Michigan Thursday: Big Ten Week 1 Preview

The Big Ten season starts tonight with Minnesota, Illinois, and Rutgers playing.  Sparty and Wisconsin also have games on Friday.  With the new teams to the Big Ten, this post just got very long! The season is here folks! 

Tonight:

Howard @ Rutgers (-36.5):  Does Wheat still coach Howard?  He doesn't.   Rutgers 40 Howard 6

North Carolina (-2) @ Minnesota: Best game of the night and a tough opener for the Golden Gophers.  Are we still rowing the boat?  UNC 17 Minnesota 10 

East Illinois @ Illinois (-28): The Battle of Illinois.   Illinois 44 EIU 13

Friday Night Football!

FAU at MSU (-14):  If you have been following this blog for years you know my connection to FAU.  Go Owls!!   FAU 20 MSU 21 

Western Michigan @ Wisconsin (-23.5):  I really think there should be an official MAC vs. Big Ten weekend every season.  Wisconsin 21 WMU 6

Saturday:

#8 Penn State (-8) @ WVU:  Best Big Ten game of the weekend.  Penn State needs to be very careful here and I think they get upset.   WVU 30 PSU 24

Illinois State @ Iowa (-22.5):  So can Iowa score 23 points to cover?  Iowa 21 ISU 3

UConn @ Maryland (-20.5):  Big East vs. ACC!  Love this game on the hardwood.  Tua 2 where are you?  Maryland 30 UConn 17

Indiana State @ Purdue (-33):  Larry Bird is not walking through that door.  Another good basketball game.  Purdue 28 ISU 10

Akron @ #2 OSU (-48.5): Is this the LeBron James Game?  He must be taking some time off from making Michigan Netflix documentaries to watch this game.  OSU 50 Akron 9 

FIU @ IU (-22):  This game would be better at Pitt Bull Stadium.  IU 20 FIU 3

UTEP @ Nebraska (-27.5): People believe this is Nebraska's bounce back year.  I saw Matt Rhule in the PHX airport a couple months ago.  Nebraska 31 UTEP 12

Miami OH @ Northwestern (-3): Where is Northwestern playing this year?  Is Miami Good?  Lots answered in this game.  NW 14 Miami 10

Idaho @ #3 Oregon (-43.5):  Why is there a Pac 12 team in this post?  Ducks 58 Idaho 7

UCLA (-14) @ Hawaii:  Love the location not the game.  Another PAC 12 team?  UCLA 28 Hawaii 24

Weber State @ Washington (-27):  Hello? PAC 12?  Good Sh*t Jedd.  Washington 49 Weber 14 

Sunday Night Football 

#23 USC vs. #13 LSU (-4) in Vegas: I stand corrected.  This is the best PAC 12 game of the weekend.  Wait, what?  LSU 28 USC 24

• DPJ lands on the Lions practice squad. 

• Sherrone has hired former Vanderbilt running backs coach Jayden Everett as an analyst. 

Much better Nike, much better! 

Michigan Friday: Wonders About Nike

If you didn't know, I'm a bit of sneakerhead and love a good pair of sneakers since I was a kid.  Nike has always been my brand, I even wore a new pair in Europe and pretty much trashed them walking through Florence, Rome, Pompeii and other historic cities. 

Every August I get excited about the new Nikes that will be released for the Michigan Football season.  Nike hasn't really released Michigan Jordan's for a number of years (please do!).   They have been releasing versions of its popular running shoe Pegasus with each Nike Football Program during August.  This year they went with an off brand or a Shoe Carnival version called the Air Max Solo.   Nike did something similar last season with its Maize Air Max System.  If your not a sneakerhead, you might wonder what the hell, I'm talking about.  Nike sends weird versions of Air Max to discount stores like Shoe Carnival to meet their market.  It's not the famous Air Max lines (90, 2017, Vapormax, etc) that are in the $200 range, these are $100 shoes.  

On a side note, Nike is struggling for the first time in my life.   There are new brands coming for them.  I was in Chicago in the Spring and everyone was wearing Cloudnova.  It was probably 5-1 over Nike's that I saw.  New Balance continues to do well with its brand and Hoka is a favorite for runners.  To be fair, adidas is struggling as well after the Yeezy fall out.  Under Armour always seems on the brink of bankruptcy as the Curry brand is no longer carrying them.  Skechers is still the #2 sneaker brand in the US, which might surprise many people.  So I get Nike's strategy with this shoe, I just don't like it and it looks "cheap" to me. 

I introduce you to the Michigan Air Max Solo's

Another side note, the MDen struggles have been widely reported.  The season schedule shirts are not in yet and you will see other retailers with the new 2024 sideline gear before the MDen now.  MDen is a local company run by a schoolmate of mine from Pioneer.  I hope they rebound and fix any business issues they have.  I know I am dating myself, but anyone else buy their baseball glove at Stein and Goetz? 😀

• Get ready for the Joe Milton hype again.  He played well last night if the Patriots first preseason game in the 2nd half.  Joe's hype train hits every 2 years or so. 

Have a great weekend and thanks again for sticking with me while I was out for the last few weeks! 

Michigan Thursday: First Big 10 Prediction Thread of the Year: Week 1

Tonight, the Big Ten conference kicks off with a conference game.  Let's get right to it! 

Thursday Night Game:

Nebraska @ Minnesota -7: This reminds me of the time Harbaugh took over Michigan's program and went to Utah to play on a Thursday night to open FS1's College Football coverage.  Michigan didn't fare too well in that game and Vegas believes this is the same for Matt Rhule's first game leading the Cornhuskers.  Minnesota 21 Nebraska 17

Friday 

Central Michigan @ MSU -14: The Chips and Tuck are both coming to East Lansing for Sparty's traditional Friday Night opening game.  We know the Chips are well coached but not quite sure about the Spartans.  MSU 27 CMU20

Saturday

Utah State @ Iowa -24: This could be a sneaky good game.  Is Cade and All healthy?  Can Iowa move the football? Utah State has been a decent team in the past.  I wish the former Wolverines the best, but can they out play the Iowa offensive curse?  Seems like a lock Utah State and the points: Iowa 14 Utah State 9

Fresno State @ Purdue -4: This is another upset alert game for the Boilermakers.  Who is the head coach of Purdue now?  I like Fresno State in this one.  Fresno 31 Purdue 30

#2 Ohio State -30 @ Indiana: Not sure how this has become a weird opening weekend tradition.  If you're going to get the Buckeyes, do it on opening day when they are introducing a new QB.  I don't think IU has the talent to do so.  OSU 38 IU 10

Buffalo @ Wisconsin -28: Buffalo plays hard for the former 5-minute Michigan coach.  Wisconsin will try to be a different team under former Buckeye, Luke Fickell.  Wisconsin 41 Buffalo 20

Towson @ Maryland (NL): Tua 2 will have a huge day.  Maryland 51 Towson 6

West Virgina @ Penn State -20.5:  Best game of the weekend.  I like Penn State in this one but think WVU will be competitive.  Line is too high in my mind.  PSU 30 WVU 27

Toledo @ Illinois -9.5: Third upset alert of the week!  Be very careful here Illinois.  Illinois 18 Toledo 14

Sunday

Northwestern @ Rutgers -6.5: Are both programs a disaster? Maybe.  I hope AJ plays well.  Rutgers 12 NW 10

• Ronnie Bell had 5 forced miss tackles in the NFL preseason, ranked #1 for all WR's.

• Nike, what are you doing? 

Michigan Tuesday: It Starts Today

Michigan's campaign for another championship starts today.  I will still stand on my soap box and yell to anyone that will listen, that the #1 goal every year continues to be a Big Ten Championship.   Anything else is icing on the cake.  I do agree, Michigan has the talent to do more and the sights should be set higher, but one step at a time. 

Today camp opens and all the distractions from recruiting and the summer are gone.  The only thing hanging over the program is the probable suspension of Jim Harbaugh for buying a recruit a hamburger and not recalling he did it years ago.  The NCAA continues to be a clown show.  

Submarine or no Submarine this year? 😃

Back 30+ years ago, today would be for guys getting in shape and working back to be a full-time football player.  Those days are gone and now players are in the S&C program all year and should be ready to start full practices today.  JJ, Blake, and Donovan are all healthy with Michigan's talented RB's coming off late year injuries.  Will Johnson is expected to still be banged up and probably not participating early in camp.  

It's great to get the freshman that weren't enrolled in January on the field and the continued familiarity of the boat load of transfers.  Here is a quick refresher on the new transfer Wolverines:

-LaDarius Henderson ASU Guard/Tackle: He is expected to fight for a starting position on Michigan's elite offensive line. 

-Ernest Hausmann Nebraska LB: Is expected to start at LB. 

-Myles Hinton Stanford OL: Brother of Chris and is expected to be a backup offensive lineman. 

-Drake Nugent Standford Center: Is expected to start at center. 

-Josaiah Stewart Coastal Carolina: Is expected to play a ton of snaps at edge (in a position that rotates non-stop, starter vs, non-starter doesn't really matter)

-Jack Tuttle IU QB: Will be #2 or #3 QB 

-AJ Barner IU TE: Could be a huge part of the Michigan offense and expect him to get a ton of catches this year and become one of JJ's favorite targets. 

-Josh Wallace UMass CB: Will walk into a starting role opposite of Will Johnson or in place of Johnson if he is not healthy to start the season.  

Each transfer will have an important role on this team this season.  

Question marks going into camp?

• Michigan will have to replace the best kicker in the nation.  We know a kicker is really important to a Jim Harbaugh offense, that seems to struggle scoring TD's early in the year. 

• Michigan has 2 great RB's and will need to continue to mature the passing game for a balanced offense.

• CB depth is a concern mostly if Will is not fully healthy.

• Punt and Kickoff return with AJ now at Northwestern.

• Pass Rush, Michigan seems to have the talent but still a bit unproven at this level.

There are two goals for Summer/Fall Camp.

#1 Get 1% better everyday 

#2 No injuries

• Did you know that Devin Bush signed a one year "prove it" deal with the Seattle Seahawks?

• Nike latest Michigan Pegasus 40 is releasing on Thursday at the MDen, Fanatics, and I assume Nike.com.

Michigan Monday: Early Look at Penn State

When Joe Paterno and Penn State joined the Big Ten, they wrote in the contract that they would have bye week prior to playing Michigan.  That was a long time ago but for some reason Penn State has that same bye week this year.  Bye weeks could be good or bad.  It's good if you're beat up and need an extra week to heal your players, it's bad if you're playing well and on a roll. 

Penn State is 5-0

Best win is either @ Purdue or @ Auburn.  Other wins were against 2 MAC Schools and Northwestern 17-7.

Penn State struggled in the rain in their last game against lowly Northwestern, they turned the ball over 5 times.  

Pass for: 251 per (60th)

Rush for: 192 (33rd)

Score points: 34th (61)

Points given up: 14 (13)

It's hard to draw any conclusions with this Penn State team, they traveled to Purdue and won in Week 1 and Auburn which isn't its regular self but still a tough road game.  The weather was terrible against NW but they were at home and almost got upset, probably should've. 

You can probably draw a few parallels with our beloved Wolverines going into a ranked match-up.  

Time to look at the Big Ten Conference. 

Really? Stat of the day: Nebraska is tied for 1st in the West. 

Iowa 6 Illinois 9 - That is some exciting football! 

Rutgers has a better overall record than MSU

Maryland, I thought was making a change and then lost to Purdue at home this week.  

• IU fired their OL Coach this weekend 
• Rutgers fired their OC

On a side note: I'm intrigued about teams winning after their head coach is fired.  Wisconsin blew out Northwestern, Nebraska and GT won 2 in a row, and Arizona State beat Washington.

• Michigan's new Nike Pegasus 39 that has been sold out everywhere, just got restocked on Nike. com. 

• Hoping for a Mike Hart update on Jimmy's press conference today. Update from Mike - he is back in A2 and things are trending positively and hopes to rejoin the team soon.   Quick Question to Big House Nation: Can Fred Jackson step into the RB coach's role with Mike out?  Or does that break the number of NCAA on-field coaches' rule? Update #2: Jimmy answered this question during his press conference, they have received a waiver to allow Coach Jackson to replace Mike until he is healthy enough to return. 

• Michigan is going to need Roman Wilson on Saturday, I hope he is out of the protocol. 

Wolverine Wednesday: Jalen Mayfield Heads To The NFL

Raise your hand if you knew (until recently) that Jalen Mayfield was even eligible for the NFL Draft?  I have my hand raised, which makes it very hard to type.  Jalen was expected to come into the year as an NFL prospect but with the season cancelled or re-scheduled this seems like a good decision.   A winter/spring season will not be at all interesting to NFL grade prospects.  Nick Saban yesterday, called it a JV season.  

When you lose your best offensive lineman, that is not a positive thing, but there is a positive spin on this announcement.   Mayfield has only been in the program for a few years as he would have been a red-shirt sophomore this season.  Coach Warriner has already turned him into an NFL prospect.   That alone is going to be very good for recruiting as it usually takes along time to develop NFL grade offensive lineman. 

Expect more announcements soon.  Kwity Paye and Ambry Thomas seem to be locks and I heard that Nico is practicing so maybe not him?

If there is any Big Ten season, the young guys are going to get a huge opportunity.  

• NCAA’s Football Oversight Committee sent a proposal for a 12-hour weeks for programs not playing this fall.   This is expected to be approved this week.  

• App. State suspends football practice after students are on campus one day.  

• MSU has gone to 100% online instruction this fall

Nike's latest Michigan Fall shoe release is happening on Friday, 10:00 AM at MDen: Air Zoom Pegasus 37

Michigan Monday: Thank Goodness Michigan Didn't Pick Under Armour

When Michigan left adidas a few years ago they had a choice between Under Armour and Nike/Jordan brands.  UA had been over paying for a few schools like ND and UCLA as their products are not seen on the same level as adidas or Nike mostly when it comes to basketball.  The UA Steph Curry line has seen a dramatic decline in the market after its initial strong release.   It was a bit of an upset when Curry resigned with UA recently. 

Under Armour is now struggling in other areas as its stock is down 75% from 5 years ago.  In November, founder Kevin Plank stepped aside as CEO to become Executive Chairman and Brand Officer.   In that same month last year, the Wall Street Journal reported the SEC and Justice Department are investigating UA's accounting practices and moving around sales to make top line revenue look better then it truly was.    Throw in a Pandemic, the future is not bright for this Baltimore based sporting goods manufacture. 

Now reports are that UA is looking to terminate UCLA's 15 year 280 million dollar contract due to a contractual marketing benefit that UA is saying they are not receiving.  UA also has deals with CAL and Utah in the PAC 12.  In the Big Ten, Maryland, Northwestern, and Wisconsin are with Under Armour. 

UCLA has struggled recently with its 2 highest profile sports and UA has clearly not seen the sales they expected.  If you take that into account, with the other UA issues, it was only a matter of time before they tried to pull the plug on this partnership.   I wouldn't be surprised if this was the first of many contracts UA tries to get out of.  Better take notice The Rock, Cam Newton, Jordan Spieth, and other Universities with huge payments coming. 

If I were ND, Wisconsin, NW, and Maryland (Kevin Plank's Alma Mater) I would be concerned with the stability of the company they're in partnership with. 

Michigan Friday: Welcomes a New WR Commit From California

Michigan hasn't grabbed a player out of Mater Dei in California in some 20+ years and that guy was a non-descript full back.  Hopefully, that changed with the commitment of 4 star WR Cristian Dixon who picked Michigan over the likes of USC, Cal, LSU, Nebraska, Oregon, Texas A&M, and Washington State. 

Dixon has a bit of discrepancy in his rankings between services as ESPN and Rivals have him in their top 175 while 24/7 doesn't even rank him nationally as a 3 star 96th WR in the country.    One of the issues is, Dixon transferred to Mater Dei last season and started the year with an injury and was playing catch-up all season.   Hopefully, he will have a great senior year and see his ranking rise.    

Dixon is not known as a burner, so that might be another reason his rankings as dropped some.  He is posting a 4.6 in the 40 which is considered pretty slow.   On the other side, he could of been nursing an injury during those runs as well.   He is listed at 6'2 187.  

Welcome Cristian! 

Michigan is now up to 19 commits and "the rooms at the Inn are getting full".  Michigan's board still has instate prospects on top: RB Donovan Edwards, OG Rocco Spindler, and DT Rayshaun Benny. 

In Michigan Nike News:  The Maize and Blue Nike Dunks are re-releasing this fall.  

Date: 9/26 
Price: $120 

The above shoes were last released in 2016.  

Michigan Thursday: Road Woes

Juwan Howard's club continues to struggle on the road as the #5 Wolverines dropped another road game to Illinois on Wednesday night.   The cold shooting on the road continued as the Wolverines went 3-18 from the 3 point line and lost the battle in the paint 44-26.   Those two data points are  pretty much all you need to know in a Wolverines loss.

Big Jon had 16 points and both Livers and Brooks had 12 points each.   Wagner continues to struggle and was 2-8 from the field with 4 total points.

Mark it up to experience and move on to Orgeon this weekend.

• There seems to be some positive movement towards Michigan for 4 star California CB Darion Green- Warren.  His offer list includes; USC, FSU, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Georgia, PSU and many others.   DGW said Michigan was right at the top of list, last week after his visit to Ann Arbor.  

• Colorado State hired Steve Addazio former BC Coach 

• FAU hired Willie Taggart former FSU and Oregon coach.  Willie is part of the Harbaugh coaching tree and was rumored to be a staff candidate if he didn't find a job. 

New Michigan Shoe Alert!

Michigan Monday: Jimmy Talks and People Over React

Jimmy took the mike at the Big Ten Meetings on Friday and over reaction occurred.   Slow news days and a thirst for football news will make headlines.

• He didn't back down on his Urban comments and said there wasn't anything new.  

• He said every student athlete should have one automatic transfer waiver without having to sit out a year.  If that player transfers twice, then they would have to sit a year.  He also said that proving a player is depressed would be difficult to be prove and could be abused as a reason to transfer.    

The transfer idea was first grabbed on to and then the narrative started that Jimmy wasn't serious about mental health with his players.   Himself, former players, and current coaches all took to social media to back Jimmy and his mental health approach.   So another nothing to see here. 

Jimmy also said they would be playing on foreign soil in the future.   I don't love this idea when you have one of the best homefield advantages in all of sports.  I don't like what it does to the season ticket holders and I believe it takes away many advantages Michigan has to gain a win.   If another school wants to spend a home game doing it, I'm all for it.    I think it would be fine to play Rutgers in Toronto or Illinois in the Bahamas.   I don't think its a big deal about basketball as there are so many games in a season.   Michigan announced they would play Rutgers at MSG which would of been a Michigan home game. 

Here is a link for new Michigan Nike's if you want to pick up a pair! There is also a Women's pair in gray as well. 

Michigan Tuesday: I'm Glad It Hasn't Happened Here

When Michigan signed up with the Jordan brand, I was worried about one thing:  players selling their gear for huge dollars.  That is exactly what happened at North Carolina's Football program yesterday.   North Carolina of course has been with the Jordan Brand for basketball for many years but recently extended that relationship to the football team.   13 football players have been suspended for 4 games because they sold their team issued Jordan shoes.   The suspensions include NC's starting QB.


The issue is, team issued or PE (player edition) Jordan shoes can go from $5,000 to $10,000 a pair on the resale market.   The shoes are not available to the public and carry a huge resale due to the very limited access.  For example, Stadium Goods a famous footwear re-sale shop currently has a pair of Michigan Jordan PE's in size 12.5 for $6500.   This doesn't mean an active player sold his shoes. Jordan gives out shoes to "Friends and Family" (for example DJ Khaled or Mark Wahlberg) members, Michigan staff gets them, or a former Michigan player could have sold them.




So players can make an easy $1000-$3000 per pair that they got for free.  That seems to be a very dangerous combination, one that Michigan has been able to avoid so far.   I would imagine that the team's compliance office has to remind players every single day not to sell their Jordan gear or shoes.




Speaking of Michigan Nike's available to the public, these will release next week at a price of $110.  Michigan Nike Free Trainer 8.

• 100 people showed up for the Urban Meyer rally last night at Ohio Stadium. 

Michigan Tuesday: More Fox Football Games

Reports are that Fox will televise both the Michigan State and Ohio State games next season.   Which means we probably will need to get used to more night games.  


Ohio State will of course be protected and still be a noon kickoff but I expect Fox to move the Michigan State game to primetime.   We also know that Michigan - ND will kickoff the season at 8:00 PM.   Jimmy's teams at Michigan have struggled in Primetime, I believe his only wins during those hours are against Rutgers and Minnesota. 

• Michigan has offered Crandall (Tex.) 2019 four-star OL Branson Bragg.  Branson is expected to make a visit to Ann Arbor.

• Michigan Basketball might have a re-match against Villanova next season.

• Nike has been releasing shoes with Michigan colors without the Michigan Branding.  Here is the latest, Nike Air Max Essential at $160.

Michigan Friday: A Big Day For Wolverine Sneakerheads

Nike and the Jordan Brand are dropping two new Michigan basketball shoes today at 10:00.   They will be available at MDen and probably online at Nike.com.  


It's rare for Jordan to drop two Michigan shoes on the same day, but they are hoping that March Madness will open your wallet.  It's a little taste of the new and a little taste of the old.    We will take a look at both shoes in todays post. 





These shoes are the newest in the Jordan line.  It's Russell Westbrook's first signature basketball shoes (he has done a few lifestyle shoes for Jordan) called the Why Not Zer0.1.  The first Why Not's sold out quickly, but the second and the third releases around the All Star Game are still available.  


I believe I saw Charles Matthews wearing these this past weekend in NYC as the Wolverines ran the table.   As you can see there are no laces on these and very lightweight.  Retail is $125







These are the Michigan edition Jordan 32's low.  If you ask regular sneakerhead's they would've preferred a release in a much lower Jordan version number.  We didn't get that and today we have the 32's.  Which seems to be a trend as the last Michigan Shoe was the Jordan 31's.  This isn't your fathers Jordan's and crafted for today's marketplace with the flyknit uppers and leather heel panel.   Retail is $160. Update: Sold out at MDen - still available at Nike.com

• Looks like David Brandon will be looking for another gig as Toys-R-Us isn't going to make it out of bankruptcy and are starting the liquidation process.   Another major retailer dying as our shopping habits continue to change. 

• Coach B will being running a full game inter squad scrimmage today with officials to keep his team sharp during the break.

• ESPN recently removed Jemele Hill from Sports Center and this morning it was announced today will be Michael Smith's last day on the show as well.  Both still remain under contract with ESPN.

Michigan Friday: Time To Spend Some Mone

maizenbrew.com

Michigan had one of the best defensive lines in the country last season.   Taco, Glasgow, and Worm are in the NFL now and it's time for Mo Hurst and Rashan Gary to set up.     Michigan also has a fast DE in Chase Winovich that will get plenty of sacks and TFL's.  


A guy that could really stand out this year is Bryan Mone.  We have been waiting for Bryan to become an all Big Ten/All American type of player.   When Jimmy took over the job he called out Bryan as being one of the best players on the team.   Injuries have really killed Bryan's last two years and the Michigan faithful is waiting to see that player.  


Sam Webb has a free practice report up and J.T. Rogan, Michigan Director of Communications and Operations for Football had some interesting things to say about Mone:  "I've just seen a lot of really great things out of Bryan Mone. I've seen power, I've seen quickness, and I've seen speed. I think I have seen what Michigan fans had hoped to see for a couple of years now. There's a lot of optimism about him on the defense."


There are going to be a lot of good Dlines this year.  Ohio State will have one, FSU another, Florida, and Alabama will have dominating defensive lines.   You can add Michigan to that list and if Mone becomes the player we think he is, they could be right at the top.

• Michigan is in the Top 5 for 2018 TX 4 Star TE Mustapha Muhammad.   Most expect the Wolverines to lead for the talented TE.

• Wisconsin LB Jack Cichy is out for the season after tearing his ACL in practice.   He might have been the #1 LB in the Big Ten.

• There are reports that Nike will release the Michigan Jordan 13's later this month.   Below is a PE (player edition) that was released to players earlier this year.   These will be expensive and in high demand.

Michigan Thursday: The New Nike Michigan Trainer

These were actually released last week to the media and I missed it.   This is Nike's latest Michigan Trainer, each Nike school will have this shoes with their specific team colors. 



Nike Free Trainer V7 Week Zero.  They will be released for sale on Monday.   Price is $110.

• Logan Tuley-Tillman will play is final college season in El Paso at UTEP.

• Jimmy was rated as the Most Over Rated Head Coach in college football by a coaches survey from CBS Sports.  #Jealous

• Pep had some good things to say about Michigan's new true freshman QB Dylan McCaffrey:  "Oh wow -- he's a smart kid, smart kid," Hamilton said on Wednesday. "His football IQ is off the chart, which is what you would really expect from a kid that grew up in a football family. And he's been very impressive up until this point."

Michigan Friday is Speechless

ESPN asks a bunch of coaches for one word about Jim Harbaugh.  Hard to believe that Urban Meyer gave the best answer.  Poor Jim McElwain is still having nightmares about the Citrus Bowl.   That's ok Jim, you don't have to face Michigan for another 12+ months. 

• Jimmy must be good for ratings on ESPN.  Here is an article on Jimmy's summer.

• Jay Harbaugh says that Zach Gentry is a TE and doesn't ever expect him to go back to QB.

• This happened a few days ago but Jimmy sent Mark Wahlberg a Jumpman Jersey and Shoes.   Mark ran into Jimmy on the range at the Pebble Beach golf tournament and Mark said he would stop by Ann Arbor when he is in Michigan filming Transformers.    Mark also has special Jordan shoes for his new restaurant Walhburgers, which I believe is opening in Greek Town this weekend.  Got to say, I love the box!

Michigan Monday: Is Full of Information!!

First off the new Jumpman Jerseys released this weekend for sale.  Here is an example of the away jersey.

Get yours Today!

Love the new jerseys, I think Michigan and Nike missed an opportunity by not making a Peppers Jumpman Jersey. 

As we know,  Michigan opens fall camp today.  In the words of Jimmy: 

“Yeah. It’s the beginning of the year. It’s one of the two special days, to me, in the entire calendar. I’ve said it before: a lot of people look at January 1st being the start of the new year. People look, those who espouse Christianity, Catholicism, look at Christmas as the start of the liturgical year, but us in football, first day of preseason training camp is the new year.

“It’s like being reborn into football. Coming out of the womb into the bright light, into the chaos, into everybody looking at you. It’s where the team’s forged, under the sun in the August heat. Sun shaping the body, carving the mind. Very excited.”

 

 

• Speaking of Camp, Michigan released a new roster and two players were missing:  Freddie Canteen and Brady Pallante.  I had high hopes for Freddie at WR when Michigan needed bodies at that position.   He seemed to struggle in practice and kept moving from WR to CB.   He had some type of major injury in practice last year and we aren't sure if he took a "medical" or not. Brady Pallante was a two star defensive line recruit, who saw little game action and probably saw a long road to playing time.  We now can confirm that Brady took a medical. 

 

• Chesson's injury from the Citrus Bowl was a torn PCL.    

 

• With the loss of the those two players, Michigan now has 21 spots open in the 2017 class.  They are recruiting for many more players, which means we are going to see more attrition. 

 

• Michigan Basketball picked up a 2017 commit last night from 6'8 205 pounds forward from K-Zoo Isaiah Livers.  He picked Michigan or MSU and CAL.

 

BBQ Buzz:

 

• Michigan didn't get any public commitments over the weekend, there is some buzz that someone committed silently to the coaches.  We will see.   We will also know very soon about visitor James Hudson from Ohio.  He is announcing his decision today.  It seems to be a Michigan vs. MSU decision.   Insiders seem to be calling both teams. Update: James Hudson is Blue.   Update will be in Tuesday's post. 

 

• Michigan seemed to make some serious inroads with Alabama commit and #1 rated player and RB Najee Harris.   Still lots of time to go in his recruitment, but it was nice to make an impact on the top player in the country.  Harris doesn't talk much to the services, so we really don't know how well it went.

 

• Same could be said of 5 star DB from California Darnay Holmes as well.  He was tweeting like crazy on Saturday and really seemed to be having a good time.

 

• Oliver Martin the WR that blew up at the Opening also had a good time and told Scout's the trip exceeded his expectations.

Seems overall the BBQ was a success, we will see if it drives any commitments in the next week or two.   The recruits seemed to love it and even the parents as well.   Michigan's team mom "Mama Gwen" also continued to make a great impression on the parents as well.   Michigan also offered the top player in Michigan in the 2019 class, who has played one year of HS football.  :-)

 

 

New Jumpman Uniforms Preview

The white pants are here to stay

Michigan Tuesday: Likes Sweatshirts

As I mentioned yesterday, I will pick a few favorites of mine out of the new Nike Michigan Collection that is now available at the Fanatics Michigan Page.   Please check out the link or the click on the banner on the left to find your new Nike gear! 

Today, I will highlight 3 new Nike sweatshirts/sideline jackets.

Michigan Wolverines Brand Jordan 2016 Elite Coaches Dri-FIT Half Zip Jacket - Heather Gray

Michigan Wolverines Nike AV15 Fleece Pullover Hoodie - Navy/Charcoal

Michigan Wolverines Brand Jordan Elite Player Touch Full Zip Performance Jacket - Heathered Navy

 

These are my top 3 picks of the day  (there are plenty more options on Fanatics ) and will preview some more gear the rest of the week.  

 

 

 

• Thanks Biff! Biff Poggi, father of current Wolverine Henry Poggi is joining Jimmy's staff as the associate head coach.   "I felt like if I was ever going to do it, this is like the sun, the moon and the stars have lined up and I really am very comfortable with Jim and the coaching staff," Poggi said. Poggi's job will be to advise Harbaugh on strategy and organizational structure. His position does not count as a coaching position and he won't be coaching the players, coaching the team or recruiting, according to the Michigan job description. Biff was the head coach at Gilman in Baltimore for 19 years before leaving after last season.

• Former Wolverines Jeremy Gallon and Devin Gardner are playing football in Japan.  It sounds like DG was considering Canada but picked Japan.  Talk about life experience!

•  AL OT Toryque Bateman will be on commit watch when he arrives for the BBQ this weekend.

• Many fans are wondering if Michigan really has a chance to land Alabama commit and #1 rated CA RB Najee Harris.   Coach Wheatley coached him at one of the satellite camps and he is spending his own money to fly in from California for the BBQ.  Yes, there is a chance, maybe a slight one, but there is a chance!



Michigan Monday: Nike and News

Today is the first day of the Nike contract as the week moves forward, I will give you my thoughts on some of the best items available.   The jerseys are scheduled to release on Saturday. 

Speaking of Saturday, that is the scheduled BBQ at the Big House a holdover tradition from the RR days.  This is Michigan's biggest on campus recruiting event of the summer.    It's meant to be a laid back event where coaches can spend time with recruits and parents.   If your wondering, Michigan does charge a couple of dollars per person, so it doesn't break any NCAA rules.  

This event usually gets Michigan a couple commitments during or right after the event.   So it's considered one of the most important recruiting events of the summer.   Practice also starts a week from today, so I expect a few players will hang around and get a tour of the submarine. 


Some of the top out of state players that have confirmed for the event include:

• 6'8 AL OT Toryque Bateman
• NY OT Isaiah Wilson
• CA OT Aaron Banks
• OH SDE James Hudson
• TX TE Major Tennison
• CA RB Najee Harris (rated #1 Player on 24/7, #1 RB and Alabama commit)

I will continue to update the list during the week.  I also expect a ton of instate recruits to make it in as well. 

Speaking of Nike and Jumpman. Here is a sneak peak at the players cleats.  These won't hurt recruiting any.  

💦💦😍 thank you for blessing us @Jumpman23 🙌🏾 pic.twitter.com/EmaDCvCBJu

— Moe Ways (@MoeWays) August 1, 2016