The latest edition of INSIDE THE FORT, including behind the scenes reports from camp, Michigan football and basketball and more.
Starting with football …
Most position battles have been settled, but some are still up for grabs. We believe redshirt junior Jon Runyan Jr. is your left tackle, with the right side still up for grabs and fifth-year senior Juwann Bushell-Beatty, redshirt freshman James Hudson and Jalen Mayfield all battling at right tackle. Hudson has had some really good days recently, but Bushell-Beatty is much improved and has the experience.
Andrew Stueber has had some good practices in recent days, and while we don’t expect him to start (obviously), that’s great news for depth (right tackle). Mayfield has been working at left, as well. They’re still working on different combinations.
Sophomore Brad Hawkins has improved a ton at safety and will play significantly, and Devin Gil has separated from the pack at WILL. Our sources tell us redshirt freshman Drew Singleton has had some great days and is now pushing sophomore Josh Ross, if he hasn’t passed him. But that’s a competition that continues to rage on.
Absolutely nothing on grad transfer defensive back Casey Hughes, who has been MIA at a few practices.
Quarterback Shea Patterson is the real deal, but he’s a risk taker, too. Limiting mistakes will be critical, and they’re continuing to stress that. Overall, though, he’s a huge upgrade.
On defense, the line has been banged up a bit, but nothing serious. The writing was on the wall for Deron Irving-Bey’s transfer to Central Michigan. He had some things to concentrate on before getting back to the football field, and he made the move without discussing it with many people.
We’re hearing defensive coordinator Don Brown is working with more odd fronts than expected. Noah Furbush and Josh Uche have benefited from extra reps with other guys being banged up. Both have had great camps. Redshirt frosh Donovan Jeter has kicked outside at times despite having moved to nose tackle.
Fifth-year senior Bryan Mone and junior Carlo Kemp were working inside with the ones the other day in one combination. Fifth-year senior Lawrence Marshall has made a significant move, and some believe he’s now in the conversation to start. There’s a solid two-deep at tackle.
At running back, O’maury Samuels and Tru Wilson have continued to battle at the No. 3 spot with freshman Christian Turner in a soft cast. Zero on Kurt Taylor.
Redshirt junior tight end Zach Gentry is “an athletic freak” and can be used in the slot.
More …
You’ve heard enough about the strength and conditioning improvements that we don’t have to say much more. The difference is night and day, and it’s evident on every single player we’ve interviewed this fall. As sophomore fullback Ben Mason said yesterday, they lift and run every day, and the effect on each player’s athleticism has been dramatic.
But what about during the season? Last year, the Wolverines didn’t lift much during the season, part of a philosophy the coaches bought in to. From what we hear, it will be three times as much this fall under new strength coach Ben Herbert, who is running this show.
Herbert was at UCLA interviewing when he first expressed serious interest in the Michigan job, our sources say. He was intrigued, but he has a way of doing things, and he wanted to hear from head coach Jim Harbaugh that they were on the same page when it came to how to do things.
It took less than an hour to realize that was the case. Between Herbert, nutritionist Abigail O’Connor and the rest of the strength staff, ths team is right where it needs to be heading into the season … and it should stay there with the in-season plan.
From sources who have been on the Big Ten fall camp trail and seen practices …
They are very impressed with Michigan, and some believe Michigan’s defense will be “the best in the country” (this is an objective observer, not anyone affiliated with U-M, to be clear). Ohio State is “athletically ahead of all the other schools in physique and speed,” and MSU’s practice was “sluggish, and not on par with the other [contenders].”
Again, please keep in mind that is not our observation … we are just the messenger.
Nebraska is a program on the rise, but “will not beat Michigan. That’s the worst match up on their schedule.” The culture is changing, though, as expected under Scott Frost. If one player misses lifting or performance meal table, everyone runs. There are 51 new faces, they’re taking Jucos, and players are now taking afternoon and online courses with practices in the morning. The entire school is committed to getting football back on track.
They also believe Michigan sophomore receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones will be all-Big Ten. This source believes he is the “most gifted receiver in the conference.”
The kicking game ... is a work in progress, both punting and field goals. Will Hart has done some of both and would be the likely punter with Brad Robbins injured.
More …
It’s going to be very interesting to see how Jim Harbaugh utilizes freshmen this season with the new rule in place that allows rookies to play in four games without exhausting a year of eligibility.
One player we expect to see a lot of is defensive end Aidan Hutchinson. The 6-6, 268-pounder arrived at Michigan in great shape and has only improved on that under strength and conditioning coach Herbert.
A source very close to the program expects to see Hutchinson in the mix early and often.
“Obviously it’s early, but Aidan is getting most of the second-team reps at the anchor position behind Rashan [Gary],” our source said. “He’s making a lot of mistakes, but with each passing day he makes less and less.
“It’s pretty crazy that the freshmen are in fall camp but all still have class five days a week. It’s quite a grind. Time will tell how things play out for him, but he’ll be on the field against Notre Dame if he can keep improving and not wear down.”
Hutchinson’s trajectory since being offered by Michigan has been pretty amazing. He was a lean, lanky 230-pound three star when U-M offered him back in 2016 but he continued to develop physically and eventually turned into an Army All-American and was a play or two away from taking home MVP honors in that game.
Now, he’s poised to earn meaningful reps in U-M’s season opener in South Bend.
Here’s more from recent practices for those who might have missed it:
RUMBLINGS FROM FALL CAMP
****
To football recruiting now …
Belleville (Mich.) High four-star athlete Julian Barnett has been committed to Michigan State since December of last year, but that didn’t keep Michigan from officially offering him on August 1.
The 6-2, 180-pounder is considered the No. 9 athlete and No. 96 overall prospect nationally and shines on both sides of the ball. At Belleville, he lines up at wide receiver, running back and all over in the secondary. He even rushes the passer from a hybrid linebacker position and excels there too.
Barnett seems solid to Michigan State, but he loves Michigan assistant Pep Hamilton. Had Hamilton been more involved with Barnett earlier in the process, he might be committed to Michigan right now instead of the Spartans.
There aren’t necessarily signs that Barnett is considering U-M but the Wolverines staff is not giving up on him.
Belleville head coach Jermain Crowell believes Barnett would absolutely flourish at U-M in the VIPER role in Don Brown’s defense, but that’s not how it’s going to play out right now. It’ll be interesting to see if Barnett shows up at any Michigan games this fall. There really isn’t any smoke yet, but that doesn’t mean things can’t change over the course of the season.
Kentwood (Mich.) East Kentwood High School has two of the best linemen in the country on its roster in four-star offensive tackle Logan Brown, a Wisconsin commit, and four-star defensive tackle Mazi Smith, a U-M pledge.
Many Michigan fans have been salty over Brown’s decision to commit to Wisconsin, but word around East Kentwood is that the 6-6, 290-pounder hasn’t been very dedicated over the last six to eight months. Brown didn’t spend any time in the weight room from December until just before fall camp and is actually heading into his senior season weaker than he was at the end of his junior campaign.
That’s the kind of work ethic that turned Harbaugh and Michigan off back when they were still involved with Brown. There’s no doubt that Brown is gifted athletically, but attitude and approach wise, he was never going to be a fit at Michigan.
Smith has also slid just a bit when it comes to his preparation for the 2018 season. Word is that he’s up to 330 pounds, and it’s not necessarily good weight. Still, he’s now viewed as East Kentwood’s best offensive lineman and obviously is still dominant at defensive tackle, his natural position. He has a much better internal drive than he’s shown, but when star players are allowed to skid, a lot of times they will.
Those close to it feel Smith will obviously be pushed once he arrives in Ann Arbor and people close to him believe he’ll absolutely thrive with that kind of motivation, training and diet. It’s a ways off, but Smith’s future in Ann Arbor appears very bright and the U-M staff is very content with its one-person haul from East Kentwood.
Michigan’s newest commit — Belleville (Mich.) High three-star outside linebacker Tyrece Woods — had been on U-M’s radar for a long time, but didn’t hold an offer until recently. His offer may have come as a bit of a surprise to some fans, but he committed to the Wolverines soon after nonetheless.
Woods perhaps flew under the radar a bit because he played at Detroit Martin Luther King last season, and was overshadowed by a few teammates who were more sought after on the recruiting trail. That’s at least how one high school coach — who asked to remain anonymous — who faced Woods and Detroit MLK last season explained it.
Although he was critical of Woods, the coach wanted to make it clear that he is a Michigan guy and is just calling it like he saw it.
“I’m a Michigan grad,” the coach laughed. “I was in the class of ’97, and that was a good year — we won a football title in the fall when I was still living on campus and then we won a hockey title too. I really couldn’t do much better than that.
“The reality is, though, that Woods was the third-best defensive lineman on his own team last year. King’s defensive line was absolutely fantastic.
“I know two of their kids have since gone to Belleville [Woods being one of them], and someone needs to explain to me why. They were at King, who is — you know — well, King. Did they think they weren’t getting enough exposure there?
“I don’t understand all these transfers and all these moves — maybe they want to play on a Belleville super team. It seems like there’s always a story behind these things. You just never know. It could be better recruiting, more visibility, or maybe they have another kid they’d like to play with — everyone has their own story.”
While the coach reiterated that he felt Woods was King’s third-best lineman last season, he explained that the Crusaders were absolutely stacked with talent around him.
“Woods played on a team with a bunch of freak shows, and some dudes who can flat-out go,” the coach recalled. “No. 99 was pretty special for them, and I think he was one of the kids who went to Belleville as well. No. 52 was special too. I’d say both of them were better than Woods.
“King had 20 guys who were as good as our top three were. They had a safety going to Iowa State, a wideout with an Ohio State offer, so it’s important to understand the talent that was on that team.
“Don’t get me wrong, Woods was long and athletic, but he wasn’t a game changer for them. No. 52 was though, and we actually tried to stay away from him more so.”
The high school coach explained that Woods did some good things in the game too, and that he wasn’t necessarily surprised a school like Michigan chose to pursue him.
“He’s long and athletic and can move, and is a special athlete — Michigan wouldn’t have been interested in him if he wasn’t,” the coach said “He played with his hand in the ground the whole time against us — they actually lined up him very wide — but could play linebacker in college too.
“I’m actually watching the game tape again right now and I’m seeing how good of an athlete he really is. He’s a little undisciplined though, but his athleticism helps make up for it.”
****
To basketball and recruiting now …
Michigan head coach John Beilein is on the mend from heart surgery, 17 days of rehab in now and healing up. He was feeling much better after only 10 day, and though he has much more to go, the worst is over and he plans on being healthier than ever when he gets through it.
The double bypass procedure has not done anything to dampen his enthusiasm for the job … it’s only made him stronger for when he returns.
There’s no panic despite two lackluster performances in Spain. This team was always going to be a work in progress, and all 10 practices took place in Ann Arbor, none in Madrid. It’s games and that’s it, and they look sloppy. They turned it over 20 times in the first game, and they made only 61 percent of 39 free throws in yesterday’s loss.
This group will improve throughout the year, but it will be a work in progress. They still feel they have the pieces for a very good team.
As for recruiting, keep an eye on 2020 Ben Carlson of East Ridge, Minn. The 6-9 power forward and Rivals.com’s No. 52 player in his class will visit in September, and the mutual interest has really picked up for the elite student.
We’ll have more on 2020s later this weekend. U-M has yet to offer any, but that could be about to change.
Starting with football …
Most position battles have been settled, but some are still up for grabs. We believe redshirt junior Jon Runyan Jr. is your left tackle, with the right side still up for grabs and fifth-year senior Juwann Bushell-Beatty, redshirt freshman James Hudson and Jalen Mayfield all battling at right tackle. Hudson has had some really good days recently, but Bushell-Beatty is much improved and has the experience.
Andrew Stueber has had some good practices in recent days, and while we don’t expect him to start (obviously), that’s great news for depth (right tackle). Mayfield has been working at left, as well. They’re still working on different combinations.
Sophomore Brad Hawkins has improved a ton at safety and will play significantly, and Devin Gil has separated from the pack at WILL. Our sources tell us redshirt freshman Drew Singleton has had some great days and is now pushing sophomore Josh Ross, if he hasn’t passed him. But that’s a competition that continues to rage on.
Absolutely nothing on grad transfer defensive back Casey Hughes, who has been MIA at a few practices.
Quarterback Shea Patterson is the real deal, but he’s a risk taker, too. Limiting mistakes will be critical, and they’re continuing to stress that. Overall, though, he’s a huge upgrade.
On defense, the line has been banged up a bit, but nothing serious. The writing was on the wall for Deron Irving-Bey’s transfer to Central Michigan. He had some things to concentrate on before getting back to the football field, and he made the move without discussing it with many people.
We’re hearing defensive coordinator Don Brown is working with more odd fronts than expected. Noah Furbush and Josh Uche have benefited from extra reps with other guys being banged up. Both have had great camps. Redshirt frosh Donovan Jeter has kicked outside at times despite having moved to nose tackle.
Fifth-year senior Bryan Mone and junior Carlo Kemp were working inside with the ones the other day in one combination. Fifth-year senior Lawrence Marshall has made a significant move, and some believe he’s now in the conversation to start. There’s a solid two-deep at tackle.
At running back, O’maury Samuels and Tru Wilson have continued to battle at the No. 3 spot with freshman Christian Turner in a soft cast. Zero on Kurt Taylor.
Redshirt junior tight end Zach Gentry is “an athletic freak” and can be used in the slot.
More …
You’ve heard enough about the strength and conditioning improvements that we don’t have to say much more. The difference is night and day, and it’s evident on every single player we’ve interviewed this fall. As sophomore fullback Ben Mason said yesterday, they lift and run every day, and the effect on each player’s athleticism has been dramatic.
But what about during the season? Last year, the Wolverines didn’t lift much during the season, part of a philosophy the coaches bought in to. From what we hear, it will be three times as much this fall under new strength coach Ben Herbert, who is running this show.
Herbert was at UCLA interviewing when he first expressed serious interest in the Michigan job, our sources say. He was intrigued, but he has a way of doing things, and he wanted to hear from head coach Jim Harbaugh that they were on the same page when it came to how to do things.
It took less than an hour to realize that was the case. Between Herbert, nutritionist Abigail O’Connor and the rest of the strength staff, ths team is right where it needs to be heading into the season … and it should stay there with the in-season plan.
From sources who have been on the Big Ten fall camp trail and seen practices …
They are very impressed with Michigan, and some believe Michigan’s defense will be “the best in the country” (this is an objective observer, not anyone affiliated with U-M, to be clear). Ohio State is “athletically ahead of all the other schools in physique and speed,” and MSU’s practice was “sluggish, and not on par with the other [contenders].”
Again, please keep in mind that is not our observation … we are just the messenger.
Nebraska is a program on the rise, but “will not beat Michigan. That’s the worst match up on their schedule.” The culture is changing, though, as expected under Scott Frost. If one player misses lifting or performance meal table, everyone runs. There are 51 new faces, they’re taking Jucos, and players are now taking afternoon and online courses with practices in the morning. The entire school is committed to getting football back on track.
They also believe Michigan sophomore receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones will be all-Big Ten. This source believes he is the “most gifted receiver in the conference.”
The kicking game ... is a work in progress, both punting and field goals. Will Hart has done some of both and would be the likely punter with Brad Robbins injured.
More …
It’s going to be very interesting to see how Jim Harbaugh utilizes freshmen this season with the new rule in place that allows rookies to play in four games without exhausting a year of eligibility.
One player we expect to see a lot of is defensive end Aidan Hutchinson. The 6-6, 268-pounder arrived at Michigan in great shape and has only improved on that under strength and conditioning coach Herbert.
A source very close to the program expects to see Hutchinson in the mix early and often.
“Obviously it’s early, but Aidan is getting most of the second-team reps at the anchor position behind Rashan [Gary],” our source said. “He’s making a lot of mistakes, but with each passing day he makes less and less.
“It’s pretty crazy that the freshmen are in fall camp but all still have class five days a week. It’s quite a grind. Time will tell how things play out for him, but he’ll be on the field against Notre Dame if he can keep improving and not wear down.”
Hutchinson’s trajectory since being offered by Michigan has been pretty amazing. He was a lean, lanky 230-pound three star when U-M offered him back in 2016 but he continued to develop physically and eventually turned into an Army All-American and was a play or two away from taking home MVP honors in that game.
Now, he’s poised to earn meaningful reps in U-M’s season opener in South Bend.
Here’s more from recent practices for those who might have missed it:
RUMBLINGS FROM FALL CAMP
****
To football recruiting now …
Belleville (Mich.) High four-star athlete Julian Barnett has been committed to Michigan State since December of last year, but that didn’t keep Michigan from officially offering him on August 1.
The 6-2, 180-pounder is considered the No. 9 athlete and No. 96 overall prospect nationally and shines on both sides of the ball. At Belleville, he lines up at wide receiver, running back and all over in the secondary. He even rushes the passer from a hybrid linebacker position and excels there too.
Barnett seems solid to Michigan State, but he loves Michigan assistant Pep Hamilton. Had Hamilton been more involved with Barnett earlier in the process, he might be committed to Michigan right now instead of the Spartans.
There aren’t necessarily signs that Barnett is considering U-M but the Wolverines staff is not giving up on him.
Belleville head coach Jermain Crowell believes Barnett would absolutely flourish at U-M in the VIPER role in Don Brown’s defense, but that’s not how it’s going to play out right now. It’ll be interesting to see if Barnett shows up at any Michigan games this fall. There really isn’t any smoke yet, but that doesn’t mean things can’t change over the course of the season.
Kentwood (Mich.) East Kentwood High School has two of the best linemen in the country on its roster in four-star offensive tackle Logan Brown, a Wisconsin commit, and four-star defensive tackle Mazi Smith, a U-M pledge.
Many Michigan fans have been salty over Brown’s decision to commit to Wisconsin, but word around East Kentwood is that the 6-6, 290-pounder hasn’t been very dedicated over the last six to eight months. Brown didn’t spend any time in the weight room from December until just before fall camp and is actually heading into his senior season weaker than he was at the end of his junior campaign.
That’s the kind of work ethic that turned Harbaugh and Michigan off back when they were still involved with Brown. There’s no doubt that Brown is gifted athletically, but attitude and approach wise, he was never going to be a fit at Michigan.
Smith has also slid just a bit when it comes to his preparation for the 2018 season. Word is that he’s up to 330 pounds, and it’s not necessarily good weight. Still, he’s now viewed as East Kentwood’s best offensive lineman and obviously is still dominant at defensive tackle, his natural position. He has a much better internal drive than he’s shown, but when star players are allowed to skid, a lot of times they will.
Those close to it feel Smith will obviously be pushed once he arrives in Ann Arbor and people close to him believe he’ll absolutely thrive with that kind of motivation, training and diet. It’s a ways off, but Smith’s future in Ann Arbor appears very bright and the U-M staff is very content with its one-person haul from East Kentwood.
Michigan’s newest commit — Belleville (Mich.) High three-star outside linebacker Tyrece Woods — had been on U-M’s radar for a long time, but didn’t hold an offer until recently. His offer may have come as a bit of a surprise to some fans, but he committed to the Wolverines soon after nonetheless.
Woods perhaps flew under the radar a bit because he played at Detroit Martin Luther King last season, and was overshadowed by a few teammates who were more sought after on the recruiting trail. That’s at least how one high school coach — who asked to remain anonymous — who faced Woods and Detroit MLK last season explained it.
Although he was critical of Woods, the coach wanted to make it clear that he is a Michigan guy and is just calling it like he saw it.
“I’m a Michigan grad,” the coach laughed. “I was in the class of ’97, and that was a good year — we won a football title in the fall when I was still living on campus and then we won a hockey title too. I really couldn’t do much better than that.
“The reality is, though, that Woods was the third-best defensive lineman on his own team last year. King’s defensive line was absolutely fantastic.
“I know two of their kids have since gone to Belleville [Woods being one of them], and someone needs to explain to me why. They were at King, who is — you know — well, King. Did they think they weren’t getting enough exposure there?
“I don’t understand all these transfers and all these moves — maybe they want to play on a Belleville super team. It seems like there’s always a story behind these things. You just never know. It could be better recruiting, more visibility, or maybe they have another kid they’d like to play with — everyone has their own story.”
While the coach reiterated that he felt Woods was King’s third-best lineman last season, he explained that the Crusaders were absolutely stacked with talent around him.
“Woods played on a team with a bunch of freak shows, and some dudes who can flat-out go,” the coach recalled. “No. 99 was pretty special for them, and I think he was one of the kids who went to Belleville as well. No. 52 was special too. I’d say both of them were better than Woods.
“King had 20 guys who were as good as our top three were. They had a safety going to Iowa State, a wideout with an Ohio State offer, so it’s important to understand the talent that was on that team.
“Don’t get me wrong, Woods was long and athletic, but he wasn’t a game changer for them. No. 52 was though, and we actually tried to stay away from him more so.”
The high school coach explained that Woods did some good things in the game too, and that he wasn’t necessarily surprised a school like Michigan chose to pursue him.
“He’s long and athletic and can move, and is a special athlete — Michigan wouldn’t have been interested in him if he wasn’t,” the coach said “He played with his hand in the ground the whole time against us — they actually lined up him very wide — but could play linebacker in college too.
“I’m actually watching the game tape again right now and I’m seeing how good of an athlete he really is. He’s a little undisciplined though, but his athleticism helps make up for it.”
****
To basketball and recruiting now …
Michigan head coach John Beilein is on the mend from heart surgery, 17 days of rehab in now and healing up. He was feeling much better after only 10 day, and though he has much more to go, the worst is over and he plans on being healthier than ever when he gets through it.
The double bypass procedure has not done anything to dampen his enthusiasm for the job … it’s only made him stronger for when he returns.
There’s no panic despite two lackluster performances in Spain. This team was always going to be a work in progress, and all 10 practices took place in Ann Arbor, none in Madrid. It’s games and that’s it, and they look sloppy. They turned it over 20 times in the first game, and they made only 61 percent of 39 free throws in yesterday’s loss.
This group will improve throughout the year, but it will be a work in progress. They still feel they have the pieces for a very good team.
As for recruiting, keep an eye on 2020 Ben Carlson of East Ridge, Minn. The 6-9 power forward and Rivals.com’s No. 52 player in his class will visit in September, and the mutual interest has really picked up for the elite student.
We’ll have more on 2020s later this weekend. U-M has yet to offer any, but that could be about to change.
