Tag: Michigan

Former Wisconsin transfer lineman to miss remainder of 2024 season with Achilles injury

Former Wisconsin transfer lineman to miss remainder of 2024 season with Achilles injury

Former Wisconsin Badgers and current Indiana Hoosiers offensive lineman Drew Evans will miss the remainder of the 2024 season after suffering an Achilles injury, according to a release from the program.

Evans suffered the injury in practice this week leading up to Indiana’s matchup against Michigan. He had played an integral role in Indiana’s 9-0 start to the season, starting all nine games at left guard.

Related: Bye Week Report Card: Grading Wisconsin’s offense and Grading Wisconsin’s defense

The redshirt sophomore lineman transferred to Indiana after initially walking on with the Badgers ahead of the 2022 season. The Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin native followed position coach Bob Bostad, who left Wisconsin for Indiana after the Badgers fired former coach Paul Chryst during the 2022 season.

Evans did not appear in a game in either of his first two collegiate seasons. His play in 2024 as part of Indiana’s strong offensive line has been a big surprise, especially after he won a starting job due to an injury to the projected starter.

Evans’ absence will test Bostad and the depth of his group. Indiana is in the midst of a dream season in year one under new coach Curt Cignetti. It is approaching a College Football Playoff appearance — a result that would mark an unprecedented turnaround after the program’s 3-9 2023 campaign.

Indiana and Michigan will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. Indiana’s offensive line without Evans will be a big story against a top Michigan defensive front.

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Dan Lanning called a timeout so Oregon could watch Michigan fans empty out the stadium

Oregon’s Dan Lanning was inspired by Coach K for this idea.

Oregon Ducks football coach Dan Lanning had a plan heading into Saturday’s game against the Michigan Wolverines.

As the undefeated Ducks prepared to face off against the defending national champions earlier in the week, Lanning told his players about something he wanted to do when they played in Ann Arbor at Michigan Stadium.

In a “Ducks vs. Them” recap video of the victory, fans saw Lanning call a timeout in the fourth quarter so that he could remind them about this idea.

In that video, Lanning is seen telling his players that he told them about “this moment” on Monday. Then, it cut directly to some behind-the-scene footage of a team meeting a few days prior.

During this session, Lanning showed a video of legendary former Duke men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski discussing road victories and what it feels like to watch home fans silenced and leaving early.

Krzyzewski discussed how he would call timeouts to have his players just look into the stands and watch them go home because those are the moments that the student athletes will always remember. Here is more from Lanning:

“I already told you in the beginning of the week. I’m going to remind you at some point in this game. I’m going to tell you to look up at the stands at some point in this game. And you’re going to start to see them empty out. We’ve made the decision before we even stepped on the field.”

When the recap flashed back to the actual game, you could see players wondering where the Michigan fans went. It clearly inspired the roster and everyone seemed excited

This was such a cool idea perfectly executed by the Oregon coach, who currently leads a team ranked No. 1 in the nation.

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Dolphins bring back 2023 7th-round pick for a third stint

Offensive tackle Ryan Hayes is back with the Dolphins once again.

Offensive tackle Ryan Hayes is back with the Miami Dolphins for a third time.

On Thursday morning, the Dolphins announced that Hayes is back on their practice squad, more than two months after he was cut by the team at the end of August.

Hayes, 24, originally joined the Dolphins as a seventh-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft after a collegiate career at Michigan, where he earned All-Big Ten honors twice. After he was waived by Miami at the end of his first rookie training camp, Hayes was claimed by the Indianapolis Colts and spent about three weeks with the team. When he was waived by the Colts in September 2023, Hayes re-joined the Dolphins and spent the remainder of the season on their practice squad.

The Dolphins again waived Hayes at the end of training camp, although he reverted to the team’s injured reserve after he went unclaimed. A few days later, he was cut from the IR with an injury settlement.

By rule, Hayes wasn’t allowed to re-join the Dolphins for six weeks plus the undisclosed length of his injury settlement. Nine weeks later, Hayes has remained a free agent is now back with the Dolphins for a third time.

The 6’6, 303-pound offensive tackle has yet to appear in an NFL regular season game.

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Wink Martindale throws unprovoked shade at Giants

Michigan defensive coordinator Wink Martindale appeared to throw unprovoked shade at the New York Giants and Brian Daboll on Wednesday.

There’s no love lost between New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll and former defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, who currently coaches at Michigan.

The two had an ugly offseason blowup that led to Martindale’s “resignation,” but little has been said since then. Daboll has routinely brushed off questions about his former coordinator while Martindale has also remained mum.

Until Wednesday, that is.

Asked if sees himself coaching for the “long haul,” Martindale responded with a not-so-subtle and entirely unprovoked jab at the Giants.

“I’m glad I’m here,” Martindale said. “I love the players that we have. Obviously, it’s a different game (in college), but it’s a lot better than being in some places that are 2-7.”

That feels like sour grapes but it’s not as if Martindale is incorrect. The Giants are 2-7 and things are not going particularly well in East Rutherford, especially after the defense folded like a lawn chair in a Week 9 loss to the Washington Commanders. But Martindale shouldn’t exactly be throwing stones from his glass house.

The Wolverines are defending National Champions but are just 5-4 this season and unranked at the moment. They took it on the chin against three ranked teams (Texas, USC, Illinois) and were also upset by Minnesota. Meanwhile, Martindale’s defense is ranked No. 57 in the country in points per game (23.3).

Asked about Martindale’s comment, linebacker Bobby Okereke implied they may not have been Giants-specific.

“I don’t necessarily see it as a shot. There are a lot of 2-7 teams,” Okereke said, via the New York Post. “Everyone knows I loved playing for him. I still love him. He’s one of the best coaches I’ve had.”

Uh-huh.

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Top 2025 quarterback, former Michigan commit to visit Wisconsin during game vs. Oregon

Top 2025 quarterback, former Michigan commit to visit Wisconsin during game vs. Oregon

Four-star class of 2025 quarterback Carter Smith will visit Wisconsin during its contest against No. 1 Oregon on Nov. 16, according to On3’s Steve Wiltfong.

Smith recently decommitted from Michigan‘s class of 2025 as the Wolverines reportedly heightened their pursuit of five-star QB Bryce Underwood. He had been committed to Michigan since November 2023 — before the transition from Jim Harbaugh to Sherrone Moore.

Related: Wisconsin updated class of 2025 national ranking after flipping Michigan State commit, notable decommitment

247Sports currently ranks the Fort Myers, Florida native as the No. 158 player in the class of 2025, No. 14 quarterback and No. 26 recruit from his home state.

Wisconsin joins a crowded offer sheet that also includes Florida State, Miami, Ole Miss, Penn State and Texas A&M. It’s still unclear which programs will re-open their pursuit after Smith’s decommitment, however, as some on his offer list are likely to have landed a quarterback since last November.

Of note, Wisconsin is currently the only program scheduled to host Smith on a visit.

Wisconsin’s class of 2025 currently ranks No. 28 in the nation and No. 10 in the Big Ten. The group has seen some activity lately. It flipped both DL Drayden Pavey and TE Emmett Bork from Purdue and Michigan State, respectively, but also saw DL Wilnerson Telemaque and LB Brenden Anes decommit during that time.

The class currently has one quarterback committed: three-star Landyn Locke — the younger brother of Badgers current starter Braedyn Locke.

The potential addition of Smith would provide a big boost to Wisconsin’s recruiting output. Luke Fickell has compiled classes that rank well nationally, but he has yet to land a highly-touted signal-caller. Carter Smith isn’t quite Drake Maye — a five-star quarterback that led Phil Longo’s offense to success at North Carolina. But he would represent a clear step forward for the Badgers recruiting the position.

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The Big Ten releases statement on post game incident following Michigan State vs. Michigan game

The Big Ten releases statement on post game incident following Michigan State vs. Michigan game

Following Michigan State’s loss to Michigan, a nasty scene followed where players were pushing, shoving, and at one point, seemingly stomping individuals who fell on the ground. Although it was difficult to see exactly what happened on video, MSU athletic director Alan Haller requested the Big Ten investigate the incident, which Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore even admitted was ‘unacceptable’. On Tuesday, the Big Ten released a statement on the events that occurred.

While the results of the Big Ten’s investigation aren’t exactly surprising considering the parties involved, they will definitely frustrate MSU fans, who watched Spartan players be severely punished after a similar situation occurred back in 2022 in the infamous ‘tunnel incident.’

Here is what the Big Ten had to say:

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Jonathan Smith comments on Michigan State vs. Michigan rivalry

Jonathan Smith commented on the MSU vs. U of M rivalry: ‘We will not forget Saturday night’

Jonathan Smith has played and coached in big rivalry games before. Coming from Oregon State, he has dealt with the Oregon rivalry for much of his football career. However, coming out of a loss to Michigan in a game that ended in an ugly incident, Jonathan Smith noted that the Michigan vs. MSU rivalry ‘is different’.

Here is what he had to say in his press conference Monday:

“We will not forget Saturday night, I promise you that. But we’re moving forward.” Smith also said he could feel the ‘genuine dislike’ between the fan bases before the game. “After experiencing this one time, this thing is different. And that crystallized for me on Saturday.”

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.

Notre Dame guard talks Olympic experience with former Irish player

Great to hear a present Irish player laud a past one.

[autotag]Cassandre Prosper[/autotag] missed most of her first full season with Notre Dame with an injury. However, making Canada’s Olympic women’s basketball team was a nice consolation prize. Even better, she was teammates with [autotag]Natalie Achonwa[/autotag], another name familiar to anyone who’s followed the Irish over the past 15 years.

Prosper sat down with Crina Mustafa of Her Hoop Stats to talk about a variety of topics, but her Olympic experience with Achonwa was a real highlight of the interview. Prosper specifically talked about how much she was blown away by Achonwa not only as a leader and mentor to the younger players on the team but also as a mother.

After Canada went winless in three Olympic contests, Achonwa retired as a player and was hired at Michigan as its assistant coach for player development. Clearly, Achonwa was preparing for this next chapter in her life while in Paris.

You can view Prosper’s entire interview here starting at 16:39:

With the Olympics finished, all Irish fans will be anxious to see how Prosper contributes to a team with national championship aspirations. Only time will tell.

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Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

2025 Michigan tight end commit will make official visit to Notre Dame

This would be a huge flip.

Notre Dame has developed a reputation in recent years for its quality tight ends. Another one could be coming to the Irish next season, and it would really would make the fan base happy.

Tight end recruit Andrew Olesh, the top-ranked 2025 recruit in Pennsylvania according to 247Sports, committed to Michigan on July 8 without the Irish having made him an offer. Clearly, something has changed though because Irish Illustrated is reporting that Olesh will make an official visit for the Irish’s Nov. 9 game against Florida State.

If the Irish were to lure Olesh away from the Wolverines, he would be the third 2025 commit that 247Sports has ranked as the best in their respective state. The ones so far are offensive tackle [autotag]Will Black[/autotag] from Connecticut and [autotag]James Flanigan[/autotag], currently the only tight end in that recruiting class, from Wisconsin.

247Sports currently ranks the Irish 13th among the 2025 recruiting classes, so this should bump them up a bit if it happens:

Best of luck to the Irish in efforts to flip Olesh.

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Steelers’ rookie WR in danger of missing Week 7 contest

Roman Wilson is back on the injury report with an injured hamstring. The elevation of WRs lead many to believe Wilson will miss Week 7.

The rollercoaster of emotions, that is Roman Wilson’s health, is a neverending ride fans of the young player wish would stop.  After making his regular season debut in Week 6, fans were eager to see how Wilson would be involved in the gameplan moving forward.

Wilson was used sparingly in the team’s Week 6 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, catching zero balls, on zero targets, with only five snaps played.  It almost seemed as if OC Arthur Smith and HC Mike Tomlin played the rookie WR to avoid hearing his name any further in future media availabilities.

However, the third-round receiver out of Michigan suffered another injury setback in this practice this week.  While deemed questionable to play, the elevation of WR Brandon Johnson paints a picture in which Wilson will be downgraded to OUT.

The Russell to Roman Wilson debut is trending in the wrong direction, and it seems fans may have to wait additional time before they can see this duo tear up opposing secondaries together.

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