Roman Wilson’s run blocking really stands out when you study his film from Michigan.
When the Pittsburgh Steelers selected former Michigan wide receiver Roman Wilson in the third round of the 2024 NFL draft, it felt a little anti-climactic given the Steelers need at wide receiver.
There were wide receivers still on the board who were projected to be just as good and were bigger and more natural to line up on the outside. Players like Jalen McMillan, Luke McCaffrey, Troy Franklin and Javon Baker all come to mind.
But the Steelers saw something in Wilson and we think we know what and it could be enough to get him on the field early.
It’s his effort.
The Steelers had to slog through Diontae Johnson and George Pickens and their on-field tantrums last season which resulted in poor effort and failed plays. Johnson’s were bad enough the Steelers traded him but let’s not act like Pickens doesn’t have that same potential.
All you have to do is go back and watch the effort Wilson plays every play with to understand what he brings in the run game. Michigan wasn’t shy about running the football and Wilson was a key blocker despite his lack of size.
Pittsburgh’s new offense under offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is going to be run-heavy and this alone will get Wilson reps in the slot over guys like Quez Watkins and Calvin Austin III.
Our hundreds of raters weigh in on the best public-access and private courses in Michigan.
Looking to play the best golf courses in Michigan? Welcome to our annual Golfweek’s Best ranking of public-access and private courses.
Following are the rankings for both types of courses, as judged by our nationwide network of raters. The hundreds of members of our course-ratings panel continually evaluate courses and rate them on 10 criteria on a points basis of 1 through 10. They also file a single, overall rating on each course. Those overall ratings are averaged to produce all our Golfweek’s Best course rankings.
The courses on the first list allow public access in some fashion, be it standard daily green fees, through a resort or by staying at an affiliated hotel. If there’s a will, there’s a tee time – no membership required.
KEY: (m) modern, built in 1960 or after; (c) classic, built before 1960. For courses with a number preceding the (m) or (c), that is where the course ranks on Golfweek’s Best lists for top 200 modern and classic courses in the U.S.
* indicates new or returning to the rankings
Best public-access courses in Michigan
The Loop at Forest Dunes in Michigan (Courtesy of Forest Dunes/Evan Schiller)
1. Arcadia Bluffs (Bluffs) Arcadia (T77m)
2. Marquette GC (Greywalls) Marquette (T107m)
3. Forest Dunes (The Loop Red & Black) Roscommon (T134m)
4. Forest Dunes (Weiskopf)
Roscommon (T196m)
5. Arcadia Bluffs (South) Arcadia (m)
6. Belvedere
Charlevoix (T178c)
7. Boyne’s Bay Harbor (Links/Quarry) Bay Harbor (m)
8. Eagle Eye Bath (m)
T9. Island Resort and Casino (Sweetgrass) Harris (m)
T9. Gull Lake View Resort (Stoatin Brae) Augusta (m)
Notre Dame and Michigan State used to battle each other nearly every year. However, the rivalry has been put on in part so that the Irish can fulfill their obligations to schedule enough ACC opponents in exchange for retaining their independence. Fortunately, it only will be on hold for a couple more years.
The Irish have announced they will play a home-and-home with the Spartans in 2026 and 2027 with the first game being played in South Bend. It will be the first time the programs have met since the Irish won a 38-18 decision in East Lansing in 2017. The Irish have won three of the past four meetings in the rivalry.
It’s worth noting that the Irish also will renew their rivalry with Michigan, but that won’t come until 2033 and 2034. This should tide us over a little bit until then. Also, while we wait for 2026, let’s look a few photos featuring the Irish and Spartans together over the years:
Watts is commitment No. 22 for the Badgers in the class of 2025. The group now ranks No. 15 in the nation and No. 5 in the new Big Ten, leapfrogging Michigan.
The top lineman is currently ranked by 247Sports as the No. 218 player in the class of 2025, No. 12 interior offensive lineman and No. 1 recruit from the state of Massachusetts. He is instantly Wisconsin’s highest-rated commit in the class.
Watts was one of several of Wisconsin’s top remaining targets in the class. His commitment reignites the program’s momentum in the class of 2025, just as some of the top programs in the Big Ten begin to make their moves.
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Wisconsin football trending toward landing top 2025 iOL Hardy Watts
Wisconsin football is trending toward landing four-star class of 2025 interior offensive lineman Hardy Watts, as five last-minute 247Sports crystal ball predictions were logged on Saturday for him to choose the Badgers.
Those predictions come from 247Sports Wisconsin insiders Evan Flood and Nick Osen, Michigan insiders Steve Lorenz and Sam Webb, and national analyst Brian Dohn. They are posted just two days before Watts is scheduled to announce his commitment (Monday, July 1) to either Wisconsin, Michigan, or Clemson.
This significant last-minute shift in the top lineman’s recruitment comes after nearly every insider had recently predicted Michigan as his destination.
Watts is currently ranked by 247Sports as the No. 218 player in the class of 2025, No. 12 interior offensive lineman and No. 1 recruit from the state of Massachusetts.
Wisconsin potentially winning this down-to-the-wire recruiting battle is significant news after the four-star lineman recently visited Michigan on June 21. His visit to the Badgers was back on May 31. It is often the case that the program with the last visit lands a player’s commitment. That is trending toward not being the case in this scenario.
Newly-minded four-star OL Hardy Watts on visit to Madison #Badgers
Watts’ would be a signature addition to a Wisconsin class of 2025 that currently ranks No. 16 in the nation and No. 6 in the new Big Ten. Notably, it would propel the class ahead of Michigan (No. 15 overall, No. 5 Big Ten) — the program the Badgers are currently battling for Watts’ commitment.
The top-ranked lineman is one of several of Wisconsin’s top targets who remain uncommitted. The Badgers making a late push in the cycle could begin with Watt’s commitment on Monday.
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One of the nation’s top linebackers in the 2025 recruiting class has narrowed his list of potential schools to just five and Notre Dame has made the cut.
[autotag]Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng[/autotag] is rated as the nation’s top outside linebacker according to Rivals and is the brother of former Notre Dame standout [autotag]Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoa[/autotag]h, who now stars for the Cleveland Browns.
On Wednesday, Owusu-Boateng announced his top-five schools and as you would probably imagine, all five are true bluebloods: Florida, Michigan, Ohio State, and USC joined Notre Dame in his top-five.
Owusu-Boateng is listed at 6-0.5″, 205-pounds and stars and national powerhouse IMG Academy in Florida. He visited Notre Dame earlier this month as well as USC, Ohio State, and Michigan in the last few weeks.
Owusu-Boateng didn’t set any dates as to when his list of five will turn into just one.
Wisconsin top 2025 target Hardy Watts announces commitment date
Wisconsin top class of 2025 target iOL Hardy Watts announced on Monday that he will be committing on July 1 at Noon Eastern, 11 a.m. Central.
The Badgers are among Watts’ list of final three schools along with Michigan and Clemson. He has taken official visits to all three schools: Clemson on June 2, Wisconsin on June 7 and Michigan on June 21.
Of note, the four-star lineman currently has two 247Sports crystal ball predictions listed: one to Michigan and one to Clemson. The Michigan prediction was recently released and was given with a ‘high confidence level.’
Whichever prediction comes to fruition, Wisconsin appears to be Watt’s clear No. 3 choice entering the final week before his commitment. As always, that can quickly change.
The interior offensive lineman is currently 247Sports’ No. 217 player in the class of 2025, No. 12 interior offensive lineman and No. 1 recruit from his home state of Massachusetts. He is by far the Badgers’ highest-ranked target left on the board and a commitment would mark a substantial recruiting victory for Luke Fickell and his coaching staff.
I will be committing July 1st at noon at DexterSouthfield School. All who wish to attend are welcome.
Wisconsin’s class of 2025 currently sits at No. 12 in 247Sports’ national rankings and No. 4 in the new Big Ten Conference. The Badgers recently added commitment No. 21 to the group with the addition of three-star edge rusher Nicolas Clayton.
Luke Fickell’s program has received 10 commitments since the start of June. Its current momentum would reach an entirely new level if it somehow beats Michigan and Clemson for Watts’ commitment.
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100% of the resort’s net profits will go to charitable initiatives.
Saint John’s Resort in Plymouth, Michigan, will open its new Cardinal Golf Course on June 22, with several other top-tier golf amenities having been constructed to complement the 18-hole course.
Golf architect Raymond Hearn was tasked with reimagining the old 27-hole layout at what was then the Inn at St. John’s on the west side of Detroit. His new main layout is a total rethink of the property to create an original experience across the rolling landscape.
“The land was a perfect setting for me to draw on my inspiration from previous Donald Ross, Tom Bendelow and Willie Park Jr. projects and one of my favorite courses, the Old Course at Sunningdale (in England) by Willie Park Jr., which I implemented on both the championship course and the short course,” Hearn said in a media release announcing the opening. “Our goal was to create a fun golf experience. I believe we have achieved that, and then some, with this project.”
The routing for the new Cardinal golf course at Saint John’s Resort in Plymouth, Michigan (Courtesy of Saint John’s Resort)
The project includes a seven-hole short course by Hearn named Little Cardinal, which plays across 7.5 acres with holes ranging from 44 to 112 yards. Also built was an 18-hole, 2-acre putting course – complete with food, drink and built-in music – that was themed after the famous Himalayas Putting Course in St. Andrews, Scotland. These are first-of-their-kind amenities for the Detroit area, and the concepts of alternative golf options have been proved at some of the top resorts in the U.S.
“These exciting golf attractions provide a relaxed environment focused on fun and offering a less intimidating introduction to the game, encouraging newcomers to want to participate, learn and improve,” Stan Witko, executive director of golf for Saint John’s Resort, said in the media release.
It’s all part of a renovation to the property formerly owned by the Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit. The property was donated in 2021 to the Pulte Family Charitable Foundation and has been rebranded as Saint John’s Resort. A $50-million transformation includes updated rooms at the resort’s hotel, a 6,200-square-foot pavilion, a ballroom and more. The charitable foundation has pledged 100 percent of net proceeds to educational and humanitarian initiatives in Metro Detroit and beyond.
Check out a selection of photos of the new courses and putting green below:
Coming off a heartbreaking loss at Michigan the week before, Notre Dame tried to get back on track against Michigan State. It was 2009, which proved to be the final year of [autotag]Charlie Weis[/autotag]’ Irish tenure. As “SportsCenter” showed its viewers, anyone who didn’t tune in that day missed one heck of a thriller. The Irish surrendered the lead in the fourth quarter, got it back, then turned out the lights in a 33-30 victory:
— College Football Classics (@ClassicsCFB) June 20, 2023
As you can see from the graphic at the end, the victory came at the expense of an injury to [autotag]Michael Floyd[/autotag] that would knock him out until November. But there were plenty of folks who helped improve the Irish’s record to 2-1. [autotag]Jimmy Clausen[/autotag] outdueled Kirk Cousins, throwing for 300 yards and two touchdowns. One of them was to Floyd, and the other, which turned out to be the game-winning score, went to [autotag]Golden Tate[/autotag].
[autotag]Armando Allen[/autotag] showed his versatility in this game. Not only did he run for 115 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries, but he threw the lone touchdown pass of his career from 5 yards out to [autotag]Robby Parris[/autotag]. That’s a day to remember.
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Some of you loyal site readers, particularly of the basketball coverage, may know I traveled to Notre Dame several times over the past year. As I was there, the fact that I was doing my reporting on a prestigious campus was not lost on me. I had been to campus once for the football team’s 2012 game against Michigan, so I needed to re-familiarize myself with my surroundings.
There were a couple of instances in which I found myself with more downtime than I needed, so I took those opportunities to explore the campus. A few photos came from sitting inside Purcell Pavilion while the women’s team held a practice that was open to the public (after which I introduced myself to [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag]). The rest came from other places around campus that I thought were interesting, some of them better known than others. So while you continue to count down the days to football season, I hope these photos tide you over:
