The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/813087
MAY 2017 THE WOLVERINE 37 MICHIGAN FOOTBALL come one of the veterans on a young defense that, despite a number of losses, enters the 2017 season with very high expectations. "Just look at him," Brown said. "I teased him last year … 'You were a short, pudgy guy.' He's chiseled and has a D-1 body now. We're asking him to play two positions, and I'm very pleased with where he's at." EARLY COLLEGE FOOTBALL RECRUITING SIGNING PERIOD APPROVED The NCAA Division I Council ap- proved an early signing period for football recruiting, though it won't be made official until a June vote. The Collegiate Commissioners Association must sign off on the change as well after the Football Bowl Subdivision members voted 14-1 for the proposal April 14. The early signing period is to in- clude a 72-hour signing window for high school seniors beginning the third Wednesday in December. Na- tional Signing Day will still be the first Wednesday in February. Per the NCAA's official release, new legislation accomplishes the following: • "It changes the recruiting calendar to allow for an early signing period in December [effective Aug. 1]. Only the Collegiate Commissioners Association can create new National Letter of In- tent signing periods. It adds a period for official visits that begins April 1 of the junior year and ends the Sunday before the last Wednesday in June of that year. Official visits can't occur in conjunction with a prospect's partici- pation in a school's camp or clinic [ef- fective Aug. 1]. • "It prevents Football Bowl Sub- division schools from hiring people close to a prospective student-athlete for a two-year period before and after the student's anticipated and actual enrollment at the school. This provi- sion was adopted in men's basketball in 2010 [effective immediately, though schools may honor contracts signed before Jan. 18, 2017]. "Football Bowl Subdivision schools are limited to signing 25 prospec- tive and current student-athletes to a first-time financial aid agreement or a National Letter of Intent. Exceptions exclude current student-athletes who have been enrolled full-time at the school for at least two years and pro- spective or current student-athletes who suffer an incapacitating injury [effective for recruits who sign after Aug. 1, 2017]. • "It limits the time for Football Bowl Subdivision coaches to partici- pate in camps and clinics to 10 days in June and July, and requires that the camps take place on a school's cam- pus or in facilities regularly used by the school for practice or competition. Staff members with football-specific responsibilities are subject to the same restrictions. The Football Champion- ship Subdivision can conduct and par- ticipate in camps during the months of June and July [effective immediately, though schools may honor contracts signed before Jan. 18, 2017]. • "It allows coaches employed at a camp or clinic to have recruiting con- versations with prospects participating in camps and clinics and requires edu- cational sessions at all camps and clin- ics detailing initial eligibility standards, gambling rules, agent rules and drug regulations [effective immediately]. • "It allows Football Bowl Subdivi- sion schools to hire a 10th assistant coach [effective Jan. 9, 2018]." Northwestern athletics director and council chair Jim Phillips called it a big step in the right direction. "Today's adoption of the football legislation marks the most significant progress in recent years to improve the football environment and culture for current and prospective student- athletes and coaches," he said. "Impor- tantly, the action of the NCAA Divi- sion I Council delivers on the charge of the Division I Board of Directors to comprehensively improve the football recruiting environment. This affirms that the new Division I governance structure can effectively and timely address important issues." Also voted upon and approved was the addition of a 10th assistant coach — though it will not take place im- mediately, but will happen in January 2018. Plus, two-a-day contact practices will no longer be permitted in college football. "The Council's action reinforces our commitment to the health and safety of our student-athletes," Phillips said. "We continue to be guided by the rec- ommendations from medical profes- sionals, coaches and administrators and the strong support for discontinu- ing two contact practices in the same day." ❏ MISCELLANEOUS NOTES • Michigan's Blue squad averaged 5.0 yards per rush in the spring game April 15, while the Maize av- eraged 3.7. Fifth-year senior quar- terback John O'Korn paced the big gainers on the ground, tucking the ball away three times for 42 yards (14.0 average) while playing for the Blue squad. Meanwhile, fifth-year senior running back Ty Isaac aver- aged 9.4 yards per try on five at- tempts for the Maize, and sopho- more walk-on tailback Tru Wilson averaged 8.3 yards on three carries for the Blue. Junior tailback Karan Higdon paced those with more than a handful of carries, averaging 6.8 yards per try on his dozen attempts while totaling a game-best 81 yards from scrimmage for the Blue. • Fifteen different receivers caught passes for the Wolverines in the spring game, but only four throws out of 23 receptions went for 20 or more yards. The big plays in the air: a 55-yard touchdown pass from red- shirt freshman quarterback Brandon Peters to redshirt sophomore tight end Zach Gentry; a 40-yard catch by sophomore walk-on wide receiver Nate Schoenle; a 29-yard sideline pass to sophomore wide receiver Eddie McDoom; and a 20-yard re- ception by early enrollee freshman wideout Tarik Black. • Michigan turned the football over 12 times in 2016, averaging fewer than one turnover per game. The Wolverines turned it over five times in the spring game, with two fum- bles and three interceptions, two of them returned for touchdowns. 2017 MICHIGAN FOOTBALL SCHEDULE Date Opponent Time Sept. 2 vs. Florida* TBA Sept. 9 Cincinnati TBA Sept. 16 Air Force TBA Sep. 23 at Purdue TBA Oct. 7 Michigan State TBA Oct. 14 at Indiana TBA Oct. 21 at Penn State TBA Oct. 28 Rutgers TBA Nov. 4 Minnesota TBA Nov. 11 at Maryland TBA Nov. 18 at Wisconsin TBA Nov. 25 Ohio State TBA Dec 2 Big Ten Championship Game^ * at Arlington, Texas; ^ at Indianapolis