The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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14 THE WOLVERINE JANUARY 2022 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS MAIZE AND BLUE NOTEBOOK MICHIGAN PASS RUSHERS RISE AGAIN IN MEL KIPER'S BIG BOARD UPDATE Aidan Hutchinson's step forward in 2021 has been well- documented to this point and has cemented him as a first- round prospect in the 2022 NFL Draft. Throughout the year, he rose from a safe first-round projection, to a top-10 pros- pect, then a top-five player. Now, he stands alone. ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. released his latest Big Board for the upcoming draft following the conference championship games. Hutchinson supplanted Oregon defensive end Kay- von Thibodeaux as the top prospect in the cycle. "Yes, Hutchinson makes the leap to the top of my Big Board," Kiper wrote Dec. 7. "He has been unreal down the stretch and is now a Heisman Trophy finalist. Since I last updated my rank- ings, he has doubled his sack total. He now has 14 and two forced fumbles, showing powerful moves and relentless pur- suit of quarterbacks. Three of those sacks came in the win over Ohio State, as he dominated the Buckeyes' O-line. Hutchinson played only 144 defensive snaps last season before he injured his leg against Indiana and had to have surgery; the Michigan defense cratered after he was hurt. He was outstanding as a sophomore in 2019, putting up 4.5 sacks and creating havoc in the backfield (10.5 total tackles for loss). It's going to be a real battle between Hutchinson and Thibodeaux for the No. 1 pick." Third-year pass rusher David Ojabo also made major strides and ranked No. 9 in Kiper's latest update. He had 11 sacks through the first 13 games played in 2021. "Ojabo has been one of the most impressive newcomers in the country," Kiper said. "A third-year sophomore who spent his youth in Nigeria and Scotland (check out my new colleague Jordan Reid's piece on him for more), Ojabo has 11 sacks and five forced fumbles playing on the other side of Aidan Hutchinson. He has flashed advanced pass-rush moves … and his athletic traits pop on tape. While Ojabo needs to work on his all-around game, there's a lot to like. He's still young; he could develop into an elite edge rusher." The deadline for players to declare is Jan. 17. Ojabo is an underclassman and will have a decision to make, especially if the current hype holds. Defensive back Daxton Hill is also a third-year player who could potentially declare. Kiper ranked him as the No. 2 safety in the class behind Notre Dame's Kyle Hamilton, who was No. 4 on the Big Board. FOOTBALL'S RESURGENCE COULD AID BIG TEN'S NEXT TV DEAL Michigan was involved in three of the five most-watched college football games of the season, which could have big ramifications for the Big Ten's next television contract. The 42-27 victory vs. Ohio State on Nov. 27 was the most- viewed college football game of the regular season, drawing nearly 16 million viewers to FOX's Big Noon Saturday finale. The 42-3 Big Ten Championship win over Iowa on Dec. 4 had 11.65 million viewers. The Oct. 30 loss to Michigan State drew 9.289 million viewers. All three games were broadcast via FOX. Alabama's SEC Championship win over Georgia drew in 15.2 million viewers, good for the second spot on the list. The Crimson Tide's game at Auburn game from Nov. 27 attracted 10.369 million viewers to make it the third-most-watched game of the season. Michigan's vast alumni base and network of fans across the globe make it ripe for big television numbers. Given the involvement in two of the three biggest games of the year, this could pay dividends for the Big Ten Conference. The league's television deal runs through the 2022-23 season and could be up for grabs in the near future. Andrew Marchand and John Ourand discussed this in a recent episode of the "The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast." "Look at the numbers that Ohio State-Michigan did for FOX," Ourand said. "FOX is crowing about its big new strategy. The noon window on Saturday is the most-viewed window of the regular college football season, and that's FOX's strategy of putting the biggest games there. It just so happens those big- gest games are all in the Big Ten. The Big Ten is coming into this media rights negotiation with such a position of strength. They have big brands. They have big ratings. They still have another two years, I believe, that's left on [their current deal], but I expect them to start negotiations coming this year. "And I expect FOX, which owns a little more than half of the Big Ten Network, to be very aggressive to try to get the whole thing. I expect ESPN to be very aggressive to keep it. I expect CBS, which is losing the SEC in that late Saturday afternoon window, to be very aggressive to try to get it. I expect WarnerMedia … look how aggressive WarnerMedia was for the Premier League. I expect all of the regular TV networks, aside from NBC [to try to acquire Big Ten rights]. … I know there's going to be a lot of interest in it and that's going to make the rates go to stratospheric levels." — Anthony Broome Junior defensive end Aidan Hutchinson was listed No. 1 on Kiper's Big Board of the top NFL Draft-eligible prospects that was updated Dec. 7. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL