Benjamin Hall: I think he is the real deal. People have gotten all caught up in the fact that he was a “third-stringer” as a senior at North Cobb. Just a few things to keep in mind. North Cobb has some serious talent. They almost beat Buford last year and we must have offered almost 20 kids on that Buford team last year. Also he was splitting carries with a senior who had an offer from Michigan State and a junior who recently committed to Clemson. Some serious talent in that backfield. Finally, when he did play he looked hood. Over 100 yards rushing in the season-opener. But then he was suddenly in the doghouse the next four games and only had 19 carries. He then entered the next game in the second quarter and exploded for a 180-yard plus game. Not sure why he was in the doghouse but it seems as though his “third-string” status had something to do other than talent. In any event, onwards. What he did against Michigan teammates tells me more than what he didn’t do by sitting behind talented teammates. And don’t forget, Michael Jordan was cut from his high school varsity basketball team as a sophomore.
Michigan coaching staff: It is common knowledge that this is pretty much the best “recruiting” staff Michigan has ever had. Strong from top to bottom. No weak links. First time there is not at least one weak link. Coupled with a great two-year run and starting to get our NIL ducks in order should lead to exciting times over the next few cycles.
Also of note is the high percentage of Michigan grads on the staff. I don’t recall ever seeing so many on one staff: Jim, Mike Hart, Ron Bellamy, Grant Newsone, Mike Elston. Don’t underestimate this. They all have Michigan DNA in their system. Makes a difference when building team culture.
I was perusing the list of active NFL players who graduated from Michigan. With the retirements of Tom Brady and Chad Henne the only remaining NFL player who played for Lloyd Carr is Brandon Graham. Only a couple of RichRod players- Taylor Lewan and Michael Schofield. Can’t remember if Frank Clark was recruited by RichRod or Hoke. I think that he was a Hoke guy. Quite a few Hoke recruits still in the league and, of couse, Jim is taking it ip another couple of levels.
Another couple of levels? Lets put it this way. I think that the 2023 second-stringers would destroy any of RichRod’s teams. A function of both the 2023 team being perhaps the deepest I have seen in 55 years of following Michigan and RichRod’s teams just being so bad.
Speaking of talent, back in the Bo era Bo would say that the core of the team would depend on players who did not have a future in the NFL. And it was true. Bo had a lot of very good college players who did not go on to the NFL. Especially at linebacker and quarterback.
Times, however, have changed. First, there are more NFL teams and therefore a larger pool of NFL players. Second, it is easier for the top programs to identify top prospects, and those top prospects gravitate to the very top programs. Third, those very top programs do a great job of developing their players. Or, as Jim would say, iron sharpens iron.
To be at the very top in college football one now needs to not only have NFL talent at every position, but also a pool if starters who are day one draft picks. In other words, difference-makers. Michigan is getting there. The 2023 team could well be their most talented ever. But this is not 1997. Beating Washington State was a low bar. And if we had played Nebraska the bar would have been only slightly higher. The likes of Alabama and Georgia have raised the bar to its highest level ever. In other words, being the best Michigan team since the point-a-minute teams may not even be enough. We need to be better than Georgia and Alabama.
Recruiting. Strange, isn’t it that just as the basketball program is trending way down the football program is operating on a very high level both on the field and, now, recruiting. I guess we just can’t have too many good things all at once!
Recruiting is going so well that it is now more a matter of the Michigan coaches making the right choices with respect to who to accept commitments from than it is them having to sell the program to blue-chippers. Sure, there will always be the recruiting battles for select talent where the coaches have to sell Michigan. Such as Justin Scott, the two Ohio corners and Gatlin Bair. But this year there are far more four-star types who Michigan leads with than there are available scholarships. This is a great problem to have. But that may mean it is in the program’s best interest to slow things down a bit and not accept commitments from certain solid four stars when there are more highly rated four and five stars in play who may not decide until later. Does the staff move forward with the bird in hand or hold off for bigger game? This is a delicate balancing act but remember, the bar is now Georgia, not just to win the Big Ten. We need to recruit and develop talent better than ever before.
Michigan coaching staff: It is common knowledge that this is pretty much the best “recruiting” staff Michigan has ever had. Strong from top to bottom. No weak links. First time there is not at least one weak link. Coupled with a great two-year run and starting to get our NIL ducks in order should lead to exciting times over the next few cycles.
Also of note is the high percentage of Michigan grads on the staff. I don’t recall ever seeing so many on one staff: Jim, Mike Hart, Ron Bellamy, Grant Newsone, Mike Elston. Don’t underestimate this. They all have Michigan DNA in their system. Makes a difference when building team culture.
I was perusing the list of active NFL players who graduated from Michigan. With the retirements of Tom Brady and Chad Henne the only remaining NFL player who played for Lloyd Carr is Brandon Graham. Only a couple of RichRod players- Taylor Lewan and Michael Schofield. Can’t remember if Frank Clark was recruited by RichRod or Hoke. I think that he was a Hoke guy. Quite a few Hoke recruits still in the league and, of couse, Jim is taking it ip another couple of levels.
Another couple of levels? Lets put it this way. I think that the 2023 second-stringers would destroy any of RichRod’s teams. A function of both the 2023 team being perhaps the deepest I have seen in 55 years of following Michigan and RichRod’s teams just being so bad.
Speaking of talent, back in the Bo era Bo would say that the core of the team would depend on players who did not have a future in the NFL. And it was true. Bo had a lot of very good college players who did not go on to the NFL. Especially at linebacker and quarterback.
Times, however, have changed. First, there are more NFL teams and therefore a larger pool of NFL players. Second, it is easier for the top programs to identify top prospects, and those top prospects gravitate to the very top programs. Third, those very top programs do a great job of developing their players. Or, as Jim would say, iron sharpens iron.
To be at the very top in college football one now needs to not only have NFL talent at every position, but also a pool if starters who are day one draft picks. In other words, difference-makers. Michigan is getting there. The 2023 team could well be their most talented ever. But this is not 1997. Beating Washington State was a low bar. And if we had played Nebraska the bar would have been only slightly higher. The likes of Alabama and Georgia have raised the bar to its highest level ever. In other words, being the best Michigan team since the point-a-minute teams may not even be enough. We need to be better than Georgia and Alabama.
Recruiting. Strange, isn’t it that just as the basketball program is trending way down the football program is operating on a very high level both on the field and, now, recruiting. I guess we just can’t have too many good things all at once!
Recruiting is going so well that it is now more a matter of the Michigan coaches making the right choices with respect to who to accept commitments from than it is them having to sell the program to blue-chippers. Sure, there will always be the recruiting battles for select talent where the coaches have to sell Michigan. Such as Justin Scott, the two Ohio corners and Gatlin Bair. But this year there are far more four-star types who Michigan leads with than there are available scholarships. This is a great problem to have. But that may mean it is in the program’s best interest to slow things down a bit and not accept commitments from certain solid four stars when there are more highly rated four and five stars in play who may not decide until later. Does the staff move forward with the bird in hand or hold off for bigger game? This is a delicate balancing act but remember, the bar is now Georgia, not just to win the Big Ten. We need to recruit and develop talent better than ever before.
