The Wolverine247 Michigan Football Podcast

This week, Lorenz and Shaw break down the Michigan football team’s loss at Notre Dame and what went wrong for the Wolverines. Topping the list, unsurprisingly, were Michigan’s issues on the offensive line, what it means moving forward and how the Wolverines should handle the starting tackle positions. Also on the list were Michigan’s issues converting on offense and a lack of an identity, what panic level Wolverine fans should hold and other things that went wrong on Saturday. The conversation then shifts to where and how Michigan can improve in a favorable next few weeks of the schedule, how the season outlook compares this week to before the season began and some discussion over how warranted and reactionary Michigan fans are compared to other schools. The podcast closes with some other questions, including discussions about Shea Patterson, Brad Hawkins, Michigan’s defensive tendency to over pursue against mobile quarterbacks and what, outside of a win, could constitute as a success for Michigan this weekend against Western Michigan.

This week, Lorenz and Shaw don’t field questions from listeners, and instead open the show discussing the Michigan football’s team’s slew of apparent injuries, the impact of Tarik Black’s absence from games and the state of Michigan’s receiving corps. Then, the duo discuss how much credence they’re giving the heavy fall camp chatter that Michigan’s offensive line is improved, and try to gauge just how much improvement from the line can be expected this season as well as this week. After that, the discussion turns to recruiting, as they break down the slew of Michigan targets that the Fighting Irish are also recruiting who will be on hand in South Bend this weekend. They also opine on whether or not that increases the importance of winning the game to impress recruits. Following that, the two go in-depth on what Notre Dame brings to Saturday’s matchup, and the things Michigan needs to be aware of in order to come out on top. After offering top players and game keys to watch, the two play their regular round of over/under for the game ahead, offer their score prediction and whether or not the Wolverines come out on top.

This week’s podcast, nearly doubling the length of a normal podcast for our annual prediction special, opens with Lorenz and Shaw discussing Ohio State coach Urban Meyer’s three-game suspension and the findings the Buckeyes published following their investigation. The two also lament on Ohio State’s pitfalls in handling the situation with the public, as well as what it means for Meyer and the Buckeyes in a recruiting sense moving forward. After that, the two handle a couple Michigan football questions, including talk about special packages for Joe Milton, the intensity of the Wolverines’ schedule and more. Then, it’s prediction time. Lorenz and Shaw go back and forth, debating who they think will lead the Wolverines in interceptions, tackles, tackles for loss, sacks, rushing, receiving and more. They also take a stab at what Shea Patterson will look like statistically this season, as well as their picks for offensive and defensive MVP, freshmen of the year, most improved players, top assistant coach and more. Finally, the two wrap things up with their predictions for Michigan’s season record, the Big Ten landscape, how other conference title games will play out, who makes the College Football Playoff and who wins the Heisman Trophy, with plenty of dissension along the way.

This week, Lorenz and Shaw open by discussing the potential Jordan shoe resale scandal that has already caused North Carolina to suspend 13 players and is being investigated internally by Michigan. The duo discuss what they know and have heard about Michigan’s end of the situation, and offer their opinions on what various scenarios would and should mean for the Wolverines moving forward. Next, with low-rated defensive lineman Tyrece Woods’ recent commitment, the duo re-open the common debate over recruiting stars, and how much Michigan fans should weigh a recruit’s low star rating compared to other factors when a player commits to the Wolverines. In the discussion, Jim Harbaugh’s recruiting hits, misses and class trends at Michigan are reviewed, with surprising results. Then, the two handle a variety of questions surrounding Michigan’s fall camp, including their latest thoughts on Michigan’s defensive flexibility, a couple of position battles, Michigan Stadium seating hierarchy and Harbaugh’s oft-discussed closed-door, “submarine” approach to fall camp.

This week, Lorenz and Shaw open with a lengthy discussion of recent allegations that Urban Meyer knew about former assistant coach Zach Smith’s repeated domestic abuses and still kept him employed on the team, an incident that has prompted Ohio State to put Meyer on paid administrative leave. The two discuss their personal reactions, what they would do if they were Meyer or Ohio State, what this could mean for Michigan offensive line coach and former Buckeye assistant Ed Warinner and address why it’s much to soon to talk about the Michigan recruiting impact of the situation. Following that, they shift their focus toward the opening of fall camp, beginning with a discussion of Michigan being ranked 14th in the preseason coaches poll behind seemingly similar teams in Penn State, Notre Dame and Michigan State. Then, the duo question why Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh continues to pitch the idea that the starting quarterback battle is still open, what happened with now-departed running back Kareem Walker, discuss the lack of position battles the Wolverines have entering fall camp, which ones might still be worth watching and other key storylines fans should keep an eye on in the first week of practices such as turnovers, offseason progress and locker room mentality.

Putting recruiting on hold until after Michigan's annual Barbecue at the Big House event, Zach Shaw and Steve Lorenz instead tackle some key team questions. They begin discussing their thoughts on Big Ten Media Days in Chicago, from dumb contrived narratives to genuine insight that Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines gave about their offseason and prospects this season. Then, the duo tackle a slew of questions pertaining to Michigan's strong 2018 schedule, and whether the bevy of big games will be enough to allow the Wolverines to contend for the Big Ten title and College Football Playoff even with two losses on their resume. They also discuss what a "successful" 2018 season would look like for Michigan, and what a realistic expectations over the next two to three seasons is. After that, the two discuss Michigan's 2018 recruiting class, which players the current team is most excited to have play this fall and which of the true freshmen are our picks to play meaningful snaps in the 2018 season.

This week, in a particularly slow week in Michigan sports, the crew opens with a discussion on the Wolverines’ annual Barbecue at the Big House recruiting event and how the event may differ from past renditions, the latest with five-star targets Daxton Hill and George Karlaftis and whether Michigan could ultimately land commitments from either of them or other five-star targets. Then, we shift to discussions about the current team, as we answer questions from listeners about potential early departures to the NFL after this season, the possibility of injured offensive tackle Grant Newsome playing competitively ever again, which Michigan assistant might be the next scapegoat in the eyes of fans as well as potential causes behind the Wolverines’ staggering 12-year drought in road games against ranked teams.

Combining a couple of questions we got about Michigan’s defense and utilizing Shaw’s in-depth offseason question series at each position group, we break down Michigan’s starters, reserve players and overall outlook at each defensive position.  In doing so, we highlight some freshmen who could see significant snaps in year one, players who could bounce back from injuries, potential All-Big Ten and All-American players and that advanced stats that support that claim, positional battles to keep an eye on as well as returning starters who could step up. Additionally, the two break down overrated and underrated players on the team, sleeper picks for the 2018 season and changes in the 2019 recruiting rankings relevant to Michigan.

This week’s episode was driven entirely by questions from our listeners, with a healthy mix of football and recruiting topics discussed. We opened by talking about Eric Gray’s pledge to the Wolverines and a discussion on Michigan’s running-back success on the recruiting trail as of late and what Jay Harbaugh is doing right as a recruiter. We also discuss the state of Michigan’s offensive line and take a stab at a current two-deep at the position and justify why it’s so hard to recruiting evaluators to project offensive linemen correctly. We then discuss the state of Michigan’s wide receivers, what that means for this season’s depth chart as well as what it means for 2019 recruiting. We close with some smaller discussions on Michael Barrett, Cade McNamara, the remaining recruiting board for 2019, trap games in Michigan’s 2018 schedule and much more.

This week's episode is almost entirely recruiting though, as Shaw and Lorenz break down the recent commitments of Mazi Smith, Zach Charbonnet, Erick All, DJ Turner II, George Johnson III and Joey Velazquez. The two also discuss how the productive weekend went for five-star targets Zach Harrison and Quavaris Crouch, what the headway means for the remainder of the class, what the final 2019 class should expect to look like, how Michigan's recruiting approach has changed over the years and what to make of the 2019 class and key targets so far. The two also discuss their dietary preferences for the Fourth of July.

In what could be the Michigan football team’s biggest week of recruiting for the summer, we break down the Wolverines’ two recent commitments, the bevy of offers  extended this weekend. We also discuss five-star running back Quavaris Crouch’s second unofficial visit to Ann Arbor, while also previewing a loaded visit weekend that will include several 2019 prospects. Then, we switch gears to talk about the Michigan football team, taking a look at Shaw’s 10 biggest offseason questions surrounding the Wolverines’ offense. This turned into discussions about running back Chris Evans’ utilization, new offensive line coach Ed Warinner’s track record as an offensive line coach, Michigan’s potential at tight end, expectations for quarterback Shea Patterson, Michigan’s potential growth at wide receiver and what the Wolverines’ offensive tackles could look like. In between, we address a handful of questions from listeners as well.

This week’s show opened with Lorenz and Shaw opining on a couple odds and ends regarding Jeff George Jr., the World Cup and more. Then the duo reflect on John Beilein’s intrigue with the NBA last week, why he turned the opportunity down and what that means for Michigan. Sticking with basketball, the two then go on to discuss whether Michigan’s football or basketball team will have more success in the 2018-19 season, weighing in on each team’s potential in both the regular season and the postseason with the current pieces they have as well as a brief breakdown on the teams’ schedules. After that, they break down perception and reality of Michigan football’s seeming lack of in-state talent in 2019, and whether that’s a troubling trend for the Wolverines or not. Steve also offers an update on a five-star top target visiting campus unofficially for the second time in a year.

In a loaded offseason news week, we discuss Charles Matthews, Michigan basketball's status in the Big Ten and the Wolverines' recruiting status. Then, we field football questions on Shea Patterson, MSU, Ed Warriner, assistant coaches' recruiting prowess, Luke Deal, Zach Carpenter and more.

In a relatively slow news week in Michigan football, basketball and recruiting, Steve Lorenz and Zach Shaw break down the potential and a reasonable bar for Shea Patterson and what his impact on the Wolverines’ offense could entail. Additionally, we discuss which Michigan players could end up on All-Big Ten teams this fall, and which ones could make the first team.

We break down Michigan basketball news, hoops recruiting, football recruiting and Big Ten football power rankings.