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If there’s one thing that Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh has always been good at it’s not only following the rules, it’s using them to his advantage.
We saw it when he got to Ann Arbor with the satellite camps, taking his coaches around the country and beyond, hosting recruits, giving them requisite exposure while building the Michigan brand. Well, he and his staff have found something of another loophole, and it certainly gives some of the new signees a leg up compared to before.
Appearing on the In the Trenches podcast with former Michigan great — and perhaps the busiest man in radio — Jon Jansen, Wolverines director of recruiting Matt Dudek was breaking down what makes new running back signee Blake Corum so electric, when he suddenly shared a vital tidbit of information.
“I don’t know if Coach Harbaugh said this – some of our midyears are coming to practice three days from now,” Dudek said. “Because the ways the rules are written, we’re gonna get three days of practice with Blake Corum, Nikhai Hill-Green, Zak Zinter, Makari Paige, Andre Seldon.”
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Wait — did we hear that correctly? Some of the recruits who just signed their letter of intent on Wednesday are going to in pads, practicing with the maize and blue as soon as this weekend?
“They’re wearing a winged helmet three days from now – yes,” Dudek said. “In bowl prep.
“Now, there’s an acclimatization period. We’re not putting them in team. They’re not gonna go do one-on-ones. They’re gonna be in helmets for two days and jumpers for the last. But they’re here. They’re going to be here to practice with us.
“I’m missing a guy – Braiden McGregor, because he’s going to come down and rehab.”
Dudek went on to mention how much of an advantage it is for those players who are capable of getting the early time in, considering how things were just a few short years ago.
Before the early signing period took effect last year, it used to be that the bulk of signees put pen to paper in February, especially the bigger names. Then those players would come in late-June, start trying to get acclimated to campus life, while not getting an opportunity to practice until fall camp — and even that was limited, given the bridge program with freshmen classes.
But with a reported (and staggering) 16 early-enrollees coming in this January, six of those players are getting a jump on the situation — which bodes well for their early development.
“Those guys are coming to practice with us And you wanna know why? Because they want to come work! That’s it,” Dudek said. “It’s not about: ‘Oh, I get to wear the winged helmet, I’ll be on Instagram.’ No, no, no. They’re coming to work. We posed this to them when we figured out this rule and they’re like, ‘Yeah! Wait – I get to come get three workouts in with Herb? I get to come in and get individual period with Jay Harbaugh? Sign me up!’
“So they are coming in this weekend and we are fired up to see them in the winged helmet.”
While those players will be participating in practice, they will — of course — not be eligible for Michigan’s final game of the 2019 season, which is the VRBO Citrus Bowl against Alabama, which will take place on Jan. 1 in Orlando.