The Michigan Insider

Sam Webb, Brice Marich and Steve Lorenz break down how the latest coaching staff changes unfolded, then discuss the recruiting impact of Brian Jean-Mary's departure with a specific focus on Josh Burnham. Then attention turns to Ron Bellamy's move to safeties coach and its impact on Dillon Tatum and Michigan's chances with elite safety prospect Jacoby Mathews, Brice shares the latest on Michigan's chances with Top247 DE Joe Strickland. The podcast closes with each staff member sharing his take on which early enrollee will be helped the most by spring ball.

In a loaded basketball episode, we look at both the big-picture and small-picture significance of the No. 3 Michigan men’s basketball team’s win at No. 4 Ohio State.

We begin by breaking down what impressed us most about the game, along with which takeaway is most meaningful for Michigan moving forward. In the discussion, we mention what we saw from Chaundee Brown Jr., Michigan’s defense in the second half, the Wolverines’ point guard play and Michigan’s ability to win in multiple ways.

Then, we check in on just how good this Michigan team is, assessing Hunter Dickinson’s case as an All-Big Ten player, potentially being the Wolverines best freshman of the 21st century, Chaundee Brown Jr.’s status as the Big Ten’s Sixth Man of the Year and how this year’s Michigan team stacks up against the best that John Beilein produced.

Then, we go bigger picture. We discuss how a team could beat Michigan down the road, including 3-point shooting, in-your-face defenses and potential foul trouble. We then look at what Juwan Howard did best as a coach in the past 10 months for this season, looking at how he handled the point guard and center positions along with the culture he’s created. We then close by discussing how Sunday’s game changed our confidence that Michigan would win a Big Ten title.

In this episode, we break down five major storylines we're watching ahead of Michigan beginning spring practices.

We begin at an obvious spot, breaking down the Wolverines' quarterback battle. We look at the impact of Joe Milton entering the transfer portal, J.J. McCarthy's potential as a true freshman QB candidate and what we want to see from the group in the spring.

We then turn to the rest of Michigan's offense, pinpointing position groups that return talent, but need to take the next step.

After that, we switch to the defensive side of the ball, assessing a number of changes we expect or are keeping an eye on.

We close the episode by looking at three position battles and three early enrollees that we are watching closely in spring ball.

Tim McCormick and Sam Webb discuss Michigan's victory over Wisconsin, Isaiah Livers elevating his game and playing like a first round draft pick, Hunter Dickinson dominance on the glass, and Michigan's upcoming matchups with Rutgers and Ohio State. Then Tim and Sam catch up with the great Cazzie Russell to reflect upon his Michigan and NBA careers.

Sam Webb, Brice Marich and Steve Lorenz break down Michigan's standing in the recruitment of West Bloomfield (Mich.) DB/ATH Dillon Tatum. The crew also highlights Michigan's ties to Portland (Ore.) Westview WR Darrius Clemons, Phoenix (Ariz.) Brophy Prep cornerback Benjamin Morrison. Later the discussion turns to 2023 & 2024 in-state recruiting, with a focus on quarterbacks Dante Moore and C.J. Carr. The podcast rounds out with a breakdown of 2023 linebacker recruiting and a sneak peak at upcoming coverage of 2022 Ocoee (Fla.) defensive lineman Jordan Phillips.

In this episode, we discuss the No. 3 Michigan men's basketball team's return to game action, which included a massive comeback win at Wisconsin in the Wolverines' first game in 23 days.

We begin by looking at the micro-level of the game itself. He hone in on Isaiah Livers' senior surge, Hunter Dickinson's rebounding dominance, Michigan's stingy defense and how the Wolverines were able to come back. We outline what impressed us the most, along with takeaways on how good Michigan's defense is and the coaching job Juwan Howard has done.

Then, we look ahead. We discuss Michigan's comfort level at the top of the Big Ten standings with Illinois and Ohio State surging, we look at the Wolverines' situation as it pertains to rescheduling games and what, if anything, Michigan can do to emerge alongside Baylor and Gonzaga as national title favorites.

Tim McCormick and Sam Webb discuss three messages Juwan Howard gave his team during the pause and Ohio State's rise in the Big Ten ranks during that period. Freshman forward Terrance Williams joins the podcast to reflect upon how the team handled the pause, his personal routine during that period, practices coming off the pause, and a look ahead to upcoming opponents. Tim and Sam close things out with a breakdown of Sunday's matchup with Wisconsin.

Sam Webb, Brice Marich and Steve Lorenz break down the commitments of Tennessee prospects Kody Jones and Taylor Groves, and discuss Michigan's growing presence in the Volunteer State. The Wolverines pursuit of the nation's no. 1 defensive tackle Walter Nolen is highlighted. Nolen's coach Marlon Walls shares insight on the talented youngster's game and potential. The crew also covers Michigan's renewed pursuit of four-star Alabama DE Justice Finkley and the NFL all-pro that new defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald compared him to. The crew then gives an overview of defensive line recruiting before turning their attention to corner recruiting with a focus on four-star New Jersey DB Jaeden Gould. The podcast finishes with a lengthy discussion of Michigan's portal strategy and highlighting the Wolverines' rising interest in Birmingham (Mich.) Groves WR/ ATH Jaden Mangham.

We take a look at Michigan's revised and (tentatively) finalized 2021 football schedule, then field a number of questions from listeners about the Wolverines' football team.

We open with a look at Michigan's schedule. We parse through the changes, look at the Wolverines' schedule as a whole and discuss our thoughts on Michigan's slate.

Next, we quickly refresh out conversation on Michigan's needed coaching changes, then tackle two questions heavily related to Michigan's new look defense. We discuss how a shift to a 3-4 defense would impact Michigan's defensive line and linebacker rooms and which players may benefit the most. We then look at transfer portal targets the Wolverines may look into, along with the needs Michigan may be prudent to address.

Then, we open things up to two other questions. We look at JJ McCarthy's potential to contend for the starting job in the spring and fall, while Steve handles a question about defensive back recruiting in the 2022 class.

Sam Webb, Brice Marich and Steve Lorenz explain why Shaun Nua's retention was the key to Michigan closing the 2021 recruiting with commitments from defensive tackles Rayshaun Benny, Ikechukwu Iwunnah, and George Rooks. Then the crew looks ahead to 2022 in-state recruiting, focusing on Will Johnson, Tayshawn Trent, Josh Burnham, and Myles Rowser, Then the crew details Michigan's rise with out-of-state recruits Micah Pollard, Myles Pollard, and Kiyaunta Goodwin. Next on the agenda was highlighting Michigan's involvement with "unicorn" recruits Gavin Sawchuk, Keon Sabb, and Walter Nolan. The podcast closes with the crew answering recruiting questions from live stream viewers.