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Michigan Wolverines weekly headlines: New recruit, hockey sweep, and more

All of the biggest and best Michigan Wolverines headlines from this week in one place!

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© Cheryl Evans/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

It has been an eventful week for the Michigan Wolverines. Here are the highlights from this past week — from new football recruits to a hockey sweep, there has been a lot going on in Ann Arbor.

Michigan football

Michigan football had itself a great, yet quiet, week thus far. Obviously, tonight’s Super Bowl features four former Wolverines, though Michigan landed some more important news earlier in the week.

On Saturday, Michigan football received its second commitment in the 2025 class. The Wolverines landed Mantrez Walker, whom they pulled straight from SEC country. The Georgia native chose the Wolverines over an extensive offer list and will likely be a foundational part of Michigan’s next recruiting class.

In the 2024 class, the Wolverines just landed four-star Jacob Oden (two weeks ago) and could be trending for more big-name players. Oden has been hard at work recruiting some of the nation’s other top prospects to Ann Arbor; additionally, Jim Harbaugh and his staff are still hot on the trail with five-star 2024 quarterback Jadyn Davis.

Once the recruiting dead period ends, look for the Wolverines to make more waves with some of the biggest names nationally.

Michigan hockey sweeps Michigan State

On Friday and Saturday nights, the Michigan Wolverines hockey team took the ice against bitter rival Michigan State, and boy, did the series live up to the hype. On Friday night, Michigan faced off with Michigan State in game one of the weekend series and game three of the season series — the Wolverines’ dominant first period proved to be fruitful in the end as Michigan escaped with a 4-2 victory.

After the game, the Wolverines and Spartans saw a massive, hate-fueled brawl on the ice. Following the postgame fights, Michigan hockey coach Brandon Naurato had some interesting comments about the Spartans: “[Michigan State] can’t play with us — they can’t play with us unless they goon it up.”

The comments sparked an even tighter matchup on Saturday — the annual ‘Dual in the D’ game. Still, with 0.6 seconds remaining in overtime, the Michigan Wolverines buried a game-winning goal to make the final score 4-3 and take the season series 3-1. The Wolverines’ next series will be at Ohio State — Michigan hockey looks to take the season series from the Buckeyes as well, as their series currently sits at 1-1.

Michigan softball starts season on the right foot (kinda)

Well, it’s that time of year again! The Michigan softball and baseball seasons are upon us, and the Wolverines are already off to a great start. Despite coming into this season unranked with a ton of youth and inexperience (not to mention a new head coach for the first time since the 1980s), there is a mixed bag of expectations for the Michigan Wolverines this year.

In game one of the Bonnie Tholl era, the Wolverines narrowly lost to USF, 2-1. That is the only bad news I have regarding Michigan softball thus far. The Wolverines won their next four games in a row and sit at 4-1 overall. Michigan has claimed victories over Colgate (10-0), WKU (5-2), WKU again (5-2), and Portland State (9-1).

Michigan’s next contest will be this Friday at 3:00 PM (EST) against the University of Central Florida in the St. Pete Clearwater Elite Invitational.

Michigan basketball disappoints, is likely out of tournament picture

The 2022-23 Michigan Wolverines basketball season has been disappointing thus far, and it got a little bit worse on Saturday night. Despite leading for most of the game, Michigan could not hang on and was eventually bested by the 18th-ranked Indiana Hoosiers.

The loss was the Wolverines’ 11th of the season (in 25 games) and essentially eliminates Michigan from NCAA tournament contention later this March. With a few regular-season games remaining and the Big Ten tournament looming, Michigan has two unlikely paths to a tournament berth: win out, or win the conference tournament and secure the automatic bid.

Michigan basketball is not done just yet, but honestly, it seems like the Wolverines’ season has already ended. At this point, the best we could realistically ask for would be a deep run in the NIT to build momentum into the next season.

Michigan women’s basketball earns 20th victory of 2022-23

Unlike the men’s team, the women’s team has seen a stellar season thus far and is looking like one of the best teams in the country right now. Throughout the week (both Sundays), the Michigan Wolverines took down two Big Ten foes and improved to 20-5 on the season.

Last weekend, Michigan went into East Lansing and earned a gritty 10-point victory over the Michigan State Spartans. This Sunday, the Wolverines performed similarly, taking down the Nebraska Cornhuskers at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor.

The Michigan women’s basketball team has now won four in a row heading into their contest at Indiana — a huge, top-ranked matchup, to say the least.

Michigan wrestling splits weekend, 1-1

It was an up-and-down weekend for the Michigan wrestling team, which currently sits at 10-4 overall and 5-3 in Big Ten play. As of late, the Wolverines have been dominating some of the lesser programs in the Big Ten yet being relatively uncompetitive with the nation’s best teams.

A few weekends ago, Michigan ranked in the top 3, though it has lost thrice since and continues to fall. This weekend, the Wolverines were dominated at No. 2 Iowa, though they edged out a victory over a ranked Indiana team and earned their 10th dual meet victory of the season.

The Michigan Wolverines return home next weekend for their final dual meet of the season — a senior day meet at the Crisler Center against Central Michigan. The meet is scheduled for 5:00 PM (EST) on Sunday, February 19th.

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on TwitterFacebookand Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Managing Editor at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple PodcastsSpotify, and all other steaming platforms.

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A new breakout player is emerging during Michigan’s spring practices

All Michigan fans need to know this kid’s name heading into the 2023 season.

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Michigan football breakout player Tyler Morris
© Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

ANN ARBOR, MI — You may not have heard his name much just yet, but there is a key breakout player on Michigan’s offense during spring practices right now. As we turn the page to the 2023 season this fall, Tyler Morris is a name that all Michigan football fans need to be keeping an eye on.

Tyler Morris is standing out during the Wolverines’ spring practices

The Michigan football team is seeing a new standout right now: Tyler Morris, a rising sophomore wide receiver in the Maize and Blue. According to the coaching staff, Morris is on the rise as we head into the 2023 season in just a few short months. According to The Wolverine, Morris has been mentioned frequently as an up-and-comer thus far, and could have a breakout season this year. Here is what Morris had to say:

“I feel like it’s going good. For me, it’s just a lot more comfortable,” Morris told The Wolverine. “Last year, freshman year, you’re trying to figure everything out, [get to] know the offense. You don’t really know just how the program works completely. I was still trying to come back from my knee [injury] a little bit. This year I felt just more comfortable, used to things, knowing how it goes. Not as much trying to figure everything out.”

According to Morris himself, he has learned a lot from former standout receiver Ronnie Bell, who recently appeared at Michigan’s Pro Day in Ann Arbor. “I looked at him a lot, just being an older guy,” Morris said. “That’s what I’m hoping to do, step into the role he had last year and try to take what I learned from him and apply it to my game.

“I have no issue with blocking. That’s just part of the game. You can’t be a receiver and only expect to catch, score touchdowns, all that. Especially at our school … we have great backs. We’re going to run the ball, so you’d better be able to block. I feel like it’s a mindset, being physical and not being scared to go hit somebody.”

According to Morris, he loves being mentioned as a breakout candidate, but knows the job is never finished.

“It feels good to be noticed like that. For me, I’m kind of just proving it to myself,” Morris said. “That’s kind of where I expect myself to be, so it was nice seeing other people start to see me that way. I’m just looking forward to this year to go through it.”



Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on TwitterFacebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Managing Editor at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple PodcastsSpotify, and all other steaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!

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Former Wolverines are clamoring over JJ McCarthy ahead of 2023

A few former Michigan standouts cannot say enough about JJ McCarthy’s talent.

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Michigan football quarterback JJ McCarthy
© Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK

ANN ARBOR, MI — The Michigan Wolverines are heading into what should be a special season for the third year in a row. After winning Big Ten titles and making College Football Playoff appearances in 2021 and 2022, Michigan football is loaded and returning more production than many have ever seen from a championship team. Recently, during Michigan’s pro day ahead of the NFL Draft in April, starting quarterback JJ McCarthy had a chance to flash his skills in front of some scouts while throwing to combine players like Ronnie Bell.

According to former Michigan football players, JJ McCarthy is looking incredible heading into the Wolverines’ spring game on April 1st.

Ronnie Bell claims JJ McCarthy showed out at Michigan’s pro day

Here is what former Michigan football standout receiver Ronnie Bell had to say about the Wolverines rising junior quarterback during Michigan’s pro day:

“He was zipping that thing today,” Bell told The Michigan Insider. “Really, really fun. Especially throughout this whole little process, being gone, I’ve been not with him for so long. You almost take for granted how good he was. And then you come back and get to throw with him again. It’s like, ‘Oh my gosh. He’s really, really good.’

“The ball was coming, for sure,” Bell said. “He always threw it pretty good. Now he’s got even more touch and zip on it. So definitely a lot of fun and pretty to catch … He got better every play. Throughout every game, it was like as the game went on, he was growing and getting better. Watching him and watching him in practice, he just feels so comfortable and just so dialed-in on everything. Talking to him too about how the new offense is being oriented: He really likes it and is comfortable with it.”

“[J.J] knows how to time me up and throws a good ball, too,” former Michigan football tight end Joel Honigford said. “So it was nice to work with him opposed to somebody else just brought in that we would throw the first time today. J.J. is a good quarterback, and he set us up well for success. And it was nice for him, too.”

Michigan football could see even bigger and better from McCarthy this fall

According to JJ McCarthy himself, he is bigger, faster, and stronger right now than he ever has been before. Here is what McCarthy had to say about his current size and ability:

“I was playing at like 193 last year, now I’m around 207, 205,” McCarthy said. “Fluctuating in that range. Herb definitely did a good job and some outside influences for sure.

“It’s helping with my growth,” McCarthy said. “Bigger, stronger, faster. Every single year, just trying to improve those areas of my game. I don’t know how it’s gonna improve it, but I know it’s gonna be for the better.”



Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on TwitterFacebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Managing Editor at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple PodcastsSpotify, and all other steaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!

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Michigan football has a unique workout program that has led to sustained success

Ben Herbert and the strength program is a massive reason Michigan has been so successful as of late.

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Michigan football star Mike Morris
Dec 31, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Michigan Wolverines edge Mike Morris (90) against the TCU Horned Frogs during the 2022 Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

ANN ARBOR, MI — Many of the best players and coaches in Ann Arbor, including head coach Jim Harbaugh, have cited Michigan’s strength and conditioning program as a main reason for the Wolverines’ recent success. Strength coach Ben Herbert has been a crucial part of Michigan football going from 2-4 in 2020 to winning back-to-back Big Ten titles in 2021 and 2022. Recently, former Michigan football star Mike Morris explained what makes the Wolverines’ strength program so impactful.

Mike Morris explains the unique Michigan football workout plan

During the 2023 Michigan football pro day, 2022 Wolverine star Mike Morris had a lot of high praise for Michigan’s strength program and strength coach Ben Herbert. As most know by now, the Wolverines’ strength and conditioning program has been cited as a key reason for Michigan’s quick turnaround and the program’s sustained success over the past two seasons. Just like many others in the building, Mike Morris is a huge fan of what Herbert has done with the Wolverines’ resources.

“Coach Herb would change stuff on purpose just to mess you up,” Morris told The Michigan Insider. “We have conditioning and he would, for instance, he’ll say, ‘Mike, pick a number one through five.’ And I’ll say, ‘three.’ He’ll pick every third guy and will tell them to go jump in the cold tub. And then they’ll go jump in the cold tub and then come out, and then they’ll start conditioning. He’ll do stuff like that where it’s like, okay, your back is up against the wall.” 

“He’ll call a guy by random. ‘Pick a number 1-100.’ Somebody picks 100, and the 100th guy had to do OG chin holds and had to beat his time,” Morris said. “And he put Vaseline on the bar. So we were like, ‘Bro, you’re cheating!’ He was like, ‘No, he has an excuse. He has an excuse. So if he doesn’t make it, he can blame it on the Vaseline. If he does make it, he had conquered all the odds.’

“So that’s what he does. He lays out workouts for us to have an excuse. But if you’re a grown man, you’re gonna get the job done.” 

“I feel like Michigan prepared me in the mental aspect of it,” Michigan football star Mike Morris said. “This place is run just like the NFL. I’d say we probably practice and hit more, but that’s probably the difference. 

“Coach Herb just has us laser focused on what we need to accomplish. Not necessarily worrying about stuff like what the schedule is or what are we doing today, or if we have conditioning, what’s the conditioning? He has us so wired and so laser focused that anything and everything that comes in our way or even in life, anything comes in life, we can handle it.” 



Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on TwitterFacebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Managing Editor at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple PodcastsSpotify, and all other steaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!

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