transfer waiver roulette

*grimace emoji.* Wisconsin is already down Jack Coan. Now uh

Two sources told the Journal Sentinel on Sunday that Mertz, who was brilliant in his starting debut last week, had tested positive for the coronavirus. One source said the positive test came on Saturday.

“I will not and cannot and should not comment on anything dealing with our testing and coronavirus," Chryst said. "We're following the guidelines set in place by the Big Ten."

After Chryst spoke to reporters, a source told the Journal Sentinel that redshirt sophomore Chase Wolf, who is expected to start if Mertz is not available, was not at practice Monday. According to a second source, Wolf has also tested positive for the coronavirus.

If your eyes have rolled back in your head so hard they came out the other side you are not alone. There is no reason to conceal testing results in your own program other than the usual bush league psych-out stuff college coaches engage in incessantly.

Mertz's test has been confirmed. He is out 21 days. Wolf's is likely to be confirmed shortly. That should put both out for the Michigan game. Also: Mertz presumably tested positive after the game, so he played while contagious. Both Wisconsin and Illinois may be on the verge of an outbreak.

Wisconsin has one quarterback left: redshirt junior Danny Vanden Boom. Let's find out more about him.

are you really asking because i don't know

Hmm. Not promising. Vanden Boom was barely ranked inside the top 2000 as a recruit. Also on the docket:

If UW is down to Vanden Boom as the only healthy quarterback for the Nebraska game, it is possible tailback Garrett Groshek could become a bigger factor in the offense.

Groshek, a fifth-year senior, was a dual-threat quarterback at Amherst High School but hasn't played quarterback at UW.

Pandemic football is not good but it is fascinating.

Also in injury news, Penn State RB Noah Cain is out for the season. They're already down Journey Brown and will now turn to sophomore Devyn Ford, who was a top 100 guy in 2019.

[After THE JUMP: things more unexpected than pandemic havoc]

Sponsor note. Wait, one second.

Ohio caviar. Do not watch this while eating.

??? pic.twitter.com/VJ3WeRfQIk

— Kiko’ (@KikoSencillo) September 29, 2020

This makes up for at least 1.3 losses to Ohio State over the past 15 years, I'm pretty sure. Still waiting for a final number.

I almost want to make this and attempt to feed it to the children in the hopes that they will reject it and then eat the frittata. It's egg and cheese! HOW MUCH WORSE CAN IT BE THAN EGG AND CHEESE EATEN SEPARATELY anyway

Sponsor note part 2. Do you have an idea for a business, like posting videos of your crockpot abominations in the hope that people will pay you not to have their logo on your crockpot? Sound business plan… as long as that's not extortion. Better find out by calling Richard Hoeg.

Because if it's not extortion baby you've got a Lovecraftian horror stew going. But if it is at least you'll be used to the food. Richard Hoeg can walk you through the legality of your plans, and if they are indeed legal he can get you set up with the small business you've always dreamed of.

Still out. Per Wolverines Wire, Ambry Thomas is not going to opt back in. Jalen Mayfield has submitted his waiver and gotten it approved, which was the reason for the Mysterious Tweet of the Week:

Uh oh...

— Jalen Mayfield (@jay_may_11) September 27, 2020

Nico Collins has not submitted a waiver and presumably will not be returning either. If this is depressing just think of all the times you don't have to say THROW IT TO NICO this fall when the ball goes anywhere else unsuccessfully.

[After the JUMP: meep meep]

According to 247's Zach Shaw, Wake Forest transfer wing Chaundee Brown is now in Michigan's student directory, which means he's enrolled.

via 247

That's significant news in the wake of fellow transfer wing Nojel Eastern being denied admission last week. Brown, a three-year starter at Wake Forest, now awaits word from the NCAA on his waiver for immediate eligibility. Sam Webb has relayed optimism from within the program that Brown's waiver will be granted:

"I’m hearing, I’m sensing, a lot of optimism emanating from Michigan’s circle about the likelihood of him being granted a waiver," Webb said. "He can legitimately say that my coach was fired. Look, you don’t just fire Danny Manning abruptly. There has to be some build up to that. ... Everything is shut down. Hiring freezes across the country. Who wants to do a coaching search right now? What that should tell you is that there were rumblings, there were things going on at Wake leading up to Danny Manning’s firing. It’s conceivable that he could’ve been hearing those things."

If Brown plays in 2020-21, he's the most likely candidate to start at shooting guard, immediately adding some scoring punch and size to the rotation. Michigan now has one open scholarship with Isaiah Livers's NBA decision pending. There should be a lot of action on the transfer market in the coming weeks as players make their early entry decisions; it wouldn't be a surprise if Juwan Howard pokes around for another transfer, particularly if there's indication Livers may leave.

UPDATE: Michigan formally announced the additions of both Brown and Columbia grad-transfer Mike Smith this afternoon. The release says U-M is "assessing the potential for an NCAA waiver" for Brown to play right away and also has a quote from him:

"Being able to play and be mentored by Coach Howard is really a dream come true," said Brown. "If you would have said to me 10 years ago I would be attending the University of Michigan and playing for Juwan Howard, I would have laughed. He knows the game of basketball well, as he played for U-M and played in the NBA for such a long time. This helps him understand both sides of being a player and having a coaching style, which is such a blessing. Joining such a prestigious basketball program like Michigan really excites me in so many ways. Coming to a new city, meeting new fans, joining new coaches and players is a wonderful feeling. I am definitely ready for this new journey."

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