alum96

January 27th, 2024 at 6:54 PM ^

Yes this

Look you work with a guy 340 days a year as a football coach you know who is the truth and who is not.  If MM is staying at DC and he is roadblocking a bright mind -John can say look move on and go forth to Michigans DC.  You prosper there and rather than be a LB coach or analyst or whatever you will be back here as a DC or somewhere in the NFL in 2 years.  Now go forth young buck.

If Orr is that guy I have no idea. If he not there has to be someone. Even better now we have 2 NFL staffs of Harbaughs with these guys.  So many of these guys are well traveled and connected - you don't know who will pop. 

Don

January 27th, 2024 at 12:30 PM ^

Sam Webb went on a mini-rant yesterday during his recruiting roundup about how hard other programs are coming after Michigan players. He didn't identify any programs by name, but it's clear that lots of NIL$ is being dangled in the hopes that some of our guys get snagged.

M-Dog

January 27th, 2024 at 1:24 PM ^

I did my part and donated to the "Those Who Stay" collective, for just this purpose.

But the collectives can only give out the $$$ they have.  Michigan is behind on this, our collectives flat out do not have the $$$ Ohio State and many SEC schools have.  

This needs to be addressed ASAP. 

I am a firm believer that Michigan was lucky that they were able to assemble Team 144 when they did.  They would not be able to assemble that team in today's NIL environment with the way that Michigan does NIL versus the big boys.

Hensons Mobile…

January 27th, 2024 at 1:33 PM ^

Correct. The collectives can only pay what they have. And UM can't give money to the collectives, so this isn't "Michigan" but rather the boosters/fans.

As I understand it, Michigan is guilty of having done a bad job of promoting the collectives. But other than that, I'm not sure what else they're supposed to do. What did A&M and Miami do? AFAIK just a lot of people with money decided to throw it at the players.

BeatIt

January 29th, 2024 at 1:28 AM ^

M-Dog, in 2023 #3 osu athletes received $13.4 million from NIL, #7 UM athletes received $11.6 million. Texas was #1 with $19 million. Love how people see someone post that UM is behind in NIL, repeat it and now that’s a false narrative @ MGOBLOG, lol Playing for a championship isn’t the only thing team #144 came back for. 

Blau

January 27th, 2024 at 1:47 PM ^

First, please stop mentioning Graham’s and Grant’s names with this hypothetical “sky is falling” stuff. It’s a loose narrative and neither of those players has done anything to warrant something thinking they would leave.

That said, it’s not like the whole staff is being gutted and unless positional coaches start looking elsewhere, I don’t think the departures en masse are coming. NIL is important but it sounds like Harbaugh and Moore have done everything right in terms of transitioning roles and backing each other up.

Also if starting players for what could be another stellar defense next year opt to transfer for bigger NIL paychecks, so be it. At some point, it has to be more than money for college players and once it’s not, I think we can become casual fans.

JBurd

January 27th, 2024 at 12:26 PM ^

I don't envision a world where we lose any defensive starters unless we hire someone extremely unlikable. The majority of those players are probably off to the NFL next year anyway and they are already Michigan legends who will probably be getting 6 figure NIL deals here.

Those 3 themselves are all 1st round picks next year. Really no need to uproot everything/try to transfer credits to another school for only 2 semesters at most (winter semester has already started so they couldn't enroll until spring) when you are going to be done with school and preparing for the NFL draft this time next year anyway.

If we had an absolute stud true freshman I would be more concerned because they would have more seasons to capitalize on a lucrative NIL offer.

SDCran

January 27th, 2024 at 1:34 PM ^

Assuming the tampering is real, which, of course.   
 

I can’t believe none of these players, anywhere wouldn’t keep those receipts (texts, record phone calls etc), and go public with it.   I kind of understand why recruits don’t, but a player loyal to their school that isn’t going anywhere and is receiving their bank already, why not?  It doesn’t need to be 100 of them, just 5-10 could get a lot of attention.  
 

hey, everyone, look what Texas just offered me to leave….and I’m not even in the portal.   
 

I can’t imagine there aren’t 5 Alabama players that would love to out Auburn or Texas 

Blue@LSU

January 27th, 2024 at 4:19 PM ^

Snitches get stitches, bro. 

Seriously, though. Many of these players were recruited by the schools that are trying to poach them, they have relationships built with the coaches, etc. In many cases they also have friends they met on the recruiting trail/playing in HS All-America games/7on7 competitions, etc. on those other teams. All of those are pretty good reasons why a player wouldn't want to blow up a program that tries to poach them.

I'd personally love to see a player out a school for tampering. But the players just don't have the same incentive.

jmblue

January 27th, 2024 at 12:17 PM ^

Not a surprise.  Even if Harbaugh had stayed, Minter was well in line for a pro DC gig.  Hopefully our next DC will continue to run his schemes.

The Mad Hatter

January 27th, 2024 at 12:24 PM ^

Not unexpected, but still shitty.

So we're going to need a new OC, OL coach, DC, RB coach, and ST coach.

Even assuming internal promotions for some of those jobs, we're looking at half of our coaches to be new next season.

This is where the rubber meets the road. Hopefully Moore makes good hires and Warde is willing to pay them.

Bo Harbaugh

January 27th, 2024 at 12:36 PM ^

If we can keep our defensive players from getting poached, we should be fine on that side of the ball next year.  They all know the system, and with a competent coordinator on staff or from the outside, the defense should remain top 5 next year.

The offensive side will be more of an experiment,  Need to have faith that Moore and staff can develop a top tier O-line.  I think next year's team could look very similar to UM 2021, with Mullings playing the role of Hassan Haskins, the defense controlling most games, and Edwards being the home run threat that Blake was that year.  And Loveland probably is a top 1-3 TE in the nation.

No reason Denegal or Orgi (with the running component added) can't be as good or better than Cade in an offense not overly reliant on QB play. 

Swayze Howell Sheen

January 27th, 2024 at 12:29 PM ^

We've been incredibly lucky to have McDonald and then Minter. I didn't think it was possible, but Minter might even have been better that McDonald. That 'bama game was something. 

And, we'll always have Minter waving bye bye to OSU. 

 

tybert

January 27th, 2024 at 12:30 PM ^

No surprise. Our last two DCs have landed NFL gigs, with Mike M being a HC within 2 years.

Unless there's an obvious Ravens heritage guy ready, elevate Elston. He's seen enough what it takes to make a D into a boa. 

stephenrjking

January 27th, 2024 at 12:49 PM ^

I saw some social media post or something, one of those trite comparison things we see all the time, maybe after the Rose Bowl, maybe before: The #1 D in the NFL is the Ravens, the #1 D in college is Michigan.

And when I saw that I basically knew. We all did, right? Unless Minter's heart is to be in college forever, he was going to go. He is, of course, exceptional at this, and to add to this the NFL is very much a trend-follow game, and when the same system produces the #1 D at two levels at the same time, that's a big flashing light that says "PUSH THIS BUTTON FOR A GREAT DEFENSE."

I think we'll look back and realize in hindsight just how great some of our players are, but there's also an unquestionable element of scheme and coaching that factors into Michigan's top-ranked defense this year, to an unusual degree. 

And, for Minter, the question then becomes: what do you want from your career? Because if that answer includes the NFL, if it includes head coaching, if it includes anything beyond a long-term run as a college DC (which isn't bad! But coaching is a profession and guys want to progress) his best choice is to strike now while the iron is hot and multiple teams will hire him, including his current boss as he moves up. 

If he wants to come back to college someday, that door is wide open. He has proven he can function in college, can teach college players his system, can operate in a world where recruiting matters. But now he gets to show his stuff in the pros. And, frankly, the window to get a good HC job is just as wide for him going to the NFL as it would be staying in college. 

Stinks for us. But it's the right move for him. 

MeanJoe07

January 27th, 2024 at 12:50 PM ^

I want coaches that want to be at Michigan. If you wanna be at a shitty Great Value transplant shared stadium NFL team with no tradition or rich history then good luck, a deeply sincere thank you for your contributions, we'll be forever grateful, but don't let the door hit you. We got work to do. Onward!

stephenrjking

January 27th, 2024 at 12:59 PM ^

I want excellent coaches. Michigan won a national title by hiring excellent guys and deploying what they brought to the table. Everyone got better.

We don't bat an eyelash at people in other professions making changes to grow their careers. Nobody has a problem with a tech professional leaving Apple to take a better job at Google, or a nurse taking a better position at a competing hospital network. Coaching is a lifelong profession for these people. By necessity they will move around. They respect it, players respect it; it's only fans that struggle with the idea, because we do not change our loyalties to our teams.

The football program ground its way to mediocrity in the late Carr era in part by focusing on Michigan loyalty in the staff (often for substandard pay) rather than excellence. I'll take what we've just experienced any day. 

MeanJoe07

January 27th, 2024 at 1:15 PM ^

I am a fan though. I'm not gonna take some holier than thou perspective that I don't have and pretend it's my own so I can demonstrate that I'm above that. I'm not. We're not. I don't bat an eyelash at tech professionals making career choices because that's not even remotely the same thing.  I am a fan of Michigan. I want what's best for Michigan and my fandom. Those are my interests and that's it.  I'm not invested in Minters personal journey.  He has friends and family for that. I'm not gonna pretend I have a personal connection and care about his career. Sure at some humanistic level I wish everyone well, but my interest are as a fan. That's the honest truth.  Other people have other interests and that's fine.  Because I'm a fan I want coaches who want to be at Michigan. I am forever grateful for the championship they brought. Hell, I'd welcome him back some day as head coach potentially. The bridge isn't burnt. We'll celebrate them for probably forever as great Michigan men, but it's onward to the people who want to be in that building right now. Nothing else matters to me as a fan. That's a genuine honest perspective.  If you wanna become a Chargers fan or root for them that's that's fine. Or if you want to pretend like Minter leaving isn't disappointing as a fan because you desire to understand and care about his career choices above your own fandom, then great. I don't buy that, but that's cool.