UM Football Recruiting - by WM Wolverine

[Mike]

The offense in general under Hoke was putrid. Neither Denard nor Gardner fit what he wanted to do.

I see that Campbell is listed as one of the recruiters for Underwood along with Ron Bellamy. I have no idea how crucial a role he played, but I'm guessing it was less important than millions of dollars.

[Jeff Buchanan]

There should be some general concern about Moore's ability to run an offense that fits Underwood's skill set. Moore talks all the time about "smash" football. Even with JH on the sidelines in '23 and probably more involved with the offense than we knew, M's offense was not dynamic at all. A lot of what M accomplished in '23 was a result of team dynamics/culture and some of the best complimentary football M had played in the modern CFB era.

There's no question in my mind that Moore wanted to continue to play the same kind of football in '24 that M played in '23 with not nearly the same player talent levels, team chemistry or coaching staff. Results speak for themselves in the '24 season. I'm wondering what the coaches involved in Underwood's recruitment told him how Underwood's skill set will shape what M's coaches do with the offense in '25. Playing "smash" football as we've seen it played under Moore is a recipe for squandering the talents of what is potentially a generational CFB QB.

[Mike]

There’s no reason Michigan can’t be the NY Yankees of CFB in this new era. We might prefer the CFB world we grew up with but if you want to compete going forward, this is the way.

[Whitley]

The O-Line being suspect most of the season along with the dismal failure of the WR room would make any OC look like cat throw up. Campbell might be a cat turd as an OC but hard to tell with those two problems.

[lineygoblue]

There needs to be a good follow up in this class with some top OL/DL talent.

M's domination from 21-23 was led by the guys in the trenches. Corum/Haskins don't get the yards they got without a dominant OL. And we don't keep JJ upright for most of his career either, without dominant OL dudes keeping defenses off him.

Can't forget where the game is won.

[Mike]

The O-Line being suspect most of the season along with the dismal failure of the WR room would make any OC look like cat throw up. Campbell might be a cat turd as an OC but hard to tell with those two problems.

Good point. They've earned some grace with the way this recruiting class is shaping up.

[WM Wolverine]

I see Dotson as more of a safety than a corner, good pickup. His teammate Bryce is a good pickup too

M has a lot of 'solid' receiver talent, M is lacking in blue chip receivers to pair with Underwood. There weren't in on much of the top receivers in the '25 class for a chance to flip any of them so it'll have to come via the portal. M certainly need a portal QB too, while Orji needs a move to RB or elsewhere, great arm, but not accurate and he can't even make the easy passes that every Div I QB makes. Lots of dropped passes by the defense... Jadyn Davis probably gets leap frogged and a transfer possibility. You need a Jack Tuttle type transfer and another one to replace Jadyn Davis if he transfers.

FWIW the coaching staff saw Tuttle as the starting QB to start the season and Orji was thought of as the backup. Plans changed when Tuttle had an injury a weak (or 2) before the opener and M had to find a way for Orji to start. No idea how things shake out if Tuttle plays the entire season, they lost 3 pretty winnable games (Indiana, Illinois, Washington) if they get solid QB/OL play. Offensive line has had trouble giving are QB's time to throw or anything resembling a pocket. Most the time Link is getting overmatched at RT, when he does his job, it's often another OL making a mistake in protection, committing a penalty; making a 2nd and manageable into a 2nd and long and killing a drive.

[Da Geezer]

One thing about getting a top qb is a domino effect of getting other top players to play with him. We'll see. Remember how Ohio State getting Pryor totally changed their m.o. on recruiting qb's and wr's.

True, and important.

IMO Michigan should go get the best senior transfer QB they can find and handle Underwood the same way Texas has handled Arch Manning. Or how Clemson handled Trevor Lawrence. If he is good enough to start half way through the season, that would be fine. I'm not sure how smart it is to throw hin in the deep end of the pool right away.