Michigan Wolverines football is just about back, scheduled to start fall camp Friday. Here’s more of what we’ve picked up in recent days leading up to the first practice …
First off — this is Cade McNamara’s show at this point. As mentioned recently, he’s been an outstanding leader and has done everything right, and while frosh J.J. McCarthy in particular will push him, McNamara is still a step ahead.
Transfer Alan Bowman is competing, as well, and will be given his shot, but he’s got some ground to make up.
While head coach Jim Harbaugh talked about the battle at the ‘other’ corner down the line from redshirt sophomore corner Gemon Green, we can tell you that redshirt frosh D.J. Turner seems to have pulled ahead of redshirt sophomore Vincent Gray. He had 100 percent participation in every event, optional or otherwise, after a great spring — they’re working on getting Gray’s confidence back, and he’ll continue to be a key cog in the defensive backfield, but Turner has really answered the bell.
Tomorrow’s the day many others will get their chance to do the same during a physical fitness test. There’s a standard that needs to be met by every man on the team in terms of sprints, etc., and those who don’t get to arrive at 6 a.m. every day until they meet it.
But the vast majority of the team is expected to make it. It’s been a great offseason — as Jim Harbaugh would say, though, that’s just part of what makes for a winning team.
“I feel like we won half the battle,” Harbaugh said. “Now we have to win second half.
“I always look at the offseason that way. The offseason is half the battle — you’ve got to win that, get your best possible team you can to training camp and then go about winning the second half of the battle.”
On the NIL front, boosters are rallying to see what they can do to contribute to what’s being called the ‘Wild, Wild West.’ The coaches are up against it at this point (opinion: it’s pretty obvious given how it’s been playing out with some of the most recent targets), and even elite players who had Michigan as their ‘dream school’ are receiving crazy ‘offers’ from other schools U-M just can’t and won’t match.
There will be a meeting soon between some of the higher-ups and the boosters to see what can be done legally, and there are some very intent on making sure U-M doesn’t fall further behind. That’s at least a step in the right direction after a slow start.
Watch for more on the start of fall camp later this week …
First off — this is Cade McNamara’s show at this point. As mentioned recently, he’s been an outstanding leader and has done everything right, and while frosh J.J. McCarthy in particular will push him, McNamara is still a step ahead.
Transfer Alan Bowman is competing, as well, and will be given his shot, but he’s got some ground to make up.
While head coach Jim Harbaugh talked about the battle at the ‘other’ corner down the line from redshirt sophomore corner Gemon Green, we can tell you that redshirt frosh D.J. Turner seems to have pulled ahead of redshirt sophomore Vincent Gray. He had 100 percent participation in every event, optional or otherwise, after a great spring — they’re working on getting Gray’s confidence back, and he’ll continue to be a key cog in the defensive backfield, but Turner has really answered the bell.
Tomorrow’s the day many others will get their chance to do the same during a physical fitness test. There’s a standard that needs to be met by every man on the team in terms of sprints, etc., and those who don’t get to arrive at 6 a.m. every day until they meet it.
But the vast majority of the team is expected to make it. It’s been a great offseason — as Jim Harbaugh would say, though, that’s just part of what makes for a winning team.
“I feel like we won half the battle,” Harbaugh said. “Now we have to win second half.
“I always look at the offseason that way. The offseason is half the battle — you’ve got to win that, get your best possible team you can to training camp and then go about winning the second half of the battle.”
On the NIL front, boosters are rallying to see what they can do to contribute to what’s being called the ‘Wild, Wild West.’ The coaches are up against it at this point (opinion: it’s pretty obvious given how it’s been playing out with some of the most recent targets), and even elite players who had Michigan as their ‘dream school’ are receiving crazy ‘offers’ from other schools U-M just can’t and won’t match.
There will be a meeting soon between some of the higher-ups and the boosters to see what can be done legally, and there are some very intent on making sure U-M doesn’t fall further behind. That’s at least a step in the right direction after a slow start.
Watch for more on the start of fall camp later this week …
