Michigan Monday: Biff is Back and Haywood Announces Today

Biff Poggi is back as a Michigan coach in some capacity, which we expect as a member of Sherrone's staff.  This is a huge hire and a perfect running mate with Sherrone as he continues to learn how to become a great head coach.  Great re-hire! 

5-star OT Ty Haywood is expected to announce his college decision today. 👀  Wednesday is the final signing day of the 2025 class.  Haywood is a former Bama commit. 

Biff and Haywood today? Yes, please!

• In a unique move by the GOAT, Chip Kelly becomes the OC of the Raiders.  Ohio State loses both their OC and DC from their Peach Bowl Championship. 

• Michigan Basketball has the Flu and is struggling at a bunch of important areas on the floor but pulled out a win against Rutgers on Saturday. 

• Michigan goes 0-2 with ND OL transfers with Coogin going to IU and Rocco goes to Nebraska.  It seems Michigan made business decisions with both.  Rumors were Rocco was looking for $1M and most considered that too much for his skill set. 

• That was a crazy NBA Trade! 

• I don't think Edwards or Stewart played in the Senior Bowl game.  They practiced but I don't believe they played. 

• Happy Birthday Sherrone!  Let's hope your gift is a 5-star OT! 

Wolverine Wednesday: Nice Job Big Ten

The Big Ten took all the drama out of the Big Ten Championship game, at least for one team.  After announcing yesterday that Oregon has qualified for the game after they did some math.   Fantastic job Big Ten of making a quiet release about the Championship game! 

Biff Poggi is expected to spend the weekend in Ann Arbor visiting his old program and talking with Sherrone.  Yes Please!

• Breaking News: Michigan has flipped 4 star CB Elijah Dotson from Pitt a current teammate of Bryce Underwood.  Yes Please x 2!

• Micah Ka'apana could make his Michigan debut this weekend at RB. 

• Reports are Michigan is trying to flip 5 star Bama commit OT Ty Haywood.

Michigan Monday: Coaching and Too Early Look at Illinois

Since College Football is now professional football we are starting to see talent be spread out across teams and conferences.  Back in Bo's time in Ann Arbor, he would just sign a 100+ really good players.  When one went down, another would step up.  The same thing could be said about Alabama or Georgia.  They would load up rosters so the next man up would be just as good or better then the player that started and got injured.  

Now rosters are skinny and lack depth even for those two SEC giants.  Any team can lose any Saturday.  Bama lost 2 weeks ago to Vandy and struggled to beat South Carolina this week.  We all know too well what Michigan is going through this season.  

Which leads me to an NFL game yesterday.  The Lions vs. Cowboys.  First off, I feel terribly for Hutch, he turned around Michigan and is turning around the Detroit Lions.  I hope the surgery last night was a success, that it was a clean break and quick heal up for next season.  

If you look at both rosters, its pretty close talent wise.  The edge might even go to the Cowboys.   The game is in Dallas and Dallas has won the last 5 games against the Lions.  One team has a washed up coach that was washed up when he left Green Bay, the other has an aggressive players coach with the hottest head coaching candidate as his OC.   You know the outcome.  Coaching matters, motivation matters and our Wolverines are lacking both right now.  

Everything Sherrone does is a test to see if he can handle this job at Michigan.  Getting better during a bye week is a test.  Recruiting a top 10 class is a test.  Getting the most out of his staff is a test.  Motivating the team to play on the road is a test.  Fixing the offense is a test.   Fixing the holes on defense is a test.  Outside of recruiting Sherrone is failing most of these tests.  

What Iowa did to UW this past weekend was embarrassing to the Michigan Football Program.  I don't care where they played the game, when Iowa puts 40 on you and Cade throws for 100 yards, there is an issue.  Do you think Michigan can play with Oregon or OSU?  Not right now they can't.  Wink was a terrible hire and Sherrone is looking more like the Central Michigan TE coach then the head ball coach at Michigan.   I don't disagree that Sherrone did an excellent job the last 3-4 years at Michigan with the offense line but the offense was Harbaugh's not his and its showing right now.  Sherrone's calling card of being a great OL coach is also not showing this season.  When Harbaugh had some heart issues on the sidelines on Sunday, Jesse Minter stepped in as head coach for a few series.  Do you think the defense would be playing like it has if Jesse was the head coach of Michigan?  Coaching matters. 

Too Early look at Illinois:

Record: 5-1

Best Win: #22 Nebraska

Only Loss: Penn State 

Last game: Beat Purdue 50-49

Pass: 242 (58th)

Run: 139.5 (87th)

Score: 31 (51st)

Give up: 20 (32nd)

Illinois has been sneaky good this year with early wins over a ranked Kansas and Nebraska.  The only bad outing was a trip to Happy Valley where they only scored 7 points.   The Purdue game was a bit of a disappointment when the the Boilermakers went for 2 and the win but didn't succeed 50-49.  Illinois was a 3 TD favorite. 

Line: Michigan -1

• In the good news file, Michigan did receive a prediction from Wilfong for 2025 5-star OT Andrew Babalola.  

• Mikey got his first NFL Interception

• Speaking of coaching, did Oregon put 12 players on the field to stop Ohio State and run the clock knowing it would only lead to 5 yards?

• Ryan Day is 2-7 against top 5 teams 

• Over the weekend, every former Urban Meyer head coached team lost.  Which includes Bowling Green, Utah, Florida, Ohio State, and JAX Jags. 

• Roman Wilson is back from injury and played for the Steelers on Sunday. 

Michigan Monday: Has That Same Feeling Again

Before we get started, this is not a "fire Sherrone" post.  I like Sherrone and he needs to continue to work his way into this job. 

The biggest risk in hiring Sherrone as the Michigan Football Head Coach is that he didn't have any head coaching experience.  That is a big leap for anyone.  Michigan is a final destination job in college football and the top of the ring for many coaches.  This job is too big for most coaches.   It was too big for both Rich Rod and Hoke who had lesser head coaching jobs prior to Ann Arbor.  If we go back a few years you can add Gary Moeller to that list.   There is no honeymoon period for this job.  Even when Harbaugh was struggling, I knew this job was not too big for him. 

Michigan's Basketball program is another example.  Michigan hired a legendary former player that learned from one of the best head coaches in the NBA.  The Michigan job was too big for Juwan.  In fact, every coach since Fisher it has been outside of Coach B and hopefully Dusty.  Remember Brian Ellerbe?  I think he left basketball all together after his time in Ann Arbor.  

Sherrone might turn out to be a great head coach or he could be a great coordinator.  This year has to be a whirlwind for him: National Championship, Harbaugh and staff leaves for LA, and now gets the keys to the castle.  

Michigan right now has some fundamental issues that falls on Sherrone's desk. 

• Running an offense that was built for JJ and Blake.  You have to reboot your playbook every year to match your roster.  That clearly hasn't happened.  

• If your not going to reboot your playbook, you have to find a transfer QB that can run it.  Michigan has the largest and richest alumni base in the nation.  There has be a way to find a QB that fits your system. 

• Your staff seems like a deer in headlights during games.  No adjustments on anything.  Every coach has to be better on game day.

• Complete miss on Donovan Edwards.  I love Big Game Don, but he should be used like Reggie Bush at USC or the way the Ravens uses Dax brother Justice Hill. 

• The only reason to hire Wink is he was the original designer of this defensive system.  The guy was not hireable in the NFL and left a long line of teams not wanting him.   HE WAS FIRED BY A HARBAUGH.  I hope he is renting  a house in Ann Arbor.  

• Orji is the QB for two reasons, 1 - to run the ball and 2 - to not turn the ball over.  He ran for a total of 12 yards on Saturday (2 good runs).  20 yards if you remove the sacks.   He is so scared to make a mistake in the passing game, he is not throwing the ball accurately.  Something he never has done successfully not even in high school. 

I have a hard time believing this was the plan going into the season.  We have to be missing something, right?  Was Tuttle expected to be the starter?  If it was Orji, where are the running plays designed for him?  Also very few offenses drive the ball down the field in the passing game.  It's a bunch of dump offs and 8 yard crossing rights.  I assume Orji can complete those. 

I dd see some new formations on Saturday.  I like having both Edwards and Mullins in the game at the same time.  I'm still sick on that pick, when Edwards is all alone running down the sideline and Orji throws it right at the safety.  Michigan should have won that game by 21 points on Saturday.   

I don't know if this football travels.  The defense and special teams will have to continue to win games if it does. 

Too Early Look at Washington

Record: 3-2 

Last game: Loss to Rutgers 21-18

Best Win: Northwestern 24-5

Pass: 296 Yards (24th)

Run: 173 (61st)

Score: 27 (84th)

Give up: 12.4 (10th)

This is a National Championship rematch and I'm not sure these teams will recognize each other after only playing a few months ago.  2 new coaching staffs and 2 completely different programs.  Michigan will be playing a head coach from the Harbaugh tree in Jedd Fisch.   Washington has a transfer QB in Will Rogers and a Belichick running the defense. 

Game time: 7:30 NBC 

Line: Wash -2.5

• Is Nico the best WR in the NFL? 

• Michigan somehow moved up to #10 in the country. 

• Harbaugh lost a close one to The Super Bowl Champs

• Will J. Stewart and Will Johnson be ready for Saturday?

• Ever see a conference make a business decision on a replay call?  The ACC did that on Friday night.  

• Alabama and Georgia played a classic on Saturday night.  

• Is Indiana good?  Worried about that road trip. 

• Purdue fires its OC Graham Harrell 

Michigan Thursday: Big Ten Week 1 Preview

The Big Ten season starts tonight with Minnesota, Illinois, and Rutgers playing.  Sparty and Wisconsin also have games on Friday.  With the new teams to the Big Ten, this post just got very long! The season is here folks! 

Tonight:

Howard @ Rutgers (-36.5):  Does Wheat still coach Howard?  He doesn't.   Rutgers 40 Howard 6

North Carolina (-2) @ Minnesota: Best game of the night and a tough opener for the Golden Gophers.  Are we still rowing the boat?  UNC 17 Minnesota 10 

East Illinois @ Illinois (-28): The Battle of Illinois.   Illinois 44 EIU 13

Friday Night Football!

FAU at MSU (-14):  If you have been following this blog for years you know my connection to FAU.  Go Owls!!   FAU 20 MSU 21 

Western Michigan @ Wisconsin (-23.5):  I really think there should be an official MAC vs. Big Ten weekend every season.  Wisconsin 21 WMU 6

Saturday:

#8 Penn State (-8) @ WVU:  Best Big Ten game of the weekend.  Penn State needs to be very careful here and I think they get upset.   WVU 30 PSU 24

Illinois State @ Iowa (-22.5):  So can Iowa score 23 points to cover?  Iowa 21 ISU 3

UConn @ Maryland (-20.5):  Big East vs. ACC!  Love this game on the hardwood.  Tua 2 where are you?  Maryland 30 UConn 17

Indiana State @ Purdue (-33):  Larry Bird is not walking through that door.  Another good basketball game.  Purdue 28 ISU 10

Akron @ #2 OSU (-48.5): Is this the LeBron James Game?  He must be taking some time off from making Michigan Netflix documentaries to watch this game.  OSU 50 Akron 9 

FIU @ IU (-22):  This game would be better at Pitt Bull Stadium.  IU 20 FIU 3

UTEP @ Nebraska (-27.5): People believe this is Nebraska's bounce back year.  I saw Matt Rhule in the PHX airport a couple months ago.  Nebraska 31 UTEP 12

Miami OH @ Northwestern (-3): Where is Northwestern playing this year?  Is Miami Good?  Lots answered in this game.  NW 14 Miami 10

Idaho @ #3 Oregon (-43.5):  Why is there a Pac 12 team in this post?  Ducks 58 Idaho 7

UCLA (-14) @ Hawaii:  Love the location not the game.  Another PAC 12 team?  UCLA 28 Hawaii 24

Weber State @ Washington (-27):  Hello? PAC 12?  Good Sh*t Jedd.  Washington 49 Weber 14 

Sunday Night Football 

#23 USC vs. #13 LSU (-4) in Vegas: I stand corrected.  This is the best PAC 12 game of the weekend.  Wait, what?  LSU 28 USC 24

• DPJ lands on the Lions practice squad. 

• Sherrone has hired former Vanderbilt running backs coach Jayden Everett as an analyst. 

Much better Nike, much better! 

Wolverine Wednesday: Midweek News and Notes

When Harbaugh got to Michigan he invested heavily into the analyst role.  These are usually young or former coaches in between on-field coaching jobs.  Their roles were to review film, scout other teams, work with kids in the film room, etc.  Basically, everything that's not on a football field   Some of these coaches have better relationships with the players then the actual position coaches.  Alabama was very strong in this area, Harbaugh copied that model and won a NC with it.

New rules are now in effect that these analysts can be on the field at practice and during games.  This is a huge advantage for programs like Michigan and other programs that invest in these analyst positions.  Now these coaches can coach and can help players on and off the field.  Well done NCAA! 

• I'm pretty sure the Knicks are trying to put together that Villanova squad that beat Michigan in the National Championship game.  They now have 4 players from that team. 

• Is this the worst NBA Draft in recent history?  At some point, I think you just let the teams that didn't make the playoffs draft and make everyone else a free agent.  The Knicks don't think much of the draft and just gave up 5 first round picks for Bridges. In my proposed model, you can only sign a maximum of 2 rookie free agents if you are a team that is not draft eligible. 

• Michigan's recent RB commit, Donovan Johnson was a 5-star prospect before his knee injury last season.  Did Michigan get a steal with other programs waiting to see how he heals?  Let's hope so. 

• Another rule change that goes into effect after Aug 1.  In 2025, the entire month of July will be a recruiting dead period, so coaches can plan for the season.  So this years BBQ at the Big House in July might be the last one. 

Wolverine Wednesday: Mid-Week News and Notes

• Sherrone has again fished in Ohio State's pond and took staffer Erin Dunston as the new Director of Operations.  I love that Coach Moore is investing more in the recruiting and operations part of Michigan Football the Business. 

• Predictions are starting to come in for 4-star Safety Kainoa Winston

• Today is Tom Brady day in New England 

• Former Nebraska QB Adrian Martinez is the UFL MVP

• Predictions are coming in for DL Maxwell Roy, is he from HBO's Succession?

• Michigan Basketball is rumored to be playing in a tournament next season called The Players Era Festival that is very fruitful for the players in NIL money.

• US Open Stuff:
• Jon Rahm has withdrew due to a foot infection
• Rory and his wife has reconciled and no longer going to get divorced
• Played #2 about 5 years ago, toughest course I've every played. The greens are very difficult and if your off the fairway, you could be under a tiny little bush. It is a course you have to play many times to understand where to hit the ball on the greens.

Michigan Tuesday: A Recruiting Department Re-Boot

When Jim got to Michigan he beefed up the non-coaching staff.  Which meant there was a team of coaches watching film, preparing for opponents, and working with the Michigan athletes off the field. 

When Sherrone took over for Jim, he stated he wanted to build up the recruiting staff.  Which he has continued to do.  We know the sad story of Denard, so need to rehash it.   Over the weekend, the Director of on-campus recruiting Christina DeRuyter left Michigan for a role on Jim's staff with the Chargers.  She was on staff for 3 years and I would call that a pretty good 3 year run! 

Denard has been replaced by Sam Popper who held the same role at Oregon and Akron.  Michigan also recently hired Kayli Johnson (Will's sister) to replace the duties DeRuyter had. 

Lose one gain, gain 7?

Sherrone on Sunday hired 7 new recruiting analysts:

• Aidan Young – recruiting analyst, Oregon alum
• Richard Perry – defensive back recruiting analyst
• Reid Kuhl – recruiting analyst, Michigan alum
• Preston Sagan – recruiting analyst, Clemson alum
• Jacob Weber – recruiting analyst, Indiana alum
• Jacob Sakk – recruiting analyst
• Jack Turner – recruiting

Welcome, now sign some 5 and 4 stars! 

• I hate to do RIP bullets and this weekend had more than its fair share. 
• Former Michigan Basketball player Thad Garner gone at 64
• Bill Walton 
• PGA Golf Pro Grayson Murray 
• Thoughts and prayers goes to each one of these gentlemen's family and friends.