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2024 Michigan Preview: Will The Wolverines Take A Step Back? · Buckeyes TomOrrow Morning

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Welcome to Buckeyes tomorrow morning for Tuesday, July thirtieth. I'm
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  Speaker 1: your host Tom Moore. The Akron game in thirty two days,
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: the game against Michigan in one hundred and twenty three days.
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  Speaker 1: Today we are going to be talking about those Michigan Wolverines.
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  Speaker 1: This is actually an episode that I recorded at Big
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  Speaker 1: ten Media Days last week with Aaron McMahon of the
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  Speaker 1: Annarburnews and mlive dot Com previewing the twenty twenty four
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  Speaker 1: Michigan Wolverines. And just to let you know, we are
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  Speaker 1: doing these a little out of order.
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  Speaker 2: Here's why.
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  Speaker 1: There was a report from on three that the notice
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  Speaker 1: of allegations involving the Connors Stallion situation last year and
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  Speaker 1: some other NCAA issues, well, they are expecting that to
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  Speaker 1: potentially come out this week and could in fact be
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  Speaker 1: as early as Tuesday this week. That report from the
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  Speaker 1: Wolverine dot Com said that quote one current coach allegedly
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  Speaker 1: deleted several texts between him and Stallions that could be
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  Speaker 1: a little bit of a complicating factor in terms of
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  Speaker 1: that case. There's going to be a lot to talk
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  Speaker 1: about whenever that happens. When it does, I'm sure Tony
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  Speaker 1: Gerdman and I will be on there doing a little
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  Speaker 1: bit of a live show for you at YouTube dot
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  Speaker 1: com slash Bucket Hud also keep an eye out for that,
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  Speaker 1: whether that's Tuesday or sometime later in the week. But
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  Speaker 1: now let's move on to our conversation with Aaron McMahon
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  Speaker 1: of the ann Arburn News previewing mostly the on field
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  Speaker 1: portion of the twenty twenty four Michigan Wolverine. I'm joined
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  Speaker 1: now by Aaron McMahon from the ann Arburn News and
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  Speaker 1: M Live and Aaron here to talk about the Michigan Wolverines,
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: every Ohio state fans second favorite topic. I think, boy,
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  Speaker 1: there is a lot to talk about. They had a
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  Speaker 1: very eventful January and February this year where hit the
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  Speaker 1: highest of the highs and then had just this very
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  Speaker 1: weird post championship period where you had the will hear
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  Speaker 1: won't he Jim Harbaugh and you had the you know,
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  Speaker 1: string of guy you know you knew last year team
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  Speaker 1: with senior Laden but we had a lot of guys
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  Speaker 1: leaving for the draft.
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  Speaker 2: What was that like?
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  Speaker 1: It felt like there was it, you know, the first
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  Speaker 1: outright national championships in nineteen forty eight first National Championships
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  Speaker 1: nineteen ninety seven. Obviously that's still going to be special.
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  Speaker 1: Was that a little bit of you know, just a
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  Speaker 1: little bit of I don't know, annoyance after that? For
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  Speaker 1: fans that it was like, oh, come on, let us
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  Speaker 1: enjoy this for thirty sixty days.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's funny.
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  Speaker 3: It was probably the appropriate bookmarking for what was a
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  Speaker 3: weird season. Right You mentioned the Connor stallions of Michigan's
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  Speaker 3: had under two NCBLA investigations. I think the assumption, even
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  Speaker 3: going into the Rose Bowl in the National Championship was
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  Speaker 3: that if they were to win and Jim Harbaugh got
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  Speaker 3: an NFL offer, he would be gone. And he'd been
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  Speaker 3: trying for a couple of years now, he just hadn't
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  Speaker 3: gotten a team to agree to take him on. So
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  Speaker 3: I guess Michigan fans probably weren't too surprised given the
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  Speaker 3: would have been leading up to that.
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  Speaker 2: But I think that all the fallout and not only
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  Speaker 2: Jim leaving.
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  Speaker 3: But taking several assistance with him, Michigan having to scrambled
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  Speaker 3: a fire to find a new defensive coordinator, and at
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  Speaker 3: the same time, from a player personnel standpoint, Michigan brought
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  Speaker 3: back a lot of guys last year that theoretically could
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  Speaker 3: have went for the NFL corm had he not gotten injured,
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  Speaker 3: could have left separate of the offensive lineman, could have left.
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  Speaker 3: So I think Michigan fans going into last year knew
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  Speaker 3: that there was going to be a mass departure, so
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  Speaker 3: that probably wasn't a big surprise. But in totality, with
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  Speaker 3: everything that went down, I do think fans now there
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  Speaker 3: wasn't a lot of time.
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  Speaker 2: To celebrate, just because your head coaches are returning.
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  Speaker 3: You're getting a lot of these guys back, and there's
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  Speaker 3: a lot of wondering, you know, what's going to happen
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  Speaker 3: now with the.
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  Speaker 1: Next And what was next was hiring Searon Moore, which
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  Speaker 1: you know, felt like very logically, you're coming off a championship,
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  Speaker 1: why wouldn't you make a continuity higher. This guy just
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  Speaker 1: filled in for a bunch of games at the end
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  Speaker 1: of the season, won several games. It is rare to
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  Speaker 1: hire a coach who has already beating o higot date
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  Speaker 1: before he's been officially your head coach, but that's what
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  Speaker 1: they got. How has the Charon More era gone? It
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  Speaker 1: felt like there was a very slow start in terms
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  Speaker 1: of recruiting and the portal, all that kind of stuff,
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  Speaker 1: and now it feels like maybe business is picking up
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  Speaker 1: a little bit on those fronts.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, he's starting to find his footing. You know, A
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  Speaker 3: topic of conversation this offseason is whether what this shro
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  Speaker 3: More era is going to look like, right, Is it
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  Speaker 3: going to be a continuation of Jim Harball and the
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  Speaker 3: way mission did things in the past, or this is
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  Speaker 3: gonna be totally brand new and early on, early indications
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  Speaker 3: are this is going to be a continuation. I don't
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  Speaker 3: see Michigan's offense and mentality changing a whole lot, especially
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  Speaker 3: in the first year or two. You know, you know,
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  Speaker 3: I remember Scholmore was hiring twenty eighteen as a low
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  Speaker 3: level assistant coach tight ends. He worked his way up
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  Speaker 3: the staff, eventually got play calling duty. Was he coached
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  Speaker 3: the offensive line and kind of helped mold this offense
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  Speaker 3: to what it became. So I don't think you're gonnaee
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  Speaker 3: a drastic change this year. I think you're gonna see
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  Speaker 3: Michigan try and run the football, do the things that
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  Speaker 3: they play, that big, physical, brutality style of play that
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  Speaker 3: you saw the last couple of years. So I don't
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  Speaker 3: see it changing a whole lot. In Sharon's in the
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  Speaker 3: unique situation. Never been a head coach before he is,
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  Speaker 3: he had no ties to the university or state of
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  Speaker 3: Michigan before the job. So he's an interesting spot because
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  Speaker 3: in the past, you know, Michigan hasn't had a ton
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  Speaker 3: of head coaches, but when they did hire guys, it
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  Speaker 3: was typically guys with ties at school.
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  Speaker 2: Whether players or coach before or wherever the case may be.
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  Speaker 2: So he's in a unique spot.
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  Speaker 3: I think he realizes that, and he feels fortunate, and
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  Speaker 3: I think he's in a way kind to try and
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  Speaker 3: ride the wave for a little bit of which was
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  Speaker 3: able to do.
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  Speaker 1: It's so fascinating that Sharon Moore and you've got Ryan Day,
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  Speaker 1: two guys who well they're very careful not to say
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  Speaker 1: that they don't like each other, but when you ask
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  Speaker 1: them if they like or respect each other, the answer
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  Speaker 1: is not, it's not yes. And then but you go
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  Speaker 1: through all this stuff you just said about Sharon Moore,
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  Speaker 1: other than started at tight ends, Ryan Day started at quarterbacks.
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  Speaker 1: Everything else you could apply directly to Ryan Dad. So
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  Speaker 1: so similar how you know, such a parallel path there.
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  Speaker 1: That's so interesting for guys who are on very opposite
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  Speaker 1: sides and probably not sending each other Christmas cards at
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  Speaker 1: this point. So Sharon Moore's first team this year is,
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  Speaker 1: you know, this is a very tale of two cities there.
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  Speaker 1: It is still kind of the best of times on defense.
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  Speaker 1: It is not quite the best of times on offense
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  Speaker 1: because you got Colston Lovelin back as you'r as the
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  Speaker 1: only returning starter, and you've got EA Sports cover boy
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  Speaker 1: Donovan Edwards, who is you know, certainly put some yardage
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  Speaker 1: up as a running back, but it is not technically
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  Speaker 1: the returning starter. Everywhere else, It's kind of square one
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  Speaker 1: in some ways. I think we're contractually obligated on a
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  Speaker 1: college football preview show to start with the quarterbacks, to
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  Speaker 1: start with the quarterback. They've got five guys there. It
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  Speaker 1: doesn't feel like there's a definite answer among those five guys.
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  Speaker 1: Alex Orgy safe to say he came out of spring
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  Speaker 1: as the favorite to win the job. I mean, how
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  Speaker 1: confident are you that he is going to be the
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  Speaker 1: starter and stay the starter all season?
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  Speaker 2: Not confident?
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  Speaker 3: And I think that just goes goes to speak to
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  Speaker 3: the uncertainty at the quarterback position gun in my head
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  Speaker 3: coming out of spring, he has the front runner. Part
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  Speaker 3: of it is I think just what Michigan wants in
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  Speaker 3: their quarterback. Part of it is injury related. You know,
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  Speaker 3: Jack Tunnell the most experienced guy of the bunch when
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  Speaker 3: we're started Indian, He's entering the seventh season, most veteran
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  Speaker 3: of the group. Didn't practice in the spring, so the
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  Speaker 3: Mission coaching staff didn't have a lot to work with him,
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  Speaker 3: didn't see him a ton. So I think training camp
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  Speaker 3: is going to determine a lot. Yes, I think Orgi
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  Speaker 3: is the frontrunner. He does some unique things on the
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  Speaker 3: ground with his legs. He's difficult to tackle. I kind
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  Speaker 3: of you know related in little He's almost like a
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  Speaker 3: poor man Jalen Milroe. Doesn't have a strong arm, but
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  Speaker 3: can can do things on the ground. Michigan likes that
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  Speaker 3: in a quarterback they had. They saw that a little
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  Speaker 3: bit out of Jay McCarthy, but I think ideally they
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  Speaker 3: would want more of it. The problem is, as I said,
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  Speaker 3: his arm isn't the strongest. He's attempted one pass his
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  Speaker 3: entire Mission career. They haven't used him in the passing
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  Speaker 3: game much at all, so it would not shock me
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  Speaker 3: at all if if you see some type of platoon
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  Speaker 3: situation early in the season, I know it's not something
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  Speaker 3: you probably want. But with Tunnel and his experience and
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  Speaker 3: his ability to throw the ball, and then Orgy, who
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  Speaker 3: I think the mission coaches like, but they need to
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  Speaker 3: see more out of they're gonna They're gonna work both
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  Speaker 3: of those guys in tell those problems. He's been injured
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  Speaker 3: the last couple of years. He hasn't been to stay healthy,
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  Speaker 3: so I think there's concern there. And then if you
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  Speaker 3: were to ask me, you know, watching Michigan spring game
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  Speaker 3: in April, who's the best quarterback of that group? It
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  Speaker 3: was somebody Else's probably a third guy in Davis Warren
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  Speaker 3: from a walk on who I think might have the
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  Speaker 3: best arm of the bunch, just inexperienced and maybe a
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  Speaker 3: little undersized, and you question whether he can get it
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  Speaker 3: done at the big ten level. Nonetheless, they got them
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  Speaker 3: figure out to do. They chose not to go in
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  Speaker 3: the transport portals. Obviously, he's to find a quarterback, something
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  Speaker 3: I thought I thought they would try to do, didn't
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  Speaker 3: do it.
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  Speaker 2: So they're gonna roll with one of these guys out
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  Speaker 2: of the group.
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  Speaker 1: And they do have Aiden Davis, who's a true freshman
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  Speaker 1: who very very highly touted, A lot of people think
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  Speaker 1: very highlight of. But he's a true freshman, so you're
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  Speaker 1: probably a year away there. Running back mentioned Donovan Edwards.
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  Speaker 1: Feels like he's kind of the big answer there. Wide receiver,
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  Speaker 1: they lost some production. They lost Cornelius Johnson and lost
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  Speaker 1: Brouman Wilson. You know, we saw some Smadge Morgan last year.
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  Speaker 1: Where does the wide receiver production come from this year?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, it's gonna have to be I think a group
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  Speaker 3: a group deal there. You mentioned Samaje Morgan. I think
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  Speaker 3: Michigan liked what they saw to him toward the end
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  Speaker 3: of last year. He was a big playmaker. Again, he's
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  Speaker 3: a little undersized, more of a slot guy, but they
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  Speaker 3: do view him as a playmaker. I think they're gonna
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  Speaker 3: try and get the football in his hands as much
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  Speaker 3: as possible. They've got Tyler Morris, a guy who kind
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  Speaker 3: of came out again last Year's kind of like their
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  Speaker 3: third option. They like what he can do as well,
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  Speaker 3: but again, another smaller bodied receiver.
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  Speaker 2: They're lacking the big bodied receiver on the outside.
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  Speaker 3: So at least early on, if you're going to see
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  Speaker 3: Michigan try and play within the tackles and maybe in
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  Speaker 3: the slot. When it comes to the passing game, you
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  Speaker 3: mentioned Colson Loveland. I think they're going to lean on
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  Speaker 3: him quite a bit in the passing game this year.
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  Speaker 3: He's preseason All American. He caught almost fifty balls last
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  Speaker 3: year for seven hundred yards. I think they're not him
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  Speaker 3: even more. But Morgan and Morris from your top two,
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  Speaker 3: they did bring in some guys from the transfer portal,
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  Speaker 3: guys with some experience. She just Charleston from Youngstown State
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  Speaker 3: being one, so I think they're trying to sprinkle his
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  Speaker 3: guys in, but it's gonna be kind of a group
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  Speaker 3: mentality here. And then you mentioned Tom and Network, who
• 9:21
  Speaker 3: has shown an ability to catch passes on the backfield.
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  Speaker 3: He's just short, I think, breaking the Michigan record for
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  Speaker 3: running back and receiving yards and catches. So I think
• 9:29
  Speaker 3: they're only on him quite a bit too. But it's
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  Speaker 3: going to be a unit bi committee type.
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  Speaker 1: Deel offensive line has been one of the real strengths
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  Speaker 1: of this team for going back to the Boshmback era
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  Speaker 1: or so. But this year, again basically starting from scratch,
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  Speaker 1: you got really functionally, the top six offensive linemen are
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: all gone. You don't, it's really you lose your top
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: six offensive lineman. Miles hitting this back. They stopping. If
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: you've heard this before, they went into the portal and
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: they got an offensive lineman in this case from Northwestern.
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  Speaker 1: But boy, it feels like they are kind of gonna
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: be piecing things together there for a little bit this year. Yeah.
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  Speaker 3: You mentioned this, the offensive line being the strength of
• 10:05
  Speaker 3: the Michigan team the last couple years, and you're absolutely right.
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  Speaker 3: They were to lean on guys not only their experience
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  Speaker 3: and talent, but especially last year they were deep. You know,
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  Speaker 3: they went this time last year, I remember, sure we're talking.
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  Speaker 3: He felt like he had legitimately a ten deep group
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  Speaker 3: where you could put in the backups and be totally
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  Speaker 3: fine with them playing.
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  Speaker 2: That's not the case this year.
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  Speaker 3: They probably got four or five guys and they feel
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  Speaker 3: really good about and then the collection the guys who
• 10:27
  Speaker 3: I think are still trying to figure things out, so
• 10:29
  Speaker 3: it's gonna be working progress early on. You know, Michigan
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  Speaker 3: last year did a very good job of kind of
• 10:35
  Speaker 3: bringing guys along up front and then leaning and they
• 10:39
  Speaker 3: went through a period where they were injured. They were
• 10:40
  Speaker 3: shuffling guys now on the offensive line, no profit, you know,
• 10:43
  Speaker 3: all the every week because of injury. As I mentioned,
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  Speaker 3: the depth worked out, They're not gonna have it this year.
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  Speaker 3: They have to stay healthy, I think, to be effective.
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  Speaker 3: And even then, I just don't know what they're gonna
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  Speaker 3: gee out of them. So a lot of guys who
• 10:54
  Speaker 3: have been in the program a while. Some guys have
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  Speaker 3: kind of had to wait their turn. But I don't
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  Speaker 3: know if the talent love is what it's been the
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  Speaker 3: last year.
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  Speaker 1: They're also turning things over on the defensive side of the ball.
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: Jesse mincher off to the NFL with Jim Harbaugh. So
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: now it's Wink Martindale. I got to make lots of
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: fun game show the old timey game show puns when
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: they hired him.
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  Speaker 2: I gotta love that.
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  Speaker 1: But he is, you know, sort of from that same
• 11:17
  Speaker 1: Baltimore Ravens adjacent kind of tree as the last couple guys,
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: the last couple of guys I've worked out pretty well.
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  Speaker 1: Is the expectation that it's going to be kind of
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: status quo. Whereas he because he was with the Giants
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: and he kind of has done some of his own stuff.
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  Speaker 1: How different is the defensive scheme medal.
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  Speaker 2: Of this year.
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  Speaker 3: I don't think it's a look drastically different. You know,
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  Speaker 3: he came in declaring himself the og of the Michigan
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  Speaker 3: Defense of the Ravens system.
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  Speaker 2: And it was a natural transition, right.
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  Speaker 3: You went from a Mike McDonald who came to Michigan
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  Speaker 3: in twenty nineteen twenty twenty two installed the Michigan defense
• 11:48
  Speaker 3: the Raven's way of what they were running, and they
• 11:50
  Speaker 3: handed off to Jesse Mincher who took the rains and
• 11:53
  Speaker 3: you know, tinkered itwet.
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  Speaker 2: You know, the case may be.
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  Speaker 3: But Wink's coming in, He's familiar with the system, he
• 11:59
  Speaker 3: knows what the trying to operate. Michigan brings back a
• 12:01
  Speaker 3: ton of players on the different side of the ball,
• 12:03
  Speaker 3: who knows who know what they're trying to do. So
• 12:05
  Speaker 3: it was an actual transition, Yes, to will be differences.
• 12:08
  Speaker 3: I think they've mentioned terminology has changed a little bit.
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  Speaker 3: You know, Wink has a track record of maybe blitzing
• 12:13
  Speaker 3: a little bit more than what Jesse Min or Michael
• 12:15
  Speaker 3: Donald during the previous couple of years. I know that's
• 12:17
  Speaker 3: given some Michigan fans, Conservative Brown has come up. Yes
• 12:22
  Speaker 3: that Wink has gone out of his way to say
• 12:24
  Speaker 3: I'm not Don Brown. Yes I am old and am white.
• 12:27
  Speaker 3: I'm not Don Brown. So I do think you'll see
• 12:29
  Speaker 3: Michigan try and you know, blitz a little bit more.
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  Speaker 3: But I do think you'll see very much a lot
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  Speaker 3: of varied stuff, a lot of disguising, a lot of zone.
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  Speaker 3: They'll use five defensive backs like they have been the
• 12:39
  Speaker 3: last couple of years, and trying to disrupt things because look,
• 12:41
  Speaker 3: Michigan benefited the last couple of years of defenses of
• 12:46
  Speaker 3: the defense getting off the field quickly and giving the
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  Speaker 3: ball to giving the ball to their offense who could
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  Speaker 3: run march down the field and take time off the clock.
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  Speaker 3: And I think they realized that formula works, especially in
• 12:55
  Speaker 3: the Big Ten style of play, and I think I
• 12:57
  Speaker 3: don't think they're gonna go away.
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  Speaker 1: Well, one thing that might help get opposing out fences
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  Speaker 1: off the field is they got two real good tackles
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  Speaker 1: inside on that defensive line, Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant. You know,
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  Speaker 1: I know there's a little bit of turnover on the outside,
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: but you know, you got to two tackles and the inside.
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  Speaker 1: That's a you want to keep opposing offenses from being
• 13:13
  Speaker 1: able to run the ball on you. That is a
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  Speaker 1: certainly a good start there.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, they're gonna they're gonna be disruptive up front.
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  Speaker 3: Mason Graham's an interesting guy, Southern California kid from Hawaii,
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  Speaker 3: Michigan kind of found and they're a little learning and arbor.
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  Speaker 3: And he's ever since he stepped foot on campus, he's
• 13:26
  Speaker 3: been he's been elite to Jim Harball is raping about
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  Speaker 3: him early on Brushman and he's only gotten better of
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  Speaker 3: preseason All American. He's you know, NFL mock drafts a
• 13:35
  Speaker 3: right talking about potentially him being a first round pick.
• 13:37
  Speaker 2: Uh.
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  Speaker 3: And then yeah, Kenneth Grant you mentioned kind of sidekick,
• 13:40
  Speaker 3: another good player who could potentially be an NFL guy.
• 13:43
  Speaker 3: They're gonna be They're gonna be tough to deal with.
• 13:45
  Speaker 3: Both those guys can stay healthy. Ideal, you know, ideally
• 13:47
  Speaker 3: from Michigan's perspective, they think they could have to the
• 13:50
  Speaker 3: best defensive tackles in the country. So, yes, their teams
• 13:53
  Speaker 3: are in a difficult time running on them, and they
• 13:55
  Speaker 3: do have some depth. Ray Sean Benny, who played quite
• 13:57
  Speaker 3: a bit last year, got a couple of starts injured
• 13:59
  Speaker 3: towards the end in the last year, he's by all
• 14:02
  Speaker 3: counts in the healthy way to go as well. So
• 14:04
  Speaker 3: I think they have not only two tackles they can
• 14:05
  Speaker 3: lean on, but a third. I think they can they
• 14:07
  Speaker 3: can send them there for relief.
• 14:09
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: Now the edge, it's not quite as certain there. They
• 14:13
  Speaker 1: have lost some talent there. They're lost some talent linebacker.
• 14:15
  Speaker 1: I mean, there are certainly questions here. This is this
• 14:17
  Speaker 1: is a you know, certainly the side of the ball
• 14:19
  Speaker 1: that has more talent, more returning talent. But there's still
• 14:22
  Speaker 1: some questions there. What are their concerns about the edge position,
• 14:25
  Speaker 1: about the linebackers or is that kind of you know,
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: just sort of the next man up.
• 14:29
  Speaker 3: Yeah, from the edge guys, there's probably a little bit
• 14:31
  Speaker 3: more concerned they Now they do bring two guys back
• 14:34
  Speaker 3: who've played a lot of slacks snaps, sighed Stuart Derreck Moore.
• 14:38
  Speaker 3: The way Michigan utilized their edge rushers last year, they
• 14:42
  Speaker 3: had four guys they leaned on, and if you go
• 14:44
  Speaker 3: back with a snap count production, they are really similar. So, yes,
• 14:47
  Speaker 3: guys were considered starters, but they weren't look as starters because.
• 14:50
  Speaker 2: They're playing equal number snaps.
• 14:51
  Speaker 3: There again another example of Michigan be able to lean
• 14:54
  Speaker 3: on their death to relieve guys and and cut down
• 14:57
  Speaker 3: the snaps and make bringing guys that were refresh. I
• 15:00
  Speaker 3: don't know if they have that same situation this year.
• 15:02
  Speaker 3: Stuart will be lean on quite a bit, Derek more obviously,
• 15:04
  Speaker 3: Lena quite a bit. Beyond that depth is agits or
• 15:07
  Speaker 3: who are those next two guys up? They don't necessarily
• 15:09
  Speaker 3: have answers there. They've been tinkering. They've been using a
• 15:11
  Speaker 3: lot of guys. We'll see where that goes, and that
• 15:13
  Speaker 3: might go back to the inclination of maybe Michigan not uh,
• 15:17
  Speaker 3: you know, blitzing as much as one would think linebacker.
• 15:20
  Speaker 3: I think they feel better at They've got a couple
• 15:22
  Speaker 3: of guys transfer from from Maryland and Jision Barham who
• 15:25
  Speaker 3: played a lot, started quite a bit last year, and
• 15:27
  Speaker 3: I don't they're really happy with him and what you
• 15:29
  Speaker 3: can do.
• 15:30
  Speaker 2: And then they've got another.
• 15:31
  Speaker 3: Little linebacker from Nebraska who he was played a little
• 15:35
  Speaker 3: bit last year we would kind of use as a
• 15:37
  Speaker 3: third starter or so topeak.
• 15:39
  Speaker 2: That they feel like they can they can lean on
• 15:40
  Speaker 2: quite a bit.
• 15:41
  Speaker 3: So I think they feel better about middle linebacker than
• 15:43
  Speaker 3: they do with the edge secondary.
• 15:46
  Speaker 1: I think we have to start with Will Johnson, highest
• 15:48
  Speaker 1: rated player of anyone in EA Sports twenty five. So
• 15:51
  Speaker 1: that's all the interesting to see. He's coming, right, He's here, Yeah, yeah,
• 15:55
  Speaker 1: so yeah, everyone everyone alwake has been saying my rating,
• 15:58
  Speaker 1: My rating's okay, but I think it's a little too low.
• 16:00
  Speaker 1: I think I think I'll be interesting to see if
• 16:02
  Speaker 1: he has the same the same thought. I'm sure everyone
• 16:04
  Speaker 1: wants to be two points higher than whatever they are.
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: He is about as sure a thing as it feels like,
• 16:09
  Speaker 1: you know, he feels like he is on that track
• 16:11
  Speaker 1: to be lockdown corner top ten ish pick next year.
• 16:15
  Speaker 1: I mean, he feels like about as sure of a
• 16:17
  Speaker 1: thing as you can have at the college level.
• 16:18
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 16:19
  Speaker 3: He was another guy who came in as a true freshman,
• 16:21
  Speaker 3: and I think Michigan really loved They saw the talent
• 16:23
  Speaker 3: early on. He's very good in man coverage. He's a
• 16:26
  Speaker 3: smart player. He's I think Michigan's they were leon from
• 16:29
  Speaker 3: an early, early early point, and he can. He came
• 16:32
  Speaker 3: live last year. He was a postseason All American despite
• 16:35
  Speaker 3: missing I think three games due to injury beginning of
• 16:37
  Speaker 3: the season, but he shows up in big moments. They
• 16:39
  Speaker 3: played well against Ohio State. He was named the defensive
• 16:42
  Speaker 3: MVP of the National Championship game. He's really a really
• 16:46
  Speaker 3: good players. He's an anchor that's that secondary who I
• 16:50
  Speaker 3: think has gotten better as the off scenes has gone on.
• 16:53
  Speaker 3: They lost a couple of guys due to one guy
• 16:54
  Speaker 3: do an injury and Rod Moore starting safety. They lost
• 16:57
  Speaker 3: another safety whose positioned to start key on sapp Alabama.
• 17:01
  Speaker 3: But they're able to fill that that role, that that secondary.
• 17:04
  Speaker 3: They brought in four transfers from from the portal, like
• 17:07
  Speaker 3: guys always starting experience, guys that played at different levels
• 17:11
  Speaker 3: who can fit in there. And I think it goes
• 17:12
  Speaker 3: goes back again the depth conversation. Michigan feels like they
• 17:16
  Speaker 3: want to play with five of backs you know, in
• 17:19
  Speaker 3: the game, and they I think they believe they've got
• 17:21
  Speaker 3: probably seven or eight strong backs there.
• 17:23
  Speaker 1: So this is a team that is coming off a
• 17:25
  Speaker 1: national championship, but has lost a ton of guys and
• 17:29
  Speaker 1: had turnover and the coaching staff and all that kind
• 17:31
  Speaker 1: of stuff. They have an interesting schedule this year. They
• 17:35
  Speaker 1: got Texas after years of getting stripes about non conference
• 17:38
  Speaker 1: schedule Texas is coming to the Big House, so no
• 17:40
  Speaker 1: complaining this year. USC on the schedule at Washington, Oregon
• 17:43
  Speaker 1: home for Ohio State the or sorry home for Oregon
• 17:48
  Speaker 1: at Ohio State. The you know, to have the National
• 17:51
  Speaker 1: Championship Game rematch be on the road, and that's maybe
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: your fourth toughest game. Maybe that is a tough schedule.
• 18:00
  Speaker 1: One's complaining about Florida schedule. Michigan does not have a
• 18:02
  Speaker 1: cake walk here. What does success look like? What would
• 18:06
  Speaker 1: be a successful season for Michigan this year?
• 18:08
  Speaker 2: It's a good question.
• 18:09
  Speaker 3: That beefed up schedule I think largely aside from the
• 18:12
  Speaker 3: Texas scheduling, is a result of the expanded Big Ten. Right,
• 18:15
  Speaker 3: You've got insurgent of good quality programs coming in.
• 18:18
  Speaker 2: Michigan has been matched up.
• 18:19
  Speaker 3: Like you mentioned, they have to play against the USC,
• 18:21
  Speaker 3: they have to go to Washington, they play Oregon.
• 18:23
  Speaker 2: It's not going to be easy this year, There's no
• 18:24
  Speaker 2: doubt about it.
• 18:25
  Speaker 3: I do think the twelve team playoff helps their situation
• 18:28
  Speaker 3: where they can probably still afford to go maybe ten
• 18:31
  Speaker 3: and two and still get in depending on when those
• 18:33
  Speaker 3: losses take place, in who they're against.
• 18:36
  Speaker 2: You know, success for showing more year one, and I've
• 18:39
  Speaker 2: been asked this quite a bit.
• 18:39
  Speaker 3: Actually, I think it's going into that regular season finale
• 18:42
  Speaker 3: against Ohio State and stealing contention for the Big Ten championship.
• 18:45
  Speaker 3: If they can still be there, whether they're nine to
• 18:47
  Speaker 3: two going to that game or ten and one win
• 18:50
  Speaker 3: or loss against the Buckeyes, I do think that's success.
• 18:53
  Speaker 3: There's so many questions on offense. I think what fans
• 18:56
  Speaker 3: are concerned about quarterback, who that's going to be, and
• 18:58
  Speaker 3: whether Michigan's are go to you know, move football and
• 19:00
  Speaker 3: run run the ball like they have the last couple
• 19:02
  Speaker 3: of years. So I think it's going into that regular
• 19:05
  Speaker 3: season finale in the Horseshoe and being still in the
• 19:08
  Speaker 3: conversation for the Big Tintael and the playoff.
• 19:11
  Speaker 2: I think it's a successful that way.
• 19:13
  Speaker 1: Earlier in the show, you mentioned the conress aliens saying
• 19:15
  Speaker 1: and sort of the looming, you know way notice of
• 19:17
  Speaker 1: allegations at some point maybe from the n CNBLE, like,
• 19:20
  Speaker 1: what is the sense from ann Arbor in terms of
• 19:24
  Speaker 1: what's coming, when it's coming. Is there any sort of
• 19:27
  Speaker 1: sense for this is not as big a deal as
• 19:29
  Speaker 1: people from Columbus think it is, or is there concern
• 19:32
  Speaker 1: is there Just nobody knows what's what's the vibe right now.
• 19:34
  Speaker 3: It's probably a combination of it all. I think a
• 19:36
  Speaker 3: good portion of fan base isn't worried about it. They're like, whatever,
• 19:39
  Speaker 3: they got their national championship and nothing else matters. But
• 19:43
  Speaker 3: I do think there's there's a worry, like what if
• 19:45
  Speaker 3: the NCPLA comes down hard on them. I mean, they've
• 19:47
  Speaker 3: already been placed in their probation for a separate encaple
• 19:49
  Speaker 3: investigation for recruiting violations. So if the nc determines that
• 19:53
  Speaker 3: rules were broken and you know it, it's serious enough
• 19:56
  Speaker 3: to warrant uh something other than a slap on the
• 20:00
  Speaker 3: I do think you'll see some sort of panic. But
• 20:03
  Speaker 3: right now, I think it's been largely celbratory careiod. Michigan's
• 20:06
  Speaker 3: happy they finally got their first titles since ninety seven.
• 20:09
  Speaker 3: They're won three start games against Ohio State. All is
• 20:11
  Speaker 3: good until then, I think they're going to keep celebrating.
• 20:14
  Speaker 1: All right, Well, Ohio State fans, we know they love
• 20:16
  Speaker 1: to follow Michigan all year. So if they want to
• 20:18
  Speaker 1: follow you, where can they find your work?
• 20:20
  Speaker 3: Yeah, We're alive dot com slash Wolverines I'm on Twitter.
• 20:23
  Speaker 3: If your ex Aaron McMahon, we've got a podcast, Wolverine Confidential, Spotify, Apple,
• 20:28
  Speaker 3: all the major streaming platforms.
• 20:30
  Speaker 1: All right, Well, appreciate it and see you in November,
• 20:32
  Speaker 1: and I don't know, maybe back here in December two.
• 20:35
  Speaker 1: Thanks for having me well, thanks again to Aaron for
• 20:38
  Speaker 1: taking the time to talk to me about Michigan. That was,
• 20:40
  Speaker 1: I thought a great conversation. I really I followed him
• 20:43
  Speaker 1: for years. I really respect his work. He does a
• 20:45
  Speaker 1: great job. You guys should probably follow him as well.
• 20:49
  Speaker 1: Check him out at the Narburnews and end Live dot com.
• 20:51
  Speaker 1: He does a really really good job covering the Michigan program,
• 20:55
  Speaker 1: and I know that is one that a lot of
• 20:57
  Speaker 1: folks in Columbus are very interested in as well. I'm
• 21:00
  Speaker 1: sure you will be very interested whenever that notice Valegation
• 21:03
  Speaker 1: comes out, whether it's on Tuesday or later this week
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: or i'm later this month, whenever it happens, you will
• 21:08
  Speaker 1: be here at YouTube dot com slash Buckeye Huddle to
• 21:11
  Speaker 1: talk about all of that stuff. Do yourself a favor.
• 21:15
  Speaker 1: Go right now to YouTube dot com slash Buckeye Huddle,
• 21:18
  Speaker 1: click on the subscribe button. Make sure you're subscribed, click
• 21:21
  Speaker 1: on that bell. Make sure you are getting get notifications
• 21:24
  Speaker 1: because when that news breaks, we will probably be hopping
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: on Live relatively quickly to break it all down for
• 21:30
  Speaker 1: you what we learned, what it could mean for the
• 21:32
  Speaker 1: Michigan program moving forward, and be a big topic of
• 21:35
  Speaker 1: conversation this week or whenever that news comes out. To
• 21:38
  Speaker 1: make sure you subscribe there at YouTube dot com, slash
• 21:40
  Speaker 1: Buckey Huddle, and of course as well at Buckeye Huddle
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: dot com. That'll do it for today. Thank you guys
• 21:45
  Speaker 1: all for joining us.
• 21:46
  Speaker 2: Have a great day. Let's talk Jennmorrow