Crazy 4 Maize and Blue

Channing Stribing #8 Channing Stribling CB (Jr)  - At 6'2", Stribling has the length the new staff wants out at corner and an opportunity for him to get more reps just opened up with Blake Countess transferring out. The former three-star prospect showed some promise as a true freshman two years ago but suffered a bit of a sophomore slump in 2014. I left him off my list of  leaders, role players, or best off the bench  too, but I think he has the ability to have a surprisingly good season as a backup/role player and part-time starter. If this team truly wants to compete every week this fall it is going to need guys like Stribling answering the bell when it rings. And it  WILL  ring eventually. Jaron Dukes WR (Jr) - I didn't include Dukes anywhere in my list of leaders, role players, or best off the bench  either, but I am hopeful that he can make me wish I had. Although he dropped a couple passes in the spring game, he scored the game's only TD ...

Optimistic Fan is once again looking forward to the upcoming Michigan Wolverines football season. Having a roster as loaded as this one, with three, four, and five-star quality talent to go along with an all-star head coach in Jim Harbaugh, it's hard to not have some glimmer of hope that this is the year we've been waiting for as fans. I am not about to start making predictions about how the offensive, defensive, and special teams units will produce this fall (at least not yet anyway), but I feel it's never too early to evaluate what each of our top players could bring to the table on Saturdays. Top 20 Returning Leaders for 2015: Jourdan Lewis #26 1. Jourdan Lewis CB (Jr) - Analysis:  Lewis, a Detroit Cass Tech product, simply emerged as one of the best defenders on the entire roster in 2014. He is so good that I am already hoping he comes back for his senior season in 2016. If you watch the tape you will see a guy that shut down his part of the field to the...

Shane Morris can be "the guy":  Morris has lost the backing of a large portion of Wolverine Nation, and the spring game didn't seem to do much to ease any fan anxiety over the QB position. If you were to peruse any Wolverine-related site online you will see that some have already handed the job over to incoming Iowa graduate transfer Jake Rudock. All this hype reaffirms my suspicion that most fans don't know what they are looking at and they sure as hell don't know what they are talking about in regards to a developing football team. First of all, Morris looked fine. He may have not looked spectacular, but he looked good enough to give hope that he can continue to develop. A new, unrefined, and vanilla offense going up against one of the best and deepest returning defensive units in the country hardly ever looks very good in spring practices. Why should this example be any different? There is obviously a lot of work to do, but there is plenty of time to develo...

Returning Leader: Shane Morris Shane Morris 6'3" 209 lbs - Morris is the only returning player at the position with any chance of becoming the starter in 2015. He looked good enough in the spring game to give me hope for his future after Hoke and company left him beaten-down, broken, and lacking any confidence. Nothing should remedy his ailments better than the arrival of Jim Harbaugh as head coach and Jedd Fisch as the passing-game coordinator. A healthy influx of talent to compete won't hurt either. Despite what a lot of fans might think though, Morris is the leading candidate to be the guy this fall as he is learning to control that canon of a left arm he has on him. He also has some surprisingly quick feet to get out of trouble in a hurry if needed. 2015 Additions: Jake Rudock Jake Rudock 6'3" 208 lbs - A graduate transfer from Iowa, Rudock has 25 starts for a Big Ten team under his belt already. That makes him by far the most experienced p...

Wolverine Prospects to Watch in the Next Two Cycles: 2016  There are few bigger targets than Paramus Catholic's DT Rashan Gary. This year's cycle of incoming talent will be a lot different than 2015's version now that Harbaugh and his new staff have gotten their recruiting legs under them. With an entire year to prepare before the next signing day there won't be as much of a scramble to patch things together at the last minute. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see all the slots filled and all the commitments in before the first week of February. In other words, Harbaugh will get his guys and National Signing Day will be a lot less dramatic. I am expecting about 18 or 19 scholarships to be available for 2016, but we could see as few as 17 or as many as 21. There are a lot of factors still at play and we won't know too much more until after spring. In regards to needs , the 2016 class should resemble something like this at each position: Quarter...

Jourdan Lewis (#26) is my number one overall pick this spring. Jourdan Lewis CB - One the team's best overall athletes, Lewis will help shut down a large chunk of real estate in most games this fall. He has the speed to chase down defenders from the opposite side of the field (see Utah) and he accounted for the only two INT's in the secondary. He did have some struggles but QB's began avoiding him somewhat in 2014 and might look to do more of that in 2015. Bryan Mone DT - Although Mone is definitely on the rise, I wouldn't necessarily say he is the second best player on the team... yet . This pick is all about strategy and projection at this point, because if I was starting a team from scratch I would want to bulk up the front line of defense to stop the run. I love everything about this guy and I have a very good feeling about him as we transition into the Harbaugh era. His presence alone could provide more room for other very talented defenders to run free. Ja...