Joe Milton starting at UT

Let’s goooooo! Thanks for the content boys!

Is it just me, or does it appear that incoming recruit Ted Hammond appears twice in that photo? :)

I get that we're not Wide Receiver U, so recruiting the 5* is going to be tough, but I see a role for a BMOC type guy who takes advantage of our running emphasis to be THE MAN, fighting off a double team and high pointing the deep ball, a la Braylon, so I'll remain optimistic, so long as we keep on winning, we're gonna get our very own superstar at wide out.

With the anticipated exodus of draft-eligible players after this year, I'm wondering if it's possible for Mich to have a plug-and-play type of season with freshman/RS freshmen/sophomores for 2024-2025? I know the recent mailbag alluded to this question but I can envision a scenario where Mich has talent across the board but will miss the leadership and senior direction of the current team. 

I think it will be important for the younger players to get meaningful snaps not just in the weak non-conference schedule but in conference and CFP games if they make it that far. If Mich can make to the 12-team CFP format with 2 losses (possibly 3), that would have to qualify as a successful season, right?

Good stuff.

In regards to recruiting rankings, I think people also sometimes forget that these rankings are somewhat biased toward how guys project to the NFL.  Obviously not a biggest component but you see it especially with QBs where guys who "look" like future NFL players get ranked higher than guys who aren't quite the same, all other things being largely equal.  The NFL does the same thing - it's why guys like Will Levis and Anthony Richardson were drafted so high despite having less-than-stellar resumes in college.  Davis might well not turn into a top-tier QB but at least part of the knock against him is he's sorta short for a QB and doesn't have a cannon of an arm, which limit his pro prospects but don't mean a ton, at least to me, in college.

With all the defensive athlete types in the class, does that mean that the staff might be looking at a bigger HSP long-term, or is a safety type like Oden still a better fit?

Comparing UGA to Michigan - yes UGA throws passes to Bowers, but Bennett still threw the ball ~7 times more/game than JJ did. Over the course of a 13-14 game season, that's approaching 100 more attempts. Bennett threw for 4100 yards last year. Their offense is still more attractive than Michigan's is to receiving recruits (TEs or WRs).

I liked the overall take on offense--so, okay, maybe Michigan doesn't get a front-loader full of 5*'s but its style of play and development is good enough to make up the difference. Plus, with "expanded scholarships" Michigan can load up on more prospects and the increased load means more projects will pay off. Fine.

I'm not convinced that the same is true on defense. 5-star athletic freaks on defense, it seems to me, matter. They matter on the line. They matter at the second level. They matter in the secondary. When Michigan has had 5* talent on defense, it pops. When it isn't there--or when Michigan lines up against a glut of 5* defensive talent like Georgia--it makes for a tough, tough day.

Granted, 5* defensive linemen and corners don't grow on trees, and every program in the country covets them. But, boy--and not to take away from the likes of Sub-Zero or Aidan Hutchison--having a Will Johnson, Dax Hill, Jabrill Peppers, Rashan Gary, Charles Woodson--those guys do help, don't they?

Sure, some might be longer term projects (still rooting for you, Keon Sabb); and some other guys (Hutch, O-Ja-Bo, Sub-Zero, etc.) have developed at Michigan and become legit game-wreckers. But when I think about the next step to the mountain-top (and that's really what I'm considering here; the Harbaugh era has already raised expectations for Michigan once again to be a consistent B1G champion contender)--slowing or shutting down Ohio State's passing attack; slugging it out toe-to-toe with the likes of Georgia--the talent gap on defense concerns me some.

Damn you guys for mentioning Don Brown linebackers again. 

I had to go watch the modern Don brown linebacker again. 

That thing just gets better with age.

Great content. Listened to it once drunk and then it was even better sober on my way to work. Sucks about that dude's day who got ruined Seth.