The latest edition of Inside The Fort brings you loaded intel on Michigan Wolverines football's spring practices, including a position switch of note, an update on a now-healthy (formerly injured) Wolverine. We also provide insight on Michigan basketball ahead of its NCAA Tournament opener Saturday, a hoops recruiting update and more.
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Michigan football is well into spring ball, having started a two-week hiatus last Friday to go over film and do more installing before returning next week for the last several practices. It’s been a “success” as springs go given how much they’ve gotten installed, etc., but they’re just getting started. Any talk of “these guys are going to be studs,” etc., is talk.
Some of the folks we trust most— guys who told us how bad some of the Rich Rod teams were going to be when others were bullish and let us know going into the last year of the Brady Hoke era it might be the last year of the Hoke era really liked the attitudes and makeup of last year’s squad, and we bit.
Keep in mind, these guys are right next to it and are really good judges of talent. But nobody bats .1000 … in addition, you don’t know a lot about a team until it faces some adversity.
Everything they told us about last year’s squad seemed to be true after watching the blowout win over Minnesota, which of course proved to be a mirage. When they got punched in the mouth against a lousy Michigan State team, you knew something was off. When guys started talking about “shutting it down” for the NFL, stopped going to class to prepare for the Combine, etc., it was even more clear.
It was crystal clear when guys started making their transfer plans after losing their jobs, and letting their teammates know about it (and yes, that happened).
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As we reported, Michael Barrett has moved over to middle linebacker, and he’s still getting accustomed to the position. Playing MIKE (middle) is different than being a viper. There’s less getting to the quarterback and being part of exotic blitzes and more getting off blocks and talking on running backs head-on, and Barrett is going to have to become more physical if that position is going to be a strength.
Veteran Josh Ross has gotten his share of praise from head coach Jim Harbaugh and former D.C. Don Brown in the past, but he had a rough year a season ago. He has made progress in atoning for that this spring, but he’s still got a lot to prove.
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