Michigan Monday: Another W in Columbus

If your old enough to remember the John Cooper years, the Buckeyes every year would over prepare for the Wolverines mentally and physically, so much so that when they played the Wolverines they struggled to execute because so much was on the line.  One wrong play, one bad snap, one bad throw, one bad penalty, one missed assignment could change the game and give the Buckeyes another 12 months of hell. 

You ask why would Ohio State's DC leave for Penn State?  Yes, the money increased.  But I have a theory, that losing to Michigan and the fans reaction (even after winning the Peach Bowl Championship) caused him to look for other jobs.  I would.  Hell, I'm surprised Ryan Day didn't take the first flight out of CBus after winning the Peach Bowl, his kids were mocked at school after the Michigan loss, his wife barely left the house.  That is a not a life anyone would want.  

Now back to basketball and what happened yesterday.  Michigan and Ohio State played a very close 2nd half of basketball, neither team could separate themselves.   It wasn't the Roddy Gale 3 point party that I predicated but Vlad was sharp and his teammates around him played well.   Even Cason the freshman who has struggled to see the court lately came in and gave the Wolverines a spark at the end of the 1st half.    

It comes down to the final shot, Michigan is winning by 2, the Buckeyes can try for the win with a 3 or a 2 for the tie.   The Buckeye guard has 7 foot Wolf on him at the 3 point line, he decides to drive on the talented Wolverine, gets into the lane and Wolf slips.  He has an uncontested bunny say from 6 feet?  He shoots it 4 feet, in one of the worst shots you will ever see.    Jones gets the air ball and is fouled with .2 on the clock and the game was over. 

Nobody here is arguing that Michigan vs. Ohio State Basketball is anywhere near the rivalry of the Football Game, but do the kids know that?  That kid could shoot that shot better with the lights off and his eyes closed.  He felt the pressure of the end of the game shot and the rivalry then left it short.  

How about Dusty and them boys!  He is 20-5 now and #1 in the Big Ten.  Yes, they have a tough road to a regular season Big Ten Championship, but what he has done is nothing short of spectacular this season.  Michigan might have to increase his salary to keep him from leaving to Indiana (which is assumed his dream job), but he is worth every $1. 

MSU up next on Friday.

• I did not see the SNL 50 year special but saw Adam Sandler's opening song.  Another classic. 

• Ferris State RB Kannon Katzer is one of the hottest RB's in the transfer portal. Several programs are showing interest in the Division II National Champ who averaged nearly nine yards per carry with over 20 yards per catch en route to 1,429 total yards and 14 TDs.

Michigan Thursday: Bob's Random Thoughts

Sherrone is close to rounding out the defensive side of the football after Jim pillaged that entire coaching staff.  Let us not forget, this is Michigan's #1 unit next season.  The likes of Graham, Stewart, Grant, and Johnson will be 4 of the best players in college football next season. 

I like the hire of Texans Safety coach Stephen Adegoke, when he was in Ann Arbor as a GA in 2021.  He impressed coaches and players with his football knowledge.  He then went to the 49'ers and last year with the Texan's.  Reports are his interview was a home run and sounds like a perfect fit for the staff.  

The last spot at LB coach is Brian Jean-Mary's for the taking.  Reports are Tennessee is really trying hard to keep him him but Michigan's financial package is strong.   Update: Sam Webb reports BJM has been hired! 

You know how I feel about the Wink hire but the rest of the hires have been very solid and happy with the replacements.  When you see Steve Wilks fired from the 49'ers yesterday, my mind went to, he would've been a better option then Wink,  But, I'm trying to move on. 

Speaking of moving on, Tony Petitti says he and Warde have moved on.  Guess what Tony, we haven't.  You showed incompetence as a leader by suspending Harbaugh hours before the Penn State game and Michigan fans haven't forgot.   If I were you, I would still continue to polish up that resume. 

Random thought: There are a lot of Buckeye fans excited about Chip Kelly having elite talent mixed with his offense.   My thought is, when was the last time Chip coached an elite offense?  Has the defense caught up with his scheme?  Don Brown used to have an elite defense, until smarter coaches found a way to beat it. 

• OSU fired its head basketball coach, Chris Holtmann on Wednesday.  Juwan got a vote of confidence from Warde.  I don't mind giving Juwan another year with his health issues to begin the season.  Though he needs to have a huge season next season.

• Will Michigan break Georgia's record by having 16 players drafted?  Having the NFL Draft in Detroit won't hurt the local love for the Wolverines in the draft! 

• CFP will continue at ESPN, which is a smart move mostly with the 12 teams now.  Paid nearly 8B to keep it.  

• Michigan continues to expand their NIL program now with Learfield and Altius Sports.  

Ohio State Preview

Time: 12:00

Location: Big House
Weather: 35 No Rain
TV: Fox (Johnson & Klatt)
Line: Michigan -3.5

Here we are again, two undefeated teams that hate each other.   I lived in Cincinnati for 9 years and can tell you the hate for Michigan is unhealthy for folks in Ohio.  Many OSU fans put the Fanatics in Fan.  The Buckeyes head to Ann Arbor as the #2 ranked team because they beat Penn State and ND two teams that play good defense but are limited on the other side of the ball.  Our beloved Wolverines have a similar record against UNLV and Penn State as well.  If that made you chuckle, the Running Rebels are at top of the standings in the Mountain West right now.  At least they play in a conference! 

The difference in this years match-up is Michigan has had a ton of off the field turmoil with the Big Ten and NCAA and Jim Harbaugh won't be on the sideline for this historic match-up.  The new Big Ten boss sure loves him some Michigan so early in his tenure.  Which I predict will be a short one.  

Dear Jimmy, 

I don't have to remind anyone what weekend this is.  Where ever you will be watching this game (best guess Schembechler Hall or at home), its going to be painful.  I think you used the analogy of missing games, like a baseball bat to the knee cap.  That's about right.  

Before I talk about the Buckeyes, I want to address last weeks game against Maryland.  Yes, Michigan has traditionally struggled focusing the week before the OSU game.  Last years winning field goal by Moody or back in the Carr days when a Ball State team led by Brady Hoke came an incompletion away from upsetting an undefeated Wolverines.   Still, that game lacked focus and energy from your team and makes me wonder if the off field BS if finally getting to your team.  It's one thing to have discussions about a lower level staffer, its another when you have to fire your LB coach and not have your head coach for the most important games of the season.  Good teams win when they play poorly and Michigan did that last week. 

Now on to the Buckeyes.  Sherrone has been ultra conservative the last two weeks in the play calling and I assume you understand that won't fly on Saturday.  JJ is the key to winning this game for Michigan, he has to be laser accurate on hitting the Wolverine WR's and TE's.  OSU won't want you running over them again and will stack the box and hope JJ gets flustered.  When Michigan runs on 1st and 2nd downs and gets in a 3rd and 5, its an obvious passing down and Michigan's' OL has not been holding up to the pass rush.  Expect a ton of blitzes and heavy pressure all day. 

On the defensive side of the ball, Michigan has to do 2 things very well to win this game.  1 - Shutdown the OSU run game and 2- limit big plays from the Buckeye WR's.  We all know how good Marvin Harrison is but the other WR's are very skilled as well.  They will dink and dunk your defense for first downs and then hit you over the top.   The secondary against Tua 2 was shakey and the pass rush was either getting home or non-existent.  I would caution Jesse Minter on blitzing too much like he did against TCU.  I assume Will Johnson and a safety over the top will be focused on Marvin all afternoon.  

Get the team ready mentally today and then let them execute on Saturday.  I'm happy Corum is healthy and even though JJ seemed banged up last week, he will be ready to go.  Play clean football, run a stifling defense and have a balanced offense between the pass and run and Michigan will have a game next week in Indy.  Play Michigan Football! 

OSU 34 Michigan 28

Ohio State Preview

Mlive

Time: 12:00

Location: Ohio Stadium 

Weather: 50, no rain 

TV: Fox (Johnson & Klatt)

Line: Michigan +8

Michigan last win in Columbus was in the year 2000.  Remember that year, when we thought, every computer was going to seize up and cause the world economy and power grid to collapse?  That was a long time ago.

Michigan did remove the monkey off their back, last year by beating the Buckeyes in Ann Arbor by doing 2 things really well;  Running the ball and pressuring the QB.  Now, it's time to see if the Wolverines can do it again.  Everyone knows what's at stake, but the Big Ten Championship game and CFP are secondary to being the winner in the best rivalry in college football.  

Dear Jimmy, 

Here we are again the day before The Game.  This time you're taking your undefeated Wolverines down to Ohio to face the undefeated Buckeyes.  For people in the media and those that aren't close to this rivalry, they will talk about all the stakes that are associated with this game.  For those of us that live with this rivalry all our lives, those things don't matter come noon on Saturday.  It's just Michigan vs. Ohio State and nothing else matters.  

I really like the team you have put on the field this year, your offense line and running game is exactly what a Michigan team should be.  Your defense doesn't have superstars but it has the will and the ability to do whatever needs to be done to win the game.   It's time to see how good your team really is.  

The last few weeks, I've had concerns about Michigan looking ahead and not taking their current opponent seriously, I believe those concerns were well founded.   I'm now concerned with two issues going into The Game: Where's the pass rush?  Michigan will not win on Saturday if you let Stroud have time to pick apart the Michigan secondary.  If Minter can't scheme a rush, this will be a long day for our beloved program.  Secondly, Ohio State's going to load the box and ask JJ, and the Michigan TE's and WR's to beat them.   I know that is everyone's plan that lines up against the Michigan offense and nobody yet has succeeded.   The problem is neither of your two superstar RB's are healthy.   Corum is having a Heisman finalist type of year and Edwards might be the best offensive player you have.  We hope they both play but they have to dominate for a Michigan win.   The back-ups won't be able to get the job done.  

I know I'm preaching to the choir about those two issues, but it's important for you to know us fans recognize it and hope you have a great plan on both sides of the ball.  Ohio State has NFL WR's all over the field, just like last year, and there is talk about Harrison going #1 in the NFL Draft.  This game is really going to show if Jesse Minter is a defensive wizard or not.  He has to come up with the best scheme and defensive plan of his life, to shut down this offense.  

I love this team and want nothing more than a Michigan win on Saturday.  As I write this post my head and heart are in complete conflict.   I want to see the exact outcome that we had last year, but I just don't see it with all the injuries Michigan has.  When you take Michigan's best players off the field, your team becomes a team that needs a field goal to beat Illinois and not one that can upset the #2 team in the nation on the road.  I don't see Michigan being able to keep pace with Ohio State's offensive skill players.  Your program has to score multiple touchdowns in the red zone and not just field goals.  Please make me look stupid for this prediction and play Michigan Football. 

Ohio State 31 Michigan 20

Michigan Tuesday: Wonders If Coaching Is Overrated in College?

The new Lions coaching staff has been a bit frustrated with former OSU CB Jeff Okuda and his lack of past coaching:  "If you look at what he was asked to do at Ohio State, it was look at this guy, eliminate this guy only. Don’t look anywhere else, don’t worry about any checks, don’t worry about any balances, don’t worry about anything," he said. "And now, in the NFL, it’s a different game. So, sometimes, you’ve got to communicate, sometimes, you’ve got to get off, sometimes, people put you in splits, where you can’t always press and you’ve got to make sure you’re sharpening your tools in your toolshed so when you do, you’re able to use those." 

At Michigan we take pride in that our coaches can develop talent and turn players into good NFL prospects.  It seems Ohio State's strategy is to recruit elite talent, have a good offensive scheme, and get them to the league in 3 years.   Coaching is optional (some believe classes are as well). 

OSU has had plenty of successful CB's in the NFL in recent years so its not a systemic problem, but it is interesting that Ohio State hasn't had a successful QB in the NFL for many years.  I do think the Bears stole Justin Fields and he will be a Pro Bowl caliber in a few years. 

I know its pre-season but I watched most of the Jags game last night and it seems Urban is confused that his plays are not working in the NFL.   Urban is not used to losing and if things start going bad in Jacksonville, he will retire again with a new aliment. 

If you ever start thinking that recruiting is not important, OSU, Alabama, and Clemson has built powerhouse programs with elite recruiting.  Each one of those programs also does a very good job getting their elite talent the most touches. 

• Taco got cut by the Chiefs, everyone needs pass rush and I'm sure he will get another opportunity

• Hutch is named to the 2nd Team Pre-Season CBS All American Team

• I don't understand this Big Ten, PAC 12, and ACC alliance and why the Big Ten would want to do it. 

Michigan Monday: OSU Grabs Transfers

OSU had a nice weekend in adding players to their top two programs.

-Seth Towns a 6'7 shooting guard from Harvard transferred to Ohio State.  Seth was the Ivy League 17-18 player of the year.  Seth grew up in Columbus and picked the Buckeyes over Duke.   Insert here academic jokes of going from Harvard to OSU.   How could Tommy Amaker let this happen?  I know the kid wanted to play at home but picking anyone over Duke must be difficult.

-Oklahoma RB Trey Sermon transferred to OSU. He had 385 yards last year, 4 TD's and 7.1 average per run.

If your wondering, OSU has the top 2021 class and is rumored to be leading for the top RB in the class TreVeyon Henderson.   Michigan right now has the 31st ranked class to 24/7.  The Virus shutdown is really hurting Michigan's ability to recruit on campus.

So nothing but good news right?

Well, with Henderson trending to OSU it is helping with Michigan's recruitment of instate 4 star RB Donovan Edwards.  OSU already has a commitment from 4 star RB Evan Pryor.   Hopefully, this trend is that Donovan feels A2 is the best place for him instead of OSU having too much elite talent.

There also continues to be concerns with the start of the college football season.   The issue I see it as prep time, will Spring Practice push into Fall Camp?   Can the players do spring practice in the summer and then fall camp as normal?  That seems to be the best case scenario at this point.   If that doesn't happen, I think the season will be adjusted.   The rumor is dropping the non-conference and just playing Big Ten games.

Stay safe!

Michigan Monday: Big Ten Pre-Season Predictions Were Mostly Wrong

I know many fans want to go to the playoff and have a shot at a National Championship.   I do as well, but I much prefer a Big Ten Championship and a trip to the Rose Bowl.  I thought Michigan had a decent shot this year, with OSU going through a coaching change.   I had a bunch of pre-season expectations that have been mostly wrong with a few that were right.

Pre-Season Predictions

Ryan Day is not Urban Meyer and Justin Fields would struggle early and get a little better as the year went on.    Prediction was Wrong!  Ohio State could be playing the best football I have seen out of them in a number of years.  Could make a case for the #1 team in the nation.   Big swing and a miss by me.

Michigan State would have a decent defense but will struggle on offense to score points.   Prediction was Right!  I was looking forward to watching the Wisconsin - MSU game on Saturday.  I got through a few minutes and knew the game was over.   MSU is in big trouble this year.  

Wisconsin would be very one-dimensional on offense and struggle to stop teams on defense.  Prediction was Wrong!  I might have been 50% correct here but I was way off on Wisconsin's defense and ability to stop Big Ten Teams.   Wisconsin travels to Columbus in two weeks and then we will see.   Their defense has given up a total of 29 points all year (14 to Michigan and 15 to NW).

Minnesota has an easy schedule and will look really good until late in the year.   Prediction was Right!  PJ Fleck is 6-0 and will have an easy road to 8-0 before they have to play PSU, Iowa, and Wisconsin.   A schedule with no Michigan, OSU, or MSU is just crazy.   The Golden Gophers will come back to earth when they play Penn State and will end the year with at least two loses and probably 3.  

Penn State and James Franklin were going to struggle without Moorehead, Barkley, and McSorley.  Prediction was Wrong!   Outside of the Pitt game, Penn State looks like what my expectation of what Michigan would look like.  Solid offense and a solid defense.   PSU didn't play great at Iowa but did do enough to win the game against an Iowa team that all of sudden has the turnover bug.  

Michigan's offense would finally get modernized.   That Josh Gattis would scheme an offense that made it easy for Shea Patterson to find open WR's.  The offense line would be the best we have seen in 10 years, and the RB's might struggle due to lack of experience.   The defense would take a small step back but would match-up well against Wisconsin, Iowa, MSU, and PSU.   Prediction was Wrong!   Further explanation is not needed. 

Here is the funny thing.  Many people would have predicted that Michigan would be 5-1 at this point in the year, with a tough loss at Wisconsin.   Yes, the Wolverines got embarrassed but a blow out is the same as a 1 point loss in the standings.  

Ohio State being 6-0 is not a surprise to anyone with their toughest game being MSU in Columbus so far.  

Same for Penn State, with their toughest game being their win in Iowa on Saturday.   Wisconsin doesn't seem to play road games and are 6-0, with their biggest test coming up in two weeks.  

If the year has gone pretty much the way you thought, what is all anxiety about?

Michigan fans have a crystal ball and if they could get themselves to bet against their favorite team would make a killing in Vegas.  Wolverine fans know that Michigan is going to struggle and probably lose by a decent number in Happy Valley, come back and play a talent ND team close, beat MSU, and lose to another uber-talented Ohio State team.  

You know what's stupid but accurate?  I would give Michigan a much better chance next week if the game was played at 12:00 or 3:30.   I'm also willing to bet that the ND @ Michigan will end up being back to back night games for the Wolverines.   Which seem to be the only program in the country that can't play at night.   

Michigan Tuesday: Taters Are Going To Tate

Michigan for a short time had a famous Tate from California before he flamed out.  Ohio State recently had one until he transferred, Tate Martell.   Its a slow news day, so I'm going to give you a quick update on the former OSU QB.

Being Tate Martell:

Tate grew up in San Diego but decided to transfer to Las Vegas Powerhouse Bishop Gorman to become a nationally recruited QB.  That strategy paid off and Tate became a 5 star Dual-Threat QB in the 2017 class.

Let the recruiting process begin! Well sort of, when Tate was 14 he committed to the University of Washington.   Then in 2015 he de-committed from UW and committed to Texas A&M.  Then in 2016 he again de-committed this time from the Aggies and committed to Urban Meyer and Ohio State.   After playing in his senior season at Bishop Gorman, he transfers to Dessert Pines HS so he could join Ohio State early.   Not sure how that would work bit there is clearly some Urban Meyer magic in there.

Tate at Bishop Gorman also found himself to be a TV star, as he was the subject (along with Jake Fromm and Tayvon Bowers) of Netflix's QB1 reality series.   Tate threw up video game numbers his senior year and was named the Gatorade Player of the Year.  He passed for 41 TD's and ran for another 21, while posting a 15-0 record.   He was a rock star and knew it.

Tate joined the Buckeyes and found himself buried on the depth chart, mostly behind Dwayne Haskins and JT Barrett.  This offseason Tate's time was finally here, as Haskins entered the NFL Draft early and JT was gone the year prior.   Then things started to change in Columbus, Urban steps down and Ryan Day takes over.  Another 5 star QB decides he wants to be in Columbus and Justin Fields transfers from Georgia.  Justin also secures a waiver from the NCAA for immediate eligibility due to race incident in Athens.

So now what?  Tate like he has done in the past, decided to make another change and enters the transfer portal.   He finds a home at the University of Miami and gets a waiver from the NCAA to play right away due to the coaching change at OSU.   Miami is in bad shape at the QB position and also has a new head coach in Manny Diaz.  Tate again is ready to start, this time for the Hurricanes.   If you remember, Tate Forcier also tried to transfer to Miami but his grades stopped that transaction.

The time in now as Miami has a very early and important game against Florida in Orlando in 11 days.  ESPN asked the NCAA and both teams to move this game up a week so it could be the highlight of the weekend and the start of the college football season on 8/24.

Yesterday, Miami head coach Manny Diaz announced that freshman Jarren Williams would be the starting QB for the Hurricanes in their match-up against the Gators.   Tate doesn't show up for practice on Monday.

What is next for Tate?  Only Tate knows.

Wolverine Wednesday: Michigan Beats Ohio State

Now that is a good headline!   Michigan Basketball had a dominating win in the second half over the Buckeyes 65-49 last night.   For those of us not in attendance, we had to watch the beginning of the game on the ESPN App as the prior game went into OT.  The ESPN streaming feed was in Spanish.
As you know by now, the game was highlighted by Zavier Simpson who is the 6th player in Michigan history to record a triple double.

The game in the first half and early into the second was a pretty ugly affair.   Both teams had terrible offense and Michigan was struggling with OSU's Zone.   The Wolverines clearly ran away in the second half with better outside shooting and good defense.   To top off Simpson's night, his triple double came with zero turnovers.    Poole went for 15 and Iggy had 14 in a win on a cold night in Ann Arbor.  

• Coach B tied Johnny Orr in Big Ten wins at Michigan (120) last night. 

Interesting and Funny Tweets:

just learned that sky hook in spanish is “sky hook”

— Ace Anbender, fan of basketball, the only sport (@AceAnbender) January 30, 2019

Tom Brady’s been playing for so long, he already has his own coaching tree. Former Patriots’ backup QB Kliff Kingsbury is now the Cardinals’ head coach and former Patriots’ QB Kevin O’Connell is now the new Washington OC.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 29, 2019

Michigan Monday: Michigan Assistant Coaching Rumors and National Championship Night

Let's start with the NC game tonight.  Has anyone seen this game before?  Yes, it's the two best teams in college football and its not even close.   I guess the only issue with tonight's game is that its 2000 miles away from each campus and tickets are going for well below face value.  

I expect a fairly close game tonight as this should be a defensive battle.  The wildcard tonight is a true freshman QB for Clemson, who hasn't faced an Alabama defense yet.  I also hear it has been raining hard for the last few days and the field is really a mess.  Better get those helicopters in there!  Alabama 27 Clemson 21

Michigan has some issues on both sides of the football that need to be fixed.

Defense - can't play zone
Offense - is boring and predictable

The way you fix that is through is coaching and both sides of the ball could use some new blood and a some new voices.

Pep -Is expected to move on but nothing on the radar.   The reason is there are so many NFL openings right now and it's expected that Pep will head to the NFL as a position coach.  Lions had some interest and then they fired Jim Bob.

Don Brown - Is still in play for Temple, which opening is expected to be wrapped up this week.   The coaching convention was last week and the rumor mill was saying that Temple would do a number of interviews there.   The latest name is the Northern Illinois head coach, Rod Carey.   Don going to Temple is not a lock.  Rumor is that other programs are also considering Don as well.   Its strange to think Don would be available for other DC jobs, but it seems that might be the case right now.

Greg Mattison - is considering retirement.  My best guess is that he stays at least one more year, but if Don leaves,it could have an effect here.   Greg's contract is also up this month.    Reports are now are that Greg Mattison is now heading to be Ohio State's DC after Day has fired Greg Schanio.   This seems like a strange move for a number of reason.   1 - OSU just put up 62 on Michigan's defense and Greg's unit got zero pressure.  2- Greg is very close to retirement 3- It's Ohio State.   I know his contract is up at Michigan and I guess he really wants to be a DC.

Al Washington - to Ohio State had a lot of legs the last couple of weeks.  Rumor is that Al was offered but turned it down as it would have been a lateral move.  He also has an opportunity to move up at Michigan if some of the above plays out.   A raise is expected here to keep Al happy.

Ed Warinner - was the best coach on staff last year and helped turn around a dreadful offensive line.  He is also inline for a nice pay raise.

John Bonamego - former CMU head coach was/is temporarily on Jimmy's staff for the Peach Bowl.  Michigan would love to keep him as the Special Teams coach, but they don't have an opening at the moment.   He is probably headed to the NFL as well, once all the dust settles with all the head coaching openings.
-----

Hello Brandon Johns!

Michigan Basketball took its record to 15-0 last night after a nice 74-63 win over top 25 Indiana.   The "rust" over the last month was gone and Michigan played with intensity from the tip.   With Livers still out with a bad back and Michigan's bigs getting in some foul trouble, East Lansing's own Brandon Johns played 13 minutes and got an 8&8 (8 points and 8 rebounds).   That was his first real playing time of the year and he looked very good on defense and getting some boards.  I expect he will be in the 8 man rotation even when Livers comes back.

The Wolverines were led by strong PG play from Simpson and scoring from Poole and Matthews.   I have a theory that Charles Matthews loves playing on CBS.  He played great in the tournament last year and last night first half might have been his best half at Michigan.   There was a number of NBA scouts at the game and Charles played very well.

Michigan travels to Illinois on Thursday.

• Michigan signed WR commit Cornelius Johnson had two TD's catches in the All American Game All Star game on Saturday.   Dax Hill actually had a couple rough missed tackles but enjoyed himself during the week.  Hilton also had a fumble recovery.  

• Lynn Swann to block Kliff Kingsbury from interviewing with the Jets and the Cardinals is just petty and stupid.   I could see him not allowing other college programs from interviewing him but blocking the NFL is just petty.  

• As expected 5 star QB Justin Fields is transferring to Ohio State.  Tate Martell is probably pretty upset and maybe considering his options.  Haskins is still expected to announce he is entering the NFL Draft but hasn't done it yet.  Justin will apply for a waiver for immediate playing time.  He did have an issue with a Georgia baseball player and that might be the basis for immediate playing time. 

• Michigan Hockey also beat ND in ND Stadium on Saturday.   Having a Michigan win in that building is nice! 

Michigan Tuesday: Urban Meyer Retiring

It had been rumored since his suspension that Urban Meyer would leave Ohio State after the season.   Today at 2:00 he will officially announce his retirement in a press conference.

Was it his health?  We know he has a brain cyst that has been causing him some problems.   He has looked ill most of the season.

Was it an agreement from August?  Some have speculated that his reaction during his suspension press conference was clearly something more then 3 games.  Was this agreed upon during that meeting?

Was it his relationship with OSU?  Others have speculated that he felt he didn't do anything wrong and should of never been suspended.  This might be the result of a bad relationship with the OSU President.

Was it an undefeated record against Michigan?  I'm sure that played a bit into it.  He did announce like two weeks ago that he would be coaching next season.

Was Ryan Day getting other offers?  This for sure was a factor, OSU wanted Ryan to take over and for sure didn't want him jumping to another school.

Was it his QB situation?  Florida fans have seen this scenario play out before.  He retired from Florida for health reasons and was coaching Ohio State a year later.  Florida fans will tell you that he could predict the UF downturn and wanted out.   Haskins is expected to turn pro and be a top 10 pick in some of the drafts boards I have seen.

I don't know if we will ever know the full reasons.  We will probably learn something at 2:00 today but the real reason might not surface for a year or two when he takes over USC.  (total speculation of course)

• Michigan Basketball continues its early Big Ten season tonight outside of Chicago against Northwestern.   Its another late tip at 9:00 EST on BTN. 

Michigan Monday: DJ Goes To OSU

When I was growing up in Ann Arbor my family would get DJ's Pizza on Packard once a week or so.  I have no idea if they are still even in business now but it was a good day when DJ's Pizza was at the door with a hot pie.

DJ Carton is a 5 star PG that was leaning towards Michigan and had recently cut his list to include Michigan, Indiana, and OSU.  Many insiders believed it was a Michigan vs IU battle since he hadn't visited Columbus yet.   This past weekend, he visited Ohio State and committed to the Buckeyes.    I guess you can say, he didn't deliver his commitment to the Wolverines.  

• Michigan is now in the top 8 for another 4 star guard named Rocket Watts (who has to be explosive right?).   Michigan is in his top 8 with Michigan State, Louisville, Florida State, UConn, Xavier, Oregon, and Missouri.

• During the Big Ten and Big Ten Tournament, I was very impressed on how well big man Isaac Haas played for Purdue. He was such a large human at 7'2 that I nicknamed him "Andre the Giant".   I didn't think he was a lottery pick for the NBA, but I thought he would be a late round 1 or early round 2 guy.   I know he hurt himself in the NCAA Tournament, but I still thought his upside for the NBA was still pretty strong.   Well, the big man didn't get drafted and signed a Summer League contract with the Utah Jazz.  The big man averaged 15 minutes a game but only 3 points.   He is going to struggle to find a contract and probably heading to the G League or overseas. I was wrong on that one!   

Michigan Monday: Basketball Makes Top 3 For 5 Star PG

2019 Iowa 5 star PG DJ Carton is going to stay in the Big Ten.  He has a final 3 of Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio State.  He has taken official visits to both Ann Arbor and Bloomington, but hasn't been to Columbus yet for an official.  Missing from DJ's list of course is the home town Iowa Hawkeyes. 


Many believe Michigan is the leader in the clubhouse but like a lot of recruitments, the longer he doesn't commit the more risk it is for the Wolverines.   DJ hasn't set a commitment time table yet.   Let's hope DJ picks Michigan and Coach B to develop him into another NBA 1st round draft pick.

• Shea Patterson's brother a 2020 TE now has a Michigan offer.

• Looks like Michigan would like another DB in the 2019 class and probably at Safety. Florida  four-star 2019 safety Josh Sanguinetti is expected to visit for the BBQ at the Big House in August.

• Sam Webb believes that 4 star CA WR Kyle Ford was the most dominant player at Nike's opening last week.  Kyle is considering Michigan and hopefully we can get him on campus.  USC currently has 100% of his crystal ball predictions.

Michigan Monday: Great Weekend For "Other" Michigan Sports

We spend 95% of our time on this blog talking football and quite frankly it's been getting a bit depressing of late.  So today  (which I hope is a holiday for most of you), let's highlight a great weekend for some other U of M sports:

• The Swim Team won the Big Ten Championship this weekend!
• The Hockey Team sweep the #1 Ranked ND Fighting Irish this past weekend
• The Michigan Basketball Team beat #8 Ohio State at Crisler on Senior Day. 

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Ok, that didn't last long.  Back to football news.  

• The Shark lover reportedly started work on Sunday.  He is expected to only have the WR title not the OC role. 

• Michigan had a number of 4 star guys in for a visit this weekend including:

-2019 Savannah (GA) Islands LB Kalen Deloach
-2019 Grand Rapids (MI) East Kentwood DT Mazi Smith
-2020 Oak Park (MI) OG Justin Rogers
-2019 Loganville (GA) Grayson OT Trente Jones
-2019 Zeeland (MI) East DE Adam Berghorst
-2019 Paw Paw (MI) OL Karsen Barnhart


Most of this group with all the football coaches was at the OSU game.  The Shark Lover was not in attendance and hasn't been officially announced yet.

Michigan Friday: Wolverines Headed To The Dean Dome

Michigan's Men's Basketball Team will meet North Carolina and current national champion in the Big Ten/ACC Match up next year.   Its great that Michigan will get one of the top match-ups but will have to travel to the Dean Dome for the first time.    Should be an exciting visit for the young Wolverines next season.

• Sunny is keeping it Sunny and has decided to transfer to UCLA over Ann Arbor per Sam Webb.  Sunny Odogwu is a grad transfer offensive lineman from Miami that was down to Michigan and UCLA. 

• OSU Basketball has struck out with its first two choices for the Basketball Job with no's from Chicago Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg and Greg McDermott at Creighton.  Reports are now that OSU is focusing on Butler's head coach Chris Holtman and current Warriors assistant Mike Brown.   Breaking news is that Butler coach Chris Holtman has taken the job.

• Jimmy is off to Washington again:  Per Mlive:  Michigan's head coach will be in the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday as the Legal Services Corporation presents its new report: "The Justice Gap: Measuring the Unmet Civil Legal Needs of Low-Income Americans." Harbaugh -- a member of the LSC's Leaders Council -- will deliver remarks during the congressional briefing. He'll be joined by Rep. Susan W. Brooks, Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy III, LSC Leaders Council Co-Chair and former White House Counsel Harriet Miers, LSC Leaders Council Co-Chair and CEO of Merck & Co. Ken Frazier and American Bar Association President Linda Klein.

Michigan Tuesday: David Dawson Out At Iowa State

David Dawson the 4 star offensive lineman that decided to leave Michigan as a graduate transfer is no longer with Iowa State.    In a text to The Register Monday night, (head coach) Campbell said that Dawson has been "gone a couple weeks to think about (his decision)." Apparently, Dawson figured it's time to move on with his life.  "Better it happens now than during the season," Campbell said.


We wish David good luck in the next chapter of life.

• 3 unidentified MSU football players have been charged with sexual assault in East Lansing for a crime that was committed in January of this year.   The names will most likely come out in the next few days.  Update: The names are out and the players have been dismissed from the team.  Please read at your own discretion as the content is graphic and not for young readers.

• Thad Matta was surprisingly fired from OSU yesterday.  He had the best Big Ten winning percentage of any coach that has been in role for at least 10 years.   OSU Basketball missed the tourney the last two year and recruiting has been down.

• Michigan coaches will do USC's camp on 6/11 instead of UCLA's.

• 2018 RB Mychale Salahuddin is considering Michigan.

• Jimmy and Pep got to coach QB commit Joe Milton yesterday at the FAU Camp.

Wolverine Wednesay: QB Battle Continues

With all the media attention and access to Spring Practice this year, it seems some things are getting clearer:

• This team is getting better all over the field. 
• Michigan's defense continues to be its strength
• The offensive line is looking to build on the Florida game and continues to improve
• The LB's are still a question mark but with the now healed Mike McCray could be fine
• None of the QB's have separated themselves and each continues to make at least one big mistake a practice.

It seems its a three headed race between O'Korn, Speight, and Morris.  The pre-spring practice buzz was all O'Korn but it seems he hasn't separated himself from the pack.  Morris continues to have a rifle for an arm but still doesn't see the field like he should.   I was impressed how Speight won the Minnesota game last year and seems like a big QB that would be steady but not a superstar.   It will be interesting to see what happens on Friday. 

• I posted this late yesterday but Ricky Doyle is transferring from Michigan's basketball program.  He had a nice freshman year, but struggled this past season.   Michigan has a number of big men coming in and Wagner has a very nice upside.  The program is now at it's scholarship limit for next year.

• Basketball transfers seems to be something that is happening all over.  OSU is losing 4 or more players from their large freshman class.

• IMG Academy 2017 OLB Jordan Anthony is expected to be at the Spring Game on Friday.

• Michigan has two RB's in this class already but 2017 Warren (MI) De La Salle ATH Allen Stritzinger who plays RB or CB is still very interested in the Wolverines.

Michigan Friday: UTL Scrimmage and BBall 2016 Commit

Michigan is on a roll right now in getting football and basketball commits, but before we hit the new 6'11 John Beilein commit, I would like to talk about a major change at Schembechler Hall.

Albert Einstein said on Insanity:  It's doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

That was Michigan Football until RR game in.   Then it got really Crazy and now were back to Insane again.    

So when your program has been under preforming for what seems like a decade, how do get your team to achieve success?    By changing things up, taking a chance, doing something new.   Coaching to the strength of your players but also preparing them the best you can.  

I have been critical of Brady Hoke the last two years, but this off season he has really made some new critical decisions to see if he can "shake up the apple cart" a bit.  

#1 He fired Big Al - had to be done
#2 He shook up the defensive coaches responsibilities
#3 He is holding an open scrimmage at the Big House for the public at night (8/16 at 8:00 PM)

#3 might be the most surprising and huge switch.  Michigan barley lets the media into practices and now Michigan is going to do a practice and scrimmage and let everyone in that wants a seat for free? Two weeks before the season opener?

I love the idea and wish there was an NCAA rule that allowed a local team to scrimmage the Wolverines, like the Basketball Team plays Concordia or Ferris State every year.   This will get the team used to playing at night (they have 3 night games this year)  and will also get them used playing in front of fans.   The weather will be much warmer then the Spring Game and I hope the fans attend.  

For those worried about showing ND or OSU too much, I'm sure they will run some very vanilla sets, etc. 

Way to mix it up Coach Hoke!  Great Idea and a way to give back to fans who might not be able to afford taking their family to the Big House for a game.  Update:  you need to register for your free tickets here.

BBall Commit:

John Beilein's program received an commitment from 6'11 center Jon Teske for the 2016 class.   Jon is from Ohio and has started to receive a number of offers this summer.  His early offer list included Ohio State, Xavier, Dayton, Miami and West Virginia.      Michigan has been in need of a true center and it sound like Jon is a prototypical John Beilein big guy, who can shoot and block a bunch of shots.

Jon impressed the coaches at Michigan's camp, got offered and accepted.   Since it's very early for the 2016 class, Jon is not ranked yet as only the top guys in the nation are.   This is a nice early pick-up for the Wolverines!  Since he has a few years to get to campus, I expect Jon's game to continue to advance as he adds some low post moves and maybe a mid-range jumper to his game.

If you want to see him block about 4 shots and hit a couple of jumpers, check out this very short You Tube video highlights from one game. 

• Greg Oden gets arrested for punching his girlfriend and takes his mug shot with this T-Shirt on.    A picture says a thousands words..................................

Being Malik McDowell

Your a 5 star defensive end and have been recruited non-stop for at least 2 years.   You picked your school on signing day but  your mom didn't agree and hasn't signed your letter of intent to the school you picked. 

So now what happens?

First let us try to clear up a couple of rumors.  Per Sam Webb at Scouts:

• MM's mom did not throw Malik out of the house the night before signing day.
• Mom also did not throw Mark Dantonio out of her house, when he met with the family. 

Now What?

I guess the recruiting process continues.  Here is what his dad had to say:  "I know he is open to taking some unofficials to Florida State and Ohio State," Greg McDowell, Malik's father, told Rivals.com's Josh Helmholdt. "We plan on doing some unofficials and see if he and his mom can resolve this. It's possible she'll be open to Michigan State as well, so we'll have to see."

Greg McDowell also told Rivals.com that the Wolverines are not out of the running for his son at this point.

So it doesn't look great for Malik to head up to MSU unless Malik's mother has a big change of heart.   It seems OSU and FSU now have a window to try to pull Malik in late.   So why not Michigan?

Malik feels there is a big social difference between East Lansing and Ann Arbor.  He has visited Ann Arbor many times but one example visit was the night of the ND game when many of the players just headed back to their dorms or apartments and didn't go out to parties.    During the BBQ the students weren't even on campus.  So Malik is looking for a good time and I think his mom wants just the opposite.    Michigan may still be on the list but I think they are #4.  The only chance Michigan has to gain his signed LOI is to pull him back to campus for maybe the Wisconsin or MSU basketball game and hang out with a couple football players.   The trip to Ann Arbor doesn't seem like a top priority at this point.

I think FSU is too far from home, which lives that team in Columbus.   Which is really too bad. 

• Michigan has offered 2015 LB Josh Barajas and 2015 RB Ronald Jones II

• Michigan has another tough road game tonight in Columbus, 9:00 PM ESPN

• Crawford, Kinnel and Runyan all are committed to Michigan for the 2015 class, rated 4 stars from Scouts and on their top 300 list.

Wolverine Wednesday: Helps With Job Openings

• The first job that has come open is a Chef position for former Michigan QB Denard Robinson.   He cut his right hand requiring 10 stitches and he said the reason was:  "I think I'm a chef".  Please reply for this position directly to Denard's agent.

• Next is Gordon Gee who gets his wish and will now open for Carrot Top!  The current OSU President is going to retire on July 1.  Look for him to start touring with Carrot Top as soon as August!  New Presidential candidates will not be allowed to have any comedic backgrounds.  Which is bad news for Lisa Lampanelli who was expected to be a perfect fit.

• Famous Basketball Referee Ed Hightower has announced his retirement after next year season.  I suggest the Military interview him to figure out how he has refereed every basketball game across the country for the last 10+ years.   That guy was everywhere! 

• Former Michigan Basketball Player Travis Colan has resigned from the Michigan Basketball Program.  He was some type of administrative assistant and the rumor is he might accept a assistant coaching job at U of D.  Speculation is maybe Zach Novak might be interested if he is done playing overseas?  We will see, I sort of expect Zach to look for a gig in the business world.  This job is more for a stepping stone to be a assistant coach.

• 2013 super recruit 5 Star DT Eddie Vanderdoes who signed his LOI to attend Notre Dame is now going to UCLA.  It seems he got cold feet heading across country and wants to stay in California.  He can play right away as long as ND lets him out of his LOI.   Add Eddie to the long list of players leaving the ND program over the last couple of years.