[Caderback #1 - Barron]

 

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For the uninitiated, casually I just make fake Unverified Voracities until the real one comes back, or the rapture. Basically, it was always my favorite part of the site, and I thought I'd just take a swing. Like all UVs, it's an aggregation of Michigan athletics news with a little commentary. Hopefully, there's something in here you haven't seen before, or there's something at least mildly amusing.

 

We in here talkin' 'bout practice. Practice talk is basically in full swing at this point. I'll see if I can't take all of the chatter out there and put it in one central location for your perusal. Ideally, with just a couple weeks left before Game 1, some of the blurry topics will come a bit more into focus. Spoiler: things are still pretty blurry for many position groups across this team. 

OFFENSE

Quarterback

Per the head football coach, Cade McNamara will be the starter going into the season. It's Cade's Time:

“Cade is the starter. Cade’s got these traits of being very talented, but also the competitive traits that he has, I don’t see him giving that up. J.J.’s got the same traits. But I think that’s the best thing for our team, for J.J. and for our ball club.”

The Brew reads the tea leaves as J.J. McCarthy as backup, then transfer Alan Bowman in the 3rd spot.  People also like to keep mentioning Dan Villari as Taysom Hill. I mean sure, that seems reasonable and everything. I'll just stick to what appears to be pretty consistent, Cade is the starting QB.  More on this later.

 

Running Back

RB and CB were big topics in week 1, which means there's not been a lot of updates since then. As a reminder: 247 looked into their balls and predicted starters.

Here's what we know: Hassan Haskins appears to be the starter. Blake is the backup. 

Freep:

“Blake Corum, Hassan Haskins, they are two tremendous players,” Harbaugh said during the most recent episode of the "Inside the Trenches" podcast with Jon Jansen. “That’s where the bulk of the carries are going to go. We’re going to lean heavily on those two players.”

Beyond that, Donovan Edwards will play. LINK AND LINK   

None of this is new and likely none of this will change between now and kickoff. What remains to be seen is how this offense will use its three-headed running beast.  More on this later as well.

 

Tight End

Erick All appears to have the edge on Luke Schoonmaker and Matt Hibner.  

On All:

“I just haven’t had a chance to talk about him! Just love him!” Harbaugh said. “One of my very favorite players on the team. Competes like a maniac. Continued right back into camp. He’s got himself into great shape. Always stands out the way he blocks. And now he’s doing it with a bigger — it’s a bigger Erick All. He will just throw his body around. From his freshman year to his sophomore year, he was a skinnier variety, now he’s filling out and really brings some thump. And he’s really good running down the field catching the ball. He’s off to a really stellar camp. He sets the tone at that position.”

Et al.

“Luke Schoonmaker is running so, so much better, so much faster,” Harbaugh said. “Catching the ball, blocking. He’s really elevated his game. The guy to watch out for is Hibner. Hibner is off to a blazing start in camp. Catching all the contested balls. Talk about being thin, he was thin last year compared to what he is now. Some great things coming from him."

 

Wide Receiver

Your TLDR is: Ronnie Bell and Cornelius Johnson on the outside, Mike Sainristil in the slot.  Then Roman Wilson, A.J. Henning and Daylen Baldwin as the next men up, with Andrel Anthony making some noise.

Rivals:

Junior Ronnie Bell is leading the receiver group, and he’s been outstanding.

“Ronnie has always been a tremendous competitor. He’s a gamer, because he’s got a way of making contested catches, making plays, getting open,” Harbaugh continued. “His level of attention to detail, how he treats practice, his recovery, his nutrition … how he treats his study of the game. Those are the things that have dramatically improved and have shown up in his play.

“But there’s a real ‘six’ in terms of guys at the receiver position. Cornelius Johnson, Ronnie Bell, Mikey Sainristil, Roman Wilson, A.J. Henning, Daylen Baldwin. They are all playing really well right now. [Freshman] Andrel Anthony continues to make a play in practice. He’s on a streak, like a Lou Gehrig hitting streak. He would do it in spring ball … like wait for it — it’s going to happen. He makes it, a play in practice of the big chunk variety. He continues to be really good, as well.”

Andrel Anthony drawing comparisons to the Iron Horse. There's a comparison the kids can really get behind. For my money, Roman Wilson plays football like a young Maurice Richard only faster and less Québécois.

 

Offensive Line

This OL group looks like it has about 60% of itself figured out as far as starters go, but more importantly the recurring theme appears to be - find the best guys and play them. This may be more about a 8-10 man unit than the starting five.

Rivals:

On the offensive line, Ryan Hayes (left tackle), Andrew Stueber and Zak Zinter picked up where they left off in spring ball and are inked in as starters. Where the latter two will play has yet to be determined, and part of that will play out depending on who emerges at center.

Wolverines Wire:

“We could talk about that a little bit or keep talking about some of the freshmen — but since we’re talking about the offensive line, Hayes, Stueber, Zinter (are) exactly where we left spring ball. Those guys are starting. Keegan at left guard and Vastardis at center. Left guard is really being contested by Chuck Filiaga. He’s playing his best football, really playing with his hands inside. Doing a heckuva good job. And then Zinter being able to play center and Stueber could play right guard, Trente Jones has really developed into a fine, fine football player. There’s a lot of options there. Greg Crippen, as I mentioned. Nolan Rumler, playing really good football. And the guy that’s had three really good practices all in a row is Karsen Barnhart. It’s hard to keep him out of the starting lineup.

“So, we’re good. We’ve got some good depth on that offensive line. Sherrone’s doing a heckuva job.”

The takeaway from Crippen being in the two-deep is Michigan isn’t necessarily considering players positionally as much as trying to get the best players on the field. Crippen is a center straight-away, and yet, the discussions have centered around Vastardis and Zinter playing the position.

So, Hayes and Stueber likely at tackles. Zinter on the inside G or C. Then cloudy. Vastardis, Filiaga, Keegan, Jones, Barnhart appear to be vying for the last two spots. But the likely situation is going to involve some injuries, some rotation, let's throw on the rose-colored glasses and call this a situation of depth that we like for now. 

 

DEFENSE

Defensive Line

Michigan employs a new 3-4 style line that makes Aidan Hutchinson an "edge" and technically a linebacker. That's going to take a little mental adjusting for me to truly get used to that. 

As far as the big boys upfront go, here's Coach Harbaugh:

"The front is coming together," Harbaugh said Friday. "[Tackle] Donovan Jeter is having his best months ever, his best offseason — his best camp. The level of consistency from him has been outstandings. Mazi Smith is havng a really good camp — so is Jess Speight plus Chris Hinton, and then a young guy, Kris Jenkins, in the rotation.

Obviously, the production of this line is a giant question mark, and largely the success of this defense, and team, will hinge on the DL's performance. Donovan Jeter and Mazi Smith have been a whole lot of unrealized promise up to this point. Notably unmentioned by Harbaugh are Julius Welschof and transfer Jordan Whittley. Welschof was on Feldman/The Athletic's "Freaks" list last week, but that literally means nothing other than "guy has potential." Lorenz ($) hears that Whittley may be limited in his contribution, and mostly used in short yardage situations. 

So, Jeter, Smith and Hinton. Let's see it boys.

 

Edge

Rivals:

"Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo are doing a great job on the edges. So is Taylor Upshaw, Mike Morris, Braiden McGregor is back to full strength and looking good. He's taken his knee brace off and is moving so much better ... Gabe Newburg, as well."

If Ojabo is on the "other" edge, Upshaw looks to be next man up. After that, I think we're left to wait and see.

Grouping the DL and Edges together, what do we want to see? Aidan is the man, that appears to be indisputable, but for Hutch to be effective we need to get production and push out of someone(s) else. I think a best case scenario is that Mazi and Jeter are serviceable and can standup to the load. That, plus a breakthrough year for Hinton, and some spot production out of Welschof, Jenkins, and/or Speight would be an optimistic "best case" for the line. All of this would free up Hutch, and allow for Ojabo or Upshaw to make some plays. That's a lot of "if's" that need to go right.

 

Linebacker

Josh Ross is written in ink. Then Michael Barrett also inside. 

Heading into the summer, it looked like two Wolverines were well ahead at inside linebacker. Redshirt junior Josh Ross led the team in tackles last season with 53, so he's long been expected to continue starting games and leading the unit. Redshirt sophomore Michael Barrett, instead of leaving the program like some others, embraced his move inside from viper, and has impressed his coaches in the process, having come out of spring ball at the top of the depth chart.

But keep an eye on Nikhai Hill-Green who is making noise in camp.

Second-year freshman Nikhai Hill-Green — who appeared in just three games last season, with all of his time coming on special teams — has made a big move early on in camp and is running with the ones at times.

There are plenty of practices left until the season opens up Sept. 4, and Hill-Green will have to continue proving himself, but he's in a nice spot at this point, having had a great offseason.

"Nikhai Hill-Green is not a sophomore like you would think of a sophomore," head coach Jim Harbaugh said on the In The Trenches podcast with host Jon Jansen. "The way he studies the game, the way he plays, his physicality, his athletic ability — he’s right where you want him to be as a starting linebacker."

Also, as an aside Junior Colson has been getting mention as a "standout freshman" by the head football coach. Take that for what it's worth.

 

Cornerback

There hasn't been anything new over the weekend on the defensive backfield. So, some of this I covered on Friday and is a bit of a re-post. But for the sake of comprehensive coverage, here you go. Right now it appears to be Gemon Green and either DJ Turner or Vincent Gray.

"A rotation has developed at cornerback after last year’s debacle in the secondary. D.J. Turner has emerged to challenge Vincent Gray and Gemon Green, last year’s starters.

Harbaugh has said that Green distanced himself in spring, showing enough to warrant a starting spot, while Gray and Green are vying for a starting gig in camp."

Clinkscale says:

“In life, nothing is locked up. I tell the players all the time, if I don’t get my job done, there will be somebody here to replace me,” Clinkscale continued. “I’m rotating everybody. We’ll get some of the young guys opportunities to show what they can do. Gemon Green, DJ and Vince [Gray] really have a rotation with each other. 

“But there’s nobody in my opinion who is solid where they’re going to be the guy, for sure. Gemon has done some really good things; I feel like Vincent has, DJ, a couple other guys. The more we keep it where it is a challenging situation, always competing, I think we can elevate everybody’s game.”

Freshmen Andre Seldon and Jaden McBurrows also got a little shout out in there as well.

So, basically the hope here is that Green and Gray are considerably better, Turner is new blood that improves the unit. Clinkscale is the modern combination of Bud Carson and Todd Bowles. And maybe our schemes will be a little more forgiving overall and not isolate the weakness of our corners.

 

Safety

Safety is pretty easy. Starters are Daxton Hill and Brad Hawkins. That said, RJ Moten and Makari Paige are "very, very good players" and "coming along very, very well" per Hawkins.  And FWIW Steve Lorenz co-signs the RJ Moten love.

If you want to read weird-ass quotes about George Johnson, be my guest, but I have no clue how to take them. To me, "unpredictable" and "unorthodox" are to DBs, like "medium-well" and "extra ketchup" are to steaks. That's just not how I like it.  

 

You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both, and there you have. Michigan football. As a side-by-side to how the position groups shake out, The Athletic has put together their forecast of best and worst case scenarios for each position group.

One note that I've been kind of thinking about are the RBs and the emphasis this fall the coaches have had in talking about "run game supremacy."

Best case: Hassan Haskins, Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards combine for 2,000 yards and 20 rushing touchdowns while averaging more than 5 yards per carry.

Worst case: Michigan leans too far into “establish the run” mode, continues to struggle with unproductive running plays and fails to settle on a rotation that works.

Comment: Offensive coordinator Josh Gattis wants to run the ball more. He made that clear before Michigan’s first practice of preseason camp. He has good reasons: The Wolverines have three talented backs (at least) who should be the backbone of the offense, taking pressure off of Cade McNamara or whoever is playing quarterback. While it makes sense in theory, we need to see how it looks on the field.

We've been down this road in recent years, so you'll forgive me if this isn't a bit PTSD-like when it comes to the running game. I guess my inner-conflict comes when there's talk about an offensive identity versus situational awareness. Tuning the sliders too far in one direction, if you will. That said, by all accounts, we have three quality backs and it would be crazy not to feature them in the offense. We've just done the whole "we're a running team" thing before and I guess I'm less enthusiastic about "setting a tone" as I am, just doing the thing that scores points. That's pretty reductive, I know.

Their best case for Michigan's QB situation feels more like my worst case. 

Best case: J.J. McCarthy forces Michigan’s hand and plays well enough to build major buzz heading into 2022.

Well, maybe not my worst case, but is that best case?  My best case is Cade throws for 5000 yards on the way to a Heisman. Maybe we just have different opinions on what "best" is The Athletic. 

 

Better to be bought in than sold out? File this among the annual coaching change and obligatory everyone is excited about the new voices. All the Guys are Bought In:

"All the guys are bought into him, and all the guys are bought into the defense that he’s instilled in us and the values and principles that he’s brought onto this football team," junior defensive end Aidan Hutchinson told Big Ten Network after Friday's practice, adding that Macdonald is a very detailed teacher.

"He was out there, teaching us outside ‘backers different techniques, stuff like that. Really getting that hands-on work with the head man, that’s always good to get. He’s been a great teacher for us this offseason and these couple days into camp."

Hutchinson went on to talk about the team leaders on the defensive side of the ball.

"J-Ross [redshirt junior linebacker Josh Ross] has been huge in taking that next step. It’s kind of me, him and [fifth-year senior safety] Brad [Hawkins] on the defense who are the vocals leaders and try to get the guys straightened in all the different rooms. I think we’re going a great job, [but] still gotta keep building, keep building the younger guys, keeping the energy up in practice, and I think we’ll be alright."

I don't think that it's necessarily bad. You want to hear them say it, anything less would be bad. Ross, Hutch and Hawkins as the vocal defensive leaders does seem like a positive. Although even then, there's a couple names in there I probably would have like to have seen mentioned as well. I think, ultimately, there's an expected amount of neurosis that is built into the Michigan fan experience. Part optimism. Part pessimism. Part tilting at windmills and fighting ghosts that may or may not even exist (yet).

 

The Boys from Chicago Were In Town. Here are some notes. The Brew. Rivals.

 

I got my eye on you Wazowski. New QBs coach Matt Weiss leads Adam Rittenberg's CFB Position Coaches to Watch list

"In the NFL, you hear about all these guys who go to biomechanic throwing experts, NFL players spending their own money and their own time," Weiss recently told ESPN. "I always thought that's something we should provide our own quarterbacks, so I've been working with those guys a lot, trying to learn all the biomechanics of throwing. If you look at other sports, like tennis or golf, they all have swing coaches. I feel like the whole idea of 'that's not something you coach' -- when a quarterback in the NFL is making $30 million -- seems like it's not right."

Weiss' goal is to help Michigan's quarterbacks not only read the field like pros but to also step in when there are mechanical issues.

"One thing you'll see around the country and even in the NFL is, a guy misses a throw and it's low or whatever, and the coach says, 'Hey, get the ball up.' That's not really coaching," Weiss said. "You want to be able to tell him why the ball was low and help him fix it. So it really is not a separate thing. It should be part of coaching your position."

Weiss is emphasizing efficiency and decision-making to Michigan's quarterbacks. Under Harbaugh, Michigan quarterbacks have a solid touchdown-to-interception ratio of 108-49. But the Wolverines haven't been especially dynamic -- seemingly a requirement for teams aspiring to win championships and reach the CFP -- as they're tied for 54th in completions of 20 yards or longer (246) since 2015.

I've always been in the have the "guys people want" camp. 

 

More Coach Stuff. Clinksdale was Born to Coach Here  Well, I guess he took the scenic route. Glad he's here now.

 

Conferences, TV, Beets, Battlestar Galactica. Conference talk (along with NIL) isn't exactly one of my favorite topics. Truth be told, I'm not a B1G fan. I could really care less what Purdue does. And a Northwestern/Maryland game in mid-October isn't really that high on my things to do list. I'm a Michigan fan. I root for Michigan and care about Michigan. So, at the point where a weakened conference puts Michigan at a competitive disadvantage is when I care, but I'm not entirely sure I care yet. My jury is still out. As an example, 90's or late 00's Florida State, or more recently 10's Clemson, doesn't really care of the ACC is trash. In fact, a less competitive conference increased their ability to go undefeated and win National Championships. I understand the counter argument, but my point is if I'm an Auburn fan, why am I super-duper excited about adding Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC? I don't give two craps about increased broadcast money. It's not like my ticket prices are going down. It is now considerably harder for my team to go through the gauntlet of the SEC.

So, the idea that adding the biggest competition to a conference is a no-brainer because bigger is always better, isn't exactly a slam dunk. That's fan stuff. My conference is bigger than yours. Only, I don't care. That's sports talk nonsense. Again, I don't care that the bald SEC guy has to fill 3 hours a day, I don't listen. The first Monday after the NCAA Tournament opening weekend when sports talk is a-buzz about how the 9-team B1G didn't live up to it's expectations, didn't register with me one bit. I'm a Michigan fan and they won 2 that weekend.

Andy Staples talks about B1G forming a Conference Super Alliance.

What’s the Four Million Club? It’s the group of football games that draw more than four million viewers.

These are the games networks are willing to pay premium prices for, and they’re also the type of games the SEC’s addition of Oklahoma and Texas will add to that league’s inventory. In conversations with television executives and consultants, conference officials and athletic directors, it has become clear that the hunt for premium television product will drive this round of realignment (or, in the case of the alliance, rearranging). So I asked a trusted source who has been involved with many television contracts what audience qualified as meter-moving in this ever-splintering environment, and that source drew the cutline at four million.

Examining which games cracked the Four Million Club explains a lot about the Oklahoma/Texas move, and it also offers a potential explanation why those three leagues would want to work together. It also helps explain why the schools Oklahoma and Texas left behind are seemingly being left in the cold.

Here is how the 193 single-game telecasts broke down…

58 games between either independents or teams from different conferences (including all five Army-Navy games played during that period)
55 SEC-only games
49 Big Ten-only games
13 ACC-only games
12 Big 12-only games
Five Pac-12-only games
One American Athletic Conference-only game (2017 South Florida at UCF)

Teams and games in the Four Million Club:

Alabama 35
Ohio State 31
Michigan 26
Auburn 17
Notre Dame 17

Interestingly, as a Michigan fan, my favorite team is the third highest viewed team on this list. I'm not sure a lot of Michigan "fans" would describe the past five years as being the glory days of the program either. But we watch.

So why would the Big Ten want to help the ACC and the Pac-12 when the Big Ten’s ability to generate those audiences gives it a competitive advantage?

Because the SEC is about to generate a lot more of those games. And by creating a few more with the help of some friends, the Big Ten could stay relatively even and continue to distribute as much or more to each school as the SEC will once Oklahoma and Texas join and a new ESPN deal replaces the below-market deal CBS enjoys for the best SEC game each week.

So, I guess this is where the "competitive advantage" argument comes in. But even then, the B1G has had the highest or second highest TV revenue of any conference for the past 10+ years that the BTN has existed. What has that benefitted me as a Michigan fan?  I'm not sure. If I'm an administrator in the athletic department in Ann Arbor I can definitely point to benefits. But I'm not, so as a fan, do I care?

This is also interesting... as a fan.

Most watched games (2015-19)
2016 Michigan-Ohio State ABC 16.841M
2019 LSU-Alabama CBS 16.64M
2017 Alabama-Auburn CBS 13.657M
2018 Michigan-Ohio State Fox 13.345M
2017 Alabama-Florida State ABC 12.557M
2019 Ohio State-Michigan Fox 12.42M

I don't know. Until there's some definitive evidence about competitive advantage, I'm tepid about the whole conference arms race thing. 

 

Brazdeikis is actually very white. Iggy is liked by his teammates and was signed to a two-way contract this week by the Magic. Cole Anthony says Iggy is white maybe. With Mo, Franz and Iggy, the Magic are building quite the international Wolverines squad. Someone get Sauce on the horn.

 

Tschetter I don't even kno... Basketball coach Phil Martelli was on a boat and appeared on the Defend the Block pod this week to chat hoops. Quote highlights: Eli Brooks isn't back for debauchery. Hunter came back to prove himself as a first round pick. Kobe isn't Jalen Rose, but maybe Jalen Rose. And Will Tschetter will impact winning and no longer walks like a freshman.

 

Tweets, because I can.

 

https://twitter.com/isaiahhole/status/1427298996603719686

 

https://twitter.com/PFF_College/status/1426218682582196226

 

https://twitter.com/UMichFootball/status/1426960397370896391

 

https://twitter.com/camcheese33/status/1426327018011074564

 

I swear I'm following the oembed instructions (they're very basic) correctly. Grr. Tweets man.

 

Etc. Michigan is BetMGM's biggest liability in the CFP betting market thanks to +2000 odds and someone's $2500 bet.  Because it wouldn't be a UV impression without Hockey content: Mel Pearson hired former Wolverine Brandon Naurato to his staff as assistant coach.