Wolverine TV podcast: Michigan at the NFL Combine, spring ball, hoops talk, more
TheWolverine.com’s Chris Balas, Clayton Sayfie and Anthony Broome — who reports live from the NFL Combine in Indianapolis — discuss the Michigan prospects at the combine, how spring practices are going based on what we’ve heard, basketball and more.
In the segment regarding Michigan football’s spring practices, Balas explained why there’s plenty of reason for optimism surrounding the offense, even though it loses running back Hassan Haskins and offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, as well as which areas on the defense may be weak points at this time.
“They are very happy with a lot of their positions, guys. And the ones that they aren’t are the obvious ones — the defensive line, losing Chris Hinton. There’s a chance that they’re going to talk Donovan Jeter into coming back [for a sixth season at Michigan]. That would be interesting, and would help depth up front. But they need some guys in the portal. There are guys working in the NIL department and trying to land some of these guys, because that’s what it takes — let’s be honest, it’s different now. It’s all legal, right? It’s like you can go out and buy yourself a defensive lineman, so to speak, in the transfer portal. So I think you’re going to see that happen and try to bolster that position.
“[Michigan sophomore linebacker] Junior Colson has made a move. [Virginia transfer center] Olu Oluwatimi is going to be an upgrade at center, and is going to be an upgrade at center — and Andrew Vastardis had a really good year. He improved dramatically, and what a Michigan Man, for lack of a better word, with what he persevered through to help lead Michigan to a title in that sixth year. But, I think Olu Oluwatimi is going to be really a better athlete and a better center. Some in the building believe he could’ve gone pro this year and been drafted, so that’s kind of a steal.
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“Very interested to see what the offense is going to look like without Haskins. Are they going to rely more on the passing game and get the ball more into the playmakers’ hands? I do want to see more touches for those guys, like Donovan Edwards out of the backfield. I think you can use two-back sets at times, and use him as a receiver on wheel routes and things like that.”
The guys continued to talk more about what they’re hearing out of spring ball.
For more Michigan football and basketball talk, watch or listen to the episode below.
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