Unverified Voracity Has Cool Surprises, Kids
Just another day in the life.
Harbaugh @dpshow "I want you to put that face in a pie better than anyone has ever put a pie in their face before" pic.twitter.com/9Cuz6r19NY
— angelique (@chengelis) February 5, 2016
Hackett on WTKA. Jim Hackett stopped by The Michigan Insider today for a 30-minute long interview that wandered through a bunch of news. He of course kicked things off by sounding like your kindly grandfather trying to relate to 13-year-olds in board shorts:
Hackett anticipates ‘cool surprises’ for UM schedule
In other news things:
- Hackett does not think that the MSU flip is fixable.
- The Big Ten is going to go to more of an SEC model with conference scheduling after the move to nine games: "…because of the nine-game Big Ten season, we’re going to have to have an early Big Ten game as the season opens."
- All games going forward will be sold by the Big Ten Network, so Michigan's ability to schedule Notre Dame is further compromised. So that sucks. On the other hand, no more Jerryworld. I might take that tradeoff.
- Despite that both head coaches in the M-ND rivalry want to see it return, and people are working towards making it happen in some capacity. This is the first public confirmation that the series might return.
- Michigan will be forced to play more night games from 2017 onward.
SOTS on the tubes. In case you missed it:
Signing of the Haters. A lot of Michigan State folk have spent the last couple days talking about something that doesn't have a damn thing to do with them. Par for the course, but once they start yelling about how "Signing of the Stars" was some sort of unethical boondoggle designed for hype and recruiting I have various fuses in my head blow and can only reset them by typing this on the internet.
So.
1. Yes, it was designed to put Michigan in the news. It worked so spectacularly that UCF is complaining about it. It will hopefully boost Michigan's recruiting going forward.
2. It also raised 120k for pediatric cancer research. I shouldn't have to even bring this up because having a goofy variety show where you introduce recruits does not need to be justified. The correct answer to "Michigan had a Signing Day event" is "so what?", not "but it was for cancer." Michigan could have raised zero dollars and there would be no valid complaints outside of corniness.
3. But they did raise some money for cancer.
4. Contrary to Detroit-area sports-talk mouthbreathers, the folks who showed up did so for free. Delta even donated the flights.
5. Michigan State fans just can't stand a coach who yells at referees like a maniac and does everything he can for media attention. If they had such a coach they'd tar and feather him and shoot him into the sun.
Or maybe they wouldn't.
This is virtually identical to Alabama lizard people moaning about Michigan's satellite camps, attempting to cloak pure self-interest in concern trolling.
Hello, IMG, we are to be in your base. Rumors that Michigan was going to go outside of the box for spring practice have come to fruition:
Harbaugh confirmed Wednesday that the program will spend its first week of spring practice at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida during Michigan's spring break week -- which begins later this month (Feb. 27).
"Our plans for spring football are to go to Florida our first week while the university here is on spring break," Harbaugh said. "We'll go to Florida and have four practices down there. We're going to work hard but we'll have fun doing it."
IMG will be familiar to Michigan fans as the home of TE Isaac Nauta in the previous cycle. This time around they've got…
"Why would Jim Harbaugh want to hold spring practice at IMG Academy in Florida?"
— Scott Bell (@sbell021) February 3, 2016
*Pulls up 2017 rankings*
Oh. pic.twitter.com/swU9OkPQbJ
…a few guys.
This is going to be fun. Ian Boyd on Rashan Gary:
The numbers on Gary are jaw-dropping, no matter how inflated high schooler measurables can be. In a partially laser-timed SPARQ test before his junior year, he produced the following results, blowing away all other 2016 stars tested at the national event.
Height Weight 40 time Shuttle time Vertical leap Rashan Gary as a high school junior 6'4" 287 4.74 4.38 32.1" Average 2015 NFL Combine defensive lineman 6'3 1/2" 286 4.96 4.5 32.2" That group includes some relatively lean defensive ends; Gary's got a big enough body to play defensive tackle. His 40 time was better than what 15 linebackers produced at last year's Combine. Three wide receivers had slower shuttle times, and five linebackers had lesser vertical leaps. Some of those NFL prospects were as many as 80 pounds lighter than Gary.
Boyd believes Gary can play as an end and will bounce across the defensive line throughout his career but his highest upside in the future is as a defensive tackle, where his pass rush ability should maintain more of its value as he moves up to college and eventually the NFL.
Assuming that Michigan slides Matt Godin out to the SDE spot he was effective in early last year and starts Taco Charlton at WDE, Michigan's biggest need on the DL in 2016 is indeed three-tech, where Willie Henry's absence leaves Michigan with (probably) Mo Hurst and Brady Pallante backing up.
Harbaugh media tour. Michigan appears to have sent Jim Harbaugh on a tour of every radio show in the country. They're conveniently located in one place—wherever the Super Bowl is—this time of year, and Michigan's taking the opportunity to have Harbaugh around, seeming (largely) sane and repeating that he has no intention of exiting Ann Arbor any time soon:
On future NFL opportunities: "This is where I want to be. I'm having the time of my life." Mentions 2015 most fun year in football.
— Zach Shaw (@_ZachShaw) February 5, 2016
Coaching moves. After a one-year pitstop as an analyst at Michigan, Erik Campbell gets the WR coach job at UConn. With Partridge moving up and TJ Weist also getting a WR coach job, his with South Florida, Michigan has three open analyst/recruiter type spots if they maintain the same level of staffing as they did last year. One of those spots has been filled:
Prattville assistant Bam Richards (@cadillac98) tells me he is joining the Michigan Wolverines as an offensive analyst.
— Stephen Gunter (@Stephen_Gunter) February 4, 2016
Michigan has of course gotten to know the Prattville staff pretty well over the past couple years.
Flanagan's Devin Bush Sr. is widely expected to get the second opening. Who might fill the third is unknown, but it'll probably be someone who ends up at loose ends after the NFL season.
Etc.: Good to know, Jourdan Lewis. Trevor Siemian will throw-god in the Super Bowl. Jehu Chesson is still on crutches a month after the bowl game. Doubtful it'll be an issue that affects him in fall, could hold him out in spring. The Players' Tribune as new-world press releases.
February 7th, 2016 at 1:15 AM ^
U-M is more popular. MSU people resent that.
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February 6th, 2016 at 2:26 PM ^
February 6th, 2016 at 2:30 PM ^
Jim Harbaugh at Super Bowl 50: He's bigger and happier than ever, and the 49ers are smaller: (File photo.) ---... https://t.co/C7jCvU39kC
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) February 6, 2016
Harbaugh is a national figure & singular proof of 49ers incompetence. So of course the Jedbots demand that I stop writing about him. NOPE.
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) February 6, 2016
February 6th, 2016 at 3:00 PM ^
Kawakami has joined the light side
February 6th, 2016 at 2:59 PM ^
is the man. This satellite camp idea, especially the camp at IMG this spring, is outside of the box, but within the rules. Haters are gonna hate because it's great thinking. If they're going to stop satellite camps, which they shouldn't because nobody is stop other programs from doing them, they better crack down on the SEC's overuse of the medical redshirt and paying off players.
As for MSU fans, they know the blip on the screen has been flxed and they're close to returning to mediocrity now that Michigan has a competent coach and back to back competent ADs.
February 6th, 2016 at 3:15 PM ^
Hackett said his middle name is "R&B". This one is for you Jim:
February 6th, 2016 at 3:26 PM ^
February 6th, 2016 at 4:04 PM ^
Long term benefit is that Campbell and Harbaugh got to spend a season together to figure if they would mesh well when/if a WR coach position comes available.
February 6th, 2016 at 4:44 PM ^
to low paying analyst positions they are over-qualified for. It's a win-win while they're here, but the only way they're staying is if we can promote them, like if Fisch had left.
February 6th, 2016 at 3:29 PM ^
i love the video at the start of Signing of the Stars, with James Earl Jones. the parts with Bob Ufer calling Denny Franklin touchdowns in the 70s had tears welling in my eyes with emotion. Is this video on its own available on the tubes yet? anyone know?
February 6th, 2016 at 4:11 PM ^
February 6th, 2016 at 8:19 PM ^
You can be sure the reason for not offering the #1 player in the country is something other than we're recruiting someone else at his position.
February 6th, 2016 at 7:30 PM ^
It's amazing how much talent comes out of that football factory! 10 top D1 prospects, that's crazy.
February 6th, 2016 at 8:49 PM ^
I believe it's a private school i.e. they recruit nationally
February 7th, 2016 at 12:39 AM ^
Finally saw it. Awesome event. Only criticism is that somehow they had Keyshon Camp's name on the screen while the band was playing the victors at the end. Oops.
February 7th, 2016 at 1:08 PM ^
$73k a year for tuition y'all. x3-4 yrs potentially. I guess if you get a full ride to college that's money well spent if you have it, but dang.
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February 7th, 2016 at 4:18 PM ^
Thank you for the reminder photo of Izzo dressed as Gene Simmons. I'm saving that to my phone, so any time I start hearing crap from my MSU fan coworkers and relatives I can just present it as evidence. Go Blue.
February 7th, 2016 at 6:33 PM ^
February 8th, 2016 at 6:26 AM ^
---------------->> www.shiftjob9.com
February 9th, 2016 at 5:42 AM ^
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