Speaker 1: It pays off to have a friend like John Borton
Speaker 1: of the Wolverine Great dude does a great job of
Speaker 1: covering Michigan athletics, not just football. You can follow him
Speaker 1: on Twitter at jb Underscore Wolverine, and he joins us
Speaker 1: to talk about the Michigan football program here on Exis
Speaker 1: and Bros. JB. Thanks for your time, buddy.
Speaker 2: How are you. I'm doing really well. Yeah, great to
Speaker 2: be with you.
Speaker 1: Likewise, much appreciated because I know these times are valuable
Speaker 1: with your family. It give me an idea of how
Speaker 1: this team doesn't get complacent after winning a national championship
Speaker 1: and completing everything that they did a year ago.
Speaker 2: Well, I think there's a couple of things, Chef. You
Speaker 2: start with the fact that you've got Sharon Moore leading
Speaker 2: this program with certainly something to prove himself. He talks
Speaker 2: about that, He takes that head on, says, we aren't
Speaker 2: complacent at all. It's a new team. Yes, we won
Speaker 2: the national championship last but this is a new group
Speaker 2: of guys and we are extremely motivated to to meet
Speaker 2: everything that we did last year. You know, in terms
Speaker 2: of how we go about it. They you know, you
Speaker 2: don't always control the result, but they're working just as hard.
Speaker 2: And plus you've got all these guys that now people
Speaker 2: are saying, Okay, well you lost J. J. McCarthy, you
Speaker 2: lost your offensive line, you lost so you're going to
Speaker 2: take a huge step back. Well, all these guys that
Speaker 2: have been under studies are telling themselves and looking at
Speaker 2: each other and saying, look, you know, we we do
Speaker 2: have something to prove. We're not going to be complacent
Speaker 2: because it's time for us to step up and show
Speaker 2: everybody what we've got. So I don't see a complacency
Speaker 2: there because there has been so much turnover and there
Speaker 2: is so much of that kind of undercurrent outside sham
Speaker 2: Beckler Hall of Okay, well that was great, but now
Speaker 2: you know this this, they're gonna really tail off some.
Speaker 1: I thought Charon Moore was really impressive a year ago
Speaker 1: when serving as the interim head coach, but he still
Speaker 1: coached the offensive line and he's still called plays. How
Speaker 1: will his responsibilities change as the head coach now?
Speaker 2: Well, he's got an offensive coordinator now that'll be making
Speaker 2: the calls in Kurt Campbell, and he certainly trusts him.
Speaker 2: But I think it'll be somewhat of a collaborative effort
Speaker 2: as it was. You know, certainly Cherome Moore knew what
Speaker 2: Jim Harball wanted, and uh, Kirk Campbell is going to
Speaker 2: know how Charil Moore wants an offense run. But you know,
Speaker 2: for for more, there is, uh, there is a lot more.
Speaker 2: There's there's more things that he has to handle administratively
Speaker 2: and with the public and with n I L and
Speaker 2: with different things like that, and so you know, he's
Speaker 2: got his plate full in a different way. He but
Speaker 2: he has hired a staff that he really trusts, and
Speaker 2: I think that goes a long way to being able
Speaker 2: to feel like he can delegate. You know, he's I
Speaker 2: mentioned Kurt Campbell Wing Martindale, who is basically a guy
Speaker 2: that the past two defensive coordinators have learned from his system,
Speaker 2: and he's going to keep that system largely on defense,
Speaker 2: although he'll certainly put his own tweaks to it. So yeah,
Speaker 2: it's a matter for Surow more of knowing that the
Speaker 2: guys that you've hired are going to do a good
Speaker 2: job and so you can be a little bit more
Speaker 2: letting some of those things go.
Speaker 1: John Borton joining us from the Wolverine follow him on
Speaker 1: x R on Twitter at JB Underscore Wolverine. Everybody always
Speaker 1: wants to talk about the quarterback position, and rightfully so.
Speaker 1: But how do they replenish what was considered, probably over
Speaker 1: the last three years, the best offensive wide of the
Speaker 1: Big Ten.
Speaker 2: Well, you do it, and I've talked to a number
Speaker 2: of the guys involved. You do it by these understudies,
Speaker 2: as it were, having been with having been backing up
Speaker 2: all the guys that have been, you know, really the
Speaker 2: best offensive line in college football for the last two years,
Speaker 2: and they are motivated. They know what is expected and
Speaker 2: wanted from them. Miles Hinton over at left guard or
Speaker 2: left tackle rather could be the best of the bunch.
Speaker 2: According to Sharon Moore and and an NFL draft pick,
Speaker 2: you one of them, Josh Free from Northwestern they imported,
Speaker 2: you know, as a as a really good signee transfer.
Speaker 2: They will say some some that I've talked to you
Speaker 2: say that, you know, had he been playing for Michigan
Speaker 2: last year, he'd have been an All American because you
Speaker 2: get more attention, and he was that good. And right
Speaker 2: down the line, it goes like that these guys are
Speaker 2: not only talented, but they're motivated. No, they didn't see
Speaker 2: the field all the time, but they got some starts
Speaker 2: when they weren't playing behind all Americans and guys that
Speaker 2: were that formed really the best offensive line in college
Speaker 2: football of the last three years.
Speaker 1: I talked to some people who believe the defense can
Speaker 1: be just as good, if not better than it was
Speaker 1: a year ago. What are your thoughts on it on paper?
Speaker 2: Well, I would be one of those people who would
Speaker 2: believe that because one big, one big deficit is you
Speaker 2: lost Rod Moore at safety tour on ACL and that
Speaker 2: is a loss as a coach on the field basically,
Speaker 2: and someone was very, very talented. But you start with
Speaker 2: the fact that this is a Michigan defense. I think
Speaker 2: that it really saw it's uh its beginnings of greatness
Speaker 2: when the Wolverines lost that playoff game to Georgia and
Speaker 2: saw what it takes to have such a dominant defense,
Speaker 2: a deeper and more aggressive defensive line and upfront that
Speaker 2: can just overwhelm people. I think Michigan is going to
Speaker 2: have that. You look at those those tackles that the
Speaker 2: Wolverines are going to be able to run out there.
Speaker 2: Mason starting with Mason Graham, Uh, these guys are really
Speaker 2: really good and they have more edges that are going
Speaker 2: to be able to step up. And I just think
Speaker 2: that this front seven. You know, they brought in the
Speaker 2: linebacker from Maryland and they've got they have a lot
Speaker 2: of depth and talent and not to mention, maybe the
Speaker 2: best cornerback in college football. So I think that, Jeff,
Speaker 2: that this group is going to absolutely step up and
Speaker 2: make a mark right away. Now, you don't want to
Speaker 2: mention to the offense or the coaches. Will the defense
Speaker 2: have to carry you a little bit that was said
Speaker 2: in the press conference with Kurt Campbell the other day,
Speaker 2: because they expect to be very good on their own.
Speaker 2: But I'll say this defensively, Michigan is going to have
Speaker 2: this entire team in every single ballgame.
Speaker 1: Well, you mentioned Campbell, he said the other day that
Speaker 1: it's a fluid operation that's going to change daily. Regarding
Speaker 1: his quarterback, who do you like in that situation? And
Speaker 1: do they have you know how the old cliche is
Speaker 1: if you have three or you have four, you have two,
Speaker 1: you don't have any How do you feel about Michigan's
Speaker 1: QB situation right now?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I I think that it has much to prove.
Speaker 2: I'll say that, But I don't think they have nothing.
Speaker 2: I will reject the latter portion of the premise they're
Speaker 2: you know those that say if you have too you
Speaker 2: don't have any, because that certainly wasn't the case. Just
Speaker 2: you know, a few years back with when JJ McCarthy
Speaker 2: was a freshman, he was inserted and effectively on a
Speaker 2: regular basis, I think you could say see somewhat the
Speaker 2: same thing. Take for instance, if it's if it's seven
Speaker 2: year veteran Jack Tuttle that wound up the quarterback, you
Speaker 2: would see a heavy dose of junior Alex Orgie, who
Speaker 2: has is the best runner of that crew and could
Speaker 2: come in in certain packages and do things. If it's
Speaker 2: if it's Orgy who is your starter, and he has
Speaker 2: shown that he has the run past mix to the
Speaker 2: point where you can have him run the show. But
Speaker 2: they get in situations where they're really going to go
Speaker 2: past heavy. It could be the insertion of Jack Tuttle
Speaker 2: or Davis Warren who was the best of the bunch
Speaker 2: and throwing the ball in the spring game. So I
Speaker 2: don't it's not like last year. It's not like the
Speaker 2: last two years where it's JJ McCarthy and really nobody
Speaker 2: else unless he gets hurt. I mean, this is Remember
Speaker 2: this is the guy that Jim Harbaugh said that as
Speaker 2: a college quarterback he was Michigan's best of all time.
Speaker 2: In JJ McCarthy. You don't have that where it's assured
Speaker 2: it's going to be a mix. And I believe, and
Speaker 2: you know, I think they've got enough talent to get
Speaker 2: by with a superior defense and as that offensive line
Speaker 2: really kind of coalesces and comes together.
Speaker 1: What's the the atmosphere different compared to the Harbor era.
Speaker 2: I think so many things I hear are the same.
Speaker 2: It's certainly a different presentation when Cheryl Moore gets in
Speaker 2: front of the media, maybe a little less contentious, maybe
Speaker 2: a little less you know what you're going to get
Speaker 2: because Jim, Jim was his own guy and certainly came
Speaker 2: across you.
Speaker 1: You never knew.
Speaker 2: I mean he might be talking. He might come in
Speaker 2: there and be talking about raising his chickens. Uh. Jero
Speaker 2: Moore is uh is all football and is all is
Speaker 2: all business in that respect. But there are so many
Speaker 2: things for a team that has undergone such change, the
Speaker 2: continuity is what really strikes me. Okay, from last year,
Speaker 2: your offensive coordinator is now your head coach. A guy
Speaker 2: that basically created the defense that you've been playing to
Speaker 2: win so big in the last three years is now
Speaker 2: your defensive coordinator. The quarterbacks coach that worked under SCHIROE.
Speaker 2: Moore is now your offensive coordinator. You've got guys that
Speaker 2: worked directly with Ben Herbert, who is a strength and
Speaker 2: conditioning coach and gets so much credit and running that
Speaker 2: program the same way. I love the story about when
Speaker 2: Herbert comes in and says, basically, hey, nothing's changed. They're
Speaker 2: doing the same things because it worked. And that's the
Speaker 2: kind of thing where you keep that continuity and it
Speaker 2: is not that dramatic. Okay, we're going to we're going
Speaker 2: to do everything differently, which was the feeling you got
Speaker 2: when say, rich Rodriguez came to out and we saw
Speaker 2: how that worked out.
Speaker 1: Yeah, great stuff. John Borton joining us from the Wolverine.
Speaker 1: Follow him on Twitter on x at jb Underscore Wolverine.
Speaker 1: You know what's coming up in the Netflix series of
Speaker 1: Connor Stallions. How do you think that affects this program?
Speaker 1: Knowing that questions are going to be coming to players
Speaker 1: and coaches about the allegations that he was involved in
Speaker 1: the twenty twenty three signed stealing scheme and all the
Speaker 1: things that go with it.
Speaker 2: I don't think it's going to affect the players much
Speaker 2: because they have an out. They're not supposed to talk
Speaker 2: about it, and they fall on Leana on that regularly.
Speaker 2: They say, I'm not allowed to talk about that. Coaches
Speaker 2: the same thing. It's interesting that the NCAA was able
Speaker 2: to leak and talk about it to a degree, but
Speaker 2: while demanding that Michigan not so. The I would say
Speaker 2: the biggest thing that might come out of that is
Speaker 2: Michigan takes a we don't care what anybody says outside
Speaker 2: of our building approach, but they make exception to that
Speaker 2: in this sense if they feel like they're they're being attacked,
Speaker 2: that's where the whole Michigan versus everybody comes from. They
Speaker 2: are going to circle the wagons and they were going
Speaker 2: to use that as okay, They're they're coming after us again.
Speaker 2: And look at the timing of things. You know, you're
Speaker 2: starting to see things come out about the notice of
Speaker 2: valegation and that sort of thing just before the season starts,
Speaker 2: and of course you know TV is going to do
Speaker 2: their thing in that regard with the Netflix right before
Speaker 2: the season. So if you're if you're Michigan, I think
Speaker 2: what you're doing here is first of all, saying you know,
Speaker 2: we didn't have anything to do with that, if you
Speaker 2: know individual players, and saying that you know we can't
Speaker 2: talk about that, while at the same time using it
Speaker 2: as motivation. They're coming after us again, Let's push back
Speaker 2: twice as hard.
Speaker 1: All right, final thoughts from you, and we appreciate it.
Speaker 1: On this Friday, tell me what your thoughts are as
Speaker 1: far as a playoff expectation. We know the playoff has
Speaker 1: expanded to twelve teams. You think Michigan will be in
Speaker 1: that conversation when the season is over if they stay healthy.
Speaker 2: I think they will absolutely be in that conversation. That's
Speaker 2: no guarantee, obviously they've got I would say I started
Speaker 2: covering Michigan football in nineteen ninety one, and this is
Speaker 2: unquestionably the toughest schedule that I have seen them play
Speaker 2: in a regular season with Texas in that second week
Speaker 2: with Oregon, would you usc with Ohio State in Columbus.
Speaker 2: It is just it's a beast of a schedule. But
Speaker 2: the dynamic is different now. You could lose two or
Speaker 2: three games and still make the playoffs, and I think
Speaker 2: that Michigan, there's no way they sail through this undefeated.
Speaker 2: I don't believe, but it is a different deal twelve
Speaker 2: team playoff, and I think that they are going to
Speaker 2: be right there as a perhaps, you know, you never
Speaker 2: predict x amount of losses, but if they even if
Speaker 2: they were at three and then they won that game
Speaker 2: down in Columbus, you would go a long way towards
Speaker 2: making the playoffs. So yeah, I absolutely think that they'll
Speaker 2: be part of that conversation if they stay healthy.
Speaker 1: I don't think anyone's going on blemish this year. It's
Speaker 1: going to be a fun ride and we're going to
Speaker 1: follow with you the entire way with the Wolverine and
Speaker 1: on Twitter at JB Underscore Wolverine. Have a great weekend,
Speaker 1: my friends. Say hello to the family, and I hope
Speaker 1: we talk soon.
Speaker 2: Absolutely sounds good, Jeff. Thanks