Harbaugh gonna Harbaugh. I'd be more surprised if this story ended up involving anyone else:

To the surprise of Ofc Cooper, the good Samaritan was @CoachJim4UM who wanted to help clear the road. Ofc Cooper then gave Coach a pair of work gloves and the two of them went to work. (2/3)

— Ann Arbor Police (@A2Police) February 23, 2023

I went to Home Depot once and the first person I saw was Harbaugh, wandering around looking for something like he was just a person, a normal person.

Your new punching bag. The NCAA has a new president. Here he is not saying "absolutely not" to a thing:

Asked if SEC football players should be paid—a question that his predecessors would have answered with a resounding “No”—Baker took a different tack. He paused, then said it was something he planned to address with his member schools and conferences. Pressed on what those conversations might entail, he remained vague.

“I guess what I would say is that I’m planning to have a conversation with the membership about change,” he said, adding that he preferred to have those talks before saying more. “We’ll see what that kind of change can look like. But I certainly believe there will be change.”

This may be more about the writing on the wall than any genuine change of heart from Generic Suit in Charge Of NCAA. But at least that's something? Baker also says you "don't have to treat everyone the same… and probably shouldn't," which is sensible enough.

[After THE JUMP: we are willing to compromise on toe length.]

And we want a puppy. The NCAA is lobbying Congress to fix the NIL Wild West, naturally, and On3 FOIAed an internal memo from the ACC:

This memo provides a window into what the Power 5 could be willing to compromise on to get a desirable federal bill.

Five “must haves”:
- No employee status
- No granting NIL rights in telecasts
- No recruiting inducements
- Federal bill preempts state laws
- Antitrust exemption https://t.co/IJ8kwA23nM

— Andy Wittry (@AndyWittry) March 1, 2023

The things the NCAA is "willing to compromise on" include:

The ACC memo says “we have not discussed in detail and have not reached a consensus” regarding three additional categories that a potential bill is expected to address. The other categories: additional student-athlete support, healthcare benefits for student-athletes and enforcement of laws in new legislation.

“These three items are what we consider, and what the Senate will consider, the price to obtain our ‘Must Haves’ above,” the memo says. “In other words, we must be prepared to negotiate and possibly compromise on items … in order to arrive at a bill that can pass the Senate and be signed by the President.”

The second is P5 conferences trying to negotiate something they should already be doing, morally and ethically. The third doesn't make sense to me; they want to compromise on whether laws are enforced? The first is just pay-for-play with PR attached to it.

The NCAA badly misreads the room here. Nobody likes them. They're a rare bipartisan pinata in 2023. Judges are on the verge of striking down key parts of the NCAA's house of cards. They have no leverage. They have a Hail Marry lobbying attempt to get a law passed that will preempt the never-ending fountain of lawsuits. Nobody is going to step forward to white knight for them, and nothing approximating this wish list is ever, ever, ever going to get out of even one house of Congress. It's just a matter of time before the de facto deregulated Wild West is law. But don't take my word for it, here's regent Jordan Acker:

The politics around these are basically impossible, and I may save a lot of this discussion for @MVictors class on the 15th, but how do you reconcile pro-labor Democrats and pro-free market republicans around these guidelines? It's nearly impossible. And 60 votes in the senate? https://t.co/4MH52DbgvW

— Jordan Acker (@JordanAckerMI) March 1, 2023

Get out! Michigan doesn't feature in Matt Norlander's rundown of weird NCAA resumes but a competitor for a bid does:

Wisconsin (16-12, NET: 74)

Best Ws: @ Marquette, @ Iowa, vs. Maryland
Worst Ls: vs. Wake Forest, @ Nebraska
If the Badgers work their way into the NCAAs, they're going to flirt with last year's Rutgers team for the worst NET (77) to ever receive an at-large. As I've written in the Court Report earlier this year, each season there's one or two teams who sort of blend into the environment of the season and ever-so-quietly work their way into the field. Wisconsin is a prime candidate to pull this off, but obviously it needs two more Q1 wins to feel secure. I think it's out of the field as of today (10-11 in top two quads, Q3 loss to Wake), but a win over Purdue on Thursday might clinch it the other way.

You will have to steel yourselves and… root for Purdue over Wisconsin. FWIW, Michigan is in Dayton in Jerry Palm's latest.

Combine coming up. The NFL draft combine starts tomorrow, and a couple of Michigan players will have all eyes on them. One is Mazi Smith, who's moved up into the late first round of Nick Baumgardner's latest mock draft:

30. New Orleans Saints (via San Francisco): Mazi Smith, DT, Michigan

Smith’s combine workouts will be must-see television. In 2021, Lions OT Penei Sewell became one of just 22 players in modern NFL history to broad jump 9-foot-1 or better while weighing at least 330 pounds. Michigan says Smith (335 pounds) can pass 9-4. Get your popcorn ready.

Baumgardner has Mike Morris and DJ Turner in the third round, FWIW. Rivals has a comprehensive overview of folks who will participate.

Mess with the mouse, get the ears. I do not think this has a snowball's chance in hell of happening but I beg Disney to actually do this:

Making sure that Florida, Miami and FSU are bad forever and also pressuring the NCAA to take action against Florida schools until ron’s higher ed policies are dropped should be a centerpiece of progressive politics right now. People, especially donor rich people, really care

— kang (@jaycaspiankang) March 1, 2023

Repeal our special whatever region and attempt to crack down on our content? Here is money for football players to leave the state of Florida. This won't happen because large corporations actively attempt to be as milquetoast as possible. The mere idea is entertaining enough to relate.

NHL draft stuff. Adam Fantilli checks in second on Scott Wheeler's most recent NHL draft projection. Gavin Brindley also sneaks into the first round:

25. Gavin Brindley — C/RW, University of Michigan, 5-foot-8

One of three draft eligibles on this list playing college hockey this season, Brindley hasn’t just settled in at the University of Michigan, he has looked anywhere from comfortable to impactful in every game, including at centre and on the wing. Brindley’s a plus-level skater who gets through his extensions quickly (including from a standstill), excels on his edges, rounds corners sharply, and darts around the ice, hunting pucks and pushing through holes.

He’s also got some of the quicker hands and better touch on this list. He thrives in the small-area game, using light passes and rapid movements to play in and out of coverage. He has now impressed me wherever I’ve watched him (NCAA, USHL, Five Nations, U18 Worlds, world juniors, etc.) as a small but highly-involved forward who plays the game with energy and pace, making little skill plays between coverage. He buzzes around the ice and does such a good job releasing from one battle or chance to hunting or getting open for the next one. He’s always moving. He’ll make the soft play to the middle of the ice from the perimeter, or go there to get to rebounds or position himself on screens/tips. He’s excellent in puck protection twisting away from coverage to make things happen along the boards. And he just always seems to play well, no matter the role/usage/stage. The beauty of Brindley’s game is that while he may prove talented enough to play in a skill role at the NHL level, he’s got the approach/tools to play an effective bottom-six game too. That will limit concerns about his height (he certainly hasn’t played small in his freshman year so far).

Nobody else committed to or playing for Michigan makes his top ~90, which can be attributed to the Mel Pearson debacle.

Etc.: Michigan was 23rd in turnover luck last year, which means they have a little bit of regression to expect there. It's only 2 points per game, though. Daniel Snyder charges the Commanders 4.5 million dollars a year to put their logo on his private jet. LIV DOA. Whiskey fungus runs amok. Lines looking good. Basketball's February turnaround.