Moms make the best entrepreneurs

Last weekend, I was happy to join nearly two dozen amazing women and their families at the Moms As Entrepreneurs Spring Mega Expo at Morgan State University. Since Moms As Entrepreneurs' founding in 2016, participants have launched more than 100 mom-owned businesses, helping increase families income by more than 50 percent.

from https://open.maryland.gov/blog/moms-make-best-entrepreneurs/

Michigan Thursday: Gives a Hat Tip to Charles Matthews

Tonight is senior night and most likely the last game in Crisler for Charles Matthews who has been in the Michigan program for three years and played two.  The Kentucky transfer's highlight was Michigan's run in March Madness last year and being named the MVP for the  West Region prior to the Final 4.

He is an elite defender and probably the most athletic player on the floor for the Wolverines.   His mid-range game continues to improve but he still struggles from 3.  He does have another year of eligibility left but tonight is expected to be his farewell at home.   He is still a fringe NBA player, but I expect he will try the professional route next year.

• Michigan vs. Nebraska tonight on ESPN 7:00.

• 3 year starter Alex Hornibrook has left Wisconsin and is in the transfer portal.   Alex struggled after the Michigan game last year and then suffered a concussion and didn't play again.    It will be interesting to see where he ends up. 

• In-state 2020 Braiden McGregor went from the #278 player in the nation to #27 in 24/7's latest rankings.  He is now the #1 player in Michigan per 24/7.   Justin Rodgers dropped to #40 from #18.

• Here is what Higdon measured at the NFL Combine:  

RB Karan Higdon
Height: 5-9 1/8
Weight: 206
Hand: 9 5/8
Arm: 30 6/8
Wingspan: 73 2/8

He will run today.  

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/02/michigan-thursday-gives-hat-tip-to.html

Veteran-owned small business breaks ground in Calvert County

PATRIOT – a full-service facilities and infrastructure solutions provider – recently broke ground on its new headquarters in Dunkirk, Md. With the expansion, the company hopes to add an additional 10 jobs in the county and be considered for additional projects right here in Maryland.

from https://open.maryland.gov/blog/veteran-owned-small-business-breaks-ground-calvert-county/

Wolverine Wednsesday: News and Notes

• Devin Funchess is a NFL free agent currently, he is still only 24 and has 22 career TD's.

• Wolverine Wire has 5 Impact Freshman 

• Tom Brady's Rookie Card sold for over $400,000 at auction.  Wish I had one of those!

• From his podcast:  “You mention basketball players that like to play football, I like basketball a lot, too,” Harbaugh said. “I’ll just put this out there: if Isaiah Livers is a basketball player that likes to watch football, at some point, I’d love to get him an opportunity to play football! Isaiah Livers, the sixth-man on our basketball team here at Michigan right now – tight end would be a heckuva position (for him).”

• Nick Baumgardner from Freep goes in depth film study on new Michigan transfer DE Mike Danna. 

 

He's a savvy, smart football player, which is important for an edge player. The top defensive ends in the country run blazing 40-yard dash times and are athletic freaks. But football IQ is important at this spot given the position's responsibility in containment, the pass rush and reading situations in space.

Danna's not an overly explosive athlete. If he was, he'd probably be preparing for the NFL draft right now. But he's great with his hands and upper body, he plays with a solid punch and he's almost always disciplined with both his pass-rush lanes and overall ability to diagnose what's happening. Danna made a lot of big plays for CMU last season quite simply because he was always in position to do so.

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/02/wolverine-wednsesday-news-and-notes.html

BWI Airport sets new annual passenger record

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has announced that 27,145,831 commercial passengers flew through Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in 2018, a new all-time annual record.

from https://open.maryland.gov/blog/bwi-airport-sets-new-annual-passenger-record/

Michigan Tuesday: Biff Sends Another To Michigan

As we know, Biff Poggi's son, Henry played at Michigan and Biff even spent a year on Jimmy's staff.  Biff is now back coaching HS football in Baltimore and Michigan has received one 2020 commit in LB Osman Savage.  Now Michigan has 2 with the commitment of Baltimore (MD) St. Frances Academy (SFA) OT Micah Mazzccua.  Micah visited Ann Arbor a couple of weeks ago when Biff brought a number of SFA players up for a visit.

Micah is a bit under the radar as he transferred to SFA from Philadelphia last year.  He is 6'5 and 305 pounds and has offers from the likes of Virginia Tech, Maryland, Temple and Syracuse.   Micah has another year to learn his position under the great coaching of Biff and staff which should help him prepare him for Big Ten play.  He just loved the feel in Ann Arbor and was ready to commit, so he called Jimmy last night and pulled the trigger.

“The atmosphere (stood out), and the way they talked to me,” Mazzccua said. “They kept it real. They basically told me how to get to the NFL, how to work, and I fell in love with the facilities.” A meeting with offensive line coach Ed Warinner was also a vital part of the visit. “He’s a great guy,” Mazzccua said. “He seems like he could teach me a lot. I am going to get to know him a lot better through the rest of this process.”

Micah is the 7th commit for the 2020 class and first offensive lineman.   Michigan has the 11th ranked class to 24/7 composite currently.



from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/02/michigan-tuesday-biff-sends-another-to.html

AURP aims to make College Park a global point of entry for US

The Association of University Research Parks (AURP) is looking to create communities of innovation across the globe—and with help from longtime University of Maryland administrator Brian Darmody, AURP may soon point to College Park as its prime example.

from https://open.maryland.gov/blog/aurp-aims-make-college-park-global-point-entry-us/

Michigan Monday: Offensively Offensive

Michigan Basketball had everything they wanted on Sunday:  sold our arena, a maize out from the fans, former national championship team in the house, and a rival on the other side of the floor.    They just forgot the most important part, win the game.

Michigan has been winning the last couple months by play suffocating defense.  On Sunday, that defense let them down and their offense again was MIA in the second half.   Michigan struggled in the pick and roll defense and the underman well coached Spartans took advantage.  Michigan's offense with about 12 minutes to go in the game looked lost.   They struggled to even find an open shot, when they did it was an ugly 3.

This team has been looking for something off the bench and they are yet to find it.  The issue is, Coach B is not happy with his options on defense, which means his starters play more minutes, get tired, and can look pretty bad at the end of the game.   Sunday was an example of that.   Michigan played pretty well until about the middle of the second half, when both sides of the floor started to have issues.

This happens, North Carolina ran Duke out of Cameron this week, so this wasn't a surprise.  The issue for this team is a bit deeper than that.  Playing only 6 guys and going long stretches without offense is going to hurt you in the Big Ten and NCAA tournament.

This situation is going to test the coaches and players to work through these issues.












from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/02/michigan-monday-offensively-offensive.html

Michigan Friday: Burning Down The Barn

Detroit News-Jim Mone AP

Michigan Basketball is a very interesting squad.   They are very consistent with a strong defense but their offense is seemly lead by a different person each game.   It had been Charles Matthews who over the last 3 game has been averaging 18 points per.   He went for 9 last night.  

Which means Jordan Poole stepped up and hit 5 3-point shots and totaled 22 points.  Outside of some poor free throw shooting at the end, Jordan hopefully had a slump busting game.   Teske also shook off a slump and added 17 points of his own.

I've watched most of the games this year and I think I finally get this team on the offensive side of the ball.

• Michigan will get a solid game offensively from either Matthews or Poole.   
• Teske is going to give you somewhere from 8-17 points a night 
• Simpson will give you about 8 a night
• Livers will hit 2 - 3 pointers  

The X factor in Michigan's offensive game is Iggy.  If he is missing 3's and missing his low post dribble drive game, the Wolverines are in trouble.   Iggy went for 10 last night, it wasn't a great performance but it was needed.  If he can give Michigan 10-20 points and the above bullets stay consistent, Michigan will be a tough out in the BIG 10 and NCAA tournaments.   If Iggy throws up goose eggs, the run will be a short one.  

Last night was a solid win against a NCAA bubble team who needed a big win at home.   Michigan's offense was ugly at times and great at time.  Their defense as always, was very solid.    The end of the game was sloppy and something Coach B will need to work on.    The win sets up a nice instate battle against MSU on Sunday for the Big Ten lead. 

• Simpson is a semi-finalist for national defensive player of the year. 

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/02/michigan-friday-burning-down-barn.html

Wolverine Wednesday: Michigan Visits The Barn Tonight

Michigan's Basketball team has another road test tonight as they head to the Barn to take on the Golden Gophers.  This is another game the Wolverines should win but you never know what team will show up when you play on the road.

The game is tonight at 7:00 on ESPN.

Speaking of Michigan Basketball, how does that win over UNC look now?  Hopefully, Zion's knee injury isn't too bad.  Nike and their Paul George line might take a bit of a hit.

• Michigan's 2020 QB Commit JD Johnson jumped up 250 places on 24/7's composite and is now a 4 star.  Continue to watch his ranking rise over the summer and during next season.   

• Former Michigan 5 star WR Commit who signed with FSU George Campbell has transferred to Penn State.   The kid can fly, but there are questions about his hands.  

• Steve Fisher will be back at Crisler on Sunday to celebrate the NC team. 

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/02/wolverine-wednesday-michigan-visits.html

Wolverine Wednesday: Michigan Lands a PFF All American Gradutate Transfer DE

Michigan this season lost two DE's to the NFL in Gary and Winovich.   Next year, they hope to lose another in Central Michigan graduate transfer Mike Danna.   This also explains the Pesek-Hickson moving to Kansas situation on NSD.

PFF was very high on Mo Hurst and they were right.  They're also very high on Danna:  He recorded 54 total QB pressures and 53 total tackles while missing only four attempts this year.  Dana ranks as the 69th player in all of college football to PFF.  

Last year Dana had 9.5 sacks, 15 TFL's, forced 4 fumbles, and even scored 2 TD's. 

Some may say that Dana isn't exactly playing against Big Ten teams every week and he did have his worst game last year against MSU.   That is fair, but Michigan needs depth at this position and having a guy with experience is certainly a plus.   If Michigan can get healthy with some other DE's already on the roster, this position won't be a concern going into Fall Camp.

Fun Fact:  Danna was a 2 star out of high school, where he played with Tru Wilson another guy that has outkicked his coverage as far as his ranking/non-ranking is considered.

• Jerry Kill got a new role and just took out PJ Fleck:  
  He coached with me, but after that, he changed a lot. I’ll just be honest with you guys. People that have known him before — When he got with [Greg] Schiano, his personality changed a lot. And I knew his first wife, and he just changed a bunch. And then once he became a head coach, I mean, I helped him get the job at Western Michigan, and I just think sometimes, ego gets carried away.
  And when he went into Minnesota and treated the people the way he treated my guys and telling ‘em he had to go in and completely change the culture, and it was a bad culture and bad people, you know, he made it sound like we didn’t know what we were doing, and I took it personal. You just don’t treat people that have been with you and helped you career and you don’t even talk to him, you know, once you get the job.

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/02/wolverine-wednesday-michigan-lands-pff.html

Michigan Tuesday: Spring Game Date and Time

Michigan Football last year decided not to do a Spring Game.  I'm pretty sure it was due to the weather but Harbaugh famously prefers to keep his opponents guessing.    I did watch the ND spring game and they looked terrible, so maybe looking bad on tape is a good thing?

This year Michigan will be rolling out, somewhat of a new offense that Josh Gattis likes to call:  Speed in Space.  Michigan will only have two weeks of Spring Practice prior to the scrimmage, so I'm guessing we will see only a few changes.

The scrimmage is on April 13th at 5:00 and there will also be Fan Fest on April 6th.   Jimmy enjoyed having an open practice during fall camp and it looks like he will be doing it again this Spring.

• Michigan will get to see former Saline and VA Tech QB Josh Jackson .  The son of former Michigan RB coach has transferred to Maryland.  

• Mel Kiper believes that the Raiders might take Gary.  They are trying to build the Michigan Defensive line with big Mo Hurst as well.   Take Chase in the 2nd round and hire Greg Mattison.   

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/02/michigan-tuesday-spring-game-date-and.html

Michigan Monday: Good Win and Some New Crystal Balls

Michigan Basketball had another solid win over Maryland at Crisler on Saturday.   I love this team's effort but I'm very concerned about the offense.  Michigan is struggling from 3 and with Teske now struggling, Michigan goes long stretches without scoring.  Iggy and Poole will need be find their 3 point shot if this team is going to do anything in the Big 10 and NCAA tournament.

Can anyone tell me why they don't run the pick and roll with Livers who can hit the 3 point shot vs. Teske who missed 7 of them before he hit his first one on Saturday?

Loved seeing DeJulius in the game for some spot duty.  This team really needs a spark off the bench and hopefully David can fill that role.   Michigan goes to Minnesota on Thursday and hosts MSU on Sunday.

• MSU lost Nick Ward yesterday to a broken hand.  The Spartans hope to have him back by tournament time.   We will see. 

• Michigan had a nice list of prospects in this weekend with two bigtime instate kids.   Michigan has some ground to make up with Justin Rodgers a 5 star OG from Oak Park.   Justin seemed to have enjoyed his visit and says Michigan is in the mix.   Crystal Balls started to come in for 4 star DE Braiden McGregor from Port Huron who also visited this weekend.  Michigan needs both of these guys. 

• Michigan also hosted 9 players from Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances Academy where Biff Poggi is the head coach.  

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/02/michigan-monday-good-win-and-some-new.html

Michigan Friday: Jim Leavitt Leaves Oregon

If your a Michigan fan, you might wonder why I would start a post with the former DC from Oregon who just left his role.   Jim and Jimmy are buddies and have coached together.  There was a strong possibility Jim Leavitt could have been Michigan DC's before Don Brown was hired.   At that time he was doing a really good well as the DC at Colorado and Willie Taggart hired him at Oregon.  As we know, Willie is part of Harbaugh's coaching tree.

The rumor mill is that Leavitt was not getting along with new Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal and both sides decided to move on.   To make this even stranger, Oregon just signed the #1 recruit in the nation five-star defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux.  Don't be surprised if Jim gets offered a analyst job on Jimmy's staff.  Leavitt has a $2.5M buyout and finding another job this late is going to be difficult.  (if this happens bring Kayvon with you!)

• Michigan Basketball looks to move forward from a bad loss to Penn State on Saturday against Maryland.   Noon on Fox. 

• Jimmy reports on the podcast the new enrollees are doing well, hitting the weight room and going to class. 

• ESPN's 2019 College Football Power Rankings has Michigan at #5

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/02/michigan-friday-jim-leavitt-leaves.html

Maryland Commerce releases FY18 annual report

From driving innovation and growth, to telling Maryland's story across the country, Fiscal Year 2018 was a busy time for the Maryland Department of Commerce.

from https://open.maryland.gov/blog/maryland-commerce-releases-fy18-annual-report/

Michigan Thursday: Visitors and Throwbacks

Michigan Football turned its complete focus to the 2020 class right around the December time frame.  As of right now, Michigan has the 11th ranked 2020 class to 24/7.

This weekend they are hosting a number of prospects including instate 5 star Guard Justin Rodgers from Oak Park.  Michigan is currently not on his final list and many believe he is a Georgia or OSU lean.   Michigan clearly has some work to do in this recruitment and this weekend might go a long way towards that.

Biff Poggi is also bring up a number of prospects from his school in Baltimore including Michigan commit LB Osman Savage.

Also expected in include:  KeAndre Lambert 4 star WR and Braiden McGregor 4 star DE from Port Huron.


Michigan Basketball will also break out these throw backs for the MSU game:

🔥🔥🔥🔥

Yup, we’ll be rocking these sweet throwbacks vs. Michigan State on Feb. 24. #GoBlue x #WearMaize x 2.24.19 pic.twitter.com/dTzr0o2AxV

— Michigan Men's Basketball (@umichbball) February 14, 2019

❤Happy Valentines Day! ❤


from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/02/michigan-thursday-vistors-and-throwbacks.html

Wolverine Wednesday: Needs Some Work

Michigan Basketball reminds me of a line from a old car salesman trying to sell you a car on the lot:  "She's a beauty but needs some work".    The Wolverines danced off the plane in Happy Valley and even did snow angels when they arrived on Monday night.  Tuesday night they left the floor after being beat by one of the worst teams in the Big Ten.   That's basketball for you, sometimes the ball just doesn't go through the hoop and when Michigan's offense is bad they're really bad.

That was the case on Tuesday night in an empty Penn State arena due to the weather.   Michigan looked like they left their game at the hotel and Penn State came out looking for a signature win on their way to the off season.   The refs and his team play made Coach B so angry he got thrown out of the game at half-time, when the refs missed a huge illegal screen on Simpson.  

Michigan got down so far, their on again off again offense couldn't bring them back.    Here are some of the issues this team has down the stretch:

• No Bench - Outside of Livers, Michigan has zero bench.  It's really going to be difficult to play 6 guys the rest of the way.    This is on Coach B for not bringing in more guys during the non-conference.   Finding a guard that can shoot it from 3 off the bench would have been nice.  

• No outside shooting - Poole is too streaky and just isn't ready to take the leadership role yet.  That pretty much only leaves Livers as an outside threat.   His shot looked terrible as Michigan was trying to comeback in the second half.  His 3 point air balls pretty much killed the comeback attempt. 

• Iggy looks to be hitting a wall - Many freshman hit a wall this time of year as they are not used to playing so many high stakes games week after week.  It's been a long season and I think we are starting to see it wear on Iggy a bit. 

• Tape on Teske - He surprised everyone early in the year, now there is plenty of tape on him.  He had his worst game of the year last night.

• Zavier's shooting - Love how tough he is, love his court vision, and his lock down defense.  He just can't shoot 4 three point shots in a half.   It's hard to make up those possessions. 

This team is starting to show the wear and tear the early season didn't.   Teams are getting better and Michigan is playing less and less guys.   There is plenty of work to be done between now and the Big Ten Tournament and this team is trending the wrong way, mostly on the road.  

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/02/wolverine-wednesday-needs-some-work.html

Michigan Tuesday: Jimmy Goes On a Hiring Spree

Many college football insiders believe that Nick Saban wins a lot of football games are for two reasons: strong recruiting and a big staff that compliments his on the field coaching.   I think Alabama has roughly double the number of staff members then other programs.

Jimmy understands this and continues to hire strong coaches to his staff.  For those of you that are new to this process, staff roles are limited in what they can and can't do.  For example, they are not on the field coaches, but can review film, game plan, and work with players off the field.

Under Jimmy these positions turnover pretty much every year, as his staff gets on the field roles and even head coaching jobs after working under Harbaugh for a year or two.   Jimmy went on a hiring spree yesterday for his staff for next season.

Pat Perles is going to help with the offensive line.  Yes, this is the son of George Perles and Pat has a long history of coaching in college and the NFL.   A bit of a strange hire with his last name, but he is more then qualified for the role.

Ferris State OC Steve Casula is also now on staff as well. Steve knows new Michigan OC Josh Gattis as they worked together at WMU and run the same offense. If you didn't know, the Bulldogs made the D2 Championship game running Gattis/Casula offense. Another good hire, as Steve will be key in implementing the new offense. Bethune Cookman special teams coordinator/recruiting coordinator Aashon Larkins is also expected to be hired. Aashon is known as a special teams guru and also lead one of the top rated special teams at The Citadel. Those seem to be strong hires with a focus on the new offense, offensive line, and special teams. -Michigan Basketball plays tonight at Penn State, the team arrived last night as it was snowing. -Nik Stauskas has been signed by the Cavs for the rest of the season. Last week, Nik was traded 3 times and released. Hopefully, this is a better week. -Former Michigan WR/TE Ricardo Miller is in a developmental area of the WWE. -Wisconsin lost one of its best offensive lineman as Jon Dietzen retired yesterday due to a number of injuries during his career. He would have been a 5th year senior.

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/02/michigan-tuesday-jimmy-goes-on-hiring.html

Michigan Monday: Mentions Rip Hamilton

Michigan Basketball put another good game together and beat a solid Wisconsin team at Crisler on Saturday.   Thank goodness for Charles Matthews and finding his mid range game in the second half.  He was the difference as the Wolverines were struggling from deep.   Charles reminds me of former Pistons "Richard Rip Hamilton" mid-range game and if figures that out he could get to the NBA.  Teske struggled with Happ in the first half but played better defense in the second and Happ's shots weren't nearly as effective.   Michigan's strategy was having Wisconsin go to the low post instead of shooting 3's.   That worked and Michigan won a contested game.

I'm still concerned with the Wolverines 3 point shooting.  If they don't find some consistency from 3 they will continue to struggle on offense.   Iggy had another head scratcher against Wisconsin and only scored two points.   I would credit Wisconsin's defense but Iggy had many good looks that he just missed.

The Wolverines travel to Penn State tomorrow 8:30 BTN.

• The AAF premiered this weekend and nearly 3M people tuned in on Saturday night on CBS.  I thought the football was better then expected and it was great to see De'Veon Smith have a good game.  He scored a TD and a 2 PT conversion.    Reports are that Denard showed up at camp a little heavy and only had a few carries and catch for 5 yards.    Stribling also looked solid in coverage on Sunday afternoon.   The league has some new rules:  No kickoffs or extra points and you can only blitz with 5 guys, 6 is an illegal defense and a 15 yard penalty.    I'm sure the viewership will start to drop a bit after the first weekend, but I hope the league finds its footing as the NFL does need a developmental league with strong coaching and financial stability.  

• Justin Fields got his immediate eligibility at OSU.  It really happened quickly and wasn't a surprise to anyone. 

• In two weeks Michigan will have 6 players at the NFL Combine: Rashan Gary, Chase Winovich, Devin Bush, Zach Gentry, Karan Higdon and David Long.

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/02/michigan-monday-mentions-rip-hamilton.html

Michigan Friday: RB Help Wanted Sign

Next season Michigan is lacking a ton of depth at the Running Back position.   Michigan has recently taken some shots to that depth with O'Maury Samuels being thrown off the team for a domestic assault charge, which just yesterday was pleaded down.  Once that plea was completed Samuels announced he was planning to transfer.

Then the news this week that Chris Evans is suspended for academic issues.  Which leaves Christian Turner who was injured most of last year, former walk-on Tru Wilson, and true freshman (early enrollee) Zach Charbonnet.   That's it folks!

Outside of Tru Wilson, there is very little experience with that group.   So now what?

1. Michigan has some athletes in Hassan Haskins who started at LB last year is already back at RB and former HS QB Michael Barrett who has been running with the WR's.
2. There is a chance that Evans could be back on the Fall Roster if he gets his academic issues cleaned up.
3. Braylon Edwards brother Berkley could ask the NCAA for a 10th season of eligibility.  (joke warning!)
4. Maybe a graduate transfer
5. The 2020 class needs to be filled with many RB's

This is and defensive line is a big concern for next year.  

• ESPN and Charles Woodson have parted ways.  

• Nik Stauskas was traded again, this time to the Pacers.  That is 3 times in a week.  He is expected to be released.  

• You couldn't even make this up if you tried:  Pep Hamilton is expected to be the GM and Head Coach of the new DC franchise of the XFL.   Harbaugh to Vince McMahon. 

• After what looked like a season ending injury Caris Levert is expected back on the court tonight. 

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/02/michigan-friday-rb-help-wanted-sign.html

Michigan Thursday: Final 2019 Class Rankings

The 2019 class is now complete and here are Michigan's final rankings:

24/7:

#8 Michigan
#13 PSU
#14 Ohio State
#15 ND
#30 MSU

Rivals:

#10 Michigan
#11 PSU
#14 Ohio State
#21 ND
#32 MSU

ESPN:

#8 Michigan
#13 PSU
#14 ND
#16 Ohio State
#28 MSU

Michigan was clearly the top Big Ten team in the rankings.  PSU was a close second but Ohio State had a uncommon year being ranked outside the top 10.   MSU around 30 is about what they regularly do.  They took a hit when Dobbs got downgraded from a 5 star to a 4.

• Nik Stauskas got traded again, this time to Houston.  Worried about his minutes on the Rockets. 

• Like we mentioned Greg Mattison left Michigan because he wanted to be a Coordinator and Al Washington wanted to be closer to family. 

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/02/michigan-thursday-final-rankings-2019.html

Wolverine Wednesday: Lots of News and NSD Isn't One

Hey Pep Your Up Next! 

Pep Hamilton was not able to find a coaching job in the NFL so he has decided to join the famous musical that shares his last name.  I'm just kidding.  Pep was given the Drevno treatment and was asked to leave the program with years still left on his contract.   Pep had 2 years left with bonus's over $1M a year left on his contract.

Michigan didn't take long to announce Ben McDaniel's as the new QB coach.  Which is a better fit for Ben who was a former QB and its expected Gattis will coach the WR's.

Darn it Chris! 

The rumor mill has been spinning for a week or so that Chris Evans has some academic issues.  Michigan confirmed yesterday that yesterday that he was suspended from the team.  Being suspended leaves the door open for Chris to take care of his business in the classroom and maybe join the team for fall camp.   Chris tweeted out he has some academic issues he is working through.

Chris is a good kid and a guy I feel that has been under-utilized in Harbaugh's offense.  He runs a kids football team and seems like a guy with good intentions.  With that said, he needs to focus on the classroom and get eligible.  We will see if he can do it.   RB depth continues to be a major concern for the Wolverines.

NSD 

National Signing Day is today and Michigan is only expected to add one player in Safety Quinten Johnson from DC.  The news is expected to hit when his school has its signing ceremony today.


Michigan Basketball Gets on Track: 

I actually didn't see the game but from reports it looks like the Wolverines found its mojo on offense  and continued to play the rest of the game with a lead.   As we saw from MSU last night, any road win in the Big Ten is a good win.  Michigan is now in first place in the Big Ten alone.

Brady Hoke is Back With His Old Team! 

Reports are Brady Hoke is being hired as the DL coach at SDSU.

• Alabama 5 star DE Eyabi Anoma has entered the portal.  He was a 2018 recruit and Michigan finished #2 in his recruitment.  Could he be an option for the Wolverines?  He would have to sit out a year if he did come to Ann Arbor.  He did not redshirt last year and got some snaps for Bama. 

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/02/wolverine-wednesday-lots-of-news-and.html

Economic activity measure for Maryland counties now available

The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis has released economic activity data for every county in the nation for the first time. When measuring Maryland by gross domestic product, Montgomery County makes up 25% of the state’s total with more than $91.7 billion. 

from https://open.maryland.gov/blog/economic-activity-measure-maryland-counties-now-available/

Michigan Tuesday: A New Grad Transfer DE Name

Mike Danna #57 - Zimbo.com

NSD is tomorrow and Michigan's class seems to be getting smaller than larger.   With the loss of Hickson in the class to grades, room, or because the Wolverines want to sign a DT/DE transfer.   BTW, there is hope that Les Miles at Kansas will sign Amauri Pesek-Hickson.   We will see what happens with that player.  Michigan is now expected just to sign S Quinton Johnson who might have signed in December but at the request of his High School kept it quiet so he could sign with his teammates in a ceremony on Wednesday.  

Another funny thing (like not signing any players on NSD) is that Michigan seems to lose a lot of transfers to Central Michigan.  This year, Michigan even lost their WR coach who become the head coach.  Now it might be time to reverse the trend with a DE prospect named Mike Danna.  Mike is 6-2, and 257-pounds, he made 65 tackles, 14 TFL's, 8.5 sacks, four fumbles and even scored two touchdowns last season.  Mike was a member of the All-MAC First Team defense.

Mike is also a PFF All American.  Here is what that service had to say about the talented DE:

Edge Defender – Mike Danna, Central Michigan
Danna may not be as flashy as others on this list, or even in his conference, but he constantly changed games for the Chippewas this season. He recorded 54 total QB pressures and 53 total tackles while missing only four attempts this year.
Another PFF All American two seasons ago was Mo Hurst.  I don't like the AP-H situation but Michigan needs a player like Danna more then slot WR.

• It's open season on PWO's:   Evan Brunning OL/DL 6'5 275 Oxford Michigan, Alec Ward DB/WR5'11 170 4.50 Bloomfield Hills Michigan, Leon Franklin RB/DB 5'10 185 4.59 Southfield Arts & Tech Michigan.  All these players are heading to Michigan.  

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/02/michigan-tuesday-new-grad-transfer-de.html

Michigan Monday: The Legend/Curse of Tom Brady

For the life of me I have been trying to figure out, What the hell is wrong with Michigan Football?   In my mind, it started with App. State and continues today.   Michigan can't beat Ohio State and has never played in the Big Ten Championship game.   The Wolverines have 4 and 5 star talent and a very strong coaching staff and still can't get over the hump.  We know the situation all too well.  

Then something hit me as Tom Brady was walking off the field as a Super Bowl Champion for the 6th time in 9 tries.  Michigan won't get back to being Michigan until Tom Brady retires.   Why?  Because we had the greatest football champion as our QB and all we wanted was Mr. High School All American Drew Henson to play.  We are being punished by the Football Gods,

Yes folks, you have heard about the curse of the Bambino now we have the curse of Mr. America Tom Brady.   It's a bit of strange curse, because Tom doesn't hold any ill will towards U of M and the Michigan fan base is very proud of what he has accomplished in the NFL.   So how do we reverse the curse?

Michigan needs to go "Major League" on Schembechler Hall, hire Jobu and cleanse the entire building including the Big House.   Pray to the football gods to share the Championship Glory that Tom Brady has rightfully owned since he left Ann Arbor.   There has to be room in there for his college team!

On a side note, during the Jobu cleanse it wouldn't hurt if everyone was wearing the TB12 Recovery Sleepwear and Uggs. :-)

Congratulations to the GOAT for his 6th Super Bowl! 

• In what seems like not so great news, Rivals is reporting that Michigan has told Amauri Pesek-Hickson not to sign on Wednesday. That the team will be looking for defensive line grad transfers instead.   I don't like the timing of that decision and hope he was aware of what was going on for a couple of months.   When kids don't sign in December, I think there is big risk on both sides.  

• So Ty Law had a good weekend!  Saturday named to the Hall of Fame, Sunday his team wins the Super Bowl

• More PWO News: Matt Harrison, Samih Beydoun, and Zonterio Weekley!  Welcome! 

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/02/michigan-monday-legendcurse-of-tom-brady.html

Maryland celebrates FeBREWary

For the fourth consecutive year, Marylanders across the state will partake in FeBREWary, the month-long celebration of our local craft brewing industry. Now is the time to check out that new neighborhood hot spot, or take an overnight trip to the mountains or the beach and enjoy one of our seasoned breweries’ specials.

from https://open.maryland.gov/blog/maryland-celebrates-febrewary/

Michigan Friday: Michigan Gets Some Future Help In The Kicking Game

First is Karl Kerska who committed to Michigan as PWO.  If your name is Karl Kerska you have to be a kicker right?  Wait, there is more, he is also a punter and ranks as the #69th kicker and #100 punter in the US by Kohl's  Kicking.

From Kohl's: "Kerska had a solid showing at the 2018 National Scholarship Camp. He displayed excellent coordination and ball striking ability. He was excellent on field goals by scoring 31 points on the field goal charting and finishing 14th at the camp in his class on field goals. Commanding his tempo and confidence should help him improve his kickoffs to where his field goals currently are. He showed the ability to roll out punt and scored points during the punt charting on it. Increasing his command of his drop should help his punting develop even more."

Welcome Karl the Kicker! 

Next is William Wagner who also committed to Michigan as a PWO.  If your name is William Wagner you must be a Wide Receiver, but he isn't.  William is a long snapper and is the #14 LS in the nation to Kohl's Kicking.  

"Wagner was dominant throughout the Kohl’s Southern Showcase. I have seen glimpses of his talent at previous camps but Wagner put it all on display in Atlanta. He finished camp with the second highest charting score in the country. Not only was he dominant during the charting session but he also won the camp wide snapping competition. Wagner has great size and will be able to make an immediate impact for any program in the country."

Welcome William "Braveheart" Wallace Wagner. 

• Michigan Basketball has another weird road game today as they tip of at 6:30 in Iowa.  This will be another tough game as Iowa can score the ball vs. Michigan's great defense.  Let's hope Michigan shoots the ball well and pulls away at the end of the game.

• The Knicks traded two Wolverines yesterday to Dallas:  Tim Hardaway Jr. and Trey Burke.  

• Good Luck to Tom Brady in  his 9th Super Bowl this weekend.  

• 5 former Wolverines on final rosters for the AAF which kicks off a week from Saturday:  Denard is on Atlanta, Ty Isaac is on Birmingham, De'Veon Smith in on Orlando, Channing Stribling is on Memphis, and Matt Godin is on San Antonio. 

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2019/02/michigan-friday-michigan-gets-some.html