National signing day and Cade McNamara are hardly news.
Michigan is smart to go after the portal hard and fast. The market has changed and there are things you cannot control. Don't sit back. You want the success to last.
The drama that is really innuendo with McNamara and Erick All has, until now, pervaded. Now that the cast has been officially reset, the stench can diffuse all the way to Iowa. My God, the team is playing for a national championship, for the second time with experience under their belts, and you desert the team?
Get used to it. You are there because of physical achievement. Injuries and a short career are part of it.
Michigan did the right thing by replacing them when they had the chance. Birds in hand can get messy. The whole thing is a mess full of opportunities.
If the team is near or at the top of the Big Ten again next year we will have a chance to learn their names. One of the portal transfers looks to take a position on the O-line; another is a starting B1G tight end; one is a fast, young edge; Hausmann is the equivalent of a top-250 recruit with a year of experience; finally the Stanford transfers provide depth for Michigan's bread and butter of mauling. The 2-time transfer Indiana QB (Jack Tuttle) fills the Alan Bowman role--experienced teammate (he knows what he is in for) in case of a disaster.
In case of another Cade disaster, that is. It is smart as hell. Why groom the kids when their replacements are right there on the shelf? And we know they are all capable students.
The great part about it is everyone knows where they stand. Certainly these kids know the Michigan roster, as do the coaches. It is a win-win.
While ahead in the win-loss standings, Michigan is behind a lot of teams in terms of rankings and NIL. On3 publishes the NIL money. Blake Corum comes up at around $1.4 million in value.
Is this the new reality, that Michigan is 15-20 in national recruiting rankings, or right around where they should be based on payouts?
If Blake Corum is worth $1.4 million his career starts there. He is looking to maximize and extend that. Every other kid and player on each team, those temporarily or not in the portal, and each high school or younger student good enough to be recruited is doing the same thing.
Corum could redshirt and work on his degree. He could play for Michigan next year and risk being the workhorse again. Or, he could--and probably will--rehab, work toward the combines, and continue his career in the NFL as a mid-round draft choice.
There are many options--good options--for many of these players cum students. Some will prosper and many will fail. And that forms the basis of, what is the point of going through your entire life pointing to a college football career? These decisions have always been there, but now they have a great big dollar sign on them for all to see.
The dollars are immediate. More importantly, they show the intent, the motive, and the trajectory.
In terms of the recruiting class, I look at the number of recruits in the 300-plus range as likely to be starters if they stay four or five years. They are odds-on players to be paid after college at least on a practice squad basis. They can legitimately realize their goal of being a part of pro football. This is not to say others in the class do count--there may be sleepers, injuries, kickers, who knows.
Stretching things for offer list, upward movement, and Michigan's resources in terms of scouting, this class has 8-10 recruits in this range. Add 5-7 already experienced 4-stars, the signees in the top national recruit category is 13-17. Penn State this year--down to #14 has 14 4-stars and one 5-star. For Michigan it is a strong recruiting class, especially given it is for both the future and next year.
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