The latest edition of INSIDE THE FORT, including plenty of football, basketball and recruiting information heading into Saturday’s game with Michigan State.
We provide updates from sources on the injury statuses of fifth-year senior kicker Quinn Nordin, fifth-year senior tight end Nick Eubanks and sophomore safety Daxton Hill, as well as more football intel that we picked up ahead of the in-state rivalry game.
Juwan Howard and Michigan basketball landed a huge commitment from 2021 five-star small forward Caleb Houstan, who is currently playing prep ball at Montverde (Fla.) Academy but originates from Canada. We have info on how the pledge came about and how confident the Wolverines should be in their chances to have him pen his name in the early signing period.
We also provide updates on Michigan football recruiting, including insider notes after talking to 2021 Rivals100 defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny, as he gears up for his decision, which is set for Nov. 9.
RELATED: Staff Predictions: Michigan Football vs. Michigan State
RELATED: Michigan Wolverines Baskeball: Five-Star Caleb Houstan Commits To U-M
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Starting with football, and the injury situation …
Michigan rotated plenty at all three receiver positions in the opener, with five wideouts playing 15 or more snaps (out of 56). One that stood out when observing the snap counts was Giles Jackson, who was in on exactly 15 offensive plays in addition to his special teams duties (not as many as we might’ve thought).
We learned after the fact that Jackson was held back a bit by a very minor ankle injury.He did some good things, including making a nice block on [sophomore] Zach Charbonnet’s 70-yard touchdown run and reeling in a five-yard catch and notching an eight-yard rush, but there were some plays he wanted back, too, including the kickoff where he ran backwards.
He’s feeling better this week and even pledged on Twitter that he’ll “do better” on kick returns.
The curious case of Quinn Nordin remains … curious. Head coach Jim Harbaugh said after the game Nordin had been working through a minor injury, and he has had some minor issues this fall. Others said they thought Nordin could have played, but Harbaugh stuck with junior kicker Jake Moody even when he struggled.
Moody went 0-for-3 on kicks, and while a couple snaps were questionable, he should have made them.
We do expect Nordin to get his shot this week. He’s 100 percent and ready to go and had a great game against Michigan State last year in rising to the occasion in a rivalry game.
Redshirt frosh D.J. Turner, too, was banged up. While classmate Gemon Green played extremely well and was the best cover corner on the team against Minnesota, Turner was going to play before his injury. He’s done some good things in camp and will provide some depth and should return this week.
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