Crazy 4 Maize and Blue

First of all, congrats to all 10 of the Wolverines who got drafted or signed on NFL teams free agents. Best of luck to you in the NFL. You are helping Jim Harbuagh realize his goal that he clearly spelled out for everybody five years ago. Notable Draft Classes: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Look, the Bucs had one glaring weakness in their starting lineup at right tackle. In a twist of fate, Iowa offensive tackle  Tristin Wirfs , who was arguably the best overall line prospect in the entire draft, slipped all the way down to #13. The Bucs couldn't even wait any longer and negotiated the swapping of a fourth round pick for a seventh to move up and bag him. He should help shore up what should be a very good line that can help move the chains in the run game and help take pressure off Brady. They probably won't be asked to pass block for very long as Brady loves the short to intermediate game, so expect sacks and turnovers to go down even if the team doesn't throw for 5,000 yards ...

QB - 1a. Dylan McCaffrey 1b. Joe Milton 1c. Cade McNamara Despite what anybody says outside the program, this job is completely up for grabs. All three top guys were talented high school football players and all three have a full year in Josh Gattis' offense under their belts. Most fans seem to be leaning towards giving Milton a chance while the media seems to be giving the edge to McCaffrey. Both are good athletes with loads of potential, but neither one might be as talented of a passer as McNamara, who is the youngest of all three. He actually passed for more yards in high school than the other two guys combined. Any way you dice it, the competitive fire should be high from everybody involved here all off-season. Having one guy emerge, no matter who it is, would be preferable going into fall camp though. RB - 1. Zach Charbonnet 2. Hassan Haskins 3a. Chris Evans 3b. Christian Turner 3c. Blake Corum* It really is Charbonnet's starting position to lose. He is just too big,...

Top Leaders: Carlo Kemp DL 5th-Year - A graduate player with loads of experience and pro potential. Ben Mason FB Sr - A recognizable fan favorite senior at fullback and on special teams.  Nico Collins WR Sr - An experienced senior player that could  Kwity Paye DL Sr - Don Brown has called him one of the best players in the country. Aiden Hutchinson DL Jr - Might actually be the best defender on the team. Dylan McCaffrey QB Sr - If he wins the starting job he should be a top cadidate.  Nick Eubanks TE 5th-Year - Another graduate player with a lot of experience.  Josh Ross LB Sr - A big return from him after injury could be key to the defense.  Brad Hawkins S Sr - A veteran player that is primed for a big year.  Ambry Thomas CB Sr - Chose to come back after teasing the draft. The Next In Line: Cam McGrone - Could end up being one the best players in the conference. Jalen Mayfield OT Jr - Will be a returning starter on the line.  ...

There is a lot of talk coming from the Michigan fanbase's less appreciative fans. They don't seem to like the job Harbaugh has done. Yes, they do have some great points considering Harbaugh's record against ranked opponents, particularly on the road where he has never beaten one. Oh, and there is his 0-5 record against Ohio State. Those things do hurt. And those things do need to change. It's just not enough to get rid of the guy who I still believe is the best option for Michigan football that is out there. I am willing to listen to arguments if someone has a possible option to respectably fill the head coaching job at Michigan and get the team over the next hump, then by all means speak up. I've been asking on message boards for over a year now and I still haven't gotten any good leads. At any rate, you do not get rid of a coach that literally just dug your program out of the gutter. You also never fire a coach simply on the fact that he hasn't yet been ...

Where do the Wolverines stand in comparison to the rest of the country? Top 20 Recruiting Classes, 2020 Tier One - The Elite: 1a. Clemson 4.15 - Of the 23 signees that the Tigers have in this cycle, six of them are 5-Star athletes. There are also about a dozen others that are 4-Star players. They are tied with the Tide for the top spot. 1b. Alabama 4.15 - The Tide only have half as many 5-Star prospects as Clemson, but even if you drop those three elite prospects from the class completely it still would rank in the top four. Signing a whopping 22 players that are rated as a  4-Star  or better is almost unheard of outside of Tuscaloosa. 3. Georgia 4.0 - The Bulldogs pull in top talent year after year but it just isn't enough to win that elusive national championship. Will this class be the one to help get them over that next hump? Possibly. It is in a solid third place and by all measurements is an elite class once again. 4. Ohio State 3.9 5 - Just like Georgia, t...

#9  Offensive Line  -  T Jalen Mayfield (Jr), T Andrew Stueber (Sr), T Ryan Hayes (Jr) , G Chuck Filiaga (Sr), C Andrew Vastardis (5th), G Joel Hongiford (5th), G/T Karsen Barnhart (So), T Trente Jones (So), G/C Nolan Rumler (So), T Trevor Keegan (So), C/G Zach Carpenter (So), G Zack Zinter (Fr), G/T Jack Stewart (So) Analysis:  The thought of losing four starters on the O-line is a bit scary on the surface. There was a lot of talent in the guys that left, particularly along the interior. But when one looks at the overall picture, one can see enough talent with 13 competitors here for spring, to put a productive unit together for 2020. Getting three tackles with 18 starts between them coming back is a good start. Mayfield will handle one of the spots. If he plays right tackle then Stueber could move inside to play guard while Hayes plays left tackle, where he started two games early in 2019. I believe this is the most ideal and likely scenario. If Mayfield plays le...

Jim Harbaugh and his Michigan coaching staff are wrapping things up for the 2020 recruiting class to mixed reviews. It's hard to argue against the talent they did acquire, but most detractors point to the lack of 5-Stars and the few big whiffs on top recruits to end the cycle. The simple fact of the matter is that it is another class by Harbaugh that ranks among the top 10% of college programs. In other words, with a 12th ranked rectuiting class, they were still better than 118 of the other 129 teams out there. Anyway I look at it, it still amazes me how people can be upset about it. Yes, it is true that they are not landing the big-time top-heavy classes that Ohio State, Alabama, and Clemson continue to land, but that is okay. It has to be okay because that's just not where the Wolverines are at right now. It is still a lot better than most though. And just ask Texas, UCLA, Tennessee, USC, and Nebraska fans how they would feel about the prospect of playing the Crimson Tide...