The latest edition of INSIDE THE FORT, including plenty of football and recruiting information.
Starting with recruiting …
Michigan will be hosting at least 17 unofficial visitors for tomorrow’s game against SMU, with nine of them being commits.
Two will be Belleville teammates three-star outside linebacker Tyrece Woods and class of 2020 three-star cornerback Andre Seldon.
Woods discussed his anxiousness for not only this weekend’s trip, but for his Michigan career to begin.
“Andre is the same way as me — we both can’t wait to get up there,” Woods exclaimed. “[Teammates Devontae] Dobbs and [Julian] Barnett [who are both committed to MSU] are always telling me they wish we could’ve been Spartans.
“We don’t really trash talk that much, though, because we’re just so focused on our season this year. We first and foremost want to win a state championship for each other, and personally, I’d like to be named all-state, all-league, and be named to the dream team.”
Before any of that, though, Woods explained what his plan for this weekend is in Ann Arbor, and who he’ll be spending his time with.
“It’s always exciting to get back up there to my home,” he said. “I’m looking forward to a great atmosphere and a great energy from the fans. I’ll probably be coming in Saturday morning, and then I’ll spend the night with some of my former teammates — Lavert Hill, Ambry Thomas and Jaylen Kelly-Powell.
“I’m not sure yet what their plan is — we’ll probably just chill. Those guys are having a lot of fun at Michigan, but they tell me I have to come in with a mentality to work hard.”
The U-M coaches are undoubtedly giving him the same message, and Woods talked about which ones he’s looking forward to speaking with, and how often he talks to each of them.
“I just can’t wait to sit down with the coaches before and after the game on Sunday,” he noted. “I’ll be speaking with Coach Brown, Coach Mattison, Coach Harbaugh and all my position coaches.
“They usually ask me about school whenever we talk, and ask me how things are going at home. They’re such caring guys — it’s obvious they care about how you are off the field as much as how you perform on it, as well as in the classroom, at home and in the community. That’s one of the many things that attracted me to Michigan.
“I’m actually still talking to Coach Harbaugh and Coach Brown every week for at least an hour and a half. We talk football when we speak, but we discuss plenty of things away from the field as well.
“They tell me that once I get up there, they’re going to move me around all over the place and see which position suits me best. I really don’t care where I play, because I just want to see the field.
“I’m not sure yet if I’ll enroll early or not, but if I’m able to, I definitely will.”
Some have wondered if Michigan’s disappointing performance at Notre Dame in the season opener has any recruits worried or concerned, and Woods gave his assessment of the situation.
“No, it’s not concerning at all,” he said. “People have to remember it’s a 12-week season, so teams are going to have their ups and downs. They’ll get better day by day and week to week, so I’m not worried in the least. I’m still 100 percent committed to them. Other schools aren’t really contacting me at this point.
“I want to see how much energy and fire they play with on Saturday, and how physical they can be. I also want to see their defense attack like they usually do. I really can’t wait to get up there and finally start learning that defense.
“I know I’ll be around some great guys once I get in it, because everybody tries to get to the ball. They haven’t taught me any plays or anything yet.”
One Michigan fans hope will be with him — Daxton Hill of Tulsa (Oklahoma) Booker T. Washington. The five-star visited in March, will visit again this weekend and could very well decide sooner than later.
It’s not out of the realm of possibility that he commits this weekend, in fact. Hill has told folks he knows where he wants to go, and while he enjoyed an incredible visit to Alabama in June, he also seems to understand the immediate need for him at Michigan.
He said in June following his trip to Alabama that he thought he had a favorite, and he almost pulled the trigger in the summer (not necessarily for ‘Bama, though some believe that). He was convinced to take his time and weigh his options.
“Anything can change,” he said. “I've only been on one visit, so anything can change, especially with these other visits.
"I am just trying to make the decision that is best for me and my family. I am trying to find the school where I can see myself doing good academically and with football."
Alabama sold the elite prospect on the academics, but they pale in comparison to Michigan’s. At the same time, Hill is as close to a surefire NFL prospect as there is at the safety position. He’s good enough that most believe he’d be an immediate starter at U-M, and that and the academics will be huge selling points this weekend.
This appears to be a two-team race, and this weekend’s visit will be massive to Michigan’s chances.
****
To football now …
This is a good week to be playing SMU, now a five-touchdown underdog to Michigan heading in. The Mustangs are lousy, but U-M is still banged up on the defensive line (and at least one guy has been under the weather). There are bumps and bruises in addition to the bigger injuries, and while we expect a lot of them to play through them, there will be more time for the twos in this game.
On the interior, we expect to see (once again) plenty of Bryan Mone, Michael Dwumfour and Carlo Kemp, who was perhaps the most pleasant surprise on defense last week. But they need to get Lawrence Marshall and Aubrey Solomon back for the big boys on the schedule, and it’s going to be a while yet (especially on Solomon).
We’ve gotten various reports from folks who have seen practice about so and so running with the ones on the offensive line, etc. As offensive line coach Ed Warinner explained this week, freshman left tackle Jalen Mayfield runs with the first team about 25 percent of the time, and it’s even more for redshirt frosh James Hudson. Hudson has had great moments, but his consistency and effort needed a lift, and they weren’t going to throw him out there in Game One against Notre Dame, regardless, and potentially ruin his confidence.
Hudson has had a very good week of practice, however, and the plan is to see him earlier in the game. One close to it believes his development, along with Mayfield’s, are probably key to a Big Ten Championship run.
“I wanted to see them earlier last week,” he said. “SMU is worse than Western. I want to see them when they’re tired … the season could very well hinge on whether they are ready or not.
“These guys aren’t reinventing the wheel. It’s happened before, and it will happen again. Why not now?”
He also wants to see a bit more nasty in the guys up front.
“When there’s a three-man rush and you’ve got five guys in blocking, when a guy is engaged, that’s the time to give him a shot,” he said. “That lets the defensive lineman know later in the game, when he’s bruised up, that if he wants to come like that again, he’ll know what’s waiting for him.
“We haven’t seen enough of it, but some of these guys, I know they have it in them.”
Looking ahead to next week’s game with Nebraska (because the team can’t, but we can), it appears freshman quarterback Adrian Martinez will play against Michigan. He’s a game time decision this weekend against Troy, but one ‘Huskers insider said the plan is to use him only if needed, which is very possible. But they want him healthy when the Cornhuskers come to Ann Arbor and have put a lot into the Big Ten opener with the Wolverines.
Scott Frost won’t say it publicly, but he doesn't like Michigan. We have it on good authority that his mother doesn’t, either.
****
Finishing with basketball and recruiting …
Michigan continues to host some impressive visitors, and it’s clear the Wolverines have gotten a huge bump from the run to the National Championship game. Michigan pledges Cole Bajema and Jalen Wilson both told us head coach John Beilein was in great spirits and was acting like nothing had happened after his double bypass surgery, eager to get back to coaching his team.
Wilson and Bajema hit it off well, and they’re doing their part to recruit others to join them. Four-star junior Lance Ware of Burlington, N.J. was in last weekend, too, and his visit was outstanding. The 6-8 power forward, Rivals.com’s No. 45 junior nationally, has been on campus a few times now, and he feels like a great fit.
We’ll have more on him in an article this week, but he’s been in twice now in the last three months. He’s not much of a talker, but we know the mutual interest is very strong.
The already impressive list of 2020 prospects considering Michigan continues to grow. Yet another has expressed interest in the program, and this one — five-star Cade Cunningham of Montverde (Fla.) Academy — is “one of the most well-rounded prospects in the country,” according to Rivals.com’s Corey Evans.
Cunningham already holds a Kansas offer and is interested in Duke, Virginia, Texas (he grew up a fan) and others. The 6-7, 215-pounder is Rivals.com’s No. 15 junior prospect nationally. His older brother played at SMU.
Though he doesn’t like to talk recruiting, Cunningham did have great things to say about Michigan recently.
“Coach [John] Beilein is a fantastic coach; he develops all of his players,” Cunningham said. “It is amazing. It is a blessing to have them on me, and I am obviously interested in everybody recruiting me, but he is a great coach and we will see how it goes.”
We fully expect him to visit this fall.
Starting with recruiting …
Michigan will be hosting at least 17 unofficial visitors for tomorrow’s game against SMU, with nine of them being commits.
Two will be Belleville teammates three-star outside linebacker Tyrece Woods and class of 2020 three-star cornerback Andre Seldon.
Woods discussed his anxiousness for not only this weekend’s trip, but for his Michigan career to begin.
“Andre is the same way as me — we both can’t wait to get up there,” Woods exclaimed. “[Teammates Devontae] Dobbs and [Julian] Barnett [who are both committed to MSU] are always telling me they wish we could’ve been Spartans.
“We don’t really trash talk that much, though, because we’re just so focused on our season this year. We first and foremost want to win a state championship for each other, and personally, I’d like to be named all-state, all-league, and be named to the dream team.”
Before any of that, though, Woods explained what his plan for this weekend is in Ann Arbor, and who he’ll be spending his time with.
“It’s always exciting to get back up there to my home,” he said. “I’m looking forward to a great atmosphere and a great energy from the fans. I’ll probably be coming in Saturday morning, and then I’ll spend the night with some of my former teammates — Lavert Hill, Ambry Thomas and Jaylen Kelly-Powell.
“I’m not sure yet what their plan is — we’ll probably just chill. Those guys are having a lot of fun at Michigan, but they tell me I have to come in with a mentality to work hard.”
The U-M coaches are undoubtedly giving him the same message, and Woods talked about which ones he’s looking forward to speaking with, and how often he talks to each of them.
“I just can’t wait to sit down with the coaches before and after the game on Sunday,” he noted. “I’ll be speaking with Coach Brown, Coach Mattison, Coach Harbaugh and all my position coaches.
“They usually ask me about school whenever we talk, and ask me how things are going at home. They’re such caring guys — it’s obvious they care about how you are off the field as much as how you perform on it, as well as in the classroom, at home and in the community. That’s one of the many things that attracted me to Michigan.
“I’m actually still talking to Coach Harbaugh and Coach Brown every week for at least an hour and a half. We talk football when we speak, but we discuss plenty of things away from the field as well.
“They tell me that once I get up there, they’re going to move me around all over the place and see which position suits me best. I really don’t care where I play, because I just want to see the field.
“I’m not sure yet if I’ll enroll early or not, but if I’m able to, I definitely will.”
Some have wondered if Michigan’s disappointing performance at Notre Dame in the season opener has any recruits worried or concerned, and Woods gave his assessment of the situation.
“No, it’s not concerning at all,” he said. “People have to remember it’s a 12-week season, so teams are going to have their ups and downs. They’ll get better day by day and week to week, so I’m not worried in the least. I’m still 100 percent committed to them. Other schools aren’t really contacting me at this point.
“I want to see how much energy and fire they play with on Saturday, and how physical they can be. I also want to see their defense attack like they usually do. I really can’t wait to get up there and finally start learning that defense.
“I know I’ll be around some great guys once I get in it, because everybody tries to get to the ball. They haven’t taught me any plays or anything yet.”
One Michigan fans hope will be with him — Daxton Hill of Tulsa (Oklahoma) Booker T. Washington. The five-star visited in March, will visit again this weekend and could very well decide sooner than later.
It’s not out of the realm of possibility that he commits this weekend, in fact. Hill has told folks he knows where he wants to go, and while he enjoyed an incredible visit to Alabama in June, he also seems to understand the immediate need for him at Michigan.
He said in June following his trip to Alabama that he thought he had a favorite, and he almost pulled the trigger in the summer (not necessarily for ‘Bama, though some believe that). He was convinced to take his time and weigh his options.
“Anything can change,” he said. “I've only been on one visit, so anything can change, especially with these other visits.
"I am just trying to make the decision that is best for me and my family. I am trying to find the school where I can see myself doing good academically and with football."
Alabama sold the elite prospect on the academics, but they pale in comparison to Michigan’s. At the same time, Hill is as close to a surefire NFL prospect as there is at the safety position. He’s good enough that most believe he’d be an immediate starter at U-M, and that and the academics will be huge selling points this weekend.
This appears to be a two-team race, and this weekend’s visit will be massive to Michigan’s chances.
****
To football now …
This is a good week to be playing SMU, now a five-touchdown underdog to Michigan heading in. The Mustangs are lousy, but U-M is still banged up on the defensive line (and at least one guy has been under the weather). There are bumps and bruises in addition to the bigger injuries, and while we expect a lot of them to play through them, there will be more time for the twos in this game.
On the interior, we expect to see (once again) plenty of Bryan Mone, Michael Dwumfour and Carlo Kemp, who was perhaps the most pleasant surprise on defense last week. But they need to get Lawrence Marshall and Aubrey Solomon back for the big boys on the schedule, and it’s going to be a while yet (especially on Solomon).
We’ve gotten various reports from folks who have seen practice about so and so running with the ones on the offensive line, etc. As offensive line coach Ed Warinner explained this week, freshman left tackle Jalen Mayfield runs with the first team about 25 percent of the time, and it’s even more for redshirt frosh James Hudson. Hudson has had great moments, but his consistency and effort needed a lift, and they weren’t going to throw him out there in Game One against Notre Dame, regardless, and potentially ruin his confidence.
Hudson has had a very good week of practice, however, and the plan is to see him earlier in the game. One close to it believes his development, along with Mayfield’s, are probably key to a Big Ten Championship run.
“I wanted to see them earlier last week,” he said. “SMU is worse than Western. I want to see them when they’re tired … the season could very well hinge on whether they are ready or not.
“These guys aren’t reinventing the wheel. It’s happened before, and it will happen again. Why not now?”
He also wants to see a bit more nasty in the guys up front.
“When there’s a three-man rush and you’ve got five guys in blocking, when a guy is engaged, that’s the time to give him a shot,” he said. “That lets the defensive lineman know later in the game, when he’s bruised up, that if he wants to come like that again, he’ll know what’s waiting for him.
“We haven’t seen enough of it, but some of these guys, I know they have it in them.”
Looking ahead to next week’s game with Nebraska (because the team can’t, but we can), it appears freshman quarterback Adrian Martinez will play against Michigan. He’s a game time decision this weekend against Troy, but one ‘Huskers insider said the plan is to use him only if needed, which is very possible. But they want him healthy when the Cornhuskers come to Ann Arbor and have put a lot into the Big Ten opener with the Wolverines.
Scott Frost won’t say it publicly, but he doesn't like Michigan. We have it on good authority that his mother doesn’t, either.
****
Finishing with basketball and recruiting …
Michigan continues to host some impressive visitors, and it’s clear the Wolverines have gotten a huge bump from the run to the National Championship game. Michigan pledges Cole Bajema and Jalen Wilson both told us head coach John Beilein was in great spirits and was acting like nothing had happened after his double bypass surgery, eager to get back to coaching his team.
Wilson and Bajema hit it off well, and they’re doing their part to recruit others to join them. Four-star junior Lance Ware of Burlington, N.J. was in last weekend, too, and his visit was outstanding. The 6-8 power forward, Rivals.com’s No. 45 junior nationally, has been on campus a few times now, and he feels like a great fit.
We’ll have more on him in an article this week, but he’s been in twice now in the last three months. He’s not much of a talker, but we know the mutual interest is very strong.
The already impressive list of 2020 prospects considering Michigan continues to grow. Yet another has expressed interest in the program, and this one — five-star Cade Cunningham of Montverde (Fla.) Academy — is “one of the most well-rounded prospects in the country,” according to Rivals.com’s Corey Evans.
Cunningham already holds a Kansas offer and is interested in Duke, Virginia, Texas (he grew up a fan) and others. The 6-7, 215-pounder is Rivals.com’s No. 15 junior prospect nationally. His older brother played at SMU.
Though he doesn’t like to talk recruiting, Cunningham did have great things to say about Michigan recently.
“Coach [John] Beilein is a fantastic coach; he develops all of his players,” Cunningham said. “It is amazing. It is a blessing to have them on me, and I am obviously interested in everybody recruiting me, but he is a great coach and we will see how it goes.”
We fully expect him to visit this fall.
