The Wolverine Digest Pod

As NIL continues to evolve and ramp up, Michigan finds itself struggling to keep up with some of the more aggressive programs across the country. Juwan Howard himself has questioned what's going on in Ann Arbor as he and coaches like Jim Harbaugh try to compete on the recruiting trail against schools doing NIL in a much bigger way.

We also talk about the quarterback battle again as we approach Michigan's season opener. It's starting to feel like Cade McNamara's job almost exclusively, which brings up a lot of interesting talking points. All that and more on this episode of The Wolverine Digest Podcast.

We're now just over two weeks away from Michigan's 2022 season kicking off and Jim Harbaugh is feeling good. He spoke to the media for the first time this fall after 10 or 11 practices and had many positive things to say about his team. Of course, he spoke at length about the quarterback battle and his revamped defense, but he also told a pretty cool story about Michael Phelps and actually named a fall camp MVP so far.

We also got a chance to sit down with Juwan Howard last week and the head basketball coach had some really interesting things to say about NIL at the University of Michigan. Name, image and likeness has now been a part of college athletics for more than a year, yet U-M is still dragging its feet. Why? No one seems to know, not even Juwan. 

We discuss those things and excitedly bring back a fan favorite — TFG. All of that and more on this episode of The Wolverine Digest Podcast.

Michigan football has been getting after it for about a week now as they prepare for the season opener against Colorado State. Jim Harbaugh and his assistants have been a little more forthcoming with information compared to past years, which has allowed us to really piece together a starting offense and defense. Co-offensive coordinators Sherrone Moore and Matt Weiss gave some good insight into their positions groups, and we also got a chance to speak with Mike Morris, Luke Schoonmaker and Ryan Hayes.

Even though we haven't spoke to him since Big Ten Media Days, Mazi Smith has been a popular player. Morris referenced him and he's been dubbed as the "freakiest" player in the country by Bruce Feldman. Even though he hasn't recorded a sack while at Michigan, Smith seems poised for a monstrous year for various reason. We discuss those and many other things on this episode of The Wolverine Digest Podcast.

As of August 3, Michigan football is officially back on the field and preparing for the 2022 season. We are 30 days away from U-M's opener against Colorado State and there are plenty of things to talk about. Who is going to start at quarterback? Who is going to lead this team in sacks with David Ojabo and Aidan Hutchinson gone? What about receptions? With so many weapons on offense, who is going to rise to a new level? All of these things are definitely fun to talk about as Michigan gets it rolling in 2022.

In the spirit of the season starting, we also make several predictions and do our best to answer the questions surrounding the team as fall camp begins. We throw out some predictions we consider locks, make some long shot guesses and also have some back and forth about position battles, potential stat leaders and U-M's overall success in 2022. All that and more on this episode of The Wolverine Digest Podcast.

Jim Harbaugh has taken his teams on some incredible trips in the past, but never has he embarked on a week-long journey around the great state of Michigan, until now. Over the last week, the Wolverines made stops in Flint, Frankenmuth, Lansing, Grand Rapids, Grand Haven, Muskegon, Silver Lake, Arcadia, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Glen Arbor, Traverse City, Mackinac Island, Drummond Island, Soo Locks, Tahquamenon Falls and finally the Pictured Rocks. We were along for some of the ride and were able to capture some incredible footage and photos, as well as some intel about the upcoming season.

Sandwiched in between Muskegon and Mackinac Island, Jim Harbaugh and four of his players were in Indianapolis for Big Ten Media Days. The Wolverines were represented by Erick All, Cade McNamara, Mazi Smith and DJ Turner while in Indy and all of them did a phenomenal job at their respective podiums. Harbaugh also had plenty to say while discussing Ohio State and Ryan Day, some of his favorite players, NIL money and how that should be unfolding, the upcoming season, Michigan State and more.

Big Ten Media Days are under a week away and the Wolverines will be represented by Cade McNamara, DJ Turner, Mazi Smith and Erick All, along with Jim Harbaugh. There's plenty to talk about with the defending Big Ten champs as everyone gets excited about football being back on the calendar.

Plus, we recap our time spent in Grand Ledge with the Michigan Army National Guard and also preview some upcoming activities before the football team really gets it going for fall camp. Finally, we talk about the quarterback battle yet again as the Michigan fanbase seems pretty divided about who should be under center.

The University of Michigan has officially hired its 15th president. Dr. Santa J. Ono was formally announced as the new president of U-M, which has a lot of people very excited. He's extremely qualified, over-the-top intelligent and, perhaps most important to Wolverines fans, a big supporter of athletics. After dealing with Mark Schlissel for about eight years, Michigan fans seem excited to see what President Ono brings to the table.

On the recruiting trail, Michigan has gotten hot lately. Over the last two weeks, U-M has reeled in four, 4-star prospects, with the most recent being Enow Etta, a highly-ranked edge rusher out of Texas. We discuss U-M's recent run on the trail, what it means moving forward and what it all means as a part of the big picture. Throw in lots of fan questions and discussion and you have the most recent episode of The Wolverine Digest Podcast.

Michigan has been experiencing a slight boon in recruiting lately and got another jolt on Thursday night in the form of four-star interior offensive lineman Amir Herring. We discuss that, along with the big picture that is Michigan recruiting as we march toward mid-July.

Plus, NIL is still a topic of discussion as other prospects get ready to make their decisions and other programs continue to push the limits on what's allowed and what is not. Wherever you fall on the subject, Michigan is still not doing enough to compete at the highest level when it comes to NIL. All of that and more on this episode of The Wolverine Digest Podcast.

It's almost July and Michigan is struggling in a major way on the recruiting trail. As of June 30, Michigan had the No. 13 recruiting class in the Big Ten ahead of only Indiana and was sitting at No. 55 in the country. How does that happen after such a successful season in 2021? We discuss...

Plus, Jim Harbaugh is on vacation and it's hilarious, but it does add to the angst that is U-M recruiting right now. We also dive deep into what Michigan is doing — or not doing — in the new world of NIL. When compared to other programs around the country, Michigan seems to be falling further and further behind in a major way.

Three Michigan football players — JJ McCarthy, Ronnie Bell and Traverse City native Ryan Hayes — spent the weekend in Traverse City at the Grand Traverse Resort with Michigan fans moonlighting as golfers. The trio posed for pictures, signed autographs and palled around with Wolverine fans young and old with beautiful skies overhead and a cool northern Michigan breeze mixing it all together perfectly. We were on hand to take it in and document it as another chapter of the NIL book was written.

While we were in Traverse City, Michigan basketball landed Duke transfer Joey Baker. Basketball is a ways off, but it's fun to talk about what the rotation might look like with Baker on the roster. We also talk Michigan football recruiting AGAIN and try to understand how it's playing out in the 2023 class. All that and more on this episode of The Wolverine Digest Podcast.