Michigan Wolverines football is back under head coach Jim Harbaugh, his seventh season at the helm, and there have been plenty of changes from last year and a number of interesting (and some very important) developments heading into the season. Here are five of the most noteworthy heading into fall camp, which officially started yesterday.
1. MIKE HART's addition and role as this team's 'no nonsense' assistant. We love — LOVE — Ron Bellamy. He was an outstanding hire, and he's going to prove to be a great hire. We've heard great things about fellow secondary coach Steve Clinkscale, like what Mike Macdonald appears to bring as a coordinator (though he still needs to learn a bit when it comes to recruiting) ... but Hart is an 'X' factor.
We heard from someone else again yesterday that Hart has a lot of Lloyd Carr in him when it comes to the demands he has of players to respect the program and put it above self — something that was an issue last year — and does NOT play when it comes to expectations.
We said it at the time, too, but in hindsight, this appears to be a difference-making hire.
2. CADE MCNAMARA is 'the guy' ... for now. But to his credit, the once-overlooked signal caller has done everything and more to take leadership of the team this summer, from the physical (working out, going through 'biometric' training with his quarterback coach, etc.) to rallying guys behind him.
As a result, he enters the season as QB1, and he's the heavy favorite to start the opener. J.J. McCarthy should be very good, in time, and he'll see the field. He's also a great leader and was the pied piper who kept a very good recruiting class together — which bring us to No. 3 ...
3. JIM HARBAUGH IS PUSHING TO UP U-M's NIL GAME. And they really need to. From what we've heard, people around McNamara are also aware of what the going NIL rate is for top QBs these days (see: prep Quinn Ewers, who will skip his senior season and enroll early at Ohio State, where he'll be able to rack up hundreds of thousands in projected NIL money).
He'll also be able to use the OSU logo next to his name. Jim Harbaugh is advocating for his players to use the block 'M', and it's not his fault he's 'behind' in the NIL game. But it's also clear (again) that they need to work on ways to keep these kids happy while they're here, especially now that college football has essentially become free agency. One national analyst on the basketball side told us last week, 'watch what happens in the next couple years when a contender has an injury, or needs one more piece to make a serious run. They're going to be poaching kids from other schools mid season.'
We wouldn't doubt it. And it stinks.
4. THERE'S A LOT OF PRESSURE ON MAZI SMITH. Smith wins the "Grady Brooks Award" for offseason attention ... for those who don't recall, Brooks was a physical freak at outside linebacker in the late 1990s who was always lauded as the next great Michigan defender based on his spring and summer play. Smith is that guy this year, and he's earned it. He's 326 pounds, in outstanding shape — just like most of his teammates, who had great summers (Josh Ross, Michael Barrett, Nikhai Hill-Green, Aidan Hutchinson are just a few who are chiseled) — and now he has to meet the hype.
That's something Brooks never did, and he didn't see the field a whole lot. Smith's going to, regardless, given how little depth there is behind him at tackle, but they need him to be great. Chris Hinton had some struggles in the spring, Donovan Jeter didn't get a mention from Harbaugh at Big Ten Media Day — Jess Speight did as the third lineman in there, and that's a bit scary (no disrespect meant) — and the nose tackle is hugely important in Macdonald's defense.
He's one of the team's most important pieces, on paper.
5. THE OFFENSIVE LINE COULD BE A STRENGTH ... but it could take a while, and it will look different. We still love the thought of Zak Zinter at center, with all due respect to Andrew Vastardis. Ryan Hayes still has something to prove at left tackle (strong opinion), and Karsen Barnhart, Trevor Keegan and Andrew Stueber could be really good Big Ten players. Stueber is already really solid.
Trente Jones hasn't gotten much play, but he had a great spring, followed it up with a great summer. He's an 'X' factor at tackle.
Bottom line — there are many ways this could go, but there's plenty of talent and a lot of possibilities.
1. MIKE HART's addition and role as this team's 'no nonsense' assistant. We love — LOVE — Ron Bellamy. He was an outstanding hire, and he's going to prove to be a great hire. We've heard great things about fellow secondary coach Steve Clinkscale, like what Mike Macdonald appears to bring as a coordinator (though he still needs to learn a bit when it comes to recruiting) ... but Hart is an 'X' factor.
We heard from someone else again yesterday that Hart has a lot of Lloyd Carr in him when it comes to the demands he has of players to respect the program and put it above self — something that was an issue last year — and does NOT play when it comes to expectations.
We said it at the time, too, but in hindsight, this appears to be a difference-making hire.
2. CADE MCNAMARA is 'the guy' ... for now. But to his credit, the once-overlooked signal caller has done everything and more to take leadership of the team this summer, from the physical (working out, going through 'biometric' training with his quarterback coach, etc.) to rallying guys behind him.
As a result, he enters the season as QB1, and he's the heavy favorite to start the opener. J.J. McCarthy should be very good, in time, and he'll see the field. He's also a great leader and was the pied piper who kept a very good recruiting class together — which bring us to No. 3 ...
3. JIM HARBAUGH IS PUSHING TO UP U-M's NIL GAME. And they really need to. From what we've heard, people around McNamara are also aware of what the going NIL rate is for top QBs these days (see: prep Quinn Ewers, who will skip his senior season and enroll early at Ohio State, where he'll be able to rack up hundreds of thousands in projected NIL money).
He'll also be able to use the OSU logo next to his name. Jim Harbaugh is advocating for his players to use the block 'M', and it's not his fault he's 'behind' in the NIL game. But it's also clear (again) that they need to work on ways to keep these kids happy while they're here, especially now that college football has essentially become free agency. One national analyst on the basketball side told us last week, 'watch what happens in the next couple years when a contender has an injury, or needs one more piece to make a serious run. They're going to be poaching kids from other schools mid season.'
We wouldn't doubt it. And it stinks.
4. THERE'S A LOT OF PRESSURE ON MAZI SMITH. Smith wins the "Grady Brooks Award" for offseason attention ... for those who don't recall, Brooks was a physical freak at outside linebacker in the late 1990s who was always lauded as the next great Michigan defender based on his spring and summer play. Smith is that guy this year, and he's earned it. He's 326 pounds, in outstanding shape — just like most of his teammates, who had great summers (Josh Ross, Michael Barrett, Nikhai Hill-Green, Aidan Hutchinson are just a few who are chiseled) — and now he has to meet the hype.
That's something Brooks never did, and he didn't see the field a whole lot. Smith's going to, regardless, given how little depth there is behind him at tackle, but they need him to be great. Chris Hinton had some struggles in the spring, Donovan Jeter didn't get a mention from Harbaugh at Big Ten Media Day — Jess Speight did as the third lineman in there, and that's a bit scary (no disrespect meant) — and the nose tackle is hugely important in Macdonald's defense.
He's one of the team's most important pieces, on paper.
5. THE OFFENSIVE LINE COULD BE A STRENGTH ... but it could take a while, and it will look different. We still love the thought of Zak Zinter at center, with all due respect to Andrew Vastardis. Ryan Hayes still has something to prove at left tackle (strong opinion), and Karsen Barnhart, Trevor Keegan and Andrew Stueber could be really good Big Ten players. Stueber is already really solid.
Trente Jones hasn't gotten much play, but he had a great spring, followed it up with a great summer. He's an 'X' factor at tackle.
Bottom line — there are many ways this could go, but there's plenty of talent and a lot of possibilities.
