WTKA Spring Preview
By and large there's some coachspeak, but I have found them interesting. I was particularly looking forward to Warinner, though I didn't feel like I learnt a great deal about his evaluation of the kids and new o-line philosophy. There was a bit about making complex ideas simple, so here's to hoping that works out.
What has stuck out to me so far were the Partridge and Jay Harbaugh installments. Partridge spoke on his recruiting philosophy and how much time it takes with his recruiting style--something like 2-3 years for a coach to build up relationships. From Jay's interview there was a brief glimpse into last year's problems with the offense from a coaching standpoint, with Jay talking about arrogance getting in the way of results and working relationships--a not-so-subtle reference to Drevno's time on staff.
Anything you've found interesting?
I remember, but I can't recall from where, people saying that Fisch felt that way when he was leaving Michigan for UCLA. So it seems to fit a pre-existing narrative.
March 20th, 2018 at 10:04 AM ^
Fisch and Wheatley took issue with Drevno at times. It sounds worse than what it is as these guys all have that "Alpha" male mentality. However, it did lead to some departures.
March 20th, 2018 at 10:22 AM ^
March 20th, 2018 at 10:56 AM ^
Harbaugh's gotta be pissed at himself for ushering out 2 good coaches and keep a shit coach
Wheatley was the best possible RB coach you could ask for here at Michigan and Pep is a major downgrade from Fisch. We lost those guys to keep an underachieving OL coach who was in over his head as a cooridinator. That stings.
March 20th, 2018 at 10:23 AM ^
So we lost both Fisch and Wheatley becuase of Drevno..... awesome. I know that both had aspirations of getting a promotion but the more we look at it and hear from it the offense staff under Drevno had wasted talent under him. Hopefully we improve next year, can't be worse.
March 20th, 2018 at 10:26 AM ^
Wow. I'm sure these issues weren't the only reason Fisch and Wheatley left...but Drevno being part of the reason these two are gone sucks. I'm wishful thinking here, but Jim Harbaugh-QBs, Fisch OC/WR, Wheatley RB, Warriner OL, Jay Harbaugh-TEs sounds like a winning combo to me.
March 20th, 2018 at 12:49 PM ^
it appears the coaching situation has finally been fixed. Too bad it's taken this long but understand Harbaugh has a long friendship with Drevno and sometimes that blinds you a little bit to the real underlying problem.
Think with the new coaches brought in they can get this O-line fixed, improve the WR play and get our entire offense playing at a higher level.
That's interesting. I hadn't considered the personality types you'd typically find in CFB coaches, and that makes a great deal of sense. Drevno must've really rocked the boat.
But honestly, with context, it's unlikely for it to be someone else, unless it's a departed analyst, for example.
One move that has been confirmed is that Carlo Kemp is moving to DT at least for the spring. He has to add weight to complete the move and compete for the spot. He's around 6-3" & 270 lbs right now. The staff mentioned that they are looking for more production behind SDE & WDE. They also need more depth on the DL. Carlo has embraced the opportunity as he knows that Gary has his spot on lock down. I am sure we will here about a couple other position changes shortly.
These guys have until fall camp to decide. Also, I spelled hear (here) wrong. Damn it, I could not fix it in time.
March 20th, 2018 at 12:23 PM ^
We knew what you meant. We're smarter than your average bear I mean board... :) :) :)
I suspect Vilain gets a look at Anchor. If Kemp stays inside and nobody else steps up as Gary's #2, I suspect Hutchinson will have a busier freshman season than he anticipated.
March 20th, 2018 at 12:32 PM ^
I'm interested to see where Vilain ends up/how he contributes. He looked incredible at WDE in the All-American game. Great quickness off the edge. Sounds like Harabugh is super impressed with Kwity Paye though. I thought Paye looked great as a true frosh
I am guessing that Vilain ends up looking a lot like a slimmer Rashan at Anchor. Vilain looked better coming out of HS, but Paye certainly caught up in camp and then passed Luiji when he got hurt. I think Vilain is up to 270ish now and very strong. If he can keep his get off at that weight he should be a solid Anchor. I think Paye is quite strong as well, but you'd like to keep him at 255 or 260 and at End since he's already shown flashes there.
March 20th, 2018 at 12:22 PM ^
March 20th, 2018 at 12:45 PM ^
In this same preview, Chase Winovich raved about how well Kemp was doing in conditioning this year. This move could possibly be the staff trying to get him on the field, with Gary's spot clearly locked up in front of him.
Not to mention that there's nobody established at 3T - Dwumfour is the expected starter, and he's expected to be good, but he's not been a starter to this point in his career. You'd certainly like two guys you can count on at every position. Kemp's game experience would make it nice for him to be one of those guys in an 8-man rotation.
Yup - feel a lot better about Kemp joining the mix at 3T than having just Dwumfour/Marshall there, especially if what you're saying about Vilain emerging at SDE is true.
in the mix there too?
DIB?
is Paea in the mix after Mone and Solomon at the 5T?
March 20th, 2018 at 12:52 PM ^
Think Kemp would need a add a fair amount of weight to be effective at DT. He came here as sort of a DE/LB type player and now trying to move inside to the 3 technique is a big leap. Guessing though he probably doesn't have the length to hold down the DE spot and this might be his best position to contribute. Will be interesting to watch his development.
A lot of the good bits were paywalled (I don't have a subscription) so the main thing I found interesting was Harbaugh's reference to how he didn't expose the offense to more quarters coverage in the spring and fall. Then when Wilton threw that interception against Florida, Harbaugh instantly knew that he should of let the offense practice against more quarters/zone looks instead of the constant man to man plays that Don Brown runs.
Great point; it had skipped my mind, as it was a while ago. It was remarkably candid and humble for him to admit as much. I wonder why Rudock didn't have the same issue, though.
March 20th, 2018 at 10:01 AM ^
One reason might be because he was a grad transfer, a veteran starter and had practiced against other defenses before (outside of Michigan).
March 20th, 2018 at 10:08 AM ^
He also did not play against Don Brown's defense in practice. Durkin always had a deep safety over the top.
and the comments he made about arrogance and stubbornly wanting to do things only one way (my words, not his) were eye-opening. While he mentioned no names, I immediately thought he was referring to Drevno. It's hard to think he was referring to anybody else.
Jay gets a lot of heat here from people who think he's not qualified to coach at Michigan, and I'd be lying if I didn't have my own reservations. I know it's only a radio interview, but I was actually impressed with what he said, how he said it, and the knowledge he appears to have.
March 20th, 2018 at 11:02 AM ^
I have no idea why Frey doesn't come to mind at the same time Drevno does. The alpha 'male' comments above seem spot on. Work around these type of people long enough and you notice that no matter how smart some poeple are, if you get two alphas who can't work together, one of them has to go. Sometimes both. Group dynamics are weird.
March 20th, 2018 at 10:00 AM ^
To Win.
All the coaches understand that M Needs to Win to obtain the recruits we want. I was very impressed with the communications skills of War Har Pep and of course CP.
We are Close, Beat ND and off we go.
Go Blue.
March 20th, 2018 at 10:15 AM ^
March 20th, 2018 at 10:54 AM ^
By the coaches during Sam's previews. He will be there unless something happens between now and August.
March 20th, 2018 at 11:02 AM ^
I could be wrong, but IIRC Harbaugh did specifically mention Kareem. Admittedly, it was after waxing about Evans and Higdon for a while, in the section where he listed a bunch of contenders for playing time. My interpretation was that Evans and Higdon are the clear leaders, but Walker was mentioned.
March 20th, 2018 at 11:44 AM ^
March 20th, 2018 at 10:16 AM ^
Wheatley and/or Fisch might return some day.
March 20th, 2018 at 10:25 AM ^
He's currently coaching the Jacksonville Jags running backs in the NFL. I don't know if we'll get him back unless it's as chief offensive coordinator or head coach.
March 20th, 2018 at 10:36 AM ^
March 20th, 2018 at 10:29 AM ^
I suspect you'll be wondering that for a long, long time.
March 20th, 2018 at 11:28 AM ^
It's worth noting that he said the current staff is getting along well and working collaboratively.
March 20th, 2018 at 12:26 PM ^
There was some talk about Viper, but I am almost certain he is back at Safety.
March 20th, 2018 at 12:36 PM ^
Sounds good to me. Think he can be a difference maker one day as a FS.
March 20th, 2018 at 12:58 PM ^
Back at Safety. Glasgow has moved up to back-up Viper now while covering the TE's only (no slot responsibilities).
Still think Woods is going to pass up Metellus?
Metellus has so much experience though. He has the edge. The bigger battle is at FS IMO. JKP & Hawkins will push Kinnel.
Wow! Great stuff
With a dedicated WR coach (and a good one at that) working with the group, I think this is the position group that will see the largest improvement this year. To me, slot is the biggest question mark, and with Perry seeming like he topped out last year, Martin stepping up is huge.