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If it feels like I’m hedging at the bottom and people say I’m hedging my bets, that’s totally fine. I don’t care about being right or being first, whatever you want to call it. It’s more important to me to be as informed as possible so I can give you everything you need to know without any nonsense. I don’t want to spread smoke, but I also don’t want to let something pass me by without saying SOMETHING about it. For me it’s all about the cold hard facts.

I know opinions have been expressed elsewhere, and that’s perfectly fine. We will not discuss what is said elsewhere, how it is done or whatever. That’s none of my business.

Let’s start with the facts.

– Sherrone has led a serious push for Bryce Underwood. FACT.

– Bryce Underwood was open to the progress. FACT: Some in recruiting circles report that Bryce is rightly “torn” about what to do next. FACT.

– Michigan has significant support for NIL measures like this and others moving forward. FACT.

– Fundraising has been going on and it is impressive how much Warde Manuel and Sherrone Moore have worked together to get to this point with NIL as a whole. FACT.

Now let’s discuss the unknowns and what I’m hearing. If you remember the QB discussion during fall camp, whether it was Alex Orji or Davis Warren, it all depends on who you ask.

When I ask around, I have two very divided camps. One side essentially says this will happen, and sooner rather than later. I would say this site is very pro-Michigan, so there is obviously a shade of maize and blue to the discussion. This side was MUCH more vocal than the other side I’m about to talk about.

Do I take stock of this site? Of course, but I just don’t have enough tangible evidence to say, “That’s definitely going to happen.” Just wait and see.” Maybe that’s the case, but we all know that the pro-Michigan chatter is obviously biased.

On the other hand, there is a contingent that I speak to who say there is no chance. There’s no way that’s happening. I would say this site is pro-Bryce, which could mean several things. The obvious thing is that things will go that way and it won’t happen. The other thing is that it’s a sensitive topic and no one really wants to be the one to let the cat out of the proverbial bag. There is NOTHING to indicate that Underwood and his camp have officially rejected the Wolverines and are formally staying with LSU. That may never be the case and he could send his LOI to Baton Rouge and that will be enough. So this thing is still very much alive, although some say it will never happen.

Another thing that could benefit UM is what happens to LSU’s staffing after the season ends. OC Joe Sloan has been heavily linked to the ECU head coaching opening, which will improve the Wolverines’ chances. Of course, if Brian Kelly were to leave, that would also help. There is no indication that Kelly will leave, I add.

All of this means we’re sitting here waiting to see what to do next. We are waiting for clearance to publish a story. I always want to be prepared and we are all about transparency here. We’ll do a pre-draft so we don’t get caught with our pants down. We are also waiting for an official cancellation, there is no need for a story. If we protect ourselves, that’s okay. Like I said, I don’t care if I’m first or “right.” It’s important to me to be prepared and on the right track. If you don’t like us playing it in the middle, all I can say is that you just have to be respectful about it. There are A LOT of moving parts that still need to be moved and I will not trigger an emotional response based on small movements. I need the big picture and we don’t quite have that yet.

This is MY official stance. I’ll point that out when asked about Underwood. Of course, the information may change at any time based on new information we receive.

Now all I can say is just be patient and let it happen. The fact that we are even discussing this represents a significant change in approach that is very encouraging for everything UM does in the future.

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