So this is unprecedented. As of writing this Michigan has already brought in five transfers in the week since the portal opened. They are widely expected to be adding a sixth in Indiana TE AJ Barner. What is going on? Did something change? Did we become the new Portal U? Well, I thought we should talk about it. PORTAL? Much of what Brian went through last week is still true. Zach Shaw of 247 wrote a comprehensive assessment of Michigan's needs yesterday that isn't behind a paywall so I'll just point you to that. Updates by position, with some additional scouting thoughts: Cornerback: There are a lot of names out there and very little to suggest Michigan is making any headway with them. They're facing elite competition for Virginia's Fentrell Cypress, who's made visits to FSU and UCLA and "doesn't talk much about Ohio State" it may be he's looking to go somewhere warm. UNC's Tony Grimes, whom Michigan recruited hard out of high scho
Michigan picked up a massive commitment following the BBQ at the Big House last weekend, OT Evan Link. You could read that choice of words one of two ways. On one hand, it's a massive pick up because the player in question is a massive human being. On the other hand, it's massive because Link is a solid prospect at a position that has been poorly recruited so far this cycle, offensive tackle. Either way, Michigan needed a 4 tackle in this class and I am very pleased to get to write this Hello: GURU RATINGS Rivals: 6'6/290 ESPN: 6'5/290 247: 6'6/290 On3: 6'5.5/290 247 Comp 3 , 5.7, NR Ovr #50 OT, #3 DC 4 , 80, #35 East, NR Ovr #33 OT, #3 DC 3 , 88, NR Ovr #43 OT, #3 DC 4 , 93, #125 Ovr #11 OT, #2 DC 4 , 0.9041, #294 Ovr #27 OT, #3 DC 3.77 3.95 3.79 4.47 4.04 Link is a prospect where there's a bit of disagreement between the various sources. On3 is the highest right now, putting Link in the top 150, while Rivals and 24/7 are a bit lower, with him
[Patrick Barron] 9/1/2018 – Michigan 17, Notre Dame 24 – 0-1 Ah so it's this bit again. The bit where some people pick up on a factoid and yell about it a lot and other people yell at them about it. The bit where everyone's mad and trying to take it out on someone. I mean, I get it. Any properly scientific assessment of which football program it is the least fun to be a fan of will find a way to exclude Kansas for not actually being a football program and stick Michigan at the top. Nobody got into this to fight about the level of doomed we are every 3-4 years, never beat anyone of consequence, etc. But I don't want to do it again. I've done this three times before, once per coaching era this blog has seen the end of, and I've done all the stuff already: preaching patience, gallows humor, being legitimately angry, calling for various heads, writing about mattresses. I don't really feel like doing it all over again. I don't care to evaluate the prec
Previously: Podcast 14.0A, 14.0B, 14.0C. The Story. Quarterback. Running Back. Wide Receiver. Tight End. [Bolded player rules: not necessarily returning starter, but someone we've seen enough of that I'm no longer talking about their recruiting profile (much, anyway). Extant contributor.] LT Yr. LG Yr. C Yr. RG Yr. RT Yr. Ryan Hayes Jr Trevor Keegan So Olu Oluwatimi Sr Zak Zinter So Trente Jones So Jeffrey Persi Fr Reece Atteberry So Greg Crippen So Gio El-Hadi Fr Karsen Barnhart So Tristan Bounds Fr Alessandro Lorenzetti Fr Raheem Anderson Fr Connor Jones Fr Andrew Gentry Fr Tim Drevno put out fantastic, mauling offensive lines at Stanford. The guys they recruited were 3-stars, but they were smart, and didn't have to start until they were redshirt sophomores or juniors, by which time they'd been sufficiently drilled to run Drevno's complicated list of calls and checks. At Michigan he fruitlessly chased after recruits who didn't want his