MGoPodcast 18.0.b: Adonises of the Shield Wall

MGoPodcast 18.0.b: Adonises of the Shield Wall

1 hour and 49 minutes The Sponsors Thank you to Underground Printing [https://undergroundshirts.com/custom-t-shirts?callout=mgoblog] 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 [http://undergroundshirts.com/]. Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management [http://peakwm.com/mgoblog], Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender [http://www.realtorandlender.com/], Ann Arbor Elder Law [http://www.annarborelderlaw.com/], Michigan Law Grad [http://www.michiganlawgrad.com/], Human Element [https://www.human-element.com/], Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning [http://sharonsheating.com/], The Sklars Brothers [http://www.supersklars.com/], Champions Circle [https://givebutter.com/thosewhostay?utm_source=mgo&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=cfp-championship-mgo&utm_content=keep-team-together], Winewood Organics [http://winewoodorganics.com/], Community Pest Solutions [http://www.pestfreemi.com/], The Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre [https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/08006486CA747139], Radecki Oral Surgery [https://www.drradecki.com/], Long Road Distillers [http://www.longroaddistillers.com/], and Venue by 4M [https://www.experience4m.com/venue/] 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

MGoPodcast 18.0.a: Surprise! We're Running Cam Newton

2 hours and 26 minutes The Sponsors Thank you to Underground Printing [https://undergroundshirts.com/custom-t-shirts?callout=mgoblog] 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 [http://undergroundshirts.com/]. Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management [http://peakwm.com/mgoblog], Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender [http://www.realtorandlender.com/], Ann Arbor Elder Law [http://www.annarborelderlaw.com/], Michigan Law Grad [http://www.michiganlawgrad.com/], Human Element [https://www.human-element.com/], Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning [http://sharonsheating.com/], The Sklars Brothers [http://www.supersklars.com/], Champions Circle [https://givebutter.com/thosewhostay?utm_source=mgo&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=cfp-championship-mgo&utm_content=keep-team-together], Winewood Organics [http://winewoodorganics.com/], Community Pest Solutions [http://www.pestfreemi.com/], The Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre [https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/08006486CA747139], Radecki Oral Surgery [https://www.drradecki.com/], Long Road Distillers [http://www.longroaddistillers.com/], and Venue by 4M [https://www.experience4m.com/venue/] where recorded this. 1. 2026 Season Vibes Starts at 0:54 Well, that was an offseason! We win national championships and commit crimes, we are now an SEC program. Michigan has a good dude in Kyle Whittingham now, though! Everyone deserves a freshly showered Brian Cook. What's your excitement level going into this season? It's nice that there are adults in charge now. Some of the things that felt 'off' last season make more sense. There aren't many players on offense this year who you wouldn't project to come back next year, it's a big building year. We're in 2015 mode right now. They actually imported an entire wide receiver room. It feels like Bryce lost a year of development but at least he goes into this year knowing what to expect. The strength and conditioning should be greatly improved, it's telling when coaches leave somewhere and end up at a worse program.  2. Quarterback and Running Back Starts at 25:15 It felt like last year was a lost cause. Pass protection wasn't good enough because the line was super young, the wide receivers were... not sufficient enough. Tyler Huntley in his second year at Utah ran probably three times as much as Bryce, he's still in the NFL with the Ravens. The potential is still there but it feels like he's still a freshman. They ran Bryce like you would run John Navarre, thinking nobody will expect this! This year it will be a team that runs the quarterback. This is the most talent Kyle Whittingham's staff has ever had, they come from a college background and should be excited to execute with it. Bryce struggled passing last year but he was thrown into a bad situation with his receivers. Do you think Bryce will have fewer pass attempts this season? Physically Bryce is everything you could ask for, he just needs to get there mentally. He hasn't been golfing this offseason. Progress is not linear, he might not look great early but hope for him to get slowly better over the course of the season and have a watershed moment by mid-season. Some QBs you can tell just aren't happening in the spring game, but Tommy Carr was happening. Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi is here but did not enroll for spring, he's a multi-year starter at Colorado State but lost his job. Chase Herbstreit and Brady Smigiel... don't exist right now. Running back is similar to last year where the one-two punch is among the best in the country and Bryson Kuzdzal is the third guy. This is Jordan Marshall's year and just by the way he talks there's no way he's not going to try and be the best running back in the country. Savion Hiter already looks like the best running back prospect out of high school in many years. Is Kuzdzal the ceiling for an RB3? Any other program who looks at this running back room will look at us and say "shut up". You wouldn't expect meaningful playing time from anyone else.  3. Hot Takes, Wide Receivers, and Tight Ends Starts at 1:14:40 Takes hotter than Ann Arbor during Art Fair. The wide receiver room... exists! Do you remember the last Michigan receiver to have a 1,000 yard season? Some guys just have it, Andrew Marsh has it. Who's the last Michigan receiver to live up to this hype? Nico Collins? They import JJ Buchanan in the way that Devin Funchess was a tight end, he's your jump ball guy. Salesi Moa and Travis Johnson are true freshmen but they're the next two guys being mentioned. Salesi Moa blew everyone away at the Polynesian Bowl, you hope for him to be Michigan's Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Travis Johnson seems to be WR4 but also one of the fastest guys on the team, how much play time can you expect? Jaime Ffrench comes in from Texas, Michigan barely had a receiver room when he committed, he's in a weird situation. Channing Goodwin is getting some chatter again. Who are the jet sweep guys, Moa and Marsh? This is the thinnest tight end room we can remember. There isn't a Colston Loveland type guy but Zack Marshall looked really good last year and has a captain mentality. They say Hogan Hansen is healthy and ready to go but he's been hampered by injury and is probably a bit behind physically. Jalen Hoffman is ready to step up and be that dude as a blocker. Also he can catch the ball! They're talking about freshman Mason Bonner in wide receiver-y ways. Eli Owens (Thump) wants to be Max Bredeson but it's only his 2nd year.  4. Offensive Line Starts at 1:57:36 Brian was despondent when linemen hit the portal in the offseason but they all came back. Jake Guarnera is the center and there's no question about it - that being locked down is so important. Andrew Sprague should also be great, he's the locked in right tackle. It's a good thing when Texas comes for your linemen (as long as you keep them). How good of a pass protector can he be, though? They just imported Jim Harding from Utah, regarded as one of the best offensive line coaches in the country. The offensive line has question marks but they're good question marks. Blake Frazier was the lightest guy on the line but he's put on 20 lbs, he should be improved at left tackle. Babalola's progress is the only reason he's not locked in. There's the "Rhino" role for a 6th offensive lineman so there are positions for everyone. They're hyping up Babalola a lot in practice. The incoming freshmen are great but they're freshmen. Evan Link looks to be your starting left guard, he massively improved at left tackle last year after a rough freshman year but this should be a better suited role for him. There's competition for right guard but not for left guard so he might be a pretty solid option. Right guard is a competition between Brady Norton and Nathan Efobi. People are very high on Ace Hamilton. The offense as a whole has a lot of talent but it's so young, they don't have a senior leader. This team will probably still feel like they're a year away.  MUSIC: * "King of the Night"—Rubber Band Gum * "Fools"—Drugdealer * "Mobile Home"—Jesse Woods * “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

WTKA Roundtable 8/13/2026: Mike Sainristils But Fast

Things Discussed: * We need a Sicario entrance. * Special guest Ron English got to see practice. Recalls 2011 Sugar Bowl prep was all Kyle Whittingham. * Strength gains: different S&C approach, or different feel in the program? * Jay Hill defense: A lot of disguise, a lot of movement. Reminded Ron he came to visit in 2005. * Ron's a big fan of Jyaire Hill, recruited the hell out of him when at Purdue. * When a hyperathletic quarterback comes to college they run a lot, was coaching malpractice not to let Bryce develop the way QBs like him are supposed to. Change in philosophy will be helpful on multiple levels. * The 2023 mission was get JJ to the championship game healthy. The 2025 mission is run Bryce into the ground. * Zone reads are a basketball play; you need to rep it to get a feel for who you can beat, when a scrape exchange is coming, because everyone practices how to defend it. It was the height of arrogance to put Bryce in and expect him to run it. * Coaching philosophy change: more go-get-it. Are we a * 2026 is a process year: let's see them get better and buy in so they can make a run (comp: 2015). * This is a very good, very experienced secondary. Probably can get those guys to play Don Brown I'm-gonna-beat-ya and play Mac/Minter/Martindale complex zone-swapping games. * Jay Hill does a great job of running confusing defense without confusing his defense. * Minter got it: in college you can threaten and threaten without running what you're threatening.

WTKA Roundtable 8/6/2026: All Phonebooks Are Real

Things Discussed: * Seth and Craig are on early to talk about 5th year seniors returning if they're able (won't be that many because roster spots and NIL budgets are used up). Also Detroit Tigers trades. You coulda been a contender, given the next generation something to love. Dads with young kids in Polanco jerseys, but you never see a Deivi Cruz jersey because they weren't watchable enough to care. * FOOOOOOOTBALL!!! * Weight gains/strength gains? Sort of an indictment on the state of the program last year if guys like Etta are making big gains (Staehling makes more sense). May also just mean the team is marketing this. * Frazier we believe in, because we hear it from many places. OL was good last year but when they got to Ohio State that was a bridge too far. * Babalola/Frazier/Sprague/Link? They're all tackles. Can't move Sprague. We don't know this staff well enough yet to read between the lines. * Whittingham walked in like "this cupboard ain't bare." * Jake Guarnera will be a great center. One thing Sherrone did well was recruit Cs. Can tell because Texas went right at him in the offseason. * Bracy is going to start. Second-best safety in run support on PFF, and it really translated on his tape. That guy fills! * Players insist Staehling will be a breakout guy. Sam recalls the interviews he did with a bunch of players. Expecting the anchor of the defense will be the DL. Dom Nichols will step up. Deyvid Palepale will be an impact guy. Brian: This is a harder sell for me. * Let Urban in the building? Sure but don't let him see anything.

WTKA Roundtable 7/30/2026: Come Together

Things Discussed: * Surprised how fast they're speed-running into a 24-team Playoff. They're on a gold rush now because they discovered they can draw out all the goodwill and passion obtained from 100 years of this being a good deal. * Jordan Marshall: Excited to be a captain because it's about bringing people together. Said it's why we beat OSU 13-10, and that OSU had to become more connected to come back and beat them. THAT is what it's about. Seeing nugs of the good college football we're here for all over the place. * M's front seven next year? Not natty-level because not enough superstars. LBs are so young—liked NOB and Chase last year more for freshmen. Staehling doesn't do it for me. Think their depth is shaky. Team is a work in progress. * Who's the best player on the defense this year? We can't answer it. * Reviewing Wink: Was too clever. I have a greater appreciation for the collaborative nature of football. * Bring back Doug Mallory as an analyst. He's a nerd, like Kyle Church or Jay Harbaugh, just doesn't put himself forward enough. * Nicknaming: Moustapha Thiam is Moose. Hockey guys all get a –y, except Seth who was Fat Fish. * Boynton presser: seemed to have a handle on things. Confident, relaxed. VERY happy to have Kyle Church around; Brown was a Dusty guy. * First impressions of new guys: Costello can SHOOT and is a real 6-10. * Different types of dudes you encounter in different sports. * What do you want to hear from Media Days? Bryce is getting it, mention guys we haven't heard before.