The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1518781
4 THE WOLVERINE ❱ MAY 2024 DUSTY MAY HIRE BRINGS EXCITEMENT Hooray! We needed Dusty and we got him!! Go Blue always! mich56 How exciting. Two new coaches, two. Fresh starts in both programs. Might come with some grow- ing pains but the excitement at least is back (for hoops) and provides for an intriguing next few years. If these guys can build programs, given their age we could have some phenomenal stability in the two most important programs. DJuan2 OK, I'm starting to get pretty pumped about this hire. I truly, truly hope the John Beilein compari- sons bear fruit. Let's go! Harbaugh's Psychedelic Side Texted a bit with a pretty well respected college basketball insider last night who was impressed that Michigan was able to get him over Louisville. He also said he's the "right hire" and that Michigan got the best guy available in his opinion. andrewhfine Pretty impressive hire. ... Sounds like having John Beilein be part of the process paid dividends. I just hope the millions that the athletic department is saving on coaches annually entices them to tell the big donors to funnel cash to NIL, even if it means less to the athletic department since departmental budgets are less in need now. ThreePeatMafia Am I the only one wondering how he was inter- viewed and announced in a span of 24-36 hours and the background checks for the defensive foot- ball staff took what felt like three months? Don't get me wrong, I like the aggressiveness and the hire. I just don't understand how the background check could fly through that quickly, especially after the Scruggs' debacle. FroJoe11 We have a baby Beilein who loves to recruit ... a dream hire. Big-blue RESPECT FOR JUWAN Love the comment about Juwan Howard think- ing that Michigan would still be a good place for [former U-M verbal commit Khani] Rooths. bigdog00 Yup. For all of the complaints about Juwan (many justified) while he was here, he absolutely could not have handled the aftermath of his fir- ing better than he has to date. Nice statements from Juwan, his wife and his kids about always supporting Michigan, traveling to support his friend KBA [Kim Barnes Arico] and the women's basketball team in the NCAA Tournament, telling Rooths he should still go to Michigan — that's the classy way to handle a departure. Mhoops1 Juwan is a good guy. I feel very similar about him as I felt about Tommy Amaker and Brady Hoke when they left. All three are class acts who gave Michigan everything they had. They didn't get the job done, but were good guys who will always have my support. mgobluea FOOTBALL RECRUITING THOUGHTS You know what's kind of questionable? When Michigan was in a drought against OSU (and the CFP), people said, "Just win and the recruiting will take care of itself." When we'd lose head to head against Notre Dame, we heard it was because they had that "new coach buzz and excitement." I feel like Michigan could have a top-flight NIL program (the new excuse for our recruiting), and it wouldn't make a difference. I've never thought that recruiting was the most important thing (and I've got into a lot of argu- ments over the past few years around that stance), but I think I've fully given up on the idea of Michi- gan having a top-five class in anything but a fluke year. All of that is to say … maybe the new football staff lands some top-100 guys, maybe they don't. I just hope they have the coaching chops to turn what they have into a contender each year. KindaBlue Michigan finished first in recruiting after the 1998 title. By contrast, post-NIL, Michigan recruit- ing turned to poop as soon as it became a national title contender in 2022 and 2023. So yes, it's in- deed actually about NIL. timmieb OSU got 4 commits this weekend, we got 0. We need to get some momentum going. lawjib12 May 2024 • Vol. 35, No. 11 ISSN 1048-9940 TheWolverine.com Senior Editor Chris Balas Senior Writer John Borton Staff Writers Clayton Sayfie Anthony Broome EJ Holland Zach Libby Drew Hallett Contributing Editors Stu Coman Matt Herb Cathy Jones Chris Riffer Steve Downey Layout And Design Jeanette Blankenship Chris Miller Contributing Photographers Lon Horwedel, Per Kjeldsen, Dominick Sokotoff Cover Photo Michigan Photography Editor & Publisher Mark Panus Business Manager Linda Autry Circulation Manager Crystal Clayton Advertising Sales Maria Taustine (502) 552-4390 Customer Service Cathy Jones (800) 421-7751 The Wolverine is published monthly. A one-year (12 issues) subscription is $69.99. 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 Co., a division of On3 Media, Inc., located at 905 W. Main St., Suite 24F, Durham, NC 27701. E-Mail Address: thewolverine@comanpub.com Subscription questions: crystal.clayton@on3.com Website: www.thewolverineondemand.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. From Our Website: TheWolverine.com JOIN THE CONVERSATION! New subscribers get 25% off your first year! Use Promo Code GoBlue2024