The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1497536
58 THE WOLVERINE ❱ MAY 2023 S pring has sprung, and with it are several timely topics for discussion on the Michi‑ gan athletics front. With the trans‑ fer portal, earlier spring football at U‑M and name, image, and like‑ ness (NIL), there's no such thing as "down time" anymore when it comes to covering the Wolverines. As the temperature starts to heat up, we switch up the format here this month and tackle three of the hotter topics this spring. U-M LANDS ANOTHER LEGACY COMMIT IN BLAKE FRAZIER … AND WE LOVE IT "Keep 'em coming" is what we say. Blake Frazier, son of former Michigan offensive lineman and national champion Steve Frazier, is a 6‑foot‑6, 270‑pound 2024 pledge (soon to be much heavier under strength coach Ben Herbert) out of Austin (Texas) Vandegrift High. The first time we saw him in Ann Ar‑ bor, we didn't know who he was. It was at the Chop House restaurant during a Michigan athletics event where we no‑ ticed a big, well‑built figure decked out in U‑M gear … and he was in his ele‑ ment. You could see it on his face. We don't know how sons of former players have worked out at other schools. But at Michigan, we can't think of too many examples where an outstanding football player's son with a U‑M offer didn't follow in his father's footsteps … or think of many that didn't work out really well. That's what decades of winning tradi‑ tion (minus the hiccup starting in 2008) and program pride will do for you. We'd argue it's helped get Michigan back on track under Jim Harbaugh thanks to guys like Aidan Hutchinson, All‑American and son of former All‑American Chris, and Will Johnson, son of key early '90s contributor Deon. Will is on the verge of becoming an elite corner here. For kids with fathers who lived and breathed Michigan, they can't help but feel it themselves. Those are the players who, in the fourth quarters of games — no mat‑ ter how exhausted they are — are going to keep coming back to "win for Michigan." If you don't believe it, pop in the tape of the Michigan‑Ohio State game from two years ago in Ann Arbor and watch "young Hutch" do his thing. TRANSFER PORTAL + NIL = FREE AGENCY That Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh has been able to maintain his culture — and his team — in the current climate is remarkable. Name, image and likeness was supposed to be a benefit for the players, and it has been. They're able to get paid now for their exploits on the field and their "fame." But — as always — there are those programs exploiting it, using pay for play under the guise of NIL to essen‑ tially buy their teams. And it stinks. That was never the intention, of course. But with the new transfer rules imple‑ mented a few years ago, allowing kids to move without penalty (having to sit out for a year) … it just doesn't work. It's cre‑ ated free agency, essentially, and Juwan Howard and Michigan basketball have been hit as hard as anyone. The Wolverines lost Frankie Col‑ lins to the portal (and Arizona State) last year. This year, Hunter Dickin‑ son is On3's No. 1 portal transfer, and he's got Kansas, Maryland and others vying for his services. It's hard to blame him. Kan‑ sas is "willing to do whatever it takes" to land him, per one of our sources in Lawrence. For a player who isn't suited for today's NBA, now's the time to cash in. We'd hope (eventually) the Mich‑ igan NIL game is strong enough to combat some of this down the road — not pay for play, necessarily, but creating enough opportunities to make staying worth it. As of now, though … it's not. WILL 2023 BE HARBAUGH'S BEST MICHIGAN TEAM? Ending on a positive note — we can't tell you how many folks close to the pro‑ gram have told us they believe this fall's Michigan football team will be Har‑ baugh's best yet. They're deep at al‑ most every position, which was evident during the spring game, and hungry for another title, still fueled by national championship aspirations. "It is loaded," one former All‑Ameri‑ can close to the program said. "Now … it will come down to who steps up to lead." That should make Michigan fans feel great. There are candidates every‑ where — returning defensive captain and defensive back Mike Sainristil, for example, one of U‑M's best in recent memory. Senior running back Blake Co‑ rum, junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy, sixth‑year linebacker Michael Barrett, veteran guards Trevor Keegan and Zak Zinter … the list goes on. Be prepared for yet another great sea‑ son of Michigan football. ❏ Chris Balas has been with The Wolverine since 1997. Contact him at cbalas@ thewolverine.com and follow him on Twitter @Balas _ Wolverine. INSIDE MICHIGAN ❱ CHRIS BALAS Three Hot Topics This Spring Michigan football fans should have plenty to cheer about this fall with the Wolverines returning a deep and loaded lineup. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN