The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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4 THE WOLVERINE JANUARY 2023 10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY I am a longtime Michigan fan hav- ing grown up in Ann Arbor and being among the fourth generation of my family graduating from the University of Michigan. My two daughters were fifth-generation graduates. I am so enjoying the renaissance of the football team. My family has been season ticket holders since 1969. I truly bleed Blue! However, I am disappointed in the December 2022 edition of "The Wolver- ine" magazine. In particular, the "This Month in Michigan Athletics History" article on page 15. Three basketball games were listed from 5, 10 and 25 years ago which were all inconsequential early season games. Meanwhile, 10 years ago on Dec. 8, 2012, the U-M women's volleyball team beat the No. 2 team in the country, Stanford, in the west regional final in Berkeley. They won 3-1 (20-25, 25-20, 25-20 and 25-20) to gain their first (and only) Final Four berth in Louisville the following week. The team lost in the NCAA semifinals to the eventual champion Texas Long- horns in 4 sets on Dec. 13. (Full disclo- sure — my daughter, Lexi, was the setter for that team.) This should have been recognized ahead of the basketball victory that same month over West Virginia. GO BLUE!! Rob Dannemiller Memphis, Tenn. Editor's note: Mea culpa, Rob. It was indeed a misplayed volley on our part. Kudos to Lexi and her volleyball team- mates on the 10th anniversary of their remarkable run to the 2012 NCAA semi- finals after tying for sixth in the Big Ten. The Wolverines finished 27-12 overall, winning six of their final seven matches that season, including four in the NCAA Tournament. NIL IMPACTING RECRUITING, AND NOT IN A GOOD WAY Why do people insist on burying their head in the sand and attempt to defend Michigan's beyond arrogant and frankly failing approach? Are Chris Balas and EJ Holland full of sh*t? Or could it be — shocker — that Michigan's No. 22-ranked class on the back of two consecutive B1G championships and playoff appearances is simply because of what everyone is telling us … that our NIL program sucks? I mean how is it even remotely debatable at this point? Why do we try to insist that things are OK? … It really isn't that hard to understand. If you are a HS football player ranked in the top 300, you may or may not make it to the NFL and even if you do you might only get drafted in the later rounds. You may or may not get injured. You only have a small window to monetize your athletic talent. One school can commit to you that if you sign, you will make $X hundreds of thou- sands of dollars. Another school tells that you that nothing is promised, only that others like you may be earning $Y amount, but again not guaranteed. You like both schools fairly equally in most ways — both have great facilities, coaches and even education. Why would you choose Michigan in this scenario? I know I wouldn't, and my fam- ily would be idiots to let me do so even if I somehow wanted to. Not a good risk- adjusted decision at all. ruthless_at_heart We are coming off the best, most suc- cessful two-year run in program history in the modern era … back-to-back wins over OSU, Big Ten championships and CFP ap- pearances with the potential of a national title for the first time since 1997. … There's no excuse for us to not have a top-5 to top-10 class. In years past with inferior Michigan teams and results, we recruited at a higher level than right now. Every single piece that would otherwise indicate an elite program with elite recruiting results is there outside of NIL. The buck stops with the athletic de- partment and Warde Manuel. And if they are unwilling to get with the times, then replace them with someone who under- stands how to evolve and KEEP a football program at the top of college football. jliu30 From Our Website January 2023 • Vol. 34, No. 7 ISSN 1048-9940 Editor John Borton TheWolverine.com Editor Chris Balas Football Recruiting Editor EJ Holland Staff Writers Clayton Sayfie, Anthony Broome Zach Libby, Drew Hallett Managing Editor Mark Panus Contributing Editors Matt Herb Steve Downey Chris Riffer Layout And Design Jeanette Blankenship Chris Miller Contributing Photographers Lon Horwedel Per Kjeldsen Chad Weaver Cover Photo Chad Weaver Publisher Stu Coman Business Manager Linda Autry Circulation Manager Sarah Boone Advertising Sales Michelle DeLee-Hamilton 877-630-8768 Customer Service Cathy Jones, Laura Thornton, Crystal Clayton 800-421-7751 The Wolverine is published monthly. A one- year (12 issues) subscription is $66.99. The Wolverine is printed at The Papers in Milford, Ind. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Wolverine, P.O. Box 2331, Durham, NC 27702. Periodical postage paid at Durham, NC 27702 and additional offices. For advertising or subscription information, call 1-800-421-7751 or write The Wolverine, P.O. Box 2331, Durham, NC 27702. The Wolverine is a publication of Coman Publishing Company, 905 W. Main St, Suite 24F, Durham, NC 27701. E-Mail Address: thewolverine@comanpub.com Subscription questions: cjones@comanpub.com Website: www.thewolverine.com Be Heard! Send your letters to: Wolverine Letters • P.O. Box 2331 Durham, NC 27702 Or email: mark.panus@on3.com Letters may be edited for clarity or length.