Mutual interest reported between former Wisconsin G Connor Essegian and a Big Ten rival

There is mutual interest between now-former Wisconsin guard Connor Essegian and Michigan, according to a report from 247Sports’ Davis

There is mutual interest between now-former Wisconsin guard Connor Essegian and Michigan, according to a report from 247Sports’ Davis Moseley.

The young guard entered the transfer portal Sunday evening after a quiet second season with the Badgers. He averaged just 3.2 points in 7.3 minutes per game in 2023-24, down from 11.7 points in 27.4 minutes per game as a freshman in 2022-23.

Related: If Wisconsin decides to move on from Greg Gard, who could it target as its next head coach?

Essegian transferring isn’t entirely surprising, as it would have been tough for him to crack Wisconsin’s guard rotation in 2024-25 with Chucky Hepburn, John Blackwell, Max Klesmit and A.J. Storr all likely set to return.

A potential transfer to Michigan would certainly be an interesting twist in Essegian’s relationship with the Wisconsin faithful. He remains a fan favorite even with the decision to transfer, though landing at Michigan could change things.

The Wolverines are working to rebuild their program after firing Juwan Howard after an 8-24 season. Former Florida Atlantic head coach Dusty May was recently hired, an appears to already be doing work in the portal.

For more on Wisconsin’s roster and transfer portal activity, check out Badgers Wire’s ongoing 2024 transfer portal tracker.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

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Seahawks send 3 assistants to watch Michigan Pro Day

Seahawks send 3 assistants to watch Michigan Pro Day

By and large, the initial waves of free agency have come and gone. Now, teams are gearing up in full force for the 2024 NFL draft. Such is the case for the Seattle Seahawks, who have taken a trip to Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The reigning National Champions, the Michigan Wolverines, are hosting their annual pro day for their NFL prospects. In attendance are coaching representatives for the Seahawks.

Seattle’s offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb made the trek to Michigan. He was joined by offensive line coach Scott Huff and linebackers coach Josh Bynes. Interestingly, head coach Mike Macdonald was not there. Seeing as though he was previously defensive coordinator for the Wolverines, his absence is at the very least notable.

Still, having top assistants there does mean quite a bit, especially when one is the man in total control of the offense.

The biggest name is of course quarterback JJ McCarthy, whom the Seahawks have met with. By nature of them acquiring Sam Howell via trade, it seems unlikely McCarthy will end up in Seattle. But then again, this is the NFL, and nothing is ever truly impossible.

More Seahawks Wire stories

Grading Seattle’s second wave of free agent signings, trades

Ranking all 32 NFL teams after first wave of 2024 free agency

O’Connell, Adofo-Mensah not at J.J. McCarthy’s pro day

Does it matter that head coach Kevin O’Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah are not at J.J. McCarthy’s pro day?

While in search of a quarterback, the Minnesota Vikings are doing their due diligence to find their quarterback of the future. With that in mind, their absence from J.J. McCarthy’s pro day raises a major question.

Why weren’t they there?

It’s very common for general managers and head coaches of top quarterbacks to be at the pro day but O’Connell and Adofo-Mensah chose not to attend. It’s a peculiar choice on the surface but it makes sense when you look at it further.

Earlier in the week, it was reported that the Vikings would be holding a private workout with McCarthy. During pro days, you get time with the player but there are up to 31 other teams who also could want time to him as well. A private workout can give them a lot more information than spending a fraction of the time with him at the pro day would. You will get to see a lot more than just him throwing the football, especially since the major pro days are often aired on television.

Don’t read too much into the private workout either, as the Vikings will likely have them with all of the top quarterbacks in the NFL draft.

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Ex-Giants DC Wink Martindale the highest-paid assistant in college football

Former New York Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale is reportedly the highest-paid assistant coach in college football.

Former New York Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale is now the highest-paid assistant coach in college football, reports Doug Samuels of Football Scoop.

Martindale and the Giants parted ways in January after a falling out with head coach Brian Daboll. Less than a month later, he landed the defensive coordinator position with the University of Michigan where he reportedly signed a three-year deal with a base salary of $2.3 million in 2024.

That number will increase to $2.5 million in 2025 and $2.7 million in 2026.

“Wink’s awesome, man. I love Wink,” Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore said, via The Athletic. “He’s such a great, vibrant person, a great human being, obviously an extremely intelligent coach. The boys love him. He brings such a great vibe to the team, and experience, obviously.”

Martindale has had quite a successful career as an assistant coach. He was the coach of several amazing NFL defenses including the Super Bowl XLVII champion Baltimore Ravens.

Most recently with New York, in his first year, he led the Giants to the 18th-best scoring defense after years of misery for Big Blue. His defensive prowess helped the Giants win nine regular season games that season and a playoff game.

However, the team’s defense stats fell to 26th in the league during the 2023 regular season. Martindale was not getting the trademark pressure on the quarterback from his troops that he was so well known for. He will now have big shoes to fill at Michigan as they are coming off of a national championship with college football’s best defense.

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Former Wisconsin defensive line coach resigns from position at Michigan

Former Wisconsin defensive line coach resigns from position at Michigan

Former Wisconsin defensive line coach Greg Scruggs has resigned from his position as defensive line coach at Michigan, according to several reports.

This news comes after Scruggs was recently arrested for OWI — just one month after reports surfaced of him leaving Wisconsin for the same position on Sherrone Moore’s staff and eight days after Michigan officially announced his hire.

A recent report from the Michigan Insider noted that Scruggs was at twice the legal BAC limit at the time of his arrest on the morning of March 16. Michigan suspended Scruggs indefinitely later that day. He has now reportedly resigned five days later.

The former NFL defensive line coach spent just 2023 with the Badgers, though previously worked for four years under Luke Fickell at Cincinnati — two as director of player development and two as defensive line coach.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion.

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Giants GM Joe Schoen will scout Michigan Pro Day

New York Giants GM Joe Schoen will be on hand at the Michigan Pro Day on Friday where QB J.J. McCarthy is expected to participate.

Editor’s note: Joe Schoen ultimately did not attend Michigan’s Pro Day despite earlier reports.

The New York Giants are in the middle of a crucial offseason with the 2024 NFL draft right around the corner.

Several recent reports have linked the Giants to quarterbacks at the top of the draft, which would likely be a trade-up scenario for general manager Joe Schoen.

One of the quarterbacks the Giants have been most connected to is Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy. With Michigan’s Pro Day set for Friday, Schoen will be in attendance.

In addition to the Pro Day, the Giants will also host McCarthy for a top-30 visit.

While Schoen may eye others at Michigan’s Pro Day, the links between McCarthy and the Giants will have everyone’s attention.

McCarthy has been climbing draft boards and could still be available after the top three teams pick — all of whom are expected to be quarterbacks.

However, with the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Chargers not eyeing a quarterback, the Giants could be jumped by another team trading up to take McCarthy at pick No. 4 or No. 5.

Schoen needs to be prepared for all options entering the draft which is why he has explored both trade-up and trade-down scenarios.

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On this day: Wisconsin clinches second Big Ten Tournament title

On this day: Wisconsin clinches second Big Ten Tournament title

Captained by big man Brian Butch, Trevon Hughes and Marcus Landry, Wisconsin clinched its second Big Ten Tournament win in school history on March 16, 2008.

Held at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, the Badgers entered the tournament with a 16-2 conference mark and No. 6 overall in the 2008 AP Poll, four spots higher than their last tournament win in 2004.

Five Badgers averaged eight or more points per game throughout the regular season. NBA veterans John Leuer and Greg Stiemsma, who combined to average 6.4 points per appearance, came off the bench for Bo Ryan’s squad. 

As the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament, Wisconsin throttled the University of Michigan 51-34 in its quarterfinal game. With three Big Ten All-Defensive Team members scattered throughout the rotation, UW held Michigan to 20% from the field and 18 points per half. Junior forward Joe Krabbenhoft led all scorers with 12 points. 

UW followed its explosive opening performance with a two-tally win against Michigan. Harris, the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, scored eight of his 21 points in the final 2:56 of action. Wilkinson, Wisconsin’s most dependable big man, dropped 20 and corralled nine boards.

In its following contest, the Badgers orchestrated a 12-point comeback in the second half to steal a win from Tom Izzo’s Michigan State Spartans. Michael Flowers, an excellent two-way guard, nailed a game-winning layup with 28 ticks to spare before the final buzzer.

The Badgers advanced to the championship game and plowed through the tournament’s No. 10 seed, the University of Illinois, by 13 points. 

With the win, Wisconsin captured its second Big Ten Tournament victory in program history and automatically clinched a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Junior Marcus Landry was named the Big Ten Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. 

Former Saints OL coach Doug Marrone has a new college coaching job

Former Saints offensive line coach Doug Marrone has a new job working under Bill O’Brien at Boston College:

It didn’t take too long for Doug Marrone to land on his feet — he’s returned to the college level after being hired by Boston College as their new senior analyst, where he’ll work under head coach Bill O’Brien, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel. He’ll be focusing on football strategy and research.

Marrone was let go along with most of the New Orleans Saints’ offensive coaching staff in February. Before he arrived for his second stint with the team (he was also Sean Payton’s offensive coordinator back in 2006), Marrone worked at Alabama and Syracuse in-between other stops in the NFL, so he knows the college game well. He and O’Brien coached together at Alabama in 2021.

He isn’t the only former Saints offensive line coach working at the collegiate level. Dan Roushar held the position for a long time and is still in New Orleans coaching at Tulane. Their predecessor Bret Ingalls is a coach at Michigan. The Saints’ current offensive line has fallen on hard times, but it’s always been a well-coached unit respected around the league. Hopefully incoming coaches John Benton, Rick Dennison, and Klint Kubiak can get it back on track.

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How to watch Michigan vs. Notre Dame Big Ten hockey quarterfinals

How to watch Michigan vs Notre Damn Big Ten Hockey Championship Quarterfinals on B1G+.

The 2024 Big Ten hockey championships are here, and nothing beats playoff hockey.

The tournament quaterfinals get underway this weekend, which includes a clash between Michigan and Notre Dame.

WATCH: Michigan vs. Notre Dame Big Ten Hockey Quarterfinals

The postseason best-of-three series will take place at Yost Ice Arena in Michigan. The opening faceoff for the three meetings will take place on Friday at 7 p.m. Game 2 is slated for the same time on Saturday and, if necessary, a third and final game will be held Sunday.

Michigan (18-13-3) enters the tournament as the fourth-seeded team in the Big Ten bracket and is the No. 14 ranked squad in the country. Meanwhile, Notre Dame (15-17-2) is the fifth seed.

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Michigan vs. Notre Dame hockey Game 1 on B1G+” link=”bit.ly/MICHvsND3_8_24″]

The Fighting Irish will enter the series looking to right some wrongs from their regular season meetings with the Wolverines. Michigan went 3-1 against Notre Dame, which included a two-game sweep at Yost just two weeks ago.

You won’t want to miss all this postseason hockey action.

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Michigan vs. Notre Dame hockey Game 1 on B1G+” link=”bit.ly/MICHvsND3_8_24″]

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Michigan vs. Notre Dame hockey Game 2 on B1G+” link=”bit.ly/MICHvsND3_9_24″]

How to watch Michigan vs. Notre Dame Big Ten hockey quarterfinals

How to watch Michigan vs Notre Damn Big Ten Hockey Championship Quarterfinals on B1G+.

The 2024 Big Ten hockey championships are here, and nothing beats playoff hockey.

The tournament quaterfinals get underway this weekend, which includes a clash between Michigan and Notre Dame.

WATCH: Michigan vs. Notre Dame Big Ten Hockey Quarterfinals

The postseason best-of-three series will take place at Yost Ice Arena in Michigan. The opening faceoff for the three meetings will take place on Friday at 7 p.m. Game 2 is slated for the same time on Saturday and, if necessary, a third and final game will be held Sunday.

Michigan (18-13-3) enters the tournament as the fourth-seeded team in the Big Ten bracket and is the No. 14 ranked squad in the country. Meanwhile, Notre Dame (15-17-2) is the fifth seed.

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Michigan vs. Notre Dame hockey Game 1 on B1G+” link=”bit.ly/MICHvsND3_8_24″]

The Fighting Irish will enter the series looking to right some wrongs from their regular season meetings with the Wolverines. Michigan went 3-1 against Notre Dame, which included a two-game sweep at Yost just two weeks ago.

You won’t want to miss all this postseason hockey action.

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Michigan vs. Notre Dame hockey Game 1 on B1G+” link=”bit.ly/MICHvsND3_8_24″]

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Michigan vs. Notre Dame hockey Game 2 on B1G+” link=”bit.ly/MICHvsND3_9_24″]