The latest Michigan football rumors include some rivalry silliness, the return of Shemy Schembechler and some big recruiting moves.
What's going on the world of the Wolverines? It may be the offseason but times are good in Michigan with a team that looks ready to contend for a national championship in 2023.
How do Ohio State fans feel about that? Apparently, they're a bit defensive.
Let's take a look at some of the stories around Ann Arbor this week…
Ohio State fans aren't handling Michigan's success very well
The rivalry between Michigan and Ohio State is as heated as it is prestigious. It brings out the most competitive sides of Wolverines and Buckeyes alike. But it also leads to some real silliness.
Commentors on the Ohio State-centric site Eleven Warriors have gotten it into their heads that Michigan has gotten an edge by stealing signs.
Michigan was indeed a second-half team in 2022. They led the nation in second-half scoring margin as both the offense and defense found ways to turn it up after halftime.
The idea that they achieved that by stealing signs is a pretty galaxy-brained explanation.
Both Michigan and Ohio State made it to the College Football Playoff last year so the power dynamic between the two should be moreorless even at the moment. Still, there's good reason for the Buckeyes to maybe feel a bit defensive.
Jim Harbaugh moved ahead of Ryan Day in CBS Sports' latest coaching rankings, sitting at No. 5 behind Nick Saban, Kirby Smart, Dabo Swinney and Lincoln Riley. Meanwhile, Day fell behind Brian Kelly and Kyle Whittingham to No. 8.
Ohio State saw major departures for the NFL, but the Wolverines got back running back Blake Corum. And while the Buckeyes sort out their quarterback battle, ESPN just ranked J.J. McCarthy as the top QB in the Big Ten.
Shemy Schembechler joins Jim Harbaugh's Michigan staff
The Schembechler name is gold in Ann Arbor but the son of legendary Michigan head coach Bo Schembechler, Shemy, hasn't made Michigan his home since working as a graduate assistant for the Wolverines in 1993.
That all changes this year.
Glenn "Shemy" Schembechler is joining Jim Harbaugh's staff as the assistant director to football recruiting.
Schembechler has worked in the NFL as a scout for decades. He spent the bulk of his time with Washington, also working for the Bears, Chiefs, Seahawks and, most recently, the Raiders.
Harbaugh played for Bo Schembechler and now he's got the former head coach's son back in Maize and Blue.
In terms of selling the Michigan program to recruits, Schembechler should have a unique perspective coming from such a connected family. It'll be interesting to see how his years of NFL scouting translate to that particular role as well.
Michigan recruiting roundup
Jim Harbaugh and company are focused on bringing the national championship to Michigan for the first time since 1997 but recruiting waits for no one. There are always new recruits to scout and pursue for the title push.
That recruiting attention has to hit in the short term and long term. For the former, Michigan has some huge recruiting weekends coming up, including a newly scheduled official visit from five-star defensive lineman Justin Scott on Jun. 9.
When it comes to the latter, the Wolverines have been on a bit of 2025 offering spree this week, including some bigtime prospects
Four-star cornerback Chuck McDonald out of Mater Dei in Southern California picked up an offer along with four-star running back Harlem Berry from St. Martin's Episcopal in Louisiana and four-star wide receiver Kaliq Lockett from Sachse, Texas.
All three of those prospects are ranked in 247Sport's Top 200 for the class and several other 2025 offers went out as well.
The Wolverines have the No. 1 class for 2024 and they're putting in the work to be there in 2025 as well.
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