2018 Michigan Season thread

[Mdot21]

Lol one of the great television shows ever.

I just think it's BS. Notre Dame backed out of the series and made sure the final game was played in South Bend, and then when it gets put back on, Michigan has to go back to South Bend? Absolute BS.

Edit: it also cost Michigan $2 million to get out of the 2-game Arkansas contract. Had to pay them $1 million a game to break that contract to make room for Notre Dame. 

Michigan AD should've told them to either come to Ann Arbor in 2018 to resume the series or to kick rocks.

[Mdot21]

sounding like QB Shea Patterson, S Deontay Anderson, and WR Van Jefferson are all pretty close to a done deal. Will take something unforeseen to make that fall through. Anderson and Patterson need to apply for waivers for immediate eligibility, Jefferson doesn't need one as he is eligible to play right away.

That team will have basically everything it needs to compete in the playoff in 2018. It will all come down to shoring up the OL and the all-out QB battle between Patterson and Peters. Harbaugh needs those guys to push each other and get the absolute best out of both of them.

On defense everybody returns except Mo Hurst and Mike McCray. That is if Winovich stays, which I am inclined to think he will stay. He's not exactly a big-time NFL prospect like Little Bosa. Luiji Villain and Donovan Jeter were suppose to be in the 2-deep on DL this year, but both got hurt in fall camp and redshirted. I suspect they'll both get into that rotation in 2018. Gary, Mone, Solomon, Winvoich is your probable starting front 4. I think the only guy this year who locked up a back-up role with his play on that DL this year was the true frosh DE Kwity Paye. Rest of the spots are going to be wide open to competition. Long and Hill your returning starting CB's. I'd bet dollars to donuts that Ambry Thomas over-takes Brandon Watson as the nickel CB. If Deontay Anderson is eligible my guess is he'll put Josh Mettelus on the bench. Devin Bush the starting MLB, Hudson the starting "Viper/LB", and my guess is Noah Furbush taking over for McCray. They should have a really good defense again. Could potentially even be a ludicrous defense if Ambry Thomas can seize the nickel job from Watson and Anderson can relegate Mettelus to the bench.

They'll have so many talented TE's and WR's on offense and Higdon/Evans is as good a 1-2 punch at RB as Michigan has had in years. It'll all come down to fixing and developing that OL and finding a real life QB between Patterson and Peters. Huge piece to that OL comes back in the spring. Grant Newsome is going to be cleared for practice in spring, and we'll see if he can regain his form from the 2016 season when he was developing into maybe the best LT that they had in years.

[Mdot21]

well, it's official. Michigan safeties coach Brian Smith has accepted a job offer to be the new DC at Rice.

Devin Bush Sr. has taken over duties as safeties coach through bowl game prep. No decision yet on whether he keeps that job. I am hoping he does.

[Honestbuckeye]

sounding like QB Shea Patterson, S Deontay Anderson, and WR Van Jefferson are all pretty close to a done deal. Will take something unforeseen to make that fall through. Anderson and Patterson need to apply for waivers for immediate eligibility, Jefferson doesn't need one as he is eligible to play right away.

That team will have basically everything it needs to compete in the playoff in 2018. It will all come down to shoring up the OL and the all-out QB battle between Patterson and Peters. Harbaugh needs those guys to push each other and get the absolute best out of both of them.

On defense everybody returns except Mo Hurst and Mike McCray. That is if Winovich stays, which I am inclined to think he will stay. He's not exactly a big-time NFL prospect like Little Bosa. Luiji Villain and Donovan Jeter were suppose to be in the 2-deep on DL this year, but both got hurt in fall camp and redshirted. I suspect they'll both get into that rotation in 2018. Gary, Mone, Solomon, Winvoich is your probable starting front 4. I think the only guy this year who locked up a back-up role with his play on that DL this year was the true frosh DE Kwity Paye. Rest of the spots are going to be wide open to competition. Long and Hill your returning starting CB's. I'd bet dollars to donuts that Ambry Thomas over-takes Brandon Watson as the nickel CB. If Deontay Anderson is eligible my guess is he'll put Josh Mettelus on the bench. Devin Bush the starting MLB, Hudson the starting "Viper/LB", and my guess is Noah Furbush taking over for McCray. They should have a really good defense again. Could potentially even be a ludicrous defense if Ambry Thomas can seize the nickel job from Watson and Anderson can relegate Mettelus to the bench.

They'll have so many talented TE's and WR's on offense and Higdon/Evans is as good a 1-2 punch at RB as Michigan has had in years. It'll all come down to fixing and developing that OL and finding a real life QB between Patterson and Peters. Huge piece to that OL comes back in the spring. Grant Newsome is going to be cleared for practice in spring, and we'll see if he can regain his form from the 2016 season when he was developing into maybe the best LT that they had in years.

Good pick ups.  Not confident they can all be eligible.  They would have to sit a year under normal circumstances- and what happened at their school doesn't really give cause to change that.
I think it would be a mistake to let them play, as it just turns the NCAA into a big free agent joke.

[Mdot21]

Good pick ups.  Not confident they can all be eligible.  They would have to sit a year under normal circumstances- and what happened at their school doesn't really give cause to change that.
I think it would be a mistake to let them play, as it just turns the NCAA into a big free agent joke.

well WR Van Jefferson is eligible to play right away as he was part of the 2015 class.
Deontay Anderson and Shea Patterson will have to apply for waivers. Anderson was on the All-SEC Freshman team in 2016 and sat out this year in order to try and transfer and be eligible in 2018- but he never transferred. Sounds like Patterson and Anderson are very likely to get their waivers, but it's the NCAA so you never know.
WR they'll have....
2017 class
DPJ (6'2, 200) - 5*, #12 player, #1 WR
Tarik Black (6'3, 206) - 4*, #116 player, #15 WR
Nico Collins (6'4, 206) - 4*, 138 player, #23 WR
Oliver Martin (6'1, 198) - 4*, 181 player, #29 WR
2016 class
Dylan Crawford (6'2, 187) - 4*, #118 player, #19 WR
Eddie McDoom (6', 181) - 3*, #380 player, #63 WR
2015 class
Van Jefferson (6'2, 195) - 4*, #106 player, #11 WR
Grant Perry (6', 191) - 3*, #879 player, #109 WR
DPJ and Black both looked very promising as true freshman. I think both of them are big-timers, serious potential NFL players. Brimming with all the talent in the world. Key for them is consistency and taking the next step. Perry has proven to be a very dependable slot/3rd down receiver. Crawford and McDoom both show flashes but both are so inconsistent, kind of disappointed in them because they are two of the faster guys on the entire team. Crawford has struggled with injuries and route running, McDoom has really struggled with catching the football. Jefferson has proven himself at Ole Miss to be a very productive #3 WR. Martin and Collins really haven't shown anything as neither have gotten on the field yet.
Likely looking at DPJ, Black, Jefferson, and Grant Perry getting most of the catches/targets next year at the receiver position. TE's are bound to get a lot of the catches and this isn't an offense that throws the ball a ton.
They are only going after a couple WR's in the 2018 class, and even if they somehow sign the one 5* they are in on in JaMarr Chase- I very much doubt he'd even get on the field.

[MrNubbz]

Good pick ups.  Not confident they can all be eligible.  They would have to sit a year under normal circumstances- and what happened at their school doesn't really give cause to change that.
I think it would be a mistake to let them play, as it just turns the NCAA into a big free agent joke.

When Penn St was hit with sanctions they had a good RB who transferred to USCw.Forget the kids name but he did not have to wait it out.Perhaps same-same here

[847badgerfan]

When Penn St was hit with sanctions they had a good RB who transferred to USCw.Forget the kids name but he did not have to wait it out.Perhaps same-same here

None of those kids had to wait it out at all. Maybe that's precedent for these kids? Who knows.

All I know is they should do pretty well at Transfer-U with good coaching.

[ELA]

How long was PSUs initial bowl ban?

The rule is if the bowl ban is the length of your remaining eligibility, then you can transfer immediately.

If you want to change the rule, ok.  If you don't, there's zero reason to grant a waiver in this circumstance.  If you grant a waiver here, then you have to change the rule.

To be honest, I don't get the rule.  If anyone thinks these kids didn't know what was going on, they are only fooling themselves.  The entire roster knew, and I'd be shocked if all of the rats jumping ship now didn't get paid too.

[Mdot21]

How long was PSUs initial bowl ban?

The rule is if the bowl ban is the length of your remaining eligibility, then you can transfer immediately.

If you want to change the rule, ok.  If you don't, there's zero reason to grant a waiver in this circumstance.  If you grant a waiver here, then you have to change the rule.

To be honest, I don't get the rule.  If anyone thinks these kids didn't know what was going on, they are only fooling themselves.  The entire roster knew, and I'd be shocked if all of the rats jumping ship now didn't get paid too.

think PSU's bowl ban was 4 years. Which meant that literally any player on the team could transfer and be eligible right away.

The Ole Miss situation is a bit different. Any 2014 or 2015 recruit could transfer from Ole Miss and be eligible to play immediately.
2016 or 2017 kids who are trying to transfer have lawyered up and are saying they were lied to and misled by Hugh Freeze.
I actually think it's the opposite. I think the kids that got paid would have to stay and the ones who didn't would leave.
Ones who got paid and would decide to leave would risk having bitter boosters who paid for them go public and effectively ruin whatever would remain of their college careers.
Shea Patterson comes from a wealthy family. His father is a successful businessman. Ole Miss landed him because they hired his brother Sean Jr away from LSU to be an analyst. Arizona hired the brother Sean Jr first, which lead to Shea committing to Arizona. LSU hired Sean Jr away trying to lure Shea. Ole Miss hired Sean and got Shea. I'd talk smack about that, but Harbaugh has done it himself and there wasn't a rule in place to stop that until this year- and even then there are many loopholes in that rule. Van Jefferson's father is a former NFL WR and current NFL coach- he's made millions of dollars throughout his career as a professional athlete and NFL coach. Ole Miss boosters aren't buying him or his son to go there- they have plenty of money.

[PortlandSpartan]

A crazy thing I've noticed - many people who have lots of money do everything they can to continue to pile on more. 

I don't know a single thing about any of those situations, but "they already have money" means nothing. 

[Mdot21]

A crazy thing I've noticed - many people who have lots of money do everything they can to continue to pile on more.

I don't know a single thing about any of those situations, but "they already have money" means nothing.

yeah, no.
Highly, highly doubt a kid who comes from money takes money to go to school X, Y, Z. How much money do you think is being offered to go to those schools? Newsflash: it's not millions of dollars. There is a risk reward to everything. If you come from means, there really is no reason to risk getting in trouble and losing your eligibility. If you come from absolutely nothing and your family can't pay the heat or electric bill, that's a different story. Patterson/Jefferson fathers are wealthy. Shawn Jefferson played in the NFL for 13 years, retired and got into coaching and he's coached in the NFL for the last 10. He makes about $1 million a year as a position coach in the NFL. Those families are not being bribed by $5,000 here or $10,000 there or free cars to use or having their rent paid.
A kid like Laremy Tunsil or Reggie Bush who come from nothing and whose parents have trouble paying the electric bill and putting food on the table, yeah, they are far more inclined to the take hand outs from boosters and agents to provide for their families. Tunsil's mother couldn't pay her electric bill. I don't blame him one second for taking a hand out.

[ELA]

Didn't Winona Rider steal a purse or something?

That's not so much my point as it's laughable to suggest they didn't know what's going on.  Every single person on this message board has been discussing what was obviously going on there for years.

To think a single player didn't know?  And now that they got busted, that they deserve special treatment?

You wanted to not get probation?  Don't go to Ole Miss in the first place when everyone knew what was going on, or at the very least go to the NCAA beforehand and turn witness in exchange for a waiver.  Don't play it out and then play dumb.

My main point is that the rule is the rule.  You want to change the rule?  Cool.  But I don't see any special circumstances here.  If you grant a waiver you might as well just change the rule with the same stroke of the pen.

[MrNubbz]

Kind of agree ELA,perhaps there should be a caveat for this particular type of circumstance.The coaches bolt, Pete Carroll & Chip Kelly come to mind.With no real reprisals while recruits/players are shackled to a sinking ship.There has to be a fair middle ground.That or printed out in bold type - tough titty when the L.O.I. is signed - JMO

[MrNubbz]

If Patterson can play in'18 that offense could light it up.With Higdon/Evans  at RB & DPJ/Black at wide out M should move the sticks.I'm not up on the lineman - if they're decent it could be their year