Michigan football is going to have some weaknesses in 2021 — even the most ardent optimists wouldn't deny it — but what exactly are we looking at? All eyes are on the offensive line and the defense at this point. Plus, one last word on five-star Emoni Bates' recruitment ... and no, the Wolverines are not a player here following his MSU de-commitment. Nor should they be.
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On the football front, we caught up with several people in preparation for our annual football preview (yep, we're already working on it), One of them, former Michigan All-American Jon Jansen, has seen a number of practices, so he's got a good idea what each player brings to the table. From what he's seen, this line has a chance to be pretty good.
As much as we sung Ed Warinner's praises, the younger guys were having a hard time with his coaching style. You guys have heard former OL Doug Skene's stories about Les Miles and how much he hated him when he was coaching him with how hard he was on them ... Warinner was supposedly Les Miles on steroids, and it was too much for some kids.
To be clear, Skene told Miles years later how much he appreciated him for getting the best out of him, and maybe some of the U-M kids will, too. Ben Bredeson comes to mind. But that's one of the primary reasons Zach Carpenter left for Indiana, and they felt it was time for a change.
Some eyebrows were raised when tight ends coach Sherrone Moore, a former o-lineman at Oklahoma, took over, but Jansen has been impressed.
"I thought he did a great job. You can tell the kids really respond to him," he said. "He does a really good job of teaching technique."
You'll read a lot more about this in your football previews, but there's hope up front. Jansen tells it like it is, and we trust his opinion.
"I'm confident this is going to be a technically sound offensive line and they are going to continue to get better," Jansen said. "They’ll be a solid line ... I just keep waiting for them to take that next step."
On defense, we caught up with a practice observer who saw enough of the front seven on defense, and he shared what many of us have heard (and relayed) in the spring.
"They're just too small, way too inexperienced, and I don't even know who the linebackers are going to be," this source said. "[Former VIPER linebacker] Michael Barrett seems too small. [Redshirt junior linebacker] Josh Ross is just limited. Not only that, if whoever the starters are going to be — they don’t know who that is yet — if one of them gets hurt, the depth looks poor, at best."
The defensive line needs work, too. Sophomore Chris Hinton is "unblockable" at times but inconsistent, and veteran Donovan Jeter still plays too high.
"They're going to need [nose tackle] Mazi Smith to be really big," this source said. "He doesn’t have to be an aerobic athlete. All you've got to do is take up a center and a guard, don’t let them get to your linebackers. If he can do that, they will have a shot ... you want more than just a shot, of course, but if he can eat up a couple blockers ... I’d put 40 pounds on him and just say get as big and fat as you can."
He was half joking on his latter statement, but the point was clear.
We are not saying all is lost here — there are some good, young players on this team who can exceed expectations — but the linemen in particular have got to be more consistent. They are good for a play and take a few off, and that can't happen.
"Their best best is for Aidan Hutchinson to take over games," our source said. "He's got to go out and show why people are talking about him as a possible first round guy. He’s going to have to dominate."
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Finally, a word on "generational talent" Emoni Bates out of Ypsi Prep Academy ...
The nation's top 2022 basketball recruit pledged to Michigan State last year on ESPN in what looked like a commercial for his new prep school. It was obvious then that thing was a circus, and while head coach Juwan Howard did his due diligence, watched Bates play a few times, etc., MSU was going to be the pick if he decided to go to college ... which, frankly, he never was.
We made that clear here and in multiple appearances on the Huge Show, including one in which Bill Simonson asked us the day of his pledge if Howard could have closed the gap with more time. In a nutshell, we said it would have been a waste of time, hinted that the kid's entourage was becoming nothing but trouble and that there was almost no chance he'd play college basketball.
There were threads on the Spartan boards with thousands of hits destroying it as "sour grapes," etc., but that's not a game we play. We never wavered, and the outcome was 100 percent expected. Now Bates' camp is toying with Texas, etc., but it's most likely the kid will be playing for money somewhere on his next stop (professionally, we mean) with a big shoe contract.
And no — 100 percent, for God's sake no — Howard should not pursue him. As much as he talks about culture, Howard has to know that would be a disaster waiting to happen.
The postscript as it pertains to MSU ... we've seen in several places now where writers have said Izzo was "going to take the high road" with the Bates' camp and give them respect, etc. ... that he never wants kids to be motivated to play against him by leaving it on a negative note when he's spurned.
To that, we reply, "what a crock of ..."
Ask former Wolverine DeShawn Sims and current Michigan forward Brandon Johns about that. Izzo let his hatred for all things maize and blue get in the way of his better judgment in dealing with them, and while he may or may not want those back (never know with that guy), Johns was taken aback. And we know for a fact it cost the Spartans with a top recruit they wanted whose family just happened to be tight with Brandon's.
Howard is the guy who really does it right when he loses on a recruit, assistant Phil Martelli told us for the upcoming basketball recruiting issue. When he loses out, even on the tough ones on which he's been strung along, he wishes kids nothing but the best ... and then, as it's been, usually finds someone better.
That's class. As much as fan bases like to talk about their guys having it, actions speak louder than words.
****
On the football front, we caught up with several people in preparation for our annual football preview (yep, we're already working on it), One of them, former Michigan All-American Jon Jansen, has seen a number of practices, so he's got a good idea what each player brings to the table. From what he's seen, this line has a chance to be pretty good.
As much as we sung Ed Warinner's praises, the younger guys were having a hard time with his coaching style. You guys have heard former OL Doug Skene's stories about Les Miles and how much he hated him when he was coaching him with how hard he was on them ... Warinner was supposedly Les Miles on steroids, and it was too much for some kids.
To be clear, Skene told Miles years later how much he appreciated him for getting the best out of him, and maybe some of the U-M kids will, too. Ben Bredeson comes to mind. But that's one of the primary reasons Zach Carpenter left for Indiana, and they felt it was time for a change.
Some eyebrows were raised when tight ends coach Sherrone Moore, a former o-lineman at Oklahoma, took over, but Jansen has been impressed.
"I thought he did a great job. You can tell the kids really respond to him," he said. "He does a really good job of teaching technique."
You'll read a lot more about this in your football previews, but there's hope up front. Jansen tells it like it is, and we trust his opinion.
"I'm confident this is going to be a technically sound offensive line and they are going to continue to get better," Jansen said. "They’ll be a solid line ... I just keep waiting for them to take that next step."
On defense, we caught up with a practice observer who saw enough of the front seven on defense, and he shared what many of us have heard (and relayed) in the spring.
"They're just too small, way too inexperienced, and I don't even know who the linebackers are going to be," this source said. "[Former VIPER linebacker] Michael Barrett seems too small. [Redshirt junior linebacker] Josh Ross is just limited. Not only that, if whoever the starters are going to be — they don’t know who that is yet — if one of them gets hurt, the depth looks poor, at best."
The defensive line needs work, too. Sophomore Chris Hinton is "unblockable" at times but inconsistent, and veteran Donovan Jeter still plays too high.
"They're going to need [nose tackle] Mazi Smith to be really big," this source said. "He doesn’t have to be an aerobic athlete. All you've got to do is take up a center and a guard, don’t let them get to your linebackers. If he can do that, they will have a shot ... you want more than just a shot, of course, but if he can eat up a couple blockers ... I’d put 40 pounds on him and just say get as big and fat as you can."
He was half joking on his latter statement, but the point was clear.
We are not saying all is lost here — there are some good, young players on this team who can exceed expectations — but the linemen in particular have got to be more consistent. They are good for a play and take a few off, and that can't happen.
"Their best best is for Aidan Hutchinson to take over games," our source said. "He's got to go out and show why people are talking about him as a possible first round guy. He’s going to have to dominate."
****
Finally, a word on "generational talent" Emoni Bates out of Ypsi Prep Academy ...
The nation's top 2022 basketball recruit pledged to Michigan State last year on ESPN in what looked like a commercial for his new prep school. It was obvious then that thing was a circus, and while head coach Juwan Howard did his due diligence, watched Bates play a few times, etc., MSU was going to be the pick if he decided to go to college ... which, frankly, he never was.
We made that clear here and in multiple appearances on the Huge Show, including one in which Bill Simonson asked us the day of his pledge if Howard could have closed the gap with more time. In a nutshell, we said it would have been a waste of time, hinted that the kid's entourage was becoming nothing but trouble and that there was almost no chance he'd play college basketball.
There were threads on the Spartan boards with thousands of hits destroying it as "sour grapes," etc., but that's not a game we play. We never wavered, and the outcome was 100 percent expected. Now Bates' camp is toying with Texas, etc., but it's most likely the kid will be playing for money somewhere on his next stop (professionally, we mean) with a big shoe contract.
And no — 100 percent, for God's sake no — Howard should not pursue him. As much as he talks about culture, Howard has to know that would be a disaster waiting to happen.
The postscript as it pertains to MSU ... we've seen in several places now where writers have said Izzo was "going to take the high road" with the Bates' camp and give them respect, etc. ... that he never wants kids to be motivated to play against him by leaving it on a negative note when he's spurned.
To that, we reply, "what a crock of ..."
Ask former Wolverine DeShawn Sims and current Michigan forward Brandon Johns about that. Izzo let his hatred for all things maize and blue get in the way of his better judgment in dealing with them, and while he may or may not want those back (never know with that guy), Johns was taken aback. And we know for a fact it cost the Spartans with a top recruit they wanted whose family just happened to be tight with Brandon's.
Howard is the guy who really does it right when he loses on a recruit, assistant Phil Martelli told us for the upcoming basketball recruiting issue. When he loses out, even on the tough ones on which he's been strung along, he wishes kids nothing but the best ... and then, as it's been, usually finds someone better.
That's class. As much as fan bases like to talk about their guys having it, actions speak louder than words.
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