Haven't done one of these in a while. News has been flowing so fast over the last month or so anything we'd recap would be immediately outdated. With things slowing down, felt like this week was a good time to bring it back.
Here's what we've posted this week inside The Den from an intel standpoint.
11/27: Intel: On Jim Harbaugh's contract and where things stand
Nothing new to report on Jim Harbaugh's contract situation and the NCAA investigation other than what I posted on Monday.
Here it is in full below:
Did some asking around about Jim Harbaugh's contract situation moving forward and was able to get a better sense of where things stand and the expectations moving forward.
I continue to feel confident that a deal between Michigan and Jim Harbaugh will get done in the near future. I hope to get more specifics on that soon but no one seems to be wavering in that regard. If I had to turn it into a football analogy, Michigan is in the red zone and driving in terms of completion.
There was talk about waiting until the university receives a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA to make sure there weren't any surprises in there. However, confidence is high that the evidence the NCAA claims to have won't be damning to derail any kind of extension talk between Harbaugh and U-M.
Let me be clear, the talks were never "on hold" and Santa Ono and Warde Manuel wanted to wait until after the investigation wrapped up. Harbaugh was fully aware of this and it hasn't discouraged him or his camp one bit.
There is a push from higher-ups in the university to get this deal done sooner. When will that be? I hope to find out soon.
I will add, that the NCAA said it would wrap up its investigation by the end of November.
While the timing with this week and the investigation line up, it's not a slam-dunk deal it gets done in the next few days. With that said, this certainly feels like only a matter of time at this point.
On a different note, there is also a push by the AD to lock up Sherrone Moore and make sure he's taken care of. Again, Moore has shown zero desire to leave and has done nothing but share his love for the program and for Jim Harbaugh. That tells you all you need to know. I suspect Moore will come after the Harbaugh extension is done and dusted.
We have been told that Moore has also turned down at least one job interview opportunity within the last few days.
Things seem to be on the same track moving forward.
More when I have it.
Continue to feel good about this deal getting done but I am hesitant to buy into any timelines until I get something more concrete. It feels like the goalposts continue to get moved. It'll get done when it gets done and I'll continue to stress patience here.
As far as the NCAA stuff, no one I have spoken to has heard anything new regarding the investigation, so I can't say with certainty that the investigation stage of the process is officially wrapped up just yet.
Will continue to dig on it.
11/28: Michigan offers DT portal prospect
Michigan extended an offer to Penn's Joey Slackman. Slackman is planning to set up a visit and hopes to do so soon. I expect U-M to be in contention if they push for him.
Full update is below:
Michigan isn’t wasting any time in the transfer portal, with the program extending an offer to UPenn DT Joey Slackman.
He was an All-Ivy League first-team selection this season and had 50 tackles, including 12 tackles for loss and 4 sacks.
I caught up with Slackman to get a sense of where things stand.
- He was happy to receive the offer from one of the best programs in college football.
- He is hoping to learn more about the scheme and how he would potentially fit into the culture. He’s also wanting to spend time with coaches as well.
“I’m looking to learn about their scheme more, where I fit among the interior DL’s, along with what grad programs are best for me,” Slackman said. “They are an awesome place to be and I’m looking forward to meeting the rest of the staff.”
He definitely sees Michigan as a potential fit but will need to visit before thinking about things further. He doesn’t have a date set in stone but is in the process of setting it up.
He has one year of eligibility remaining.
**Side Update** I do not expect Tobias Merriweather to be much of a factor, I reported U-M would inquire but I do not see that working out now. Things change.
11/30: On Will Johnson
It sounds as if Will Johnson will be a game-time decision for U-M on Saturday. He did practice this week but was limited.
Here's what we've posted this week inside The Den from an intel standpoint.
11/27: Intel: On Jim Harbaugh's contract and where things stand
Nothing new to report on Jim Harbaugh's contract situation and the NCAA investigation other than what I posted on Monday.
Here it is in full below:
Did some asking around about Jim Harbaugh's contract situation moving forward and was able to get a better sense of where things stand and the expectations moving forward.
I continue to feel confident that a deal between Michigan and Jim Harbaugh will get done in the near future. I hope to get more specifics on that soon but no one seems to be wavering in that regard. If I had to turn it into a football analogy, Michigan is in the red zone and driving in terms of completion.
There was talk about waiting until the university receives a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA to make sure there weren't any surprises in there. However, confidence is high that the evidence the NCAA claims to have won't be damning to derail any kind of extension talk between Harbaugh and U-M.
Let me be clear, the talks were never "on hold" and Santa Ono and Warde Manuel wanted to wait until after the investigation wrapped up. Harbaugh was fully aware of this and it hasn't discouraged him or his camp one bit.
There is a push from higher-ups in the university to get this deal done sooner. When will that be? I hope to find out soon.
I will add, that the NCAA said it would wrap up its investigation by the end of November.
While the timing with this week and the investigation line up, it's not a slam-dunk deal it gets done in the next few days. With that said, this certainly feels like only a matter of time at this point.
On a different note, there is also a push by the AD to lock up Sherrone Moore and make sure he's taken care of. Again, Moore has shown zero desire to leave and has done nothing but share his love for the program and for Jim Harbaugh. That tells you all you need to know. I suspect Moore will come after the Harbaugh extension is done and dusted.
We have been told that Moore has also turned down at least one job interview opportunity within the last few days.
Things seem to be on the same track moving forward.
More when I have it.
Continue to feel good about this deal getting done but I am hesitant to buy into any timelines until I get something more concrete. It feels like the goalposts continue to get moved. It'll get done when it gets done and I'll continue to stress patience here.
As far as the NCAA stuff, no one I have spoken to has heard anything new regarding the investigation, so I can't say with certainty that the investigation stage of the process is officially wrapped up just yet.
Will continue to dig on it.
11/28: Michigan offers DT portal prospect
Michigan extended an offer to Penn's Joey Slackman. Slackman is planning to set up a visit and hopes to do so soon. I expect U-M to be in contention if they push for him.
Full update is below:
Michigan isn’t wasting any time in the transfer portal, with the program extending an offer to UPenn DT Joey Slackman.
He was an All-Ivy League first-team selection this season and had 50 tackles, including 12 tackles for loss and 4 sacks.
I caught up with Slackman to get a sense of where things stand.
- He was happy to receive the offer from one of the best programs in college football.
- He is hoping to learn more about the scheme and how he would potentially fit into the culture. He’s also wanting to spend time with coaches as well.
“I’m looking to learn about their scheme more, where I fit among the interior DL’s, along with what grad programs are best for me,” Slackman said. “They are an awesome place to be and I’m looking forward to meeting the rest of the staff.”
He definitely sees Michigan as a potential fit but will need to visit before thinking about things further. He doesn’t have a date set in stone but is in the process of setting it up.
He has one year of eligibility remaining.
**Side Update** I do not expect Tobias Merriweather to be much of a factor, I reported U-M would inquire but I do not see that working out now. Things change.
11/30: On Will Johnson
It sounds as if Will Johnson will be a game-time decision for U-M on Saturday. He did practice this week but was limited.
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