INSIDE THE FORT (ITF): Milton 'Is The Real Deal,' Per Practice Observers
The latest jam-packed edition of Inside the Fort brings you significant updates on the Michigan Wolverines' football team and what we're hearing behind the scenes, in specific regards to redshirt sophomore quarterback Joe Milton and the immense progression he's made.
Practice observers have also given us positive updates on how Michigan's offensive line has come together. Finally, we wrap things up with the latest news on Juwan Howard's basketball crew, including how well senior guard Chaundee Brown and the other newcomers have fit in in Ann Arbor.
A sample of what's inside…
Starting with football this week, where camp is in full swing …
The hype surrounding Joe Milton has reached fever pitch at this point … as we know, it doesn’t mean anything until he takes the field Oct. 24 at Minnesota. Normally, the concern would be about a redshirt sophomore in his first start dealing with crowd noise in a hostile environment (and yes, Minnesota is capable — check out the Golden Gophers’ game with Penn State last year), but the absence of a crowd words to his advantage this year.
“Initially, (some) were concerned about potential communication issues and how much time they would have to spend on that with Joe,” one close to the program said. “That’s not an issue anymore.
”And yes, he added, Milton has been “really good.” Even those close to it who once believed J.J. McCarthy might be Michigan’s next best bet for greatness at the position have changed their tunes after seeing him the past few weeks.
“The intermediate ball is where he’s made the most improvement,” one said. “He’s always had the cannon, but now he’s learning how to control it.
”Another we know bumped into a U-M freshman receiver recently, and he offered up two things — one, that Milton is “the real deal.”
The second … receiver Nico Collins is not returning for his senior year. We’ve said the door has been open, and it was, but there’s been no movement there and we’d suggest it’s time to move on from the idea.
One whose opinion we trust greatly — a person who has seen the good, bad and ugly of Michigan football, is as close to it as anyone and who has always been a straight shooter — likes what he sees from this year’s squad.
“There is a lot of high-end talent on the field,” he said. “This group has a chance to be pretty good.
”This is the same person who told us during the dark years when the program was in trouble (first under Rich Rodriguez, then Brady Hoke), and who laughed when we asked him about the offensive line back in 2014 and said, “the freshman (Mason Cole) has been the best of the bunch.”
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