The latest edition of INSIDE THE FORT, including plenty of football, basketball and recruiting information.
Starting with football …
Michigan hopes to have one tackle back, if not both, Saturday vs. Penn State. Both have been practicing now for a week and a half, but now offensive line coach Ed Warinner has some decisions to make.
Redshirt frosh Karsen Barnhart was U-M’s offensive lineman of the week at left tackle last week, and he is “the future,” according to some offensive line experts close to it.
“He’s tenacious,” he said. “He has that gear you’re looking for, a nastiness you can’t teach and he’s getting better each game. If and when [redshirt sophomore left tackle] Ryan [Hayes] comes back, he’d better be ready to play at a high level – like, a really high level.”
We mentioned last week that we expect one who was previously leaning toward going pro after this year to be back next year. Several sources now have told us Aidan Hutchinson will be back, and this is about as good as it gets. As culture goes, Hutchinson “gets” what it should be at Michigan …
And we wish more did. Without going into specifics, we’ve heard some disturbing things about entitlement, etc. among some of the talented players that make us wonder what the future holds for them (and the group). Now, there have been a few of these guys each year, and it doesn’t have to be a program killer. It can be a team killer, though — the 3-9 Michigan State team a few years back is an example, and those close to Penn State believe it’s a huge problem there — and if it continues, it could be a tough finish to the season.
We can say that Kwity Paye isn’t and has never been a problem. The senior defensive end could go tomorrow … if he doesn’t, he’s probable to return at some point this year.
U-M is also expected to be down a skill position player tomorrow, though there are plenty of others at his position who can step up.
As for Penn State … the Nits has a plethora of injuries to key players heading into tomorrow’s game. The injuries certainly haven’t been the only factor leading to PSU’s 0-5 start on the year, but they’ve been one of the key cogs in the club’s dismal start.
“All-American linebacker Micah Parsons opted out before even preseason camp in August, and starting running back Journey Brown’s career ended due to a heart issue that was discovered leading into the season,” Blue and White Illustrated’s Nate Bauer told us when we asked for a rundown of what PSU’s injury situation was heading into Saturday.
“Since then, de facto starting running back Noah Cain was lost for the season on the first possession of the season, tight end Pat Freiermuth is out the rest of the season with a shoulder injury, guard Des Holmes has missed the past two games, and the second de facto starting running back Devyn Ford left the game on Saturday early and didn’t return. Those are on offense. Then, on defense, starting corner Tariq Castro-Fields has missed the past two games, and linebacker Charlie Katshir wasn’t available this past weekend.”
The injuries have obviously dealt the Nittany Lions some key blows in 2020, but something else nevertheless just seems a bit off with their team. The storyline is actually eerily similar to Michigan’s, though the Wolverines have at least won two games while PSU is still searching for its first victory.
“Everything has gone wrong for Penn State this season,” Bauer admitted while trying to diagnose the Nittany Lions’ problems. “Some people call it an excuse, some people believe in it religiously, but the reality is that it doesn’t matter what the perception of it is: The bottom line is that Penn State has had a no good, awful, very bad year in just about every respect.
“Micah Parsons is inarguably the best player in the program and opted out. If Journey Brown isn’t the next-best player, he’s close, and his career ended abruptly because during routine COVID testing they found a heart abnormality that would put him at risk of death if he continued to play. He’s arguably the most popular and well-liked guy in the program, so that impacts everyone beyond just the obvious ramifications of losing one of the country’s top running backs on the field.
“They finally get to playing games and Cain goes down on the first possession with a season-ending injury. Now one of the strengths of the program coming into the season transformed in a matter of a month into one of its thinnest and least experienced groups. Fast forward to the end of that game and they pull off a remarkable comeback and just need to run out the clock, while not scoring, with 1:47 left to play and Indiana having just one timeout on the Hoosier 14-yard line. Instead of picking up a first down against a defense parting like the Red Sea, Ford loses track of the moment and runs into the end zone to go ahead eight.
“Indiana goes the other way to score a touchdown, converts a 2-point attempt, then gets to overtime and manages another touchdown and a controversial 2-point conversion that went to replay and, about five minutes later, was deemed good for the walk-off Indiana win. It gets mind-numbing to talk about all of it so much, and people obviously are stunned to see this team now at 0-5 this season, but there’s just some simple level of truth to the reality that not having your best players available to you fundamentally transforms a team. That’s any sport, at any level, and it’s no different here.
“The only caveat to that is not necessarily that Penn State isn’t fighting through it to remain one of the Big Ten’s strongest programs, but that it hasn’t been able to find a win anywhere on the schedule so far against programs in Maryland and at Nebraska in particular that have challenges of their own.”
After redshirt junior Sean Clifford provided stability to PSU’s quarterback situation last year (23 touchdowns, 2,654 passing yards, only seven picks), he has regressed significantly this time around. Clifford has already thrown eight interceptions, leading Franklin to bench him at times in favor of Levis. It is unclear which signal-caller will get the start against Michigan, though both will likely see the field.
“The quarterback situation for Penn State is not good,” Bauer said. “Individual games don’t happen in a vacuum, so the elements that start as anomalies at the start of the season can and have quickly grown into irredeemable problems for Sean Clifford. Specifically, that’s due to him trying to do too much, which has worked hand-in-hand with Penn State going behind early in every game this season. He’s unsure of himself in the pocket, he’s not reading past his first option, he’s trying to make plays with his legs that aren’t there, and he’s turned the ball over at a simply unsustainable rate.
“Penn State brought in Will Levis in the second quarter at Nebraska to try to inject some energy in a game it had again fallen behind in, and Levis was able to do that to a certain extent. But his limitations as a passer and in his development as a quarterback as a whole showed up when push came to shove and Penn State needed a touchdown and had two cracks in the red zone at the end of the game and came up empty-handed both times. He’s got a rocket for an arm, but the coaching staff obviously doesn’t trust him with anything too complex and so despite starting against Iowa on Saturday, Levis ultimately found himself in the same spot as Clifford on the sideline after two more costly turnovers.
“It’s a disaster at the position with no obvious signs of improvement, but also one that has issues that stem from other areas on the field.”
****
To basketball and recruiting now …
Starting with this year’s team, and a great start for the squad with a 96-82 victory over Bowling Green. We don’t want to make too much of an opener — see Michigan football vs. Minnesota, for example, and how it seemed to back up everything everyone was saying about this team being “tight-knit” and “one,” etc. — and how it’s played out since then.
We documented above how quickly it can unravel, and how appearances can be deceiving.
But yeah, this group really seems to have a bond and really plays well together. You can see it on the court with the way they share the ball and how they look to make the extra pass, how they cheer for each other on the bench.
Everything we’d heard about the team in practice seemed to play out, with a few exceptions — sophomore Franz Wagner didn’t shoot the ball well and, on a positive note, junior Brandon Johns really brought the energy and knew his assignments on both ends of the floor.
It was spelled out for him that he would have to be more aggressive and pick it up on defense (knowing where to be, etc.) if they were going to be able to trust him at either the four or the five this year, the latter when they went to a small ball lineup. He responded, and he proved to be the pleasant surprise.
We’ve heard from folks close to two of U-M’s senior-eligible players, now, who said the two were “more than open” to return next year given the NCAA’s rule allowing a freebie this year to all athletes participating. This is exciting news, but also something the coaching staff will have to navigate on the recruiting trail.
At present, the Wolverines have no room on the 2021-2022 roster unless the NCAA allows schools to go over the limit the way they will with football.
Some still expect Wagner to go pro after this year if he plays the way many expect he will. He wasn’t at his best in the opener, but he’s been lights out and many of those closest to it believe it’s only a matter of time.
That assumes, too, that U-M doesn’t sign a seventh prospect in the 2021 class. For all the buzz about a possible Chet Holmgren addition — and we’ve spoken to people very close to it, along with an analyst who has been as close to that camp as anyone — we don’t see that happening.
“I’d be really surprised,” our analyst said.
Our sense — so would Michigan.
Now, head coach Juwan Howard has pulled some rabbits out of his hat on the recruiting trail lately, and that’s piqued Holmgren’s interest, but Gonzaga is thought to be the leader here over the G-League.
Again, we’ll never say never, but we will continue to say highly unlikely (with the hope, of course, to be proven wrong).
U-M is still in great position with 2022 standouts Jaden Bradley, an elite point guard and tops in his class (No. 6 player overall nationally), and Jett Howard, obviously. As long as the Wolverines continue to win and give these kids a reason, talent shouldn’t be a problem here for a long, long time.
More basketball …
After last week’s NBA Draft, former Michigan point guard Zavier Simpson and former center Jon Teske were signed by the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic, respectively. We caught up with a couple guys from the NBA to get their thoughts on each guy’s chances of making the roster when it’s all said and done.
Of course, it’s an uphill battle when it comes to actually making the team after being an undrafted free agent, but it’s not an impossible feat to accomplish, especially with the Lakers, given their little salary cap room to work with.
“The Lakers have a proven record of finding gems at the fringe of the draft, particularly the past few years,” said Damian Burchardt of LakersNation.com. “Alex Caruso went undrafted and is now L.A.'s key role player and a fan favorite. They selected Jordan Clarkson and Ivica Zubac in the second round. That's a good omen for Simpson.
“The Lakers will in fact have at least two undrafted players on the 2020-21 roster: Caruso and Wes Matthews. The deck is still undeniably stacked against UDFAs. It's difficult to assess Simpson's odds of sticking around but if he can prove his toughness and defensive prowess — crucial traits for these Lakers — in training camp, who knows?”
Even then, it’s a tough task to make an impact once you do make the roster.
“Even if he does make the team, it'd be difficult to see Simpson making more than only sporadic — if any — appearances for the Lakers at the very beginning. Yet, that worked well for Caruso and seems to be benefiting Talen Horton-Tucker now.”
As far as the Lakers’ current roster composition, they’re in an interesting spot as they didn’t have any draft picks last week, making Simpson almost a de-facto draft selection.
“You really need to prove your value in a very short period of time, an extremely daunting task,” Burchardt said when asked what Simpson needs to do to make the roster. “That requires not only talent but also some really strong willpower and tough skin.”
Simpson has those traits, and he’ll have a shot.
“Simpson seems to me like a high IQ playmaker who makes up for his underwhelming frame with grit and tenacity,” Burchardt said. “A decent rebounder, particularly for a player of his size, but an average shooter. A Rajon Rondo-type of player, who the Lakers have just lost in free agency and are yet to replace. Make of that what you will.”
Onto Teske, who is going to have an even tougher time making it in Orlando due to a number of factors.
“They currently have three centers, so it’s unlikely Teske will find his way on to the regular roster,” Roy Parry of the Orlando Sentinel said. “He’s coming on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal, so he’ll be in training camp with everyone else and be worked out by the coaching staff. If he’s cut and is assigned to the team’s G-League affiliate in Lakeland, he can earn up to a $50,000 bonus if he stays on the Lakeland roster for 60 days.”
Teske’s (and Simpson’s) best bet is likely to impress in the G-League and show their value, just like Duncan Robinson did two years ago on his two-way contract (meaning they can bounce back and forth between the NBA club and the G-League affiliate). Then when the NBA roster had a need, Robinson was called upon.
“It doesn’t mean Teske can’t impress coaches and decision-makers enough to be considered for a future spot if needed (most likely because of an injury),” Parry said. “He also would get valuable playing time in Lakeland, if he chooses that route.
“A team’s needs can – and often do – change during a season. Two-way deals are another way a team can get a player on their roster, so something like that down the road also could be a possibility for Teske. Right now the Magic have filled one of their two-way contracts.”
It was none other than John Beilein who told us last year he believed Teske would find a home in the NBA — eventually — and be a 10-year player in the pros. He’s never going to be a starter, but he can play a role if he’s put in positions that play to his strengths.
He was forced to play too many minutes last year in an up-tempo system, and he was often worn out. We don’t think he’ll have that issue going forward, and we wish him (and Simpson) well.
Starting with football …
Michigan hopes to have one tackle back, if not both, Saturday vs. Penn State. Both have been practicing now for a week and a half, but now offensive line coach Ed Warinner has some decisions to make.
Redshirt frosh Karsen Barnhart was U-M’s offensive lineman of the week at left tackle last week, and he is “the future,” according to some offensive line experts close to it.
“He’s tenacious,” he said. “He has that gear you’re looking for, a nastiness you can’t teach and he’s getting better each game. If and when [redshirt sophomore left tackle] Ryan [Hayes] comes back, he’d better be ready to play at a high level – like, a really high level.”
We mentioned last week that we expect one who was previously leaning toward going pro after this year to be back next year. Several sources now have told us Aidan Hutchinson will be back, and this is about as good as it gets. As culture goes, Hutchinson “gets” what it should be at Michigan …
And we wish more did. Without going into specifics, we’ve heard some disturbing things about entitlement, etc. among some of the talented players that make us wonder what the future holds for them (and the group). Now, there have been a few of these guys each year, and it doesn’t have to be a program killer. It can be a team killer, though — the 3-9 Michigan State team a few years back is an example, and those close to Penn State believe it’s a huge problem there — and if it continues, it could be a tough finish to the season.
We can say that Kwity Paye isn’t and has never been a problem. The senior defensive end could go tomorrow … if he doesn’t, he’s probable to return at some point this year.
U-M is also expected to be down a skill position player tomorrow, though there are plenty of others at his position who can step up.
As for Penn State … the Nits has a plethora of injuries to key players heading into tomorrow’s game. The injuries certainly haven’t been the only factor leading to PSU’s 0-5 start on the year, but they’ve been one of the key cogs in the club’s dismal start.
“All-American linebacker Micah Parsons opted out before even preseason camp in August, and starting running back Journey Brown’s career ended due to a heart issue that was discovered leading into the season,” Blue and White Illustrated’s Nate Bauer told us when we asked for a rundown of what PSU’s injury situation was heading into Saturday.
“Since then, de facto starting running back Noah Cain was lost for the season on the first possession of the season, tight end Pat Freiermuth is out the rest of the season with a shoulder injury, guard Des Holmes has missed the past two games, and the second de facto starting running back Devyn Ford left the game on Saturday early and didn’t return. Those are on offense. Then, on defense, starting corner Tariq Castro-Fields has missed the past two games, and linebacker Charlie Katshir wasn’t available this past weekend.”
The injuries have obviously dealt the Nittany Lions some key blows in 2020, but something else nevertheless just seems a bit off with their team. The storyline is actually eerily similar to Michigan’s, though the Wolverines have at least won two games while PSU is still searching for its first victory.
“Everything has gone wrong for Penn State this season,” Bauer admitted while trying to diagnose the Nittany Lions’ problems. “Some people call it an excuse, some people believe in it religiously, but the reality is that it doesn’t matter what the perception of it is: The bottom line is that Penn State has had a no good, awful, very bad year in just about every respect.
“Micah Parsons is inarguably the best player in the program and opted out. If Journey Brown isn’t the next-best player, he’s close, and his career ended abruptly because during routine COVID testing they found a heart abnormality that would put him at risk of death if he continued to play. He’s arguably the most popular and well-liked guy in the program, so that impacts everyone beyond just the obvious ramifications of losing one of the country’s top running backs on the field.
“They finally get to playing games and Cain goes down on the first possession with a season-ending injury. Now one of the strengths of the program coming into the season transformed in a matter of a month into one of its thinnest and least experienced groups. Fast forward to the end of that game and they pull off a remarkable comeback and just need to run out the clock, while not scoring, with 1:47 left to play and Indiana having just one timeout on the Hoosier 14-yard line. Instead of picking up a first down against a defense parting like the Red Sea, Ford loses track of the moment and runs into the end zone to go ahead eight.
“Indiana goes the other way to score a touchdown, converts a 2-point attempt, then gets to overtime and manages another touchdown and a controversial 2-point conversion that went to replay and, about five minutes later, was deemed good for the walk-off Indiana win. It gets mind-numbing to talk about all of it so much, and people obviously are stunned to see this team now at 0-5 this season, but there’s just some simple level of truth to the reality that not having your best players available to you fundamentally transforms a team. That’s any sport, at any level, and it’s no different here.
“The only caveat to that is not necessarily that Penn State isn’t fighting through it to remain one of the Big Ten’s strongest programs, but that it hasn’t been able to find a win anywhere on the schedule so far against programs in Maryland and at Nebraska in particular that have challenges of their own.”
After redshirt junior Sean Clifford provided stability to PSU’s quarterback situation last year (23 touchdowns, 2,654 passing yards, only seven picks), he has regressed significantly this time around. Clifford has already thrown eight interceptions, leading Franklin to bench him at times in favor of Levis. It is unclear which signal-caller will get the start against Michigan, though both will likely see the field.
“The quarterback situation for Penn State is not good,” Bauer said. “Individual games don’t happen in a vacuum, so the elements that start as anomalies at the start of the season can and have quickly grown into irredeemable problems for Sean Clifford. Specifically, that’s due to him trying to do too much, which has worked hand-in-hand with Penn State going behind early in every game this season. He’s unsure of himself in the pocket, he’s not reading past his first option, he’s trying to make plays with his legs that aren’t there, and he’s turned the ball over at a simply unsustainable rate.
“Penn State brought in Will Levis in the second quarter at Nebraska to try to inject some energy in a game it had again fallen behind in, and Levis was able to do that to a certain extent. But his limitations as a passer and in his development as a quarterback as a whole showed up when push came to shove and Penn State needed a touchdown and had two cracks in the red zone at the end of the game and came up empty-handed both times. He’s got a rocket for an arm, but the coaching staff obviously doesn’t trust him with anything too complex and so despite starting against Iowa on Saturday, Levis ultimately found himself in the same spot as Clifford on the sideline after two more costly turnovers.
“It’s a disaster at the position with no obvious signs of improvement, but also one that has issues that stem from other areas on the field.”
****
To basketball and recruiting now …
Starting with this year’s team, and a great start for the squad with a 96-82 victory over Bowling Green. We don’t want to make too much of an opener — see Michigan football vs. Minnesota, for example, and how it seemed to back up everything everyone was saying about this team being “tight-knit” and “one,” etc. — and how it’s played out since then.
We documented above how quickly it can unravel, and how appearances can be deceiving.
But yeah, this group really seems to have a bond and really plays well together. You can see it on the court with the way they share the ball and how they look to make the extra pass, how they cheer for each other on the bench.
Everything we’d heard about the team in practice seemed to play out, with a few exceptions — sophomore Franz Wagner didn’t shoot the ball well and, on a positive note, junior Brandon Johns really brought the energy and knew his assignments on both ends of the floor.
It was spelled out for him that he would have to be more aggressive and pick it up on defense (knowing where to be, etc.) if they were going to be able to trust him at either the four or the five this year, the latter when they went to a small ball lineup. He responded, and he proved to be the pleasant surprise.
We’ve heard from folks close to two of U-M’s senior-eligible players, now, who said the two were “more than open” to return next year given the NCAA’s rule allowing a freebie this year to all athletes participating. This is exciting news, but also something the coaching staff will have to navigate on the recruiting trail.
At present, the Wolverines have no room on the 2021-2022 roster unless the NCAA allows schools to go over the limit the way they will with football.
Some still expect Wagner to go pro after this year if he plays the way many expect he will. He wasn’t at his best in the opener, but he’s been lights out and many of those closest to it believe it’s only a matter of time.
That assumes, too, that U-M doesn’t sign a seventh prospect in the 2021 class. For all the buzz about a possible Chet Holmgren addition — and we’ve spoken to people very close to it, along with an analyst who has been as close to that camp as anyone — we don’t see that happening.
“I’d be really surprised,” our analyst said.
Our sense — so would Michigan.
Now, head coach Juwan Howard has pulled some rabbits out of his hat on the recruiting trail lately, and that’s piqued Holmgren’s interest, but Gonzaga is thought to be the leader here over the G-League.
Again, we’ll never say never, but we will continue to say highly unlikely (with the hope, of course, to be proven wrong).
U-M is still in great position with 2022 standouts Jaden Bradley, an elite point guard and tops in his class (No. 6 player overall nationally), and Jett Howard, obviously. As long as the Wolverines continue to win and give these kids a reason, talent shouldn’t be a problem here for a long, long time.
More basketball …
After last week’s NBA Draft, former Michigan point guard Zavier Simpson and former center Jon Teske were signed by the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic, respectively. We caught up with a couple guys from the NBA to get their thoughts on each guy’s chances of making the roster when it’s all said and done.
Of course, it’s an uphill battle when it comes to actually making the team after being an undrafted free agent, but it’s not an impossible feat to accomplish, especially with the Lakers, given their little salary cap room to work with.
“The Lakers have a proven record of finding gems at the fringe of the draft, particularly the past few years,” said Damian Burchardt of LakersNation.com. “Alex Caruso went undrafted and is now L.A.'s key role player and a fan favorite. They selected Jordan Clarkson and Ivica Zubac in the second round. That's a good omen for Simpson.
“The Lakers will in fact have at least two undrafted players on the 2020-21 roster: Caruso and Wes Matthews. The deck is still undeniably stacked against UDFAs. It's difficult to assess Simpson's odds of sticking around but if he can prove his toughness and defensive prowess — crucial traits for these Lakers — in training camp, who knows?”
Even then, it’s a tough task to make an impact once you do make the roster.
“Even if he does make the team, it'd be difficult to see Simpson making more than only sporadic — if any — appearances for the Lakers at the very beginning. Yet, that worked well for Caruso and seems to be benefiting Talen Horton-Tucker now.”
As far as the Lakers’ current roster composition, they’re in an interesting spot as they didn’t have any draft picks last week, making Simpson almost a de-facto draft selection.
“You really need to prove your value in a very short period of time, an extremely daunting task,” Burchardt said when asked what Simpson needs to do to make the roster. “That requires not only talent but also some really strong willpower and tough skin.”
Simpson has those traits, and he’ll have a shot.
“Simpson seems to me like a high IQ playmaker who makes up for his underwhelming frame with grit and tenacity,” Burchardt said. “A decent rebounder, particularly for a player of his size, but an average shooter. A Rajon Rondo-type of player, who the Lakers have just lost in free agency and are yet to replace. Make of that what you will.”
Onto Teske, who is going to have an even tougher time making it in Orlando due to a number of factors.
“They currently have three centers, so it’s unlikely Teske will find his way on to the regular roster,” Roy Parry of the Orlando Sentinel said. “He’s coming on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal, so he’ll be in training camp with everyone else and be worked out by the coaching staff. If he’s cut and is assigned to the team’s G-League affiliate in Lakeland, he can earn up to a $50,000 bonus if he stays on the Lakeland roster for 60 days.”
Teske’s (and Simpson’s) best bet is likely to impress in the G-League and show their value, just like Duncan Robinson did two years ago on his two-way contract (meaning they can bounce back and forth between the NBA club and the G-League affiliate). Then when the NBA roster had a need, Robinson was called upon.
“It doesn’t mean Teske can’t impress coaches and decision-makers enough to be considered for a future spot if needed (most likely because of an injury),” Parry said. “He also would get valuable playing time in Lakeland, if he chooses that route.
“A team’s needs can – and often do – change during a season. Two-way deals are another way a team can get a player on their roster, so something like that down the road also could be a possibility for Teske. Right now the Magic have filled one of their two-way contracts.”
It was none other than John Beilein who told us last year he believed Teske would find a home in the NBA — eventually — and be a 10-year player in the pros. He’s never going to be a starter, but he can play a role if he’s put in positions that play to his strengths.
He was forced to play too many minutes last year in an up-tempo system, and he was often worn out. We don’t think he’ll have that issue going forward, and we wish him (and Simpson) well.
