February 3rd, 2021 at 8:39 AM ^
Whatever the reason, Nua is getting work done.
February 3rd, 2021 at 10:19 AM ^
February 3rd, 2021 at 8:40 AM ^
This was more Bellamy right?
February 3rd, 2021 at 8:43 AM ^
Both. DL coach uncertainty resolved, re-sold on the new scheme they're going to enact, and Bellamy's personal connection.
February 3rd, 2021 at 8:43 AM ^
THE TEAM. THE TEAM. THE TEAM.
A team effort, I'm sure.
February 3rd, 2021 at 8:58 AM ^
NUAPPROACH TO TEAM RECRUITING AND DEFENSIVE PHILOSOPHY.
Go Blue!
February 3rd, 2021 at 8:45 AM ^
I would say for Benny, probably yes. Rooks and the Colorado flip (sorry out of respect I do not want to butcher his name) I would say Nua had a big part in the recruiting.
Lets land all 3 and move forward. The only way to compete with the top teams is a talented depth chart.
February 3rd, 2021 at 8:46 AM ^
Big Ike
February 3rd, 2021 at 8:51 AM ^
Oh, and player development with the excellence of play on the field is also important.
February 3rd, 2021 at 10:12 AM ^
i mean you could've just googled the kid's name - Ike Iwunnah
February 3rd, 2021 at 8:40 AM ^
#NuaUnleashed
February 3rd, 2021 at 8:41 AM ^
#NUAUNLEASHED!
February 3rd, 2021 at 8:41 AM ^
Well.....recruiting is half the battle. Now coach them up and make them better. He will get credit when he achieves the 2and half of this.
February 3rd, 2021 at 8:41 AM ^
If someone wanted to write an interesting book, from the stories I've heard from first hand sources, the disfunction on the defensive staff last year is a textbook on not putting people in positions to succeed. Good for Coach Nua, looking forward to seeing improvement.
February 3rd, 2021 at 8:50 AM ^
Exactly. It would appear the mistake of keeping Drevno at least one season too long pales in comparison to keeping Don Brown probably 2 seasons too long.
Good to see the DT recruiting improving.
February 3rd, 2021 at 10:00 AM ^
Yeah, I remember being very worried Brown would take the heading job at Temple a couple years back. Hindsight says had he gotten that job, we might have been much better off.
February 3rd, 2021 at 8:52 AM ^
Don’t tease us like this.
February 3rd, 2021 at 9:51 AM ^
You type it up and I'll proof-read...sound like a plan?
February 3rd, 2021 at 8:53 AM ^
Nua found out MSU was shorting Benny stock.
February 3rd, 2021 at 8:58 AM ^
Still have some questions about his coaching ability, but wow. Don Brown really held him back in recruiting. Don Brown leaves and we get two of our top targets at DT. And look in good position for a third. Don Brown is obviously a quality coordinator, but it just seems strange when professionals make mistakes that could be easily corrected. A majority of fans were wondering what was happening with interior DL recruiting.
Not sure Benny or Rooks will be able to contribute next year, but the future of the interior DL looks good.
February 3rd, 2021 at 9:14 AM ^
it's clear that DB was set in his ways, both from a scheme standpoint and how to recruit for that scheme standpoint,
February 3rd, 2021 at 11:20 AM ^
Yeah, but he didn't recruit any DTs. It's not like he liked a certain type (e.g. small and fast, big and strong, tall and lean...). The guy just didn't recruit the position.
Same with CBs. I get that he wanted taller guys that could keep up with the 6'4" WRs, but counting on a kid to be 6'2" and fast and be a CB (not WR) is a bad idea. Why not take some of the smaller but faster guys and coach them to deal with taller guys?
February 3rd, 2021 at 11:37 AM ^
Good post. Both of your observations appear, in retrospect, to be completely true. Michigan's DL peaked very early in the DB era with guys that arrived on Campus before Brown did, especially inside. He seems fine at producing DEs, but no new interior guys developed into solid options after Brown came in and especially after Mattison left.
The CB thing is weird because I think a lot of us sort of thought the profile was strange to begin with. Yeah, it's nice to have height to deal with tall receivers, but you *need* athleticism to keep up with them or being tall won't matter. And Michigan was really good at coaching undersized guys to cope just fine. No one had any complaints about Jourdain Lewis, for example, a guy that nobody thought was on the tall side. And that lack of athleticism became a huge liability as mesh-heavy offenses exposed how unprepared Brown defenses are to countering it.
February 3rd, 2021 at 9:03 AM ^
Whoever it was....we are trending in the right direction...GO BLUE!
February 3rd, 2021 at 9:06 AM ^
Don't know how much Bellamy played a role here, but dude may need an appreciation thread before NSD II is over.
February 3rd, 2021 at 9:09 AM ^
Nua got a tad 'bad rap' last year on the D-line that was decimated & had a shadow over it.
Nua will be great -- let the guy breathe a bit.
I specifically watched Nua coach guys during spring ball & in games --
-- being a D-lineman is a grinders game - Nua joked & made the guys laugh at times -
keeping the energy UP & aggressive, even when things weren't going well.
Dude KNOWS the position and will be a solid coach.
This upcoming season with Hutchison & crew returning - we will be mauling folks.
Go Blue.
February 3rd, 2021 at 9:10 AM ^
Positive moves. Looking forward to seeing them coached up in a great defensive scheme. Let's get this program moving forward, towards a Big Ten Championship.
February 3rd, 2021 at 9:11 AM ^
Sam Webb just confirms Ike has flipped to Michigan from Colorado.
February 3rd, 2021 at 9:11 AM ^
Nuat bad, Shaun!
February 3rd, 2021 at 9:22 AM ^
Everyone loved to hate him - but we should all now love to love him! Well done Nua!
February 3rd, 2021 at 9:43 AM ^
Excited about recent recruiting DL commits. Good things are happening.
February 3rd, 2021 at 9:44 AM ^
I'll give him props. Thought he was part of the problem but it's clear that Brown was holding him (and probably most of the other coaches) back. Coach these boys up and let's get back to having a dominant DL.
February 3rd, 2021 at 9:53 AM ^
FebNUAry
February 3rd, 2021 at 10:11 AM ^
Great to see Shawn doing a great job this recruiting season. I have always believed that he blossom into a great recruiter and coach.
February 3rd, 2021 at 10:18 AM ^
February 3rd, 2021 at 10:25 AM ^
But, but, but ...
I thought Nua represented the abject failure of Harbaugh during this transition and Michigan accepting mediocrity?! I thought Nua being “held down” by Brown’s scheme was just a delusional conspiracy theory promoted by “Harbaugh Apologists” trying desperately to paint the program in a good light?
Seems to me that Harbaugh did what a mature, rational leader does: he took his time, did some serious self-scouting, made some appropriate and necessary changes with an eye for the future — not a one year stint to save his job — and the dividends are already rolling in.
So many Michigan fans are so quick to want to rip everything apart, demonize anything positive, and always choose the glass half empty.
So fucking glad Coach isn’t like many of you!
This staff is already doing what they were brought in to do! Great work guys, keep it up!
Welcome Benny and Ike!
Go Blue!
February 3rd, 2021 at 2:29 PM ^
Yep...JH did what leaders do. Tune out the noise, take a critical look in the mirror and make necessary, and sometimes hard (D. Brown) changes. He knows he will be held accountable either way so fight like mad to make it work...
February 3rd, 2021 at 7:16 PM ^
Love the positive vibe...this is what we need from our fan base. I'm not trying to be polly-anna but the glass half empty approach doesn't work for anyone.
Stong positive, stay supportive, and keep rooting for our coaches and players to be the best they can be!
Go Blue!
February 3rd, 2021 at 11:04 AM ^
He's doing an impressive job. I guess Jim knew what he was doing when he kept him
February 3rd, 2021 at 11:45 AM ^
After Hutch, who else do we have coming off the end? Who are the guys to watch?
February 3rd, 2021 at 11:54 AM ^
I wasn't in the fire DB camp until this season (I would've understood and been fine with it after 2019 though) but I'm really starting to wonder how much of the all of the negativity around the program was due to him. Most of the coaches that left (and ppl wanted to stay) were on the defensive side (Mattison, Partridge, Campenelli, Washington) and many of the weird transfers were on the defensive side.
Everyone claims Harbaugh is hard to work with and that's why everyone's been leaving but maybe it was actually DB that nobody wanted to work with or play for.
Doesn't excuse or explain the failures on offense though.
February 3rd, 2021 at 12:17 PM ^
Keep working Great job! Now lets mold this men into champions
February 3rd, 2021 at 1:08 PM ^
No, this fan base isn't reactionary ...not at all;)
As somebody who always defended Nua as taking too much blame, let's hold on here.
It's not like Don Brown didn't allow UofM to offer big guys, they offered 18 that were over 300lbs or two or three lbs away just in 2021 cycle, but I think the recruits thought Don Brown played favorites with the smaller guys. That actually seems like one of his two worst shortcomings: too stubborn to be flexible and playing favorites.
I loved Nua's energy from the start, let's hope it turns the room around.
February 3rd, 2021 at 3:40 PM ^
Not sure why this was downvoted. Anyway I think you are right. I have to ask the question. What if Don Browns defenses did have two beasts in the middle. Leave the speed for the other 9 positions? Im not sure this wouldnt be a top priority for Don Brown. Let two guys soak up the double teams (and hold ground) and let the other 9 fly around. Just seems like he would be much more successful if he could eliminate that A gap and eat up blockers. Slow CBs and undersized DTs the doom of what couldve been for Don Brown. If a blog can easily see it yikes!
February 3rd, 2021 at 5:16 PM ^
Yep, looks like I might have misjudged Nua's recruiting ability. I'm on board. If he can pull like this, I'm glad we kept him.