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2021 Recruiting Update: January 4, 2021

2021

Owen Carney – DE – Illinois: Carney announced he would be transferring from Illinois. He’s a 6’3″, 260-pounder who made 27 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, and 5 sacks in 2020. With Kwity Paye leaving Michigan for the NFL and no clear-cut star waiting in the wings, Carney could potentially come in and take Paye’s spot. Carney is originally from Miami (FL) Central.

Mohamed Diallou – DT – Central Michigan: Diallo is a 6’4″, 305 lb. tackle who made 18 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, and 3 sacks during the 2020 campaign. He’s originally from Ontario, Canada.

OFF THE BOARD

Derrick Tangelo – DT – Duke: The transfer tackle committed to Penn State.

Coaching Situation Update: January 3, 2021

I’m not big into trying to pretend to be a reporter, but like all fans, I’m curious about Michigan’s coaching situation. Here’s what I’ve gathered from various resources on each of the coaching jobs:

1. HEAD COACH: Jim Harbaugh
Harbaugh is rumored to be holding a staff meeting early this coming week to discuss an extension, as well as some staff additions. The rumor is that he will be extended through 2026.
Other options: Matt Campbell, Luke Fickell

2. OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR/WIDE RECEIVERS COACH: Josh Gattis?
I think Gattis is on thin ice due to the lack of development, questionable play calling, and general ineptitude. There are rumors floating about that Joe Moorhead (current OC at Oregon, former OC at Penn State, and former HC at Mississippi State) may sign on to coordinate Michigan’s offense. Gattis may be demoted to wide receivers coach or go somewhere else entirely.
Other options: ???

Hit the jump for more.

Basketball Highlights: Michigan 84, Maryland 73

Top 10 Posts of 2020

Well, as we all know by now, the year 2020 sucked, for reasons big and small. But luckily, we all had Touch the Banner as a place to go and talk football, even when football wasn’t happening.

For a walk down memory lane, here are the top 10 trafficked posts from the past 365 days:

1. How to Fix Michigan Recruiting (LINK)
2. Visitors: January 24-26 (LINK)
3. Visitors: February 28-March 1 (LINK)
4. 2020 Scholarship Count (LINK)
5. Michigan 49, Minnesota 24 (LINK)
6. Dominick Giudice, Wolverine (LINK)
7. Michigan vs. Minnesota Awards (LINK)
8. Visitors: Michigan vs. Wisconsin (LINK)
9. Ex-Wolverine Updates: Week 1 (LINK)
10. Michigan’s Biggest Recruiting Needs in 2021 (LINK)

Goodbye, Cam McGrone

HIGH SCHOOL
McGrone attended Indianapolis (IN) Lawrence Central, where he was a 4-star, the #7 outside linebacker, and #118 overall. He was chosen for the Army All-American Bowl that year in 2018, despite having torn his ACL as a junior. I gave him a TTB Rating of 80, and here are a couple paragraphs from my writeup on him (LINK):

McGrone’s blitzing is perhaps the best phase of his game, but it’s the way that he plays the ball carrier in the backfield that is most impressive. Some guys are mauling blitzers who just eat up everything coming their way, but McGrone plays with a low center of gravity that allows him to redirect and make plays all over in the backfield. Lawrence Central brings him from various angles, and he plays fast and reckless. He uses his hands well to shed blockers, and even when he gets caught up in the trash, he fights non-stop to shed. When he arrives at the ball carrier, he’s a violent hitter who runs through people. Unless he has hit a growth spurt, he has a solid frame but probably shouldn’t get too much larger than 235 lbs. or so in college, which is still a decent size.

On the negative side, McGrone has that injury history that can sometimes come back to repeat itself. It’s always concerning to have a guy who already tore an ACL. His play recognition skills need to improve, since he occasionally finds himself a half-step out of position on basic run reads. That may be partially the reason why his coaches choose to blitz him so often, to negate some read-and-react deficiencies.

Hit the jump for more.