*** It does not appear likely that Michigan will have football this fall. However, spring very much remains a possibility. I'm told parents of recruits received two emails from Michigan yesterday. One was the statement from Jim Harbaugh supporting fall football and the precautions that his program has taken. The other addressed things like mid-year enrollment and the possibility of spring football. Parents told me they loved how Michigan is handling this and how open the support staff is open with answering difficult questions.
*** I'm told one commit asked about the possibility of being immediately eligible as a January enrollee. The response was that right now, there would be nothing prohibiting early enrollees like Cristian Dixon, Xavier Worthy, JJ McCarthy, etc. from getting on the field during a spring season. They would be able to go in and compete for a starting job right away. However, there are still a ton of moving parts. If there is a spring season, a rule could be put in place prohibiting that.
*** I'm told the ability to compete for a job as soon as they step foot on campus is actually very appealing to a lot of the commits. I'm also told that the general vibe of the commit group text is very positive and that nobody is really wavering at this time. The guys seem pretty locked in. The bigger concern for a lot of commits isn't fall football but rather never visiting campus. Remember, pledges like Worthy, Dixon, Jaydon Hood, Ja'Den McBurrows, etc. have never seen Ann Arbor.
*** We don't know what's going to happen with visits. As of right now, the dead period is slated to end on Aug.31, but it will probably get pushed back. There is no clear guidance from the NCAA at this time. I do believe that recruits can safely visits in small groups, and I wouldn't be surprised if that happens later in the fall. The parents, however, are taking matters into their own hands. They are actually looking to get out to Ann Arbor at some point before January, so all the kids can meet each other and get a look at campus before enrolling.
*** I'm told one commit asked about the possibility of being immediately eligible as a January enrollee. The response was that right now, there would be nothing prohibiting early enrollees like Cristian Dixon, Xavier Worthy, JJ McCarthy, etc. from getting on the field during a spring season. They would be able to go in and compete for a starting job right away. However, there are still a ton of moving parts. If there is a spring season, a rule could be put in place prohibiting that.
*** I'm told the ability to compete for a job as soon as they step foot on campus is actually very appealing to a lot of the commits. I'm also told that the general vibe of the commit group text is very positive and that nobody is really wavering at this time. The guys seem pretty locked in. The bigger concern for a lot of commits isn't fall football but rather never visiting campus. Remember, pledges like Worthy, Dixon, Jaydon Hood, Ja'Den McBurrows, etc. have never seen Ann Arbor.
*** We don't know what's going to happen with visits. As of right now, the dead period is slated to end on Aug.31, but it will probably get pushed back. There is no clear guidance from the NCAA at this time. I do believe that recruits can safely visits in small groups, and I wouldn't be surprised if that happens later in the fall. The parents, however, are taking matters into their own hands. They are actually looking to get out to Ann Arbor at some point before January, so all the kids can meet each other and get a look at campus before enrolling.
