All Things SkunkBear

[Irish YJ]

Whitmer just bailed out MSU and U of M. Looks like their seasons are more than likely over.

What I read only specifically called out HS athletics. Wouldn't doubt it though.

 

[ulukinatme]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Michigan just signed the No. 1 hoops class in the country and they have a basketball logo on their football jerseys.<br><br>Michigan is DEFINITELY a basketball school.</p>— Bryan Driskell (@CoachD178) <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachD178/status/1327805423521501184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Henges24]

What I read only specifically called out HS athletics. Wouldn't doubt it though.

Could be. The only thing I have read is shutting down all but “non-pro sports.” Figured that means college too.

 

[dad4aa]

Could be. The only thing I have read is shutting down all but “non-pro sports.” Figured that means college too.

Article I read quotes her stating “professional and college athletics may continue”

 

[ndcoltsfan2010]

reps grey. good watch.

love the rated M aspects lol...

good to see them getting their drink on and being normal.

Fun to watch these guys talk football and let loose a little bit.

 

[Old Man Mike]

Whitmer's edict:
Pro Sports OK.
College Sports OK (given severe spectator limitation)
HS Sports canceled.

Incompetent news people screwing this news up.

 

[Irish YJ]

Fun to watch these guys talk football and let loose a little bit.

yea it really was. need more of the down to earth stuff.

Article I read quotes her stating “professional and college athletics may continue”

Whitmer is a Mich St grad, so I'm sure she wants to let the dumpster fire Wolverines continue to burn lol

 

[Irish#1]

 

[irishff1014]

That’s awesome

 

[phork]

Personally I think Michigan is where we were when Kelly went 4-8. Remember those dark days fellas? Now look. I think they stick with Hairball and they'll be just fine.

 

[DCDomer]

Joel Klatt, who definitely has an "in", has repeatedly says he thinks Harbaugh will retire soon.

 

[Cackalacky2.0]

My scheadenfrude as regards Michigan is at an all time high.

fuckMichigan

 

[Irishnuke]

No, they're not JJ.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I want all Michigan fans to do this. Take 3 deep breaths... And have faith. Faith that every single Coach, player, employee in that building is doing everything they possibly can to be great.</p>— J.J. McCarthy (@jjmccarthy09) <a href="https://twitter.com/jjmccarthy09/status/1328008127074217987?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Irishnuke]

Not sure if this one is about Covid or scUM football

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">There is always light at the end of the tunnel. They will not reach that light if it is being clouded by darkness. Support is the only thing that they need right now.EVERY single one of you has the power to contribute to theGOAL.We are all in this together〽️</p>— J.J. McCarthy (@jjmccarthy09) <a href="https://twitter.com/jjmccarthy09/status/1328008802474618904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[irishtrooper]

Personally I think Michigan is where we were when Kelly went 4-8. Remember those dark days fellas? Now look. I think they stick with Hairball and they'll be just fine.

I think him coming in as a former player and the absolute savior is a key difference. Harbaugh had proven himself at Stanford and SF to be able to get his teams (even with a seeming talent disparity) to play at a high level for an extended period of time. He did it the “old school way” at Stanford. This gave Michigan hope. Hope that they could return to the glory days of Bo, etc. They have been ok, but each year they seem to get further away.

I would agree that the team looks defeated like ours in 2016. However the key difference is the feeling from their POV that if Harbaugh can’t get it done there-who can? There’s more hopelessness on Michigan than what we experienced I’d imagine. I’d say many of their fans will need to get used to being a lower rung team for the foreseeable future.

They’ll hire a good candidate if he does go. Although until that guy proves he’s the real deal, they won’t buy it. The scarring from Harbaugh failing to get them to elite status will stay with this team for a LONG time imo

 

[IrishLax]

Personally I think Michigan is where we were when Kelly went 4-8. Remember those dark days fellas? Now look. I think they stick with Hairball and they'll be just fine.

They are at the same crossroads, but how do they react? Is Harbaugh capable of the same introspection and making the same caliber of hires? Because Don Brown was supposed to be the golden boy on defense. Offensive coordinator is easier to make a hire because you can retread a failed HC or pluck someone out of obscurity... but you do not often poach proven Power 5 OCs because they are typically on their way to being an HC.

I'm skeptical that the ultimate solution isn't Harbaugh walking away versus doing a full tear down of his assistants.

 

[zelezo vlk]

Not that I want to see them on the rise at all, but if y'all were the Michigan AD, whom would you target as HC?

If I had the money to do so, Luke Fickell is the first call. But if he's not amenable to moving on, then my second call is to Joe Brady.

If Michigan is just getting rid of Don Brown, Will Muschamp would be a pretty decent DC, no?

 

[Cackalacky2.0]

They are at the same crossroads, but how do they react? Is Harbaugh capable of the same introspection and making the same caliber of hires? Because Don Brown was supposed to be the golden boy on defense. Offensive coordinator is easier to make a hire because you can retread a failed HC or pluck someone out of obscurity... but you do not often poach proven Power 5 OCs because they are typically on their way to being an HC.

I'm skeptical that the ultimate solution isn't Harbaugh walking away versus doing a full tear down of his assistants.

Lax, do you think they can make the same infrastructure improvements that ND did after that season (S&C, training food, rehab and recovery etc) or is this a personnel issue?

Seems like ND was so far behind that these improvements are really showing dividends. Can Michigan improve that much with upgrades in those areas or are they already at peak?

 

[Henges24]

Not that I think U of M would hire him but McElwain is about to be a name again.

 

[fightingirish26]

Looking forward to Michigan making a public push for Fickell and then getting turned down.

 

[Pops Freshenmeyer]

The thing about Michigan is they're going to expect 10 win seasons and beating Ohio State on occasion. I'm skeptical they can find a guy in a comfortable spot like Fickell or Campbell to leave that behind for a rebuild facing steep expectations.

Joe Brady would be a fascinating choice. The difficulty there will be building a staff with a guy who is so young, inexperienced, and with relatively few connections in the coaching world. I think that works better with a successor situation where the young coach is inheriting the majority of his staff. At Michigan you're looking a program in need of a purge, not new ideas to take a successful formula a step further.

 

[dublinirish]

The thing about Michigan is they're going to expect 10 win seasons and beating Ohio State on occasion. I'm skeptical they can find a guy in a comfortable spot like Fickell or Campbell to leave comfortable spots behind for a rebuild facing steep expectations.

Joe Brady would be a fascinating choice. The difficult there will be building a staff with a guy who is so young and inexperienced. I think that works better with a successor situation where the young coach is inheriting the majority of his staff. At Michigan you're looking a program in need of a purge, not new ideas to take a successful formula a step further.

i nominate Matt Patricia

 

[Pops Freshenmeyer]

Lax, do you think they can make the same infrastructure improvements that ND did after that season (S&C, training food, rehab and recovery etc) or is this a personnel issue?

Seems like ND was so far behind that these improvements are really showing dividends. Can Michigan improve that much with upgrades in those areas or are they already at peak?

IMO, their team culture is shit. They have had tons of transfers and guys who would rather opt out of the season to wait for the NFL than play with their team. Michigan decided to act like a football factory and process non-performers to make roster space. This is what you get when you treat players like cattle and you don't fulfill your promises of success.

 

[fightingirish26]

Personally I think Michigan is where we were when Kelly went 4-8. Remember those dark days fellas? Now look. I think they stick with Hairball and they'll be just fine.

Could be true. Some Michigan fans talk about Don Brown like he's BVG, which is funny because ESPN was touting him as one of the premier DCs in CFB during the Minnesota game.

One difference is that during our 2016 season, 7 of the 8 losses were by one score, with the exception being USC. Michigan has already lost to IU by 17 and Wisconsin by 38!

 

[Luckylucci]

IMO, their team culture is shit. They have had tons of transfers and guys who would rather opt out of the season to wait for the NFL than play with their team. Michigan decided to act like a football factory and process non-performers to make roster space. This is what you get when you treat players like cattle and you don't fulfill your promises of success.

Agreed. It’s a culture thing and it’s what follows Harbaugh from destination to destination. He eventually wears on those that surround him and eventually they stop listening/believing.

 

[zelezo vlk]

Joe Brady as HC hires Mike Elston as his DC/AHC. That would suck so much for us, but honestly could be a great great hire.

 

[NewEnglandGuy]

Their historic blowout loss this past weekend - worst halftime deficit in their stadiums history (1927), most lopsided loss since 1935, first 1-3 start since 1967, and first team in Big Ten history not to record a sack or turnover in 5 consecutive halves (Josh Ross's INT against Minnesota in 4th Q with 2:49 remaining to Carlo Kemp's sack with 7:18 remaining in the 3rd Q against Wisconsin) - in case anyone missed it, was in front of a large gathering of recruits in town. Due to the dead period, unfortunately they weren't in the stands to witness the devastation.

2021 current commits: (OA composite ranked)
#18 QB JJ McCarthy
#70 OL Giovanni El-Hadi
#104 LB Junior Colson
#207 WR Cristian Dixon
#401 OL Tristan Bounds
#434 S Rod Moore
#475 LB Tyler McLaurin
#555 WR Andrel Anthony
#591 CB Ja'Den McBurrows
#886 DE TJ Guy
NA P Tommy Doman

2021 targets:
#36 RB Donovan Edwards (watched game in Ann Arbor with other visitors Sat night)
#72 CB Ceyair Wright

2022 commit:
#279 LB Tyler Martin

2022 targets:
#3 CB Domani Jackson
#7 DB Will Johnson
#68 WR Tyler Morris
#146 S Isaac Thompson
#249 ATH Dillon Tatum (traveled from West Bloomfield MI with Edwards for game only)

Canceled: Rasheem Anderson, Greg Crippen, Jaydon Hood, Xavier Worthy, Sebastian Cheeks.

Sounds like most of class is trying to stay together. We'll see. In todays recruiting environment, it is unprecedented to have a coach on an expiring contract during the season. The flood gates may open if they lose to Rutgers this weekend, current line is -8.5. Or if they get trucked by an 0-5 Penn St team (who plays Iowa this weekend). Or if Ohio St runs it up on 12/12.

List of possible decommits:
Brandon Jennings - as their latest commitment who stated when flipping from FSU he hated losing...so?
Jaydon Hood - has been open about wanting to take visits if possible in 2021
Xavier Worthy - a recent visitor a couple weeks ago, but has Bama, who already has 3 WR commits, staying in contact

But as of now, there isn't a lot of smoke with any of them, just speculation.

Early signing day is a little over 4 weeks away on 12/16 - 12/18.

From 2018, but too good, and relevant, to not reshare:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Michigan gets manhandled by Notre Dame: My reaction <a href="https://t.co/J8B47P5TFZ">pic.twitter.com/J8B47P5TFZ</a></p>— Chris Castellani (@Castellani2014) <a href="https://twitter.com/Castellani2014/status/1036089973521440768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 2, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Irishize]

Joe Brady as HC hires Mike Elston as his DC/AHC. That would suck so much for us, but honestly could be a great great hire.

I think Brady gets an NFL HC gig as early as next season.

 

[Irishize]

I think him coming in as a former player and the absolute savior is a key difference. Harbaugh had proven himself at Stanford and SF to be able to get his teams (even with a seeming talent disparity) to play at a high level for an extended period of time. He did it the “old school way” at Stanford. This gave Michigan hope. Hope that they could return to the glory days of Bo, etc. They have been ok, but each year they seem to get further away.

I would agree that the team looks defeated like ours in 2016. However the key difference is the feeling from their POV that if Harbaugh can’t get it done there-who can? There’s more hopelessness on Michigan than what we experienced I’d imagine. I’d say many of their fans will need to get used to being a lower rung team for the foreseeable future.

They’ll hire a good candidate if he does go. Although until that guy proves he’s the real deal, they won’t buy it. The scarring from Harbaugh failing to get them to elite status will stay with this team for a LONG time imo

One common denominator to Harbaugh’s success & current situation is OC Greg Roman. He was at both Stanford & SF when Harbaugh enjoyed his most success. When Harbaugh left for scUM, Roman stayed in the NFL & is currently OC for Jim Harbaugh in B’more.

 

[phork]

Its funny because these young hot names who in the past had to get to a big name program before any shot at the NFL are now going straight to the NFL.

If I am hiring, its someone offensive minded not defensive. Football is all about the offence now. You just don't have enough personal to cover all the skill on the field anymore.

Heres to Michigan roaming the wastelands for years to come.