Potential Portal Pickup: WISC DL Paez
Former Wisconsin DE Gio Paez has recently entered the portal. Was a former 3* DE who recently started 6 games for Wisconsin last season. Maybe he joins his former DL coach to Michigan, would bring depth to a line that lost 4 linemen over the offseason. I’m interested in seeing if Michigan raids the portal post spring for depth pieces now that they have a full coaching staff after missing the earlier window.
Meh.
I had the same reaction when I found out we picked up some CB from Umass last year....
The difference here is the DL is very deep whereas CB2 was a major problem until Wallace arrived. I don't think UM is looking for help there. Unless Paez is a Sophomore or younger I don't think Michigan offers.
But it's not as deep with proven, talented guys as it was last year. Cam Goode was a nobody 3 star who played a lot and was decent when he was in there. This could be something similar. Any average Big10 starter you can get for DL should be an immediate take, at face value.
All I'm saying is writing off someone who you didn't know existed 10 min ago is a pointless exercise
I mean, maybe the #1 reason the defense was as good as they were this year was because they rolled like 8-10 guys deep on the DL so guys were fresh all game. I welcome any quality DL transfers
If our coaches want him, especially one that coached him last year, that’s good enough for me.
Who says they can't do that again with the guys currently on the roster? Freshman and Sophomores usually improve.
Whatever will happen, will happen, what won’t, won’t.
Que Sera, Sera.
C’mon, get real. It’s not like the portal is a friggin’ Paez dispenser.
Well played
I upvoted this. What is happening to me??
Already a no per one insider (not balasshole).
This one seems simple: If Scruggs--his former coach--wants him, we should take him. If he doesn't, we shouldn't. Thank you for subscribing
If we do not get him...I can just Scrugg that off.
Booooooo
do we want Scruggs' Scrubbs?
The spring portal period isn't nearly as strong. It's primarily guys who lost out on position battles in spring practice.
You'll find a few gems, but it's not nearly the same.
You can find legitimate starters on December, look at all the QBs who have transfered over the past few years.
You're not getting a Sam Hartman or Riley Leonard type after spring ball.
That said, if you're looking at a QB.
USC and Vandy are two places to start.
Both will have legit QB competitions this spring and I can't positively say the loser wouldn't be better than what we currently have.
That said, I think by the time May roles around, it'll be a wash and we'll end up sticking with what we have.
I know people are hoping Milroe has a bad experience with the new staff, but that's wishful thinking.
It felt like Michigan put in little effort in the December portal this past year compared to last year. Unless the coaching staff that stayed were for sure there were not going to be as many departures as there was, then there should have been more emphasis for portal guys like there was last year. I can remember reading and hearing about a handful of guys Michigan was even slightly interested in.
The addition of the Northwestern OG and Maryland LB look like they are nice pieces, but there are many more holes that could have been filled, especially on offense like with WR Jahmal Banks from Wake Forest that ended up at Nebraska.
I wonder if something else was happening in December and January the might have taken precedence.
You mean just like in December of 2022?
They seemed like they spent more time preparing this last time.
"It felt like Michigan put in little effort in the December portal this past year"
That damn national championship, always gettin' in the way.
Coaches were a little busy.
Nebraska pays more
p.s. did everyone see Sabb's new Mercedes on X?
While you might not get Riley Leonard you might get the guys that he usurped. Leonard starting may move a good 4 star like Kenny Minchey to 3rd or 4th on the depth chart. He's not staying there.
There are probably others in the same situation.
Well, Paez couldn’t have lost his job in spring ball because that hasn’t started yet for UW.
We did get two key pieces last season in Josh Wallace and James Turner in the spring portal
Strongly disagree. When a good QB1 at a mid program sees he could walk straight into a starting spot at Michigan, a la Jake Rudock, that will shake him loose. You're underestimating the degree to which CFB has become the Wild West. Literally anything could happen.
The issue isn't with a disgruntled QB wanting to come here, it's with that QB learning the offense after spring practice. They would have to be a real savant not to have growing pains, although all of our current options probably will as well.
This team can compete for a Big Ten and National Championship season with good QB play.
With that comes huge notoriety.
Not many college teams can offer that.
That seems ambitious. People don't seem to get we lost 10 of 11 starters on offense. Even if you consider DE a "starter" that is 9 of 11. The entire starting OL is gone along with OL#6. And a QB we have barely seen throw projected by many as a starter. Or Indiana's leftovers.
Our defense is championship caliber if a few things work out - mostly depth pieces.
Not to mention losing an ELITE head coach and replacing him with a first time head coach. Plus the majority of last year’s staff is gone. I don’t think next year is a complete rebuild, but we don’t have to go undefeated and win it all to have a successful year. Especially with the schedule our team has to play.
Our defense should be as good if not better. Our D Line will be one of if not the best starting group in the country and better than last year.
We should be as good or close at LB.
We have 3 of 5 exceptional DBs back and may be better at the other CB. Mikey will be hard to replace
Our think O Line depth puts us in a plug and play situation. I don’t think we see much drop off. Hadi and Priebe are both All Big ten types. Hinton needs to make a jump Crippen is an upperclassman and Gentry is relative old man that was a high 4 star.
Mullings, Edwards and Hall seem like an elite RB room.
Loveland, Morgan, and Morris make for a dangerous passing game.
We need a QB to make it all work.
I largely agree except that there was also a decent number of assistants who have moved around and so you could see some kids shake free post-spring because unless your HC leaves you have to stick around. So in cases like this where a popular coach goes somewhere else, some players may want to follow.
Yeah you probably aren't going to find starters (outside of a CB from UMass) in spring but there might be depth guys who are finally able to explore the portal.
Also guys who want to transfer but haven't said anything yet so they can finish the semester and get their degree. Unlike a Terrance Shannon, who announced his decision to transfer even though he was planning to finish another semester at Texas Tech to get his degree. The lesson is, if you want to grad transfer, don't enter the portal till you have that degree in hand.
Eh. Looking for a WR or QB.
QB spot is the worst I have seen it since O’Korn. Just not a lot there in terms of talent.
I dunno about that SQ, we might be pleasantly surprised.
Orji is a beast, we'll just have to see how his arm is during spring.
Tuttle is big and athletic with decent experience and Davis has loads of talent but is a freshman.
Would be great if Oriji or Denegal developed well, because they have the body-frame to be special in college and at the next level.
Except for the whole passing thing.
"We've got QBs with great physiques!" as the lead is not exactly the most ringing endorsement...
"we'll just have to see how his arm is during spring." That pesky arm thing that happens to be pretty important for a QB...
IIRC, Orji has not thrown an incomplete pass yet during a game. Oh, wait...
Your “hope” in Oriji, Tuttle, Or any other QB on our roster is blind faith. There are no stats that should give any of us confidence that any QB on the roster could be an average / above average B10 QB.
Tuttle is entering his 7th year as a college QB and has never been a starter / led a team for a season. There is a reason for that. The chances that he becomes something in year 7 he hasn’t been for the previous 6 is astronomically low. Furthermore, he has a history of being injury prone.
Oriji is a “beast”, but how does that correlate to being an effective and efficient QB? I would worry more about arm talent, leadership, accuracy, reading defenses, being efficient with the ball, etc. That is what makes a QB a QB.
if any of the QB’s are starting that are currently on our roster it is a cause for concern. Our lack of QB talent heading into this year is certainly due in part to JH leaving and no QB wanting to come here when the portal was open due to the inevitability of him leaving for the NFL
Sal, you ain’t wrong and shouldnt be getting negged.
Be informed by the offense in the second half against PSU-against that defense that "everyone" considered to be the most elite in the college game...and who the HC was in that game. Orgi, Mullings, Edwards and Hall...Loveland, Morris, Morgan, Moore, English...offensively this team is not as bankrupt as the hand-wringers believe it to be.
Great example provided by you that actually works against your point. The offensive game plan against PSU in the second half, while it worked, is not tenable for a season much less for an entire game.
Do you really believe we can have a QB that executes a game plan of throwing the ball 5-7 times a game for an entire season? You really believe that because we were beating PSU and went to essentially a "run only" offense for the second half to close the game that that begs for us to adopt that style of football?
I am not worried about the offensive talent of Michigan. I am worried about our talent at Quarterback. Furthermore, Harbaugh was the HC for the PSU game. Moore was the filling in for a suspended HC. If you think Harbaugh, as controlling as mad scientist as he is, would allow things to not have his name over every element of the game just because he wasn't present is simply not true.
How do you think this supports your point?
That offense isn't "informing" us on next year. It's what we had to do to win that particular game due to a lot of circumstances.