The latest edition of INSIDE THE FORT, including plenty of football news heading into Saturday’s game with Indiana …
We’ll start, though, with some of the young guys who have been impressing in practice, and it’s a pretty long list. Michigan will have to replace some key starters at a number of positions next year — that’s how it usually goes — but there’s no shortage of candidates to step up.
The offensive line is the first that comes to mind, and as of now, they’ll need to replace three starters. We expect junior center Cesar Ruiz to return for his last season (though some believe he could at least flirt with the NFL), and redshirt freshman Jalen Mayfield will man one of the tackle spots.
But what of the other tackle? Many expect redshirt sophomore Ryan Hayes to man the other spot, and he might. He’s continued to ascend, and he was the player of the game on offense in his first start against Middle Tennessee State for the way he responded when Jon Runyan Jr. went down.
Some, though, strongly believe this is not a foregone conclusion because of the emergence of one guy — former Paw Paw, Mich. standout Karsen Barnhart.
“This guy is going to be a star,” one insider said. “He’s picked everything up very quickly, he’s physical, his motor never stops. He’s been the best of a great young crop.”
Offensive line coach Ed Warinner mentioned Trevor Keegan and Zach Carpenter as the other two of the five who stood out in the early going, but Trente Jones and Nolan Rumler are also going to be good ones, our insider added. In fact, Rumler could be in line to start at one of the guard spots next year, with Andrew Stueber (out this year with a knee injury) penciled in as the other.
“It’s just taking him a bit longer to pick some things up, but he’s going to be a stud,” our source said. “Trente has all the tools, too. He just needs to learn how to be more physical.”
The biggest question, however, is who takes over for Shea Patterson at quarterback. Neither redshirt sophomore Dylan McCaffrey nor redshirt frosh Joe Milton has a huge sample size, but the practice competition has brought out the best in them recently.
“I love Dylan McCaffrey,” our source said. “He’s going to be a great quarterback here. He just needs to learn how to protect himself a bit more, obviously — his toughness has been his own worst enemy at times. This is a kid who always wants to fight for more.”
The last two weeks, though, Milton has been “lights out,” according to another close to it, leading to excitement about the offseason competition. Offensive coordinator Josh Gattis raised some eyebrows in the fall when he said he sometimes had a tough time reaching Patterson because he was “on the golf course.” Both McCaffrey and Milton understand what’s at stake this summer, and we expect that to bring out the best in both of them.
“We all can’t wait to see how it shakes out the way Joe has been playing,” one close to it said. “He’s got all the tools. He’s up there with Chad Henne and Ryan Mallett when it comes to arm strength, and he wants it so badly. The difference with him is he can also make things happen with his legs.”
Neither one has looked the part as the obvious quarterback in waiting, but the good news is they don’t have to right now. They’re both relatively young and have another offseason, spring and summer to prepare. We expect the competition to be outstanding tiven how these guys compete.
Speaking of Gattis, his evolution continues. So much has been made of the offense improving because of line coach Ed Warinner or because Jim Harbaugh has gotten more heavily involved (especially in the run game). Playing junior fullback Ben Mason, for example, looked like a Harbaugh move, but our source said it was Gattis’ idea.
“It’s his offense, and though he’s obviously gotten input from (Harbaugh and Warinner), he’s really starting to get it,” he said. “The players love him. He works at it, and he’s really starting to find his groove.”
As for who he’ll have to work with next year … our source believes there’s a solid chance Nico Collins comes back for his senior year, which would provide a huge boost to the receiving corps.
“If you build around Nico and Ronnie Bell, that duo is up there with some of the better ones we’ve seen here with the way they work,” he said.
On defense, it appears that yes, defensive tackle Carlo Kemp is open to a fifth year, and we could find out in January if it’s possible. It would involve petitioning for one more season, but it would be relatively surprising (keeping in mind it’s the NCAA we’re dealing with here) if he didn’t get another year of eligibility.
Our source also believes cornerback Ambry Thomas will return for his senior year, which would obviously provide a huge boost to the secondary.
More football …
It’s no secret that Indiana’s offense has the potential to be dangerous, even without Michael Penix (collarbone) under center. Peyton Ramsey has been comfortable, and there’s a reason the Hoosiers lead the Big Ten in sacks allowed — and it’s not because the offensive line is dominant, even though it’s played relatively well.
IU’s offense is going to take the Middle Tennessee State approach and get the ball out quickly. That makes it tough to get to the quarterback, and it also means different roles and a different approach to slowing Ramsey and Co.
Teams with speed, however, have a great shot of slowing it, as we saw with Ohio State earlier this year (five sacks). Penix was more escapable than Ramsey, too. The plan of attack will be interesting this week, and without going into detail, there’s one group in particular that should be excited.
The main topic of conversation surrounding Indiana heading into Saturday’s game is the status of junior wide receiver Whop Philyor. He is in the top three in the Big Ten in both receptions (61) and yards (863), but departed last weekend’s loss at Penn State with a potential concussion.
“He took a couple shots to the helmet on a second-quarter play against Penn State,” Taylor Lehman of TheHoosier.com said. “Monday, [head coach] Tom Allen said they didn’t know about his status at all yet, which makes sense, since he’s in concussion protocol. These things are tricky.
“He’s easily the best security blanket for Ramsey and statistically the best receiver in the Big Ten. What he does on the field is typically underrated, even if he does rack up receptions and yards. His detailed orientation in space is tough to best, and freshman David Ellis, while he played well in relief against Penn State and has a bright future, wasn’t as consistent as Philyor.
“The positive for Indiana is that there is very little chance that he’s practicing right now, so it has a chance to get Ellis the reps he needs to step into that role easier. Also, the other receivers are very effective. [Fifth-year senior] Nick Westbrook was once a Big Ten Honorable Mention receiver, and [redshirt sophomore] Peyton Hendershot is the second-best pass-catching tight end in the conference. [Fifth-year senior] Donavan Hale can take over games when he’s on, but that’s the problem with him. [Junior] Ty Fryfogle has really come on recently as well. Losing Philyor would be a difficult hurdle to get over, though.”
Jim Harbaugh’s four meetings with Indiana have been decided by an average of 8.7 points, even though the first two Hoosier clubs he saw finished 6-7 and the most recent two concluded at 5-7.
This year’s IU club has already exceeded those win totals at 7-3, with head coach Tom Allen guiding the Hoosiers to their best season in recent memory in just his third year on the job.
“Well, this really all started near the end of the Kevin Wilson Era,” Lehman recalled. “Beginning in about 2014, there seemed to be a change in the direction of the program. Indiana went to a bowl in two straight seasons – 2015 and 2016 – which really helped in getting the athletic department to begin investing in football.
“After Wilson’s untimely departure, Tom Allen has continued the trend with very little dip. Immediately after he took over, he recruited the two best recruiting classes in the history of the program, and those young guys I talked about earlier are from those classes, already making an impact.
“Recruiting classes for programs like Indiana aren’t necessarily defined by the top-end recruits they bring in but the strength of the worst recruits in each class, and those guys are developing into real talents. The second-lowest rated 2018 signee was Micah McFadden, and he’s at the heart of this defense today at linebacker.
“Surely Michigan fans can remember the 2015 double-overtime game when Mitchell Paige dropped the game-tying touchdown in the end zone. There’s no way that Indiana is throwing to a former walk-on on that play on today’s team. Walk-ons don’t necessarily see the field anymore. There’s a lot more depth, and the staff is building on that newfound depth.
“It’s really fascinating. Tom Allen has a way of making players and recruits believe in him, his staff and the goals he has for the program, and now he’s hit marks like cracking the top-25 for the first time since 1994, the first four-game win streak in Big Ten play since 1993, reaching seven wins for the first time since 2007 and aiming for the first bowl win since 1991.”
Despite the several close calls with Michigan in recent years, Indiana hasn’t been able to actually pull out a victory since 1987. Lehman explained what the Hoosiers need to do to change that tomorrow.
“It needs to get pressure on Shea Patterson,” he said. “Like I said earlier, Indiana has not played this number of talented receivers before — save for Ohio State, but that’s an outlier at this point. Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack is the son of former Ole Miss defensive coordinator Dave Wommack, who was at Ole Miss when Shea Patterson was there. He’s very familiar with Patterson and expressed an excitement about Patterson’s history of antsiness in the pocket when under pressure. Obviously, that’s easier said than done.”
****
To basketball and recruiting now, and the latest on Hunter Dickinson …
We’ve been told for weeks now that the Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha standout big man (7-1, Rivals.com’s No. 38 senior nationally) would decide in the early period. Then we were told he wouldn’t sign early. Then we were told he’d pledge early, but not sign … and that the early commitment would come this week.
Dickinson still hasn’t made a decision, and while folks have been preparing commitment videos for him, he still hasn’t pulled the trigger. We know teams have been negative recruiting head coach Juwan Howard, trying to convince Dickinson to wait in hopes that Howard fails. We also know Dickinson has seen the way U-M has used senior big man Jon Teske (and hehad to have been impressed the way they go to him in the post), and that Howard visited him earlier this week.
We still just don’t know what’s next for the big man. We’ll keep you posted when we hear more, and we’ve been promised we’ll be among the first to know.
Five-star Josh Christopher is on campus, and the California shooting guard’s visit is only a positive. It’s good news that he visited now instead of in February … not that it’s balmy in Ann Arbor right now, but it ain’t 15 degrees and blustery with snow.
We still believe this is an extreme long shot, with Arizona State, Missouri, UCLA and others out front, and we’re still waiting for plan B targets to emerge. There have been some names thrown out (including three-star forward Zimife Nwokeji of Spire Academy in Ohio), but nothing’s been confirmed when it comes to serious interest.
We do expect Jace Howard, Juwan’s three-star forward son, to join the program and sign in the spring, but we don’t know the reason for the delay. Again, he told us “it will all make sense” when he announces his decision, though he didn’t tell us specifically it would be U-M.
Finally, on the team, we expect frosh Franz Wagner to be available when the Wolverines play Iowa State Wednesday in the Bahamas. He’s made great progress recovering from his broken shooting hand and is very close.
We’ll start, though, with some of the young guys who have been impressing in practice, and it’s a pretty long list. Michigan will have to replace some key starters at a number of positions next year — that’s how it usually goes — but there’s no shortage of candidates to step up.
The offensive line is the first that comes to mind, and as of now, they’ll need to replace three starters. We expect junior center Cesar Ruiz to return for his last season (though some believe he could at least flirt with the NFL), and redshirt freshman Jalen Mayfield will man one of the tackle spots.
But what of the other tackle? Many expect redshirt sophomore Ryan Hayes to man the other spot, and he might. He’s continued to ascend, and he was the player of the game on offense in his first start against Middle Tennessee State for the way he responded when Jon Runyan Jr. went down.
Some, though, strongly believe this is not a foregone conclusion because of the emergence of one guy — former Paw Paw, Mich. standout Karsen Barnhart.
“This guy is going to be a star,” one insider said. “He’s picked everything up very quickly, he’s physical, his motor never stops. He’s been the best of a great young crop.”
Offensive line coach Ed Warinner mentioned Trevor Keegan and Zach Carpenter as the other two of the five who stood out in the early going, but Trente Jones and Nolan Rumler are also going to be good ones, our insider added. In fact, Rumler could be in line to start at one of the guard spots next year, with Andrew Stueber (out this year with a knee injury) penciled in as the other.
“It’s just taking him a bit longer to pick some things up, but he’s going to be a stud,” our source said. “Trente has all the tools, too. He just needs to learn how to be more physical.”
The biggest question, however, is who takes over for Shea Patterson at quarterback. Neither redshirt sophomore Dylan McCaffrey nor redshirt frosh Joe Milton has a huge sample size, but the practice competition has brought out the best in them recently.
“I love Dylan McCaffrey,” our source said. “He’s going to be a great quarterback here. He just needs to learn how to protect himself a bit more, obviously — his toughness has been his own worst enemy at times. This is a kid who always wants to fight for more.”
The last two weeks, though, Milton has been “lights out,” according to another close to it, leading to excitement about the offseason competition. Offensive coordinator Josh Gattis raised some eyebrows in the fall when he said he sometimes had a tough time reaching Patterson because he was “on the golf course.” Both McCaffrey and Milton understand what’s at stake this summer, and we expect that to bring out the best in both of them.
“We all can’t wait to see how it shakes out the way Joe has been playing,” one close to it said. “He’s got all the tools. He’s up there with Chad Henne and Ryan Mallett when it comes to arm strength, and he wants it so badly. The difference with him is he can also make things happen with his legs.”
Neither one has looked the part as the obvious quarterback in waiting, but the good news is they don’t have to right now. They’re both relatively young and have another offseason, spring and summer to prepare. We expect the competition to be outstanding tiven how these guys compete.
Speaking of Gattis, his evolution continues. So much has been made of the offense improving because of line coach Ed Warinner or because Jim Harbaugh has gotten more heavily involved (especially in the run game). Playing junior fullback Ben Mason, for example, looked like a Harbaugh move, but our source said it was Gattis’ idea.
“It’s his offense, and though he’s obviously gotten input from (Harbaugh and Warinner), he’s really starting to get it,” he said. “The players love him. He works at it, and he’s really starting to find his groove.”
As for who he’ll have to work with next year … our source believes there’s a solid chance Nico Collins comes back for his senior year, which would provide a huge boost to the receiving corps.
“If you build around Nico and Ronnie Bell, that duo is up there with some of the better ones we’ve seen here with the way they work,” he said.
On defense, it appears that yes, defensive tackle Carlo Kemp is open to a fifth year, and we could find out in January if it’s possible. It would involve petitioning for one more season, but it would be relatively surprising (keeping in mind it’s the NCAA we’re dealing with here) if he didn’t get another year of eligibility.
Our source also believes cornerback Ambry Thomas will return for his senior year, which would obviously provide a huge boost to the secondary.
More football …
It’s no secret that Indiana’s offense has the potential to be dangerous, even without Michael Penix (collarbone) under center. Peyton Ramsey has been comfortable, and there’s a reason the Hoosiers lead the Big Ten in sacks allowed — and it’s not because the offensive line is dominant, even though it’s played relatively well.
IU’s offense is going to take the Middle Tennessee State approach and get the ball out quickly. That makes it tough to get to the quarterback, and it also means different roles and a different approach to slowing Ramsey and Co.
Teams with speed, however, have a great shot of slowing it, as we saw with Ohio State earlier this year (five sacks). Penix was more escapable than Ramsey, too. The plan of attack will be interesting this week, and without going into detail, there’s one group in particular that should be excited.
The main topic of conversation surrounding Indiana heading into Saturday’s game is the status of junior wide receiver Whop Philyor. He is in the top three in the Big Ten in both receptions (61) and yards (863), but departed last weekend’s loss at Penn State with a potential concussion.
“He took a couple shots to the helmet on a second-quarter play against Penn State,” Taylor Lehman of TheHoosier.com said. “Monday, [head coach] Tom Allen said they didn’t know about his status at all yet, which makes sense, since he’s in concussion protocol. These things are tricky.
“He’s easily the best security blanket for Ramsey and statistically the best receiver in the Big Ten. What he does on the field is typically underrated, even if he does rack up receptions and yards. His detailed orientation in space is tough to best, and freshman David Ellis, while he played well in relief against Penn State and has a bright future, wasn’t as consistent as Philyor.
“The positive for Indiana is that there is very little chance that he’s practicing right now, so it has a chance to get Ellis the reps he needs to step into that role easier. Also, the other receivers are very effective. [Fifth-year senior] Nick Westbrook was once a Big Ten Honorable Mention receiver, and [redshirt sophomore] Peyton Hendershot is the second-best pass-catching tight end in the conference. [Fifth-year senior] Donavan Hale can take over games when he’s on, but that’s the problem with him. [Junior] Ty Fryfogle has really come on recently as well. Losing Philyor would be a difficult hurdle to get over, though.”
Jim Harbaugh’s four meetings with Indiana have been decided by an average of 8.7 points, even though the first two Hoosier clubs he saw finished 6-7 and the most recent two concluded at 5-7.
This year’s IU club has already exceeded those win totals at 7-3, with head coach Tom Allen guiding the Hoosiers to their best season in recent memory in just his third year on the job.
“Well, this really all started near the end of the Kevin Wilson Era,” Lehman recalled. “Beginning in about 2014, there seemed to be a change in the direction of the program. Indiana went to a bowl in two straight seasons – 2015 and 2016 – which really helped in getting the athletic department to begin investing in football.
“After Wilson’s untimely departure, Tom Allen has continued the trend with very little dip. Immediately after he took over, he recruited the two best recruiting classes in the history of the program, and those young guys I talked about earlier are from those classes, already making an impact.
“Recruiting classes for programs like Indiana aren’t necessarily defined by the top-end recruits they bring in but the strength of the worst recruits in each class, and those guys are developing into real talents. The second-lowest rated 2018 signee was Micah McFadden, and he’s at the heart of this defense today at linebacker.
“Surely Michigan fans can remember the 2015 double-overtime game when Mitchell Paige dropped the game-tying touchdown in the end zone. There’s no way that Indiana is throwing to a former walk-on on that play on today’s team. Walk-ons don’t necessarily see the field anymore. There’s a lot more depth, and the staff is building on that newfound depth.
“It’s really fascinating. Tom Allen has a way of making players and recruits believe in him, his staff and the goals he has for the program, and now he’s hit marks like cracking the top-25 for the first time since 1994, the first four-game win streak in Big Ten play since 1993, reaching seven wins for the first time since 2007 and aiming for the first bowl win since 1991.”
Despite the several close calls with Michigan in recent years, Indiana hasn’t been able to actually pull out a victory since 1987. Lehman explained what the Hoosiers need to do to change that tomorrow.
“It needs to get pressure on Shea Patterson,” he said. “Like I said earlier, Indiana has not played this number of talented receivers before — save for Ohio State, but that’s an outlier at this point. Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack is the son of former Ole Miss defensive coordinator Dave Wommack, who was at Ole Miss when Shea Patterson was there. He’s very familiar with Patterson and expressed an excitement about Patterson’s history of antsiness in the pocket when under pressure. Obviously, that’s easier said than done.”
****
To basketball and recruiting now, and the latest on Hunter Dickinson …
We’ve been told for weeks now that the Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha standout big man (7-1, Rivals.com’s No. 38 senior nationally) would decide in the early period. Then we were told he wouldn’t sign early. Then we were told he’d pledge early, but not sign … and that the early commitment would come this week.
Dickinson still hasn’t made a decision, and while folks have been preparing commitment videos for him, he still hasn’t pulled the trigger. We know teams have been negative recruiting head coach Juwan Howard, trying to convince Dickinson to wait in hopes that Howard fails. We also know Dickinson has seen the way U-M has used senior big man Jon Teske (and hehad to have been impressed the way they go to him in the post), and that Howard visited him earlier this week.
We still just don’t know what’s next for the big man. We’ll keep you posted when we hear more, and we’ve been promised we’ll be among the first to know.
Five-star Josh Christopher is on campus, and the California shooting guard’s visit is only a positive. It’s good news that he visited now instead of in February … not that it’s balmy in Ann Arbor right now, but it ain’t 15 degrees and blustery with snow.
We still believe this is an extreme long shot, with Arizona State, Missouri, UCLA and others out front, and we’re still waiting for plan B targets to emerge. There have been some names thrown out (including three-star forward Zimife Nwokeji of Spire Academy in Ohio), but nothing’s been confirmed when it comes to serious interest.
We do expect Jace Howard, Juwan’s three-star forward son, to join the program and sign in the spring, but we don’t know the reason for the delay. Again, he told us “it will all make sense” when he announces his decision, though he didn’t tell us specifically it would be U-M.
Finally, on the team, we expect frosh Franz Wagner to be available when the Wolverines play Iowa State Wednesday in the Bahamas. He’s made great progress recovering from his broken shooting hand and is very close.
