Radio recap (5/30): U-M's big recruiting run, Ohio State fans in their feelings & more
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Greetings. Tomorrow is the start of July, which also serves as the unofficial kickoff to Big Ten Preview material over at The Scott Bell Newsletter. Now that we’ve made it through the quiet part of the offseason — which just so happens to double as the quiet period of this newsletter — there shouldn’t be another week until December where you don’t get at least 2-3 newsletters every single week from me. So thank you for your patience during the slow part of the calendar, which consisted of me still appearing on the radio with Sam and Ira but not always sharing the audio because it wasn’t always exactly the most Michigan-centric content — or even the most exciting content. Starting today, though, I’ll plan on sharing audio just about every week as more Michigan-specific news drops … like the current recruiting run that has moved the Wolverines from middling in the 30s in the team rankings all the way up to the national top 10, with a trip inside the top 5 looking like a real possibility by the end of this holiday weekend.
So it should come as no surprise to you that most of my weekly appearance on The Michigan Insider with Sam Webb and Ira Weintraub over at WTKA The Big 1050 in Ann Arbor this morning was centered around recruiting.
I’m posting audio of that appearance below, along with a timestamped look at what was discussed and when during the ~20-minute chat. Check it out — and keep your eyes out in your inboxes tomorrow, too, for the start of a month-long Big Ten preview that should make you one of the most prepared Big Ten football fans around.
Listen (June 30)
Topic guide:
0:00-0:30: Ad
0:30-1:00: Small talk/introductions
1:00-4:00: On Ohio State fans spending their National Championship offseason worrying about Michigan, with the latest worry centering around the Wolverines’ big recruiting run that was headlined by beating Ohio State head-to-head for blue chipper EDGE prospect Carter Meadows. How special is this latest run and how sad is the reaction coming out of Columbus?
4:00-5:45: On the different types of rationalization we’re seeing from Buckeye faithful, and my suggested coping mechanisms for that fan base that’s clearly more scarred than they’d like others to know.
5:45-11:15: On the difficulty that college “GM” position holders face in having to navigate new NIL rules, and how I feel Sean Magee has done when it comes to how he values different positions and how he’s approaching roster-building with a finite budget (ads from 8:00-9:35).
11:15-13:25: On where five-star RB recruit Savion Hiter fits into Michigan’s plans, and why I think Michigan’s approach at running back is a perfect example of the program striking the right balance of new school + old school recruiting philosophies.
13:25-16:00: On how I feel recruiting has changed under college football’s new landscape and where fans’ minds may be changing as the game continues to change as well.
16:00-18:45: On Michigan landing Malakai Lee and what Michigan’s effort over the last 18 months tells me about rededicating themselves to the trenches and ensuring the program’s identity remains the same (ads from 16:45-17:45).
18:45-end: Wrapping things up