Dante Moore & Bryce Underwood are the 2 in-state 5-star QBs we missed out on that come to mind-- who is the 3rd one you're referring to? CJ Carr? If it's CJ you're referring to, it seemed like personal factors contributed to him choosing Notre Dame over Michigan (and in any case, I think we're better off with Jaydn Davis in this class)
In any case, I think it's simplistic to blame NIL for Michigan's underwhelming recruiting classes the last 2 years. I mean, it's obviously a factor, but I also have to believe Harbaugh's dalliance with the NFL & the uncertainty about Michigan's future coaching situation the last 2 years have played a big role too. Also, when it comes to QB, the fact that Michigan employs such a run-heavy offense and is clearly reluctant to use QB runs also plays a role in limiting our QB recruiting.
Yeah, unless Craig personally heard Judge Connors say that he was going to grant the preliminary injunction (or knows somebody who heard Judge Connors say that) there is no way he can claim to know how the judge was going to rule. Given that the TRO was already denied, I don't see anybody can guarantee that that the preliminary injunction would have been granted.
Sure, it's always worth exploring how hiring more support staff can help the coaches, but at the end of the day, recruiting is always going to be part of a college coach's job (with a few prominent exceptions, like Wink Martindale & Chip Kelly). If I'm a recruit (or a current player considering the transfer portal), support staff is never going to hold the same sway as a position coach, coordinator, or head coach.
I mean, Minter had the 120th-ranked defense when he was at Vanderbilt, so team performance only tells you so much about the coaching. What kind of talent did Wink have with the Giants?
Insiders only know as much as their sources. If people inside the program didn't know that Stallions had a "vast network" or was standing on the CMU sideline, can't blame Michigan Insiders for not knowing that too.
Yep, I love Craig, but he’s sometimes really out there with his opinions. The very fact that the court denied the TRO shows that obtaining a preliminary injunction was not a slam dunk.
This doesn't get mentioned much, but if the Vikings had decided to go with Jim back in 2022 Josh Gattis would have likely been named the new head coach....which we can all agree would not have gone well. Thanks Jim Stapleton?!
Sam made a good point on the WKTA roundtable last week that Michigan signed up for this when they signed Harbaugh: an outstanding coach who never gave up on his dreams of winning another Super Bowl. The trade-off of Michigan 's success the past 3 years is that it's inevitably led to uncertainty about our future coaching situation. I'd almost analogize it to the Cubs trading their best prospects for Aroldis Chapman in 2016 or the Rams giving up 2 1st-round picks for Matthew Stafford in 2021.
I'm assuming that Kirk Campbell would be the guy most likely to take over as OC, since he was a coordinator with Old Dominion before he came over to Michigan.
If you go by the advanced rankings, the offense was #2 in the county according to S&P and #5 according to FEI. I know a lot of us have dinged Sherrone for not incorporating the QB run more (IMO, the reluctance to use the QB run predates Sherrone and probably comes from Harbaugh) and not using play action more (fair) but it’s not just true to say the offense wasn’t innovative. Look at Seth’s neck sharpies or breakdowns with Matt Demorest.
Yeah, I'd be happy to see Orji used more as a change-up QB (and hopefully given more freedom to pass) but I would absolutely not feel comfortable with him as a starter.
I know Matt Campbell has lost a lot of his luster the last couple of years (thank God Warde didn't listen to idiots like me who wanted him to replace Harbaugh after 2020), but he still has the best record of any coach at Iowa State since Earle Bruce left for OSU. Pretty impressive to go 7-6 this year despite his QB  RB being kicked off the team for gambling.
They're never going to put a championship game on Saturday or Sunday when it would compete with the NFL playoffs. Even in the days before the BCS, they would move the New Years Day Bowls to January 2nd if New Years Day was on a Sunday.
On that last drive in OT, on that 1st and goal from the 9 (the play before the monster TFL by Mason Graham) Junior Colson bursts through the line to tackle McClellan for no gain. I'm not an X and Os guy, but it looked like McClellan might have had a clear crease to run through if Junior doesn't make that tackle. Will be curious to see Seth's take in the UFR.
I just don't understand this argument. The Iron Bowl is one of the biggest rivalries in all of college sports. Auburn upset Alabama at Jordan Hare in 2017 & 2019, and very upset Alabama in 2021 (it took a 97-yard TD drive from Chase Young for Bama to escape), You really think that Alabama (with its BCS hopes on the line) was not taking the game seriously????
Yeah, I remember Seth saying after we signed Jyaire Hill that CB is a difficult position to pick up as true freshman and guys like Will Johnson who were able to move into the starting lineup their 1st year were very much the exception rather than the norm (I believe Charles Woodson also became the starter in the middle of 1995). Same goes with Sanistril...it's very rare for a player to switch from WR to CB as seamlessly as him, and most guys need at least a year to make the transition.
Waller & Hill were true freshman & Walker just converted to CB in the spring (& then had to deal with an injury during summer practice) so I think it's premature to say none of those guys will be ready to start next year. That being said, getting a proven commodity is always a good thing, & adding depth is always a good thing.
Re: The diary comparing Juwan Howard to Harvard President Claudine Gay...I'm sure the author meant well, but the comments are already devolving into a very heated political discussion (not surprising since it touches on some of the most hot-buttony of hot-button topics)
Dylan Burkhart pointed out on UMHoops.com that Juwan hasn't spoken to the media at all since he did a press conference after the loss to Vanderbilt in the NIT (270 days). That's crazy to me....
To your points Andrew I would respectfully say this:
1) Its been well-established that most (if not all) teams have a "sign-stealing" guy on their sideline. As has also become clear, there are lots of ways to get information about other team's signs & there's no reason for Harbaugh, Minter or Sherrone to assume Stallions was getting info by sending a "vast network" to other team's stadiums or going incognito on the CMU sideline. Maybe I'm viewing things through rose-colored glasses, but I think if Harbaugh had known he would have shut it down immediately just because the risk/reward ratio of what Stallions did is so poor.
2) I don't think there's a vast conspiracy among Michigan's Big 10 rivals to bring down Michigan. I do think it's a combination of motivated reasoning (dislike of Michigan, dislike Harbaugh, Michigan's success the last 2 years) + the relentless negative coverage of #Signgate the last few weeks. IMO, the relentless media coverage of #Signgate can explain why coaches like Matt Rhule can go in 2 weeks from initially downplaying it to blaming it for a 45-7 loss.
Just to try to add your excellent analysis, BlueHills, I always felt that courts were going to view this an intra-organizational dispute and therefore find a reason to avoid ruling against the Big 10 (similar to how the Supreme Court may use procedural reasons to avoid ruling on the merits of a case).
Absolutely agree that being without your head coach on the sideline has a material impact on the game. At one point, the sideline reporter for Fox pointed out that Sherrone had to be reminded to put his headset on. Talking to the refs, consulting with staff, providing input to the OC & DC about making adjustments....those are all things that are lost when the head coach is absent.
Thanks for sharing your informed analysis of this. I certainly hope you're wrong, but the good thing about this site is that we can hear diverse opinions without turning into an echo chamber.
I'm guessing that Allar having his best game as a college QB against Maryland (25-34, 240 yds, 4 TD) is what moved the lines. OTOH, not sure how you can much you really take from that game since (as was pointed out on the Around the Big 10 segment with Jaime Mac) the big issue with Allar has always been his inability to handle pressure and Maryland has no DL.
Have to respectfully disagree, GoFC. I'm a lawyer, and I've definitely seen organizations take actions for political reasons even if they know it's not likely to hold up in court.
Have to respectfully disagree, GoFC. I'm a lawyer, and I've definitely seen organizations take actions for political reasons even if they know it's not likely to hold up in court
Yeah, I would think a lawsuit in Washtenaw County would be ideal, unless it's obvious that there's "diversity jurisdiction" or there's a provision in the Big 10 bylaws about venue for a lawsuit.
Didn't Sam say on this radio segment with John Bacon that there were likely multiple leakers? IIRC, he said that that the source leaking to Yahoo Sports was likely from the NCAA (hence Bacon's allegation that it was Stapleton, who's on the Infractions Committee) and the sources leaking to ESPN/Washington Post/ were from the PI firm hired by OSU.
So a basic question....but what exactly does sign stealing tell the defense? Does it tell the defense every facet of the specific play the offense is going to run(motion, line protection, route combination) or is it something more basic, like "the offense is going to pass"?
Not sure if Olu was the deciding factor in beating OSU, but he was absolutely a major contributor to Michigan's success last year - he won the Rimington& Outland trophies! Agree that none of the other guys Michigan got in the transfer portal in 2021-22 (Bowman, Baldwin, Whitley, Goode, Okie) were more than minor contributors (although Goode has been a valuable rotational piece on the DL this year). 2023 is the first year we've gotten a lot of significant contributions from the transfer portal.
Thank you for sharing this. Of course, every fan would rather avoid this by winning out, but is good to know what our other avenues are in case that doesn't happen. Look at Ohio State last year...they got stomped in The Game & backed into the playoffs only because of USC blowing the Pac-12 championship, yet they came within a bad FG snap of beating UGA.
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Good point. Nico was supposed to come back in 2020 (I believe he was even on the cover of HTTV) but ended up opting out due to COVID.
Dante Moore & Bryce Underwood are the 2 in-state 5-star QBs we missed out on that come to mind-- who is the 3rd one you're referring to? CJ Carr? If it's CJ you're referring to, it seemed like personal factors contributed to him choosing Notre Dame over Michigan (and in any case, I think we're better off with Jaydn Davis in this class)
In any case, I think it's simplistic to blame NIL for Michigan's underwhelming recruiting classes the last 2 years. I mean, it's obviously a factor, but I also have to believe Harbaugh's dalliance with the NFL & the uncertainty about Michigan's future coaching situation the last 2 years have played a big role too. Also, when it comes to QB, the fact that Michigan employs such a run-heavy offense and is clearly reluctant to use QB runs also plays a role in limiting our QB recruiting.
Great news - congrats to your son!
Sure, it's always worth exploring how hiring more support staff can help the coaches, but at the end of the day, recruiting is always going to be part of a college coach's job (with a few prominent exceptions, like Wink Martindale & Chip Kelly). If I'm a recruit (or a current player considering the transfer portal), support staff is never going to hold the same sway as a position coach, coordinator, or head coach.
I mean, Minter had the 120th-ranked defense when he was at Vanderbilt, so team performance only tells you so much about the coaching. What kind of talent did Wink have with the Giants?
Insiders only know as much as their sources. If people inside the program didn't know that Stallions had a "vast network" or was standing on the CMU sideline, can't blame Michigan Insiders for not knowing that too.
He's been working in the NFL for a decade- i have to imagine that the only way he'd agree to go back to college would be if Sherrone made him sole DC.
Yep, I love Craig, but he’s sometimes really out there with his opinions. The very fact that the court denied the TRO shows that obtaining a preliminary injunction was not a slam dunk.
Just FYI, Nebraska was in the Big 8 in 1994 and the Big 12 in 1995 (Big 8+Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor & Texas Tech).
This doesn't get mentioned much, but if the Vikings had decided to go with Jim back in 2022 Josh Gattis would have likely been named the new head coach....which we can all agree would not have gone well. Thanks Jim Stapleton?!
And the Cubs their first World Series in 108 years!
Sam made a good point on the WKTA roundtable last week that Michigan signed up for this when they signed Harbaugh: an outstanding coach who never gave up on his dreams of winning another Super Bowl. The trade-off of Michigan 's success the past 3 years is that it's inevitably led to uncertainty about our future coaching situation. I'd almost analogize it to the Cubs trading their best prospects for Aroldis Chapman in 2016 or the Rams giving up 2 1st-round picks for Matthew Stafford in 2021.
I'm assuming that Kirk Campbell would be the guy most likely to take over as OC, since he was a coordinator with Old Dominion before he came over to Michigan.
I believe he originally committed to Iowa before de-committing and switching to Alabama
If you go by the advanced rankings, the offense was #2 in the county according to S&P and #5 according to FEI. I know a lot of us have dinged Sherrone for not incorporating the QB run more (IMO, the reluctance to use the QB run predates Sherrone and probably comes from Harbaugh) and not using play action more (fair) but it’s not just true to say the offense wasn’t innovative. Look at Seth’s neck sharpies or breakdowns with Matt Demorest.
Aren't grad transfers allowed to enter the transfer portal at any time?
Yeah, I'd be happy to see Orji used more as a change-up QB (and hopefully given more freedom to pass) but I would absolutely not feel comfortable with him as a starter.
I know Matt Campbell has lost a lot of his luster the last couple of years (thank God Warde didn't listen to idiots like me who wanted him to replace Harbaugh after 2020), but he still has the best record of any coach at Iowa State since Earle Bruce left for OSU. Pretty impressive to go 7-6 this year despite his QB  RB being kicked off the team for gambling.
Didn't Trente already say that he's staying?
They're never going to put a championship game on Saturday or Sunday when it would compete with the NFL playoffs. Even in the days before the BCS, they would move the New Years Day Bowls to January 2nd if New Years Day was on a Sunday.
Yeah, I never understood holding the Semis on New Years Eve rather than New Year's Day.
On that last drive in OT, on that 1st and goal from the 9 (the play before the monster TFL by Mason Graham) Junior Colson bursts through the line to tackle McClellan for no gain. I'm not an X and Os guy, but it looked like McClellan might have had a clear crease to run through if Junior doesn't make that tackle. Will be curious to see Seth's take in the UFR.
I just don't understand this argument. The Iron Bowl is one of the biggest rivalries in all of college sports. Auburn upset Alabama at Jordan Hare in 2017 & 2019, and very upset Alabama in 2021 (it took a 97-yard TD drive from Chase Young for Bama to escape), You really think that Alabama (with its BCS hopes on the line) was not taking the game seriously????
FWIW, FEI had Michigan #7 in opponent-adjusted efficiency in 2022 & # 5 in opponent-adjusted efficiency in 2023.
Yeah, I remember Seth saying after we signed Jyaire Hill that CB is a difficult position to pick up as true freshman and guys like Will Johnson who were able to move into the starting lineup their 1st year were very much the exception rather than the norm (I believe Charles Woodson also became the starter in the middle of 1995). Same goes with Sanistril...it's very rare for a player to switch from WR to CB as seamlessly as him, and most guys need at least a year to make the transition.
Waller & Hill were true freshman & Walker just converted to CB in the spring (& then had to deal with an injury during summer practice) so I think it's premature to say none of those guys will be ready to start next year. That being said, getting a proven commodity is always a good thing, & adding depth is always a good thing.
Re: The diary comparing Juwan Howard to Harvard President Claudine Gay...I'm sure the author meant well, but the comments are already devolving into a very heated political discussion (not surprising since it touches on some of the most hot-buttony of hot-button topics)
Dylan Burkhart pointed out on UMHoops.com that Juwan hasn't spoken to the media at all since he did a press conference after the loss to Vanderbilt in the NIT (270 days). That's crazy to me....
Just saw this & donated (glad the moderators made this a sticky). Wishing you all the best for you & your family, Hoek. 🙏
That Blake Corum TD to give Michigan the lead right after the gruesome Zinter injury will go down as one of the greatest plays in Michigan history.
The OSU game in 2021 was a masterpiece, but there was tons of criticism of the offensive play-calling before then.
To your points Andrew I would respectfully say this:
1) Its been well-established that most (if not all) teams have a "sign-stealing" guy on their sideline. As has also become clear, there are lots of ways to get information about other team's signs & there's no reason for Harbaugh, Minter or Sherrone to assume Stallions was getting info by sending a "vast network" to other team's stadiums or going incognito on the CMU sideline. Maybe I'm viewing things through rose-colored glasses, but I think if Harbaugh had known he would have shut it down immediately just because the risk/reward ratio of what Stallions did is so poor.
2) I don't think there's a vast conspiracy among Michigan's Big 10 rivals to bring down Michigan. I do think it's a combination of motivated reasoning (dislike of Michigan, dislike Harbaugh, Michigan's success the last 2 years) + the relentless negative coverage of #Signgate the last few weeks. IMO, the relentless media coverage of #Signgate can explain why coaches like Matt Rhule can go in 2 weeks from initially downplaying it to blaming it for a 45-7 loss.
Just to try to add your excellent analysis, BlueHills, I always felt that courts were going to view this an intra-organizational dispute and therefore find a reason to avoid ruling against the Big 10 (similar to how the Supreme Court may use procedural reasons to avoid ruling on the merits of a case).
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Great writeup, as always.
Absolutely agree that being without your head coach on the sideline has a material impact on the game. At one point, the sideline reporter for Fox pointed out that Sherrone had to be reminded to put his headset on. Talking to the refs, consulting with staff, providing input to the OC & DC about making adjustments....those are all things that are lost when the head coach is absent.
Thanks for sharing your informed analysis of this. I certainly hope you're wrong, but the good thing about this site is that we can hear diverse opinions without turning into an echo chamber.
I'm guessing that Allar having his best game as a college QB against Maryland (25-34, 240 yds, 4 TD) is what moved the lines. OTOH, not sure how you can much you really take from that game since (as was pointed out on the Around the Big 10 segment with Jaime Mac) the big issue with Allar has always been his inability to handle pressure and Maryland has no DL.
Have to respectfully disagree, GoFC. I'm a lawyer, and I've definitely seen organizations take actions for political reasons even if they know it's not likely to hold up in court.
Have to respectfully disagree, GoFC. I'm a lawyer, and I've definitely seen organizations take actions for political reasons even if they know it's not likely to hold up in court
Yeah, I would think a lawsuit in Washtenaw County would be ideal, unless it's obvious that there's "diversity jurisdiction" or there's a provision in the Big 10 bylaws about venue for a lawsuit.
Thanks for writing this up, Matty! Too bad Iowa won't be playing at Crisler this year.
Is Allar's improvement real or is Maryland just terrible at D?
LFG! Fully expecting Michigan to go Charles-Jefferson-on-Lincoln-High on Purdue, PSU, Maryland, & OSU the next 4 weeks:
Didn't Sam say on this radio segment with John Bacon that there were likely multiple leakers? IIRC, he said that that the source leaking to Yahoo Sports was likely from the NCAA (hence Bacon's allegation that it was Stapleton, who's on the Infractions Committee) and the sources leaking to ESPN/Washington Post/ were from the PI firm hired by OSU.
So a basic question....but what exactly does sign stealing tell the defense? Does it tell the defense every facet of the specific play the offense is going to run(motion, line protection, route combination) or is it something more basic, like "the offense is going to pass"?
IIRC, part of Graham's low rankings were due to his junior year being cancelled or significantly shortened due to COVID-19.
Not sure if Olu was the deciding factor in beating OSU, but he was absolutely a major contributor to Michigan's success last year - he won the Rimington& Outland trophies! Agree that none of the other guys Michigan got in the transfer portal in 2021-22 (Bowman, Baldwin, Whitley, Goode, Okie) were more than minor contributors (although Goode has been a valuable rotational piece on the DL this year). 2023 is the first year we've gotten a lot of significant contributions from the transfer portal.
Thank you for sharing this. Of course, every fan would rather avoid this by winning out, but is good to know what our other avenues are in case that doesn't happen. Look at Ohio State last year...they got stomped in The Game & backed into the playoffs only because of USC blowing the Pac-12 championship, yet they came within a bad FG snap of beating UGA.
Feel like that's on TT: he's either got to throw into the end zone or just throw it away if nothing is there.
Not the first instance of Haskins hurdling fools, but what was unique was that he ran for another 30 yards after he hurdled!