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Michigan Football Writers: Who Are They?

Tom Van Haaren (image via Twitter)

I don’t know why, but I have always been interested in the number of people who cover Michigan football for a living. Not only are there pay sites requiring subscriptions, but there are also numerous blogs and websites that have developed over the years (including this one). It’s a bit of a revolving door, so I thought I would gather up some biographical bits for various writers. I’m limiting this to the four major recruiting sites and MGoBlog, since going even a step further would probably make this way too broad.

ESPN: Wolverine Nation (now defunct)

Chantel Jennings (image via Twitter)

Name: Chantel Jennings
Athletic experience: N/A
Prior to current job: Writer for The Michigan Daily, Wolverine Nation
Currently: Pac-12 football and basketball writer for ESPN.com

Name: Michael Rothstein
Athletic experience: N/A
Prior to current job: Writer for Wolverine Nation
Currently: Detroit Lions writer for ESPN.com

Name: Tom Van Haaren
Athletic experience: N/A
Prior to current job: Owner of U Recruit, writer for MGoBlog
Currently: Recruiting analyst for ESPN.com

Hit the jump for a further rundown of the people writing about Michigan.

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2016 Season Countdown: #58 Elysee Mbem-Bosse

Elysee Mbem-Bosse (image via Bleacher Report)

Name: Elysee Mbem-Bosse
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 232 lbs.
High school: Ellenwood (GA) Cedar Grove
Position: Linebacker
Class:

Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Mbem-Bosse was a senior in high school (LINK).
Final TTB Rating: 78

Mbem-Bosse was an early Georgia lean who never got an offer from the Bulldogs. He flirted with other SEC schools, but a dogged late pursuit by new defensive coordinator Don Brown rekindled Mbem-Bosse’s interest in Michigan. He went ahead and committed in January.

At 6’3″ and 232 lbs., Mbem-Bosse might be the most physically ready linebacker in the freshman class. He is a middle linebacker, and starting MIKE Ben Gedeon is the most proven player on the inside. Michigan is going to be looking for a player who can replace Gedeon in 2017, and it’s a good idea to get experience for your linebackers. Mbem-Bosse’s fellow freshman, Devin Bush, also has a good chance to play at the WILL spot. I think there’s a chance that Mbem-Bosse redshirts, but with no clear backup to Gedeon, it seems likely that he will play this season. Sure, an injury to Mbem-Bosse may put the position in flux, but I don’t think he’s all that ready to be a prime-time contributor right now. If the defense had to reshuffle to get McCray or Noah Furbush at MIKE, I don’t think the team would be negatively affected much.

Prediction: Backup linebacker

Poll results: Which Michigan pay site is your favorite?

Sam Webb (right) with Brady Hoke (image via AnnArbor.com)

Several weeks ago, I posed this question in a poll on the sidebar: Which Michigan pay site is your favorite?

When I went to collect the votes in the poll yesterday morning, there were exactly 666 votes. I usually abstain from voting in the polls I post, since they’re supposed to reflect readers’ opinions. But I decided to click on 247 Sports this time, just to bump it up to 667 and remove the Devil’s involvement.

Hit the jump for the results and some discussion.

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247 Sports Top 247 for 2017 updated

Highlands Ranch (CO) Valor Christian QB Dylan McCaffrey

Following The Opening, 247 Sports updates its top 247 prospects for 2017 (LINK). Note that this is different from the 247 Composite rankings, which take into account all four major recruiting services. Notable movement for Michigan commits includes:

• QB Dylan McCaffrey dropped from #26 to #30
• OT Ja’Raymond Hall has dropped from #81 to #138 since April 2015
• DE Corey Malone-Hatcher has moved up from #183 to #169 since April 2015
• LB Joshua Ross has dropped from #111 to #177 since April 2015

Hit the jump for the full rundown of Michigan targets on the list.

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2016 Season Countdown: #59 Ben Bredeson

Ben Bredeson (image via Rivals)

Name: Ben Bredeson
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 293 lbs.
High school: Hartland (WI) Arrowhead
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Bredeson was a senior in high school (LINK). He was chosen for the Under Armour All-American Game.
Final TTB Rating: 88

Bredeson eventually surprised a lot of people. Most big-time offensive linemen in the state of Wisconsin go to Wisconsin because, well, the Badgers have done an excellent job of producing hogs over the years. It wouldn’t be a bad choice at all. But he ended up looking more at Michigan and Notre Dame, eventually choosing the Wolverines in June of 2015. By the end of his senior year, he was a USA Today All-American, an Under Armour All-American, and a Maxpreps First Team All-American. He also won Gatorade Player of the Year in Wiconsin.

Michigan has had a three-year run of playing a true freshman offensive lineman. Last year it was Grant Newsome, before that it was Mason Cole, and in 2013 it was Kyle Bosch. Bredeson seems the most likely to carry on that tradition. The coaching staff said they wanted him to start off his career at offensive guard. He won’t pass Ben Braden or Kyle Kalis to start this year, but he could press for playing time behind them. The next guard has been David Dawson, but Dawson has struggled and had an upper body injury this spring that caused him to miss some time. Jim Harbaugh likes to use an extra lineman or two in certain personnel packages, so it wouldn’t surprise me if Bredeson is one of those guys this season. He’s the most polished incoming lineman, and the staff could be grooming him for a starting job in 2017 when there will be at least three new starters on the line.

Prediction: Backup offensive guard