Blue By Ninety - Michigan Football Has Signed Its Best Class In Seven Years

Episode Date: December 5, 2024

Justin, Brian, and Tanner break down Michigan's best recruiting class since 2017.

All right. Welcome back to Blue by 90. I'm Justin joined by Tanner and our guy VV's big house. Brian, appreciate you joining us. We have a special podcast today for National Signing Day. I'll be honest, I feel like we haven't been that excited about National Signing Day in a few years. You know, Coach Harbaugh, let's be honest honest wasn't very focused on recruiting the last couple years of his tenure very focused on winning a national championship which we will take but we are back in building mode and you know although you got a seven and five season uh that sometimes helps with recruiting because you focus on things other than trying to, you know, win a Big Ten championship, national championship. So big day today for Michigan as they rounded out with a pretty damn good class. But appreciate you guys joining. Yeah, happy to be here. I'm always here. So, Brian, I'll start off with you.

I mean, what is just your general take on Michigan's recruiting right now it seems like Sharon Moore has taken a very different approach than Jim Arbaugh it's not the transformational not transactional right they're playing big boy ball with NIL what else is it are factors into bringing Michigan into you know the top 10 of the national cycle this year? Well, I think one of the problems when hard block came in is, you know, he hired, he hired his guys that weren't necessarily recruiters. I think Sharon and all of his new hires put a huge priority on hiring guys that were willing and eager and, you know,

really good recruiters and that's paid off Lamar Morgan. I, I mean, you could argue we have our best defensive back class in the history of the program. You know, how it shakes out may look differently, but it's a pretty remarkable class. You know, Sharon expanded the staff. I mean, there's more people dedicated to it than there's ever been. I want to add there, too, a lot of people. Like, he's a lot more recruiting staff.

Right, right. and it feels like they're willing to go after whether it's the staff it's him it seems like they're willing to go after the really big fish i felt like there were a few years during the hardball era that i would get frustrated was like it doesn't even seem like we're talking to the top 30 50 60 guys and we definitely are i mean if you look at that top 50, 60 guys, the majority of them have been Dan Arbor or talked to him, or we've been close to it, you know, close to signing them or talking to them. And so that's been exciting just at least being in the conversation. Well, Brian, I think they spoke to him. I think the conversation was

just probably pretty short because Michigan was not willing to participate in what it takes to become an elite recruiting program in today's world. So I think with Michigan having the backing of some alumni, some non-alumni, some alumni that are involved with the most powerful alliance in the world. Absolutely. Who's to say? But I think it's exciting to watch Michigan kind of turn the corner, become a little bit more modern, to your point, boosting the recruiting staff, you a little bit more modern, to your point, boosting the recruiting staff, having a guy like Sean McGee. He was on with Sam Webb, and very impressive guy, hearing him speak. You can see why they're having success and having a plan in place,

and it's very well organized. So I think this class was phenomenal. I mean, you look at it just from the raw numbers, the best recruiting class Michigan's had on paper since 2017. Now that 2017 class, there were some guys that played well at Michigan. There were some guys that kind of flamed out, never really did much transferred away. So you hope that you have a better hit rate.

But you look at the recruiting average, which I kind of look at that average as it shows you just how well you're recruiting and it's the best that Michigan's had in a very long time. So, you know, very excited about this 25 class. Next year, going to have an opportunity to build even stronger relationships over a longer period of time with the backing of what Michigan's doing in the NIL space. It's trending upwards is what I would say.

Yeah, I think there's a few things holding the class ceiling back a bit. One, Sharon Moore being new to the, you know, the Connor Stallion situation, all that's still hanging over the program that was used against them. You know, at any time you have transition, there's questions. I feel like once we can put those things behind us and, you know, Bryce Underwood is going to be a magnet to people just like every elite quarterback is. And I think they're going to be a place, a destination people want to come to in the portal, which I think we're going to be just as aggressive there. I'm really excited to see about see what happens there.

But, yeah, I think the future of Michigan recruiting is definitely on a new trajectory. Yeah, I mean, you're definitely not just using Bryce Underwood for this class, but it's the next two. Right. You know, so and for quarterbacks in the future you know so you're now you know saying like hey hopefully in 2025 michigan goes out they have this different dynamic offense where they're throwing the ball a lot more and then that showcases to future five-star qbs hey you know you're going to want to come to Michigan and show off your talents. Not only are you going to be a top-ten pick like J.J. McCarthy, but you can have the stats at Michigan as well, which is the other, you know, knock on Michigan when you're talking

about wide receivers and QBs. Right. Yeah, I mean, with Bryce, it really gives you an opportunity to turn that narrative on its head, right? Because you have JJ McCarthy and you know we know how phenomenal he was at Michigan the NFL knows how phenomenal he was at Michigan but sometimes when you're watching and you see oh 22 touchdowns five picks you know you're not really stretching the ball down the field you're not doing the things that a quarterback envisions

themselves doing in college of only ball out on a sling the rock so now you have that opportunity with Bryce Underwood to be able to throw the ball around and have it be successful and hopefully doing in college of only ball out on a sling the rock so now you have that opportunity with bryce underwood to be able to throw the ball around and have to be successful and hopefully parlay that into future success with recruiting the position at quarterback and obviously receiver and tight end as well being able to say hey we are going to get you the football uh because without bryce underwood you can say all that you want about getting the ball to those guys on the outside but when you watch this team and I know they're going to make a change with the offensive coordinator spot, obviously with that news coming out,

it's really tough to be able to say, no, we're going to do it, we're going to do it. Now you have Bryce Underwood to be able to play, and whoever they get in the portal at quarterback for 2025, say, no, this is what Michigan's going to be. We're going to be much more balanced. We're still going to be a team that runs the ball that's in Michigan's identity and their DNA but hey we can throw the ball and you can come to Michigan to be a first round wide receiver pick in the NFL draft like you can at a lot of these other schools so I think it's going to give Michigan an opportunity to have

easier conversations and maybe win some of those recruitments that they haven't been able to win before although Andrew Marsh that's a pretty highly rated kid that so I know a lot of people are down on Ron Bellamy and his unit but that's a heck of a recruiting job with the lack of numbers and production to be able to go into Texas and get a top 60 top 70 guy nationally at wide receiver that's really impressive yeah I think we're in this unique spot too where I'm sure there's precedent for it, but we have an opening in our offensive coordinator position, and the person that they're going to bring in is coming in to coach one player. I mean, he's coming in to coach the offense and scheme and everything, but it's got to be someone that fits what he brings to the table.

You know what I mean? I personally know, I think I said this to you, Justin, via text the other day, is I sort of feel like that deal's done. Like, whether we know about it or not, like, I feel like said this to you, Justin, via text the other day, is I sort of feel like that deal's done. Like whether we know about it or not, like I feel like he's got somebody in mind and he's, you know, that person's got something they're coaching for. But I feel like you don't make that move as abruptly without having something. Well, especially, and I don't know if you get Bryce without convincing him, yes, where, you know, you can't have that up in the air,

know who our offensive coordinator is and then able to land the number one QB in the nation. So you have to think that at the very least have a good idea of who that person is going to be. I know a couple of the names that have been thrown out there are Dan Mullen, Jason Candle. So I know that one thing that they're looking for is somebody with head coaching experience. So I love that as just from a general standpoint.

I also love that because knowing we don't have much experience on this coaching staff, right? O'Moore himself only has one year under his belt as a head coach, plus a couple games. I would just say to Jason Candle, I think that would be a home run. I mean, he's an Ohio guy. I just think you think about he's obviously a guy that wants to take that step at Michigan, if it were to happen, to then land a bigger time head coaching opportunity. He's crushed it at Toledo, did a fantastic job with Daquan Sin. And I know this is a recruiting show, but I just think a guy, I mean, he played at Mount

Union in the state of Ohio. I think any chance you have to go get a guy who's been a head coach, done it successfully, ran really good offenses. Oh, and oh, by the way, his roots are heavily tied in the state of Ohio. I think that's a really good thing because I think the last four years, what I think could happen is Michigan's going to be able to maybe now start to go into the state of Ohio. And when these juniors and seniors

like oh I was in middle school in Michigan started beating Ohio State that wall may start to show some cracks right because Michigan in its past has been able to go into the state of Ohio get some fantastic players two of their two most recent Heisman winners are from the state of Ohio so you know you talk about recruiting that may be something that could open the door to some of those high schools. And our number one running back for next year was Mr. Ohio, right? I do think to your point, Tanner, that it is, it's crazy to think this because, you know, it's only been, it's been four years. It seems like a lifetime kind of though, because a lot of these kids, you know, when you're talking 15 year olds right you were 11 you were 10 years old when michigan last lost to ohio state you know you can you say that hold

on you just whisper that into my ear and it's been five years because we didn't play in 20 right so you know about five years yeah it's been a long time right So it is, you know, you feel that the momentum is shifting for sure. So that's why Jack Sawyer had such a crash out, you know. Well, before we jump in, I want to jump into, you know, breaking down who exactly is coming to Michigan in this class. But last thing I want to touch on here is from Sharon Moore's perspective, you know, the one thing that Jim Harbaugh did so well was he found the right guys they might not have been the five stars or the four stars

but you look at Rod Moore Max Bredesen you look at you know some of these guys and you're like all right they might have been three stars low low four stars, but they fit Michigan perfectly. They've got the culture and the guts and the grittiness. How do you continue to balance that? You know, you get the star power, but sometimes you can lose some of that culture. Right. So, Brian, what are your thoughts on that? I mean, I feel like it's an excellent point and a very important point. I don't think there's any way to know i don't think there's any guy in this class outside of maybe eli owens that you can sit there and say this guy is a harbaugh guy or this guy is a perfect fit you'll know it when you get here i mean i think

when we signed mikey sanders still no one thought oh this is going to be a guy that's going to be a captain and you know he's going to be remembered forever nobody thought that and so who's that going to be in this class and And are these guys good fits? I mean, I think that is the biggest question, you know, because you look at Texas A&M, they've had top five classes for as long as I can remember, and they haven't won a thing, you know, and they're not in the playoff this year either.

And so I think that's a tough thing to identify. I think people, you know, will describe some of the guys in this class as, oh, this guy's a michigan guy and let's hope they are but i think it'd be hyperbole a bit just kind of trying to pick those guys out now i mean i know there's guys in class that i'm more fond of than others that i like better than the ranking but you know i think that's a tough thing to yeah it's tough i think the other part to it uh that i'll end on here just on this topic is you don't know who's going to be here in two years. The portal changes everything. Right. So that's where, you know,

I'm sure we all looked at Michigan basketball's class and it's, you know, there are only what a couple of kids on the team now that were here, you know, three years ago. Right. And, or even just last year. Right. So, so yeah. On the ESn show today they said on the recording show they you know all the kids say for the next three or four years i'm going to take my talents to you know whatever they're like they should probably start saying for the next like 15 months yeah i couldn't really you know for certain say it's next season i will connect it's a semester yeah exactly uh yeah no i just i think that's a

great point you know with michigan's culture and uh you know the thing that i would say though that buy-in that the team showed towards the end of this season really gave me a lot of uh excitement hope faith that the way sharon moore is as a coach and as a cultivator of culture that it's going to continue to be what jim harbaugh laid the foundation with and guys like Aiden Hutchinson and Blake Corham and J.J. McCarthy and all the guys that came before that laid that foundation of this is what it takes to win the Big Ten, to beat Ohio State, to go to the playoffs, to win a national championship, to be able to have a guy like Sharone who was there for all that, who has been with Michigan since 2017. So he's seen the more down years of the program under Jim and then the heights of the success that they reached over the last few.

I think that's something that he's been there. He's been there when the bad eggs were here. I mean, and I'm not saying that, but players said that. Like after the 2020 season, I remember Mike Morris was very adamant. Like there were guys here that they just didn't really care, didn't want to be here. So, you know, he kind of knows what that looks like. Uh, I'm sure they know what to look for. I think there's a lot of really great culture fits in this class, uh, obviously from aside from their talent. Um, but the one thing that gives me a lot of excitement too, is Andrew Ivins is the director of scouting for two, four, seven. And

one of the things he mentioned was Michigan was really really good this year and some of the guys they went after a little bit later they exploded out of the scene even more so after their senior film came out so they were really strong with their evaluations I think that's going to be something that will continue from the Jim Harbaugh era to now the Sharon Moore era where hey this guy like like you look at Jasper Parker I think is the lowest rated or at one point was the lowest rated recruit before Travis Moten committed today that kid's a dog down in Louisiana like he's a good football player so I think you're seeing a lot of guys that maybe they took took a commitment from earlier and it's this guy's ranked in the 700 800s he's a football

player right so I'm really hopeful that that strong is going to continue that the ability to uncover uncover hidden gems that guys will develop and become really good football players later on in their career yeah and you mentioned travis mooten you know the lowest ranked guy in the class he led the state of kentucky in sacks this past year i think he had like 20 sacks 19 and a half sacks something like that so you know talk about identifying late risers and i'm excited about him you know he's not anyone that jumps off the page of your wheels recruiting rankings or stars or anything like that well let's start there um let's start with the three stars in this class it looks like they've got three or sorry six three stars um right now so i'll let you guys if you want to um just kind

of break down quickly quickly some of those guys and what they're bringing to the table. Well, I think, you know, you have Caden Stringer, who's been in the class for a while. He plays center. There's some position value where the stars don't make sense, just like the draft. You don't have a center get drafted in the first round ever.

A center, I don't think there's ever been a five-star center, right? Cesar Ruiz was close. Cesar Ruiz was close. Cesar Ruiz was close. Good point. But there's not a lot of those guys. I'm sure there's been a few. And so when I see him, you know, he's right on the cusp. There's like 450 four-stars, right?

Him and Bobby Caker are just below that, so they're like fringe three, four-stars. McCain Strayhorn I think's going to be a really good player he seems like a guy that's a michigan type guy i think eli owens is you know he he was uh i mean he's a he was a top seven or eight tight end of the country for a minute um but he's he's coming to play the max bredesen role he was a very very vocal leader of this class you know he he's been one of the longest committed guys in the class. And I think he's just going to be a great contributor in a spot where we don't recruit

a lot of guys. I mean, talk about a path to playing time. I mean, he's coming in and, you know, everybody at that position pretty much on the roster is a walk-on like Max Bredesen. He's coming in pretty high, you know, a top 500 guy coming in saying, okay, I want to, you know, I'm going to walk right okay i wanna uh you know i'm gonna walk right into that role pretty quickly as long as he can put on the weight and learn the schemes so i'm excited about him i've heard a lot i don't know a lot about chase taylor really athletic

track star linebacker coming in lower rated but you know i feel like we've done well i feel like the hit rate on those fast athletic linebackers are boom or bust. Right? They come in and they're like, wow, that guy was way underrated or they never see the field. You know? So, I mean, we don't have a lot of three stars, but I think, you know, the guys that we have, I'm excited about them and Travis Moten. Well, yeah, Jamar Browder, I think he's criminally underrated. I really like what I see from his film.

I think he shows more explosiveness as somebody who's ranked as the 821 player in the country on the composite. So he just committed. He was committed to North Carolina State. They've obviously, you know, Concepcion's a really good receiver. They've had some good hit rates with wide receivers when it comes to getting guys out of high school. So I'm really excited for Browder. And you mentioned Moten.

You know, anytime you see a guy like that, that they kind of get at the last minute. I'm always very intrigued by I think it's something they saw in the senior film. You know, those analysts that are in that expanded recruiting department are going over the film and what's been coming out from their senior season. So I always am intrigued by those kinds of guys. But, yeah, to your point, Kanka, you know, I think he's probably going to be a guy that we look at in a couple of years as a really, really solid foundational rotational type of defensive lineman in this class. Strayhorn, to your point, Brian, centers don't really get rated that high, but I think he's one of the best centers in the country, one of the best interior linemen in the country. And then when you talk about Eli Owens, again, I mean, he's not going to be rated high because they're recruiting him to play H-back.

He's not a six foot five Col because they're recruiting him to play h-back he's not a six foot five colson loveland type of tight end he is a guy that's going to be getting his nose uh there in the in the run game and be a blocker and um you know maybe maybe go and catch a couple balls this season but he's going to be a max brettison and i have a lot of faith that this staff knows how to develop a guy like that i mean and i think he's more naturally skilled i don't think i think it's pretty apparent he's more naturally skilled and more athletically gifted than brennison brennison is just a hammer you know what i mean and we love him for that but you know i think i think eli owens is a guy that you know he played in all the camps i mean he's

a guy that's been taught well to run routes and use his hands and so i think you know he's a guy that we could open up the playbook a bit more than we ever did with Bredesen. Well, he's already at 243 in terms of his weight. That's pretty good as an 18-year-old, right? So put on some more muscle. I like what I'm seeing there, too. All right. So 15 four stars.

And I like this part of, you know, I've worked in the NIL world here for the past couple of years. My take, this is a bit of a hot take, but I think the sweet spot in being successful in this NIL era is the four stars. Because you are paying millions and millions of dollars for these kids, right? You know, you are paying probably still six figures, but you can find some dogs in here and get a lot more bank for your buck. And I think what you see from, you know, the top, the schools that are consistently in the top five to 10 range for each recruiting class, they have a ton of four stars. You know, there's still only one, two, three, you know, five stars because there's only 35 of them in each class, right? But where they hit it home is the four stars. So take it away here and break down some of these guys

that are coming to Michigan. You want me to go, Tanner? You go ahead, man. Yeah, I mean, I think the thing I like is, you know, we have the five-star in Bryce Underwood and Andrew Babalola. You know, we have a left tackle. But I feel like we've hit on multiple positions. You know, one thing I've always said about a flaw of the recruiting class rankings is, you know, Ohio State, for example, has four top 50 wide receivers. Well, three wide receivers don't make you win football games.

We learn that over and over again. It's how you distribute it across the roster. And I feel like we have really good players in all positions. You know, Nathaniel Marshall was clearly the biggest surprise. He was committed to us for a while, flipped to Auburn. I didn't hear anybody talk about him anywhere any inside or anything and then all of a sudden he flips back and i'm thinking this has got to be a troll of some sort but i mean you're talking about a guy that is one of the fastest riders there seems

like in the 150 range and by the time the cycle ended he's the number 55 recruit the country um he's a stud he's he lit up all the camps and that's what helped him rise in a huge senior year. I think he's a plug and play guy. He's probably a little bit like Enoetta a little bit where he's a tackle edge type guy that they're gonna have to sort that out. And if they can and put him in the right spot and then get his body to fit that position, I think he's going to be really good. You know, Andrew Marsh, we talked about, I think he's really good. A couple of guys I'm really excited about is Kanoa Winston. I think he is, he's a track star safety. He's only 5'10", you know, much like Mike Sanger, still small, super duper fast, a really aggressive and willing

tackler. I think he, you know, not as fresh from here because we have guys there, but I think by the middle of the sophomore year, he's playing significant minutes at the nickel, and he becomes a stud in this defense for us. Yeah, I really like Winston too. I think the guy I'm most excited about is Shamari Earls, a guy that Michigan was working on over the summer, was committed to South Carolina, ends up flipping to Georgia,

and he was one of the guys early on that kind of kicked off the fireworks as Sam Webb alluded to back in October before any of us were thinking about how good this class could be I think he's a really really good football player I mean honestly we talked about it a little bit but this defensive backhaul I mean Lamar Morgan Morgan deserves the finest bourbon. Let's make sure there's an Uber around if necessary. He deserves a nice drink. This guy put in work on the trail. I mean, when you look at this defensive back class, you know, you talk about Shamari Earls, Canola Winston, Jordan Young.

They flip from Clemson. You know, I think I've seen some people compare him to rod moore very flexible can play nickel can play safety uh maybe a guy that's going to take a year or two to kind of season before he gets out there and is truly impactful uh but i'm really excited i mean jayden sanders is a guy that you know he committed over the summer kind of kind of forgotten about it feels like man that kid his dad played uh was was really good at tcu back in the day and uh he's he's a he's a track type of kid so um man this class i mean elijah dotson too is a guy that could play anywhere i mean he could probably play receiver he could play in the secondary so yeah there and a lot of those guys are right in that the middle of that that four-star range here for michigan so uh but yeah nate marshall i think is going to be a stud that was a very pleasant surprise and no idea that

one was coming i mean you know nowadays we kind of get some sort of intel or some indication that hey this is happening it didn't on this one and uh very pleasant surprise yeah another guy you know it's just it's these getting these guys with position flexibility you know the guy that's committed our last guy to commit nathaniel Owusu-Botang, you know, I think he's a Jabril Peppers clone. Excuse me. You know, he's kind of an undersized linebacker, kind of a nickel linebacker guy that's going to come in,

super athletic. His best football is probably, you know, in the years to come. He's already got a great build. I think, you know, finding the right fit for him, he could just be a star. You know, think of what we did with Josh Uche, who was kind of a tweener. Peppers, who was kind of a tweener. We've had a lot of success with guys like that,

and I think he fits the bill in big ways for that. Yeah, another guy real quick I wanted to touch on, Avery Gatch. Is that how you say it? I think so. I think he's going to be really a football player. You know, a three-man offensive line class, potentially going to be four, depending on what Ty Haywood does in the second signing period in a couple of months. But, man, I think with Babalola obviously having a very high ceiling, Gatch is a guy that I think is going to be a really, really good football player.

Another MSU legacy on the offensive line. So I don't think his dad played football. I think his dad just went to school there. But, man, he's a really good football player so yeah they've got a lot of a lot of guys in this class that you got to be excited about yeah i think i think you're looking at the class it's there's been so many years where we were at a disadvantage to ohio state you know like in terms of the difference between our overall class rank may not have been that different. But when you got in and looked at kind of the gaps position by position, that's not the case anymore. I mean, Ohio State still recruited really well defensive back, really well at running back and a few other positions.

But you look at every other position, we're right there with, you know what I mean? The two top quarterbacks in the country are going to Michigan, Ohio State. That's kind of exciting for the rivalry. Yeah, absolutely. Obviously, you mentioned him earlier, and he's the prized possession of this class. But Bryce Underwood, flipping him is, I mean, you talk about the last two weeks of the season for Michigan, and you flip the number one quarterback in the nation,

then go beat Ohio State as 20 plus point underdogs. It changes a lot of things. Right. But you know, I, you know, we've talked a lot about Bryce Underwood. There's no doubt. I think a lot of everyone knows about him. Tanner, you've been talking about Andrew Babalola for months. Thank you. Talking about how important he was, how bad you wanted him. How big is it not only to get the five-star QB, but to get a five-star lineman along with him?

Yeah, I think it's huge, man. I mean, he's 6'6", 280-plus. He's going to be a guy that probably plays at 315. Athletic freak. I think he is behind David Sanders, who's currently committed to Tennessee. There's some Ohio State spoke there. But David Sanders is the offensive tackle that Michigan was in on early because he played at Providence today with Jaden Davis.

Man, I feel like Babalola is just as good, if not better. He's a very bright kid. I mean, he's down to Michigan and Stanford. So, you know, for Michigan to be able to win that recruitment and to pair a five-star first-round pick type of guy at left tackle with Bryce Underwood I think is huge. I don't know. He might be a right tackle too.

I mean, Michigan has some flexibility with Andrew Sprague coming in last year. They're actually very good friends, both from the Kansas City metro area. And so I think you've got some flexibility with him. He's another guy that he's not going to see the field right away. You know, he may come on as a redshirt sophomore, which typically with offensive linemen, you're not playing right away, and if you are, you're a freak. So he's another guy that's going to take some time.

Even though he's a five-star, I wouldn't be expecting him to see the field a ton next year, even the year after. But I think he's just going to be a mauler. He's very physical, very athletic. And real quick, I just wanted to be a mauler. He's very physical, very athletic. And real quick, I just wanted to get this out of the way here because Brian sent us over a very nice spreadsheet, multiple spreadsheets of the class, just give us an idea. And I just would, there's notes on player.

And so for Andrew Marsh, you put track star. So for Bryce Underwood's notes, it just says Jesus. Yeah. That's all it says is Jesus. So I don't know if that's, Brian, I don't know if that's you calling him Jesus or just saying Jesus,

Michigan got him. It is the season. Well, Jesus is the savior, right? So I feel like, you know, we talked about, you know, three weeks ago, how miserable our fan base and the three of us were

with this program. And, you know, you win how miserable our fan base and the three of us were but with this program and you know you win by 50 versus northwestern you beat ohio state and you you know flip the number one kid in the country in a position that we desperately need and you know you kind of change just the whole outlook and perspective of the program now and going forward and so yeah i just thought you know when you're the number one kid across the board, I mean, there's only been in the history of recruiting, there's been like five or six number one rated.99 or better. Vince Young, I said it to you guys earlier, Trevor Lawrence, Quinn Ewers, I said Vince Young, right?

Trevor Lawrence. There's like four or five guys in the history of football, and they all turned out to be awesome. Bryce Young, maybe? I don't know. No, not Bryce Young. It doesn't matter. He's a unique type guy and a type of guy that we've never had at Michigan.

So I'm excited, and I'm excited that we'll bring in an offensive coordinator to kind of fit that skill set and build an offense around him. It's very exciting times. Yeah, so last thing here on just talking about these players individually, are these two guys the only guys, if any, that will be ready to play next year? I mean, I wanted to, you know, obviously there's a lot of talk about getting another portal QB for a stopgap in the case that Bryce is not ready. But are these two guys ready to go if need be in 25? And are there any other guys in this class that could play as freshmen?

I think Shamari Earls, as Tanner was talking about, I think he's a guy – he's gotten plenty of Will Johnson comps. You know, he's played, he plays high level football. He's gone to all the camps and competed. His, you know, a lot of times it's not just ability and mentally being able to understand the scheme. It's getting your body right. He's 6'2".

He's long. He's very athletic. I could see him coming in much like Will Johnson, maybe doesn't play right away. But, you know, depending on what we do in the portal that's still a position of concern right like that's still not a position that we we can say okay that's who's going to be getting all the minutes there next season so i can see him getting time i think uh i think jordan young's a really good player of the safeties we we have coming in they're all good but he may be the guy that's ready to go and see the field um you know we're pretty deep at young running

backs i don't know about the running backs i think eli owens could get time um i think andrew i think andrew marsh might be a starter i think andrew marsh is probably start you know i think he's that gifted and uh we don't have anybody at that position. Right. Right. So there's a chance to come in there. Tanner? Yeah, I think Bryce certainly could play right away. But I think for his development, for him reaching his full potential, you probably want to at least use him in, like, the 2021 JJ role where he's not just playing in blouts.

He's coming in in big-time moments and making huge plays. We'll see. I mean, it may be extremely hard to keep him off the field. I mean, I don't know. Isn't that your hope? I think that that's your hope if you're a Michigan fan is, you know, whether it's Miller Moss or one of these other portal QBs that are all seemingly popping up right now in the transfer portal

and will when it officially opens this weekend um but i think your hope is that you go get a guy in the portal as your kind of safety net right hey if for whatever reason bryce is as a most 19 year olds aren't ready to play right at that level and you have somebody that's actually you know serviceable that can win you football games that's but the hope is that he comes in and in the spring it is so damn good that it's like all right he's gonna be our guy well yeah that's a scenario right i think a good example of what to look for is florida i mean they didn't have a very successful season but they had a veteran in grand merchertz that played the first few games,

and then they bring in DJ Lagway, who's a guy that they feel like is, and I think the country feels like, is an up-and-coming superstar. I think that's kind of what you're looking for, is some guy that's got a bunch of time that can come in, play kind of those games, you know, give Underwood some time in those games. But I think that's kind of the example of what I envision being successful at that position for the team next year. Yeah.

I mean, I don't know that we have had a more exciting spring upcoming for Michigan football right now, right? I think, you know, after the 22 season going into 23, you were very excited jj's coming back blake's coming back right you reloaded you're obviously going for the national title but in terms of you haven't seen bryce underwood everyone's gonna you know they might pack the big house this year for the spring game right right no go ahead well, one thing exciting about spring is of this class, 16 of them are early enrollees.

16. So that means they get into this camp and start doing bowl practices. I mean, they hit the ground running. I've always thought that's such a huge advantage to get in that early enrollee and be ready for this play and participate in the spring game. We've got 16 guys going to be playing in the spring game. That's very exciting. I think learning the playbook, huge.

Playing at the speed of an actual college program is huge. And then the weight room, right? An extra four months in the weight room is gigantic. So definitely agree with you. All right, so let's look at where michigan ranks right so they're currently at number seven i think they're teetering on six going back and forth with auburn this is according to 247 um so they have a chance i believe depending on some things to get up into the five range it's pretty dang close um but you know anywhere from the five

to seven range is where this this uh class is going to end up and then third in the big ten you know obviously the one thing that ohio state has had even through this you know four year stint of michigan beating them they've still recruited really well well they're recruiting number one quarterbacks again and number one wide receivers again you know so i i'm i'm the i'm the lebron gif of like oh we're scared right here right now until they can show you know some toughness some grit as long as right is the the coach i'm not that scared now oregon on the other hand is recruiting like a pro bro they they they are recruiting on another level and

talk about you know they've they came out uh you know last year and it was like phil knight unlimited nil that's showing right now right on national signing day i i don't know that they like they they had an unbelievable signing day today yeah i mean they're recruiting like phil knight's 87 years old and wants to see a national championship before he goes right like that's exactly what this is so they've got carte blanche um i've seen some rumblings and i don't know how verified they are that dan landing might be you know coveted by nfl teams so we'll see what happens there but whoever you know whoever's going to be there is going to have the money cannon from uh for mr nike himself so yeah i think with michigan though um you know you don't need to be there is going to have the money cannon from Mr. Nike himself. Yeah, I think with Michigan, though, you don't need to be.

I mean, you look at the recruiting classes going into that led up to the national championship. This is the highest-ranked class they've had in seven years since 2017. So this is one of the highest-rated classes for Michigan since the recruiting services started. So you don't need the number one class every single year right this is a really solid really not solid this is a great foundational class for michigan and for sure on more moving forward so um yeah you're behind a lot of state oregon but the margins are very small like this is an elite class right like this is a class of with a rating of 92 plus on average like that's that's extremely good now that's

propped up a little bit by the five stars but you know it's a really really good class and when you look at what the last couple years I mean last year Michigan at one point had the number one class in the country because they had so many guys commit early kind of fell off they were 16th I think the year before they were 17th so this is a really really great class for Michigan and that's all you need right like you need the blue chip ratio all those sorts of things you They were 17th. So this is a really, really great class for Michigan. And that's all you need, right? Like you need the blue chip ratio, all those sorts of things. You know, I mean, you know, just law of averages. Guys are not going to pan out, right?

They're going to transfer. They're going to leave. You know, it just happens. But if you can hit on the right amount of guys and the right type of players, you're going to be totally fine and be able to compete. And, you know, with the 12-team playoff, like, again, you don't need to stack top five classes on top of each other. I think Michigan did a great job here in this, in this class.

Yeah. And I think, I think those schools that we talked about, Ohio state, Oregon ourselves definitely have separated from the big 10. I mean, USC made a nice little run today. Penn state's got a nice class, Penn state's, Penn state's got a really solid, you know, Justin, you talked about wheelhouse in the NIL world. That's kind of where Penn State lived. They don't have really any elite guys. You know, I mean, their top recruit, their top commits probably are number five commit, but then they're just stacked in the four-star range. And so, you know, and they can fill in that with the portal. But after that, I mean, the gap in our conference, I mean, you know, the guys down the street, I don't know what –

I know there was a lot of excitement, and I think he's a good coach, but I don't know what Michigan State – this has got to be Michigan State's worst recruiting class maybe ever. You know what I mean? And typically when you have a new coach, there's that – you know, that bump class tends to be across the country, not just in the Big Ten. That bump class tends to be across the country, not just in the Big Ten. That bump class tends to be a really strong class. I mean, they don't have a single four-star in the class. The only two teams in the Big Ten that have a class ranked above

is Purdue, who just fired their coach, and Northwestern, who never recruits at high level. Those are the only two programs that they're ranked above. So I don't know what's going down the street. They have one guy in the top 500. Right. Is that the kid from Frankenmuth? I don't even know which guy.

So they have a defensive lineman, Derek Simmons from Frankenmuth, who is a four-star on just 247, not on the composite. I like his game. That's about the only guy. I mean, the running backs, I mean, it's nice to get him back from Bama. But, yeah, I mean, I've backs. I mean, it's nice to get him back from Bama, but yeah, I mean, I've seen some Michigan state fans talk about their, and I, their main NIL collective Twitter account hasn't tweeted in like eight months. Like that's gotta be just really just as a fan.

That's I feel for them because it's like, where's the hope? Where's the, you know, what, what, what is Michigan state going to do? There's rumors of, Where's the, you know, what is Michigan State going to do? There's rumors of Nick Marsh maybe exploring the portal. Would be a shame if Bryce Underwood threw to him next year. The Marsh brothers, man. Yeah, so, Brian, to your point, that's a tough recruiting cycle for the Spartans. What about Indiana? You know, I was kind of shocked to see them. point that's a that's a that's a tough uh recruiting cycle for the smartens what about uh

what about indiana you know i was kind of shocked to see them they're ranked 44th in the country um you know with the years that they've had in the juice that signetti is bringing i would have thought that they would get a light bump here um but i mean maybe they're going all you know gonna try to go all out in the portal or something. But, yeah, they're not far off from Michigan State. They're 44th, MSU's 57th. They've only got one kid in the top 300. And so, really, you know, I was just surprised to see them down that low with the success that they had.

We brought a lot of guys with them from that lower level of football and that staff. And I think to recruit with the big boys, you'd have big boy recruiters around you. And I don't know enough about a staff. I'd be lying if I said I knew, you know, the makeup of the staff, but I would venture to guess that that's going to be, have to be a huge priority for that. If he wants to continue to have any type of sustained, sustained success, he's going to have to bring in some dog recruiters and you have to think he's a smart guy that'll happen but you know it's clearly not there yet because you know they're top 10 in the country and going to the playoff and have a class like that um you know i think they can sell out

the portal because a lot of a lot of their their whole team is having success from portal guys and they can point to the 2024 season say you want to be that guy uh come on in yeah yeah they've got i think in the portal to your point brian they've got, I think in the portal, to your point, Brian, they've got an easy sell, especially at the quarterback position with Rourke having a great year like he did. You know, a lot of, I mean, just all those guys were portal guys. Every single playmaker, impact player for Indiana this year was a portal player.

So I'll be curious to see what they do with this time. They're going to make the playoff, by the way. Oh, for sure. Yeah, and Warren warren manual said like the teams that are stuck in their spot can't do anything so they're in i think at this point unless there's some crazy upset but i mean it's pretty insane right like they that's been you know we talked about it when uh we were playing them right and still michigan should have won that game. I very much believe that. If you have any type of competent offense that day, you win, right? Not a shot at any of our guys on the offensive side of the ball, but it's just the reality.

But pretty crazy because what we talked about at the time was like, they haven't had a season like this ever. It's not like they haven't had it in like 10 years, 20 years, 30 years. Literally the history of their program, they have never had a season like this. So, you know, talk about like, we joke about basketball schools, football schools, yada, yada, yada. They are truly a basketball school that have never been a football school ever. They do have some pretty kind of crazy alums, though, like Mark Cuban.

I know. There's some other folks. I think they got Springsteen involved. Or no, is Springsteen from Indiana? I can't remember. Either him or John Cougar Mellencamp. I can't remember which one. But they've got some kind of crazy money. Mellencamp's Mellencamp's from Indiana yeah so they've got

some crazy money uh rolling around down in Bloomington so we'll see but also you might see this bump in 26 and 27 classes if Cignetti's going to stick around so um especially if you know Justin you made this point on a previous podcast we're talking about of Indiana being able to sustain this success but if they can you know i certainly think that they'll see some some bumps in recruiting from this year and then god forbid they win a playoff game i mean they win a playoff game holy shit watch out like then that's when if i if i'm being honest i will be like all in on signetti you know i think everyone's still myself included like all right you know he's got this arrogance to him they've got like some swagger he's obviously doing well you know he's

doing things in indiana that has never been done before but you know you go up against ohio state you get you know you weren't ever in that game right? And so if they can do this, you know, not only in the playoff, but also just next year, if you can stack two years together, that's what I'm looking for because we see this all the time. You know, even P.J. Fleck with Minnesota, he had one good year really, and then they backed off. And so that's kind of what I'm looking for. Well, I just wanted to bring up,

do you guys remember when Will Howard stopped out the cigarette and then lost to Michigan while throwing two picks? I just wanted to bring that up. Yeah, just not related. I think with Indiana, you referenced the Ohio State game. I felt like watching that game, it was much – it reminded me a lot of Michigan versus TCU. They just couldn't get out

of their own way in that game like that game the score was lopsided but if you were watching it they were moving the ball they just kept you know stepping on there you know what you know i mean they just it was they could go the other way as a guy that lives in sec country i want so badly so so badly for indiana to play any sec school in that playoff and beat them. And I don't care if they beat them four to two. You know what I mean? Like, I just want it so bad because all I hear is, you know, if Indiana had to play Tennessee schedule, you know, it's like, whatever. Hypothetical SEC teams are undefeated in the history of college football.

Did you see Tom Fornelli, I think, put it out today. He said, he's like, I talked to a sports bookie front of mine, and he said the hypothetical SEC team's a 4TD favorite over the actual SEC team. Yeah. That was good. That was good. But, yeah, and I think the portal pitch is much different. I could be wrong, but I feel like the portal pitch to a recruit

is so much different than the high school recruit. You're pitching guys that have already been on campuses. They know they're intelligent. They know what they want. They know it didn't work where they're leaving. They know exactly what they're looking for. They can identify a roster. I mean, you hear the conversations. It's a breakdown of the depth chart. Okay, where do I fit? What skills can I bring? What are you looking for in this position? How do I fit scheme? So I feel like, you know, in Indiana, when you have a year like they just had, where it's all, not all, but a majority of portal guys, they can point to, hey, look at this guy that has success. Much like I think Michigan has. Michigan has been great in the portal at, we haven't had brought in big numbers,

but by and large, this past year, we brought in a lot of guys. But prior to this year, just about every guy we brought in was a perfect fit, came in and played, played at a super high level. I mean, you know, we don't win the national championship. I think that's true of every team the last few years without the transfers. But, you know, I think that's a selling point if you utilize them well. And Indiana certainly has. And I think, you know, as we transition into portal season,

Michigan still has a great sales pitch in that regard. Definitely. Well, let's talk about it. Looking at, you know, obviously National Signing Day is more about the future a few years down the road than right around the corner. So let's look at, you know, we talked about a couple guys, obviously, Bryce Underwood and Babalola, maybe Marsh and Earls that could play right away in 2025. Where, you know, we still got a lot of gaps, a lot of holes in this team in order to be competitive in 2025, especially, you know, you look at the offensive side of the ball,

you look at the defensive side of the ball where, you know, we're going to have the exodus on the defensive side of the ball um you look at the defensive side of the ball where you know the deep we're going to have the exodus like on the defensive side of the ball like we did last year with the offensive side right um a lot of guys are going to go to the nfl so um let's take a look at the depth chart uh and where what would you say the top three to five portal needs are for mich Michigan right now? I mean, I think the offensive line, I still don't feel like – I think we have up-and-coming guys that might be a year away, but I look at that offensive line and, man, we need some guys there. I think depending on health status, some tight end depth, 1,000% need to add a couple wide receivers.

I mean, I think we need help a lot of places. And I think we're likely to have – we've had six guys go into the portal already i think five six guys in the portal we'll probably have 15 20 more you know just the way it is i don't know who it's going to be so far other than tyler morris it's been guys that are buried on the death chart but uh you know we're bringing a lot of new faces and i mean what i think the better question is what position don't we need i mean probably right like i think we don't need to bring in a running back you know i think we're pretty good at defensive tackle i think we're pretty good at defensive end although who would turn away another josiah stewart right like someone like that um i think

we're in the best shape at our linebacker core that we've ever been uh not ever but in the last three four years i feel like that's kind of been our weakest position on both sides of the ball the last few years and i feel like you know barham and houseman are back jimmy rolder played really good how i talk about two portal guys how houseman and barham both portal guys right right right and getting houseman at the time he was just a freshman at nebraska coming in behind Junior Colson and Mike Barrett. So he was not – like he was an afterthought. It was like, oh, this is cool. And I'm like, yes, we've got unbelievable linebackers right now.

And now, like he legitimately probably won us the game against Ohio State. He was great. All day. Right? Yeah, so I feel like up the middle of the defense we're pretty solid i feel like we're pretty good at defensive tackle pretty good at linebacker really good at safety especially if rob moore comes back um i love hillman uh you know we got and we've recruited really well there so i feel like up the middle of the defense we're solid cornerback we definitely need some people you know i mean i feel like we have a lot of needs

and then depending on what you know i think one of the biggest things that need to be addressed is if Savada leaves um and I think he's gonna have to you know if I'm him you gotta strongly consider going I mean is his stock ever gonna be higher is to identify us really strong kicker in the portal because he was a stud for us uh you're gonna need a punter too um no I mean you know it's funny i i've been thinking about it when i've been having conversations with people that i talk to like um and when i say conversation i mean like i just talk to like my family members and friends who are michigan fans so like i'm not like counting inside information conversations this is just like shooting the shit uh i actually wouldn't mind running back um like some somebody that's a playmaker in the portal. Yeah, offensive line, I saw that they're bringing in Liberty transfer

Jordan White for a visit next week. He was the sixth highest graded interior offensive lineman according to PFF. So, Brian, we know we talk about PFF a lot, so that's kind of a crapshoot. But, you know, nice to see some movement already there. But, yeah, I mean, just looking at the depth chart here, I mean, I would love to see another edge guy uh coming in who could be a game wrecker um you know derrick moore who knows he's gonna have a decision to make um and unfortunately in this day and age i mean he might be a guy that

other programs might covet if he decides not to go to the nfl so michigan may have to work a little bit harder to keep him here um you know i'm excited excited about the kid, David Pauley Pauley, who's going to be a redshirt freshman, big, big time kid. You know, it's funny, Justin, a couple of times this year, I saw his family walk by the tailgate and his dad is also a large human being. And I'm like, yeah, that's, that's the, that's the Pauley Pauley. But no, I think, you know, he was a big time recruit last year. So excited to see him.

I mean, obviously Ray Sean, hopefully coming back. I think he's a draftable guy. So it's just hard to say because you don't know the decision that everyone's making. Obviously Michigan coaches will be way more privy to that information than Michigan fans will be. But I think, you know, potentially another linebacker who knows with Barham, you know, I think he can play edge.

So maybe instead of getting an edge rusher in the portal you get another linebacker to take his spot because it felt like once michigan kind of put him closer to the line of scrimmage is when he really started to become a game wrecker and make a lot of plays so um but yeah i mean i think you know maybe another guy at corner um you know obviously the wide receivers quarterback again i wouldn't mind a running back and then yeah offensive line i think is going to be – I would prefer like two or three guys up front. I saw some Northwestern players that started to enter the portal.

Preeb was Michigan's best offensive lineman this year, I think, probably over the course of this year. Most consistent, for sure. Yeah, so have had success with Northwestern guys up front. I saw a couple guys that entered the portal for them. So, we'll see. Are we feeling set at tight end? with uh with northwestern guys up front i saw a couple guys that enter the portal for them so we'll see um are we feeling set at tight end you know like i mentioned with we didn't talk about olech andrew olech is the big time recruit kind of still up in the air if he will sign with michigan

or not um you know preschooler goes down with an injury how serious is injury because no no i have no idea there nothing came out about it um but, yeah, to your point, I mean, Marlon Klein probably will be coming back and starting there. And I've been told, like, in practice, Marlon Klein is an unbelievable athlete and just, like, insane. So I think we're, you know, we haven't been able to see it. He doesn't move and shimmy and shake quite like colston loveland not many do right like um but uh yeah i think you're probably okay at tight end if

you're you know that's a lot farther down i would say on the needs uh you know list i i agree people probably said that going into last year and you're going at aj barner right so if you go find the right type of guy true right to bolster that room because again i think h into last year and going to A.J. Barner. Right. So if you go find the right type of guy. True. Right. To bolster that room. Because, again, I think Hogan Hanson is going to be a guy. I mean, he should have had two touchdowns against Ohio State. So I think he's going to be a guy that takes that leap into year two. Shout out to Steve Casullo, by the way.

I think tight end was by far the best position group on the offense and one of the best position groups on the team. So, you know, his guy stepped up even without Colston coming. So I've got a lot of faith in his ability to see guys develop and get better under his tutelage. So, but yeah, I mean, I think receiver, offensive line are my two biggest needs, along with quarterback, just to make sure that you don't force Bryce Underwood into any situation that he's not ready. I'd love to get defensive, you know, a Caleb Downs, a Keyon Saab-type guy at corner, you know,

like some elite guy that we go and do whatever. Let's go tamper, baby. Come on, let's get a little tampering going. I feel like it's all tampering now. I think there's, you know, that's so hard. That's all it is. Everyone's talking to everyone. Right, right.

Well, I thought that you might see it today. I mean, it happened yesterday with Nathaniel Marshall, But I think with where Michigan now is as a program and their willingness to be a program, as you would say, Judson, I going to go see a big time guy come to Michigan. Some position, I don't know, but I just feel like with, that's how Ohio state does it. That's how Oregon does it. Right. Like that's how a lot of these schools, like they identify somebody like, no, we're, he's not in the portal. He's going to be in the portal tomorrow. We're going to go get it. So, right. You know, be curious to see if Michigan does something similar. Yeah. And I think Justin, you're in front of it.

I think, Justin, you're in front of it. I think, you know, depending on who they bring in for the offensive coordinator could, you know, typically you see guys follow like if you get the guy from Toledo or you get the guy from three transfers from Charlotte, you know, with, if pogey back in the fold, I think, you know, you're going to see a couple of the first guys in the portal, the cycle or from Charlotte. And I just thought that guy's, I thought that guy's already Michigan. Yabiyoki, does he still have some eligibility left? No, no, but I think there's going to be some guys and he's going to know who their best guys are. So I, you know, I think it's a pretty safe bet that there's going to be some Charlotte players on the roster.

Don't even think about just Charlotte. Think about just the DMV area, right? With his ties in Baltimore, being at St. Francis for as long as he was. I think he's got another school too, but just think of the guys that that's such a talent-rich area that Michigan's had a lot of success with coming out of high school, now potentially able to, with,

if this is going to be back in the fold on a full, you know, full-time basis, be able to go and get some guys that are at different schools that are like, you know what, my relationship with Biff is, is strong and I want to go play at Michigan.

So I think that's going to open up some doors, you know, to your point, the office of coordinator, we'll see what they do with other position coaches. I don't want to get into it on this happy signing day podcast. I still think there needs to be a couple changes personally. But we'll see what other moves they make

and whatever doors that opens with the guys they decide to hire. Yeah, I think to anyone that watches this, everyone makes fun of teams when they see guys hop in the portal. Buckle up and get ready for you know a bunch of names that you know tyler morris i think was a surprise to many people there's gonna be more just like that you know 15 20 more guys are gonna have on the portal just like every other program in the country and that's just the way of the world and you know let's face it there's not a lot of guys on the roster right now that would be devastating to lose you know what i mean there's really isn't. I mean,

I don't want to lose our good players. I don't want to lose anybody on the too deep or going to, but you know, no one on our too deep right now is irreplaceable. I don't think. And I think to, to your point, like you look at a Raheem Anderson, right. Who obviously has it, I'm just using him as, as the example. But he hasn't you know, hasn't broken the starting lineup, obviously, but he's been a backup for the last two years.

But I think what you're seeing right now from Sherrell Moore is being pretty damn cutthroat. You know, hey, moving in conversation right now, and instead of like he did going into this season, he was probably forced to more than wanted to. But what he did was, hey, you know, we're going to be good with what we've got here. I think he learned pretty damn quickly.

It's like, hey, you know, Raheem, we like you. You're still going to be a backup because we don't, we can't trust that you're going to be good enough to be a starter. And I want to let you know that we're going to go get somebody in the portal. So with him, with Tristan Bounds entering the portal, instead of him trusting that a gentry type is going to be good enough at a left tackle spot, they're going to be aggressive and go in the portal. And it's no more Mr nice guy type of thing i

think from charon moore it's you know what we got to do what we got to do to go win and that is going to be cutthroat you know he's being honest with guys that's what i'm seeing with the tyler morris even you know with tyler morris entering the transfer world to me that is a conversation with him and char Sharon and you know Ron Bellamy or whoever it is and saying hey we're gonna go get three new wide receivers that are probably gonna start next year and you're gonna have to fight for your job and Tyler Morris is like you know what I'm probably gonna go find somewhere where I for sure will start and that's okay that's okay well it's it's merciful too too, right? Like you don't string somebody along.

You have that conversation with them. And look, these guys, shout out to these guys, man. These guys were part of the 2021 recruiting class. They never lost to Ohio State. They won three Big Ten championships. They won a national championship. And they're leaving with a degree from Michigan. Like that works out, right?

Yeah. So you root for these guys. Like, man, I got to say, like, you know, just I knew you weren't able to attend the Northwestern game, but I was there. It was fucking awesome to see AJ heading, port my language back in the big house, making some plays again, you know, obviously against Michigan. But, you know, so you root for those guys. Like, I was stoked to see AJ heading makes a place, man. Yeah. I mean, it's all of them. Right. And so, yeah, there's no like hard feelings for Raheem Anderson or Tristan Bowser, Tyler Morris.

I think it's just a the state of the sport right now. This is what what people do. Right. I know that like Rod and Keon Sab are really good buddies still. Same with McCarty. Right. So they talk all the time. They don't hate each other because he outweighed and took an

opportunity at alabama right um you know so i but i think you know why to back to my first point you know i really like that chiron not only in the recruiting but in the portal he's seeming to be very aggressive it is time to win now we're not okay with how things went this season we've got bryce underwood we've got a window of three years here to use the number one quarterback in the nation and go win another national title that's what that's what you're doing right yeah and decisive like the kirk campbell news will that come two days after we beat ohio state by hey just beat your biggest rally and we only scored 13 points but hey, you just beat your biggest rally. And we only scored 13 points. But, and you fired off as a coordinator.

You know, I think. Makes the win even funnier, to be honest. You know, I connected with Coach Gamble yesterday, and he was like, man, I love this place. He's like, you know, sad to go, but he's, you know, they clearly left on good terms, and he still thinks fondly of the program. He was in a tough spot too, man. I mean, we've been critical, right?

And that's probably certainly fair for us to be critical of the offense this year but man he was put in a tough situation um you know wish it would wish it would worked out he helped michigan win a national championship like let's not forget that so hope he lands on his feet but to your point justin it gives you it just makes you excited like no i tell you the last couple weeks i mean obviously the the wins and bryce but like just the small things that are maybe the casual sand wouldn't pick up on like showing Sharon showing that I will do whatever it takes to win. That's that makes me just excited. Well, and I think, especially for a young coach like that,

making the tough decisions are the hardest ones, right? I mean, let's be honest, Jim Arbost struggled with making the tough decisions are the hardest ones right i mean let's be honest jim arbaugh struggled with making the tough decision of letting don brown go probably three years too late right and so and they were good friends like that's a you know a whole story in itself and so you know the the reality is the best coaches in this in college football are the ones that kind of have the stone-cold heart, right, of like, you know what, I got to do what I got to do. And, again, you can still be friends with – you know, Sharon and Kirk can leave on good terms knowing that it's a business decision.

But you look at Belichick, you look at Saban, you look at Kirby Smart, you look at, you know, all these coaches, they do what needs to be done, and they do not care, right? They're not here to make friends. They're here to win football games. And so from a young coach to know that, learn that, you know, I think going 7-5 makes you learn that really quickly. I've been impressed with that, his decisiveness of, like,

he's not here to fool around he's not here to play mr nice guy um you know uh it makes me more excited about him and his tenure than i was a few weeks ago i agree i agree as we've said it's been a complete 180 since uh after surviving it was a bye week so um right. The future is in good hands. It feels like we've got a great class here. Number seven class in the country. So, fireworks are happening. There was no, you know, hopefully Andrew Olesh, you know, commits tomorrow.

This is, we're recording this on Thursday night. Or, sorry, Wednesday night. He's, sorry, he's a Friday guy, right? Correct. So hopefully he sticks with Michigan. But other than that, I think the big win here for Michigan is there's no Bryce Underwood

last minute flip, Babalola. There's no last second, oh shit, we lost somebody that we thought we had the whole time and it ruins the whole class that's correct um so that's probably the biggest win here but ultimately you know michigan's best class since 2017 as we mentioned a couple times um so terrell moore you know uh gotta figure things out on the field in 2025 but as of right now crushing it in recruiting um so it makes for a good day here uh any closing comments from you too this is going to be outrated by the time this goes up um i just uh got i was just scrolling uh in between looking at stuff that we have for the

for the show i don't know if you guys have seen this but ohio state basketball is losing 40 14 in the first half against Maryland. But, you know, 14 points is hard to come by. Sometimes you can't even score 13, you know? Right, right. So I just want to throw that in there. Look at the bright side. They got to two touchdowns.

They were 14-foot. All right. Well, for us, you can follow us at blue by 90 on twitter instagram facebook at blue by 90 podcast on youtube and blue by 90.com we appreciate you go blow