War. War against Notre Dame never changes.

McGrone

A couple of impending linebacker commitments are part of this cycle's frankly bizarre quantity of straight-up Michigan-ND battles. Notre Dame, which went 4-8 last year, has a coach on the hot seat but is managing to split these about down the middle. That appears to be the case here, as well.

The good news is for IN LB Cameron McGrone, an Opening standout out of Indianapolis. Steve Wiltfong reports that McGrone's only remaining summer trip will be to Michigan's BBQ in little over a week, which is a change from a week ago when Notre Dame was potentially on the docket. Wiltfong hints that a commitment might be on the horizon:

McGrone doesn't have a commitment timetable. He does want to take officials before deciding but we'll see if the BBQ changes that line of thinking.

Tom Loy has flipped his CB to Michigan. That's usually the last thing that happens before an ND-M battle goes the right way.

McGrone flew all the way up to 40th at 24/7 after a dominant performance as a spacebacker at the Opening, and while the other site weren't quite as gonzo the reviews were universally positive. Allen Trieu discussed him in one of those horrible two-people-talking Scout videos, saying that he would be moving up from low four-star territory:

"Faster and more explosive … one of if not the most impressive guy. Very explosive, downhill kind of kid … blitzer, come-forward kind of guy. He's shown at these events that he can move backwards, he can drop into coverage, he can change directions. I think he's a complete linebacker. … He can play a couple of different linebacker spots; he's about 6'2", 220 pounds."

McGrone moved up… a bit. He's the first OLB outside of their top 300 now. ESPN and Rivals haven't reacted yet. ESPN only has an underclass eval for him so McGrone has a shot to move up from generic four star territory when they scout him again; Rivals has stopped attending the Opening for Reasons.

The possibly bad news is for NJ LB/S Shayne Simon, who told the ND 24/7 site that he would be announcing "this week or next week." Simon has been trending to ND recently and one of our heuristics is "who you talk to matters"; an ND site getting the news of an impending announcement is a bad sign.

FWIW, Loy is hedging a little:

The 247Sports Crystal Ball favors Notre Dame over Michigan by a margin of 89-percent to 11-percent, but this is a much closer race than the numbers reflect.

Simon took a sneaky visit to Michigan a few weeks ago, and there is a story here where ND optimism is largely because of his rabidly pro-ND coach and not reflective of reality. When you take a visit to one of your top schools and conceal it from your coach that says somethin' about somethin'.

Simon's mom and aunt are Michigan alums, and Michigan did not go 4-8 last year, so they've got those things going for them. As of about a week ago Lorenz was being told to "keep his crystal ball on Michigan regardless of where his initial commitment is," probably in case ND goes 4-8 again.

Still feels like ND, but this is a shotgun wedding maybe? With elopement possible?

Defensive tackle acquisition program

DT with rec specs: hell yes

Michigan has been rising on NC DT Rick Sandidge's list for a few weeks now after a June unofficial; he talked to Rivals about his recent visit schedule, which includes stops at M, OSU, Georgia, and Florida:

"The Michigan and Georgia visits both stood out to me."

South Carolina, his mom's alma mater and crystal ball favorite, is up next, and then he's shutting it down until he takes his officials. Oddly, the 24/7 South Carolina site asserts that Sandidge has a loose top five of the Gamecocks, M, FSU, UF, and UNC. Scout adds UGA and LSU into a top seven.

This does not qualify as clarity

Rivals's rankings of instate OL Ryan Hayes and Jalen Mayfield are two of the biggest outliers of the cycle so far. Both are composite four stars despite Rivals ranking them 16th and 19th in the state, behind a 5'8" King DB headed to Iowa State amongst others. That's… aggressive. Brandon Brown hits up regional analyst Josh Helmholdt to talk about both guys. The results are unenlightening. Helmholdt says Hayes is a tight end who projects to tackle and that he's somewhat raw because of it. This is the only other scouting-ish item in the piece:

"With guys like both Mayfield and Hayes, they have what it takes at that spot. Playing offensive tackle takes a certain kind of player. You can’t be heavy footed at that position and you have to be able to play with length and foot quickness and both of those guys have it."

Rivals currently ranks both instate Michigan OL commitments behind OL headed to Wake Forest, Duke, BC, and Kansas. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Crootin quote of the week

STRENGTHS: hair, enormousness
AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT: commitment to Michigan

From CA ATH Bryan Addison:

"Michigan has a real chance with me but at the same time maybe not."

Distance is the potential issue. He does plan a visit after picking up an offer, but an entirely West Coast (and Nebraska for some reason) top seven before that offer makes it seem like distance does matter quite a bit.

Addison knows David Long and is planning a BBQ visit; Michigan will know a lot more about their shot in the aftermath. Hopefully that shot is a good one because Addison is a 6'5" WR/S who showed out at the Opening. Scout's Eugene Hankerson on Addison:

Addison worked out strictly at safety at this event, looking extremely comfortable roaming the secondary and causing havoc for opposing quarterbacks … upside is through the roof. … Addison make play after play on the final day of competition, showing range and great closing speed to prevent pass completions.

He's moved into the top 50 at Scout.

Checking in with MSU

The tires are still aflame:

Randy Charlton and James Head, senior three-star defensive ends from Miami (Fla.) Southridge, planned to visit Michigan State today. Per Charlton's father Demetrius Charlton, his son Randy Charlton and Head aren't visiting the Spartans.

"He only visited Indiana," Demetrius Charlton said.

Etc.

5* 2019 NC RB Quavaris Crouch will be at the BBQ on the 29th. It's early but Crouch and IMG RB Noah Cain are the top two bcks in the 2019 class, and both are looking at Michigan.

GA WR Kearis Jackson has set August 19th as his commitment day. Michigan's in his top eight but the Crystal Ball is 100% UGA. Jackson has said he wants to visit Michigan, which he hasn't yet. Odds are he never makes it up.

Michigan offers 2019 TX WR Jordan Whittington.

2019 CO ATH Luke McCaffrey is coming out to visit, but says it's just to hang out with Dylan.

Kentucky is good and normal at recruiting.

Via Licensed Twitter Troll Tim Kawakami:

Word out of Ann Arbor is that former 49ers personnel exec Tom Gamble is joining Jim Harbaugh's Michigan staff...

— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) July 20, 2017

This is considerably more interesting than your average noncoaching hire. Gamble's spent the last three decades as a player personnel type guy in the NFL, almost all of it with the 49ers. He overlapped with Harbaugh for a couple years, leaving after the 2012-13 season for a similar job with the Eagles. That move may have been the beginning of the end for Harbaugh's San Francisco tenure: respected, longtime personnel guy leaves, Baalke consolidates control, starts whisper campaign about Harbaugh, etc., etc., etc.

Gamble returned to the 49ers a couple years later* and was pushed out in February after John Lynch made a couple hires to replace him… including former Lions exec Martin Mayhew. BREAKING: 49ers still owned by Jed York. Kawakami is more or less the only person to have said anything useful about Gamble that I can find:

Of all the 49ers' Baalke guys, no question Tom Gamble was the most connected, experienced and normal. But regime-changes happen.

— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) February 23, 2017

"Most normal" is not often a descriptor applied to Harbaugh hires but given the context that might not mean a whole lot.

Another thing in the podcast...

After several ugly 49ers divorces, Tom Gamble's departure was straightforward & uneventful. That's progress pic.twitter.com/o2Ja1L6iRd

— Guy Haberman (@GuyHaberman) February 24, 2017

Gamble is almost certainly going to be a quasi-GM in Ann Arbor, organizing recruiting boards and talent acquisition attempts. It'll be a shift for him, and for Michigan, but if anything the guy seems overqualified to be a recruiting coordinator.

*[He got fired from the Eagles as part of an ugly power struggle between Chip Kelly and his GM, and arrived in San Francisco just before they hired… Chip Kelly. Kelly was pro-Gamble, at least.]

Previously: Last year's profiles. S J'Marick Woods, S Jaylen Kelly-Powell, S Brad Hawkins, CB Ambry Thomas, CB Benjamin St-Juste, LB Drew Singleton, LB Jordan Anthony, LB Josh Ross, DE Kwity Paye, DE Luiji Vilain, DE Corey Malone-Hatcher, DE Deron Irving-Bey, DT Donovan Jeter, DT Phil Paea, DT James Hudson, DT Aubrey Solomon.

Cesar Ruiz is a rare gent: a plug-and-play high school center. High schools generally shove any D-I OL prospect they get their mitts on out to left tackle for obvious reasons, but Ruiz's transfer to IMG allowed him to spend the last two years actually playing the position he projects to in college.

This was doubly important for Ruiz because he's not just a center prospect. He is The Ultimate Center, per his coach:

There was never a doubt, from day one, that he was going to be a center. …  he’s made to play center. I don’t remember the kid ever having a bad snap. … He’s got the right mentality and the perfect personality for the position. … He’s a real student of the game and then he has the physical skills to go with it. … He’s been making line calls and he can really step and snap. … Most guys we bring in we try to cross train them as guard-centers but we didn’t really do it much with him because he was just the ultimate center and we knew he’d be there.

Squat, intelligent, and immensely powerful, Ruiz would have been wasting whatever snaps he took at tackle. Instead he focused entirely on center at IMG, which paid off in a big way. Ruiz hit the camp scene hard, showing at both the Rivals Five-Star Challenge and the Opening, and followed that up with an appearance at the UA game. After each he climbed the rankings until he was the composite #1 center and the top interior OL in the country. When ESPN moved him to #1 after the UA game they specifically noted his growth at his chosen position:

Cesar Ruiz not only solidified himself as the No. 1 center, but is also one of the most improved players over the past three seasons. Ruiz has become not just a big, tough lineman, but one who also incorporates better technique and exhibits football smarts and leadership skills.

This is an opinion with a lot of data behind it. Every time Ruiz hit a camp he crushed it:

• Brian Perroni at the Opening: "a force in the middle. With big defensive tackles trying to bullrush him after the snap, he set his base quickly and stood his ground."
• Sam Webb at the Opening: one of the top five linemen in attendance … After witnessing him nullify the quickness possessed by Jay Tufele in a one-on-one match up Saturday, we watched him stand up to the power of Marvin Wilson. Scout.com’s #1 defensive tackle was stopped cold in two of three reps. The third and final rep could have gone either way. By the end of the event Ruiz had shown that he is arguably the top center prospect in the country."
• Scout at the Opening: "…stoning defensive lineman after defensive lineman … great lower body strength … rarely pushed backwards" Also: "true center with a great base and balanced strength." Also: "When he locked his hands in, it was over.  He showed great punch and the ability to uncoil coming out of his stance."
• 247 at the Opening: ""just couldn't be moved … such good leverage, such good hand placement, and such tenacity that he won almost every rep. Even massive bodies … weren't able to overpower Ruiz. More active defenders couldn't out-quick him either." Also: "looked like a total star… dominant … only lost a couple reps the entire weekend … in complete control with his hands, his feet, and the way he plays with strength and technique."
• Rivals at the UA game:  “shined … displayed impressive extension and solid power."
• 247 at the UA game:  "…stuffed five-star defensive tackle Marvin Wilson during one-on-ones to highlight his standout performance on Friday. … showed his power and his ability to play with leverage. …also showed good mobility when getting to the second level."
• Scout at the UA game: "good hand placement and a solid base during one-on-ones, and came out on the winning side nearly every time …flashed that pop at the point of attack by getting a good jump off the football. Intelligent and self-assured." Also: "a force throughout one-on-ones, and provides a solid base with his ability to sink the hips and get his hands inside to play with leverage. … intelligent kid that has no problem taking on that quarterback role in the trenches."

Ruiz repeatedly took on the best the country has to offer at DT and stoned them all.

Camps are camps and catch the eye. Sometimes they can be misleading, and that is especially true at intellectually demanding spots like center. That doesn't appear to be the case for Ruiz, who has two years of high level national competition under his belt thanks to his high school team. Adam broke down a full game against Centennial:

…blocks are powerful and driven by a very strong lower body … punch is usually well timed and effective when he does use it. … light on his feet … does an excellent job quickly sliding one gap over; his power step and slide steps are efficient, and he seemingly always keeps a solid base. … great at quickly getting to the second level. … his football IQ seems very high. He picked up twists and knew his assignment.… sometimes has an issue identifying the blitzer in pass pro. …technically-sound road grader … could see him coping with Big Ten linemen in year one before developing into a big plus.

ESPN's eval hits a lot of those same points:

Thickly built center… excellent playing strength and good initial quickness. …good awareness and looks to communicate well and do a good job of recognizing and picking up line stunts and blitzes…. strong punch … good base and balance with enough lateral mobility to stay in front of rushers … size and strength to anchor against power. … Can use angles and with size and strength to control and steer defenders … Can work to improve hand placement and keep feet moving, as can go dead on contact. … Tough and hard-working player … can be a guy who anchors a line for several seasons.

And Scout, despite being the only service to have Ruiz outside their top 50 (he was 98th) has what might be the most positive take of all:

He has a great frame.  He is very strong.  His punch is a real asset.  He has shown the ability to get to the second level.  He is very smart.  He has great awareness.  He likes to compete and finish.  Michigan is getting one of the top offensive linemen in the country and Ruiz will give the Wolverines an anchor in the middle in the years to come.  He, like most linemen, can improve his pad level, continue to works his hand placement better and improve his lateral movement against the quick defensive tackles. 

For its part Rivals praised his "incredibly strong upper body with massive legs and great base" and described him as a "natural" when Mike Farrell picked him over top-rated 2016 center Baveon Johnson when asked to compare the two.

Ruiz enrolled early, furthering his chances at playing this year. Mentions from the coaches have been uniformly positive, with the occasional marvel about his readiness. Pep Hamilton said he's "really ahead of what you'd expect"; Harbaugh praised him as an "old soul" after talking up his maturity, talent, effort, and classroom performance; Drevno said he has a special variety of "football awareness," like he has a "videotape machine in his head, almost, where he can play back what just happened to him."

Elsewhere Dreno is equally pumped, telling MGoBlue "I love him" before launching into a description of his many assets. He went into detail about Ruiz's experience with Sam Webb:

“He’s done it since he was probably in Pop Warner.  Most the time in college football you’re getting a guy that has never played the center spot and you’re training the guy to play the center spot.  This guy has done it.  It is like riding a bike to him.  He’s always had a ball in his hand and a guy breathing down his neck.  He is able to do that absolutely.”

Practice observers have been hardly less effusive. Your author received a report that "the Ruiz hype is real" and that "people expect him to push his way into the starting lineup sooner or later." Webb singled out Ruiz and DPJ when asked about early enrollees standing out; Lorenz reported back that Ruiz is "college ready" a potential four-year starter.

The one potential hitch is Ruiz's conditioning. He arrived in Ann Arbor at 345 pounds and immediately set upon changing that. So far, so good. As of mid-June he was telling reporters that he was down to 317 and within spitting distance of his goal:

"I feel a lot faster, I wake up in the morning with more energy, they've really helped me get my body right," he said. "My goal weight is 315. Coach wants me to play wherever I'm comfortable. I think that's around 315 or 310.

"I can look back on my first conditioning workout here. We ran 12 gassers, I almost couldn't finish the workout. ... I was dying. The other day we did 16 gassers and I felt fine, I could've done more. I can tell my body's changing."

You'd rather have a guy who's settled into a weight and is changing it by a few pounds at a time. Minor nit. It might have kept Ruiz behind Kugler this spring, though.

Ruiz is a center long term but with Michigan's OL still a year or two away from true depth Michigan has been playing some guard. That's just in case he's the best option in case of an injury, I'd imagine.

Etc.: Gross story alert:

IMG Academy coach Kevin Wright saw Cesar Ruiz’s finger as he ran to the sideline and it was bent sideways.

For the first time in two years, Wright thought the nation’s No. 1 center recruit per 247Sports would have to sit for a snap or two.

Ruiz had other plans.

A trainer popped Ruiz's finger back into place in the 2016 season finale, and the blue-chip recruit hustled back on the field to finish out IMG’s 16-6 victory over Bishop Sullivan Catholic.

Why David Baas? I'm not going to pretend that there are a lot of terribly memorable centers in Michigan's recent history. There's David Molk, who is the platonic opposite of Ruiz, Graham Glasgow, and… Mark Bihl?

Baas is the pick here because he was highly touted for an interior OL and hit the ground ready to go, getting one start at guard as a freshman and moving into the lineup for a three-year starting career that saw him named All Big Ten all three years. He only moved to center four games into his senior year, whereupon he won the Rimington. He was scooped up in the early second round by the 49ers and had an 8-year NFL career. He's also a 6'3"-6'4" guy who topped out around 315.

Ruiz should have a career shaped a lot like that, except mostly at center instead of guard.

Guru Reliability: Exacting. Yeah, Scout is a bit of an outlier but their take is in line with everyone else's take. Incessantly scouted at IMG and camps, zero projection.

Variance: Low. Hate hate hate using "low" for OL, but here we are.

Ceiling: Vast. Ruiz clearly has the ability to be the top center in whichever NFL draft he ends up in.

General Excitement Level: Vast. The Rashan Gary of centers? Can I say that? I mean, he's not Rashan Gary, but he whooped up on everyone at the Opening like he was. I probably shouldn't say it anyway.

Projection: 50/50 to be the starting center this year. Kugler left spring practice with a tentative hold on the job but Ruiz is no doubt closing fast as he gets more familiar with the playbook. Even if he does not win the job he's going to play since he appears to be a holy lock to start in 2018.

In 2018, appears to be a holy lock to be a starter, kicking off a three-year tenure.

alias

Draftageddon 2017: Stop Taking Buckeyes Edition

Draftageddon is pre-season All-Big Ten #content given the ol’ MGo-Really-Do-A-Job treatment. We hold a snake draft (1-2-3-4/4-3-2-1 etc.) of Big Ten players and try to build the best teams. You come out of it with a four-deep preseason All-Big Ten. We come out of it primed to cover the upcoming football season and angry at each other.

Previously: The first 10 picks (Hurst, Speight), the next 10 picks (Gary, Peters)

Where things stand after 20 picks:

1. Ohio State (8 [edit: 7] players): DE Nick Bosa (3rd, Seth), QB JT Barrett (6th, Seth), DE Tyquan Lewis (8th, BiSB), CB Denzel Ward (11th, Seth), DT Dre’Mont Jones (13th, Ace), OC Billy Price (17th, BiSB), DE Sam Hubbard (20th, Ace)
2. Michigan (4 players): DT Maurice Hurst (2nd, Brian), DE Rashan Gary (5th, Ace), QB Wilton Speight (a reluctant 7th, Brian), QB Brandon Peters (an obligatory 16th, BiSB)
3. Penn State (2 players): RB Saquon Barkley (1st, BiSB), QB Trace McSorley (4th, Ace)
4. Indiana (2 players): LB Tegray Scales (9th, BiSB), WR Simmie Cobbs (12th, Ace)
5. Wisconsin (2 players): LB Jack Cichy (14th, Seth), TE Troy Fumagalli (15th, Brian)
6. Minnesota (1 player): DT Stephen Richardson (10th, Brian)
7. Iowa (1 player): RB Akrum Wadley (18th, Brian)
8. Maryland (1 player): DT Kingsley Opara (19th, Seth)

As hinted Ace is about to make that 9 Buckeroos.

-----------------------------

Ace: ROUND 6, PICK 1: Jerome Baker, LB, Ohio State

Off: QB Trace McSorley (PSU), WR Simmie Cobbs (IU)
Def: DE Rashan Gary (M), DE Sam Hubbard (OSU), DT Dre’Mont Jones (OSU), LB Jerome Baker (OSU)

Uh, somehow PFF’s #6 returning player in the Big Ten made it to the sixth round:

Raekwon McMillan was the name brand of the Buckeye linebacker corps in 2016, but sophomore first-year starter Jerome Baker was every bit as strong a player in Columbus. Look no further than his performance in The Game, as he terrorized the Wolverines by posting a sack, two hurries and five total stops. His 84.0 run-defense grade is one of the highest among returning Big Ten linebackers this year, and he also gave up just three receptions of over 10 yards on the season.

Baker grades out well in run defense, coverage, and pass-rushing; OSU lines him up all over the place to utilize his versatility and athleticism. He was the best Buckeye defender against Michigan by a significant margin:

There are plenty of impressive MIKE-types in the Big Ten, but none who can play inside and in space like Baker—just watch him at the 3:23 mark above playing man coverage in the slot on Amara Darboh and forcing Wilton Speight to squeeze a low-upside pass into a tight window. I guess he’s worth a sixth-rounder.

-----------------------------

[After the jump: a delightful nit to pick]

AFC wins! Congratulations to AFC Ann Arbor, the NPSL Great Lakes conference champions. Also a cow!

This is actually the Milk Cup, a trophy for the best Michigan team in the NPSL that is somehow not sponsored by Jim Harbaugh. AFC went 12-1-1 to capture the top seed in the Midwest playoffs and will attempt to make the NPSL Final Four next weekend.

Crootin, 1980. Via Dr. Sap:

Spielman sues! Chris Spielman saw this banner and was like aw hell no:

He's suing and trying to get a class of OSU athletes certified to take this wider. The mindblowing thing is that this only comes after eight months of negotiations broke down:

Spielman told Dispatch reporter Bill Rabinowitz that it pains him to sue Ohio State, but “players have a right. If somebody wanted to endorse you, don’t you think you have a right to say yes or no, or to negotiate?”

Yes, I do. Apparently, so does Griffin, the two-time Heisman Trophy winner and former president and CEO of the OSU Alumni Association who supports Spielman’s efforts to gain recompense from universities and corporations that benefit from the use of players’ names and likenesses.

Ohio State takes a different tack, which explains why negotiations between Spielman’s attorney, Brian K. Duncan, and the university dragged over the past eight months without any compensatory agreement being reached.

Never forget that Gene Smith is the dim bulb who chose to go to the Gator Bowl instead of not taking a bowl ban for Urban Meyer's first year. OSU's athletic department sounds like a very Brandon place:

“It’s not the money part of it so much, but (Ohio State’s) attitude toward how they run their operation — with an iron fist, and they smash anyone they can,” Stillwagon said. “But then when you come at them, they say it’s all about giving scholarships. I’ve had dealings with that (OSU) marketing group and they’re abusive.”

Stillwagon loves Ohio State. He and his Buckeyes brethren simply want OSU to love them back by spreading the wealth.

“This (licensing compensation) is just a correction that needs to be done. This is the way it is now,” Stillwagon said. “Coaching is about money. Where you get to sit in the stadium is all about money. But they don’t want to talk about that. Funny, it’s against the mother nation, you know?”

You'd think this should be a slam dunk given the outcome of the Ed O'Bannon case. SI legal guy Michael McCann points out that this is in a different circuit—6th instead of 9th—and that an outcome that conflicts with the O'Bannon precedent would give the Supreme Court a much better chance of reviewing the case.

What Michigan should do. Michigan Licensing, Inc. Avoid these lawsuits and give everyone graduating from the program a healthy chunk of change. It's like bagmen, except explicitly endorsed by the US government?

Rutger can be good. Not that Rutger, Rutger Reitmaier. Michigan pursued Reitmaier pretty hard late in last year's recruiting cycle but he decided to stick it out with Oregon despite a coaching change. That did not last:

BREAKING: 4-Star DL Rutger Reitmaier has decided to transfer from #Oregon (FREE) https://t.co/6OnWTX4XW6 pic.twitter.com/d27ZHiGqNT

— Justin Hopkins (@JHopkinsSD) July 16, 2017

Michigan was expected to be his pick for a minute there because his family was gung-ho about Harbaugh; Sam Webb says Michigan will kick the tires but a longstanding relationship with Brady Hoke will probably point him to Tennessee. Michigan does have the room after Corey Malone-Hatcher's retirement, and the DL they brought in are flexible enough to make it work.

Basketball scheduling items. Michigan draws LSU in the first round of the Maui Invitational. LSU was horrendous last year, going 10-21 and finishing 172nd in Kenpom. They should be better since they'll return everyone they don't run off and add a decent recruiting class featuring top-50 PG Tremont Waters; Michigan should still expect to beat them easily. LSU was 327th in eFG defense a year ago. Beilein will carve them up.

It would greatly behoove Michigan not to lose that game because Chaminade almost certainly awaits the LSU-Michigan loser. Notre Dame, a 26-10 ACC team that got a 5 seed last year and potential good win, is the alternative. Other than Maui, games against UNC, UCLA, and Texas round out the meaningful bits of the schedule.

The rest of the nonconference schedule is the usual:

• North Florida (#255 Kenpom, #221 RPI last year), CMU (#229/218), and Southern Miss (#325/331) are the first three games after the D-II exhibition against Grant Valley.
• No similar excuses for UC Riverside (#311/330), Alabama A&M (#351/351), and Jacksonville (#275/305).  Alabama A&M was 2-27 last year and dead last in Kenpom.
• A game against Detroit (#302/289) at New Joe Louis that is vaguely more acceptable than the other six because it's a local thing.

When you're looking at some other Big Ten team's resume and wondering how in the hell they got a better seed than Michigan, those seven games against awful, awful competition are going to be why. This nonconference schedule has a lot of games that are going to be very hard to win and zero easy wins against decent lower level teams except maybe CMU, which is losing their entire O. I give up.

Meanwhile in Big Ten scheduling, this is one of those years when Michigan plays MSU and Wisconsin just once because Rutgers exists. Thanks, Jim Delany.

Okay then. Andrew Dakich is transferring to Ohio State because they have nine scholarship players, just three of them guards. I do not think this one is likely to lead to a Big Ten championship, as the Max Bielfeldt and Spike Albrecht transfers did for Indiana and Purdue.

Etc.: NCAA basketball to emphasize road wins more. Gary and Hurst show up on NFL.com's list of DL to watch this season. Everything's coming up Milhouse! Toys R Us is struggling. Man says thing. Man soccers with Soccer Stars. Basketball gets a PWO.

[Isaiah Hole/247 Sports]

How badly did you want to get out there with them?

“I wanted to but I pulled a muscle. Hip flexor that I acquired playing softball at Camp MIchigania a couple weeks ago. Still with me. Played softball with—it was the dads versus the camp staff members.”

Double the pain? Hurt then and hurts not to get out there?

[Inaudible because of the construction at Oosterbaan, which looks like it’s coming along nicely.] “Had a nice meeting with the AS Roma staff: their CEO, their general manager, their coach. Had a good talk. There’s some similarities for sure. It was good to see them.”

Are you guys going to the game?

“I don’t know. I’m going but I don’t know if the whole team is going. I think they’d consider that an impermissible benefit, so…they can watch it on TV.”

One of your players suggested the Oklahoma drill. How do you think the soccer players would have done?

“Uh, they would have done good. They were very competitive. You could see it. Especially Kevin [Strootman]. Really enjoyed watching him go through the drills. He’s a guy that’s overcome some real adversity: two ACL injuries. To make it back to the level that he’s playing at right now is very impressive.”

Are there any skills that soccer players possess that you’d like to see your football team pick up?

“I don’t think there’s a better game for running. In terms of running and eye-foot coordination, there’s really no other game like it. I always encourage youngsters in America to play soccer. I think every American boy should play soccer until the eighth grade and then they should play football.”

You learn any preparation tips when you were out there in Italy watching AS Roma, from the team?

“Just the conversations. We never did actually get to watch Roma practice, and then they played their game the day after we left. Very interesting, some of the tips I have gotten from them, is in the way they practice. High intensity, hour-and-a-half to two-hour practices. No breaks. There’s just something about their preparation style. Fergus Connelly, who’s been doing a great job here, came from the football leagues in England and Scotland, so I know for a fact there’s a couple of crossovers and things that we are learning, have learned, and will continue to learn.”

[After THE JUMP: “All deep breaths have been taken now. It’s time to train and get ready for the season.”]