Line up, hand the ball off, churn for yards. Line up, do it again. Line it up again, churn for yards again.  Blue collar, physical, run-first football. That’s the Michigan football team’s identity, that’s its brand. Sure, the Wolverines boast dynamic arm talent in the form of junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy, giving them plenty of options to open up the playbook. And sure, Michigan does a lot more than just “run the damn ball.” But at the end of the day, the Wolverines are a run first team.  That gritty play style attracts more than just running backs, centers, guards and tackles to ..read more

Week after week during spring practices, Michigan football players have met with the media beaming from recent success, while pointing optimistically to a future they believe will be even brighter. They’re players who, while identifying areas of improvement throughout, can’t help but sing high praises of anyone and everything they’re asked about.  Ask them about senior defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, however, and with all the attention he’s garnered early on, the responses are a little different. They look less like the general pieces of praise attributed to different players here or ther ..read more

He’s a former wide receiver turned defensive back, whose athleticism and technique has both players and coaches alike salivating.  Respected for his willingness to change positions, football IQ and steadfast dedication to his new position, his reputation reverberates across Schembechler Hall. He may not be the biggest name on the Michigan football team, but it wouldn’t be the same without him — sound familiar? It’s not graduate student Mike Sainristil, though the comparison is uncanny. It’s sophomore Amorion Walker. “(Walker) has gifts that a lot of people don’t,” Sainristil said March 9 ..read more

Following the 2021 season season, the Joe Moore Award for the best offensive line in the country sat prominently in the Michigan football team’s weight room. And after another dominant year for the line that saw the Wolverines’ run-first attack domineer opponents in 2022, they made one thing clear:  That award is staying put.  Michigan’s offensive line fueled the Wolverines to a top-five rushing attack and the sixth-ranked offense in the country, good for a repeat Joe Moore Award-winning campaign and keeping the recognition in Ann Arbor for another year.  Maybe they can’t imagi ..read more

Over the past four years, there hasn’t been much of a question as to who the Michigan football team’s No. 1 wide receiver was — it was unequivocally Ronnie Bell. But now, with Bell leaving Ann Arbor for the greener pastures of the NFL Draft, there’s a big hole to fill. His importance to the Wolverines over the past five years simply cannot be overstated. In 2019 and 2020, Bell led Michigan in both receptions and receiving yards, and he likely would’ve done the same in 2021 if he hadn’t been injured in the first game. Last season, Bell ramped up his production and took things a step further ..read more

Standing at a podium in Schembechler Hall for the first time since losing to TCU in the Fiesta Bowl, Jim Harbaugh faced a bevy of questions about his program. He was asked about position battles, transfers and coaching changes. But for the second season in a row, there were accompanying questions about his team off the field. From how serious his flirtation with the NFL got, to the status of his ongoing NCAA investigation, to the firing of co-offensive coordinator Matt Weiss — and even his relationship with athletic director Warde Manuel. For every bit of hype surrounding the upcoming season ..read more

The Michigan football team has announced Kirk Campbell as its next quarterback coach.  Following Matt Weiss’s termination from the program last week due to his involvement with “computer access crimes,” the Wolverines had a vacancy to fill on the staff.  On Friday afternoon it was announced that Campbell — who joined the staff last offseason as an offensive analyst — would be receiving the promotion.  “Kirk is a bright, young offensive mind that immediately meshed with our coaching staff last year,” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said in a statement. “Our offensive staff was reall ..read more

Following computer crimes allegations, Michigan co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Matt Weiss has been fired. Michigan Athletics released a statement from athletic director Warde Manuel Friday afternoon, terminating Weiss: “After a review of University policies, the athletic department has terminated the appointment of co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Matt Weiss. Consistent with university policy, we will have no further comment on this personnel matter.” Following the termination, Weiss released a statement on Twitter: pic.twitter.com/YBq1lLbKkx — Matt Weiss (@Mattd ..read more

Of all the moments that defined the Michigan football team’s 2022 season, there’s one that I keep circling back to.  Sixty-six minutes before the Wolverines’ clash with Ohio State — a bout for Big Ten East supremacy — Jim Harbaugh and Blake Corum emerged together from the tunnel that led to Michigan’s locker room. They walked in lockstep, head coach and star running back, snaking down the ramp and onto the field in Columbus for the biggest iteration of The Game since 2006.  As reporters and cameras crowded the tunnel’s entrance on each side, both Harbaugh and Corum felt omnipresent ..read more

Blake Corum isn’t done quite yet.  Corum will return to Michigan next year for his senior season, opting not to declare for the NFL Draft. He announced his decision on the Rich Eisen Show Monday afternoon. “Motivated by my profound love for Michigan and commitment to my education, I have decided to return for another season,” Corum said in a Twitter statement. “It is an honor to be a student-athlete at the University of Michigan! “I look forward to continuing my work in the classroom, on the field and in the community. I am grateful for my Michigan teammates and coaches.” Run it back ..read more