Michigan Friday: Wonders About Nike

If you didn't know, I'm a bit of sneakerhead and love a good pair of sneakers since I was a kid.  Nike has always been my brand, I even wore a new pair in Europe and pretty much trashed them walking through Florence, Rome, Pompeii and other historic cities. 

Every August I get excited about the new Nikes that will be released for the Michigan Football season.  Nike hasn't really released Michigan Jordan's for a number of years (please do!).   They have been releasing versions of its popular running shoe Pegasus with each Nike Football Program during August.  This year they went with an off brand or a Shoe Carnival version called the Air Max Solo.   Nike did something similar last season with its Maize Air Max System.  If your not a sneakerhead, you might wonder what the hell, I'm talking about.  Nike sends weird versions of Air Max to discount stores like Shoe Carnival to meet their market.  It's not the famous Air Max lines (90, 2017, Vapormax, etc) that are in the $200 range, these are $100 shoes.  

On a side note, Nike is struggling for the first time in my life.   There are new brands coming for them.  I was in Chicago in the Spring and everyone was wearing Cloudnova.  It was probably 5-1 over Nike's that I saw.  New Balance continues to do well with its brand and Hoka is a favorite for runners.  To be fair, adidas is struggling as well after the Yeezy fall out.  Under Armour always seems on the brink of bankruptcy as the Curry brand is no longer carrying them.  Skechers is still the #2 sneaker brand in the US, which might surprise many people.  So I get Nike's strategy with this shoe, I just don't like it and it looks "cheap" to me. 

I introduce you to the Michigan Air Max Solo's

Another side note, the MDen struggles have been widely reported.  The season schedule shirts are not in yet and you will see other retailers with the new 2024 sideline gear before the MDen now.  MDen is a local company run by a schoolmate of mine from Pioneer.  I hope they rebound and fix any business issues they have.  I know I am dating myself, but anyone else buy their baseball glove at Stein and Goetz? 😀

• Get ready for the Joe Milton hype again.  He played well last night if the Patriots first preseason game in the 2nd half.  Joe's hype train hits every 2 years or so. 

Have a great weekend and thanks again for sticking with me while I was out for the last few weeks! 

Wolverine Wednesday: Reviews The Rose Bowl Uniform Changes

Michigan has the most iconic helmet in college football.  Most fans believe its a crime to mess with the legendary helmet.  That rule gets a small pass when it comes to the Granddaddy of them all:

What about the uniform?  Michigan is the home team:

Does JJ have special customized Jordan 1 Rose Bowl cleats?

What will the team be wearing on Media Night?

This sweatshirt and a 1/4 zip was available at MDen and Nike.com.  To quote an insider, these have been treated like "gold" and sold out in seconds.  If you have to have one, check out eBay. 

The team left for LA on Tuesday and now will continue its prep in California.

Michigan Friday: Recruiting Trail Updates

As we go into this long holiday weekend, I wanted to wish all the Big House Blog inmates a Happy 4th of July and hope you get to spend time with friends and family! 

Michigan has been firecracker hot on the recruiting trail lately and having one of its best recruiting years ever.  With that said, they can't take everyone and some guys will pick other schools for reasons like a large NIL offer or maybe the path to playing time is a bit shorter.

Ohio 4-star CB Aaron Scott is a favorite of the coaches but was always going to be a tough pull out of Ohio.  The Michigan coaches are working hard and Scott has changed his commitment date from this weekend to the end of July.  The 3 finalists are expected to be Michigan, OSU, and Oregon. 

Texas 4-star giant of an OT Michael Uini who was trending hard to the Wolverines after a visit, now seems to be going to Georgia.  He announces today.  

Ohio/FL 4-star Edge Elias Rudolph is announcing on Monday (7:00 on IG) and is expected to pick the Maize and Blue! 👀 Rudolph is originally from Ohio and moved to Florida.  There is a rumor he could return to Ohio to play his senior year. 

Ohio/FL 4-star CB Jameer Grimsley is expected to announce on July 1. He is a 4-star athlete and probably a CB at the next level, Jameer just visited Ann Arbor on 6/23. Grimsley also transferred to Tampa to play his final year of High School Football. His final 3 are expected to be Michigan, Alabama, and Florida. There are zero predictions for this talented prospect, so his pick will probably be a surprise.

Looks like a number of recruiting services are giving RB Micah Kaapana a ratings bump! 

• There is expected to be a number of big named on air talent laid off at ESPN today

• What do you think of Michigan's new Jordan 12 low cleats?

Michigan Friday: Air Jordan 1 Low "Michigan" PE

As you know, Jordan makes special shoes/editions just for Michigan athletes listed as PE, which stands for player edition.  Here is the latest PE version that hopefully will become available for us sneaker consumers. 

Wolverine Wednesday: Turkey Eve News and Notes

• Remember that high school coach from Belleville that Jimmy was having issues with?  He has been fired and suspended from coaching any sport in the State of Michigan for 2 years.  His team is also playing in the HS State Final on Saturday.  

• Ryan Hayes and Ronnie Bell have both accepted an invite to the Senior Bowl, meaning they will not be returning to Ann Arbor next year. 

• EA Sports College Football won't come out until next year.  As the legend of Denard continues as the last athlete on the cover of the football game for at least another year.  

• For some reason, I love coaching searches in college football.  Nebraska has lost three candidates in about 24 hours.  Matt Rhule reportedly turned down an offer from Nebraska and Leaping Lance Leipold has signed a contract extension with Kansas.  UW also gave new head coach Kalen DeBoer a $1M more a year and an extension.  His name was also being thrown around the Nebraska opening.  The two names left seem to be Jeff Monken (Army) and Gary Patterson (former TCU coach).  Both guys can coach but I don't think either name will make the Nebraska fans happy. 

• Lane Kiffin seems still to be the leader in the clubhouse for the Auburn job.  He told his team he has not accepted another gig.  It seems he wants to protect the Egg Bowl which is played tomorrow.  Hugh Freeze is another name that is tied to the Auburn opening.  Just make sure he doesn't have a school cell phone for his late-night hook ups. 

• Ed McCaffrey has been fired at Northern Colorado.  Dylan ended up not being a very good QB and probably should've been a TE or WR. 

• Seems schools are staying away from Coach Prime due to his involvement in the Prime Academy, a charter school that failed and Deion had to be removed from the staff.  I had no idea about that back story. 

• Former MSU Basketball walk-on and now Billionaire Mat Ishbia gave MSU $14M for Mel Tucker's 10-year $95M contract.  I wonder how much he is going to pay to get MSU out of that contract.  

• Hutch has been named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week! 

• Eli Brooks is playing for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and was two assists away from a triple double last night. 

• Michigan is trending for 2024 3-star WR Channing Goodwin a legacy recruit 

• Speaking of recruiting, Michigan has some work to do in the 2023 class as we are a few weeks away from the early signing period and Michigan has the 22nd ranked class on 24/7.

• LeBron sent the Buckeyes, new LeBron cleats for the game this weekend.  On a side note, Michigan wears Jordan's.  (which outsells LeBron's shoes by 10x)

Michigan Monday: Thank Goodness Michigan Didn't Pick Under Armour

When Michigan left adidas a few years ago they had a choice between Under Armour and Nike/Jordan brands.  UA had been over paying for a few schools like ND and UCLA as their products are not seen on the same level as adidas or Nike mostly when it comes to basketball.  The UA Steph Curry line has seen a dramatic decline in the market after its initial strong release.   It was a bit of an upset when Curry resigned with UA recently. 

Under Armour is now struggling in other areas as its stock is down 75% from 5 years ago.  In November, founder Kevin Plank stepped aside as CEO to become Executive Chairman and Brand Officer.   In that same month last year, the Wall Street Journal reported the SEC and Justice Department are investigating UA's accounting practices and moving around sales to make top line revenue look better then it truly was.    Throw in a Pandemic, the future is not bright for this Baltimore based sporting goods manufacture. 

Now reports are that UA is looking to terminate UCLA's 15 year 280 million dollar contract due to a contractual marketing benefit that UA is saying they are not receiving.  UA also has deals with CAL and Utah in the PAC 12.  In the Big Ten, Maryland, Northwestern, and Wisconsin are with Under Armour. 

UCLA has struggled recently with its 2 highest profile sports and UA has clearly not seen the sales they expected.  If you take that into account, with the other UA issues, it was only a matter of time before they tried to pull the plug on this partnership.   I wouldn't be surprised if this was the first of many contracts UA tries to get out of.  Better take notice The Rock, Cam Newton, Jordan Spieth, and other Universities with huge payments coming. 

If I were ND, Wisconsin, NW, and Maryland (Kevin Plank's Alma Mater) I would be concerned with the stability of the company they're in partnership with. 

Michigan Monday: Loses A WR To Injury

Michigan's offense is pretty deep at most positions right now.   Wide receiver is one of those position groups that has a ton of depth and getting guys on the field will be an issue for Michigan's talented WR's.   News broke on Sunday that true freshman Quintel Kent will miss the season with an undisclosed injury.  Kent is a 2019 3 star WR from Ohio, who most likely would be taking a redshirt year anyway.   Missing practice reps probably won't help his progress, as he was known as a great route runner in high school.   Kent posted this news on social media and there isn't any information on the injury/condition and whether its career ending or not.  Rumor: this is expected to be a Medical Scholarship situation, meaning he will never play football at Michigan but can go to school like a regular student on scholarship.

I'm going to list this as a rumor as it hasn't been confirmed with the player or the team, but it seems Ambry Thomas either has or had Mono.   Ambry is expected to be a starter at CB or at Nickel and if he had Mono would need time to gain some weight and get his strength back.   If this report is accurate, I expect AT could miss a few games while he is working his way back.   This could rush Dax Hill on the field at the Nickel position.

• Tom Brady gets a $8M raise this season.  He deserves double that! 

• Michigan adds a "Jordan" wall in Schembechler Hall.  With all the Michigan PE (Player Edition) shoes.  This should help with recruiting.  

• BTN is expected to do its Camp Tour at Michigan on 8/13

• Congrats to Ty Law on making it official on the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend. 

• Jimmy was on Pardon My Take Podcast this morning, he spoke about how experienced this team is, thinks this could be the fastest defense he has had at Michigan, and that while at Stanford he ran the same play 13 times in a row against USC.  

Michigan Tuesday: New Michigan Jordans and Summer League Stats

The NBA Summer league started quietly last night and former Wolverines Jordan Poole, Duncan Robinson, and MAAR all took the floor.    Lets start with first round Jordan Poole:  played 25 minutes went 3-12 and 0-6 from 3 point range, finished with 6 points.

Duncan Robinson played 20 minutes shot 5-8 and 3-5 from 3 point range, finished with 17 points.  
MAAR played 21 minutes, shot 0-4 and 0-2 on 3's, finished with 0 points.

It's interesting that MAAR is playing for Coach B and the Cavs. Jordan didn't hit any 3's, which is not ideal and Duncan who is clearly now comfortable in the NBA, played very well in limited minutes.

A few years ago after Michigan signed the Jordan contract they released a very limited friends and family release of the Jordan 5 "Fab 5".   These are highly collectable and there is one pair on StockX for $12,500.   The last pair that sold on that site was $8,000.    I think we all would like a pair of those.

A similar "Michigan Inspired" Jordan 5 will release on Saturday.   They are very similar but different.  See below:

Fab 5 Model:

Jordan's that release on Saturday:

Note, there isn't any Michigan branding on the ones releasing on Saturday.   Though sneakerheads are calling it a Michigan edition.

• Coach Gattis top remaining 2020 offensive recruits include: WR Roman Wilson, WR Brenden Rice, TE Theo Johnson, RB Lawrence Toafili, and OT Andrew Raym.  Things are looking solid for Wilson and Rice at WR.  Theo seems to be trending to Iowa, Raym trending to Oklahoma, and Toafili to FSU.   If you didn't know, Brenden Rice is Jerry's son. 

Big Ten Week 5 Preview

Its a no brainer which is the best Big Ten game this week.  Ohio State travels to Happy Valley a place where they have been snake bitten before.   This is the big night game and probably the best game in the Big Ten until Michigan meets Wisconsin in Week 7.

Ohio State @ PSU (-3.5):  OSU is a road favorite which is very interesting.  Many are not buying PSU and feel James Franklin is an over rated coach.   Urban Meyer is back in charge after serving a suspension for enabling Zach Smith.   Ohio State will miss the assembly line of Bosa's they always seem to have.   OSU has played on the road and beat TCU in Jerry World, who then the next week got embarrassed by Texas and are probably closer to average then good.   After nearly getting upset by App. State, PSU has cruised through its schedule.   OSU is the better team:  OSU 31 PSU 21


Indiana @ Rutgers (IU-16.5):   Rutgers is not good again and probably shouldn't even be in the Big Ten.  IU is a team on the rise and will win easy.  IU 42 Rutgers 14

CMU @ MSU (MSU -28.5)  CMU lost to Kansas at home this season, that is what you need to know about the Chips.   MSU easy.   MSU 38 CMU 13

Purdue @ Nebraska (Pur -3.5):  This is the most disappointing team bowl.  Both were winless last weekend and Purdue beat a decent BC team and Nebraska got rolled by the Wolverines.   Purdue is the better team.  Purdue 21 Nebraska 20


That's it folks!  Very few games this weekend.

Jordan is releasing another Michigan shoe this weekend:  It's the Grind 2 at $115.

Wolverine Wednesday: TCU vs. SMU

When I saw TCU and SMU were playing on Friday night, I thought this might be an interesting match-up.   Michigan of course plays SMU this Saturday and TCU plays Ohio State.    The game started and SMU got off to a 9-0 start with a TD and Safety and the upset was on.   After that, TCU scored 42 points and SMU scored 3.   The upset was off and it set up the ABC Primetime game of the week with OSU vs. SMU.  If you didn't know, TCU is not hosting Ohio State at their stadium, it's at Jerry World/AT&T Stadium.    Clearly, Michigan should have played ND at Lucas Oil.

• SMU's QB Ben Hicks threw 38 times, completed 18 for 111 yards
• SMU rushed for 131 yards 

Not exactly an offensive explosion and Michigan's defense should be able to stop SMU's offense all day.  

I also don't expect Ohio State to struggle with TCU.  Its at a neutral site and I expect OSU will handle TCU's running spread.   Of course this early in the year, I'm betting Gary Patterson hasn't put too much of his offense on tape yet.  

• If you didn't notice, Carlo Kemp played DT during the WMU game as Solomon/Marshall was out with injuries.   I've been excited about Carlo since he signed and its great to see him getting more playing time.   Reviews of his play at DT seemed to be very strong.  Also I think Bryan Mone has been in the program for 10 years. 

• Michigan seems to be turning the tide with local 2020 5 star recruit OG Justin Rodgers.   Michigan needs all the offensive line help they can get and should be on any instate 5 star.

• Forbes has Michigan's Jordan deal as the #4 deal in College Sports.  The top 3 are UCLA, Louisville, and Texas.   If your wondering how UCLA and Louisville have the top 2, its because Under Armour and Adidas have to over pay for their contracts.   

• Isaiah Foskey, a 4 star TE from De La Salle in CA, noticed his friend Giles Jackson committed to Michigan and wondered on Twitter if he should join his brother in Ann Arbor.    His top schools are Michigan, ND, CAL, OSU, and Washington.  He better hurry if he does, Michigan needs OT, DT, and outside WR to round off the class. 

Breaking News: Michigan Looking Into Players Selling Team Issued Jordans

stadium goods

As I mentioned here on Tuesday, the sneaker re-sale market is a big business and for Michigan to have avoided the pitfalls of a player re-selling his Jordan's has been a minor miracle.   That quickly changed today as news broke that Michigan is investigating the below report from ESPN.


It seems the shop that bought the North Carolina Players shoes, also has some Michigan shoes in stock.  Like I mentioned on Tuesday, Stadium Goods has a pair of Michigan Jordan's for sale for $6500.


A source told ESPN that the retailer told UNC it had bought shoes from other schools, including Michigan, Marquette and California. Officials from all three schools acknowledged, through athletic department spokesmen, that they were contacted by North Carolina and are in the process of investigating the claims.


This could be something or nothing.  Jordan provides "friends and families" shoes to many athletes and celebrities, so it doesn't mean that a player sold their pair.   Also a former player could have sold his shoes. 


Let's hope this is nothing and the current Wolverines did the right thing.

Michigan Tuesday: I'm Glad It Hasn't Happened Here

When Michigan signed up with the Jordan brand, I was worried about one thing:  players selling their gear for huge dollars.  That is exactly what happened at North Carolina's Football program yesterday.   North Carolina of course has been with the Jordan Brand for basketball for many years but recently extended that relationship to the football team.   13 football players have been suspended for 4 games because they sold their team issued Jordan shoes.   The suspensions include NC's starting QB.


The issue is, team issued or PE (player edition) Jordan shoes can go from $5,000 to $10,000 a pair on the resale market.   The shoes are not available to the public and carry a huge resale due to the very limited access.  For example, Stadium Goods a famous footwear re-sale shop currently has a pair of Michigan Jordan PE's in size 12.5 for $6500.   This doesn't mean an active player sold his shoes. Jordan gives out shoes to "Friends and Family" (for example DJ Khaled or Mark Wahlberg) members, Michigan staff gets them, or a former Michigan player could have sold them.




So players can make an easy $1000-$3000 per pair that they got for free.  That seems to be a very dangerous combination, one that Michigan has been able to avoid so far.   I would imagine that the team's compliance office has to remind players every single day not to sell their Jordan gear or shoes.




Speaking of Michigan Nike's available to the public, these will release next week at a price of $110.  Michigan Nike Free Trainer 8.

• 100 people showed up for the Urban Meyer rally last night at Ohio Stadium. 

Wolverine Wednesday: Introduces The New Michigan Jordan Trainer 3

Every late July/early August it seems the Jordan brand plans to release a brand new Michigan Trainer.   This year is no exception and the below shoes are expected to hit the market soon.   Other schools like UNC, Oklahoma, and Florida will also get a version.  Florida and OK are new to the Jordan brand. 


The shoes are termed Jordan Trainer 3 "week zero" and features jersey mesh construction and official school logos.  I had a little birdie tell me that the Michigan versions will be available at 10 AM EST on Saturday.




Cost is $125 and I also expect these to be available through Fanatics.   I will have a link up if you would like to purchase them and support the BHB at the same time!  

• Former Michigan LB and free agent signee to the Miami Dolphins Mike McCray has decided to call it a career and retire from football.   Good luck Mike and I'm sure your body has had enough football for a life-time!

• Higdon was 6 yards from a 1000 last year and said if he had hit that mark, he would have turned pro.

• Purdue's visitors locker room now has air conditioning.  Welcome to 1975!

Wolverine Wednesday: New Jordan's For The Public Coming in June

If you want to wear the shoes Jordan Poole was wearing in the biggest shot of the tournament so far.  You can still purchase the Michigan Jordan 32's from Nike.   They still have the Westbrook Why Not's still in stock as well.   Both shoes versions sold out quickly at the MDen put there are plenty available at Nike or Ebay. 


When the shoes are still available at Nike, that means they didn't have the impact Nike was hoping for both models of Michigan Jordan's.   So the Jordan Brand will release Michigan Jordan 12's in June.   The price will be $225 which is very expensive and I expect in limited availability. 


The picture below is probably not the version that will be released:





The team also has a PE (player edition) that is different from above. 

• Speaking of the Sweet 16 Basketball team, the Wolverines made it to LA last night.   I'm sure they will get a good practice in today and then of course the game against Texas A&M on Thursday night.

Jimmy, Jim, and Pep the new Michigan Football offensive brain trust say they are going to run more RPO's next year.   I don't care if they run more wishbone as long as it gets more first downs and touchdowns.   Michigan was also going to run the west coast offense last year.  Not sure that ever happened. 

• Spring Game is April 14th at 7:00.  Its free.

Michigan Friday: A Big Day For Wolverine Sneakerheads

Nike and the Jordan Brand are dropping two new Michigan basketball shoes today at 10:00.   They will be available at MDen and probably online at Nike.com.  


It's rare for Jordan to drop two Michigan shoes on the same day, but they are hoping that March Madness will open your wallet.  It's a little taste of the new and a little taste of the old.    We will take a look at both shoes in todays post. 





These shoes are the newest in the Jordan line.  It's Russell Westbrook's first signature basketball shoes (he has done a few lifestyle shoes for Jordan) called the Why Not Zer0.1.  The first Why Not's sold out quickly, but the second and the third releases around the All Star Game are still available.  


I believe I saw Charles Matthews wearing these this past weekend in NYC as the Wolverines ran the table.   As you can see there are no laces on these and very lightweight.  Retail is $125







These are the Michigan edition Jordan 32's low.  If you ask regular sneakerhead's they would've preferred a release in a much lower Jordan version number.  We didn't get that and today we have the 32's.  Which seems to be a trend as the last Michigan Shoe was the Jordan 31's.  This isn't your fathers Jordan's and crafted for today's marketplace with the flyknit uppers and leather heel panel.   Retail is $160. Update: Sold out at MDen - still available at Nike.com

• Looks like David Brandon will be looking for another gig as Toys-R-Us isn't going to make it out of bankruptcy and are starting the liquidation process.   Another major retailer dying as our shopping habits continue to change. 

• Coach B will being running a full game inter squad scrimmage today with officials to keep his team sharp during the break.

• ESPN recently removed Jemele Hill from Sports Center and this morning it was announced today will be Michael Smith's last day on the show as well.  Both still remain under contract with ESPN.

Michigan Tuesday: Rest vs. Rust

In the NBA playoffs, teams try to get through the first couple rounds as fast as possible so they can have extra rest before the next series begins.   Michigan just won 4 games in 4 days and will have either  9 or 10 days off until the NCAA Tournament starts.  


With the compressed Big Ten schedule this year and the early Big Ten Tournament to play at MSG, the Wolverines get maybe too long of a break.   I know some coaches even thought about scheduling a non-conference game this weekend, but I think you run up against a rule that only allows so many regular season games for most programs.   The Nebraska and Penn State's of the world who are probably on the outside looking in for the NCAA tournament would have loved one more win to help their resume.   Michigan needs a game just to stay sharp. 


There is nothing that will make a hot team cold faster then a long layoff between games.   So Coach B has his hands full to keep this team playing at a championship level the next 10 days.

• Michigan is now a top 10 team and ranked #7 by the AP.

• I feel terrible for Mo Hurst who had to go home from the NFL Combine this weekend as a heart condition was found during his NFL physical.   Word is that Michigan was also aware of the condition and cleared Big Mo to play.   Since Michigan has one of the best Cardiology Departments in the US, lets hope the NFL clears him as well and that this isn't serious or life threating.

• The Jordan Brand will release 2 Michigan shoes on Friday.  The first is the Michigan 32 which we showed you last week.   The second shoe is the Jordan Why Not?, which is Russell Westbrook's new Signature Jordan shoe line.  I believe some of the Wolverines were wearing these during the Big Ten Tournament.  Price is $125

• Coach Drevno ended up at USC as RB Coach and Passing Game Coordinator.   Good Luck to him.

• Former Michigan kicker Ryan Tice will play at Tennessee next year.

• 4 star 2019 DT Mazi Smith really connected with the new Michigan S&C staff on his recent visit to A2.

Wolverine Wednesday: Shea's Appeal and New Michigan Jordan Release Date

Michigan has officially filed the paperwork for Shea Patterson to become immediately eligible.   Many insiders believe this to be a done deal, I'm hopeful but know that the NCAA could make any decision here. 


The NCAA cleared all the players on the basketball FBI list in a matter of days to protect the NCAA Tournament.  My hope is this doesn't take more then a month for a decision.




Nike and Jordan will release their next Michigan shoe on 3/9.  It's the Jordan 32.












Retail is $160 and I don't see any Michigan markings on the shoe.  Meaning if these are the released version, the only way to tell they're "Michigan" special edition is by color only.

Michigan Tuesday: Get Used To The Maize For Saturday

I'm a guy that likes tradition and really don't see a reason to change uniforms, etc.   I know its a big trend and the players and recruits like it.  


I think the below looks like a Halloween costume that really doesn't understand Michigan's colors.  The Blue looks off to me as well.   My son, (whose birthday is today!)  said these are, "Fire". Ok, I will now officially stop being the "get off my lawn!" guy.  

• Matt Godin suffered a torn ACL in a preseason game for Houston last weekend.   That is really bad news as we get close to cut down day.

• Jimmy tweaked Florida during his game week presser by saying he hasn't got anything from Florida on which QB they are starting either.   Florida did release a depth chart today and Michigan's is expected to on Wednesday.

• Former MSU Basketball Coach Jud Heathcote has passed.

• Myles Sims is still '100' percent to Michigan but will take other visits.

• These Michigan Jordan Trainers 2 are releasing tomorrow.

Michigan Friday: Time To Spend Some Mone

maizenbrew.com

Michigan had one of the best defensive lines in the country last season.   Taco, Glasgow, and Worm are in the NFL now and it's time for Mo Hurst and Rashan Gary to set up.     Michigan also has a fast DE in Chase Winovich that will get plenty of sacks and TFL's.  


A guy that could really stand out this year is Bryan Mone.  We have been waiting for Bryan to become an all Big Ten/All American type of player.   When Jimmy took over the job he called out Bryan as being one of the best players on the team.   Injuries have really killed Bryan's last two years and the Michigan faithful is waiting to see that player.  


Sam Webb has a free practice report up and J.T. Rogan, Michigan Director of Communications and Operations for Football had some interesting things to say about Mone:  "I've just seen a lot of really great things out of Bryan Mone. I've seen power, I've seen quickness, and I've seen speed. I think I have seen what Michigan fans had hoped to see for a couple of years now. There's a lot of optimism about him on the defense."


There are going to be a lot of good Dlines this year.  Ohio State will have one, FSU another, Florida, and Alabama will have dominating defensive lines.   You can add Michigan to that list and if Mone becomes the player we think he is, they could be right at the top.

• Michigan is in the Top 5 for 2018 TX 4 Star TE Mustapha Muhammad.   Most expect the Wolverines to lead for the talented TE.

• Wisconsin LB Jack Cichy is out for the season after tearing his ACL in practice.   He might have been the #1 LB in the Big Ten.

• There are reports that Nike will release the Michigan Jordan 13's later this month.   Below is a PE (player edition) that was released to players earlier this year.   These will be expensive and in high demand.

Michigan Thursday: Takes a Look at The 2017 Nike and Jordan Gear

Thank you for all of you that have purchased your Michigan gear from the ad on the left side of the BHB! 


Today, I will pick a few of my favorites in the newly released 2017 Nike/Jordan Gear:





Love this new Nike Flex Hat.  Big fan of the use of the old Wolverine logo!  $26



This is the new Dri-Fit Jordan Player Sideline shirt.  Clean and Simple! $70



This is the Jordan 2017 Football Facility T-Shirt.  Another clean shirt! $30


I will pick more items as they become available!

• Former Michigan offensive lineman David Dawson has now decided to transfer to Morgan State.  He was going to Iowa State but decided against that.

• 2018 NY TE Jeremy Ruckert will announce his decision next Monday.   He has Michigan in his final 4 but it seems he is leaning towards the Buckeyes.  

• 2018 IL TE Luke Ford will be visiting Ann Arbor a week from Saturday.    TX TE Mustapha Muhammad who seems to be a Michigan lock for many months now, still hasn't committed.  Which isn't a great sign.

• 4 Star  NJ OLB Shayne Simon wants to decide before his high school season starts.   Most believe its down to a Michigan and ND decision.  Shayne has a number of former teammates on ND but his mom is graduate of U of M.  Flip a coin on this one.