The latest edition of INSIDE THE FORT, Part I ...football, basketball and recruiting.
Starting with football ...
Summer conditioning continues, and the results have been very encouraging. The offensive linemen “are in the best shape of their lives,” according to those closest to it, and big right guard Mike Onwenu continues to make progress in making weight. We’ll get a look at senior Ben Bredeson in a few days at Big Ten Media Day, but those who know say he’s been the catalyst in making sure everyone is doing what they need to do.
This coaching staff, too, is extremely connected. It was clear last year that a couple of coaches weren’t fully on board when it came to buying in, and at least one had an inkling of where he’d be the following year even before the regular season ended.
That’s not the case this year. Offensive line coach Ed Warinner got a bump in pay and loves it in Ann Arbor, though he will listen if a head coaching job opens up. Former All-American Jon Jansen couldn’t be more impressed with what he’s seen from Warinner and predicts this will be Jim Harbaugh’s best offensive line by far in his five years.
One coach who has been around noted U-M is “different in all the right ways” from other schools he’s coached at that have deep traditions. He was clear as day when he said, ‘Jim could have gotten this done faster, but he will not allow Michigan or any of his coaches to play the southern and [one rival school] recruiting practices that are right up to the violation line, and more times than not cross the line.”
To basketball and recruiting now …
Michigan head coach Juwan Howard is hitting the recruiting trail hard, putting out offers and feelers to try to fill the 2020 and 2021 classes. Summer practices have been very encouraging … 10 players stayed and all are in incredible shape, and it’s showing. Freshman Cole Bajema has already added another several pounds to his frame and “can shoot the hell out of the ball.”
He’s going to be an option at the two. As we’ve noted many times, sophomore Adrien Nunez has a lot of work to do. He recently tore it up shooting the ball at the recent Moneyball event, but he is still learning the game and has a ways to go.
Sophomore Colin Castleton is one who has really stepped up his game. He’ll be getting significant minutes behind Jon Teske at the five, and he’s gotten a lot stronger in the paint. He can still add some good weight, but it’s clear he’s made progress.
Zavier Simpson is “typical X” as both a leader and a distributor, and he’s also put up better shooting numbers this summer than he ever has. He’s been working on his pull-up game, knowing that can add another element to his offensive game — and to the team’s — if he does. It’s coming — he just has to do it in games.
There had been rumblings that former Michigan assistant Jay Smith will fill an administrative assistant position for Juwan Howard (and now it’s come to fruition). Smith was one of the ones (with Brian Dutcher) recruiting Howard back in the day and he’s extremely well respected.
One coach who worked with him at U-M couldn’t say enough good things about him.
“He’s a great guy, will help Juwan because he’s got coaching experience and even though is isn’t a coaching position, he can help with college basketball and what it’s about. Great guy,” he said.
We spoke with Jace Howard today, Juwan’s older son. He put up 17 and 8 at Peach Jam against Nimari Burnett (2020 five-star guard) and his Team WhyNot club, and he’s getting more offers as a result. He’s not 100 percent committed to joining his dad at Michigan, but he is talking to guys like Burnett (“Michigan has a chance”) and answering any questions they might have. That’s the role he’s comfortable with, and while we expect him to end up at U-M, there’s no pressure.
He did admit that his brother, five-star Jett Howard, is starting to get the better of him at times in one on one, “but I’ve won the last two. I still win more, but it’s getting tougher.”
We expect Jett in Ann Arbor in a few years, too. He’s a 2022, and he’s elite.
As for new offer Terrance Williams of Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga … there have been rumblings that he will pick Notre Dame or Georgetown in the next few days. Rivals.com’s No. 91 prospect nationally was going to Virginia before Jabri Abdur-Rahim took his spot and he added the Wolverines with six other schools.
“I plan to cut my list in the new few weeks and take visits to those schools,” he insisted, noting he’d probably take visits in summer and fall.
We’ll see if that happens. There’s been a lot of smoke that this one is about to end.
Five-star Josh Christopher will release a top five soon and we expect Michigan to be on it. The California shooting guard has a nice relationship with Howard and it continues to build. U-M is still playing from behind here — many believe he wants to stay out West — but top five is top five.
****
To football recruiting …
The Fort’s own Jim_S tabbed Williamstown (N.J.) High three-star defensive end Aaron Lewis as the most underrated player in Michigan’s entire 2020 class on Saturday, and two coaches who squared off against the U-M commit last year echoed a similar sentiment this past week.
Shawnee head man Tim Gushue’s club fell to Williamstown, 48-14, last October, and had plenty to say when asked what impressed him most about Lewis.
“Our game plan centered around him and we needed to know where he was at all times,” Gushue recalled. “He’s a real force as a young man, and is a handful defensively. We spent some time trying to decide whether or not we wanted to go right at him or away from him, and to be honest, neither were successful. We were struggling at that point in the season when we played them, but I don’t think it would have mattered either way because they had such a good team.
“We found out early we couldn’t run the ball against them. Last year’s game was lopsided and they beat the dog out of us, so we were in empty sets and throwing the ball a lot as a result. We wanted to tire out their front four and get them running sideline to sideline, but Lewis wasn’t the only good player on their team — their defense set up a lot of their scores. We had to have two guys on him just to pass block him.
“We’d try reading him, but he’d take a step down on the dive and the inside zone and still make the tackle on the quarterback — his wing span is incredible and he’s versatile enough to be a two-way player, though he’s made his mark on defense. I’ve known their head coach, Frank Fucetola, for a long time and we talk a lot, and he raves about what Aaron means to the program.”
Washington Township head coach Michael Schatzman — whose club fell to Williamstown twice last season — echoed a similar sentiment when asked if he had any knowledge as to what Lewis is like off the field.
“Last year was actually my first year as the head coach at Washington Township, because I was an assistant there before that,” he began. “I’ve said hi and congratulations and things like that to him, but that’s about it. Lewis just seems like a good kid off the field though, and flips a switch when he’s on it. The Williamstown coaches have a lot of praise for both his character and what he does away from football.”
U-M has reeled in several recruits in recent years who have flown under the radar due to the competition level they face or the school they come from, but Schatzman explained that a lack of competition definitely won’t be an issue for Lewis as a senior this fall.
“We’re in the same conference and are big Group 5 schools, so it’d be similar to whatever the largest group in Michigan is,” he said. “We’re the largest schools in New Jersey, so it’s very good competition. Our conferences is one of the better ones in the state, so it’s a tough schedule week after week. Williamstown is a really good program who won South Jersey last year. Good football is played throughout the state, but South Jersey in particular has some very good prospects who go on to play at the next level.”
Watch for Part II of ITF later … and for those who missed it, here’s Brandon Brown’s Code Blue from Saturday with great football recruiting information.
Starting with football ...
Summer conditioning continues, and the results have been very encouraging. The offensive linemen “are in the best shape of their lives,” according to those closest to it, and big right guard Mike Onwenu continues to make progress in making weight. We’ll get a look at senior Ben Bredeson in a few days at Big Ten Media Day, but those who know say he’s been the catalyst in making sure everyone is doing what they need to do.
This coaching staff, too, is extremely connected. It was clear last year that a couple of coaches weren’t fully on board when it came to buying in, and at least one had an inkling of where he’d be the following year even before the regular season ended.
That’s not the case this year. Offensive line coach Ed Warinner got a bump in pay and loves it in Ann Arbor, though he will listen if a head coaching job opens up. Former All-American Jon Jansen couldn’t be more impressed with what he’s seen from Warinner and predicts this will be Jim Harbaugh’s best offensive line by far in his five years.
One coach who has been around noted U-M is “different in all the right ways” from other schools he’s coached at that have deep traditions. He was clear as day when he said, ‘Jim could have gotten this done faster, but he will not allow Michigan or any of his coaches to play the southern and [one rival school] recruiting practices that are right up to the violation line, and more times than not cross the line.”
To basketball and recruiting now …
Michigan head coach Juwan Howard is hitting the recruiting trail hard, putting out offers and feelers to try to fill the 2020 and 2021 classes. Summer practices have been very encouraging … 10 players stayed and all are in incredible shape, and it’s showing. Freshman Cole Bajema has already added another several pounds to his frame and “can shoot the hell out of the ball.”
He’s going to be an option at the two. As we’ve noted many times, sophomore Adrien Nunez has a lot of work to do. He recently tore it up shooting the ball at the recent Moneyball event, but he is still learning the game and has a ways to go.
Sophomore Colin Castleton is one who has really stepped up his game. He’ll be getting significant minutes behind Jon Teske at the five, and he’s gotten a lot stronger in the paint. He can still add some good weight, but it’s clear he’s made progress.
Zavier Simpson is “typical X” as both a leader and a distributor, and he’s also put up better shooting numbers this summer than he ever has. He’s been working on his pull-up game, knowing that can add another element to his offensive game — and to the team’s — if he does. It’s coming — he just has to do it in games.
There had been rumblings that former Michigan assistant Jay Smith will fill an administrative assistant position for Juwan Howard (and now it’s come to fruition). Smith was one of the ones (with Brian Dutcher) recruiting Howard back in the day and he’s extremely well respected.
One coach who worked with him at U-M couldn’t say enough good things about him.
“He’s a great guy, will help Juwan because he’s got coaching experience and even though is isn’t a coaching position, he can help with college basketball and what it’s about. Great guy,” he said.
We spoke with Jace Howard today, Juwan’s older son. He put up 17 and 8 at Peach Jam against Nimari Burnett (2020 five-star guard) and his Team WhyNot club, and he’s getting more offers as a result. He’s not 100 percent committed to joining his dad at Michigan, but he is talking to guys like Burnett (“Michigan has a chance”) and answering any questions they might have. That’s the role he’s comfortable with, and while we expect him to end up at U-M, there’s no pressure.
He did admit that his brother, five-star Jett Howard, is starting to get the better of him at times in one on one, “but I’ve won the last two. I still win more, but it’s getting tougher.”
We expect Jett in Ann Arbor in a few years, too. He’s a 2022, and he’s elite.
As for new offer Terrance Williams of Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga … there have been rumblings that he will pick Notre Dame or Georgetown in the next few days. Rivals.com’s No. 91 prospect nationally was going to Virginia before Jabri Abdur-Rahim took his spot and he added the Wolverines with six other schools.
“I plan to cut my list in the new few weeks and take visits to those schools,” he insisted, noting he’d probably take visits in summer and fall.
We’ll see if that happens. There’s been a lot of smoke that this one is about to end.
Five-star Josh Christopher will release a top five soon and we expect Michigan to be on it. The California shooting guard has a nice relationship with Howard and it continues to build. U-M is still playing from behind here — many believe he wants to stay out West — but top five is top five.
****
To football recruiting …
The Fort’s own Jim_S tabbed Williamstown (N.J.) High three-star defensive end Aaron Lewis as the most underrated player in Michigan’s entire 2020 class on Saturday, and two coaches who squared off against the U-M commit last year echoed a similar sentiment this past week.
Shawnee head man Tim Gushue’s club fell to Williamstown, 48-14, last October, and had plenty to say when asked what impressed him most about Lewis.
“Our game plan centered around him and we needed to know where he was at all times,” Gushue recalled. “He’s a real force as a young man, and is a handful defensively. We spent some time trying to decide whether or not we wanted to go right at him or away from him, and to be honest, neither were successful. We were struggling at that point in the season when we played them, but I don’t think it would have mattered either way because they had such a good team.
“We found out early we couldn’t run the ball against them. Last year’s game was lopsided and they beat the dog out of us, so we were in empty sets and throwing the ball a lot as a result. We wanted to tire out their front four and get them running sideline to sideline, but Lewis wasn’t the only good player on their team — their defense set up a lot of their scores. We had to have two guys on him just to pass block him.
“We’d try reading him, but he’d take a step down on the dive and the inside zone and still make the tackle on the quarterback — his wing span is incredible and he’s versatile enough to be a two-way player, though he’s made his mark on defense. I’ve known their head coach, Frank Fucetola, for a long time and we talk a lot, and he raves about what Aaron means to the program.”
Washington Township head coach Michael Schatzman — whose club fell to Williamstown twice last season — echoed a similar sentiment when asked if he had any knowledge as to what Lewis is like off the field.
“Last year was actually my first year as the head coach at Washington Township, because I was an assistant there before that,” he began. “I’ve said hi and congratulations and things like that to him, but that’s about it. Lewis just seems like a good kid off the field though, and flips a switch when he’s on it. The Williamstown coaches have a lot of praise for both his character and what he does away from football.”
U-M has reeled in several recruits in recent years who have flown under the radar due to the competition level they face or the school they come from, but Schatzman explained that a lack of competition definitely won’t be an issue for Lewis as a senior this fall.
“We’re in the same conference and are big Group 5 schools, so it’d be similar to whatever the largest group in Michigan is,” he said. “We’re the largest schools in New Jersey, so it’s very good competition. Our conferences is one of the better ones in the state, so it’s a tough schedule week after week. Williamstown is a really good program who won South Jersey last year. Good football is played throughout the state, but South Jersey in particular has some very good prospects who go on to play at the next level.”
Watch for Part II of ITF later … and for those who missed it, here’s Brandon Brown’s Code Blue from Saturday with great football recruiting information.
