INSIDE THE FORT, Part II: Michigan football tidbits, intel

Michigan football will be one of the favorites to win a third straight Big Ten title this fall, getting Ohio State at home after crushing the Buckeyes twice in the last two seasons. The Wolverines are back in the weight room and preparing for the title defense … here’s some of what we’ve picked up in recent weeks following the team on its annual spring trip, etc.

First off — there is no complacency in the building. If anything, they’re working even harder than they have, led by an incredible group of leaders. We’ve said it before … this feels like the 1980s/1990s all over again with the way the older guys are taking the younger guys under their wings. That assures that the classes to come are being trained to keep the winning tradition going with guys emerging in those classes, as well.

One coach we spoke with said it was much more than that in the building, however. He called it a “brotherhood” and said he was blown away at the focus, leadership, and determination he’s seen from the group to not only threepeat as champs, but also make some noise in the playoffs.

They know they missed an opportunity last year, and overconfidence was part of it. They looked past TCU, and while they might not get a similar opponent in the playoff this year, they aren’t taking anything for granted.

It starts with Michigan senior Blake Corum, our pick for one of the offensive captains this year (and a no-brainer). He is in incredible shape — both Corum and junior Donovan Edwards are, in fact, despite being limited on the field — and led the way by example. Junior J.J. McCarthy, too, has added good weight and made huge strides in all areas. His confidence is “through the roof,” and he’s reading defenses better than ever.

The Michigan left tackle spot — a question mark, but they’re confident in whoever wins it. They still don’t know what they have in LaDarius Henderson, who has been on campus but didn’t work with the team this spring while finishing his Arizona State degree. Some believe he’s the heavy favorite (we do, too), but several guys worked over there. Veteran Karsen Barnhart spent a lot of time there, as did Jeff Persi, who is still working on getting stronger. They even gave Trente Jones a lot of reps there.

In short, whoever wins it will have earned it.

More praise, meanwhile, for Michigan quarterbacks coach Kirk Campbell. Again, folks don’t realize how much of a hand he had in the offense last year as an analyst. He had a desk adjacent to Sherrone Moore’s and he was heavily involved on a day-to-day basis. And there’s no question his guys in the room — and Moore — advocated for him. Yes, there were other options. But head coach Jim Harbaugh listened to his guys, and he also had a good idea what he had.

He’s been a home run hire, both as a coach and a recruiter. He’s a big part of the reason Michigan has made such great strides with class of 2025 quarterback Bryce Underwood. We are confident, too, that folks in the collectives understand the importance of having ducks in a row by the time it comes time for Underwood to make a decision, but we don’t think this is a Dante Moore type situation, either.

Our E.J. Holland and Zach Libby have been and will be all over this one. We’ll add our two cents to say there are a lot of positive vibes about this very important recruitment.

In the Michigan tight end room, the coaches are extremely confident in their room, but especially with the top two. Colston Loveland is going to be an elite pass catcher. Indiana transfer A.J. Barner, though, has been an unbelievable addition. One source said he is a “perfect fit,” and while they knew he was good, he’s taken his game to another level. He’s even better than they could have hoped, and they believe the 1-2 punch is every bit what it was when Erick All and Luke Schoonmaker had it working at their best — maybe even more.

Matt Hibner was one of the most improved players on the offense, too, giving them a strong third.

More positive news on the quarterbacks. Sophomore Alex Orji is making a move on Jack Tuttle and Davis Warren in vying for the backup spot, and he’s come a long, long way. We saw some of it in the spring game, of course — his rope for 40-plus yards — but it’s his decision making, not his arm, that’s really come along.

“He’s unbelievably smart,” one Michigan coach told us. “He never makes the same mistake twice. There’s a role for him on this team.”

But again, it comes back to “rich people problems” in how to get him on the field. He’s staying at quarterback, of course, but he’s not just a runner. He’s really rounding into a nice young quarterback prospect.

Finally, there have been rumblings of 3:30 predictions for the Michigan opener against ECU. While that’s still a possibility, the same folks involved in preparations for last year’s night games — and who called the MSU game at night last season — still believe there’s a strong possibility the opener will be at night (we checked in again today).

That can change, of course. But as of today, that’s what we’re hearing.

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