching balls during practice.

• Is Mike Healthy? Mike Morris was reported to be working with the 1's and doing all the drills.  
• Any new injuries? WR Andrel Anthony, WR Amorion Walker, and WR/Returner AJ Henning were all in street clothes.  
• Hill-Green acted more like a coach than a player and also in street clothes. 
• Shadow for Duggan?  RJ Moten running with the LB's 
• Mullings was seen working with the RB's as the #3.  CJ Stokes seems to be #2.

Other news and notes from practice:

• Michigan is practicing at the Angels Spring Training facility 
• The early enrolled guys that signed last week are there and practicing 
• Yes, Alan Bowman is there and taking snaps as a back-up QB
• Olu who was seen in a walking boot after the Big Ten Championship, is healthy and ready to play.

Thoughts:

Positive news about Morris and Edwards, would have loved the hand to be 100% healthy.  Also, like what I'm hearing about Michigan's defense and some of the secondary schemes they're working on.  WR depth seems to be an issue and would love to see AJ back there returning punts.  I know Ronnie can do it; I just feel better about AJ back there. 

Very cool for some of the recruits to be signing last Wednesday and now on a business trip to the college football playoffs in Phoenix.  Most college football players won't get to experience anything like that and these guys haven't even started their eligibility yet. 

• Michigan got a PWO in the 2023 class in Liam Groulx.  Of note, Liam is a teammate of Jadyn Davis.  Liam looks like a LB, TE, or FB at Michigan. 

Michigan Friday: Big Day For Michigan Basketball?

Michigan Basketball plays lowly Presbyterian who is 2-9 on Saturday at noon.  The Wolverines should cruise to an easy win.   One interesting side note is, this is Franz Wagner's first cupcake game of the year and maybe can find his groove and confidence.  He of course is coming off a 21 point effort against the Ducks last weekend.

That isn't the good news I'm hoping for today.  4 star center Hunter Dickenson out of Maryland is announcing today.  Hunter is the 34th ranked prospect in the 2020 class and the 6th center to 24/7.   His offer list includes Duke, FSU, ND, Oregon, UNC, and Louisville.   Michigan holds the crystal balls lead at 92%.

This could be the second high profile recruit to commit to Juwan Howard's Wolverines joining 5 star wing Isaiah Todd in the 2020 class.   Hunter is also friends with 4 star forward Terrance Williams who recently de-committed from Georgetown who is planning on taking an official to Ann Arbor.   

• Want to know something weird?  A few players that are enrolling early and signed their LOI's on Wednesday can practice a few days with the team during bowl prep.  They of course are not eligible to play in the game but can practice for a few days.  The 6 players who are expected to take advantage of this early practice time include: Blake Corum, Nikhai Hill-Green, Zak Zinter, Makari Paige, Andre Seldon, and Braiden McGregor who will be in town to rehab. 

• Enjoy Bowl Season as games start this afternoon. 

• Michigan Basketball Saturday Noon on BTN 

Michigan Friday: Missing Bowl Games

When I went to the Orange Bowl a few years ago, I purchased seats from U of M.    We ended up at the top of the Hard Rock Stadium near an open air area.   It was a cold night and the wind hit that open area and a 60 degree night felt like 40 degrees.   My wife and daughter tapped out in the first quarter and decided to find some warmer area to watch or not watch the game.

My son and I stayed and watched Michigan sleep walk through the first half of the game against Florida State.   Michigan starts to show some signs of life and Wilton hits Jake Butt with a pass near the goal line.   Jake tears his ACL.

If you read this blog, you remember that play.  We saw a great kid and great tight end go from a 1st - 2nd round to TBD in his NFL Draft status.   My heart just sank out of my chest.  A cold day at a bad game, just got worse.

Jake says today (after his latest ACL tear) that he would suit up again in the Orange Bowl.  He did have an insurance policy and rumors are he saw something like $500K from it.   Which helps but doesn't really equal the millions of dollars he missed from his original draft status.

That play along with ND's Jalen Smith injury, really changed the landscape of bowl games.    Yes, the playoffs also has something to do with that, but those two injuries are the ones players always point to.

Gary announced the day after the Ohio State game he was out and heading to the NFL.   That wasn't a surprise as he could be as high as the #2 draft pick.  If he goes to the combine, his numbers will jump off the charts.   You could argue that his stats on the field don't match that high of draft pick, but the NFL will be drafting his upside.

Bush was the next to announce and that wasn't a surprise either.  As he is expected to be a top 10 pick and is still recovering from a hip injury from the Ohio State game.

Higdon announced yesterday that he was also sitting out the bowl.  He is rated as the 5th RB in the NFL draft which probably equals a mid - late to round pick.   Higdon has been invited to the senior bowl and could increase his status there.  So investing some extra time for that game was worth it to him.

Luckily for Peach Bowl fans, Michigan's two CB's who were also rumored to be sitting out, will be playing.

College Football is starting to have a problem and I don't blame the players one bit.

I enjoy watching bowl games but last nights game had about a 1000 people in an NFL Stadium with a team that had 5 consecutive losses.   We have 40 bowl games and the only ones that really matter are the playoff games and Rose Bowl.   (yes, I understand how important bowl games are too smaller schools)

Fans don't want to attend, high profile players don't want to play, and the best part for the coaches are the two extra practice weeks.  Side note, many smaller teams lose money on bowl games due to travel costs and ticket purchase requirements.

What are we doing?

How about a 16 team playoff for the Power 5 and the same for non-Power 5 conferences.    You could do the non-power 5 conference playoffs with home games, so attendance and interest would be much higher.    Also play the non-power 5 playoffs during the week for better viewership, like they do for the Bad Boy Mowers Bowl.

I don't know if that is the solution but seeing Jake Butt lay on the Orange Bowl field, made me really think about my position on this and how valuable these games really are.

• Breaking:  Michigan just got a 2020 commit from QB JD Johnson who is rated as a 3 star.  On a side note, JD is sitting behind the #1 rated 5 star QB in the 2019 class, has a huge upside, and s expected to fly up the ranking this off season.   He is 6'4 and 190. 

• More Breaking News: Aubrey Solomon picks Tennessee.  Crouch is also expected to sign with the Volunteers today and of course they just landed RB Eric Gray yesterday.  They were 5-7 this year and finished 7th in the SEC East.   They got a ton of good players in just a few days, nothing fishy here at all.   Regarding Aubrey, I didn’t want him to transfer because I thought he had a great opportunity next year, which he will now spend watching football.  At Michigan he played in 18 games, recorded 24 tackles and 2 TFL’s with some of the best defensive line coaching in the country.  Not to mention Winovich and Gary as his DE’s taking up double teams.  I think everyone involved would ageee the expectation was more then he was able to provide.  Good luck Aubrey!

• If you want to hear some great Michigan recruitment stories, check out the WTKA podcast today and listen to Ron English Segment #2.  It will make you laugh, cry, and consider what might be happening at Tennessee right now.  

Michigan Thursday: Higdon Out For Peach and Michigan's Class Rank

This was the worst kept secret in the program.  Higdon hasn't been practicing and reports are he id home in Florida.  This morning he announced he won't be playing in the Peach Bowl.   There has also been some rumors flying around that Higdon's family was not happy about how he was used in the OSU game and wasn't recognized at the football banquet.

For those keeping score at home, Michigan will be without their starting RB - Higdon, DE- Gary, and LB - Bush for the Peach Bowl.   Luckily, Michigan's talented CB's Hill and Long are practicing and expected to play.  Both where rumored to also be considering sitting out.
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Michigan by all services had the top recruiting class in the Big Ten.  Yes, we know the recruiting cycle is not over until the February timeframe, but Michigan is really only looking to sign their two committed prospects and maybe a RB and another DT.

Here is how Michigan ranked on the major services, along with their top rivals:

24/7
#8 Michigan
#10 Penn State
#12 OSU
#13 ND
28 MSU

ESPN
#4 Michigan
#10 ND
#11 OSU
#12 PSU
#28 MSU

Rivals
#9 Michigan
#10 PSU
#11 ND
#20 OSU
#33 MSU

ESPN was much higher on Michigan's class and 24/7 and Rivals were very close.   Rivals is significantly lower on OSU and MSU.   The Buckeyes lost two 4 star guys on Wednesday but did pick up Zach Harrison.  MSU's class was highlighted by the Belleville kids and rest of the class was 3 stars.

Saying James Franklin is the most over rated coach in college football maybe accurate, but the man can recruit.

Even though ESPN is considerd the lowest quality of all the recruiting services, they do have the largest platform which didn't hurt the Wolverines yesterday.   I don't have an ESPN insider subscription to know which players are higher ranked, but I do know they are very high on DT Mazi Smith.  So are we!

Some of you might be wondering which recruits from yesterday, will be enrolling early and be on campus in a couple of weeks.   Here is the list as we know it right now:

Cade McNamara

Zach Charbonnet

Erick All

Jack Stewart

Mazi Smith

David Ojabo

Gabe Newburg

Jalen Perry

Mike Sainristil

Who are the DT's Michigan might be looking to sign?

The two guys they offered late in the cycle.  Neither signed yesterday but favoring Penn State. 

• D’Von Ellies
• Jared Harrison-Hunte

Guys like Crouch and Ford also didn't sign but are still considered a reach for the Wolverines.  The other area that could be a concern is RB depth.   TE could also be an add for one of the remaining spots. 

Michigan Friday: Michigan Bowl Practice - Who Didn't Make The Trip?

When the media get close to practice for a bowl game, they start running down the roster of who is and isn't there.  Who is working out in shorts, etc. 


So here we go:

1. Kareem Walker did not make the trip.  Insiders are saying there doesn't seem to be a threat of him transferring and its not an academic situation.  Maybe an injury?
2. Hudson has a cold and missed some time.  Seems minor.
3. Tarik Black won't play, which is good and protects his medical redshirt for the year
4. Isaac is still banged up and working out in shorts, should be considered questionable for Monday.  Would love to see him finish his career on the field.
5. Perry and Hill are also doing light workouts.  Status for Monday is unclear at this point.
6. JBB seems to have made the trip but wasn't seen at practice.  He has been in & out of the coaches dog house all year.  A Michigan announcement is pending. Not good!
7. Ben Bredeson has also not been spotted at practice but seems to have made the trip.
8. Hall also did not make the trip and it seems his heart is leaning more towards a transfer at this point.

I think that covers it for now.

• The announcement of Jedd Fisch to Missouri has yet to have happened.  The rumor is spinning that once that happens Wilton will transfer there.   I guess we will have to wait and see on both.

• I have watched MSU all year and just don't get that team.  They blew out WSU night in their bowl game.  I guess the same can be said for WSU, who was missing their starting QB.

• Big Ten is 3-0 in bowl games right now.

• In what Michigan was hoping for,  2018 five-star offensive tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere watched Michigan practice yesterday.  NP-F attends Berkeley Preparatory where Michigan is practicing this week before the Outback.  Just in case you are wondering, NP-F can't speak to the coaches or players during this time but can watch practice like anybody else.  If you remember, Alabama reeled in Dee Hart the same way when they practiced at his school in Orlando.

Since the game is on Monday, I will give you my preview this weekend.  Probably Sunday.  Enjoy your weekend!

Michigan Tuesday: News and Notes

• Remember recruit Pharaoh Brown?  He was the guy that tested the Michigan no visit policy and visited Oregon.  Well, he just got suspended by The Ducks for his role in a snowball fight that got out of hand, was recorded, and went viral.

• Devin Gardner entered the Michigan Football Banquet on crutches.  I hope it's something where he will be ready in 18 days for the BWW Bowl. 

• There are rumors already that Mack Brown is out at Texas.  Let the fun with Nick Saban begin!

• Michigan Basketball is no longer ranked and will get to host the new #1 team in the country Arizona on Saturday.  

• Jadeveon Clowney gets a speeding ticket going 110 MPH.  Former Michigan RB Vincent Smith was not injured in this event.

• Here is what the players will get at the BWW Game:  Trip to the gift suite; Fossil watch; Ogio Cube backpack.  There is a total price limit so the players have to choose which "gift" they choose.  No Chicken Wings?

Michigan Monday: Weekend Thoughts & Chicken Wings

Here are some random thoughts from this weekend:

• MSU was the best team Michigan faced this year. 

• UConn is interested in interviewing MSU defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi, please hire him!

• Da'Shawn Hand said no to Michigan and now he is trying to recruit the Wolverines best athlete in the class in Jabrill Peppers with him to Alabama.   I sure hope Nick Saban goes to Texas.

• Ohio State must really hate the State of Michigan. 

• Does Michigan really have to play in East Lansing again next year?  Couldn't they have worked something out like a game at Ford Field or something.

• Michigan commit Shaun Crawford can play.  Here are his junior year highlights.   There are conflicting reports on Shaun planning a visit to Columbus or not.

• There is starting to be a little bit of buzz on coaching web sites that Michigan will have staff changes.   Nothing to happen quickly, which means nothing before bowl prep and probably after signing day.   Again just a rumor.

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl:

Michigan was rumored to be either in the Gator Bowl against Georgia or BWW against KSU.  It ended up with the game in Arizona.   It seems the BWW Bowl had the third pick and choose the Wolverines over the Corn Huskers.

Since your probably not familiar with this bowl here are some factoids:

• It's played in Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona (not the University of Phoenix Stadium)
• Used to be called the Copper and Insight Bowl
• It's played on 12/28
• The game starts at 10:15 PM EST  -  Great start time for the kids!
• Big Ten is 2-5 since the contract started
• MSU won this bowl last year
• Minnesota has played in the bowl 3 times
• Indiana was even in this bowl game in 2007
• TBS was the original network, then ESPN came in and gave up the rights to the NFL Network.  After 4 years, ESPN picked the coverage back up.

This seems to be the appropriate "penalty" for the year the Wolverines had.    Congratulations to the Michigan fans in Phoenix.   At least Taylor Lewan gets to play at home for his last game in the Maize and Blue.

I would guess that no matter what comes out of the Michigan Athletic Department that David Brandon is not happy with this choice.  Since he is so worried about the Michigan "brand" playing in a game that will end at 1:30 AM EST is not the exposure he is looking for.

Since this game starts in 20 days, I guess bowl practice will start pretty soon.

Here is one reaction from a poster on Mgoblog:   This is a game that nobody cares about, on a day nobody cares about, in a time slot nobody cares about.

Wolverine Wednesday: Likes These Answers

As you know, I'm really not a fan of press conferences.  The only information you really get out of the head coach is maybe an injury report. 

Greg Mattison seems to be a bit different and will give you some nice nuggets from time to time.

Here are some highlighted Q&A from his presser yesterday: 

Willie Henry had a pretty good game again. Can you talk about his development?
“Willie had a good game. But the guy who had a really good game, and why our linebackers were able to run to the ball so well, was Quinton Washington. There were times there were two guys on there and he was holding the line of scrimmage. Our linebackers were scraping downhill and then scraping back down to where the ball cut back to. That kind of goes unnoticed. A lot of people don’t see that, but when your defensive line demands a double team and doesn’t get knocked back into the backers, those backers now have a chance to go to the run and come back, and that’s what they did. That’s why the backers played very well for the most part also.”

BHB:  I'm really happy for Q. Washington.  I don't know if you remember his story.  He surprised most recruiting insiders when he committed to Michigan a couple days before signing day.  At that time he hadn't even made it to Ann Arbor for a visit yet.  He came to Michigan as an offensive lineman and did a position switch with Big Will when he was struggling on the defensive line.  Big Will moved back when Hoke took over and Q stayed on the defensive line as well.  Q doesn't get much press for sacks or tackles but it's great that he is playing well.

Thoughts on Taco Charlton?
“He’s improved every week. He’s really understanding the defense now. He gives you a lot of athleticism. This kid can really run, and he’s gotten a lot more physical. He’s really kind of gotten out of the freshman thing now. I’m really excited about his progress. I tell you, it’s interesting because a guy like Frank [Clark], that’s how Frank was as a freshman. And Frank has done a really good job of, while I’m screaming at him, he’s talking to him. [Frank] was the same guy – do something good and then he’s lined up completely wrong. I see Taco improving a great deal. The other guy that really maybe had one of his best games was Mario [Ojemudia]. Mario came in and did some really good things. You don’t see – he’s close to some sacks, he’s flushing the quarterback, he’s running to the ball and making good hits.”

BHB:  It's really time to see the Michigan's DE's grow up and become a real threat on defense.   Frank Clark is playing better of late but he has had an up and down season.   Mario and Taco have been getting more playing time of late and I'm really looking forward to seeing those guys improve.   The future is bright for all 3 if they continue to improve and work hard.


You mentioned Iowa’s tight ends. In past games you guys have struggled defending tight ends down the seam. Which players will you be relying on this week to shore that up?
“Well it’s eye discipline. Whenever that happens, it usually happens because they’re running the football and all of a sudden the guy that’s supposed to be covering them starts looking to try is trying to help out on the run, and all of a sudden they have a guy right down the seam on you. That’s a huge challenge for us this game. There’s no question about it. We have to be able to stop the run and play the run and don’t cheat. On the back end, being really disciplined on your visual keys is so big. As soon as a guy gets tired or as soon as a guy thinks he needs to help or something like that and he takes his eye off his man, that’s when problems happen, and we’ve got to really work hard on that all week.”

BHB:  Michigan seems to get killed by the TE in every Iowa game.  I hope they continue to guard these guys even when it looks like they are staying home to block.   My answer is more time from Cam Gordon.  He has the athleticism to guard the TE's in coverage

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Silver Lining?

If your a Michigan fan at any level, you can't be happy with the season to date.  Michigan has a decent chance to beat Iowa if the Wolverine offense can score points and Brady Hoke solves his road game challenges.    There is of course another way to salvage the year but nobody wants to go on record with that type of prediction, when Michigan's offense is limited to field goals. 


The Silver Lining to this year is 15 practices before the Bowl Game.  At this point, Michigan's upside is probably the Gator Bowl and down side some Bowl Game in Texas.    Since it's not the Rose Bowl and the Big Ten Championship, it really doesn't matter does it?    The thing that is going to help this program move forward is those 15 practices. 

This team needs a ton of coaching all over the place.  We all know the offensive line has 4 and 5 star players, which we assume just need more time being coached up.   The talent is there the experience and execution isn't.  

Same with the DE's we mentioned above and plenty of other positions as well.   I really want to see both running backs Green and Smith after those 15 practices.

Michigan still can finish this season strong but the future of this team really starts in about 11 days.

Michigan Thursday: More 2013 Offers

Once the season ends the Michigan coaches get a chance to stop and think where their future strengths and weakness are at each position.   We then start seeing guys leave and some new offers go out.

A couple surprise position offers that have gone out lately is Linebacker and now Safety.   The rumor mill is spinning that injuries to Ringer and/or Poole could be severe and the coaches would like another speed LB in the 2013 class.   Michigan yesterday offered 4 star Safety Delano Hill from Cass Tech who is currently committed to Iowa.  (which is ok, since he is not a RB) 

Michigan is obviously still very high on Leon McQuay and was in home with his family this week.  Then they come home and offer Delano.   Are they related?  Could be.  Michigan also recently lost a DB in Conley as well.   This could also be another offer to keep the Cass Tech family/pipeline happy.  Not sure what this says about our current DB's on the roster.   On a side note, I sure hope Leon can make it to a Michigan practice in Tampa.  (I believe that is legal)

As we know, this weekend will be a big one for the current commits and a few prospects outside the 2013 class.  There are plenty of rumors floating around there could be a few surprise visitors this weekend.  We have heard one on the offensive side and one on the defensive side of the ball.   I guess we will see this weekend if the news breaks on who's in town. 

• The Notre Dame game next year will be another night game.  Will they be the defending National Champions?  Will it be their last visit to the Big House?  Will this help in the recruitments of guys like Derrick Green? 

• Kenny Lacy the OL and UCLA commit will not make it out this weekend and hopes to come out in January.  Many believe Kenny is pretty firm in his UCLA status.

• Iowa RB and past Michigan recruit Greg Garmon is transferring. 

• Ohio State coaches visited David Dawson yesterday.  Funny how the Buckeye coaches get to prospects before they head to Ann Arbor.