1 hour and 36 minutes
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1. 2024 Forest View, QB, RB, WR
starts at 1:00
How’s the class looking? Michigan has found ways to use NIL to cover tuition for more “walk-ons” and effectively raise their scholarship limit. This is good for Michigan, for players, for the game, for everybody but smaller schools, and solves issues that used to occur when there was more of a crunch (e.g. with St-Juste). Jadyn Davis: has been falling because his Elite 11 showing was middle of the pack, but that’s not his game: winning games is his game. Tate Forcier-like. Jordan Marshall a Charbonnet-esque h2h vs Ohio State. Ka’apana is a glider who can catch. Zach Ludwig is related to Ben Herbert and is a fullback: sold. Goodwin and I’Marion Stewart are okay WRs but not game-changers. Michigan’s offense limits them here.
[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]
2. Hot Takes, Tight End and Offensive Line
starts at 35:33
Hogan Hansen is the rare high schooler who can block in high school, Brady Prieskorn is ranked even higher, but they are still Michigan Tight Ends™. The OL are a lot of guys OSU might not have recruited except the two tackles, but M loves its maulers. Of them we’re stoked about Sprague, who’s got Jake Long basketball highlights. Hamilton and Roebuck are guards, Frazier is the RT, Guarnera the center.
3. Defensive Line
starts at 1:05:09
Unfortunately Wafle isn’t pronounced Waffle. Fortunately Beigel (not bagel) is blowing up. Both have length, which the program loves. So does Hammond who’s a build-a-bear. Edge is a mix between high floors (the Smith bros and Nichols) and ceilings: Baxter (a Taco) and Rudolph (an Uche).
4. Defensive Back Seven
starts at 1:22:16
Looking for cornerbacks. Waiting on Aaron Scott, whose head says Michigan and dad says OSU. Might take just two this cycle because 2025 is a load-up year. Linebackers are all do-everythings. We love Jerod Smith’s tape, Curtis and Sullivan are defensive ATHs, Beasley is a Don Brown LB (RB-ish, quick burst). Are Belleville guys a bit sus? Safety is Jacob Oden; Rod Moore minus the extra equals Tyree Kinnel.
MUSIC:
- "Jerry Rice"—BabyTron
- "Groceries"—Carrtoons
- "Nobody Wants me"—Robert Lester Folsom
- “Across 110th Street”
THE USUAL LINKS:
- Helpful iTunes subscribe link
- General podcast feed link
- Direct download link
- What's with the theme music
He’s Finnish at the rim.
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LDNfan
July 19th, 2023 at 7:59 AM ^
Joe Milton starting at UT
Joined: 09/28/2014
MGoPoints: 7433
tomer
July 19th, 2023 at 8:23 AM ^
I believe that was the joke.
Joined: 05/10/2011
MGoPoints: 3426
bronxblue
July 19th, 2023 at 10:37 AM ^
I couldn't tell if it was a joke or if they were referencing just last year's roster but then I remembered Dan Villari had transferred to Illinois but as a TE.
Joined: 11/22/2008
MGoPoints: 147069
OuldSod
July 19th, 2023 at 12:28 PM ^
Syracuse
Joined: 11/20/2008
MGoPoints: 2503
WrestlingCoach
July 19th, 2023 at 7:59 AM ^
Let’s goooooo! Thanks for the content boys!
Joined: 04/07/2023
MGoPoints: 1093
andyburdick72
July 19th, 2023 at 7:59 AM ^
I have updated my 2023 MGoBlog music playlists with the songs from this episode - here are the links:
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/2023-mgoblog-music/pl.u-11z0ofMkqvL
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2a7Hw0FHtgqw351LwW8wPz?si=8690043244a24050
Go Blue!
Joined: 11/15/2022
MGoPoints: 89
blueheron
July 19th, 2023 at 8:10 AM ^
Is it just me, or does it appear that incoming recruit Ted Hammond appears twice in that photo? :)
Joined: 03/26/2009
MGoPoints: 18815
Canham
July 19th, 2023 at 9:27 AM ^
Hell yeah LFG
Joined: 05/04/2010
MGoPoints: 163
whidbeywolverine
July 19th, 2023 at 10:16 AM ^
I get that we're not Wide Receiver U, so recruiting the 5* is going to be tough, but I see a role for a BMOC type guy who takes advantage of our running emphasis to be THE MAN, fighting off a double team and high pointing the deep ball, a la Braylon, so I'll remain optimistic, so long as we keep on winning, we're gonna get our very own superstar at wide out.
Joined: 04/04/2009
MGoPoints: 803
dragonchild
July 19th, 2023 at 10:49 AM ^
WR will be the same as it ever was. Every now and then a 5-star is going to come to Michigan because they bleed maize & blue. In a battle? Forget it. At most we'll be put on a "top 3" list to turn some other school's NIL offer into an even better counteroffer. We're not going to "nab" a 5-star WR out of anywhere because we're not Prima Donna U and we're a run-first offense.
Joined: 10/13/2011
MGoPoints: 46997
Blau
July 19th, 2023 at 10:38 AM ^
With the anticipated exodus of draft-eligible players after this year, I'm wondering if it's possible for Mich to have a plug-and-play type of season with freshman/RS freshmen/sophomores for 2024-2025? I know the recent mailbag alluded to this question but I can envision a scenario where Mich has talent across the board but will miss the leadership and senior direction of the current team.
I think it will be important for the younger players to get meaningful snaps not just in the weak non-conference schedule but in conference and CFP games if they make it that far. If Mich can make to the 12-team CFP format with 2 losses (possibly 3), that would have to qualify as a successful season, right?
Joined: 01/23/2014
MGoPoints: 25424
bronxblue
July 19th, 2023 at 10:45 AM ^
Good stuff.
In regards to recruiting rankings, I think people also sometimes forget that these rankings are somewhat biased toward how guys project to the NFL. Obviously not a biggest component but you see it especially with QBs where guys who "look" like future NFL players get ranked higher than guys who aren't quite the same, all other things being largely equal. The NFL does the same thing - it's why guys like Will Levis and Anthony Richardson were drafted so high despite having less-than-stellar resumes in college. Davis might well not turn into a top-tier QB but at least part of the knock against him is he's sorta short for a QB and doesn't have a cannon of an arm, which limit his pro prospects but don't mean a ton, at least to me, in college.
Joined: 11/22/2008
MGoPoints: 147069
ShoelacesFlapp…
July 19th, 2023 at 11:25 AM ^
With all the defensive athlete types in the class, does that mean that the staff might be looking at a bigger HSP long-term, or is a safety type like Oden still a better fit?
Joined: 01/03/2023
MGoPoints: 491
Watching From Afar
July 19th, 2023 at 12:51 PM ^
Comparing UGA to Michigan - yes UGA throws passes to Bowers, but Bennett still threw the ball ~7 times more/game than JJ did. Over the course of a 13-14 game season, that's approaching 100 more attempts. Bennett threw for 4100 yards last year. Their offense is still more attractive than Michigan's is to receiving recruits (TEs or WRs).
Joined: 10/10/2016
MGoPoints: 13428
DTOW
July 19th, 2023 at 1:38 PM ^
Not really a fair comparison. JJ was a true sophomore. Bennett was like 32 years old.
Joined: 08/31/2013
MGoPoints: 5931
Koop
July 19th, 2023 at 1:44 PM ^
I liked the overall take on offense--so, okay, maybe Michigan doesn't get a front-loader full of 5*'s but its style of play and development is good enough to make up the difference. Plus, with "expanded scholarships" Michigan can load up on more prospects and the increased load means more projects will pay off. Fine.
I'm not convinced that the same is true on defense. 5-star athletic freaks on defense, it seems to me, matter. They matter on the line. They matter at the second level. They matter in the secondary. When Michigan has had 5* talent on defense, it pops. When it isn't there--or when Michigan lines up against a glut of 5* defensive talent like Georgia--it makes for a tough, tough day.
Granted, 5* defensive linemen and corners don't grow on trees, and every program in the country covets them. But, boy--and not to take away from the likes of Sub-Zero or Aidan Hutchison--having a Will Johnson, Dax Hill, Jabrill Peppers, Rashan Gary, Charles Woodson--those guys do help, don't they?
Sure, some might be longer term projects (still rooting for you, Keon Sabb); and some other guys (Hutch, O-Ja-Bo, Sub-Zero, etc.) have developed at Michigan and become legit game-wreckers. But when I think about the next step to the mountain-top (and that's really what I'm considering here; the Harbaugh era has already raised expectations for Michigan once again to be a consistent B1G champion contender)--slowing or shutting down Ohio State's passing attack; slugging it out toe-to-toe with the likes of Georgia--the talent gap on defense concerns me some.
Joined: 08/16/2022
MGoPoints: 1122
dragonchild
July 19th, 2023 at 2:09 PM ^
Thing is, it seems half the time Michigan lands a 5-star the talent gets sucked into a void on the roster anyway, so the result is a wash. Peppers basically did what he came here to do, but DPJ spent his time going CJ-vs-OSU against defenses, only to turn around in the end zone and see that Shea had shat his pants and fled literally the cleanest pocket in football. Rashan Gary had to play B-gaps because our DTs at the time were butt. Dax projected to safety but got moved to slot corner because he was the only guy who could do it.
On the other hand, does anyone care that Aidan Hutchinson and Zak Zinter weren't 5-stars, at this point?
It'd be nice to "recruit" like Georgia but as long as that's not going to happen, I'm much happier with depth everywhere than, "OK we got a 5-star, oh crap now we need the 5-star to play two positions because this other starter is Just A Guy."
You definitely need playmakers to win, but we're increasingly finding our own. I feel that's going to become only more the case over time, as NIL turns scouting and recruiting into a money game.
Joined: 10/13/2011
MGoPoints: 46997
Vote_Crisler_1937
July 19th, 2023 at 3:35 PM ^
Who is, “Sub-Zero?”
Joined: 11/07/2011
MGoPoints: 12564