lsu

NIL being taken seriously. I've heard this was supposed to happen a year ago, but better late than never:

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- NFL Players Association (NFLPA) executive Terése Whitehead, an expert in brand building and athlete marketing, has been appointed as University of Michigan Athletics' first in-house NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) Executive GM in collaboration with Altius Sports Partners (ASP) on Wednesday (May 8). Returning to her alma mater, Whitehead brings extensive experience as Vice President of Consumer Products & Strategy at NFL Players Inc., the for-profit business arm of the NFLPA. Whitehead will spearhead Michigan's NIL program in her new role, leading the department's strategy to provide athletes with comprehensive support and resources to capitalize on their NIL opportunities.

I wonder how much the sudden movement on this after a couple of years of dithering has to do with Sherrone Moore and Dusty May replacing Jim Harbaugh and Juwan Howard. No offense to the prior coaches meant; it's just that Harbaugh and Howard were both very famous athletes who could reasonably believe their star power made NIL relatively unimportant. Moore and May are not, and neither has the kind of bulletproof track record Harbaugh had. Both will seek every advantage they can get.

[After the JUMP: Brian Kelly said what]

*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]

One back, one maybe. Kwity Paye will play for Michigan this fall:

That was the response offered to me last night by a team source in response to whether Kwity Paye would participate during the newly announced season. The senior defensive end has reportedly informed the program of his intention to stay and play.

Unlike the other departures, Paye kept practicing with the team.

The maybe is Jalen Mayfield. Getting him back would be quite the turnaround. Yesterday:

Brian Mayfield, Jalen Mayfield's father, says his son will not re-consider decision to go pro. “He’s not playing. Not for eight games. And there’s no guarantee they’re making it through.”

— Orion Sang (@orion_sang) September 16, 2020

Today Sam Webb reports that it's not a done deal, in part because Mayfield's family is "actively pushing" for him to return. Anyone other than Sam and I'm dismissing that report out of hand, but it is Sam, so… yeah. I'm saying there's a chance. I'd still put that chance in the low to very low zone.

[After THE JUMP: LSU put it in the gumbo]