Unverified Voracity Has Cool Surprises, Kids Comment Count

Brian

Just another day in the life.

Hackett on WTKA. Jim Hackett stopped by The Michigan Insider today for a 30-minute long interview that wandered through a bunch of news. He of course kicked things off by sounding like your kindly grandfather trying to relate to 13-year-olds in board shorts:

Hackett anticipates ‘cool surprises’ for UM schedule

In other news things:

  • Hackett does not think that the MSU flip is fixable.
  • The Big Ten is going to go to more of an SEC model with conference scheduling after the move to nine games: "…because of the nine-game Big Ten season, we’re going to have to have an early Big Ten game as the season opens."
  • All games going forward will be sold by the Big Ten Network, so Michigan's ability to schedule Notre Dame is further compromised. So that sucks. On the other hand, no more Jerryworld. I might take that tradeoff.
  • Despite that both head coaches in the M-ND rivalry want to see it return, and people are working towards making it happen in some capacity. This is the first public confirmation that the series might return.
  • Michigan will be forced to play more night games from 2017 onward.

SOTS on the tubes. In case you missed it:

Signing of the Haters. A lot of Michigan State folk have spent the last couple days talking about something that doesn't have a damn thing to do with them. Par for the course, but once they start yelling about how "Signing of the Stars" was some sort of unethical boondoggle designed for hype and recruiting I have various fuses in my head blow and can only reset them by typing this on the internet.

So.

1. Yes, it was designed to put Michigan in the news. It worked so spectacularly that UCF is complaining about it. It will hopefully boost Michigan's recruiting going forward.

2. It also raised 120k for pediatric cancer research. I shouldn't have to even bring this up because having a goofy variety show where you introduce recruits does not need to be justified. The correct answer to "Michigan had a Signing Day event" is "so what?", not "but it was for cancer." Michigan could have raised zero dollars and there would be no valid complaints outside of corniness.

3. But they did raise some money for cancer.

4. Contrary to Detroit-area sports-talk mouthbreathers, the folks who showed up did so for free. Delta even donated the flights.

5. Michigan State fans just can't stand a coach who yells at referees like a maniac and does everything he can for media attention. If they had such a coach they'd tar and feather him and shoot him into the sun.

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Or maybe they wouldn't.

This is virtually identical to Alabama lizard people moaning about Michigan's satellite camps, attempting to cloak pure self-interest in concern trolling.

Hello, IMG, we are to be in your base. Rumors that Michigan was going to go outside of the box for spring practice have come to fruition:

Harbaugh confirmed Wednesday that the program will spend its first week of spring practice at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida during Michigan's spring break week -- which begins later this month (Feb. 27).

"Our plans for spring football are to go to Florida our first week while the university here is on spring break," Harbaugh said. "We'll go to Florida and have four practices down there. We're going to work hard but we'll have fun doing it."

IMG will be familiar to Michigan fans as the home of TE Isaac Nauta in the previous cycle. This time around they've got…

…a few guys.

This is going to be fun. Ian Boyd on Rashan Gary:

The numbers on Gary are jaw-dropping, no matter how inflated high schooler measurables can be. In a partially laser-timed SPARQ test before his junior year, he produced the following results, blowing away all other 2016 stars tested at the national event.


Height Weight 40 time Shuttle time Vertical leap
Rashan Gary as a high school junior 6'4" 287 4.74 4.38 32.1"
Average 2015 NFL Combine defensive lineman 6'3 1/2" 286 4.96 4.5 32.2"

That group includes some relatively lean defensive ends; Gary's got a big enough body to play defensive tackle. His 40 time was better than what 15 linebackers produced at last year's Combine. Three wide receivers had slower shuttle times, and five linebackers had lesser vertical leaps. Some of those NFL prospects were as many as 80 pounds lighter than Gary.

Boyd believes Gary can play as an end and will bounce across the defensive line throughout his career but his highest upside in the future is as a defensive tackle, where his pass rush ability should maintain more of its value as he moves up to college and eventually the NFL.

Assuming that Michigan slides Matt Godin out to the SDE spot he was effective in early last year and starts Taco Charlton at WDE, Michigan's biggest need on the DL in 2016 is indeed three-tech, where Willie Henry's absence leaves Michigan with (probably) Mo Hurst and Brady Pallante backing up.

Harbaugh media tour. Michigan appears to have sent Jim Harbaugh on a tour of every radio show in the country. They're conveniently located in one place—wherever the Super Bowl is—this time of year, and Michigan's taking the opportunity to have Harbaugh around, seeming (largely) sane and repeating that he has no intention of exiting Ann Arbor any time soon:

Coaching moves. After a one-year pitstop as an analyst at Michigan, Erik Campbell gets the WR coach job at UConn. With Partridge moving up and TJ Weist also getting a WR coach job, his with South Florida, Michigan has three open analyst/recruiter type spots if they maintain the same level of staffing as they did last year. One of those spots has been filled:

Michigan has of course gotten to know the Prattville staff pretty well over the past couple years.

Flanagan's Devin Bush Sr. is widely expected to get the second opening. Who might fill the third is unknown, but it'll probably be someone who ends up at loose ends after the NFL season.

Etc.: Good to know, Jourdan Lewis. Trevor Siemian will throw-god in the Super Bowl. Jehu Chesson is still on crutches a month after the bowl game. Doubtful it'll be an issue that affects him in fall, could hold him out in spring. The Players' Tribune as new-world press releases.

Comments

lesgoblue

February 6th, 2016 at 12:59 PM ^

Thank you! I've been waiting for someone to point out the blatant hypocrisy in EL. Not a single mention by fans or media EVER about Izzo's Midnight Madness clown show being just that. Everyone laughs along with it and thinks it's great.

Alton

February 6th, 2016 at 11:08 PM ^

Big Ten teams need 3 home & 3 away aginst in-division opponents every year.  If we just switch with MSU, that gets broken.  We would have to pull in a third team to make the switch work, and that third team would have to be Indiana (no other team has the correct rotation with us & MSU to make it work).

Of course, I can't see a good reason that we can't do the 3-team swap with Indiana.

Alton

February 7th, 2016 at 8:58 AM ^

Of course you're right--Maryland would work as well.

ODD YEARS (with the current schedule):  Michigan at Maryland, Maryland at Michigan State, Michigan State at Michigan

You could just make that the even year schedule instead.

The problem with that is that Maryland would then have Michigan and Ohio State home in the same year and away in the same year.  Assuming those are the two most interesting games to Maryland fans (a good assumption, I think), Maryland would then have the same complaint that Michigan has now--their 2 most interesting games are on the road in the same year.

If you flipped Indiana, though, it would get their Michigan & their Ohio State game on the opposite-year rotation.

Hail Harbo

February 7th, 2016 at 11:25 AM ^

But if you flip the game with Indiana then Indiana must flip another game to remain at 3 home and 3 away divisional games.  That's why I said it wasn't as easy as flipping just one game.  When Indiana flips that game, the team they're opposing must then flip at least one other game.  It isn't hard to figure out but it takes many more than just a one or two games to put things right.

Alton

February 7th, 2016 at 2:40 PM ^

Sorry, I don't think I understand.

Instead of Indiana at Michigan in 2018, play Michigan at Indiana.

Instead of Michigan State at Indiana in 2018, play Indiana at Michigan State.

Instead of Michigan at Michigan State in 2018, play Michigan State at Michigan.

That way, each of those 3 teams gives up 1 home game and gets 1 different home game in return.  You keep the perfect 3 home & 3 away within the division for every team.

Goggles Paisano

February 6th, 2016 at 1:11 PM ^

It is so obvious that Harbaugh had his funnest year coaching this year - just look at him. He looks like a man that is having a blast.  I can certainly see this being his last stop.  

bronxblue

February 6th, 2016 at 1:15 PM ^

I'm bummed about the MSU flip, but at this point the damage has been done and if they schedule appropriate OOC games, it won't (hopefully) hurt season ticket holders too badly.

As for MSU bitching about whatever UM does, it's par for the course.  It's a school and a team that has to feel overlooked to feel relevant, so whatever.  The fact a bunch of their former players have nothing better to do than bitch about a rival doing something different makes me think they'll be REALLY annoyed when UM starts beating them on the field consistently.

Hugh

February 6th, 2016 at 1:15 PM ^

that it was not Michigan that lined Harbaugh up on every sports intervies program. I got the strong impression that he was there on behalf of the Colgate Save Water Program. It was mentioned during every interview - often out of the blue.

Goggles Paisano

February 6th, 2016 at 1:18 PM ^

I can literally see the IMG campus from my front yard. It is going to be really cool having them here for the week. I don't think any of the practices would be open to the public, but man that would be cool to be able to check that out.  

Bobby Cremins was on Siruis yesterday with Mark Packer - Cremins was adamant that  there was no way Michigan will be allowed to do this. Packer was like.... "oh yes they are and they will".  Cremins would not let up on his stance and Packer was saying it's only a few weeks away and there is no way the NCAA could put out a ruling in time to prevent it.  

 

 

gwkrlghl

February 6th, 2016 at 1:22 PM ^

Everyone is going to concern troll this one too because they're pissed we're doing it and their coaches aren't. Just getting a foot in the door and getting 1 or 2 of those guys will be huge over the next 5-10 years

Mannix

February 6th, 2016 at 1:28 PM ^

Michigan State fans just can't stand a coach who yells at referees like a maniac and does everything he can for media attention. If they had such a coach they'd tar and feather him and shoot him into the sun.

That picture of Izzo as Simmons...wow. Forgot that happened.

dipshit moron

February 6th, 2016 at 7:05 PM ^

you know why "everyone" forgot about that dumb crap izzo did? for one thing nobody cared to begin with and the media didnt run it into the ground because,,,well nobody cared to begin with....  could you only imagine if harbaugh did anything like that the media attention he would get?

growler4

February 6th, 2016 at 1:31 PM ^

So, some fans of MSU are disgruntled over Harbaugh, the publicity he generates, the status of UM, etc.

Why do they care? Why should we care that they care?

Why is any Michigan alumnus or fan concerned about this?

Oh, and Dantonio burped and it sounded like an intentional or unintentional slight towards UM, Harbaugh, etc. Some Michigan fans are upset.

Who cares?

East German Judge

February 6th, 2016 at 1:51 PM ^

staee fans have perpetual butthurt.  They are jealous as who would they have invited to their version of SOTS - Tony Mandarich, Paxico Burress, and Flozell Adams.  There only real famous alum is either Bubba Smith or Kirk Gibson who didn't even play in the NFL.  staee trolls feel free to remind me of all the other successful NFL'ers that have or are still playing in the NFL.

Dubs

February 6th, 2016 at 2:02 PM ^

I remember listening to Tiki and Tierney last year and amazed at how adamant Tierney was about Harbaugh going to Michigan. "He's not going. He's just not." Couldn't stand that dude.

Erik_in_Dayton

February 6th, 2016 at 2:06 PM ^

His vertical as a junior was 0.1 inches less than than the vertical of the average DL at the Combine. I really hope he's cleaned that up. Might not have been worth landing him otherwise.

NateVolk

February 6th, 2016 at 2:13 PM ^

Always looked at games against MSU the same except in rare circumstances. Beating them isn't about any sort of bragging rights. It's pain avoidance and relief. I feel like that's what Michigan is supposed to do.  Not like how I see beating Notre Dame or Ohio State. Given that feeling, MSU is not a rival from my perspective as a Michigan fan. I wouldn't pay five seconds of attention to them if they weren't playing Michigan. So I don't get the mentality of their fans regarding Michgan.