The Michigan Insider

In this episode, Zach Shaw and Steve Lorenz break down their annual ranking of Michigan football's most important players for the upcoming season, then discuss the biggest position battles and potential breakouts in fall camp.
They open with a look back at their annual rankings of the Wolverines' most important players. They discuss the top group being solidified, which players may have been ranked too low, and which players outside the top 25 could end up being more important than expected.
In the second half of the episode, they discuss which position battles they'll be watching most closely as fall camp gets underway, as well as which players whose development in the next couple weeks has their attention the most.

In this episode, Zach Shaw and Steve Lorenz break down the top newcomers for Michigan football ahead of the 2026 season, discussing the Wolverines’ key transfers and early-impact freshmen.
They open with a look at Michigan's transfer portal class, which includes more than half a dozen projected starters for the Wolverines this fall. They discuss the top-line guys, such as John Henry Daley and JJ Buchanan, underrated impact players like Chris Bracy, Jonah Lea'ea and Trey Butkowski, and sleeper adds like Jaime Ffrench.
In the second half of the episode, they try to assess where the freshmen fit in. They set expectations for Savion Hiter, and offer early projections for several Michigan freshmen expected to crack the two-deep this fall.

In this episode, Zach Shaw and Alejandro Zuniga break down their takeaways from covering Michigan at Big Ten Media Days in Chicago.
They open with a look at Kyle Whittingham’s press conference appearances. They discuss their overall impressions, Michigan’s revamped approach to strength and conditioning, Bryce Underwood, Whittingham’s approach to the rivalry and his season expectations.
In the second half of the episode, they discuss Whittingham’s depth chart breakdown, and what the players had to say while speaking in Chicago.

In this episode, Zach Shaw and Alejandro Zuniga break down the news that Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel will step down at the end of the calendar year after more than a decade leading the University's athletic department.
They open with a look at the timing of the news, which came after a week of outside speculation that Michigan's investigation into the athletic department's culture had found Manuel culpable. They discuss Michigan releasing an abbreviated outline of the findings, and why it's time for Manuel to step down, regardless of the results of this specific investigation.
They then pivot to look at Manuel's tenure with Michigan, which began in 2016. They discuss both the high amount of scandals and championships under Manuel's watch, including multiple NCAA investigations, 80 Big Ten titles and national titles in both football and men's basketball.
They close with a look at what Michigan should look for in its next athletic director, and how the University should balance the financial and traditional component of the athletic director role.

In an exclusive interview with The Michigan Insider, Michigan Athletic Director Warde Manuel sits down with Sam Webb to discuss the latest surrounding all of the happenings around Ann Arbor including questions on his own future with the program.
Other topics covered include his performance as athletic director and Dusty May's recent departure for the NBA.