This edition of Inside The Fort brings you loaded intel on Michigan Wolverines football and basketball.
We discuss Michigan football's spring practices and who some of the emerging leaders are, as well as identify a few players who have taken the next step in their development and are expected to be some of the top competitors on the team this fall.
We also dive into Michigan basketball's roster, including a couple of targets to watch in the transfer portal, as well as get intel on which young Wolverines could end up being NBA Draft picks down the line.
Finally, we catch up with two NFL Draft analysts — CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso and TheAthletic.com’s Dane Brugler — to get their thoughts on Michigan's draft hopefuls.
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Michigan’s spring session ended with a scrimmage Saturday, one that’s been well-documented (those who missed it, we had separate reports here and here from folks in attendance). A number of others close to it have since weighed in, and here’s what else we’ve picked up:
First off, there’s a commitment to doing everything right, not just football. From being on time to making the bed, classwork, there’s been an emphasis on accountability and a competition that’s been ongoing throughout the spring with points allotted to those who do the right thing.
Your top three leaders — freshman center Greg Crippen, junior DE/OLB Aidan Hutchinson and freshman running back Blake Corum
.Only Crippen would surprise of this trio, and that’s because he’s a true freshman early enrollee. But these are the kinds of guys they’re looking for, and it’s probably not a coincidence that Crippen has made an early move to No. 2 on the depth chart (though to be fair, second-year frosh Reece Atteberry, who made a similar impression last year, was sick at times this spring, and second-year frosh right guard Zak Zinter might be the second-best option here behind sixth-year senior Andrew Vastardis).
But we’ve talked plenty about Hutchinson and Corum’s “want to” over the last few years, incredible desire and work ethic. Crippen seems to share it, too, and that gives him a shot.
We asked a few as close to the program as anyone for their takes on the spring game and the possibilities for next season. One said, ‘this team can win eight games … if it gets great quarterback play.’ Redshirt frosh Cade McNamara had some nice moments in the spring game and was ‘solid’ according to another source.
“Cade played okay” he said. “He made a couple of nice throws, but he also struggled with some passes.”
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