The Wolverine Digest Pod

Sophomore wide receiver AJ Henning stops by to talk about how he'll be used in 2021, Michigan's offense overall, his potential role as a return man and Michigan's alternate uniforms that we're all but guaranteed to see on the field this year. The speedy receiver also talks about the other wide receivers in his group and touches on some of the quarterbacks as well. All of that and more on this episode of The Wolverine Digest Podcast.

Sophomore running back Blake Corum is poised for a breakout year for a lot of reasons. He's fast, tough, hard working and driven. Corum touches on how he's become the running back he is today and also goes into other parts of the upcoming season. Throw in some Football Feud and you have one of the best player interviews we've done so far.

We also recap the NBA Draft, where Franz Wagner went 8th overall to the Orlando Magic and Isaiah Livers went to the Detroit Pistons with pick No. 42. We discuss the BBQ at The Big House to close things out on this episode of The Wolverine Digest Podcast.

Cade McNamara is Michigan's starting quarterback — for now.

Texas Tech graduate transfer Alan Bowman has been in Ann Arbor since May and is definitely not going down without a fight. He's got a lot to learn compared to McNamara, and not much time to do it, but he's also got 19 games worth of playing time under his belt — something McNamara does not have. Bowman talked about all of that along with what it's like living in Michigan vs. Texas, the quarterback room in general, his time at Texas Tech and more.

We also discuss Jake Butt's unfortunate decision to retire from football and preview tonight's NBA Draft. All of that and more on this episode of The Wolverine Digest Podcast.

After hearing Jim Harbaugh, Aidan Hutchinson and Josh Ross all mention third-year defensive tackle Mazi Smith by name, we had to talk to him. The now 322-pound big man is poised for a breakout year after two seasons of getting his body right and figuring some things out. He gives credit to a lot of people and seems to be ready for a much bigger role in 2021. We also discuss the defensive line as a whole, who might be able to step up along with Smith and talk about some of the unsung heroes within the Michigan football program. 

Jim Harbaugh, Aidan Hutchinson, Hassan Haskins and Josh Ross said all the right things while in Indianapolis and gave Michigan fans and media members plenty to discuss. Between the four of them, just about every position group and most of the players we'll see on the field this fall were talked about. It's only right that everything they said gets dissected, analyzed and broken down, on this episode of The Wolverine Digest Podcast.

Michigan freshman quarterback JJ McCarthy has been in Ann Arbor since January, so he's got six months of being a Wolverine under his belt. He talked about that, the battles taking place inside the quarterback room, what he does on a day to day basis and more during his first media appearance as a U-M quarterback. We also dive into what Michigan is and is not doing when it comes to NIL again as the first month of athletes being able to make money wraps up.

Michigan stayed hot on the recruiting trail yesterday picking up a very nice commitment in the form of Brentwood (Tenn.) Ravenwood cornerback Myles Pollard. The long, rangy cover man pairs very nicely with long-time pledge Will Johnson, and now the two of them can work together to attract more top talent to Ann Arbor.

One talented player that's already in Ann Arbor, is sophomore running back Blake Corum. The 5-8, 210-pounder recently posted a picture to his Instagram account that would make some body builders jealous. The young running back is one of the speedier players on Michigan's roster, but he might be one of the strongest as well — at least pound for pound.

Finally, Michigan's upcoming season is a mystery at this point. There are so many question marks surrounding the team that predictions range anywhere from five to 10 wins, with three victories even seeming remotely possible.

Juwan Howard and Michigan basketball got a massive shot in the arm earlier today when center Hunter Dickinson announced that he'll be returning to Ann Arbor for his sophomore season. Dickinson test the NBA waters, but he opted to return to Michigan less than 24 hours before the deadline to withdraw from the draft.

Michigan football has also been receiving dose after does of good news on the recruiting trail. Jim Harbaugh and his staff haven't landed any monster targets, but they've picked up a few nice players over the last month.

Finally, NIL is here and Michigan could absolutely crush it. There hasn't been much evidence of that happening yet, but if the right people get in the right mindset, Michigan could truly be leaders and best when it comes to NIL.

When Jim Harbaugh was hired by Michigan, everyone saw it as the perfect hire. He was coming home, he was extremely successful everywhere he'd been and he was poised to use Michigan's immense resources to make the Wolverines elite. That hasn't happened, but he has won nearly 70% of his games. When he was hired, most would've put him in the top five nationally among all coaches. Now, he's coming in a bit lower than that. Is it fair? We discuss...

We also talk about Pro Football Focus' Preseason All-Big Ten team that is noticeably light when it comes to Michigan players. There are seven Wolverines on the list, but that's less than some Big Ten bottom feeders. How does that happen and is that fair?

In a surprising and impressive move, Mel Tucker and Michigan State has hired now former Cass Tech head coach Thomas Wilcher. The move is surprising because Wilcher is a former Wolverine running back and has been a staple at Cass Tech for more than two decades. There have also been multiple reports over the years that he may end up at U-M in some capacity but instead, he's a Spartan.

In other news, Michigan has added five new commitments in the 2022 class in the month of June, including two on Friday afternoon.

Finally, another player has come forward to share his story about Dr. Robert Anderson. Former Michigan star Jarrod Bunch sat down with Mike Rosenberg of Sports Illustrated to paint the picture of what his time was like while in Ann Arbor. There are several mentions of Bo Schembechler, more examples of abuse by Anderson and further evidence that the problems at U-M were essentially common knowledge, widespread and either willingly or accidentally ignored.