The Dayton AD comment was confusing to me. Dayton has had the playin game since 2001. Their AD started in 2015. Maybe he's done a good job at keeping it, but it certainly wasn't his idea.
I like your realistic top 3. Something that may factor in is timing. Nedved and Devries are going to the tournament where it's looking more and more like Schertz isn't. With the portal opening Monday, Schertz probably goes off the board first. I'm not sure that matters to Michigan as there are equivalent programs looking for coaches and getting it right is more important than getting it fast. The team is going to likely be bad next year regardless.
I think I'd lean Devries, but I'd be happy with any of them.
If this is the "bombshell" that has been rumored then this is pretty tame. Howard is a hot head who people are afraid to have honest conversations with. No shit, anyone with eyes could have told you that. I guess if they need this documentation to fire him then whatever, but the results on the court should have been enough.
Agree here. They can't keep going with stopgaps. They need to find players who want to be here for a while. If I were coaching Michigan, I would prioritize signing at least 1-2 in state guys per year. Like why is this guy committed to Rutgers without any interest from Michigan. We regularly have multiple unfilled scholarships. Take a chance on a local guy. I don't know the details on any of these guys below, but they are all from the 22 and 23 class from the state of Michigan and UM is not on their interest list at all. I don't get why you wouldn't try to grab a couple of these guys.
Curtis Williams. Averaging 18 minutes a game at Louisville. Michigan nowhere on his recruitment timeline.
I mean... I only coach 12U softball, but if my daughter was being disrespectful to a coach, I would have no problem with another coach putting her in her place. What kind of message are you teaching your kid if you want to fight anyone who disciplines or corrects them?
I think the other thing that comes to mind for me as a season ticket holder is that once the University made the decision to try to maximize every dollar they can get, it's easier to just sell your tickets. If they treat you as a customer only, then treat them like a business. (For what it's worth, we used all of our tickets yesterday).
They don't have to charge $10 for an ice cream cone and $6 for a 20oz of pop. But they can, so they do. I just lose a lot of my sympathy for the AD when they just push and push and push every penny out of you.
I do feel bad for the players. They played hard yesterday and deserved better, but that's kind of just where we are at this point.
Is that on the table? Every proposal I've seen still reserves the first round byes for conference champions, so I don't think it will be possible to have a first round bye secured before your conference championship.
The Super Bowl got 123 million viewers this year. No college football game, regardless of the stakes and teams involved, is getting even a third of that.
I agree on tailoring the approach to the portal. I just googled "top mid-major freshman" and came across this list which seems like a great starting point. All of these guys look solid and should be early enough in their careers that the transfer credit thing should be less of an issue.
I don't know much about travel nursing, but nursing is an incredibly flexible skill. She could stay at the bedside for an entire career, become a hospital administrator, get into quality improvement work, get into public health / public policy, become an NP or CRNA, do research... the list goes on and on. Great foundation to have.
I think the "even lose a little" in your quote is really important. The 2023 National Championship was the culmination of a 4-5 year build. It's not realistic to think UM, or anyone, can win every year. This coming year has a tough schedule and a major roster reset, especially on offense. 10-2 where Michigan wins 2/3 of USC, Oregon, and Texas and loses to OSU on the road would be a very very good outcome in my opinion. 7-5 or 6-6 or something would be a disappointment, but a 9-3 or 8-4 type season could happen and would not be a sign that the sky is falling.
I realize that you're implying this, but it feels like it needs to be said. Since he isn't in the transfer portal, literally any offer he has gotten is tampering, right?
Here's my non-lawyer question. The NCAA is a voluntary association and its rules are made by its members. So the schools suing the NCAA are in some ways suing themselves? Is there any world where a court would say something like, "why don't you just leave the NCAA if you don't like its rules? or Why don't you just change the rules yourself?"
Lots of good advice. Part of this depends on exactly what he considers good money. One area to consider that brings good, but not incredible money would be aiming towards hospital / healthcare administration. He'll need to go to grad school for an MHSA but a solid econ or other LSA degree with some experience working at a hospital (should be pretty easy to get low paid work at Michigan Medicine) could be a good path to consider if that strikes his interest.
The problem with all of this is that there's no way to really know what is true. There are so many people with personal angles leaking things in all directions that it's impossible to really have any understanding of the truth.
Agreed. And I think it would be a mistake for Moore to try to just be Harbaugh 2.0. He's 23 years younger than him with a totally different life and experience. He should try to take things that work and keep them going, but not being himself would be a big mistake, in my opinion.
The only thing I can think is that they didn't want someone who finished in the top 9 (ie top half of the league) to have to play 5 days? That's all I got. You could do it with 16 teams over 5 days
Wednesday
9/16, 10/15, 11/14, 12/13
Thursday
8 vs 9/16, 7 vs 10/15, 6 vs 11/14, 5 vs 12/13
Friday
1 vs 8/9/16, 2 vs 7/10/15, 3 vs 6/11/14, 4 vs 5/12/13
Maybe it's just me, but I've grown skeptical of JUB's reporting on this. His source is obviously an anti-Warde person. What he reports here might be true, but I am not sure Bacon can be trusted on this topic at this point.
It's pretty interesting that out of 24 people, only one got the breakout freshman (assuming everyone would agree that it was Morgan). Unfortunately for Trevor McCue, his call of Edwards as Team MVP was as wrong as his freshman of the year was right.
I hope Hillman sticks it out. I liked what I saw in the little bit he played early in the year. The downside of all of these guys coming back is that 2025 will have little to no returning experience at S.
The only thing that I enjoyed from this game was the big group of Illinois students who kept trying to get a reaction from the UM crowd and could not get anyone to bite at all. Had to be wildly unsatisfying.
Agreed. My gut is that the thing that will eventually give is the fact that the success of 21 - 23 has been mostly on the backs of the players recruited before he started doing the annual NFL dance. I'm not a full "stars matter" guy, but the lower than hoped for recruiting records over the last few years may eventually catch up to Michigan.
Maybe, but it's pretty clear at this point that whoever JUB's contact is has an anti Warde axe to grind. Not saying what he's reporting is wrong, but just like with Thamel and every other reporter, full context is important.
This was going to be a tough sell for anyone who was on the fence, especially for guys who already have been here 4 or 5 years. So much about 2024 is going to be a new world (18 team B1G, 12 team playoff, potential new HC) that it makes sense to me to go out on top if it was a close decision, regardless of NIL.
Would not being allowed to leave the state have such a defined timeline? I honestly don't know. Also @MSU is a part of this, so it's probably not that. Ffs, what a mess.
Agreed on the OL. I feel like an OL, l to r, of Hinton, Priebe, Crippen, El-Hadi, Jones is pretty solid. They still have Gentry and Anderson as experienced guys even with that starting group.
Best is always subjective, but I would argue that the four teams who would have been the worst matchup for Michigan were OSU, Georgia, healthy FSU, and Oregon and none of them were in the playoff. Michigan 100% earned the national championship, but I'm not mad we didn't have to play any of those games.
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The Dayton AD comment was confusing to me. Dayton has had the playin game since 2001. Their AD started in 2015. Maybe he's done a good job at keeping it, but it certainly wasn't his idea.
What did George Washington say to his men before they crossed the Delaware?
Get in the boat
I'm intrigued that he built a tournament team completely out of the portal.
I like your realistic top 3. Something that may factor in is timing. Nedved and Devries are going to the tournament where it's looking more and more like Schertz isn't. With the portal opening Monday, Schertz probably goes off the board first. I'm not sure that matters to Michigan as there are equivalent programs looking for coaches and getting it right is more important than getting it fast. The team is going to likely be bad next year regardless.
I think I'd lean Devries, but I'd be happy with any of them.
If this is the "bombshell" that has been rumored then this is pretty tame. Howard is a hot head who people are afraid to have honest conversations with. No shit, anyone with eyes could have told you that. I guess if they need this documentation to fire him then whatever, but the results on the court should have been enough.
Too bad it's not next year when the bottom two teams don't even make the BTT.
Agreed.
Hope you get unstuck eventually.
Awesome, I will definitely check them out. The Monk / Robot ones left me with such a smile on my face.
The best books I read in 2023 kind of fit into this sci-fi / fantasy area.
A Psalm for the Wild-Built
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy
Both by Becky Chambers. Kind of light and uplifting.
How does Avery Queen not make this roster?
Agree here. They can't keep going with stopgaps. They need to find players who want to be here for a while. If I were coaching Michigan, I would prioritize signing at least 1-2 in state guys per year. Like why is this guy committed to Rutgers without any interest from Michigan. We regularly have multiple unfilled scholarships. Take a chance on a local guy. I don't know the details on any of these guys below, but they are all from the 22 and 23 class from the state of Michigan and UM is not on their interest list at all. I don't get why you wouldn't try to grab a couple of these guys.
Agreed. Brown and Smith did well as transfers in during the 2021 season. It hasn't gone well with transfers since then.
For what it's worth, I meant keeping him after the season is way worse. I don't think there's any point in firing him now with 10 days to go.
I think this is an important point. Like how do you justify it to anyone? Who would sign up to play for him at this point?
I mean... I only coach 12U softball, but if my daughter was being disrespectful to a coach, I would have no problem with another coach putting her in her place. What kind of message are you teaching your kid if you want to fight anyone who disciplines or corrects them?
I think the other thing that comes to mind for me as a season ticket holder is that once the University made the decision to try to maximize every dollar they can get, it's easier to just sell your tickets. If they treat you as a customer only, then treat them like a business. (For what it's worth, we used all of our tickets yesterday).
They don't have to charge $10 for an ice cream cone and $6 for a 20oz of pop. But they can, so they do. I just lose a lot of my sympathy for the AD when they just push and push and push every penny out of you.
I do feel bad for the players. They played hard yesterday and deserved better, but that's kind of just where we are at this point.
I will say they legitimately played hard, which is something. They just don't have the players, full stop.
Hard disagree on that. The reason for them is that they are interesting and fun, which is what draws viewers and what funds this entire operation.
Is that on the table? Every proposal I've seen still reserves the first round byes for conference champions, so I don't think it will be possible to have a first round bye secured before your conference championship.
The Super Bowl got 123 million viewers this year. No college football game, regardless of the stakes and teams involved, is getting even a third of that.
I agree on tailoring the approach to the portal. I just googled "top mid-major freshman" and came across this list which seems like a great starting point. All of these guys look solid and should be early enough in their careers that the transfer credit thing should be less of an issue.
I don't know much about travel nursing, but nursing is an incredibly flexible skill. She could stay at the bedside for an entire career, become a hospital administrator, get into quality improvement work, get into public health / public policy, become an NP or CRNA, do research... the list goes on and on. Great foundation to have.
Is there any hope that Sabb would come back after meeting with Morgan or does Sabb leaving feel like a done deal?
I think the "even lose a little" in your quote is really important. The 2023 National Championship was the culmination of a 4-5 year build. It's not realistic to think UM, or anyone, can win every year. This coming year has a tough schedule and a major roster reset, especially on offense. 10-2 where Michigan wins 2/3 of USC, Oregon, and Texas and loses to OSU on the road would be a very very good outcome in my opinion. 7-5 or 6-6 or something would be a disappointment, but a 9-3 or 8-4 type season could happen and would not be a sign that the sky is falling.
I thought I was the only one really underwhelmed by the UM stuff from Homefield. I had high hopes, but none of it really hits for me.
I realize that you're implying this, but it feels like it needs to be said. Since he isn't in the transfer portal, literally any offer he has gotten is tampering, right?
Here's my non-lawyer question. The NCAA is a voluntary association and its rules are made by its members. So the schools suing the NCAA are in some ways suing themselves? Is there any world where a court would say something like, "why don't you just leave the NCAA if you don't like its rules? or Why don't you just change the rules yourself?"
Lots of good advice. Part of this depends on exactly what he considers good money. One area to consider that brings good, but not incredible money would be aiming towards hospital / healthcare administration. He'll need to go to grad school for an MHSA but a solid econ or other LSA degree with some experience working at a hospital (should be pretty easy to get low paid work at Michigan Medicine) could be a good path to consider if that strikes his interest.
The problem with all of this is that there's no way to really know what is true. There are so many people with personal angles leaking things in all directions that it's impossible to really have any understanding of the truth.
Agreed. And I think it would be a mistake for Moore to try to just be Harbaugh 2.0. He's 23 years younger than him with a totally different life and experience. He should try to take things that work and keep them going, but not being himself would be a big mistake, in my opinion.
Or get a weird mustache
Third, just like Day. The question is, will he think he hit a triple? Seems unlikely with what we've seen so far.
The only thing I can think is that they didn't want someone who finished in the top 9 (ie top half of the league) to have to play 5 days? That's all I got. You could do it with 16 teams over 5 days
Maybe it's just me, but I've grown skeptical of JUB's reporting on this. His source is obviously an anti-Warde person. What he reports here might be true, but I am not sure Bacon can be trusted on this topic at this point.
It's pretty interesting that out of 24 people, only one got the breakout freshman (assuming everyone would agree that it was Morgan). Unfortunately for Trevor McCue, his call of Edwards as Team MVP was as wrong as his freshman of the year was right.
I hope Hillman sticks it out. I liked what I saw in the little bit he played early in the year. The downside of all of these guys coming back is that 2025 will have little to no returning experience at S.
The only thing that I enjoyed from this game was the big group of Illinois students who kept trying to get a reaction from the UM crowd and could not get anyone to bite at all. Had to be wildly unsatisfying.
The spring game also showed us pretty definitively that Walker was not the answer at CB2.
Agreed. My gut is that the thing that will eventually give is the fact that the success of 21 - 23 has been mostly on the backs of the players recruited before he started doing the annual NFL dance. I'm not a full "stars matter" guy, but the lower than hoped for recruiting records over the last few years may eventually catch up to Michigan.
I think the problem with this is that "actually did something wrong" doesn't seem to be the threshold for punishment from the NCAA.
Maybe, but it's pretty clear at this point that whoever JUB's contact is has an anti Warde axe to grind. Not saying what he's reporting is wrong, but just like with Thamel and every other reporter, full context is important.
This was going to be a tough sell for anyone who was on the fence, especially for guys who already have been here 4 or 5 years. So much about 2024 is going to be a new world (18 team B1G, 12 team playoff, potential new HC) that it makes sense to me to go out on top if it was a close decision, regardless of NIL.
Moore is listed at 6'1". I think he is more of an outside than a slot. Agreed that someone in the 6'3" or 6'4" mold would be nice though.
At least he put the decision right at the top
Hear me out... Cade McNamara
Yikes. That was a bit of a warning shot, huh?
Yes. Guess I had English soccer players on my mind.
Would not being allowed to leave the state have such a defined timeline? I honestly don't know. Also @MSU is a part of this, so it's probably not that. Ffs, what a mess.
Agreed on the OL. I feel like an OL, l to r, of Hinton, Priebe, Crippen, El-Hadi, Jones is pretty solid. They still have Gentry and Anderson as experienced guys even with that starting group.
Best is always subjective, but I would argue that the four teams who would have been the worst matchup for Michigan were OSU, Georgia, healthy FSU, and Oregon and none of them were in the playoff. Michigan 100% earned the national championship, but I'm not mad we didn't have to play any of those games.