MGoBlog: The MGoPodcast

The Sponsors
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Featured Musician: The Unsustainables

THE VIDEO:

[After THE JUMP: The show notes, eventually.] 

---------------------

1. WMU Preview: Offense
starts at the top

It's a Walt Bell offense! They're going to put the WRs and TEs at the sideline to draw the secondary away from a running game that goes tempo, shifts late, and has a great backfield to punish any mistakes. Big OL includes a returning all-MAC guy and two 6'6" heavies at guard. Expect the WR screens to be the main passing attack, and if it's 3rd & long they dead.

2. WMU Preview: Defense
starts at 15:27

The front seven got raided. They're finally out of Lou Esposito defensive linemen, went to the portal for an OSU walk-on and a weird DT/LB hybrid from LIU. Linebackers were formerly blitzy types, now 5th years. Secondary has one star in Joshua Franklin, the corner who returned when he could have gone to Ohio State or something, and another decent returning starter in former UConn/CMU CB Jarvarius Sims. Turner's been moved to nickel however and they're starting Presbyterian CB Willard Ferrell, who's listed at 6'1"/155, which: I believe you if you say you've gotten bigger but if that's your starting point woah. Ditto for returning free safety Joey Pope, and former Michigan walk-on, who also started for WMU last year.

3. Upon Further Preview
starts at 28:41

Things we learned while doing the previews. One is that people are calling Bryce Underwood a bust: uh, too early folks! Linebacker panic in spring was probably because they saw nine walk-on caliber players with three young guys and zero Nate Staehlings. Also Chris Bracy's arrival was like Dani Rojas.

4. The NCAA's Eligibility Crisis
starts at 53:32

Is LSU trying to corner the market on most unlikeable coaches? They are pushing this thing so hard it's turning people in favor of the NCAA. Such an incredible own goal from the NCAA to not grandfather this properly, because there were guys waiting and they drew a harsh line. Because they gave everybody the 2020-21 season for free it's really only those two classes—2021 and 2022—that didn't get a free fifth year, and all they had to do to make this make sense was extend it to players who 1) Didn't do anything pro after this rule was an option (read: not the guys LSU tried to sign, who were trying out on NFL teams); and 2) Would have eligibility under the new five-for-five rule (read: only recent grads who played four in four). Michigan would like them to play anyways because Roddy Gayle is now crucial with the McCoy injury, and it would be nice to bring back Ernest Hausmann as well.

Featured Artist: The Unsustainables

From MGoUser TxWolverine44:

My band is The Unsustainables and we're based out of Chapel Hill. We're a rock-steady ska group and recently released our first album Every Broken Heart Will Mend (we have sent out the opening title track as our unofficial single). Worst case, I hope you enjoy it! The loose Michigan connection is that I'm an alum (c/o 2012) so tenuous

Best case, I enjoy it, listen to it a bunch while writing the previews this year, and use it for our first MGoRadio episode this year. They say rock-steady ska, but if ska is a confluence of jazz and pop-punk, the jazz influence here is a much bigger part of the mix. Seeing them live up here probably isn't an option, but they have a couple of EPs that preceded this album so you can turn this on and leave it boppin' while you go through a bunch of linebacker film or whatever it is you do during the day. I used three thematic songs but the Chesterfields song was my fav when I had this on.

If you've got music and won't issue a takedown notice on YouTube, I'd love to feature it on future episodes.

Songs:

Every Broken Heart

Friday Nite

Honeydrippers   

Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken down, the opener and outro:

“The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark

“Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

Things Discussed:

Smart, old secondary. Can play those Fangio games where you recognize patterns in how they align and switch coverages. Going to be special to watch that.

DTs: Lea'ea and Etta are not doubles-eaters, so we may have to play differently than we have in the past up front. Can you play 3-4? Sure but that will wear out Pierce. Would love for Palepale to come online

Utah best offense in Whittingham's tenure last year with Dampier, who is not remotely accurate.

Bryce: Surrounding cast much better (28 drops last year!), his legs included. Dante Moore at UCLA was the comp to last year.

Okay gets you to 20th in SP+, better than that needs Bryce to step up. Can he? Yeah, think Gardner is too low on Bryce's ability to read a defense and hit tiny windows.

DB on Marsh was scared and that gave breathing room.

WMU: Not the kind of offense you expect to see from a MAC team. Big offensive line, Walt Bell runs a complicated run offense that really tests how well your defensive rules work inside.

WMU Defense: I love their nickel, but they have some tiny guys in the secondary who are just not going to be able to handle JJ Buchanan. Expect Bryce to look better in this game than he will most of the year.

Roddy Gayle litigation: NCAA shot themselves in the foot, but not certain how the court will rule. TRO is a good start, next step is a preliminary injunction it's important to win so he can keep practicing, but the emergency ruling will be the ballgame, and it's not certain the judges will side with him. Sucks because the McCoy injury means they need Roddy now.

Things Discussed:

Online Q&A Tomorrow hosted by U-M Club of Fairfield. Detroit Kickoff Dinner on Monday at Ford's Garage, and the following day I'm in D.C.

Pre-show, Sam & Ira were talking NFL doing away with Pro Bowl. Seth suggests they have college alumni games. Certainly there are some NFL players from Ohio State who want to beat Michigan at something once in their lives? Pick different rivalries every year.

Best Fred Jacksonism ever: Anton Campbell is Gayle Sayers.

Sorting the camp facts from camp lies. Tariq Boney is believable because he's probably getting to the quarterback, could be used in an Uche role this year, but isn't going to be on the field in a run situation.

Use what you know and how players develop. Lea'ea has gotten bigger, but can he get so much bigger to be one of the three, or isn't it more likely he's just going to be who he is and what you're hearing about Kanka and Palepale is they're not impact guys right now, and Moten etc. are not playable yet?

Linebacker is where this gets scary, because once you start talking about Max Alford: I know what Max Alford looks like.

Basketball trip to Lithuania takeaways:

Quinn Costello is a movement shooter. Taller Foster Loyer.

Brandon McCoy is going to be a problem on both ends of the court. Think his shot is busted; his free throws are not that close. Craig: teach him some midrange.

Center: Can't play without Thiam. Estrella looks like a four, Moller is not ready this year.

New rules to prevent pros from coming back: schools will punish coaches and schools, hope to muddle things for inevitable lawsuits. Big Ten hasn't promulgated a basketball rule, football rule means no Ernest Hausmann though, because (before they made the rule) his name was in the Draft. Roddy would be ineligible if they extend this to basketball because he played in summer league, which is a pro league. NCAA won some recent cases.

2 hours and 21 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, The Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre, Radecki Oral Surgery, Long Road Distillers, and Venue by 4M where recorded this.

1. Michigan's Nonconference and Big Ten Teams 18-15
Starts at 0:54

We welcome in Alex Drain to go over Michigan's nonconference games and the rest of the Big Ten.

Western Michigan
Pretty good for a MAC team, they won the MAC last year.  Last year they were an offensively driven team, but they've lost their defensive coordinator to the LA Chargers. They have big offensive linemen (including Ben Roebuck). Michigan's questions at defensive tackle and linebacker will get an early test. 

UTEP
It's bad. Like... really bad. They're starting over with FCS guys. 

Oklahoma
They get John Mateer back (which can be good or bad at any given moment). His stats in the second half of last year weren't great, how much of that was because of injury? He's an athlete when he has to run the ball. They bring back All-SEC WR Isaiah Sategna. Their run game overall was really bad, it brought down their overall offensive SP+ to 51st. Current SP+ projections are 27th. Cole Sullivan might not even start. The starting line is Michigan -2.5 so consider it a toss-up.

18 - Purdue
7-29 in the last three years since losing Jeff Brohm, and there's not much optimism going into this year either. Their schedule might be a little easier at least. This is year two of a coach starting over for Baryy Odom. Can you name the Michigan player who is a projected starter for Purdue? 

17 - Michigan State
Pat Fitzgerald is... a weird hire. They bring back QB Alessio Milivojevic for some continuity, also PFF really likes UConn RB Cam Edwards. The offensive line looks okay-ish. However, Fred Moore is a projected starter. Do they get four wins? 

16 - Rutgers
Nobody cares about them except for Bryan Mac. Last year they had their best offense since 2007 but their defense was 131st in success rate. They have KJ Duff who has a claim for the 2nd best wide receiver in the Big Ten. The offense is projected at 37th in SP+, the defense at 90th. 

15 - Maryland
Someone always has to die in the Maryland preview. They're #2 in returning production in SP+. Give Locksley some credit for returning a lot of young and talented players. A nonconference game against James Franklin's Virginia Tech could be exciting. 

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP] 

2. Big Ten Teams 14-8
Starts at 38:57

14 - Northwestern
They have Chip Kelly and a new stadium (we all liked Ryan Field, though). They start with South Dakota State and then get a week two bye, oddly enough. Can they fix Aidan Chiles? They have some returning wide receivers that are decent. 

13 - Wisconsin
The shell of Wisconsin, the week they though Luke Fickell would get fired he got an extension. They bring in QB Colton Joseph, the Sun Belt player of the year. Old Wisconsin would never have to go into the portal for a running back. By extending Fickell they gave him a bigger NIL budget which he used to get seven defensive starters.

12 - UCLA
They have a new coach. The weird Deshaun Foster era ended before it started. Bob Chesney comes in from James Madison. Nico Iamaleava comes back (for better or worse). James Madison was in the playoffs last year, you might recall. There is a lot of reason to be optimistic about this hire. Semaj Morgan is there! 

11 - Nebraska
They did not get year-three Matt Rhule, there was no lift-off and Raiola left. They picked up QB Anthony Colandrea from Virginia. They need a new RB. They're on their 4th defensive coordinator in five years, despite a soft schedule they still finished 7-6 last year. It feels like another 7-5 ish season. Is that Matt Rhule or is that just Nebraska now? 

10 - Minnesota
68% returning production. They're always around here and they always win a bowl game. QB Drake Lindsey is appearing on 1st round mock drafts?? They're projecting 71st on offense and 24th on defense. They're Minnesota. 

9 - Illinois
They lose Luke Altmyer to the Detroit Lions and bring in Katin Houser (MSU plays three of their former QBs). Only one starter returns on the offensive line. They bring in Bobby Hauck as defensive coordinator, he left Montana claiming college football wasn't fun anymore and then took this job five days later. He might be their Wink. The defense needs to be fixed up a bit.

8 - Washington
They forcibly detained QB Demond Williams for another year so... I guess we'll see how that goes. Last year he could just toss it up to Denzel Boston but he's out the door. They bring in a RB from Oregon and Christian Moss from Kennesaw State. Four of five starters return on the offensive line which could be solid. They lost some pretty good guys in the secondary, defensive tackle is still worrying since they have FCS and MAC guys to plug in positions. Their schedule is very favorable, they could even sneak into the playoffs (and get demolished).

3. Hot Takes and Secondary
Starts at 1:19:11

Takes hotter than the hottest hot take that anyone has ever given the Sklars after one of their shows. 

7 - Iowa
They're Iowa. They haven't had an SP+ defense worse than 6th since 2018. They got all the way up to 37th last year in offensive SP+ (turns out Brian Ferentz was not good at offensive coordination). There are some all-Big Ten guys on the offensive line. Do they have any receivers? Ehhh. They have tight ends. Seth read three preview magazines and they all listed different starting QBs. They lost a lot on defense but they always rebuild. This could be a worrying game for Michigan (if Iowa can score). 

6 - Penn State
Well, the good news is last year they weren't as bad as they looked. Despite everything that happened they were close to beating Indiana at the end of the season. Matt Campbell comes in with Rocco Becht. A lot of players came over from Iowa State, it's just a matter of how quickly they can fit it all together. Their schedule is a joke, they could even sneak into the playoff or the Big Ten title game. Michigan should still be a favorite. 

5 - USC
They bring back QB Jayden Maiava, but they replace Makai Lemon. The receiver conveyer belt is moving. Everybody loves Waymond (and they bring back King Miller). Their new defensive coordinator is Gary Patterson (yeah that Gary Patterson). Too bad they don't play Northwestern. They always have a top 10 offense and they just need the defense to be okay. The schedule is brutal, though. Are they just permanently the 15th best team in college football under Lincoln Riley?

4 - Michigan?
See: all other content.

3 - Indiana
They are the portal team now. Despite losing so many players they recruited the transfer portal like an SEC team. QB Josh Hoover comes in from TCU, he's a good conference starter. They also bring in Nick Marsh (MSU) and Shazz Preston from Tulane. Add that to Charlie Becker and their WR room is stacked (also two time winning national champion Tyler Morris!). They bring in a RB named Turbo! They reload on defense and keep their defensive coordinator. Brian is not a believer and predicts 8-4, Alex thinks they'll be really good, Seth is somewhere in between.

2 - Oregon
They get Dante Moore back with the regular trope of skill position players. The offensive line is a big question mark and they replace both of their coordinators with in-house hires. The defense has some good players including one of the best corners in the country. They have a Rimmington-quality center but that's about it for the line (the starting right tackle is a true freshman). Their talent is undeniable, but can they win the big game? 

1 - Ohio State
Last year they had the Penn State schedule of this year. Sayin's stats looked unbelievable through 12 games, then they couldn't score against Indiana and Miami. That needs to improve. Jeremiah Smith is a generational wide receiver, Chris Henry Jr will be really good but probably not quite Jeremiah Smith's level. The offense will need to make that next step. The defense was what was considered generational on SP+. They lose 9 of 11 starters on defense but they always have a conveyer belt. They had to portal some guys, though. They'll probably take a step back on defense but the offense stepping forward probably cancels that out. The schedule is pretty brutal. 
 

4. Lightning Round
Starts at 2:09:30

Predictions! List yours in the comments.

-Who will be offensive MVP?
-Who will be defensive MVP?
-Breakout player on offense? 
-Breakout player on defense?
-X-factor on offense? (Most variable in your estimation)
-X-factor on defense?
-Biggest strength on offense?
-Biggest strength on defense? 
-Biggest concern on offense?
-Biggest concern on defense?
-Who's your guy on offense?
-Who's your guy on defense?
-Michigan's record?
 

MUSIC:

"The Latter Teens"—Vansire

"Black Bear"—Hey, Nothing

"Funky Fanfare"—Keith Mansfield

“Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

1 hour and 49 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, The Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre, Radecki Oral Surgery, Long Road Distillers, and Venue by 4M where recorded this.

1. Defensive Line
Starts at 0:54

The defense is older and more experienced overall compared to the offense, but there are some holes to fill. John Henry Daley transfers from Utah and claims to be ready to go. Aidan Hutchinson as his ceiling might be tough coming off of an injury, but Aidan Hutchinson's 2021 season was also coming off of an injury. There's also a version of JHD where he's not all the way back and is only pretty good. The other starter is either Cam Brandt or Dom Nichols. We're not hearing a lot about Nate Marshall. Benny Patterson, on the other hand, could be a guy that's coming on. A lot of the defensive ends have some experience and are just waiting for their turn. Defensive tackle is not as deep, has some question marks, and doesn't have an established star. Trey Pierce could be solid. Enow Etta has a chance of taking a big step forward. By the end of the season he was the one still standing up against Ohio State. Seth is not high on Jonah Lea'ea. Palepale is probably the 3rd defensive tackle, he's a big dude. Don't give up on defensive tackles. Everyone wants Alister Vallejo to be the high riser, the Mason Graham comparisons are out there. Bobby Kanka flashed in the spring game. Defensive tackle seems like a not great situation overall - there are a couple guys who are serviceable to good and then a lot of questions marks. You always need at least four. 

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP] 

2. Linebackers
Starts at 33:40

The group that is probably the most uncertain, more-so than defensive tackle. They had a first and second team of linebackers that have left after last season. We get to see Cole Sullivan again this year after he transferred to Oklahoma. Nate Staehling is the guy we're most excited about, the transfer from North Dakota State. It would be so lovely if he was a generic Iowa linebacker! He has the ability to take on a lead block. The other portal takes are much less inspiring. Troy Bowles, Chase Taylor, and Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng are the other major contributors. A lot of them look like safeties. Chase Taylor has high shoulder pads! Staehling probably starts with Bowles? After these three it drops off pretty quickly. The recruiting class has three guys that all ranked in flyer territory. Nobody in the program is complaining about defensive tackle, but there are a lot of concerns about linebackers. Keep the top guys mostly healthy and you've got a shot, though.

3. Hot Takes and Secondary
Starts at 53:56

Takes hotter than that other week this summer that wasn't even Art Fair but it was like 100 billion degrees and Brian was sitting outside watching his kids play tennis badly. This is a surprisingly veteran group! Not a lot of questions at cornerback, your starters are Jyaire Hill, Zeke Berry, and they import Smith Snowden from Utah. Jyaire Hill has first round upside and this year should be a star. Zeke Berry is at least solid but is he better than that? Could Shamari Earls start over Zeke by the end of the season? The other cornerbacks are Jo'Ziah Edmond, I'Marion Stewart, and Jamarion Vincent. Vincent is a freshman and Stewart is a flip from wide receiver; they're not generating a lot of buzz. Seth is ridiculously high on Smith Snowden at nickel. At safety - is Rod Moore going to be healthy? He says he's healthy but he's on a pitch count. If he's healthy and he's Rod Moore he's one of the best safeties in the country, but he might not be Rod Moore. Chris Bracy transfers in from Memphis and is one of the best transfers in the country. He's a huge asset in stopping the run. Too bad he's not big enough to play linebacker. Mason Curtis got a lot of experience last year and is the 3rd safety, he'll get a lot of opportunities this year. Jordan Young has some upside despite inexplicable snaps last season. 

4. Special Teams and Overall Thoughts
Starts at 1:28:04

This defense feels like it's going to be pretty decent but there are a lot of questions. If you get the ceiling of a lot of guys on the edge and maybe Staehling then they could be really good. But the middle of the field and the backup defensive tackles are shaky. Will it be fine and are we just spoiled as Michigan fans? There are a lot of guys that will be big pieces on the defense in two or three years and they're on the roster right now. The secondary will be especially exciting if Rod Moore is back, but could weird teams like Iowa take advantage of what Michigan's missing? Also, Michigan has a college defensive coordinator and not Wink Martindale. Michigan imported Trey Butkowski (kicker) and Cam Brown (Aussie punter). Pat Narduzzi was really mad that he lost his kicker so he must be really good. He's not Moody or Zvada but he makes a lot of kicks. The 25 yard line is probably field goal range now, rather than the 35, Justin Turner is your likely comparison. Cam Brown's an odd one. He's a Hudson Hollenbeck comparison but kicks it a little further. Michigan's long snapper, Gavin Magorien, is the only Michigan player on the Freaks List this year. Who do you want returning kickoffs, Moa? And Andrew Marsh on punts? 

MUSIC:

"Take It"—Donnie and Joe Emerson

"Rabbits"—Thomas Dollbaum

"Dog Bite"—Mickey Leao

“Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra