The latest edition of INSIDE THE FORT, including plenty of football, basketball and recruiting information …
Starting with good news this week, which has been hard to come by in an injury-riddled, disappointing 1-3 (to date) football season …
We’ve gotten texts from many former players, coaches in other sports, even former head coaches at other schools about this year’s team and “what’s wrong” with the program. Most of them said the same thing:
“They look like they have broken culture.”
That’s something that’s really tough to fix. It takes great leadership from the top down, and sometimes that’s not even enough. There are seven captains on this year’s squad, and we know a lot of them (at least) care about the program and its success beyond their own.
It would be hard for them to leave next year given how the season has played out for him and his team, and one in particular won’t. This is a “free” year for the players scholarship-wise, and this guy is intent on coming back and making the most of one more year in the winged helmet. He wants to get the culture back to what it should be and go out on a winning note, and while he’s done his best this year, there are some still not getting it.
He'll make the announcement if/when he sees fit. Frankly, we hope he doesn't and just shows up back at work without any fanfare. That was once the "Michigan way."
Hopefully, they continue to find more like him on the recruiting trail. There are great leaders, and then there are some who talk a good game. Even some of the most vocal were waving the white flag in the second quarter of last week’s game, according to some on the other sideline, asking them to “dial it down” because “this game is over.”
If you’d told us something similar during the Lloyd Carr era, for example, we never would have believed you (queue angry “Lloyd wasn’t good enough” post from those who still haven’t been humbled enough by what they’ve seen in the last 13 years. Yes, I’m talking to you ).
But that’s where this is, and that’s where the fix starts.
They’ll get some help on offense Saturday night, we believe, in the return of tackles Jalen Mayfield and Ryan Hayes. Both practiced this week, and we expect them to start Saturday night. Redshirt freshman center Zach Carpenter is expected to be in the middle of them for his first start. We received word shortly before U-M’s game with Wisconsin last week that fifth-year senior Andrew Vastardis was a gametime decision (banged up), but he decided to go.
That won’t be the case this week.
We also know that, as of Wednesday, senior end Kwity Paye (lower body injury) hadn’t practiced. That would indicate he’s probably not going to play Saturday night, barring something unforeseen.
At quarterback, the sense as of Tuesday was that redshirt sophomore Joe Milton would get the start but redshirt freshman Cade NcNamara would be ready to go. McNamara has practiced extremely well and, of course, looked good in his limited action against the Badgers, leading the only touchdown drive.
Milton, though, has had his moments, and as noted, he’s also been very good in practice (at times).
“It wouldn’t surprise at all if they both played (Saturday),” one source close to it told us.
We’ll have to wait and see.
Finally, much has been made of head coach Jim Harbaugh’s status heading into next year. We know at least a few coaches on staff are telling people they don’t expect to be back next year, but Harbaugh isn’t one of them. He’s been working harder than ever, keeping his head down to try to fix this year’s mess, according to everyone we’ve spoken with, and is operating like he’s already signed an extension, thinking about the now and the future.
We told you during the pandemic and even last year that an extension was in the works, but COVID put it on the backburner. It would have been a bad time to announce an extension (in the spring), but it sure sounded like a done deal.
Some surmise that it’s already been signed, but they were waiting for the right time to announce it.
We don’t know for sure, and we do know that situations like these take their tolls on families. But the sense we get from talking to a number of people very close to it is that Harbaugh expects to be back here next year.
****
On Saturday’s opponent, Rutgers …
Michigan has some key injuries heading into tomorrow’s game that have been well-documented, but Rutgers, on the other hand, is quite healthy as a whole. The Scarlet Knights have one defensive starter though who could potentially miss the matchup, and we spoke with Richie Schnyderite of TheKnightReport.com to get some more info on the situation.
“[Senior safety] Brendon White suffered an unknown injury last week,” Schnyderite recalled. “[Rutgers head coach Greg] Schiano said in his weekly presser on Monday, he suffered an injury in the Ohio State game and then injured it again in practice, calling it a substantial injury and it is unknown if he will be back or not. Other than that, Rutgers is knock on wood relatively healthy.”
White’s — who transferred in from Ohio State — absence would be a significant blow if he’s not able to play. His 21 tackles check in fifth on the defense, despite not playing last week against Illinois. Fifth-year senior Lawrence Stevens will start in his place if he’s not able to go.
Michigan obviously has a significant talent edge over Rutgers, but that hasn’t seemed to matter for the Wolverines so far this year. Schnyderite was asked which area on the field he thinks Rutgers will have the biggest advantage in against U-M, and it unsurprisingly involves an area that has seen Michigan struggle mightily this year — offensive line play. The front five will have their hands full with a Rutgers defensive line that has a familiar face on it in fifth-year senior defensive tackle Mike Dwumfour.
“Honestly this is a tough one, as Michigan definitely has the talent advantage, but just by looking at the little film I’ve seen it looks like Michigan’s offensive line has had several issues this year, especially when it comes to run blocking,” Schnyderite explained. “This is an area where the Scarlet Knights have flourished so far this season and this new look D-Line can create a legit pass rush on top of that, I think Michigan’s QB whether that be Milton or McNamara could be in for a longer day than expected.”
Just one year ago, Rutgers wrapped up a 2-10 season that included four shutout losses, one of which occurred 52-0 at the hands of Michigan. Enter new (old) coach Greg Schiano and the Scarlet Knights are actually a fairly competitive bunch with much of the same personnel.
“For starters, if you didn’t buy into what Schiano and his staff were preaching you likely are no longer on the team,” Schnyderite said, when asked how Schiano has seemingly been so successful at turning the culture around so quickly. “We saw a ton of transfers this offseason and that included a lot of guys who were major contributors the past few seasons under former head coach Chris Ash. On top of that the guys actually believe in him, he knows how to sell a vision and that vision is being a consistent top team in the country. End of the day he’s a great coach and having rebuilt Rutgers once before definitely helps make it all an easier sell.
“On top of all that, he was also able to add some top coaches around. For the first time ever, the university had fully financially backed the program with no questions asked. They gave coach Schiano the biggest assistant coach salary pool ever and he was able to add some great recruiters and even better coaches. They also made promises for a brand new indoor facility that are currently in the works along with many more upgrades to help take the program to the next level. When you have all that behind you, it makes it much easier to sell that vision.”
****
Finishing with basketball and recruiting …
The team continues to round into shape, and as assistant Phil Martelli said Wednesday, shooting is one of this team’s strengths. The numbers have been off the charts (don’t kill us if or when they have tough shooting nights, please — we just report what’s going on in practice), with point guard Mike Smith and wing Franz Wagner having really shown well.
We expect Smith to start at point guard against Bowling Green, along with senior Eli Brooks, Wagner and Isaiah Livers at the four. At this point, and depending on match-ups, center Austin Davis might get the nod at center. Frosh Hunter Dickinson continues to improve, but he still has some work to do.
And yes, they still think he’s going to be very, very good.
He’s not the only one.
“Chaundee (Brown) is going to be tough to keep off the floor. He can really score,” one who has been at every practice said.
Head coach Juwan Howard is going to have his work cut out for him distributing minutes. It’s a good problem to have.
On the recruiting front, Howard and Co. continue to put in the work. They’ve already secured the No. 1 recruiting class in the country for 2021 — we don’t anticipate them taking another in the class unless, say, elite forward Chet Holmgren or shooting guard Jaden Hardy, both five-stars, wanted to come. They have room for one more, but both of these guys are long shots.
But they’re already working it on the 2022s, and kids are listening, blown away by Howard’s personality and success on the recruiting trail. As we’ve written, Howard has changed his strategy from going all-out with all five-stars, recruitable or not, to taking the lead and building relationships with those who are truly in play.
Class of 2021 five-star signees Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabate qualified, obviously. In 2022 … well, he knows four-star Jett Howard’s mom really well and speaks to her every day, and five-star point guard Jaden Bradley and his family are really feeling the love.
“He is killing it (on the recruiting trail),” Nate Bradley, Jaden’s father, told us. “He reached out yesterday and we had a long talk … great conversation.”
He also loves assistant Phil Martelli.
“That guy is a LEGEND,” he added. “I am a super fan. I have watched him for a long time.”
Houstan wanted to go somewhere with elite players around him where he could win. It’s fair to say Howard has the Wolverines in pretty good shape talent-wise for the foreseeable future.
One who won’t be coming, in our opinion — three-star shooter Fletcher Loyer. The Clarkston product, brother of MSU junior guard Foster Loyer, will decide Monday, and we’re hearing it will be either Purdue or Notre Dame.
“I think he’s really good, but I don’t think Michigan has pushed for him,” one source covering him closely said. “They are recruiting horses right now.”
More hoops recruiting …
As you may have seen in our story yesterday, we caught up with Montverde (Fla.) Academy assistant coach Rae Miller, who coached freshman Zeb Jackson last season and is currently working with 2021 five-star small forward signee Caleb Houstan.
First, he’s always had great things to say about Jackson, lauding his athleticism and upside, and reiterated that this week.
“Zeb is a tremendous talent. Athletic as all hell, can shoot the ball, can handle the ball, really good passer,” Miller said. “And as he gets into a college weight room and college regiment more, his game is just going to expand.”
We also asked Miller, who’s been around the game a long time and knows recruiting well, what the biggest difference is between Michigan and its perception under Juwan Howard as opposed to John Beilein. His message is a testament both to what Beilein did in Ann Arbor and what Howard is continuing to carry forward.
“One of the things that has changed with Michigan is that you have a guy that’s had a long and big career as a player and as a coach,” Miller said. “And he comes in and he comes home to Michigan.
“He brings his style of play, but he also builds on what Beilein brought to Michigan, in terms of leadership, seriousness about the program, character kids and just wanting to clean it up. There was a time that Michigan had a stigma that didn’t necessarily fit what they wanted Michigan to be. And you replace Beilein, who is an exemplary coach and an exemplary leader, with a younger version of that type of person in Juwan Howard.”
It’s been said many times, but it’s worth repeating: Many are impressed with the staff Howard has brought in (and kept, in the case of assistant Saddi Washington). As Phil Martelli said this week, Howard is less “CEO” and more “branch manager” in the way he runs the program, meaning he’s heavily involved with every aspect and has full control of the vision and how the team is getting there (as Martelli put it, he “knows where the rubber bands are”). But he trusts his staff, and so do high school coaches and players.
“Juwan has surrounded himself with really good coaches — Saddi Washington stayed from the whole regime, then he brings in Martelli, he brings in Howard Eisley and you bring in Coach Martelli, who’s had three decades of coaching under his belt in Philadelphia,” Miller said. “You bring a guy that went to Michigan in a head coach and played almost 20 years in the league. Then you bring out Eisley, who was an outstanding point guard, played on many NBA teams and has been a really, really good teacher. And Saddi, just continuing the tradition of Michigan with that staff.
“It says a lot about how the staff is built and it has shown up in recruiting. They’ve been able to go in and impact homes that probably would not have looked at Michigan the same way. And it doesn’t hurt that you had another Canadian kid in Iggy [Brazdeikis] that was just there a couple years ago.”
As always, thanks for visiting TheWolverine.com!
Starting with good news this week, which has been hard to come by in an injury-riddled, disappointing 1-3 (to date) football season …
We’ve gotten texts from many former players, coaches in other sports, even former head coaches at other schools about this year’s team and “what’s wrong” with the program. Most of them said the same thing:
“They look like they have broken culture.”
That’s something that’s really tough to fix. It takes great leadership from the top down, and sometimes that’s not even enough. There are seven captains on this year’s squad, and we know a lot of them (at least) care about the program and its success beyond their own.
It would be hard for them to leave next year given how the season has played out for him and his team, and one in particular won’t. This is a “free” year for the players scholarship-wise, and this guy is intent on coming back and making the most of one more year in the winged helmet. He wants to get the culture back to what it should be and go out on a winning note, and while he’s done his best this year, there are some still not getting it.
He'll make the announcement if/when he sees fit. Frankly, we hope he doesn't and just shows up back at work without any fanfare. That was once the "Michigan way."
Hopefully, they continue to find more like him on the recruiting trail. There are great leaders, and then there are some who talk a good game. Even some of the most vocal were waving the white flag in the second quarter of last week’s game, according to some on the other sideline, asking them to “dial it down” because “this game is over.”
If you’d told us something similar during the Lloyd Carr era, for example, we never would have believed you (queue angry “Lloyd wasn’t good enough” post from those who still haven’t been humbled enough by what they’ve seen in the last 13 years. Yes, I’m talking to you ).
But that’s where this is, and that’s where the fix starts.
They’ll get some help on offense Saturday night, we believe, in the return of tackles Jalen Mayfield and Ryan Hayes. Both practiced this week, and we expect them to start Saturday night. Redshirt freshman center Zach Carpenter is expected to be in the middle of them for his first start. We received word shortly before U-M’s game with Wisconsin last week that fifth-year senior Andrew Vastardis was a gametime decision (banged up), but he decided to go.
That won’t be the case this week.
We also know that, as of Wednesday, senior end Kwity Paye (lower body injury) hadn’t practiced. That would indicate he’s probably not going to play Saturday night, barring something unforeseen.
At quarterback, the sense as of Tuesday was that redshirt sophomore Joe Milton would get the start but redshirt freshman Cade NcNamara would be ready to go. McNamara has practiced extremely well and, of course, looked good in his limited action against the Badgers, leading the only touchdown drive.
Milton, though, has had his moments, and as noted, he’s also been very good in practice (at times).
“It wouldn’t surprise at all if they both played (Saturday),” one source close to it told us.
We’ll have to wait and see.
Finally, much has been made of head coach Jim Harbaugh’s status heading into next year. We know at least a few coaches on staff are telling people they don’t expect to be back next year, but Harbaugh isn’t one of them. He’s been working harder than ever, keeping his head down to try to fix this year’s mess, according to everyone we’ve spoken with, and is operating like he’s already signed an extension, thinking about the now and the future.
We told you during the pandemic and even last year that an extension was in the works, but COVID put it on the backburner. It would have been a bad time to announce an extension (in the spring), but it sure sounded like a done deal.
Some surmise that it’s already been signed, but they were waiting for the right time to announce it.
We don’t know for sure, and we do know that situations like these take their tolls on families. But the sense we get from talking to a number of people very close to it is that Harbaugh expects to be back here next year.
****
On Saturday’s opponent, Rutgers …
Michigan has some key injuries heading into tomorrow’s game that have been well-documented, but Rutgers, on the other hand, is quite healthy as a whole. The Scarlet Knights have one defensive starter though who could potentially miss the matchup, and we spoke with Richie Schnyderite of TheKnightReport.com to get some more info on the situation.
“[Senior safety] Brendon White suffered an unknown injury last week,” Schnyderite recalled. “[Rutgers head coach Greg] Schiano said in his weekly presser on Monday, he suffered an injury in the Ohio State game and then injured it again in practice, calling it a substantial injury and it is unknown if he will be back or not. Other than that, Rutgers is knock on wood relatively healthy.”
White’s — who transferred in from Ohio State — absence would be a significant blow if he’s not able to play. His 21 tackles check in fifth on the defense, despite not playing last week against Illinois. Fifth-year senior Lawrence Stevens will start in his place if he’s not able to go.
Michigan obviously has a significant talent edge over Rutgers, but that hasn’t seemed to matter for the Wolverines so far this year. Schnyderite was asked which area on the field he thinks Rutgers will have the biggest advantage in against U-M, and it unsurprisingly involves an area that has seen Michigan struggle mightily this year — offensive line play. The front five will have their hands full with a Rutgers defensive line that has a familiar face on it in fifth-year senior defensive tackle Mike Dwumfour.
“Honestly this is a tough one, as Michigan definitely has the talent advantage, but just by looking at the little film I’ve seen it looks like Michigan’s offensive line has had several issues this year, especially when it comes to run blocking,” Schnyderite explained. “This is an area where the Scarlet Knights have flourished so far this season and this new look D-Line can create a legit pass rush on top of that, I think Michigan’s QB whether that be Milton or McNamara could be in for a longer day than expected.”
Just one year ago, Rutgers wrapped up a 2-10 season that included four shutout losses, one of which occurred 52-0 at the hands of Michigan. Enter new (old) coach Greg Schiano and the Scarlet Knights are actually a fairly competitive bunch with much of the same personnel.
“For starters, if you didn’t buy into what Schiano and his staff were preaching you likely are no longer on the team,” Schnyderite said, when asked how Schiano has seemingly been so successful at turning the culture around so quickly. “We saw a ton of transfers this offseason and that included a lot of guys who were major contributors the past few seasons under former head coach Chris Ash. On top of that the guys actually believe in him, he knows how to sell a vision and that vision is being a consistent top team in the country. End of the day he’s a great coach and having rebuilt Rutgers once before definitely helps make it all an easier sell.
“On top of all that, he was also able to add some top coaches around. For the first time ever, the university had fully financially backed the program with no questions asked. They gave coach Schiano the biggest assistant coach salary pool ever and he was able to add some great recruiters and even better coaches. They also made promises for a brand new indoor facility that are currently in the works along with many more upgrades to help take the program to the next level. When you have all that behind you, it makes it much easier to sell that vision.”
****
Finishing with basketball and recruiting …
The team continues to round into shape, and as assistant Phil Martelli said Wednesday, shooting is one of this team’s strengths. The numbers have been off the charts (don’t kill us if or when they have tough shooting nights, please — we just report what’s going on in practice), with point guard Mike Smith and wing Franz Wagner having really shown well.
We expect Smith to start at point guard against Bowling Green, along with senior Eli Brooks, Wagner and Isaiah Livers at the four. At this point, and depending on match-ups, center Austin Davis might get the nod at center. Frosh Hunter Dickinson continues to improve, but he still has some work to do.
And yes, they still think he’s going to be very, very good.
He’s not the only one.
“Chaundee (Brown) is going to be tough to keep off the floor. He can really score,” one who has been at every practice said.
Head coach Juwan Howard is going to have his work cut out for him distributing minutes. It’s a good problem to have.
On the recruiting front, Howard and Co. continue to put in the work. They’ve already secured the No. 1 recruiting class in the country for 2021 — we don’t anticipate them taking another in the class unless, say, elite forward Chet Holmgren or shooting guard Jaden Hardy, both five-stars, wanted to come. They have room for one more, but both of these guys are long shots.
But they’re already working it on the 2022s, and kids are listening, blown away by Howard’s personality and success on the recruiting trail. As we’ve written, Howard has changed his strategy from going all-out with all five-stars, recruitable or not, to taking the lead and building relationships with those who are truly in play.
Class of 2021 five-star signees Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabate qualified, obviously. In 2022 … well, he knows four-star Jett Howard’s mom really well and speaks to her every day, and five-star point guard Jaden Bradley and his family are really feeling the love.
“He is killing it (on the recruiting trail),” Nate Bradley, Jaden’s father, told us. “He reached out yesterday and we had a long talk … great conversation.”
He also loves assistant Phil Martelli.
“That guy is a LEGEND,” he added. “I am a super fan. I have watched him for a long time.”
Houstan wanted to go somewhere with elite players around him where he could win. It’s fair to say Howard has the Wolverines in pretty good shape talent-wise for the foreseeable future.
One who won’t be coming, in our opinion — three-star shooter Fletcher Loyer. The Clarkston product, brother of MSU junior guard Foster Loyer, will decide Monday, and we’re hearing it will be either Purdue or Notre Dame.
“I think he’s really good, but I don’t think Michigan has pushed for him,” one source covering him closely said. “They are recruiting horses right now.”
More hoops recruiting …
As you may have seen in our story yesterday, we caught up with Montverde (Fla.) Academy assistant coach Rae Miller, who coached freshman Zeb Jackson last season and is currently working with 2021 five-star small forward signee Caleb Houstan.
First, he’s always had great things to say about Jackson, lauding his athleticism and upside, and reiterated that this week.
“Zeb is a tremendous talent. Athletic as all hell, can shoot the ball, can handle the ball, really good passer,” Miller said. “And as he gets into a college weight room and college regiment more, his game is just going to expand.”
We also asked Miller, who’s been around the game a long time and knows recruiting well, what the biggest difference is between Michigan and its perception under Juwan Howard as opposed to John Beilein. His message is a testament both to what Beilein did in Ann Arbor and what Howard is continuing to carry forward.
“One of the things that has changed with Michigan is that you have a guy that’s had a long and big career as a player and as a coach,” Miller said. “And he comes in and he comes home to Michigan.
“He brings his style of play, but he also builds on what Beilein brought to Michigan, in terms of leadership, seriousness about the program, character kids and just wanting to clean it up. There was a time that Michigan had a stigma that didn’t necessarily fit what they wanted Michigan to be. And you replace Beilein, who is an exemplary coach and an exemplary leader, with a younger version of that type of person in Juwan Howard.”
It’s been said many times, but it’s worth repeating: Many are impressed with the staff Howard has brought in (and kept, in the case of assistant Saddi Washington). As Phil Martelli said this week, Howard is less “CEO” and more “branch manager” in the way he runs the program, meaning he’s heavily involved with every aspect and has full control of the vision and how the team is getting there (as Martelli put it, he “knows where the rubber bands are”). But he trusts his staff, and so do high school coaches and players.
“Juwan has surrounded himself with really good coaches — Saddi Washington stayed from the whole regime, then he brings in Martelli, he brings in Howard Eisley and you bring in Coach Martelli, who’s had three decades of coaching under his belt in Philadelphia,” Miller said. “You bring a guy that went to Michigan in a head coach and played almost 20 years in the league. Then you bring out Eisley, who was an outstanding point guard, played on many NBA teams and has been a really, really good teacher. And Saddi, just continuing the tradition of Michigan with that staff.
“It says a lot about how the staff is built and it has shown up in recruiting. They’ve been able to go in and impact homes that probably would not have looked at Michigan the same way. And it doesn’t hurt that you had another Canadian kid in Iggy [Brazdeikis] that was just there a couple years ago.”
As always, thanks for visiting TheWolverine.com!
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