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