...threads being posted non-stop, A lot are just flat out click bait but here goes, these are thoughts which means opinions not stating facts unless I say it's a fact.
Jim Harbaugh to the NFL
Nope, he isn't going anywhere. He has crushed those rumors in a hurry in his press conference. This is Ian Rappaport stirring the pot thing as he has for the last 8 years. His "NFL teams will be interested" stick has gotten old, yet many fell for it again. I like to take people at their word. Coach Harbaugh said back in February he told Warde this would not turn into a yearly thing and he said publicly "I will stay at Michigan and long as Michigan will have me". Anything is possible and he has said that recently but I do believe at 58 years old and enjoying football as much as he is at his alma mater I just don't think he is going anywhere. For the gloom and doom people and the ones that wanted him fired you will probably have to wait another 10 years before you get your wish.
NIL
I have reported many times that the collective is coming. I am one the the founding members of the MOC yet this same old song and dance I hear from people I thought were very reliable sources is getting very old. Is it Warde? He always seems to be the yo take brunt of everyone's anger and at best their frustrations. This may even be warranted but I have a hard time believing that this thing is as cut and dry as many would lead us to believe. There is always 2 sides to every story. I am hoping that @Section_6 will be able to give us the latest on some of this but I too am getting towards my wits end when it comes to NIL. There is not a public university in the country that has more BILLIONAIRES than the University of Michigan. We have the largest LIVING alumni association in the country. We have people chomping at the bit to compete in the NIL arena. We have a new president (did you see him peeking in behind the coaches and players up on the stage) that is suppose to be "very pro sports". If this is not just talk he knows this thing has to be addressed because sports is a huge part of the college culture at Michigan. We haven't heard much from him about addressing the biggest elephant in the room. IF he is pro sports why hasn't he done anything when the supposed obstacle to all this is the AD and the AD works for the president?
If this NIL thing doesn't get resolved we will turn into Iowa at best. At that point all my optimism about Harbaugh staying until he retires is gone. NOBODY could blame Jim Harbaugh if he left due to the lack of support from the administration. The man is a great coach but he's not a miracle worker! He has fought "the cheaters" for many years and found a way to beat them. Now when it's legal he has done a great job selling the "Transitional vs Transactional" but that company line is only going to go so far.
I am 100% percent behind what @Highbury has posted on many occasions. Michigan can get away with a weaker 2023 class but it has to end there. No NIL no top 100 recruits are coming here. They may still close with 1 or 2 but after 2 guaranteed Top 3 finishes and a NC this year (there goes my optimism again) there is no reason for this program to not get a big bump in recruiting that it should have gotten. As of right now we are looking at barely a top 20 class and not one recruit in the top 100. There is no excuse for that. This falls 100% on the boosters and the administration or both are screwing this thing up. When programs like TT are giving a base of $25k to there players and SMU is giving $36K and they aren't even a Power 5 team I have huge problem with that. I'm sure you do too.
The Portal
Every time I see the word portal I think of Star Trek and Green Chicks. Yes I'm aging myself. Here's a few things I believe and know. Lets start with know. I know Michigan will not be loosening their academic standards very much in the future. This is Michigan and I 100% support this. Players who take weak classes in their freshmen and sophomore years are being poorly advised by the schools they attend so that's on them. You may not like this take but that's my thoughts.
Transferring credits to the best of my knowledge is up to 60 credits so these players need to take their basic prerequisites over their first 2 years. Correct me if I'm wrong please.
The portal to me is for depth or a starter or 2 and if you can get a blue chipper out of the portal as a freshman then that's fine. I trust the coaches to evaluate their talent and decide where they need a possible starter and where they could use some depth and they have done a great job of that. Michigan is NOT msu. We will never need to take 11 players back too back years from the portal. They need no more than 3 to 5 players a year and so far they have been brilliant in their assessments of portal players. So people need to chill out on that also.
Players leaving and entering the portal
Players are going to leave every year. Players talk up Harbaugh non-stop until Harbaugh does some they don't like. There is and old saying is business and it kinda goes like this... as a leader or business owner if you don't want to here EVERYTHING you ever did wrong don't fire anyone". I have had people leave my business over the years who have cried and I've had people who are leaving and wouldn't piss on me if I were on fire on their way out the door. They 100% prove my point about having them leave. They just don't fit anymore. The thing is they feel compelled to let the whole world know how bad things really are yet no one else is as remotely as unhappy as they are.
This leads me to Cade and All. I loved them both as players and will always be thankful to both of them for their contributions to the football program we all love. I just wish they could have showed some self control on their way out the door. Obviously Cade got beat out by JJ. It was the right move by the staff. The thing is Cade doesn't owe Michigan anything and Michigan doesn't owe Cade. Just shut up and show some class on your way out the door. These guys know the program can't respond to any questions on why the player is leaving but in Cade's case it was obvious...he got beat out! Eric All is a completely different thing. Was this a money move? I highly doubt it. He was very popular and had great NIL value so why leave? Did the medical staff botch the call on his back? We will never know... at least not both sides of it. Does the staff think they have enough depth and pass catchers to replace All? Lets look at that. Loveland is now a proven commodity and may be the best tight end ever at Michigan. That's a lot for me to say but his potential is off the charts as a pass catcher. Wait until he puts on his man strength and size. Bredeson can catch it but his sample size is small. He can definitely block. Hibner is supposed to be a great athlete he will probably get his chance next year to prove it. They have a few others on the bench that didn't play this year and it won't be hard to find a TE in the portal I'm guessing.
Needs are the big part of the portal. This year it was a center and they scored big. Next year it could be a center again who knows I've heard a rumor about another grad transfer center but I will wait a bit unless something surfaces on him but he's another stud and is really smart. RB would be a huge get if it's Allen. Enough said there. I'm re-evaluating the CB chatter about the kid from UVA. I think he would be a big addition from a veteran presence with all that youth they brought in last year. Other than Will J they really don't have anyone who has a lot of playing time at CB. Safety is set and will probably improve with Berry back there. Mikey coming back at the nickel is HUGE! Having a RS Fr. as a backup CB would be great if they can land a starting CB.
After that I'm not sure they have any dire needs so this chatter about the portal doesn't make a lot of sense to me. It's not like Michigan needs to take 15 guys out of the portal to build their team
Lastly, This has been one hell of year that not one of us saw coming 2 years ago. After last year many bought into the possibility of a 13-0 season. Josh stuck to his guns and can continue to take a victory lap. My big thing is reading the doubters still. They have doubted this team all season and many predicted an osu win. Now many are saying Georgia is more talented than Michigan and according to the recruiting sites they would be correct but no recruiting site has ever won a football game. A recruiting site can't measure the heart of a TEAM. They can't measure a team that is truly on a mission. This is where my optimism will remain high. This is an incredible team that got a taste of success last year and destroyed a rival a second year in a row. In fact they vanquished both rivals and psu in rather easy fashion. So you naysayers and doubters keep making your ridiculous predictions just so you can be right and the rest of us will remain positive and help will this team to their National Championship they have earned!
GO BLUE
Jim Harbaugh to the NFL
Nope, he isn't going anywhere. He has crushed those rumors in a hurry in his press conference. This is Ian Rappaport stirring the pot thing as he has for the last 8 years. His "NFL teams will be interested" stick has gotten old, yet many fell for it again. I like to take people at their word. Coach Harbaugh said back in February he told Warde this would not turn into a yearly thing and he said publicly "I will stay at Michigan and long as Michigan will have me". Anything is possible and he has said that recently but I do believe at 58 years old and enjoying football as much as he is at his alma mater I just don't think he is going anywhere. For the gloom and doom people and the ones that wanted him fired you will probably have to wait another 10 years before you get your wish.
NIL
I have reported many times that the collective is coming. I am one the the founding members of the MOC yet this same old song and dance I hear from people I thought were very reliable sources is getting very old. Is it Warde? He always seems to be the yo take brunt of everyone's anger and at best their frustrations. This may even be warranted but I have a hard time believing that this thing is as cut and dry as many would lead us to believe. There is always 2 sides to every story. I am hoping that @Section_6 will be able to give us the latest on some of this but I too am getting towards my wits end when it comes to NIL. There is not a public university in the country that has more BILLIONAIRES than the University of Michigan. We have the largest LIVING alumni association in the country. We have people chomping at the bit to compete in the NIL arena. We have a new president (did you see him peeking in behind the coaches and players up on the stage) that is suppose to be "very pro sports". If this is not just talk he knows this thing has to be addressed because sports is a huge part of the college culture at Michigan. We haven't heard much from him about addressing the biggest elephant in the room. IF he is pro sports why hasn't he done anything when the supposed obstacle to all this is the AD and the AD works for the president?
If this NIL thing doesn't get resolved we will turn into Iowa at best. At that point all my optimism about Harbaugh staying until he retires is gone. NOBODY could blame Jim Harbaugh if he left due to the lack of support from the administration. The man is a great coach but he's not a miracle worker! He has fought "the cheaters" for many years and found a way to beat them. Now when it's legal he has done a great job selling the "Transitional vs Transactional" but that company line is only going to go so far.
I am 100% percent behind what @Highbury has posted on many occasions. Michigan can get away with a weaker 2023 class but it has to end there. No NIL no top 100 recruits are coming here. They may still close with 1 or 2 but after 2 guaranteed Top 3 finishes and a NC this year (there goes my optimism again) there is no reason for this program to not get a big bump in recruiting that it should have gotten. As of right now we are looking at barely a top 20 class and not one recruit in the top 100. There is no excuse for that. This falls 100% on the boosters and the administration or both are screwing this thing up. When programs like TT are giving a base of $25k to there players and SMU is giving $36K and they aren't even a Power 5 team I have huge problem with that. I'm sure you do too.
The Portal
Every time I see the word portal I think of Star Trek and Green Chicks. Yes I'm aging myself. Here's a few things I believe and know. Lets start with know. I know Michigan will not be loosening their academic standards very much in the future. This is Michigan and I 100% support this. Players who take weak classes in their freshmen and sophomore years are being poorly advised by the schools they attend so that's on them. You may not like this take but that's my thoughts.
Transferring credits to the best of my knowledge is up to 60 credits so these players need to take their basic prerequisites over their first 2 years. Correct me if I'm wrong please.
The portal to me is for depth or a starter or 2 and if you can get a blue chipper out of the portal as a freshman then that's fine. I trust the coaches to evaluate their talent and decide where they need a possible starter and where they could use some depth and they have done a great job of that. Michigan is NOT msu. We will never need to take 11 players back too back years from the portal. They need no more than 3 to 5 players a year and so far they have been brilliant in their assessments of portal players. So people need to chill out on that also.
Players leaving and entering the portal
Players are going to leave every year. Players talk up Harbaugh non-stop until Harbaugh does some they don't like. There is and old saying is business and it kinda goes like this... as a leader or business owner if you don't want to here EVERYTHING you ever did wrong don't fire anyone". I have had people leave my business over the years who have cried and I've had people who are leaving and wouldn't piss on me if I were on fire on their way out the door. They 100% prove my point about having them leave. They just don't fit anymore. The thing is they feel compelled to let the whole world know how bad things really are yet no one else is as remotely as unhappy as they are.
This leads me to Cade and All. I loved them both as players and will always be thankful to both of them for their contributions to the football program we all love. I just wish they could have showed some self control on their way out the door. Obviously Cade got beat out by JJ. It was the right move by the staff. The thing is Cade doesn't owe Michigan anything and Michigan doesn't owe Cade. Just shut up and show some class on your way out the door. These guys know the program can't respond to any questions on why the player is leaving but in Cade's case it was obvious...he got beat out! Eric All is a completely different thing. Was this a money move? I highly doubt it. He was very popular and had great NIL value so why leave? Did the medical staff botch the call on his back? We will never know... at least not both sides of it. Does the staff think they have enough depth and pass catchers to replace All? Lets look at that. Loveland is now a proven commodity and may be the best tight end ever at Michigan. That's a lot for me to say but his potential is off the charts as a pass catcher. Wait until he puts on his man strength and size. Bredeson can catch it but his sample size is small. He can definitely block. Hibner is supposed to be a great athlete he will probably get his chance next year to prove it. They have a few others on the bench that didn't play this year and it won't be hard to find a TE in the portal I'm guessing.
Needs are the big part of the portal. This year it was a center and they scored big. Next year it could be a center again who knows I've heard a rumor about another grad transfer center but I will wait a bit unless something surfaces on him but he's another stud and is really smart. RB would be a huge get if it's Allen. Enough said there. I'm re-evaluating the CB chatter about the kid from UVA. I think he would be a big addition from a veteran presence with all that youth they brought in last year. Other than Will J they really don't have anyone who has a lot of playing time at CB. Safety is set and will probably improve with Berry back there. Mikey coming back at the nickel is HUGE! Having a RS Fr. as a backup CB would be great if they can land a starting CB.
After that I'm not sure they have any dire needs so this chatter about the portal doesn't make a lot of sense to me. It's not like Michigan needs to take 15 guys out of the portal to build their team
Lastly, This has been one hell of year that not one of us saw coming 2 years ago. After last year many bought into the possibility of a 13-0 season. Josh stuck to his guns and can continue to take a victory lap. My big thing is reading the doubters still. They have doubted this team all season and many predicted an osu win. Now many are saying Georgia is more talented than Michigan and according to the recruiting sites they would be correct but no recruiting site has ever won a football game. A recruiting site can't measure the heart of a TEAM. They can't measure a team that is truly on a mission. This is where my optimism will remain high. This is an incredible team that got a taste of success last year and destroyed a rival a second year in a row. In fact they vanquished both rivals and psu in rather easy fashion. So you naysayers and doubters keep making your ridiculous predictions just so you can be right and the rest of us will remain positive and help will this team to their National Championship they have earned!
GO BLUE
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